GROWTH OF CITIES OLD PRESIDIOS TOWNS. 393 



amounted to 4,342, making a total of 23,045 ; nor is it probable that 

 this number was much augmented until after the cession and sub- 

 sequent discoveries. At present it is quite impossible to calculate 

 closely the wild Indians of miserable, debased tribes found in the 

 mountains, whose numbers are variously stated by travellers and 

 writers at 100,000, and 300,000. In the memorial of the California 

 Representatives, already cited, the population on the 1st of January, 

 1849 is stated at 13,000 Californians, (which is probably too low a 

 number,) 8,000 Americans, and 5,000 foreigners, or 26,000, in all 

 From that date to the 11th April, the arrivals from sea and by land 

 were judged to be 8,000, while, according to the Harbor Masters' 

 Record at San Francisco, 22,069 Americans and 7,000 foreigners 

 arrived there from sea, between the 12th of April and the 31st of 

 December 1849. Of these 28,269 were males, and only 800 women! 

 In addition to the immigration by sea at this single port, it may be 

 presumed that not less than 1,000 individuals landed elsewhere in 

 California during the same period. By Santa Fe and the Gila nearly 

 8,000 entered the country. From Mexico 6,000 or 8,000 were, sup- 

 posed to have come, though oniy about 2,000 remained in the ter- 

 ritory. Adding to these amounts 3,000 deserting sailors, and com- 

 puting the overland immigration at 25,000, we have 107,000 inhab- 

 itants in California on the 1st of January 1850. It would probably 

 not be unsafe to add fifty thousand for the immigration of the current 

 year, so as to give the new State at least 150,000 citizens in Jan- 

 uary 1851. 



As gold and people increased so miraculously, the tents and en- 

 campments of the adventurers gave place to houses and towns whose 

 materials and construction were almost as frail. When the precious 

 metal became abundant, land of course quickly grew into speculative 

 importance and value. Men who disliked the toil of draining gold 

 from the rivers or digging it among rocks, resorted to the easier 

 mines of their own ingenuity, and, obtaining titles to advantageous 

 locations near the great rivers, or, on important bays and straits, laid 

 out magnificent plans for the gorgeous cities of the Pacific Empire. 

 The list of some of these "Cities," given in a note at the bottom of 

 the page, comprises the leading locations north of San Francisco 

 and on the routes to the principal placeres. 1 Some of these towns, 



1 Fremont, a town laid out by Jonas Spect, on the west bank of the Sacramento 

 river, opposite the mouth of Feather river ; Vernon, east bank of the Feather river, 

 at its confluence with the Sacramento ; Boston, on the north bank of the Rio Ameri- 

 cano, a few miles above its confluence with the Sacramento ; Sacramento City, on 

 the site of the celebrated Sutter's Fort ; Sutter City, on the east bank of the Sacra- 



