SAN FRANCISCO. 45 



CHAPTER V. 



CALIFORNIA. 



Principal Buildings of San Francisco — Iron House — Chinese Consulate 

 — Immiiîration of Chinese — Derbec — -Collecting Objects of 

 Natural History — HunininigBirds — Remarkable Animals peculiar 

 to California — The Calitornian Vulture — Elks — Bears — Californian 

 Salmon — Insects peculiar to California — Giant Trees — Climate — 

 Aspect of the Country. 



SAN FRANCISCO. 



PRINCIPAL BUILDINGS. 



^HE principal buildings which existed in San Francisco in 

 1 85 1, were the Tov\n Hall, the ancient theatre, a large 

 and hne building, the frontage being of white marble. The 

 Government had just bought it for the sum of 500,000 dollars. 

 The Custom House, which was not quite finished, a very large 

 brick building, erected at a cost of 300,000 dollars, two play- 

 houses, the Jenny Lind, and another in which French companies 

 w^ere usually playing, many music halls, and a large number 

 of gambling houses, some of which were sumptuously furnished, 

 the California Exchange, several banks, one of which w^as 

 entirely constructed of iron sheets, sent from New York. A 

 heavy rent was charged in that bank for the keeping of 

 valuables, documents, and the like, and I have no doubt that 

 it paid well ; fifteen Catholic and Protestant churches, several 

 colleges and schools, hotels, nearly all of w^hich were built of 

 wood, a private Museum, containing a fine collection of 

 minerals, chiefly specimens of auriferous quartz, gold nuggets, 

 and gold dust. There was also a collection of Californian 

 birds and mammals, especially rich in Anatidae, or Ducks. 

 Specimens of cereals, vegetables and fruits were also ex- 

 hibited, and I was much impressed wàth the beauty and size 

 of some of them. I saw there a specimen of potatoe weighing 

 fifteen pounds. The entrance fee w^as one dollar. In conse- 

 quence of the frequent fires, they were beginning to build 



