490 surgeons' ueports — California — middle district. 



waterfioru.au artesian well, and jiresents in tlie suuinier season a very pleasant appearance. Dur- 

 ing tbe winter or rainy season, tlie country in anil about the city being very level and tbe soil a deep 

 black loam, the streets and roads become almost impassable with mud. 



The State Insane Asylum is located at this place. Stockton is noted for its windmills used for 

 pumping water, its beautilul and ne'at private residences, and elegant gardens. It is a central 

 commercial i)oiut for the southern mines, and has always enjoyed a good trade. The population of 

 the county is 9,434, and there were enrolled in it 3,321 men as subject to military service. 



Stanislaus County is bounded on the north by the Stanislaus Kiver, on the west by Santa- 

 Clara County, on the south by Merced and Mariposa Counties, and on the east by Tuolumne 

 County. This county is but thinly inhabited, and the lands are ])riucipally used for grazing-pur- 

 poses. Knight's Ferry is the county seat. The county is intersected near the center by the San 

 Joaquin Eiver, which is navigable for sm.iU boats during a portion of the year. The population of 

 this county is 2,245, and it had enrolled 792'men for military service. 



Nevada County is bounded on the north by Sierra and Butte Counties, on the west by Yuba 

 County, on the south by Placer County, and on the east by the State of Nevada. It is drained 

 principally by the Middle and South Yuba Rivers. Gold is found in abundance in this county, both 

 in quartz veins and in placers. Nevada City is the county-seat. This county contains about nine 

 hundred square miles of land, and has a population of 10,447, and had enrolled 4,817 men liable to 

 military service. The principal towns are Nevada City, Grass Valley, North San Juan, liough 

 and Eeady, Moore's Flat, and Humbug City. 



Placer County contains an area of about one thousand two hundred square miles. Its popula- 

 tion is 13,270, and it had enrolled 4,155 men liable to military service. Gold is found in all parts 

 of this county, but the quartz-veins are not nearly so extensively worked as in Nevada County. 

 This county is bounded on the west by Yuba County, on the south by El Dorado County, on the east 

 by the State of Nevada, and on the north by Nevada County. The North Fork of the American 

 Eiver intersects the county, and the Central Pacific liailroad will cross it from west to east. The 

 principal towns are Auburn, the county-seat; Yankee Jim's, Gold Hill, Dutch Flat, Todd's Valley, 

 Michigan Bluffs, Iowa Hill, Bath, Forest Hill, Wisconsin Hill, and Lincoln. 



El DoradoCounty adjoins Placeron the south, and containsan area of about two thousand square 

 miles. It has a population of about 21,000, and had enrolled 5,497 men. It is bounded on the 

 west by Sacramento County, on the south by Aipador and Alpine Counties, and on the east by the 

 State of Nevada. It is ittersected by the Middle and South Forks of the American Eiver, and also 

 by the Cosumnes Eiver, and is the oldest placer-mining county in the State. The first discovery of 

 gold in California was made in this county, on the South Fork of the American Eiver, by a man 

 named Marshall, in the spring of the year 1848, while in the employ of Captain Sutter, who 

 was erecting a saw-mill at the place now called Coloma. The principal towns are Placerville, the 

 county-seat ; Georgetown, Coloma, Diamond Springs, El Dorado, Shingle Springs, Greenwood, 

 Kelsey, and Unioutown. This county has an aggregate of 1,250 miles of water-ditches, used for 

 mining-puri)oses and irrigation. It contains many beautilul family residences, and its fruits are 

 unsurpassed. 



Vineyards are extensively cultivated. This county is also rich in goldmines, but the time 

 will come when its grape crop will be of more value than its store of the precious metals. 



Amador County adjoins El Dorado, with the Cosumnes Eiver for its northern boundary, and 

 the Mokelumne for its southern. It has a population of 10,933, and had enrolled 4,049 men liable 

 to military service. Jackson is the county-seat, and the principal towns are Jackson, Volcano, 

 Butte City, Dry Town, Fiddletown, lone City, Sutter Creek, and Lancha Plana. This county is 

 rich in quartz and placer mines, and there are some fine agricultural lands lying in the western 

 portion of it, including lone Valley, one of the most beautiful garden-spots in the State. Eecently 

 souic good copper-mines have been woiked in this county. Indications of copper are extensively 

 found, and no doubt valuable discoveries of that metal will be made in many places. 



Calaveras County adjoins Amador on the south, and is bounded on the north by the Mokelumne 

 Eiver, on the west by San Joaquin County, on the south by the Stanislaus River and Tuolumne 

 County, on the east by Mono County, and it is intersected by the Calaveras Eiver. This county has 



