Most people who live in the Eastern States consider California a great distance off, and so it is; yet it takes only five days to cross the continent, by rail, and bring one from January snows to sunshine and flowers. Petaluma is a thriving town of three thousand, situated in Sonoma County, and connected with San Francisco by tide-water. The chief occupations of the people in the surrounding country are dairying, fruit-raising, and wine-making. The varieties of the Sonoma fruits most raised are cherries, apricots, peaches, pears, plums, apples, figs, olives, and grapes. There are many large dairies and creameries owned by the Swiss people, who find the surrounding country a good substitute for their native land. Before California came into the possession of the United States the swarthy Mexican and his fiery mustang roamed through the tall grass, tending enormous herds of cattle, sometimes slaughtering several hundred for their hides, and leaving the carcasses to the buzzards. SAMUEL T. BUSH, R. T. K. EAST OAKLAND. A Collection of Newspapers. We advised a member to write to the American Minister at Athens for a copy of a newspaper printed in modern Greek. Elsa Roeder kindly amends by suggesting the _Atlantis_, printed in New York. It is wholly in Greek, and no address other than New York city is necessary. Thanks, dear Lady Elsa. This collecting of present-day newspapers as a means of broadening and increasing one's knowledge of the world is most useful and interesting. It is also inexpensive, and as an educator equals or exceeds the collecting of stamps. Did you ever see a present-day newspaper that is published in Brussels or Rome, or even Paris or London? The American Consuls can give you the names and the amounts to remit for single copies. Or, if you send stamps for postage, the Consuls would in most cases forward the newspapers, we think. You can get a list of Consuls from the State Department, Washington, or can find them in the Congressional Directory, which your Member of Congress will gladly send you upon request.