On arriving at San Francisco (on Saturday, December 6th), I went straight to the Palace Hotel, and my first effort was to get a bath, for a continuous day and night run from New York of 3,367 miles, makes one who is accustomed to the use of plenty of water to look for a good ablution as the first refresher.  The Palace Hotel claims to be the “model hotel of the world.”  Its architect visited the leading hotels of Europe so as to produce a hotel superior to any.  As to size, it occupies a complete block—­that is, it has a street traversing each side of it.  It rises to a height of 120 feet, and covers an area 350 feet by 275 feet—­that is, 96,250 square feet, or nearly 2-3/4 acres, and, with sub-sidewalk extensions, exceeds three acres.  The lower story is 27 feet high, the uppermost one 16 feet high.  The foundation wall is 12 feet thick, and the principal materials are stone, iron, brick, and marble.  Every partition wall throughout is stone and brick.  It is fire and earthquake proof, the walls being additionally tied by iron bands.  It has four artesian wells, yielding 28,000 gallons of water an hour, a 630,000 gallon reservoir, and tanks holding 130,000 gallons more.  The water is served by three large steam fire pumps, which throw the water above the roof.  There are five patent safety-catch hydraulic elevators (or lifts).  Immense precautions have been taken against fire.  The dining-rooms are 150 feet by 55 feet, and 100 feet by 50 feet.  The public rooms are very numerous, and are of immense size.  The rooms for guests are principally 20 feet by 20 feet; none are less than 16 feet by 16 feet; all are well furnished.  The corridors are like streets—­space, elegance, solidity, and comfort are apparent everywhere; the whole being lighted by gas and electricity.  Each bedroom has a bath-room, with hot and cold water services; w.c., coat-closet, and lavatory closet, with hot and cold water services to itself, and which can only be used by the occupant of the bed-room.  The hotel, of course, has a barber’s shop, and as I expected my client to call I was anxious to get through my toilet quickly; so I rang for one of the barber’s assistants to come to my bed-room to cut my hair preparatory to the bath.  This did not take long, and I asked the price, when, to my surprise, a dollar and a-half, i.e., 6s. 3d., was required.  I thought it was barbarism indeed!

I left San Francisco on Monday, December 8th, and during my short stay I saw something of the town; but it was not the same place as I remembered it from my two visits to it in 1862.  It is full of life and activity, has many wealthy men, 50 of whom, it is said, are millionaires.  It has a large number of grand buildings, fine shops, extensive markets, beautiful private residences, and an immense development of electricity for motion, light, sound, etc.  The tram-cars run in constant succession everywhere; but the most remarkable cars are those worked by an endless cable.  In the city are works with immense