ELDORADO 163 



hausted by such crowds of seekers, but subsequent ob- 

 servations have convinced me that it will take many 

 years to bring about such a result, even with ten times 

 the present number of people employed. 



"What surprises me," continued the Captain, "is 

 that this country should have been visited by so many 

 scientific men and that not one of them should have 

 ever stumbled upon the treasure ; that scores of keen- 

 eyed trappers should have crossed this vallev in every 

 direction, and tribes of Indians have dwelt in it for 

 centuries and vet this gold should have never been 

 discovered until now. T myself have passed the very 

 spot above a hundred times during the last ten years, 

 but was just as blind as the rest of them, so T must 

 not wonder at the discovery not having been made 

 earlier." 



The above, as an historical reminiscence, is interest- 

 ing and instructive, as showing the small bes^inning 

 from which the financial condition of the world was 

 changed in such a remarkablv short space of time bv 

 the unparalleled production of the precious metal. 

 Soon came the first waves of the tide of emigration 

 that was to flood the "placers" of the p^old ree^ion. 

 The first influx consisted of Mexicans of the province 

 of Sonora. Chilians and Kanakas from the vSandwich 

 Islands. These principallv took possession of the 

 Southern mines, on the tributaries of the San lo^nuin. 

 Some few that came bv water stonned in San Fran- 

 cisco and secured town lots, which became verv valu- 

 able in a short time : where thev erected temporarv 

 stores and dwellings. This ga^'e an imnulse to the 

 proeress of that town and it advanced ranidlv in size 

 and population. Then came the emigration from the 



