W.P. Blake on the Gold Region of California and Oregon. 75 
selected as the dividing line between the middle and southern. 
I therefore suggest that these names be adopted for the areas 
within the boundaries that I have given. 
The Northern mines and those in Oregon are now very pro- 
ductive and important: the gold is considered to be superior in 
its quality and generally commands a high price among the pur- 
chasers. ‘The facilities for access and transportation to them from. 
the Sacramento valley and from the coast, are better than in the 
Southern mines. A large portion of the supplies is sent to the 
large quantity ; and as they cannot be se; 
Washing, its value in the market is Cons 
itis sometimes difficult.to ma 
an Francisco, op 
he black sand is found in enormous quantity, it is very deep, 
ames itregularly stratified by the tides. It is undoubtedly stir- 
“to a considerable depth by the surf during storms, and this is 
shown to be the case by the fact that the richness of claims that 
have been worked is renewed during high tides or a storm. 
Placers of San Fernando and San Francisquito—Santa Bar- 
ara ? Co.—This locality of gold has hitherto received bat little 
attention, although it was known to the Californians long before — 
the gold of the Sacramento valley was discovered. These pla- . 
cers are on the southern flank of the mountains that have a nearly 
fast and west trend from Point Conception to Sam Bernardino 
and from the southern boundary of the Great Basin and the Tu- 
$-.ore! 
lare valle eyes 
These placers are about fifty miles southeast of the Toe yes 
and eighty south of the Kern river placers ; they were wor a 
Hear the ranch of San Francisquito by Mexicans in ee 
were abandoned when the reports of the great discoveries at the 
9. ‘ 
alcose slates apparently auriferous and resembling those of 
North Carolina, occur in the pass of San Francisquito and are 
traversed by quartz veins. It is reported that veins of aurif- 
frous quartz in that vicinity were worked simultaneously with 
the placers, ; 
