Doubtless, new and yet undeveloped sources of wealth will be
discovered hereafter that will render this town of much greater
importance than it is at present.
On the coast, a few miles above Santa Barbara, there are, I have been
told, immense quantities of pure bitumen or mineral tar, which, rising
in the ocean, has been thrown upon the shore by the waves, where in a
concrete state, like resin, it has accumulated in inexhaustible masses.
There are, doubtless, many valuable minerals in the neighbouring
mountains, which, when developed by enterprise, will add greatly to the
wealth and importance of the town. For intelligence, refinement, and
civilization, the population, it is said, will compare advantageously
with any in California. Some old and influential Spanish families are
residents of this place; but their _casas_, with the exception of that
of Senor Don Jose Noriega, the largest house in the place, are now
closed and deserted. Senor N. is one of the oldest and most respectable
citizens of California, having filled the highest offices in the
government of the country. One of his daughters is a resident of New
York, having married Alfred Robinson, Esq.
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