The supplies are drawn from the valley
of San Jose twenty miles north of the Cape, as the land in its
immediate vicinity is mountainous and sterile; but the valley of San
Jose is extensive and well cultivated, producing the greatest variety
of vegetables and fruits. The sweet and Irish potato, tomato, cabbage,
lettuce, beans, peas, beets, and carrots are the vegetables; oranges,
lemons, bananas, plantains, figs, dates, grapes, pomegranates, and
olives are its fruits. Good beef and mutton are cheap. A large amount
of sugar-cane is grown, from which is made _panoche_, a favourite sugar
with the natives; it is the syrup from the cane boiled down, and run
into cakes of a pound weight, and in appearance is like our
maple-sugar.
"_Panoche_, cheese, olives, raisins, dried figs, and dates, put up in
_ceroons_ of hide, with the great staples of the Californians--hides
and tallow--make the export of San Jose, which is carried to San Blas
and Mazatlan, on the opposite coast. This commerce the presence of the
Cyane interrupted, finding and capturing in the Bay of La Paz, just
after the receipt of the news of war on that coast in September, 1846,
sixteen small craft, laid up during the stormy season, engaged in this
trade.
Pages:
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215