245 



CALIFORNIA, STATE OF. 



CALIFORNIA, STATE OF. 



246 



account is annually visited by a few English and American vessels 

 The southern portion of the gulf is visited by a few foreign vessels 

 which supply Sonora with European goods, and take the produce o 

 its copper-mines to China. These vessels go principally to the bar 

 bour of Guaymas on the east coast (28 N. lat.). The same part o 

 the gulf ia also navigated by a few Mexican vessels, which carrj 

 maize in exchange for the produce of the peninsula. A few smal 

 vessels are employed in the pearl-fishery. The northern portion o 

 the gulf is seldom visited, the coasts being only inhabited by wander 

 ing tribes, who have nothing to offer in exchange. The navigation in 

 the gulf is entirely interrupted in the month of September by th 

 terrible hurricanes called cordonazos (gales), which blow at that tim 

 with great violence. 



CALIFORNIA, STATE OF, one of the United States of North 

 America, is bounded N. by the United States territory of Oregon 

 X.E. by that of Utah, S.E. by that of New Mexico, and S. by thi 

 Mexican territory of Lower California. Its western boundary is the 

 P.-i'jinc Ocean, along which it extends from 32 to 42 N. lat. ; its 

 L-U boundary is defined by a line which runs along 120 W. long 

 from 42 to 39 N. lat., thence in a south-eastern direction till i 

 intersects the Rio Colorado in 35 N. lat., whence it is continuec 

 down the mid-channel of that river to its mouth in the Gulf of Cali 

 fornia, 32 N. lat. The area is 188,981 square miles : the population 

 in 1852 was about 300,000. The tract of country which now forms 

 the State of California was until lately the coast section of the terri 

 'it Upper (Alta) or New (Nueva) California, the north-western 

 'if the Mexican republic. It was ceded to the United States o: 

 North America by treaty in February 1848, and has since been 

 admitted into the Union as a sovereign state. The extraordinary 

 increase of its population will be seen by the following statement : 

 '2 Humboldt, from materials supplied by the padres at the heat] 

 of the missions, estimated the entire population of Upper California, 

 w!:ich included, besides the present State of California, the territory 

 of Utah and (in part) that of New Mexico, at 16,862, of whom 15,562 

 were ' converted Indians.' The official return of persons resident in 

 the missions of Upper California in 1828 was 23,105, of whom 18,763 

 were converted Indians. After the suppression of the missions the 

 Indians became more scattered, and no official statement of the popu- 

 lation was made. The first federal census after the cession of California 

 to the United States was in 1850, when the State of California had a 

 total population of 117,538. In 1852 a census was taken by the State 

 authorities, when the agents' returns gave the population as 264,435 ; 

 but the Secretary of State in his official Report states that all the 

 census agents declare their inability to obtain the numbers of " the 

 whole population of their respective counties," and he thinks it neces- 

 sary, in order to render an approximately correct statement, to add 

 one-sixth to the number returned. He therefore gives 308,507 as the 

 population in 1852 : of whom 210,858 were whites, little more than 

 30,000 being females, and 105,344 being citizens over 21 years of age ; 

 2090 were negroes, of whom the females were under 300 ; 572 mulat- 

 toes ; 33,539 domesticated Indians ; and 59,991 foreign residents, of 

 whom about 25,000 were Chinese. California sent in 1853 two 

 members to the Congress of the United States, and like each of the 

 other states two members to the Senate. 



Cocut-line, Surface, Hydrography. The State of California owes 

 its characteristic features to two great ranges of mountains, the Sierra 

 Nevada and the Coast Range, which traverse it from north-west to 

 south-east, having between them the splendid valley of the Sacra- 

 mento and the Joaquin ; on the eastern side wide sandy plains, and 

 on the western the narrow slip of coast. The coast of California is 

 generally rugged and precipitous. Beginning at its southern extre- 

 mity, it makes a bold semicircular sweep to the north-west as far as 

 Point Concepcion. Off this part of the coast there are several small 

 islands and rocks, and the coast-lino is indented by several bays and 

 harbours. The only valuable one of these is San Diego Bay (32 41' 

 N. lat.), which has an excellent natural breakwater at its mouth, 

 formed by a narrow strip of shingle beach projecting into the sea. 

 The bay itself is wide and spacious, and forms an excellent though at 

 present little-used harbour. The harbours of San Pedro and Santa 

 Barbara are also available for craft of considerable burden. From 

 Concepcion Point the coast bears north-north-west to Point Pinos, the 

 southern extremity of Monterey Bay, one of the safest and most 

 capacious harbours on this coast ; it is said to be capable of contain- 

 ing at one time the navies of the world. From Monterey Bay the coast 

 continues as before for about 70 miles, in a direct line, to the almost 

 unrivalled bay of San Francisco. The entrance, which is nearly in 

 the centre of San Francisco Bay, is only about a mile wide, but the 

 bay itself opens out for more than 30 miles both on the right and 

 left ; ita entire length is 70 miles, with an average breadth of 8 miles, 

 and it has a coast of 275 miles. By projecting points of land several 

 small inner bays are formed, the principal being San Pablo and Suisun 

 bays. It is land-locked on every side and quite safe within, but a bar 

 at the mouth renders the entrance sometimes dangerous. This har- 

 bour is the natural outlet of the valleys of Sacramento and Joaquin, 

 with their wondrous mineral riches and vast agricultural capabilities. 

