COMMERCE. 327 



Our chief commercial city is forty days' sail from China, and 

 fifteen from Honolulu. It has been proposed to establish a 

 line of steamers between San Francisco and Shanghae, but I 

 doubt the necessity of such a line. Whenever the trade will 

 justify it, there will be a line of swift-sailing packets, which 

 can make almost as good time as steamers. There is no sea 

 where sailing-vessels can make such regular and swift passages 

 throughout the year as on the North Pacific, particularly if 

 they sail across it from east to west or from west to east. The 

 trade-winds, which blow over it toward the south, are constant, 

 and equally favorable for vessels bound in either direction. 

 Side-wheel steamers would be entirely unsuited for the route, 

 because the wind is always from the north, and one wheel 

 Avould be out of water nearly all the time ; but propellers, to 

 be used when the wind is low, might be of service ; though 

 there is reason to doubt whether they would be of suflficient 

 service to justify the additional expense. Six or seven years 

 ago, a steam-propeller was employed between San Francisco 

 and Honolulu, but it was soon driven off by the sailing-vessels, 

 which made the trip ordinarily in about the same time, and on 

 several occasions beat the steamer. 



We cannot foresee clearly the manner and rapidity of the 

 development of the foreign commerce of China and Japan, but 

 that it will reach a high development is certain. Three hun- 

 dred and fifty millions of industrious people are not to be shut 

 out from intercourse with Christendom. They have wants 

 which must be supplied, and which white men alone can sup- 

 ply ; and as California is the nearest state containing a large 

 white population, and having a large commerce, we must have 

 much to do with the business of supplying them. 



§ 234. Tributary Population. — The present population of 

 Nevada territory is about six thousand men, and the yield of 

 silver and gold is estimated to amount to about one milHon 

 dollars per year. It is now the general and confident opinion 

 of Californians that the population and silver production of that 

 territory will rapidly increase, and of course the increase must 



