Page:History of California (Bancroft) volume 6.djvu/41



with alkali,  and  in  the  south  by  a  rugged  lake  basin. Yet even  here  the  evil  is  superficial,  for  nature  has left compensation  in  many  valuable  minerals;  and art promises  to  continue  her  task  of  reclamation  by means  of  palm-lined  canals,  health-bringing  eucalyptus groves, and  rain-inviting  forests.

It is  a  terrane  younger  than  the  eastern  seaboard, wrought not  by  the  same  slow  and  prosy  process of ordinary  strata  formation,  but  in  many  a  fit  of  pas- sion, with upheavals  and  burstings  asunder,  with  surg- ing floods and  scorching,  blasts. The soil  yet  quivers and is  quick  with  electric  force,  and  climatic  moods are fitful  as  ever;  here  a  gentle  summers  holiday^ there a  winter  of  magnificent  disorder;  between,  ex- hilarating spring, with  buds  and  freshness,  and  beyond, a torrid  fringe,  parched  and  enervating. Side by side  in  close  proximity  are  decided  diflerences,  with a partial  subordination  of  latitude  and  season  to local  causes. Thus, on  the  peninsula  of  San  Francisco winter appears  in  vernal  warmth  and  vigor,  and  sum- mer as damp  and  chilly  autumn,  while  under  the  shel- ter of some  ridge,  or  farther  from  the  ocean,  summer is hot  and  arid,  and  winter  cold  and  frosty.

While configuration  permits  surprises,  it  also  tem- pers them, and  as  a  rule  the  variations  are  not  sud- den. The sea  breezes  are  fairly  constant  whenever their refreshing  presence  is  most  needed,  leaving rarely a  night  uncoole<l ;  and  the  seasons  are  marked enough within  their  mild  extremes. At San  Fran- cisco a snow-fall  is  almost  unknown,  and  a  thunder- storm or a  hot  night  extremely  rare. Indeed, the sweltering days  number  scarcely  half  a  dozen  during the year. The average  temperature  is  about  56  de- grees Fahrenheit, which  is  the  mean  for  spring. In summer and  autumn  this  rises  to  60  and  59,  respect- ively, falling in  winter  to  51,  while  at  Sacramento  the average is  58  degrees,  with  56°,  69°,  61°,  and  45°  for the four  seasons  respectively. At Humboldt  Bay,  in the  north,  the  temperature  varies  from  43  degrees  in