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DESCRIPTION OF 1 ^r OREGON AND CALIFORNIA, EMBRACING AN ACCOUNT OF THE GOLD REGIONS; TO WHICH IS ADDED, AN APPENDIX, ■ CONTAINING DESCRIPTIONS OF VARIOUS KINDS OF GOLD, AND METHODS OF TESTING ITS GENUINENESS. WITH A LARGE AND ACCURATE MAP OF OREGON AND CALIFORNIA, COMPILED FROM THE LATEST AUTHORITIES. 'I * '■- ; r PHILADELPHIA: THOMAS, COWPERTHWAIT & CO. ^ - . 1849. ■ • ' I w y Entered, according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1819, by . ■ THOMAS, COWPERTUVVAIT & CO. in the clerk's office of the District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. A (2) PRINTED BY SMITH & PETERS, * ^ ^^^ franklin Building,, Sixth Street belo^ Arch, Fhil.i^lelphia. , ^' i I OREGON AND CALIFORNIA. The map of Oregon and California represents that part of the west coast of North America which extends from north latitude 32° to 54° 40', and from the Pacific Ocean to the Rocky Mountains. It includes an extent of country one-fourth the size of Europe, being 1560 miles in length, with a breadth varying from 350 to 800 miles, and an area of about 825,000 square miles, or 528,000,000 acres. Oregon forms the southern part of the "North-west Coast," a term used in the United States to designate that portion of country lying along the shores of the Pacific Ocean, from Cape Mendocino, in north latitude 40°, to Cape Prince of Wales, in latitude about 65°. The northern section of California, reaching from the sea 800 miles eastward to the Rocky Mountains, and two decrees of latitude in width south of Oregon, being about a fourth part of the territory which is included within the bounds of the "North-west Coast." The term in question was derived from the circumstance of the part of the country to which it is applied lying in a direction north-west from the settled districts of the United States, The coast of California, as well as most part of the coast of Oregon, differs essentially from that on the Atlantic in the same latitudes. The Atlantic coast is low and open, indented with numerous bays, sounds, and river estu- aries, accessible everywhere, and opening by many channels into the interior. The Pacific coast, as far north as Cape Flattery, is high and compact, with few bays, and but one (the Columbia river) that opens a pas- sage of any importance into the heart of the country. Tiie immediate coast is bold and abrupt, being of the cha- racter that seamen caU iron-bound ; some distance in- land it is skirted by ranges of mountains, standing as ramparts between it and the interior country. From about latitude 34° to 38° hardly, an island is to be met with, and • ■ . . ay ^ ■ I I DLSCiai'TlON OF the harbours are ihw and incfliuicnt, except rn th« case of tlie Bay of San Francisco ; but from Capo Flattery, tlie southern boundary of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, tlic coast assumes, in ffoing n^>rtiiward, a different aspect: the continent, as well as tlie larger i^iands, tliough the shores are still elevated, is indented with innumerable gulfs, bays, sounds, Iiarbours, &c. Various narrow passages, or canals, as they are chiefly called, run up into the interior, forjning numerous islands, and con- taining many fine harbours, that arc destined doubtless at some future period to teem with a busy population. Within the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Gulf of Georgia, the rise and fall of the tides is about eighteen feet, and the depth of water is in most cases sutlicient for large-sized merchantmen. South of Cape Flattery the harbours at the mouths of rivers are generally ob- structed by sand-bars, and even the n)outh of the Colum- bia is impracticable for a considerable part of the year, during which time it is equally dangerous to leave it. In the year 1841, the U. S. sloop-of-war Peacock, be- longing to the exploring expedition, was wrecked at tlie mouth of the Columbia, and several merchantmen have also been lost near the same spot. Oregon and California are bounded on the east by tlie Rocky Mountains, which extend, under different names, from the Arctic Ocean to the Isthmus of Durien, where they connect with the Andes of South America. South- ward of latitude 40^ north, they are called the Anahuac Mountains, and farther south the Sierra de los Mimbres, the Sierra Madre, and the Mexican Cordilleras; the whole range extends in a direction from north-west to south-east, and at different distances from the coast. In latitude 40° it is about 750 miles from the Pacific, while in 54° 40' it is not more than half that distance. Between the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Ocean both Oregon and California are traversed by two, and in some parts three, lofty ridges, which divide the coun- try into distinct belts or regions. Tiie most elevated portion of the Rocky Mountain chain is about the 52d degree of north latitude. M^unt Brown and Mount »■ .» OREOON AND CALirORMA. &• If'ooker, its most lofly peaks, are respectively 16,000 and 15,700 feet bi■>• -jl^m DKs^CRlPTION OF miles; 40 miles below, and 130 miles from tlie'sea, are the Cascades, where the river breaks through the Cas- cade range; its channel is here compressed into a nar- tow gorge, only 150 yards across, and its waters are liurried with great violence over its rocky bed ; at the foot of the Cascades it meets the tide, and thence to the sea the river is rarely less than a mile broad ; within six or seven leagues ot'the Pacific, it increases in width from two to four miles, and at its mouth its width is seven miles. The Columbia preserves throughout its character as a river, being rapid in its current, and perfectly fresh and potable to within a league of the ocean, except during very dry seasons and the prevalence of violent westerly winds. Ships of 300 or 400 tons can ascend nearly to the foot of the Cascades ; the navigation, espe- cially of the lower part of the river, is somewhat dan- gerous, in consequence of its numerous shoals. The Columbia and its tributaries are famous for their salmon, which comprise six different species, and are all excel- lent eating; these fish are taken in great numbers by tJie Indians, as well as by the white settlers, chiefly at the foot of the various falli. and rapids in the rivers; they begin to ascend from the sea about the middle of April, and in the course of three or four months are found at the heads of the remotest tributaries. A short distance below the Cascades, the Willamette river enters the Columbia from the south ; it rises on the west side of the Cascade range, in about latitude 44° north, and has a course of about 200 miles. In the valley of this stream, nearly all the American emigrants are settled; and at the falls, 15 miles liom its mouth, is Oregon city, an American village of 50 or 60 houses ; the country in the vicinity, and all along the coast to the southward, presents greater advantages of soil and climate than any other part of the territory. Near the southern boundary of Oregon, are the Umpqua and Klamet rivers, but neither of them offers any facilities for commercial communication ; on the former, a few miles a tradii The the Ta( tion n( Gulf of and it betvvec the Ro arc its various establij The from tl Califor south.\ the Gu some d diitiiig dischai thus m to thos' which still in Grand rise wi the ba westeri and m of 500 Rocky bres; t inhabit except ascend some a miles, sage of The ORKCJOX AND CALIFOUMA. 9 m miles from its moiilli, the Hudson's Bay Company have' a tradinjr post or fort. The only other river of any note in Oregon, is Frazer*s, the Tacoutchcc Tcsse of Maekenzie. It llows in a direc- tion nearly south from the Roeky Mountains, into the Gulf of Georgia ; its co'^rse is about IM) miles in length, and it drains with its tributaries nearly all the country between the parallels of 49^ and 58^ ^ and westward of the Rocky Mountains. Thompson's and Stuart's rivers are its cliief branches ; on all these rivers there are various trading posts of the Hudson's Bay Company established. The Colorado, or Red River of California, so called from the colour of its waters, is the principal stream of California ; it flows from the Wind ii'ver chain a south- south-west course of about 1100 miles, into the head of the Gulf of California. The country in its vicinity, for some distance from its mouth, is flat, and is overflowed dating the rainy season, when the quantity of water discharged is vory great, and high embankments are thus made by the deposit of mud on each side, similar to those on the Lower Mississippi, The region through which the Colorado flows is almost unknown, being still in possession of the native tribes. Green and Grand rivers are the largest of its upper branches; both rise within the limits of the United States — the first at the base of Fremont's Peak, and the other on the western side of Long's Peak. The Gila, the largest and most southern tributary of the Colorado, is a river of 500 miles in length, and flows from that part of the Rocky Mountain range called the Sierra de los Mim* bres ; the country on its banks, both north and south, is inhabited by Indian tribes, of which nothing is known except their names. How far the Colorado may be ascended by vessels from the gulf, is not known : from some accounts, it seems to be navigable for 300 or 400 miles, while, according to others, obstacles to the pas- gage of vessels occur much nearer to the sea. ^ The other rivers of California worthy of note, are the 10 DESCRIPTION OF Sacramento and San Joaquin, both of which flow inta the Bay of San Francisco, or Bay of Sir Francis Drake. The Sacramento rises in Oregon Territory, near the sources of the Fall river, a branch of the Columbia. It flows nearly south, draining the fine valley which lies between the Sierra Nevada and the coast range of moun- tains ; after a course of 400 miles, it enters San Fran- cisco Bay, nearly opposite to the mouth of the San Jouquin. It -s supposed to be navigable for vessels of some burthen about 200 miles. On the Rio de los Americanos, (or river of the Americans,) one of its branches, is Nueva Helvetia, a recently founded Ameri- can settlement. The San Joaquin flows from the south into San Francisco Bay ; it is a smaller river than the Sacramento, and drains the southern part of the same valley ; it rises also in the Sierra Nevada, and* is in ex- tent about 220 miles; during the annual overflow of the rivers in this quarter, it is connected with the Tule lakes, further south, but at. other times the connecting stream is dried up, and ceases to flow. Th^ inhabitants on the banks of these rivers, except a few American settlers on the Sacramento, are mostly Indians. The Rio San Buenaventura is of less importance than either of the foregoing ; it rises in the coast range, and flows nearly parallel with the shore of the Pacific, and at a distance of only 30 miles from it. It has a north- west course of about 130 miles, and falls into tho Bay of Monterey. The other streams along the sea coast are mere rivulets, and the general infrequency of rivers and springs is the chief defect of the country, though water may be obtained in most places by digging. The interior rivers of California are of little note, and are almost unknown. The Bear river is the chief feeder of the Great Salt lake, situated in the north-eastern part of California. It enters on the east side of the lake, and has a tortuous course of 250 or 260 miles, chiefly among high rugged mountains. Sevier river is a recent disco- very, and was first described by Captain Fremont ; its precise course is unknown ; it flows probably into the cics o OREGON AND CALIFORNIA. 