314 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



is giving to the population of this State. The first exodus of emigrants 

 came for gold, with no settled purpose of staying here. They were 

 nomadic, restless, living in tents, wandering along river courses, clamber- 

 ing up the mountain slopes, and diving in dismal canons and gulches, 

 and when they had found the coveted booty, hurried back home. Thus 

 for years the wealth of the State flowed steadily out of the Golden Gate 

 into the Eastern market, returning no equivalent. You have perhaps 

 heard of the "laying machine" invented and patented by a live Yankee. 

 It was so constructed that the egg dropped through the nest into a 

 pocket below, out of sight, and the hen, failing to find it, concluding she 

 had made a mistake, went to work to lay another, and so on ; but it was 

 soon found out that, however profitable the machine was to the owner, 

 it was very hard on the hen. The steady outflow of gold may have been 

 very gratifying to Eastern and European capitalists, but it was very hard 

 on California The discovery of the agricultural resources of the State 

 has changed this state of things, by giving permanency to the popula- 

 tion, and hence turning capital towai'ds us instead of away from us. 



You live in a remarkable State, stretching itself over ten degrees of 

 latitude, washed on one side by the sea, and walled on the other by 

 mountain ranges. Where on earth will you find more generous soil, a 

 greater variety of climate, grander scenery, richer deposits of minerals, 

 a more salubrious atmosphere, and orchards and gardens teeming with 

 every variety of temperate and tropical fruits and flowers. All this 

 natural wealth and beauty has been brought to within a few hours of the 

 East by the recent completion of the continental railroad. Before your 

 Pacific front stands the nations of the Old World throwing open their 

 harbors and markets. It remains with the farmers, more than any other 

 class, to say whether we are worthy to possess this goodly land, and to 

 lay broad and deep, upon God, humanity and conscience, the foundation 

 of this new State. Whether our schools, colleges, churches and indus- 

 trial institutes shall be cherished by so enlightened a liberality as to 

 become a joy and benefaction to posterity. Whether, in short, a race 

 of men can be developed here whose moral and intellectual worth will 

 be commensurate with the products of this genial soil and sky. 



