| OCR Text |
Show [ l7·l J use. W c topped and encamp?~ as soon as we ~ct ; and a repast of beef, excellent bread, and deliciOus. salm~n, wh_1ch I had br~ught a we1 e their fir t relief from the suffcnngs of the Swrra, and thctr first in duction to the luxuries of the Sacramento. It. required all our philos and forbearance to prevent plenty from becommg as hurtful to us now, scarcity had been before. . . The next day, March 8th, w.e encamped at the JUnctton of the two ri ers, the Sacramento and Amcncanos; and thus found tl~e whole party the beautiful valley of the Sacramento. It was a convemcnt place for camp; and, among other thing~, was within reach of the wood ne.ccssa to mak the pack saddleR, wluch we should need on our long JOU home from whiC'h we were farther dibtant now than we were four mon befor~, when from the Dalles of the Columbia we so cheerfully took the homeward line of march. Captain Sutter emigrated to this country from tl~e western part of Mi souri in l 38-'o.J9, and formed the first settlement In the valley, on a larg errant of land which he obtained from the Mexican Government. lie had ~t f1rst, some trouble with the Indians; but, by the occasional exercise o well-timed authority, he has succeeded in converting them into a peaceabl and indnstrious people. The ditches around his extensive wheat fields• the making of the sun-dried bricks, of which his fort is constructed; th ploughing, harrowing, and other ngricultural operations, are entirely the work of lhesc Tndians, for which they receive a very moderate compensa• tion-principally in shirts, blankets, and other articles of clothing. In the same manner, on application to the chief of a village, he readily obtains as many boys and girls as he has any usc for. There were at this time a number of girls at the fort, in training for a future woollen factory; but thry were now all hu ily engaged in constantly watering the gardens,. which the unfavorable dryness of the season rendered necessary. The oc• casiona.l dryness of some seasons, I understood to be the only complaiut o£ the settle-rs in this~ rtile valley, as it sometimes renders the crops uncer·· tain. Mr. Sutter was about making arrangen1ents to irrigate his lands by means of the Hio de los Americanos. Ile had this year sown, and alto· ge ther hy India~1 labor, tht ec hundred fanegas of wheat. . A few y~ars stnee, the neighboring Russian establishment of Ros~, bcwg abont to Withdraw from the country sold to him a larcre number of stockd . . ' b W1th agrr r:u.Itural and other stores, with a number of pieces of artillery a.n ot~e r munttt.ons of war; for these, a regular yt;arly payment is made in .grat.n. fhe fort IS a quadrangular adobe structure mountino· 12 pieces of arttl· lery, (two of th em urass,) nnd capable of ad~nittincr a ~arrison of a thou· S:.lnd men ; this, at present, consists of 40 Indian~, in uniform-one of vhorn was a lways fou11d on duty at the gate. As mi<Tht naturally be ex· pcctcd, the picrC's arc not in very good order. Th~ whites in the em· ployment of Capt. Sutter, American, French and German, amount, per· haps, to 30 men. The inner wall is formed into buildincrs comprising the common . uarters, with bl acksmith and other worksho J~S ; the dwelling house, Wtth a la rge distillery house, and other buildings, occupying more the centre of the area . . It i~ built upon a pond-like st ream at times a runnincr creek cornmunicattn cr With the l{io I I A . , . b I t t vo .M f e os men ca nos, w 111ch en tC'rs t h~ Sacra men to a >Oil ' ~~.~~~s bC'I<,w. The latter i~ hen· a nob le rivc•r, about thre~ hundred ynrds 1 o.td, clnPp and tranquil, with several fathon1s of water in the chan nel, and |