11 Colorado. Mary's river is described by emigrants to California as flowing", for about 250 miles, along the northern edge of the Great Interior Desert, or Basin of - California ; it terminates in a small lake, or sink-hole, not far from the eastern base of the Sierra Nevada. The regions on the Pacific side of North America differ in climate from those east of the Rocky Mountains, in the same latitudes. In thp countries on the west side, of corresponding parallels with Wisconsin, Michigan, Canada, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland, the ground is rarely covered with snow for more than three or four weeks in each year, and it often remains unfrozen throughout the winter. In those opposite to Virginia and Carolina, the winter is merely a wet season, no rain falling at any other time ; and in the Californian penin- sula, which is included between the same parallels as Georgia and Florida, the temperature is as high as in any tropical region, and many years pass by without a shower or even a cloud. Two of the largest islands of the north-west coast. Quadra and Vancouver's, and Queen Charlotte's, or Washington Island, lie off the coast of Oregon. The first named is 280 miles long, with 50 of average breadth,, and is about equal in area to the states of Mas- sachusetts and Connecticut. It is separated from the main land by the Gulf of Georgia. The other is much smaller and is farther from the continent: it is 180 long and about 30 in average breadth. It is probably about equal in surface to the state of Connecticut. These two islands, with those called Prince of Wales* and Sitcha Island, with the many smaller islands around them, have been termed the North West Archipelago. The coasts of the larger islands, like that of Oregon, arc indented with numerous bays and gulfs, and fringed with towering forests. Tiie ground is wholly unculti. vated, but it yields spontaneously an abiiiidance of ber- ries, onions, and other roots. The chief supplies are de- rived from the sea, which abounds with numerous spe- cies of excellent fisli. Each tribe inhabits a particular If2 DESCRIPTION OF OREGON, &C. cove or island, and is ruled by a chief who maintains some degree of savago j>omp. One of the earlier navi- gators found a chief occupying- a house, consisting of one large apartment, in which his whole household o€ 800 persons sat, ate and slept. The door-posts and the rafters were supported by gigantic wooden images, rudely carved and painted, and the whole apartment was studiously adorned with festoons of human skulls* The chief's family occupied a raised platform at one end, on which were placed chests, containing their most valuable effects. Their repasts consisted of enormous quantities of blabber, fish-oil, and fish-soup. ii ...J '«• Man and Woman of (Quadra and Vancouver's Island. The people have the usual Indian features, with com- plexions tolerably fair; but tliese they studiously dis- figure by stripes of red ochre, and streams of fish-oil, mingled sometimes with a species of glittering black sand. Some of the tribes display extreme ferocity, and there is too much reafior to believe that they are addicted to the horrid practice of cannibalism, human lieads and hands being both displayed as trophies, and oflfered for sale. Yet, when a friendly intercourse was once established, their manners were found peculiarly mild, courteous, and engaging. 1 p ni» ' • ' w >. OUEGON TERRITORY. 1, k d •e n id IS Oregon is the name usually applied to that part of North America which is watered chiefly by the Colum- bia or Oregon river and ite branches. Its political boun- daries have not as yet been fixed by agreement between the parties claiming possession of it. The government of the United States considers them as embracing the whole territory west of the Rocky Mountains from the latitude of 42 degrees north to that of 54 degrees 40 minutes. The British government has, however, refused to acknowledge the right of the Americans to any por- tion north of the Columbia river. This territory is bounded on the north and east as far south as the 49th degree of latitude by British America, and southward of the 49th degree on the east by Mis- souri territory, south by Mexico, and west by the Pacific Ocean. It is in lengtli about 880 miles, with an average breadth of 550, and an area of 420,000 square miles. It is divided into three belts or sections separated by ranges of mountains running very nearly parallel with the shores of the Pacific Ocean. The first or western sec- tion lies between the sea and the Cascade or Presidents range. The second or middle section is between the Cascade and the Blue Mountains. The third or eastern section is between the Blue and the Rocky Mountains. These sections have a distinction of soil, climate and productions; ' . The first or Cascade range of mountains is contir/cous through the whole extent of Oregon, at a distance of from 80 to 140 miles inland ; some of its peaks are from 12,000 to 14,000 feet above the level of the sea; and two of them, viz : Mount St. Helens and Mount Rainier, are said to be volcanoes. They are all several tiiousand feet ^ (13) 4. i 14 OREGON TERRITORY. above the line of perpetual snow. Tlie Blue Mountains, the second range, are irregular in their course, and oc- casionally interrupted by wide passes or gaps. Their distance from the coast varies from 250 to 330 miles. Eastward are the Rocky Mountains, wliicli form the eastern boundary of the territory. TJie intervening valley is rocky, broken and barren, and but little suited for cultivation. Timber is generally scarce on the south side of the Columbia, but on the northern it is more plentiful. In its most elevated districts snow covers the ground all the year. It rarely rains here, and no dew fallso There is a great difference in the temperature between the days and nights, especially in the summer, when the thermometer varies from 30 to 50 degrees in the course of a few hours. In the whole of this section subsistence is difficult, and the Indians sometimes die of hunger. The country westward of the Blue Mountains consists for the most part of a light sandy loam ; in the valleys a rich alluvion, and barren on the hills. It is well adapted for cattle and horses, as grass, either green or dry, may bo always found. Wood is also scarce in this section, except at some distance north of the Columbia river. In the coast district westward of the Cascade range, (he soil and climate are well suited for American emigrants. The valley of the Willamette is the finest part of Oregon, and is said to improve on going south towards California. Its wheat is superior, and all the other grains raised in the United States grow well, except corn, the growth of which is somewhat uncertain. Potatoes and all kinds of culinary vegetables flourish. It is also well wooded. Pine, fir, oak of different kinds, ash, maple, poplar, I OREGON TERRITORY. 19 The great southern phiin is inhabited by the Shosho- nees or Snakes, Boonacks, Scc^ who are entirely differ- ent from the other tribes west of the Rocky Mountains, and appear to have emigrated from the valley of the Mississippi. The Shoshonees, when destitute of salmon or other fish, subsist on the various roots which they obtain by digging, and are hence called Diggers. The Indians, both of Upper and Lower Oregon, have greatly decreased in numbers since Lewis and darkens time, and some tribes have become entirely extinct. In the year 1829, whole villages were depopulated by the fever and ague, which appears to have been much more fatal than among the whites, and was rcndeied still more so by the un- skilful manner in which the Indians treated the dis- ease. / ^ , Missionary preaching to the Indians. Among the Indians of this region missionaries of various Christian sects have long been labouring with assiduity, though it is believed as yet with but doubtful success. The Roman Catholics have made the greatest dumber of converts, if the reception of baptism be as- sumed as the test of conversion, w^hole tribes submitting at once on the first summons to the rite. The Methodisls .1; < —> 20 OREGON TERRITORY. H and Presbyterians employ themselves chicHy in impart- ing a knowledge of the simplest and most useful arts, and have thus induced some of the natives to engage in agricultural pursuits. The last mentioned missionaries also endeavour to convey religious instruction to them through the medium of their own languages, into which books have been translated and printed in the country. < The civilized inhabitants of Oregon consist of citizens of the United States and th€ servants of the Hudson^s Bay Company. The latter body enjoys by special grant from the British government the use of all the territories claimed by Great Britain west of the Rocky Mountains, as well as the protection of British laws in virtue of an act of Parliament; whilst the citizens of the United States, though now outnumbering the others in the pro- portion of eight or ten to one, remain independent of all extended authority and jurisdiction whatever. They are not subject to British laws, and are under no control, except the temporary regulations into which they have entered for the sake of local order. The inhabitants of the territory, a country twice the extent of France, do not probably exceed 50,000 in num- ber, of which 40,000 may be Indians, 8,000 or 10,000 Americans, and 1,000 or 1,200 servants of the Hudson's Bay Company. The American is the only part of the population that is gaining ground, every succeeding year adding to its numbers. Any increase of the Com- pany's people is not likely to take place, as their busi- ness is about stationary, and has been so for some years past. 7'he Indians, as in all other parts of America, arc annually becoming smaller and smaller in number. The American citizens in Oregon some time since organized rSL provisional government and legislature, established a court, appointed judges and magistrates, and have pass- ed various salutary enactments. Among the latter is one prohibiting the manufacturing, importing or selling spirituous liquors of any kind, and providing for the seizure and destruction of distillery apparatus, &.c. By Rnother act it is provided that negro slavery siiall not T 1 r OnEGON TKRRITORK. 