An Account of the Indians of the Santa Barbara Islands in California. 27 



the islands probably supportée! as many as one thousand soûls. At 

 the time of Cabrillo and Viscaino the mainland in the vicinty of Santa 

 Barbara was thickly populated. We rnay assume that the Indians in 

 that vicinity reached five thousand in ail. Pérouse gave the Indián 

 population in the whole of California as fifty thousand in 1786, 

 while Vancouver in 1893 estimated the native population in both 

 Californias as 200.000 more or less. This estimate is probably and 

 undoubtebly greatly exaggerated like ail estimâtes not based upon 

 actual census. The records of the missions show that in 1795 the 

 population in the missions and presidios of Alta California reached 

 12.216, and that of Baja California 4551. In 1805 the census gives 

 in Alta California 22.637. In 1818 we are told that there were 22.238. 

 In 1830 we learn from the missionaries that up to that time 85377 

 Indians had been baptized, and that there were yet living 24.634. 

 In 1842 the estimate in Alta California was 9000 to 10.000. Hittell 

 thinks that the native population never exceeded 70.000 in the two 

 Californias, or about one for every four square miles. As soon as the 

 whites arrived to the country the natives began to diminish in number. 

 In some parts of California the natives hâve remained much longer 

 than in other parts. In all California there are probably now only 

 a few thousaand Indians left. In Sauta Barbara and vicinity there 

 were left about 900 Indians in 1823. In 1875 ail had disappeared. 

 As lias already been stated the last Indián were removed from San 

 Nicolas in 1853. Of the other islands we hâve no account left. 



The question arises „what caused the Indians to die off?" In 

 the balance of the U. S. A. Indians were to a great extent extermin- 

 ated during Indián wars, but in California there seem to hâve been 

 no serious Indián wars. Many believe that the island Indians were 

 exterminated during years of famine and years of drought. Still I can 

 not think that this was the case. As far as food is concerned the 

 islands were rieh. A large indián population could sustain itself on 

 fish and abalone Shells alone, to say nothing of the roots and seeds 

 of the land. As far as water is concerned we do not know that it 

 has ever failed on any of the islands until the introduction of sheep 

 and cattle by the white man. Other writers présume that diseases 

 of various kinds carried off the natives, diseases of course introduced 

 by the white men. There can be no doubt but that diseases hâve not 

 only deciminated, but actually exterminated whole indiau tribes, espe- 

 cially on the mainland, but other causes seem to hâve been most 

 active on the islands. From the very first advent of white man it 



