What I saw on the west coast of South and North America, and at the Hawaiian Islands.: By H. Willis Baxley, M.D.

BENICIA.
ties into MIare Island Strait a short distance above the town of
Vallejo. Leaving all these to the left of our route, we passed
eastward through the Strait of Carguenez, six miles long, and
varying from three-quarters to two miles wide, communicating
with S-isz Bacy. On the north shore of the strait stands the
townl of Benicia, so called in honor of the wife of the brave
old Mexican frontiersman, General Vallejo. Benicia is fiftyeight miles from San Francisco. It was here that it was for a
time intended by interested parties to establish the commercial
emporium of the Pacific, and also the capital of the State of
California. But the laws of trade, too imperious to be overruled, elected San Francisco for the former; while the machinery of party, moved by a controlling personal interest, decreed
that it was advisable to expend the State appropriations in the
erection of legislative and executive buildings where there was
a probability they would be washed out occasionally by an overflow of the Sacramento River-a process of purification known
to be needed by the experienced in partisan legislation and political corruption. Benicia has several fine academies; there are
also in its immediate vicinity the extensive machine shops and
foundries of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company. A fleet of
their steamers was seen moored along shore. Thie United States
Pacific Military Headquarters, consisting of barracks, arsenal,
magazine, and storehouses, are located near the Steamship Conipany's works. Opposite to these, on the south side of the strait,
is the neat little town of JIartinez, the coulty-seat of Contra
Costa.
It was night when we passed from the Strait of Carquenez
into Suisun Bay and the Sacramento River, w1hich having been
ascended during thie dark hours, remained a sealed book until a
subsequent opportunity was afforded to see its generally low and
level banks of rich soil, but liable to overflow in high water.
We reached the city of Sacramento at 2 A. I., a ten hours' run
of one hundred and twenty miles from San Francisco.
The city of Sacramento is situated immediately below the
junction of the American Liver coming from the east, and the
Sacramento RLiver flowing from the north; and is built principally on the east bank of the latter, south of the former river.
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