21 be permitted to exist in Oregon, and timt the owneri of slaves who may bring them into the country shall be allowed two years to remove them, and in default the slaves to be free. The act also prohibits free negroes or mulattoes from settling or remaining in the country, and requires them to leave it in two years. The principal American settlement is Oregon City. It is on the Willamette or Multnomah river, at the head of navigation ; and at the foot oF the falls, one of the finest water.powers in the world. It contains from 200 to 300 inhabitants, several stores, machine shope, saw and grist-mills, schools, &.c. It is situated about 20 miles south of Fort Vancouver, 30 miles from the Co- lumbia river by the Willamette, and over 100 from Astoria, near the mouth of the Columbia. From the nearest part of the coast it is distant in a direct line about 65 miles. The American emigrants are nearly all settled in the vicinity, and in tlie valley of the Wil- lamette. The establishments of the Hudson's Bay Company are called forts, but they are more properly trading- houses, and are all fortified sufHciently to repel a sudden attack. With the exception of Fort Vancouver they are mostly small establishments, containing sometimes only half a dozen individuals. They are the depositaries of the goods used in the Indian trade, and of the furs and peltries obtained in barter from the natives. Vancouver, the largest of these forts, is on the north bank of tho Columbia river, 120 miles from its mouth ; it is a square picketed enclosure, containing the residences of the factors, clerks, &c., of the establishment, besides various stores and work-shops. Near the fort are the hospital and the dwellings of the people attached to it. In the vicinity are an orchard, garden, and a farm of 600 acres. Two miles lower down the river are the dairy and piggeries, with numerous herds of cattle and hogs. Three m'les above tho fort are the water-mills for grind- ing grain and sawing lumber. The people attached to the establishment number about 700 ; onc^half are In- oo OREGON TEKIllTORV. dians ; the remainder consists of British, Canadians, and half-breeds. From Vancouver a direct trade is carried on with Great Britain and also with the Sandwich Islands, which employs several vessels. A small steam- boat plies on the Columbia river and along the eoast between the different trading posts. The exports to Britain are furs and peltries, and to the Sandwich Islands wheat, lumber, salmon, &C, " , > Nearly all the Hudson's Bay Company's establish- ments are on the Columbia and Frazer's Rivers and their tributaries ; three are on the sea coast, and one is on the Umpqua, a few miles above its month. Fort George, near the mouth of the Columbia, stands on the site of Astoria, but it is now a place of no moment or account The coast of Oregon was first explored by the Spa- niards, who, however, did not penetrate into the interior. In 1792, captain Gray of Boston discovered and entered the Columbia, and named it after his ship. He was the first who established the fact of the existence of this great river ; and this gives to the United States the title to the regions drained by its waters, from right of dis- covery. In 1803-4-5, Messrs. Lewis and Clarke were sent out by the United States' government for the pur- pose of exploring this country. They navigated the Missouri river to its source, and, crossing the Rocky Mountains, descended the Columbia to the Pacific Ocean. They spent the winter on its shores. In the following spring, they returned by the same river to the moun- tains, and thence, down the Missouri, home. This explo- ration of the chief river, the first ever made, constitutes another ground of claim of *.he American people to Oregon. They have also strong claims by the Louisiana treaty of 1803 with France, and by the treaty of 1819, by which Spain relinquished all her rights on the Pacific north of lat, 42°, and which is considered to have ex- tended as far north as lat. bO°. In the year 1824, by a 'Convention with Russia, it was agreed that the Uiiited States sliould make no cstabllsiimeiits on the coasta ' OREGON ti:rritouv. o» ^^3 horth of lat. 54° 40", and that t!ic Russians should make none south of the same line. This constitutes the right by which the American government claims that particular boundary. To the territory of Oregon, therefore, the United States have acquired a very strong title by the discovery of the principal river, and by interior exploration, as well as by treaties with foreign powers. It is, however, contested by Great Britain, who claims, not that the title is in her, but that the region is unappropriated and open to the first comer. She also contends that Mr. M acken. zic, a British subject in 1793, was the first white man who explored any portion of Oregon by land; that Hecetn, a Spanish navigator, and not captain Gray, discovered the Columbia river ; tliat the exploration and surveys of Cook and Vancouver give a better title to those parts of the North West Coast in question than the claim founded on Gray's discovery of the Columbia ; that Spain, in 1790, relinquished part of her rights on the N. W. coast to her ; that Louisiana, as claimed by France, extended no further westward than the Rocky Mountains ; and that the arrangement with Russia in 1824 was neutralized by a convention in 1825, in which the same parallel of latitude (54° 40') was agreed on as the boundary of the Russian and British possessions in that quarter. '. By a convention concluded in 1818, to last twelve years, it was agreed between tlic United States and Great Britain, that neither government should take possession of »t, or occupy it, to the exclusion of the other, during the period of the convention, which either party might renounce upon giving twelve months' no- tice. This convention was renewed indefinitely in 1827, or to cease at the option of the contracting parties. In April, 1846, a joint resolution passed the Congress of the United States in the words following, viz : Re- solved, that the President of the United States be, and he is hereby, authorized at his discretion to give to the Britisli government the notice required by 'its second 24 OREGON TERRITORY, I I article for the abrogation of the said convention of tlie 6th of August, 1827. '^ v -■ s. .;,'„: , Although the United States have this strong claim to the whole region of Oregon, from N. lat. 42^ to 54*^ 40', yet the govern raent has several times proposed, from motives of accommodation, to adopt the forty -ninth parallel of latitude as tlic dividing line, with the free navigation of the Columbia river to the people of both nations, with the exception that in the last proposition (that was made by President Polk), the use of the Co« lumbia river south of tlic parallel of 49*^ to British sub- jects, is rescinded, and in lieu thereof, it is agreed that Great Britain shall have any port or ports on the coast of Quadra and Vancouver Island, south of lat. 49°, she may choose. By this arrangement, the United States would relinquish a territory of about 160,000 square miles, being nearly equal in extent to the whole of the New England and Middle States united. ' The BritisU have, however, constantly refused to assent to any ar- rangement which should deprive them of the coast and territories north of the Columbia river. They propose in return the adoption of the 49 th parallel of latitude west- ward from the Rocky Mountains, to the nearest waters of the Columbia (M'Gillivray's river); thence down stream to the ocean, the navigation to be free to the people of both nations. In addition, they offer to cede a small distxict, nearly equal in extent to the State of Connecticut, bounded by the Pacific, the straits of San Juan de Fuca, Hood's canal and Bulfindi's or Gray's harbour, having Cape Flattery for its north-westernmost point. This sciieme would divide Oregon into two very nearly equal districts j each power would receive about 210,000 square miles of territory. Several attempts were made, by different individuals from the United States, to settle in this territory. In 1808, the Missouri Fur Company established a trading- house on Lewis's river, the first ever formed on any of the waters of the Columbia. In 1810, the Pacific Fur Company, under John J. Astor, of New York, was form« 0K*AiON TERRITORY. 25 cd; and in IBIl, Astoria was established at the mouth of Columbia river. In consequence of the exposure of this post, by the last war witli Great Britain, it was sold to the lludson Bay Company; but was restored to its original proprietors, by order of the British government, at the close of the war, agreeably to the first articles of the treaty of Ghent. The first emigration from tlie settled portions of the United States for the purpose of occupying any part of Oregon territory was made in tlie year 1832. For some years afterwards the number of emigrants was limited ;, but a better acquain' nee with the route and the proper mode of travelling has greatly increased the desire to settle on the shores of the Pacific. In 1843, not less than 1000 individuals emigrated to Oregon. In the foUowir.g year the number was still greater; and in 1845, there passed Fort Laramie for the Willamette 850 men, 475 women, and 1000 chilaren, driving with them about 7000 head of cattle, 400 horses and mules^ and 460 wagons. All the travelling which has yet taken place between Oregon, California and the United States, has been by land. None of the rivers which flow from the Rocky Mountains eastward across the prairies present any favourable facilities for navigation ; and the same may be said of the Columbia river and its branches, except on the lower part of its course from Walla walla down- v/ards. Emigrants with families generally leave West- ern Missouij early in April. They should be provided with strong well-made light wagons, with young ser- viceable oxen, and ought to unite in companies of from 20 to 5jO wagons, well armed, and keeping a strict watch after dark so as not to be surprised by Uic Indians* On encamping at night it is usual to form either a circle or square with the wagons by bringing tlicm close toge- ther, and running the tongue of each wagon between the hind wheel and bed of the one before, alternately chaining them together, and thus forming a sccuro breastwork. Wood for fires, and drinkable water^ ar» 3 *28 OREGON TERRITORY. ■n Ml. li; -H not to be procured in sonic places cm the Oreg-on route It is therefore necessary to carry a supply of tlie latter in kegs kept for the purpose on those parts of the road known to be deficient in that indispensable article. This seldom occurs for a distance of more than 20 miles at a time. • ', "• "■■■•.'