PREFACE. 



the Vigilance Committee ; the great fires and floods ; the development 

 of our agriculture and horticulture to surpassing excellence in some 

 branches ; the introduction of the Panama and river steamers ; the con- 

 struction of the Panama Railroad ;. the establishment of the pony ex- 

 press, overland stage line, the trans-continental telegraph, and the trans- 

 Pacific steam line ; and last of all, the completion of the Pacific Railroad 

 all these have made epochs in our lives. In the consciousness and 

 memory of every pioneer, however slight his importance may be for 

 others, the history of the State since he arrived here is an important 

 part of his personal history. Some of us can hardly look at a prominent 

 land-mark, between Shasta and San Bernardino, without recollecting 

 that it is associated with some interesting incident of his personal ex- 

 perience. 



In San Francisco, the chief port, the metropolis, the main pleasure 

 resort, the center of wealth and luxury on our Coast, life could not be 

 dull. Existence received a zest from the powerfully tonic effect of the 

 climate, impelling all to the open air every day, the excitements of fre- 

 quent public demonstrations, the stimulus of an extraordinary throng 

 of business, the composite character of the population representing every 

 leading nation in a small space, and the all-prevailing influence of an 

 enterprising daily press that gave expression and intensity to every 

 phase of an excitable public feeling. The building of long wharves, the 

 cutting down of high hills, the filling of the coves, the construction of 

 a site as well as of the city to occupy it, were wonders that never lost 

 their interest. For years our only communication with the Atlantic 

 States and Europe was by semi-monthly steamers, which in large in- 

 stallments and at relatively long intervals brought us all our news and 

 our immigrants, and carried away our gold and our Californians going 

 to visit Eastern friends. The proportion of the arrivals and the depart- 

 ures to the population, and of the treasure shipment to the business, 

 was so great, that steamer day was a shock that was felt throughout the 

 State. Nearly everything we consumed, save the cereals, fresh fruits, 

 fresh meats, and coarse furniture, was imported from the North At- 

 lantic, from which we were five months distant ; that is, we could not 

 obtain goods until five months after we ordered them from here. The 

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