698 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



hills, believed that in a few years the golden stream would be exhausted. 

 His hope was to acquire enough of a competency to enable him to go 

 ''home," as he called the East. But little thought had' any that Cali- 

 fornia would grow to be a State, rivaling in beauty, in fertility and soil, 

 in productiveness of tropical and temperate fruits, any land dreamed of 

 by poet or seer. For thirty-eight years — more than a generation — has the 

 miner plied his pick in Placer and Nevada Counties, and still the work 

 goes on. You are still the cornucopia filled with golden fruit. Still flows 

 from us a stream of gold that enriches the whole world. If mining should 

 cease in these two counties, it is scarce exaggeration to say that the com- 

 merce and industries of these United States would be disturbed, and a 

 long time would elapse before business relations would be safely adjusted. 

 During my twenty years residence in Grass Valley I witnessed several 

 seasons of business depression, consequent upon some mine which employed 

 a large number of men ceasing to pay. But in a short time another mine 

 would be discovered, and confidence would be restored. My friends, 

 mining is yet in its infancy. While the Sierra stand the sound of the 

 pick and the battering of the quartz mill will be heard. We hear, or used 

 to hear, much of the uncertainty of mining, but I think you will bear me 

 out when I say there is no pursuit that affords more certain remuneration 

 than intelligent mining, both in respect to daily labor or individual adven- 

 ture. Capital seeks investment constantly: and the fascination that 

 attends mining, and the allurements of great prizes, will always call to 

 your aid all the capital needed. Nevada is reticulated with quartz lodes. 

 The Great Creator seems to have formed the lodes first, and thrown a little 

 dirt about them, simply to keep them from falling over. In Placer County 

 there are miles of mining ground almost untouched as yet. The great 

 "dead" rivers, so called, run through these two counties; and although the 

 process by which these vast placers have heretofore been worked has been 

 interdicted by the Courts, yet it will be but a short time before the inven- 

 tive ingenuity of man will devise some scheme by which they may be 

 worked. We know that there are millions of dollars lying in the beds of 

 those rivers: and to say that they are to remain as they are. and the gold 

 therein lost to us, is to decry and shame American genius. What then '! 

 Why, I say that the mining population, which is sure to increase, will 

 afford a home market for a large portion of the productions of the farmer. 

 You can safely predict your venture upon the fact that mining, instead of 

 decreasing, will undoubtedly increase. The introduction of water as a 

 power instead of steam has solved the question of cheap mining. 



Perhaps some of you doubt whether agriculture can be successfully prose- 

 cuted in this county. It was my fortune, several years ago, to deliver an 

 address at the opening of the Fair at Grass Valley, in which I dwelt at some 

 length upon the agricultural resources of Placer County. There is no need 

 for me to speak her praises to-night. You all know her merits. Her oranges, 

 grapes, peaches, raisins, and other fruits have been seen and admired in 

 every part of the United States, and set forth her praise in more eloquent 

 terms than any I can employ. I wish to say something about Nevada 

 County. I met a gentleman on the cars the other day, one who has lived 

 in this county for many years and has acquired a fortune in a business 

 connected with mining. I was descanting upon the agricultural resources 

 of Nevada County. I was surprised to find that he doubted whether agri- 

 culture would be profitable in Nevada County. I suppose he is a type of 

 other men in this county who have trod a single path so long that, like a 

 whim horse-path, it is so deep and restricted that they do not know of any 

 other. I wonder that men can be so blind. He had but to lift his eyes 