■. ' ■ '■' -..^ ' •.. ■-*•" ■- ' ' Where fire-wood cannot be obtained, buffalo dung affords a substitute, and can generally be met with. Hunting the buffalo or other game should not be de- pended on to any extent for a supply of food. This would retard the progress of the journey materially, and cannot be relied on with certainty. Emigrants should take a good supply of flour and bacon, with tea, coffee, sugar, salt, and such other necessaries as they have convenient carriage for, besides clothing, boots, shoes, ammunition, &c., sufficient to last them through the journey. Those who have the means will find it advan- tageous to take such articles for barter with the Indians as they are known to prefer; cotton handkerchiefs, cheap red ribbons, moccasin awls, small beads of dif- ferent colours, &c., will answer the purpose. The town of Independence in the State of Missouri, near the mouth of Kansas river, is the usual starting point for a journey to Oregon and California, as well as to Santa Fe in New Mexico. Tiie route to Oregon ex- tends about 40 miles from Independence along the Santa Fe trace, thence in a north-west direction to the Kansas river. On crossing that stream, nearly the same direc- tion is pursued until reaching the banks of the Platte or Nebraska; thence to the Forks, and along the south Fork of that river to the crossing, place, it is nearly west ; then north-west to the North Fork, up the latter to Fort Laramie, west by north. This fort is a fur-trading post, at the junction of the Nort!x Fork of Platte and Laramie Creek, and near the entrance of the Bl^ck Hills. It it- in the Sioux country, about 700 miles from Indepen- dence, and double that distance from Oregon City. From Fort Laramie the Oregon route is north-west to Rock Independence, en the Sweetwater branch of North route latter road This s at a I f OREGON TERRITORY. 2?.; Platte ; then due- west to the Poutli Pass of the Rocky Mountains. This point is 1000 miles from Indepen- dence, and rather more than half-way to the Columbia river at Wallawalla. From the Kansas river and along the Platte to the crossings of the South Fork, the road is mostly through the Pawnee country ; thence to the mountains the Sioux will be met with ; bufFalo, deer, &c., in many parts plentiful, and the Indians will be seen from time to time in pursuit of game. ^ . y • -- Indians Hunting Bufialo. .-.J From the Missouri river to the vicmity of Fort Lara- mie the soil affords tolerable grazing for cattle and horses ; but from the latter point to the South Pass, a distance of nearly 300 miles, the country is a desert, almost without grass, and producing little else than the wild sage and a species of the cactus or prickly pear. The streams immediately westward of the South Pass are all tributary to the Colorado or Red River of the west, which discharges its waters into the Gulf of Cali- fornia. Farther west is the Bear River, the chief feeder of the Great Salt Lake. The latter lies embosomed among lofly mountains, about 70 or 80 miles westward of the emigrant route. On leaving the South Pass, the tra^ 28 ORKGON TERRITORY. vellcr pursues a south-west direction to the Green river, the head branch of the Colorado; then up Plam and Black^s Forks to Bridg-cr's Fort, a fur-trading post; thence to Bear river. This stream he follows nearly northwards to the Beer or Soda Springs ; and thence to the valley of the Portneuf, down which he makes his way to Fort Hall, a trading-post of the Hudson's Bay Company, at the confluence of the Snake or Lewis river and the Portneuf. . The route to Fort Hall presents comparatively few difHculties, and is traversed every summer by hundreds of wagons. The remainder of the journey is attended with many inconveniences, some arising from the na- ture of the ground, which may however be lessened or removed by the application of labour at certain points ; and others from the want of water and grass for cattle. Travellers with wagons generally follow the Snake or Lewis river from Fort Hall to the crossings about 190 miles lower down, and thence go northward to the upper part of the Boise or Reed's river, through the valley of which they regain the Snake river; thence pass over the country through the beautiful valley called the Grand Ronde to the confluence of the Wallawalla with the main Columbia, almost 550 miles from Fort Hall. Those on foot or on horseback find more direct lines of communication between those two places. Below the Wallawalla, the obstacles to the passage of wheel-carriages are at present such as to preclude the use of them almost entirely ; and the numerous rapids and whirlpools in the Columbia render the voy- age down to the Falls of that river exceedingly danger- ous. Near the termination of the Cascades or lower falls is Fort Vancouver, distant about 250 miles from Wallawalla, and 125 from the Pacific. Six miles below Vancouver is the mouth of the Willamette, in the valley of which river the American settlements are mostly Bituated. Oregon City, the principal settlement, is at the falls of Willamette, and about 18 miles distant from Vancouver, 90 miles from the mouth of the Columbia, ^'Utrtii « '1 ■ j I nil OREGON TERRITORV. 29 en river, am and g post; nearly lence to kcs his 1*8 Bay ^is river ely few indreds Itended the na. ened or points ; cattle, ake or >ut 190 upper Iley of s over Jd tJie a with Hail, les of issag-e elude erous I voy- nger- Sower from •elow alley oslly is at from kbia, und 2171 miles from Independence by the travelled route, as may be seen from the following itinerary." The jonrney will last, according to circumstances, from 130 to 150 days ; but small unencumbered parties on horse- back may accomplish it probably in about a month less time. Oregon City is in latitude 45"^ 20', nearly or about the same parallel as the falls of St. Anthony, the City of Montreal, and St. Johns in New Brunswick. Its longitude is about 45^ 45' west of Washington, making a difference of 3 hours and 3 minutes in time ; so that when it is 12 o'clock mer. in Washington, it will want 3 minutes to 9 A. M. in Oregon City. . .^ * " i. ' ■ -J ' . '■ ■'.''. ' ■ . . ■' ■,.:•■■ C ■ '■• • ^ - . Efiigrant Route to Oregon^ tcith the distances in miles ■-• and the courses pursued, - • From Independence to the crcsi;!ngs of Kansaa river, „ S. W. VV.&N.W. 102 To Platte River, N. W. 223 828 Forks of riatte, W N. W. 130 458 Crossings of ih© South Fork, - - . - W. 75 533 North Fork. N. W. 20 553 Scotl'8 Bluff, W. N. W. 75 6'• > J UPPER OR NEW CALIFORNIA. Upper or New California comprehends that part of North America which lies west of the Rocky Mountain chain (called here the Anahuac Mountains), and extend- ing from north to south from latitude 42° to latitude 32° north. Within these limits it includes the territory discovered by Sir Francis Drake, almost three centuries ago, and called by him New Albion. On the north it •is bounded by Oregon, south by Old California and Sonora, west by the Pacific Ocean, and east partly by ' the United States, and partly by the territory of New Mexico. In dimensions it is almost equal to Oregon, . being in extent from north to south about 700, and from east to west from 600 to 800 miles, and having an area r of about 400,000 square miles. Upper, or in Spanish phrase, Alta California, has long ^ formed the north-western province of Mexico ; but at • length, after several domestic disturbances, the people ' have declared themselves independent of that power, and r will, most probably, be for ever separated from it. The ' natives dislike the Mexicans ; and that circumstance " has given rise to sun*.Ty revolutions in their govern- ' ment. They must now take measures to become con- solidatcd into an independent state, or be the subjects of some foreign power. Immigration will assist the former, while the attractions of its magnificent harbour of San Francisco may, in a very few years, eflTect the latter, . " . Our knowledge of the geography of this part jf the Western Continent is still limited, and a large portion of it is unknown. The late expedition of Captain Fre- mont, U. S. Top. En., has given a more exact view of the interior than has yet been presented. He has de- termined the position and figure of its noted Salt Lake, yy"^._ T^- indict inter i hibitc rior other of til gust, than ». ,< IW ■ lA. part of ountain extend- latitude erritory nturics lorth it lia and .rtlyby of New Oregon, id from m area as long but at people er, and ;. The istance ^overn- e con- ibjecta ist the arbour ct the ^a jf the ortion 1 Fre- ew of as de. Lake, tJPPEK OR NEW CALIFORNIA. 