 Beyond San Francisco Bay is Port Bodega, where was formerly a 

 Ruuian station. From thence the coast continues in the same north- 

 west direction, but less broken than before, to Point Delgado, beyond 



which is the bold headland of Cape Mendocino, 40 21' N. lat, which 

 forms the southern point of the Bay of Trinidad, in which the coast 

 of California terminates. 



The mountain masses which constitute the peninsula of Lower 

 California extend undivided into the State of California as far north 

 as the snow-capped peak of San Bernardino, 34 N. lat., where they 

 divide into the two great ranges already mentioned. These ranges 

 both run in a north-western and generally parallel direction. The 

 eastern range, called the Sierra Nevada, or Snowy Range, is by far the 

 loftiest, many of its peaks being above the line of perpetual snow : 

 the Saddle Peak is 7200 feet high, the Table Mountain 8000 feet, the 

 Butte 9000, Mount St. Joseph above 10,000, and Mount Shaste' at 

 the northern extremity of the range (41 34' N. lat.) 14,390 feet above 

 the sea. This range is traversed by few and those v>ery elevated passes. 

 North of 39 N. lat. its slopes, especially on the western side, have 

 vast forests of pine, and lower down of oak. The distance of the 

 Sierra Nevada from the coast averages about 200 miles. The Coast 

 Range runs at a short distance only from the coast, to which it is 

 generally nearly parallel. Its usual height varies from 2000 to 3000 

 feet : its highest peak, Monte Diavolo, at the head of San Francisco 

 Bay, is 3770 feet above the sea. This range is broken near Monte 

 Diavolo by the united Sacramento and Joaquin rivers ; decreases in 

 altitude towards the north ; and finally re-unites with the Sierra 

 Nevada near Mount Shastd. From this point northward the surface 

 of the country is wholly mountainous and little known ; the Sierra 

 Nevada with its offsets and connected ranges occupying the entire 

 breadth of northern California, and extending northward till it is lost 

 in the Cascade Range of Oregon. Between the highest mountains of 

 the Sierra Nevada and the great valley is a line of lower mountains ; 

 and from both the Sierra Nevada and the Coast Range lesser lateral 

 ranges and offsets diverge throughout California, forming numerous 

 narrow valleys and ravines. 



The basin included between the two main ranges, though really 

 one geographical formation, bears the names of the Sacramento and 

 Joaquiu valleys, from the rivers which rise respectively at its northern 

 and southern extremities, unite near the centre of the valley, and 

 flow into San Francisco Bay. This fine valley is upwards of 500 miles 

 long and 50 miles wide. It has evidently at some remote period been 

 the bed of a vast lake of which the Sierra Nevada and Coast Range 

 formed the margin. The water of this great lake has been drained by 

 some convulsion of nature having broken a passage through the 

 Coast Range at San Francisco Bay. At the southern extremity of the 

 valley are the Tulare (Bulrush) Lakes, which during the wet season 

 extend above 1 00 miles in length, but in the dry season have little 

 water, and are fordable in many places. Within the last year or two 

 a commencement has been made towards embanking these lakes and 

 draining the rich tract of country hitherto subject to the annual 

 floods. The soil and climate of this great valley vary considerably, 

 but a large part of it is very fertile, including most of the eastern 

 side, which is intersected by numerous streams, along which the land 

 is extremely rich and productive. The surface of the valley is greatly 

 diversified, being broken into rugged hills at its northern end, and in 

 many places along its eastern side by well-wooded spurs from the 

 Sierra Nevada. Towards its southern end by the Tulare Lakes, and 

 along the banks of the two great rivers, it U low and level, rising 

 ;ently at some distance from the rivers into undulating slopes, which 

 jreak into low hills as they approach the bases of the mountains. 

 The richest and most picturesque part of this fine valley is that central 

 portion of it which incloses San Francisco Bay and the delta of the 

 Sacramento. 



The coast district west of the Coast Range almost the only part 

 of California inhabited previous to the American occupation, but now 

 >y no means the most populous part of the country is full of nar-aw 

 ertile valleys, the seats hi former days of the mission stations, around 

 which the industry of their occupants had caused most of the cereals 

 and fruits of temperate climes to flourish abundantly. Along a good 

 >art of the coast the mountains come close down to the sea ; but 

 along a still larger portion there extends a tract of low sand-hills, 

 which in some places reach many miles inland. The country east of 

 the Sierra Nevada, and west of the Rio Colorado, comprising the 

 remaining portion of California, is mostly level, and a good part of it 

 is sandy and barren. It is however but little known, owing mainly 

 ,o the superior attractiveness of the mountains and great valleys, and 

 tartly to its being occupied by hostile tribes of Indians. It is believed 

 hat while much of it is of comparatively small account, there are very 

 ixteusive tracts of valuable and hitherto unappropriated land. The 

 ountry along the Colorado is supposed to have a rich alluvial soil ; 

 mt near its entrance into the Californian Gulf the country about it 

 s dry and barren, and the climate extremely hot. 



The two most important rivers of California are the Sacramento 

 ,nd the San Joaquin : the value of the Colorado remains to be fully 

 ascertained. The Sacramento rises at the northern extremity of the 

 valley of the same name; its head-streams issuing chiefly from Mount 

 Shastd or some of its spurs. Its course throughout is generally 

 outh, and it receives on its left bank a great number of affluents 

 rom the Sierra Nevada. Most of these are mere mountain torrente ; 

 iut several of them, as the Feather, the American, Cosumes, and the 

 San Juan rivers are of some importance. Near Monte Diavolo the 



