I regret my limits will not permit me to follow the Pacific squadron, under the command of Com. Shubrick, to the Mexican coast. The capture and occupation of Mazatlan has hardly stirred a whisper in the trump of fame, which has poured out such strains on the other side of the continent. And yet this achievement of the commodore had in it a spirit of wisdom, resolution, and firmness that might emblazon a much loftier page than mine. When the history of the Mexican war shall be written, and the services of those who shared in its hardships and perils be duly recognized, Com. Shubrick, with the gallant officers and brave men attached to his command, will receive a lasting meed of merited renown. It is now silently written in that international compact which terminated the apprehensions of one republic and sealed the triumphs of another. It was the waving of the stars and stripes on the strand of the Pacific which left a forlorn hope without a refuge, and coerced the terms of an honorable peace; and long may that peace remain unbroken by the monster of discord and war. CHAPTER XXXI. GLANCES AT TOWNS SPRUNG AND SPRINGING.—SAN FRANCISCO.—BENICIA.—SACRAMENTO CITY.—SUTTER.—VERNON.—BOSTON.—STOCKTON.—NEW YORK.—ALVEZO.—STANISLAUS.—SONORA.—CRESCENT CITY.—TRINIDAD. The growth of towns in California is so rapid, that before you can sketch the last, a new one has sprung into existence. You go to work on this, and dash down a few features, when another glimmers on your vision, till at last you become like the English surgeon at the battle of Waterloo; who began by bandaging individuals, but found the wounded brought in so fast he declared he must splinter by the regiment. SAN FRANCISCO.—This town has thrice been laid in ashes; but the young phœnix has risen on ampler wings than those which steadied the consumed form of its parent. It must be the great commercial emporium of California in spite of competition, wind, and flame. Its direct connection with the sea, its magnificent bay and internal communications, have settled the question of its ultimate grandeur. It may be afflicted with grog-shops and gamblers, and the mania of speculation, but these are temporary evils which time, a higher moral tone, and the more steady pursuits of man will remedy. Three years ago only a dozen shanties sprinkled its sand-hills; now, even with its heart burnt out, it looks like the skeleton of a huge city. That heart will be reconstructed, and send the life-blood leaping through the system.