31 indicated the probable boundary and extent of its great interior desert, explored its chief mountains, and ex- hibited the character and condition of some of its inte- rior tribes with more apparent truthfulness than any other traveller. His tour, which occupied 17 months of time, viz., from the month of May, 1843, until Au- gust, 1844, and extended upwards of 6400 miles, more than a third of which was in California, is one of the most remarkable and interesting that has yet been per- formed in America. A considerable portion of California is reported to oe a desert, and unsuitable for cultivation ; but the district which extends along the shores of the Pacific, as far inland as the Sierra Nevada, is known to be well calcu- lated for settlement, and will doubtless, at no distant period, contain a large population. The first ridge of hills met with, on passing inland from the sea, is the Coast Range, a continuation of the central chain of Lower California ; further inland, is the Sierra Nevada, or Snowy Range, which forms the eastern boundary of the finer portion of the territory, and separates the ma- ritime district from the interior desert. ?, ,. . - x ., The Sierra Nevada and tlie Coast Range run nearly in the direction of the sea-shore ; the first at a distance from the Pacific, varying from 100 to 200 miles, and the other at from 40 to 60 miles. The valley interposed between them is the finest part of California ; it is not less than 500 miles in length, and from 60 to 140 wide. The Sierra Nevada, or Snowy Range of California, is reported by Captain Fremont to be of greater height than the Rocky Mountains, and is all the time covered with snow. The pass by which that intrepid ofiicer crossed the Sierra was 9338 feet above the sea, and the mountains on either hand rose several thousand feet higher. The Coast Range is of less elevation than the Sierra Nevada ; some of its peaks are, however, covered with snow. Mount Sau Benardin and Mpunt Shaste are the highest. . - i \ ^ -^ The Sierra Nevada I)as been hitherto very imperfectly '^ I I 1 tl ]\ 9J^ K9/V UPPER OR NtW CALIFORNIA. I represented on maps. For its true position the world jsi Jjcai indebted to Captain Fremont, who travelled along its^plor* case for 1000 miles, during tlie winter of 1843-44, firsts |,le for half that distance on the eastern, and the remainder^ leric on the western side. Tlie Indians on the former side* Tl of the Sierra are adepts in using snow-shoes, on whichj Lakl they pursue their excursions along the snowy and frozen) loryl sides of the mountains. The Sierra Nevada is remark., of ai able for a new species of pine, which has been called^ iron the nut-pine; it produces an oily and pleasant-tasted i oftl] nut, which forms an important part of the winter storey muc of the almost famished inhabitants of these r-egions.; plorl The Big-Horn, or mountain sheep, and the Grizzly Sear, figu both inhabit the Sierra, and the latter is probably the • ucci nog LaU vici inai dou on be I lake Mo cov ridj larj of reg to I tar ' Tl Si( foi ail ai SI] ai til c< J/. - Grizzly Bear. .^ ..;,. northernmost range of that animal. In its descent to the level country, tlie grizzly bear is sometimes met with in the vicinity of the towns on the coast, terrifying the inhabitants, and occasionally carrying off a sheep, a calf, or an ox. The chief mountains of Upper California, on the eastern frontier, are the Sierra Anahuac, the Sierra los Mimbres, and the Sierra Madre. Tiiese all form a continuous chain, and are a part of the great Rocky Mountain range. They separate the waters of the Colo- rado from those of the Rio Grande del Norte. The 1 ■^Agtrr;. lA. I the world jsf ed alonff its* «43-44, firslj le remainderi former side< es, on whiehi y and frozen) li is remark. been calJed asant-tasledi winter store , 3se r-egfions.; rrizzly Sear,; robably the^ l^'PKR OR M:W CALli'onMA. ''\i Ofi descent to I s met with ifying the 3. sheep, a a, on the Sierra los II form a at Rocky 'theCok)- ■te. The IJcar River and Wahsatch MoutjlMins were recently cx- ])lored by Captain Fremont ; they are both of considera- ble elevation, and form the eastern rim of the Great In- terior Basin. The chief lake of Upper California is the Great Salt Lake, which lies in the northern extremity of the terri- tory, and about 70 miles south of Lewis River. It is of an irregular figure, not less than 90 miles long, and irom 30 to 40 wide ; the surface is 4000 feet above that of the ocean ; it has no visible outlet, and its waters are nmch Salter than those of the sea. This lake was ex- plored by Captain Fremont, in the year 1843, when its figure and position were determined with much more accuracy than before. It is doubtless the Lake Timpa- iiogos of the Spanish maps, and has been also known as Lake Bonneville, and Lake Youta. The country in the vicinity of its eastern border is reported as being, in many parts, iiivourable for settlement, and the lake will doubtless be, at some future period, of vast importance, on account of the boundless quantity of salt that may be made from it. Utah, a much smaller, but fresh-water lake, flows into the Great Salt Lake from the south. Mountain, Pyramid, and Mud Lakes, were recently dis- covered by Captain Fremont, and lie among the lofty ridges of the Sierra Nevada : they contain a species of large and fine flavoured salmon-trout. From the surface of Pyramid Lake a singular shaped rock, nearly as regular in form as the famed pyramids of Egypt, rises to the height of 600 feet : it is visible many miles dis- tant, and from it the lake received its name. The two Tule, or Bulrush Lakes, lie in the valley between the Sierra Nevada and the Coast Range Mountains, and are formed by the waters which flow in them. The lower and largest lake is probably about 80 miles in length, and from 12 to 15 in width. The upper lake is much smaller. During the spring months, when these lakes are filled to overflowing, their waters find a passage into the River Sun Joaquin, but at other times the connection ccasei:. 34 ITl'HR OR NEW CALIFOKMA. lit 1 t I T Nearly the whole of the central part of this region extending from 400 to 500 miles from north to south, and about the same from east to west, is unexplored. It has been called by Captain Fremont, the "Great Inte- rior Basin of California.** On the west it is enclosed by the Sierra Nevada, and on the east by the Bear River and Wahsatch Mountains. It is generally represented as a sandy desert, but it is known to contain, in sc^u quarters, various rivers and lakes, none of whose waters reach the ocean. The mountains by which the whole is surrounded prevent their egress, and the surplus is no doubt absorbed by evaporation, or lost in the sands of the more arid districts. The population consists of a few wandering savages, who live chiefly on insects and seeds, and on the roots which they dig out of the earth ; hence their name of *•• Diggers." The rabbit is the largest animal known here ; it supplies a little flesli, and its skin furnishes the scanty raiment of the almost naked inhabitants. The wild sage is the only wood ; it grows of large size, being oAen a foot in diameter, and from six to eight feet high. It serves for fuel, for shelter to the rabbits, and for some sort of covering for the feet and legs of the miserable inhabitants in cold weather. It is also the material of which they construct their diminutive wigwams.* The tract along the southern edge of this desert re- gion travelled by the late exploring party, was found frequently marked by the skeletons of horses that had perished for want of water; and for several hundred miles the surface of the country seemed more like an Arabian desert than a portion of North America. Wild animals are, in some parts of Upper California, * By information received from Captain Fremont, since he entered California on his second tour of exploration, 1845-4G, it appears that he has crossed the Great Interior Basin, or Desert, and found it to he unjch less sterile and unforbidding in charac- ter than he was at first led to believe. He has also discovered a practicable direct pass through the moijtnain to California, that will greatly shorten the distance, and lesson the fatigues of the emigrants to that country; but the particulars are not yet known. ver] ligc con par Riv anc rep Baj r>fe:>i. UlTKR Oil NEW CALUOKMA. U5 reg-ion south, ored. It at In te- en closed ar River resented waters ivhole is IS is no ands of sts of a Jcts and 3 earth ; is the e flesJi, almost ^ood ; it ter, and shelter the feet weather. i their peri re- found at had iindred ike an fornia, nee he 5-46, it Desert, 3haraft. I'ereiJ a a, that of the ot yet very numerous. The butfulo, panther, or American liger, deer, and several other species of quadrupeds, are common. The beaver abound in many of the streams, particularly on the upper tributaries of the Colorado River; but tliey are much sought after for tlic'r skins, and are less numerous than formerly. The rabl)it is reported as the only animal to be found in the Great Basin. . I.- ' /. : . — ' ' . -• Wild Horse. • ,^ ' • • -; Coptain Fremont encountered, in his late journey through the valley of the San Joaquin, large droves of elk and wild horses, also wolves and antelopes. He ascertain- ed, also, that the Big Horn, or Mountain Sheep, and the Griz- zly Bear, are met with in the Sierra Nevada, as well as among the Rocky Mountains. The birds of California arc generally similar to those of -X the United States. One of the ^ most remarkable of its land ^ birds, is the great Californian ^ Vulture. It builds its nest in »'^. tlie loftiest pine-trees amonff *'^, .... ,, ,. *u ^ A ' ta. • !> A Calitoriuau Vulture, tne mountains. It is from 4 to 4i feet long, and its quills arc so large as to be used 86 uiTi:ii cR m:w cali forma. ■ ] by tliu liuntcrs us tubes for tobacco-pipes. Tlic i'ood of tliis species is carrion, or dead fish, for in no instance will they attack any living animal, unless it be wounded or unable to walk. In searching lor prey, they soar to a great heiglit, and on discovering a wounded deer, or other animal, they follow its track until it sinks. AU though only one bird may be first in possession, it is soon surrounded by great numbers, who all fall upon the carcass, and devour it to a skeleton within an hour, even though it be a horse or a stag. The wheat of California is of excellent quality ; and, ex- cept in years when drought prevails, the product is very abundant. Indian corn yields well, also potatoes, beans, peas, &c. The soil is well adapted for grapes ; from 4JU00 to 4000 gallons of wine are made, and about the same amount of brandy ; this, however, is quite insuf!i< cient for the supply of the country, and large an^ounts of foreign wines and liquors are imported. The wealth of this part of the continent consists of live stock. Besides large herds of cattle; sheep, horses, mules, goats, and swine abound. The mutton is of fine flavour, but the wool is inferior, as no attention is paid to that kind of stock. The chief articles of export are hides and tallow: about 150,000 of the former, and 200,000 arrobas of the latter are exported annually. About 2000 beaver, 3000 elk and deer, and 400 or 500 sea-otter skins, the latter worth 30 doK-xrs a-piece, are also exported ; besides which, about 12,000 bushels of wheat are shipped annually to the Russian settlcmeuta on the Northwest Coast. At the missions, coarse blankets and wearing apparel for the Indians are manufactured, besides a small amount of soap and leather. There are in the country only two or three water-mills for grinding wheat, which are owned by Americans. The inhabitants of California consist of whites, halfl breeds, and Indians, and are of very limited amount for the extent of country they occupy. Estimates of their number are usually made in reference to those occupy- I f rPPF.R OR XnW CALirORMA, a? mg tlie settlements along the coast, and tlic country lying between the Pacific and the Sic;rra Nevada. Tlie remainder of the territory is so vaguely knovi^n that no estimate, even of the probable number, could be relied on. Within the limits above specified, the Aborigines are estimated at 12,000, one half being converted In- dians ; the remainder reside mostly on the Sacramento River, and on the coast. The whites amount to about 8000, and the half-breeds to 2000, making the whole population about 22,000 souls. The white population consists of Californians and Americans ; the former are similar to the inh.ibitants of the other parts of Mexico, who are of Spanish origin. 