The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 41, July 1937 - April, 1938 Page: 116

Southwestern Historical Quarterly

from 1820 to 1850 who, with the exception of Sealsfield and
Belani, confined their efforts for the most part to descriptions of
Texas and to guide books for immigrants. In the second period,
from 1850 to 1900, German newspapers were founded and societies
were organized to care for schools and the church and to arouse
an interest in politics. The third period, from 1900 to the present,
contains works of historical, biographical, and autobiographical
nature, found mostly in newspapers but in a few instances in
books and pamphlets. To name all of the writers would require
too much space, but such writers as Dunt, Ludecus, Scherpf,
Prince Solms, Soergel, von Wrede, Ehrenberg, Bracht, Roemer,
Herff, Lindheimer, Douai, Schlecht, Mgebroff, Siemering, Herbst,
Moeller, Schuetze, Trenckmann, Penniger, Urbantke, Goeth,
Oheim, and Neuhaeuser must be mentioned.
It is to be hoped that the very commendable work done by
Mrs. Metzenthin-Raunick will inspire others to collect, reproduce,
and discuss the writings of the nationals of other countries.
R. L. BIESELE.
A Historical, Political, and Natural Description of California by
Pedro Pages, Soldier of Spain. Newly translated into
English from the Original Spanish by Herbert Ingram
Priestley. (University of California Press: Berkeley, 1937.
Price $1.50.)
The description of California newly translated by Herbert
Ingram Priestley and now published by the University of Cali-
fornia Press for the purpose of making it available to a wider
circle of readers is the most important source left by the Spaniards
concerning the character, customs, and habits of the Indians of
California at the time of the first expedition to Monterrey. It
constitutes an invaluable contribution to the study of the aborigi-
nal races of the West Coast and, although known to specialists,
and published before in the Catholic Historical Review in 1919,
its republication as an independent brochure will be welcomed
generally by those interested in the early history of California.
Pedro Fages was not only a member of the first expedition of
1769, but he was second in command to Portola, by whom he was
left in charge upon Portold's return to Mexico. Fages was a close

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