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CALIFORNIA, STATE OF. 



CALIFORNIA, STATE OF. 



and swiinuiiiig bird-;. L.-ir.^c numbers of white pelicans frequent the 

 coast, and albatrosses aro tometiuies shot, measuring 10 or 12 feet 

 across the wings. 



The coasts and rivers of California alike yield an astonishing 

 number and variety of fish. In some of the rivers as many as 3000 

 salmon, many of them weighing from 20 to 30 Ibs., are often taken in 

 a .--ingle day. Salmon-trout and trout also largely abound. Sturgeons 

 are sometimes taken in the mouths of the rivers measuring 8 or 10 

 feet long and weighing nearly 500 Ibs. Mackerel, pilchards, and 

 sardines swarm off the coast. The halibut, skate, turbot, bonito, &c. 

 are caught. Oysters of excellent flavour and most other shell-fish are 

 found. But though fish is so abundant, the fisheries are at present 

 little heeded. 



Climate, Soil, Ayricultttre, t(-c. California h:\s a dry and a wet 

 season ; the dry season lasting from about the middle of May to 

 ; uber or October, the wet season setting in early in November 

 and lasting till May. But there are considerable variations, both in 

 the temperature and in the amount of moisture in different parts of 

 this extensive tract of country. In its northern part, north of 39 

 N. lat., for example, the air during the dry season is much less 

 parched, and rains occur earlier than in the southern districts. 

 Along the coast the climate U much more temperate than in the 

 great valley ; while east of the Sierra Nevada the air is excessively 

 hot and parching. In summer the coast is visited by heavy fogs, 

 and a cold wind sets in regularly towards noon from the Pacific, and 

 continues to blow with increasing force and keenness till late at 

 night. Some few miles inland the cold is modified, and the tempe- 

 rature becomes equable and agreeable. Throughout the great valley 

 of the Sacramento and San Joaquin, the mid-day heat is so great as 

 to render labour in the open air everywhere unpleasant, and in many 

 places impracticable. 



The jil along the great valley is generally extremely rich. This 

 valley has evidently been at some remote period the bed of a vast 

 lake, and the rich alluvial soil only needs judicious irrigation to 

 render it capable of producing almost every variety of crop. The 

 banks of the rivers however require proper embankments to prevent 

 the present often destructive floods, and to permit the full develop- 

 ment of its agricultural capabilities. Tobacco, rice, maize, and most 

 of the plants except cotton which grow in the warmer parts of the 

 United States, flourish in the sheltered lateral valleys connected with 

 this principal valley, while in the main valley itself most of the 

 cereals produce extraordinary crops, and grapes, peaches, and nearly 

 all other fruits of a moderately warm climate thrive admirably. The 

 grasses are luxuriant and nutritious, affording excellent pasturage for 

 cattle. North of 39 N. lat. are extensive forests of pine and oak. 

 The valleys along the coast produce all the cereals, and all or nearly 

 all of the fruits and vegetables of the temperate and colder parts of 

 Europe. Onions are grown in large quantities; the produce from 

 nine counties in 1852 was returned at 5,553,6i5 Ibs. Tomatoes are 

 extensively cultivated in parts of the great valley ; 1,039,800 Ibs. 

 were raised in 1852 in Sacramento county alone, and in the same 

 county 385 acres were planted with melons. In the county of 

 Santa Barbara, on the southern part of the coast, 1370 barrels of olives 

 were gathered ; and in this and the adjoining county of Los Angeles 

 73,462 gallons of wine, and 73,056 gallons of brandy were made. 

 Agriculture has however hitherto been comparatively neglected, 

 but as more attention is being paid to it the various capabilities 

 of the soil are becoming more apparent, and there can be little 

 doubt that California is destined to take high rank as an agricul- 

 tural country. 



It is usual in taking the census of the various states of North 

 America to ascertain the quantity and value of the various productions. 

 In the state census of California for 1852 these returns aro very 

 incomplete, but they were sufficient to enable the Secretary of State 

 to " take a comparative view of the position of California in reference 

 to other states of the Union," which is at once so curious and inter- 

 esting that it may be worth while to quote a few of the items. In 

 barley California surpasses every other state in the Union except New 

 York, and already raises half as much as is produced in the whole 

 Union besides : in oats it cultivates more than three fourth* of its 

 sister-states ; in wheat it surpasses ten of the states ; of maize it 

 produces less than any other ; in potatoes it stands next to New 

 York, and grows one-fifth of the quantity produced by the rest of 

 the Union ; in beans it surpasses nine of the states ; in hay, though 

 only half of the counties made returns, it surpasses nine states ; and 

 in fruits it exceeds all the states in variety, and one-half in quantity. 

 In the number of horses it exceeds 15 of the states ; of mules 26 ; of 

 milch-cows 12 : of work-oxen 8 ; of sheep 4, and of swine (though 

 the returns of both these are very imperfect) 3. In live-stock it 

 surpasses 22 of the states. In trade and merchandise it already 

 exceeds half of the states. The number of horses returned in the 

 state in 1852 was 64,773, mules 16,574, cows 104,339, oxen 344,457, 

 sheep 82,867, hoga 38,976, poultry 96,230 of the last three the 

 returns are from only 20 counties. 



The vast and rapidly increasing extent of the commerce of the 

 State of California, is partly shown by the statement of the number 

 and tonnage of the vessels which entered and cleared at San Francisco 

 in 1852 : 



Lnlercd Sailing vessels 

 Steamers . . 