'J 'hey are much addicted to gambling; are proud and indolent, and look upon all manual labour as degrading. Games of cards and dice are equally in favour with men and women. Cock-fighting, bull and bear-baiting, and dancing, are the chief amusements. The women seldom receive any kind of education, and are conse- quently very ignorant, and are the slaves of their hus- bands. They dress expensively where they have the means ; are tbnd of gaudy colours, and wear a profu- sion of jewelry. The females of the better- class are often very handsome; engaging and amiable in their manners, and have, in some instances, become the wives of Americans and other foreigners. The people of California have horses in abundance, and are all fearless and expert riders ; and in this respect the women are almost equal with the men. The latter use the lasso with great skill ; and with it they catch wild cattle and horses very dexterously. The number of American citizens in Upper California is already considerable, and is daily increasing, particu- larly in the region lying north of the Bay of San Fran- cisco, formerly occupied to some extent by the Russians. Some are engaged in farming, some in trade, others are building ships, houses, mills, &,c. Their superior enter- prise and industry have already placed nearly all of them in comfortable circumstances, and should they ^ 4 1 n f 38 rPPER OR NEW CALirORXIA. I ! ' I continue to emigrate to any extent, will, in a short time, materially improve the eondition of the country. The Americans seem to be on very g"ood terms with the Californians, and have hitherto given themsjlves but little concern about the Mexican government; of the unfriendly feeling of which towards them, they have been often reminded by the decrees passed from time to lime for their expulsion. These decrees the different governors of the territory have contented themselves with merely proclaiming, as it would be sheer folly to attempt enforcing them, whilst the Californians are obliged to depend almost wholly on tl«j Americans to buppress the incursions of the predatory Indians. The aborigines of Upper California are for the most part indolent and pusillanimous, and destitute of the boldness and energy displayed by many of their race in other quarters. Kxecpting those that have been con- verted in the missions, the women go nearly and the men entirely naked. They are filthy in their habits live in small miserable wigwams built of rushes, of which they also construct their rafts, and what clothing they use. In their primitive state they have no agri- culture, but subsist on wild herbs, seeds, which the women collect and grind into a meal, also on fish, the shell-fish on the shores, the products of the cliuse, and whales' flesh and blubber, whenever that animal is cast on the coast, an event which occasions great rejoicings. The Pah Utah Indians, who inhabit the interior along the south edge of the Great Desert, live mostly by plun- der and robbery ; their arms are long bows and arrows ; the latter are pointed with a very hard stone, a species of opal, and are almost as effective as a rifle or musket- ball. They cflen make incursions into the coast-settle- ments and commit grievous depredations; the horses and mules which they capture are driven to their retreats in the mountains, and are immediately slaughtered for food. In traversing their country. Captain Fremont and his followers were obliged to use the utmost vigilance to prevent a surprise, and one of hi-s best men was killed i:ppeu or new California. 39 line, The the but the lave e to rent Ives r to are i to by them. These Indians constantly dogged the party, watchtiig for an opportunity to make an attack, and a Htray horse or mule was taken ofT in a moment. The Utah Indians are found farther east, partly in California, and partly in New Mexico ; tliey have fre- quent intercourse with the people of the latter country, and are less savag-e in their habits. They have horses in abundance, are skilful riders, and have often good rifl'^s. These Indians arc robbers of a higher order tiian those of the desert. 7'hey conduct their depredations witii form, and under the colour of trade, and as a toll ior passing thro'igh their country. Instead of attacking and killing, they affect to purchase, taking the horses, &.C., they like, and giving something nominal in return. In the southern part of tlie territory, and on both sides of the Colorado River, there are various tribes, tlie Mohahves, Apaches, Moquis, or Monquis, Juma^f, &c^ of which we know little except the names. Captain Fremont met with a few individuals of the Mohahve or AjTiachuba tribe; they were armed with bows of unu- smtl length, and had large gourds, strengthened u ith meshes of cord, in which they carried water. lie learned that (he tribe raise melons o'!' various kinds, and tliat individuals sometimes crosa the intcrvenino' desert to trade with the Sierra Indians, bringing blankets and other artieiee that arc made by the Moquis and some of the neighbouring tribes. Under the Mexican rule, Alta^ or Nueva California^ occupied the space of the old Spanish Intendencia of the same uame. It laid on the Pacific Ocean, bounded by Oreg<»n \ can exist. In all the world there is no lietter harbour than San Francisco, on the bay of the same name, a great land- locked sound, about twenty miles south of Sd'^ north. This sound is formed by the debouchment of the great- est rivers of California, the Sacramento and San Joachin, one flowing south from the vicinity of Mount Shaste, in latitude 41^, and the other from Lake Chintuche, about 36° 30' north latitude, of which it is the outlet. The valleys of these rivers are the great gardens of Califor- nia, producing the fruits of both tropical and temperate climates. In the southern portion of this valley is col- lected a dense population of Indians, the descendants of the old inhabitants of the missions. These rivers, about sixty miles from the sea, unite, and then wind through a vast swamp of heavy timber, forming a Dcedalian mystery of channels, in which, it is said, more than one traveller has lost his way for ever. Lower down, the varioup channels unite in one broad bay, on the waters of which i^ the town of San Francisco. There is a pe- culiarity in the ebb and flow of the tide of this bay, which is worthy of considt-ration. It suftires by ita UPPER on IVnW (.'ALirOT??TTA. 41 own force to bring a vpssel in front of llir ano]»orajEfe, and to carry ,: out, witiiout aid or assistance from either sails or oars. No better harbour is known in the world, and at some day, it must become the great depot of the Pacific coast, and one of the great cities of the nation. The name of San Francisco is old, having been recently driven out by Yerba Bucna. This name means good grasSy and is evidently the translation of some old Indian appellation; and as such WwS this great harbour known, both by the people with whom Lieut.-Col. Fremont and Major Emory met. This is also the name applied to it by the late General Kearny, in his official letters and communications. In spite of many flattering accounts, the site of this town is not prepossessing, the houses being built on the sea-shore, between the water aiid a ridge of low sand hills. There is little variation in the range of the thermometer, throughout the year, and the atmosphere, though regularly dry, is not chilly. Of all the places on the Pacific, Yerba Buena^ or San Fran- cisco, is probably the most healthy, never having been visited by that scourge of all of the Spanish-American ports, the vomito, and having no disease incident to its location but a remittent fever of very mild type. This town was laid out in 1839, by a person named Viogt, and, in spite of ail the troubles, rapidly increased in size and importance. When Mr. Bryant wrote his valuable book, " What I saw in California," it numbered some hundred inhabitants. Since the immense 'migration tuither, in consequence of the discovery of gold, this ;ii'V)ber has been greatly increased, so that this beauti- V port may undoubtedly be esteemed a city. '1 jiere are other points which also present many ad- vantages as sites for a city. Among these is Sausilita, distant from Yerba Buena about two Spanish leguas^ or seven miles. It is on the opposite side of the bay, and has long been the watering-place of the American whalemen. In the course of time, as the country be- comes settled, ana its fiicilities for commerce are un- 4 * ' I I i' ''1 i!l i \l 42 UPPEX OR NKW CALIFORXIA. I i; I ^ ibidcd, these two ports will be substantially united iuto one, as are the many cities on the bay of New York. Just one degree south of the bay of San Francisco is the bay of Monterey, formed by tlie debouchment of tiie Buena Ventura. On this bay is tlie city of Monterey, the old capital and seat of the governnjent during the Mexican rule. There also were the heiid-quarters and the seat of the government, anterior to the gold excite- ment. It was a thriving town, of about 1000 inhabit- ants; but recently has, as accounts state, been almost deserted. The defences of this port were once formida- ble, but suffered much from decay during the Mexican regime. Since the substitution, however, of the United States* for th vM flag, they have again put on much of the pomp ano ^r of war. One hundred miies far- ther soutli, is tlte ,;ity of ** the Angels,*' for the posses- {o UrPER OR NEW CALIFORXIA. might have done. His return, therefore, added to the fury, because the less a country is known tlie more will- ingly do people place confidence in all kinds of stories relating to it ; and people of old were quite as credulous about Californian gol() as are the adventurous portion of the community at the present day. >. • ^ » » • Something of this spiri* of exaggeration yet adheres to all relating to Mexico and California. The old monks would call a few miserable huts, and a hovel over which was placed a cross, a prosperous city ; precisely as the map-makers and alcaldes call a half-dozen lodges a capi« tal. This is the case with California, where a population of less than twenty -five thousand is strewn over a country large as the German Empire ; where there is a city for every saint, and not a single manufacturer of the article for which the people had most need, bridle-bits, in the whole region. Long before the overland discovery of California, many voyages had been made in the Pacific ; and afler the partial exploration of the country, the idea of a passage between the Pacific and Atla' 'c, led many navigators to the latter ocean. The brill temptation held out to English cruisers by the exposed condition of the Mexican and Peruvian ports, also led thither, among others. Sir Francis Drake, who at an early date entered the present bay of San Francisco. As early as 1541, just fifly years afler the discovery of Guanhani, by Columbus, Ulloa, in an expedition authorized by Cortez, proved California to be a peninsula of the Ame- rican continent, and not an island. In spite of this, as late as the time of Charles II., California was set down in charts as Islas Carolinas, The pearl fishermen from the Pacific coast of Mexico visited it frequently, until finally Sebastian Vizcaino took formal possession. About sixty years afterwards, the Jesuits established themselves ■in Lower California. Tlte most interesting portion of the history of the country begins here. Some years later, the order extended themselves into Upper Califor- nia, where they had to contend with the brothers of the order of Saint Francis. The astute men, however^ who ■4 frrrn on new camforjiia. 