22 



Laving a westerly dip of eight or ten degrees. These aqueous rocks can be 

 studied to the best advantage about two miles east of Dentville, on the Stanislaus 

 River. At the locality known as " Two Mile Bar " these rocks are cut through 

 by the river, exposing their surface and those of the basaltic columns above them, 

 to the hight of more than two hundred feet above the primitive rocks on which 

 they rest, and which are exposed for a hight above the surface of the stream for 

 about sixty feet more. 



The scenery at this place is romantic in the extreme, but not more so perhaps 

 than at other points further up. 



Above all the aqueous rocks the basalt appears in the columnar form, at places 

 standing vertical, and again the columns lying horizontal resting upon the vertical 

 masses. The mural walls of the aqueous rocks with the above, and their hight 

 above the river, give to the district a wild, rugged, and at the same time, a fan 

 ciful aspect. About three miles above Dentville an adit was driven into the 

 aqueous rocks, by Judge Stakes and others associated with him, in which several 

 marine shells were met with. This work is still going on, and during the coining 

 season will test most fully the character of these rocks. 



Gold was met with in the course of the works, but not in sufficient amount to 

 justify them in stopping at this point for its extraction. 



This is but another instance corroborative of my former statements, of the 

 existence of this metal in the marine sand-stones and conglomerates that skirt 

 almost the entire line of the base of the Sierra Nevada, and is but an analogue of 

 the present existing state of things along 'our coast line, from Oregon southward. 

 We need no better evidence of this than the beach washings along that line at 

 the present period. 



CARBONIFEROUS ROCKS OF THE NORTHERN DISTRICTS. 



In my report of last year, attention was called to the existence of a group of 

 rocks belonging to the coal measures. The line of country traveled over in this 

 part of the State, has developed their existence as far north as the Shasta and 

 Yreka Valleys, and westward of the points at which they were noticed last year, 

 as far as the head of the Cottonwood. Those groups of the above district are 

 much superior in position to those observed in 1854, and contain a series of fos 

 sils of higher organization. They are consequently further removed from the 

 coal beds than those rocks situated between the Pitt River and Cow Creek, east 

 of the Sacramento. On the Cottonwood, small seams of a highly bituminous 

 coal is frequently met with, but as yet no vein of sufficient power to warrant 

 mining operations for this mineral. 



In the district east of the river two additional veins have been found, neither 

 of which have yet been opened to any considerable extent. Within the ensuing 

 year this section will be more thoroughly explored for this mineral, as its exten 

 sion southward from Cow Creek we are now pretty certain is not less than thirty 

 miles. 



SALINES OF THE UPPER SACRAMENTO VALLEY. 



Among the table lands of this part of the State, are found an extensive group 

 of sedimentary rocks belonging to the lower Eocene period, abundant in marine 

 fossil remains. In the vicinity of Antelope Creek, extensive saline deposits are 

 met with, which, if properly worked, will furnish large supplies of salt for com 

 mercial purposes. Associated with the latter mineral in solution, and as an efflo 

 rescence on the rocks and earth, is found the tincal, which, when purified, forms 



