184 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



this city, as the center o£ the great Sacramento A'^allej^, in which so 

 large a proportion of the people are interested, it is not my purpose 

 to attempt a resume of the whole matter, although it merits the fullest 

 possible inquiry, and the State Engineer, the Plon. William Ham 

 Hall, has, some years since, as is well known, most ably presented 

 the leading characteristics of the rainfall throughout the State, with 

 an unusual amount of details, incident to what was required for the 

 protection of the valley lands from floods. And in another most able 

 report, or reports, has treated upon the great question of suitable irri- 

 gation in various parts of the State — both matters being vital to the 

 interests of agriculturists. But, while it was the magnitude of the great 

 agriculturists interests of the State, that even started into existence the 

 office of the State Engineer, a few years back, to give his undivided 

 attention to the branches of physics appertaining to his office, and the 

 special wants of the people, your Society, which was the forerunner of all 

 strides in agriculture in our State, dating from 1852, and has been the 

 foster parent of almost every other industry in our State, through your 

 State Fair, held annually, at your Pavilion, and alwaj^s ably reported; 

 and especially the untiring labors of the late Dr. T. M. Logan, a 

 member of your Society, in obtaining the daily meteorologicah statis- 

 tics and data for twenty-five years — from 1850 to 1875 — until his 

 lamented decease (an invaluable work to all those interested in a 

 careful analysis of every rain-storm and drought, etc., and should be 

 published as a whole), together with many valuable papers on cog- 

 nate topics, has so grown into the hearts of the people, that the State 

 of California, and the City of Sacramento, has signalized your tri- 

 umphs in the season of 1883-4, by dividing the honors of providing 

 you a new palatial Pavilion, four hundred feet by four hundred feet, 

 and reaching one hundred and sixtj^ feet into the air, besides spacious 

 galleries, where, until tilled by industrial products next September, 

 you can entertain thirty thousand people, more or less, upon suitable 

 occasions. Your own Society deserves all the credit, however, for the 

 adaptation of the means, that people so willingly contributed, to 

 foster the grand purposes in view in your future record, which gener- 

 ations to come will receive the stimulus to carry on from j^oiir 

 pioneer exertions. 



Although, as I say, I have got some special features of deep inter- 

 est regarding the rain statistics and seasons to present to you, still, 

 having just witnessed, and felt a pride in attending, the inauguration 

 of your new Pavilion in the State Park, on Tuesday, January twenty- 

 ninth, and which you and the retinue of ladies, rendered additionally 

 more attractive and magnanimous, by devoting the whole proceeds 

 to our four benevolent institutions, 1 could not let the occasion slip, 

 without some expression of the feeling it inspired me with, and I 

 trust you will pardon .me. Soaking rains without, may have some- 

 what detracted from the realization of as large proceeds as were 

 deserved, but manj^ felt that after a somewhat dry Winter, and fore- 

 bodings beginning to arise of a dry season, that the rains were most 

 propitious, and the whole people are jubilant. Still, the proverb 

 says that " one swallow does not make a Spring;" and even this timely 

 rain, does not determine what the whole season is going to be; we are 

 not afraid of it, however. And that is and always has been, the buoy- 

 ant characteristic of nearly the whole California people. Such reflec- 

 tions as these, therefore, impelled me to note them, and the great 

 heart of the people, which perhaps no one has more aptly described, 