51 f 4 I had ruled so lon^ the courts of princes, did not here find ll)cniselvc3 at fault; and thougli brouj^ht into contact with the most stupid of all the American tribes, con- trived to overcome their innate perversity and brutality. For a long" time the fathers were without any military guard, and experienced much hardship. Things at last changed, and as tlicir services came to be appreciated, not only the spiritual government of California was con- fided to them, but also civil power ; and finally the mili- tary commandant was made their subordinate, and re- quired to obey the orders of the father president. The whole Californian gulf, and the ocean beyond thfe peninsula, was, between 1797 and 1721, surveyed and explored by fatliers Kuhn, Salvatierra, and Ugarte. The accuracy of Castillo's old charts, which represented Ca- lifornia as-a peninsula, was then recognised. The power of the Jesuits increased until 1760, at which time they were masters of sixteen chief missions, and more than forty dependent stations. The opposition which the Jesuits ever opposed to the influence of the various camarillas^ or kitchen-cabinets of the Spanish courts, caused their ultimate expulsion from all the dominions of Spain, when California became the feud of the Fran- ciscans and monks of Saint Dominic of Mexico, under the influence of whom the prosperity of the country be- gan to decay. For this there was iv reason. The whole of the territory of Mexico was immediately subject, not to the pope, but to the royal audience of the Indians, the supreme court of appeal in civil as well as religious questions. This grand corporation, consequently, was all powerful, and all persons pandered to it. California alone was exempt from its authority, and, under the in fluence of the grand company of Loyola, improved, while the Franciscans and Dominicans ruined Mexico. When the two last obtained possession of California, it also suff^ered. Ultimately the Mexican revolution occurred^ and California became a portion of the new republic. In gaining this position, California has played a part too insignificant to find a record in any history, and we 52 UPPER OR NEW CALIFORNIA. may well pass over all the petty cabals and collisions until a later period, marking only the one important change which almost made California a wilderness. The missions had been confided to Franciscans and Dominicans, who, though not equ;:! to their predeces* sors, were yet in the main praiseworthy men, and some, thing like government was kept up ; but soon after the revolution, all the property of the missions was seques- tered, and the monks were allowed only a pittance of their former revenues. Things daily became worse and worse, until finally the monks lefl CJifornia, one por- tion of them going to Europe to the general of their order, and tl.e others to Mexico, where, lost amid tiie crowds of claimants on that nation, they in vain sought some farther indemnity for the great injustice perpe- trated on them. : . From time to time various foreigners had settled in the country, the industry and activity of whom had ex- cited the envy and jealousy of the Califbrnians, who, though brave, were idle and proud. The majority of these were citizens of the United States, who had come into the country across the prairie or desert, or descended along the Cascade Range into the fastnesses of the California Range, a continuation of the first-named mountains, which is the back bone of the habitable or arable portion of California. These men, among the most energetic of their country, soon began to interfere in politics, and, supporting the party of a person named Aivarado, succeeded in placing him in power, where he remained until 1840, when Aivarado, ungrateful to his friendu, determined to expel all foreigners by force. They were seized under circumstances of great cruelty, many killed, and marched to Monterey, whence they were sent to Tepic. All their property was confiscated, and few or none of the Americans were suffered to return. Many other misfortunes befel California, not the least of which was the small-pox, which swept off hordes of the Indians around the missions. The wild tribes also UPPER OR NEW CALirOKrflA. 53 ftttackcd the Spanish licrdsmen, or rancheros. Some little prosperity yet however lingered in Culifornia. 7'his, however, was confined to the settlements around Sutter*8 establishment, and the villages, which, protected by foreign flags, had grown up around the Russian fac. tories at Ross and Bodega, and the post of the Hudson*8 Bay Company. These factories were mere trading establishments, which were considered to confer no t^arritorial rights, more than similar establishments do in the remote coun. tries of the east. They were always considered as ex- isting by permission, not by right. * The only other portion of the history of California which need detain us until we come to the war with Mexico, was the occupation of the port of Monterey by Com. T. Ap C. Jones, of the U. S. navy, in 1842. This gentle- man, then in command of the naval force of the United States in the Pacific, learned, while on the coast of Peru, that the British government had purchased from Gen. Santa Anna the whole of California, and that a fleet was then in rendezvous at the Sandwich Islands, under com. mand of Admiral Lord George Paulet, to occupy the country. Under these circumstances, Com. Jones im- mediately seized the port of Monterey, to make any in- structions which might have been sent the English ad- miral abortive. Whether the sale was effected or not, it was never carried into effect, and Monterey was re- turned to the Mexican authorities. There is little doubt that the American minister at Mexico was duped by the British plenipotentiary, who foresaw the action of the United States in the premises, and thereby wished to establish a precedent to ju tify the occupation of the Sandwich Islands, which was soon after done. The universal censure of the whole world on this act of the English, and the seizure of Tahiti by the French, who did not at once restore what they had taken wljen they saw they had no justification for retaining it, was loud and earnest, and all parties were forced finally to placo things in statu nut. The course of Com. Jones was 5* 54 UrrER OK NEW CALIFOEMA. probably in obedience to orders of the government, for he is a most prudent officer, jearned not only in his pro- fession, but in other matters. Though recalled by the secretary of the navy, he was immediately placed on high and important duty, and at this time commands tl)e American squadron in the Pacific. One of the first things resolved on by the United States afler the commencement of the Mexican war, was the occupation of California ; and at an early day. May 13, 1846, instructions were sent to Com. Sloat, of the navy, to occupy the country in case of war. On May 16, 1846, these orders were repeated, specifying tJie occupation of Monterey, and Mazatlan, and San Francisco. Stephen W. Kearny, colonel of dragoons, and one of tlie best officers in any country, was ordered to occupy California, after he should have obtained possession of New Mexico, by a land expedition. These two series of orders were the commencement of tiie official con- nection of the United States with California. The last of these orders was dated June 3, 1846. In 1845, the population of California, exclusive of Indians, was esti- mated at about 10,000 persons, one-half of whom were not of Spanish descent, and were, of course, dissatisfied with the government. Headed by Pico and others, these deposed the governor, and Pico obtained the com- mand. Early in 1846, an order was issued by Castro, the military commandant, to remove the horses, and other public property, from San Rafael to Santa Clara. The cfiicui" 'iharged with this order, on the route learned thp.t a party of Americans, headed by Captain Fremont, U. S. corps of topographical engineers, was busy in sur- veying the Buttes, seventy miles above Nueva Helvetia, At once the American settlers, anxious for a fight, and alarmed by a report that Castro wished to seize Fre- tnont, hurried to the camp of the latter. It turned out, however, that Castro had no such intention, wishing merely to exclude the American cungrants, then known to be on the route from the United States, The Anieri- %^^ UPPEK Oil NEW CALIFORNIA. t>.:> cans^ however, determined to anticipate Castro, and at once seized his convoy of horses. This took place Juno. 10. This was a revolution known as that of the Bf;ar Flag, such beinjET the device on a banner raised by a Mr. Meares and thiriy-five men who formed the revoiu- tionary army. They then captured Sonoma, a presidio or fort, opposite San Francisco, and with it nine g'uns, two hundred muskets, and several officers. Here a garrison, under the command of Captain Ides, was placed, and soon after a declaration of independence of Mexico was published. Castro also published another procla- mation, calling on tlie people to defend the country. Fremont then arrived at the Sacramento, where ho learned that Sonoma was about to be attacked by Cas- tro. This was June 23 ; and on the morning of the 25th he appeared m front of it, with a par(y of ninety men, a detachment of whom, twenty in number, met and attacked a party of Castro's dragoons, seventy strong. In this affair the Mexicans are said to