EDITORIAL. 
89 
will  be  of  great  use  to  all  who  desire  information  on  this  important 
national  interest. 
The  collection  and  transportation  of  treasure  of  course  constitutes  the 
main  item  in  this  report,  that  most  interesting  to  the  government,  and 
though  we  have  but  little  space  to  spare,  the  following  tabular  view  of 
the  yield  for  1867  and  the  total  yield  since  1848  is  given  : 
States.  1867.  Total  since  1848. 
California,  $25,000,000  900,000,000 
Nevada,  20,000,000  90,000,000 
Montana,  12,000,000  65,000,000 
Idaho,  6,500,000  45.000.000 
Washington,  1,000,000  10,000.000 
Oregon,  2,000,000  20.000,000  " 
Colorado,  2.500,000  25,000,000 
New  Mexico  and  Arizona,      1,000,000  5,000,000 
$70,000,000 
In  jewelry,  plate,  spoons  etc., 
retained    in  circulation 
on  Pacific  coast,  .       .       .       . »     .       .       .  45,000,000 
Total,  $1205,000,000 
Mr.  Browne  adds  to  the  above  a  sum  of  50  millions  to  represent  trea- 
sure buried,  concealed  and  otherwise  unaccounted  for,  making  1255 
millions. 
Besides  the  precious  metals  the  development  of  other  minerals  has  been 
very  considerable,  among  which  the  principal  are  copper,  iron,  quick- 
silver, coal,  marbles,  lime-stone,  dolomite,  hydraulic  cement,  granite,  gyp- 
sum, sand-stone,  soap-stone,  clays,  kaolin,  pipe-clay,  coloring- earths, 
sand  for  glass,  plumbago,  salt,  asphaltnm,  petroleum,  borax  and  sulphur. 
These  are  only  a  few  of  the  minerals  that  may  be  utilized  in  the  future, 
when  an  increased  population  will  extend  the  development  of  the  strata 
now  searched  only  for  the  precious  metals.  Of  latter  years  the  agri- 
cultural and  horticultural  interests  have  made  strides  in  proportion  to 
the  mineral,  producing  a  large  excess  of  bread  stuffs  and  fruit.  Wine- 
growing has  already  been  fairly  started,  and  the  axe  has  long  since 
opened  up  the  timber  trade  on  the  mountain  slopes  of  the  upper  vallies. 
This  simple  enumeration  gives  an  earnest  of  what  elements  of  future 
wealth  and  growth  are  embraced  in  the  wonderful  region  noticed  in  this 
report.  We  can  well  remember,  more  than  thirty  years  ago,  when  Mr. 
Nuttall  and  John  Townsend  started  for  Oregon,  overland,  on  a  botanical 
expedition,  that  whole  region  from  the  Straits  of  Fuca  to  Monterey,  ex- 
cept here  and  there  along  the  coast,  was  a  vast  wilderness.  Then  came 
the  overland  expedition  by  government,  the  Mexican  war  resulting  in  the 
acquirement  of  California  and  New  Mexico,  with  the  magic  development 
of  the  gold  placers  following  in  1849,  which  resulted  in  precipitating  on 
that  coast  the  most  heterogeneous  mass  of  enterprising  adventurers  that 
the  world  had  ever  witnessed.  Of  this  preliminary  mixed  population 
our  author  speaks  as  follows,  in  closing  his  report : — 
