CALIFORNIA. 



95 



to come, owing to the difficulties met with in 

 crossing the deltas of the Ganges, Brahma- 

 pootra, and the Megna, it seems necessary to 

 look for the next shortest sea and land route 

 combined, and this we have in the sea voyage 

 from Calcutta to Akyab, which only takes two 

 days, and the land route from Akyab to Man- 

 dalay, which, as the crow flies, is only 260 

 miles, as against 380 from Rangoon to Manda- 

 lay. By this route troops could be conveyed 

 from Calcutta to Mandalay in less than half 

 the time occupied from Madras via Rangoon. 

 It is thought a formidable obstacle to this route 

 would be found in the Yomadoung range of 

 hills, but this is a mere idea, as the country is 

 .as yet a terra incognita to us, never having 

 tyeen explored, while we have the opinion of 

 officers who have served in the hill tracts that 

 'they are not aware of any difficulties that 

 would surpass the skill of our railway engi- 

 neers.' " 



The Burmese population in British Burmah 

 seemed generally to take sides with the Gov- 

 ernment of Burmah against the British. A 



correspondent from Mandalay, in a communica- 

 tion to the Rangoon Times, called upon the 

 British Government to watch closely the Bur- 

 mese priests, as all of them were in correspond- 

 ence with the King and encouraged him in 

 every possible way to persist in his opposition 

 to the English. The Dacoits or freebooters of 

 British Burmah became very daring. Colonel 

 Hamilton, who marched against them, was shot 

 through the heart, and the superintendent of 

 the police of Rangoon, Mr. Davidson, was 

 wounded in the right arm. In June, Nya- 

 poung, the notorious leader of the Dacoits, was 

 captured near Rangoon. Another Burmese 

 implicated in the murder of Colonel Hamilton 

 surrendered himself to the authorities. He 

 was wounded at the time. Three men were 

 also captured, charged with complicity in the 

 attempted assassination of Mr. Davidson. In 

 November, a conspiracy to seize the arsenal, 

 and to burn the town of Rangoon, was discov- 

 ered by the authorities. A great many Bur- 

 mese have been arrested on suspicion of com- 

 plicity in the affair. 



C 



CALIFORNIA is bounded north by Oregon ; 

 east by Nevada and Arizona, following the 

 Sierra Nevada on the line of longitude 120 

 west to latitude 39, thence southeast to Colo- 

 rado River on the thirty-fifth parallel, thence by 

 the river; south by Lower California; and west 

 by the Pacific Ocean. The aggregate. assessed 

 value of property in the State of California is 

 $611,495,197, on which State and county 

 taxes were levied, for the year ending June 

 30th, amounting to $11,608,314.92. The rate 

 of taxation for the fiscal year 1873-'74 was 50 

 cents, and for 1874-' 75 64 T 9 7 cents, on each 

 $100, of which, for the latter year, 35^ was 

 apportioned to the general fund, 22 T 3 7 to the 

 school fund, and 6 T 7 to the interest and sink- 

 ing funds. The receipts of the State Treas- 

 ury for the two years ending June 30th, after 

 deducting $1,479,694.85 paid by the Board of 

 Loan Commissioners for the sale of bonds of 

 1873, and $252,445 received for interest on 

 bonds held in trust for school and university 

 funds, amounted to $7,427,006.28. The ex- 

 penditures, after deducting $1,434,641.64 paid 

 for the redemption of bonds, were $7,112,- 

 218.18; excess of receipts over expenditures, 

 $314,788.10. The receipts from the school 

 funds, apportioned among the several coun- 

 ties, amounted to $430,158.03 in 1873-'74, and 

 $1,213,397.01 in 1874-'75. Of the latter amount 

 $82,916.96 was derived from the income of 

 school lands, $96,360 from interest on bonds 

 held in trust, and $1,034,120.05 from property- 

 tax. The amount apportioned for each scholar 

 in 1874-'75 was $7.59 against $3.05 in the pre- 

 ceding year. The total funded debt of the 

 State on the 30th of June was as follows : 



The bonds of 1857 and 1860 had been called 

 in, and interest was to cease July 31st, which 

 reduced the interest-bearing debt to $3,396,- 

 500, on which the annual interest amounted to 

 $209,745, a reduction in the interest account 

 of $16,640 in two years. The assets and lia- 

 bilities of the State on the 30th of June were 

 as follows : 



ASSETS. 



State Capitol and Governor's mansion $2,645,814 47 



State-prison at San Quentin 261,190 56 



State-prison at Folsom 63,182 92 



Insane Asylum at Stockton 628,963 45 



Insane Asylum at Napa 541,047 70 



State Normal-School building. 270,385 66 



Bonds held by State Treasurer in trust for 



school and university funds 2.549,000 00 



Bonds held by Regents of State University.. . . '116,000 00 



State loan to Calaveras County 55,916 27 



Cash on hand 1,105,878 97 



Total assets $8,237,380 00 



LIABILITIES. 



Outstanding bonds $3,654,500 00 



Outstanding warrants 187,884 54 



Total liabilities $3,842,384 54 



Excess of assets over liabilities $4,394,995 46 



There were delinquent taxes due the State 

 at the end of the year amounting to $478,- 

 897.46 for the year 1872-'73, $131,238.13 for 

 1873-'74, and $545,575.45 for 1874-'75, or 



