194 ELDORADO 



CHAPTER XXI. 



LEGENDS AND EARLY HISTORY. 



The origin of the name "CaUfornia," has been a 

 fruitful subject of discussion by writers, both of the 

 past and present centuries, all of whom fail to give 

 any positive data or circumstance to support the var- 

 ious theories regarding it ; and as the most searching 

 investigation has failed to clearly define the origin 

 of the name some of the opinions regarding the sub- 

 ject may be given. It is claimed that the name was 

 first found in a small volume of romance published in 

 Spain in 1510, entitled, "The Sergas of Esplandian, 

 the Son of Amadis of Gaul." The following extracts 

 from this comparatively ancient book will show how 

 the name occurred. 



"Know that on the right hand of the Indies there is 

 an island called California, very near the Terrestrial 

 Paradise, which was peopled by black women, with- 

 out any men among them, because they were accus- 

 tomed to live after the manner of the Amazons. They 

 were of strong and hardened bodies, of ardent courage 

 and of great force. The island was the strongest in 

 the world from its steep rocks and great clififs. Their 

 arms were all of gold and so were the caparisons of 

 the wild beasts thev rode." 



