Mr. F. showed me specimens of lead
ore from which he moulds his bullets, taken from an inexhaustible mine
in the Tular Valley, some fifty miles distant from this. It is
certainly the richest ore that I have ever seen, appearing almost like
the pure metal. He also showed me a caustic alkali, produced by burning
a plant or shrub which grows in great abundance in the Tular Valley.
This substance is used by him in the manufacture of soap.
About noon on the 4th, we halted at the rancho of Captain Dana, where
we procured fresh horses, leaving our wretchedly lean and tired
animals, and, proceeding on, stopped for the night at the rancho of Mr.
Branch, an intelligent American, originally from the state of New York,
who has been settled in the country a number of years. His rancho is
situated on what is called the _arroyo grande_, a small stream which
empties into the Pacific some two or three miles from the house. The
house is new, and constructed after American models of farm-houses,
with neat and comfortable apartments, chimneys and fireplaces. The
arable lands here are finely adapted to the culture of maize, wheat,
and potatoes.
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