State Agricultural Society. 355 



THE AREA OF CALIFORNIA. 



For the information of those who have never visited the Pacific Coast, 

 we will give the area of our State. It is not a State so much as an 

 empire, with its one hundred and eighty-eight thousand nine hundred 

 and eighty-one square miles, or one hundred and thirty million nine 

 hundred and twenty-seven thousand eight hundred and forty acres. A 

 recent authority makes the following showing: The combined area of 

 the six New England States is but sixty-eight thousand three hundred and 

 thirty-eight square miles, showing that California has an area almost 

 three times as great as this division of the republic. The area of the 

 six Middle States — New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, 

 Maryland, and West Virginia — is one hundred and thirty-seven thousand 

 four hundred and sixty-four square miles, showing that the area of 

 California is fifty-one thousand five hundred and seventeen square miles 

 larger than this section. The combined area of the twelve States forming 

 the New England and Middle States is two hundred and five thousand 

 eight hundred and twelve square miles, showing that California contains 

 an area almost as great as these twelve States. It is seventy-eight thou- 

 sand two hundred and thirty-five square miles larger than the whole of 

 Great Britain — the latter being one hundred and ten thousand eight 

 hundred and fifty-six square miles. It would make twenty-four States 

 the size of Massachusetts, leaving two thousand seven hundred and 

 eighty-four square miles; and the area of California would make one 

 hundred and forty-five States as large as the State of Ehode Island. 



