INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. NE great difficulty in writing about sibility of clearly defining the moral and physical characteristics of the inhabitants of that vast territory. They are so various, they cannot be generalized, and it is not easy to classify them. For instance the Northerner is in no respect like the Southerner. They are distinct peoples, with differences far more strongly marked than any that exist between the English and the Scotch. The Western man, again, is, in his habits, thoughts, and appearance, unlike either Northerner or Southerner. These three grand divisions include numerous minor ones, each clear and distinct, and, to a traveller, only moderately observant, very striking. The Californian presents a curious contrast to the rest of his countrymen, and has a very |