Vol. VII I J IM MEM OR! AM: THEODORE HEXRY HrriELL 17 



of California was fragmentary and untrustworthy. He dock- 

 eted the facts, set them forth in an intelhgible and vastly in- 

 teresting manner, and, upon a large canvas, is indubitably 

 the pioneer of the true historians of his beloved State. 



At the time of the San Francisco fire in 1906 the plates of 

 the history were in Oakland and thus escaped destruction. 

 Shortly afterwards they were removed to Mountain View, 

 near Palo Alto, where they met their fate in a fire. The 

 books are fast becoming rare. 



As a historian and as a contemporary, Mr. Hittell was 

 always an admirer of George Bancroft, whose History of the 

 United States was for years the leading authority, and who 

 as Secretary of the Navy under President Polk, had an active 

 if not a predominant official part in the acquisition of Cahfor- 

 nia by the United States. It was a labor of love and grati- 

 tude to write a memorial address of George Bancroft and His 

 Services to California, which was delivered May 12, 1891, 

 before the California Historical Society. 



In 1898 was published Book I of a Brief History of Cali- 

 fornia by Mr. Hittell, with an introduction by Professor 

 Richard D. Faulkner, principal of the Franklin Grammar 

 School of San Francisco. It contained sixty-eight printed 

 pages and was devoted to the Discovery and Early Voyages. 

 From Professor Faulkner's introduction, the plan was evi- 

 dently to publish a complete history of the State, as a school 

 text book, in twelve small volumes, which later would be pub- 

 lished in a single volume. For reasons not known, the plan 

 was not prosecuted further than the first volume. The style 

 of this little book is charming as well as simple and instruc- 

 tive, and it is a matter of regret that the series was not con- 

 tinued to completion. 



Mr. Hittell wrote a comprehensive, detailed history of the 

 Academy, styled a Historic Account of the California Acad- 

 emy of Sciences, 1853—1903. As the dates indicate, the in- 

 tention was to close with the proceedings of the semi-centen- 

 nial meeting of May 18, 1903. It was written up to that 

 time, and was in the hands of the Academy authorities for 

 publication, and about a fourth part of it was in type at the 

 time of the great fire, April 18, 19 and 20, 1906. The printed 

 pages, the type of which had been set up. and son.ie t\^enty 