Total 



876 of 326,133 Ions. 

 127 118,876 



1003 



445,014 



Of these, 40 vessels of 18,286 tons burden were British, and 594 

 vessels of 317,262 tons burden were American. 



Cleared Sailing vessels 1333 of 356,092 tons. 

 Steamers . . 158 127,047 



Total . .1491 



483,139 



Of these, 1121 vessels of 361,186 tons burden were American. In 

 1849 the tonnage of the vessels entered at San Francisco amounted 

 to 313,351 tons, of which 247,417 tons belonged to the United Statea. 

 The number of passengers arriving at San Francisco in 1849 was 

 41,709. In the year ending December 28, 1852, there arrived 64,100, 

 of whom 5223 were females; and there departed 22,946, of whom 

 390 were females. 



Of the manufactures we have no very exact account. At present, 

 owing in a great measure to the high price of labour and the superior 

 demands of other branches of industry, the articles manufactured 

 are chiefly such as cannot be profitably imported. Bricks for example 

 are now made in immense quantities to meet the enormous demand 

 for new buildings : the county of Marin alone reported to the census 

 agents the manufacture of 1,500,000 bricks a month during 1852, of 

 the value in the year of 360,000 dollars ; the total population of 

 Marin county during the same year was only 1036. 



Divisions, Tovrns, ftc. The state is divided into 35 counties. The 

 original capital of the state was San Jose", the present nominal capital 

 is Vallejo, but the Legislature of 1853 sat at Benicia. The chief town 

 is SAN FRANCISCO on the bay of the same name, which had a popu- 

 lation in 1852 of 34,786 ; and next in importance to it is SACRAMENTO 

 CITY, the capital of the 'diggings,' which had 10,000 inhabitants iu 

 1 852 ; these will be noticed under their respective titles. Numerous 

 other towns and ' cities ' have sprung up in various parts of the state, 

 but most of them are built only of wood, or even canvass, and many of 

 them disappear almost as rapidly as they arose. The following are 

 among the more important and may require a brief notice : 



Stockton, on the Stockton Slough or Canal, formed by the junction 

 of the Sacramento and Joaquin rivers, 100 miles E. from San 

 Francisco by water, was founded in 1848 : population about 3000. 

 It is the port of the southern mining district and of the valley of San 

 Joaquin, and is likely to remain one of the first towns in the state. 

 Vessels drawing 9 feet of water can discharge their cargoes alongside 

 the shore. Constant steam communication is maintained with San 

 Francisco. At present there is no public building of any consequence, 

 but a state hospital is erecting. San Jost, population 1200, the 

 original capital of the state, is pleasantly situated near the south 

 extremity of San Francisco Bay about 50 miles S. from San Francisco 

 city. It has some trade, but is chiefly agricultural. Near this town 

 is the principal quicksilver mine. VaUejo, the present capital of the 

 state, is situated on the Napa Strait, 25 miles N.N.E. from San 

 Francisco. It is merely an agricultural village and the site marked 

 out as the future 'capitol' as yet bears only its sounding title. The 

 legislature of 1853 adjourned its sittings to an equally unimportant 

 village, Benicia, on the west side of Suisuu Bay, about 5 miles E. from 

 Vallejo. Monterey, population about 1600, on the south side of Mon- 

 terey Bay, was one of the largest and most frequented towns of Upper 

 California prior to its cession by Mexico, and will eventually become 

 again an important commercial place when the fine bay on which it 

 stands is resorted to, as no doubt it will be, by shipping. At present 

 being away from the mining districts it is comparatively deserted. 

 San Diego is another old town which has fallen into neglect, but will 

 doubtless again grow into importance. It stands on the safe and 

 spacious bay of the same name near the southern extremity of ihe 

 coast. Coal lias been found near it. Maryaville, on the Yuba, 98 miles 

 N.N.E. from Vallejo, is a busy new town with a court-house, several 

 hotels, mills, and stores, two newspapers each having " tri-weekly and 

 weekly issues," and nearly 8000 inhabitants. Oro City on the Feather 

 River, the capital of the Placer mining district, has 3000 inhabitants. 

 Placen-'Me, 112 miles N.E. from San Francisco, was one of the oldest 

 and most flourishing of the gold district towns, but the ' diggers ' 

 have deserted its neighbourhood, its newspapers have ceased to be 

 published, and the place itself is worn out and fallen into decay : in 

 1852 its population had decreased from 4000 to 2000. Among the 

 other towns which either have been, are, or are expected to be flourish- 

 ing and important places, it must suffice to name Auburn, Downieville, 

 Los Angeles, Mariposa, Napa, Nevada, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, San 

 Luis Obispo, Shasta 1 , Sonoma, Suisun, Tuolumne, Vemon, and Yuba : 

 in all of these the population is constantly shifting, and a statement 

 perfectly correct to-day would be wholly inaccurate iu a month or 

 two. 



Government, Judicature, <tc. The constitution of California resembles 

 in its general features the constitutions of the other states of the Union. 

 Slavery is not permitted. The legislative power is vested in a General 

 Assembly, consisting of a Senate of 16 members, elected for two years, 

 and a House of Representatives of 36 members, elected for one year ; 

 the sittings of the General Assembly are hold annually. The governor 

 is elected for two years ; his salary is 10,000 dollars per annum. The 