have lost nine pieces of brass artillery. Secure thus in pos- session of Sonoma, Fremont organized a government, of which he made himself the head, and determined to at- tack Castro. While in pursuit of him towards Ciudad de los Angeles^ whither he had fled, he learned that Monterey had been oc pied by the naval commander. A combined expedition, and r Frtmont and 8' ociiton, was then commenced, which res\iited in the occupation of Los Angeles, 13th January, lf^47. Stockton then appointed Fremont governor. We now will return to Gen. Kearny. After occupy- ing New Mexico, that officer, at the head of a large force, marched towards California. Scarcely, however, had he reached the Rio del Norte, when he encountered an express from Stockton, informing him o^ li that had occurred. He therefore sent back all oi ms command except a mere escort. After a m-xrch of incredible diffi- culty. Gen. Kearny reached Agua Caliente, the eastern frontier settlement of California, where he was met by, a small party commanded by Captain Gillespie, which 56 UPPER OR NEW CALIFORIVCA. informed him that California was in revolt, and that a force of 700 or 800 w as under arms in the field. Hurrying on, on the 6th December Gen. Kearny en- countered the enemy at San Pasqual, whom he imme- diately attacked and routed, after a sharp contest, in which he lost Captains Moore and Johnston, and Lieut. Hammond, of the first dragoons ; and in whieli he was himself wounded in two places, as were also Lieut. War- ner, topographical engineers, and Captains Gillespie and Gibson, of the volunteers. Two sergeants, two corpo- rals, ten privates of the dragoons were killed, and as many more wounded. The enemy numbered one htm- dred and sixty men, were commanded by Andreas Pico, and were well mounted. Gen. Kearny*'s force was less than one hundred men. On the next day Gen. Kearny was joined by a detachment of sailors and marines ; and having till then been detained by the cares necessary for the dead and wounded, continued his march. On the 8th and 9th of December ho was again at- tacked, driving the enemy before him with small loss to himself; and on the 10th, while a fugitive, Castro encountered Fremont, to whom he capitulated. Unfor- tunate difficulties then ensued, in consequence of Cap- tain Stockton's rcfusin^^ to recognise the right of General Kearny to command, which created much sensation in the United States. Commodore Biddle, however, having arrived on the coasts assumed com- mand of the naval forces, sustained Kearny, and sent Stockton to the United States. Colonel Fremont was subsequently arrested, tried, found guilty, and sentenced to be dismissed ihe service. Though the punishment was remitted, he immediately resigned. Colonel R. B. Mason, first dragoons, was subsequently appointed to the command of California, as civil and military go- vernor, and at the last advices was exercising the au- thority. Two governors. Brig. Gen. Riley, and Major Gen. P. F. Smith, U. S. army, have since been appointed, but at the latest advices ne'^hcr had reached the Pacific.. There are various routes from the Atlantic to the Pa« urriiu UK .m:\v California. 57 >d that a imy en- e imme- nlest, in id Lieut. I he was ut.War- spie and > corpo> and as ne hnn. IS Pico, VSL3 less Kearny es ; and sary for ain at. all loss Castro Unfor- >f Capu rbt of much Biddle, I com. d sent it was tenced hment MR. a ted to •y go- le au. M[ajor inted, loific^ Q Pa* cilic, which may be divided into the maritime and over. land. Of these two classes, the first will always be the most expensive, and, as a general rule, far beyond the means of those who emigrate for the purpose of belter, ing their condition. The other routes have many in. conveniences, and also many advantages. As long as the prairie shall be inhabited only by wild Indians, there will be difficulties to affright the timid ; but so long as food and transportation can be had, at the price of exer. tion alone for the needy, poor and adventurous men will rather chouse to risk life fur prospective riches, than en. danger money they have already acquired, for the at. tainment of a possible yet uncertain wealth. The outfit for the latter of these routes, that across the country, i^'ill be small indeed. To a man starting from any one of the frontier posts, few things would be necessary. The outfit will consist of but a couple of horses, or mules would be better, born of some hardy race, used to sub. sist without grain, and used to the hardships of hunt, ing and frontier life. One of these animals should be broken to the saddle, and the other equipped with a pack-saddle, and all its accompaniments, such as saques^ porfiechts^ girths, etc., most difficult to be described, yet to be purchased without difficulty at any frontier town. The mule broken to the pack.saddle should be light, yet strong, sure-footed, and able to cross the deep and swampy streams which intervene at almost every part of the route. The emigrant should be clad in stout and strong woollen apparel, which never will be found un. comfortable on the prairies, either in midsummer or December. The other equipment of the emigrant should be a Coitus rifle, or a good yager rifle, a hunting knifc« and a supply of ammunition. Above all things, a man should not forget a strong, stout, horse man*s cloak, or poncho, and blankets, with a bear-skin or India-rubber cloth, to protect him from the damp and rain. Tents are of very little value to men, because they never ex. elude fog, and it is as well to be wetted through by the xain as by it. 1 : ft'j 1 1 \ 1 '■ \ 1 i * 1 r - ' ^ ' f ; 58 UPPEU OR NEW CALIFORNIA. If women and children are of the parly, no other di- rection can be given than to lay in a larger supply of provisions, with a few of the luxuries necessary to a tenderer age and sex; and to procure a large wagon, which may be drawn either by mules or neats-cattle. A practice for a few years past has been adopted by the Santa Fe traders, which is not unmeaning. In every caravun are always three or four niilch.cows, which arc broken to the yoke, and which, if of docile temper, have been discovered to be quite as serviceable as oxen. The value of the latter in parties of which women and child- ren arc members, will be found most important ; and |»ersons who have once experienced the benefit to be derived from it, will not fail to avail themselves of it again. •.,:-"-• - * • «» • •" No reasonable man will expect to cross the prairie with as many facilities as he may travel from Washing- ton city to Boston. He will remember that he has to cross deserts, to ascend rugged mountains, to ford deep streams, and will at once see that association will in- crease his facilities and add to his advantages. He will pass through many hostile tribes ; be brought into contact with the most dangerous men of the world, when they are met by the unarmed and defenceless. A band of one hundred, or even fifty men, well armed and well equipped, would be able to set at defiance all who might attack them. If the animals and wagons were at the first moderately loaded, they would, one after the other, become empty ; and as the mules of the party became exhausted, other stronger ones of the train, which had previously been relieved, might supply their places. A lew dollars judiciously expended in the purchase of trin- kets and luxuries, such as the Indians of the prairie especially covet, would purchase many conveniences, and act most favourably on the haltlcivilised tribes, in inducing them to exchange fresh animals for those worn with the road. Every party, large or small, should be provided with a compass, and, if possible, with a person capable of taking an altitude, and ascertaining by ob- Mm 'i- UPPEll on NEW CALIFORNIA. 50 scrvation the latitude, etc. If the party be large, it is most advisable tliat it sliould be aecompanied by a black- smith, with a set of shoeing-tools, and a small supply of iron, to replace bolts which may become lost or broken. In replacing these there will be no difficulty, an excel- lent substitute for an anv>l being constantly at handy either in the form of the masses of rock frequently to be found in the prairie, and in the low and timbered land in the tire of the vehicle itself which is to bo mended. The point of departure for the overland route, it is difficult to define. The person setting out from the United States shouM seek the nearest point of the fron- tier, where the last conveniences may be had. Of such points, the two best are probably Fort Smith, on tlko Arkansas, or Independence, on the Missouri. When the whole party has rendezvoused, it should move a few miles and encamp, for the purpose of seeing if there may not be some deficiencies in the equipment, and fop the purpose also of an organization of the expedition ; for without some system of control, it will be impossible to make a prairie march of two thousand miles. When these objects are effected, the party might set out. If Independence be the starting point, no better direction can be given than to keep the old Santa Fe caravan route, which crosses the Arkansas River at the point where the old line of the boundary of New Mexico and the Indian territory meets that river, and to follow it by Alberquerque, on the Rio Puerto, a branch of the Del Norte, to the town of Tome, on the last-named river. So far there will not be the least difficulty. At the set^ tlements on the Del Norte,^ mules to replace the ex- hausted ones should be obtained, fresh provisions pur- chased, etc. Now come the hardships of the route. The travellers thence must follow the route of Gen. Kearny, down the Gila to San Diego, thence up the coast to the bay of San Francisco, or whatever be the bourne. The route from Fort Smith would, from Tome to San Fran- cisco, be identical with this, and probably during the early part, far more convenient — passing througli tlie . i 60 UrrEK OR NEW OALIFORKIA. n 1 i. 1 :« J f . 't '^ 1. J country Mf the Chcrokces and Creeks, up the Canadian, to about longitude 'il4P west from Washington, and across the prairie, over the head waters of the Red River, to Tom^. Both of these routes are well known, having been crossed repeatedly by the United States* dragoons, and the traders to Santa Fc. On all mapcf the route of Col. Fremont is luid down, passing south- ward of the limits of the tract of country called the Great Basin. This is a good route, yet inferior to the two first, from the reason that it is always desirable, for tiic sake of grass, etc., to keep in as low a latitude as possible. There may be a route better than any yet travelled, down the valley of the Colorado, which is a large stream ; but, if so, it has not as yet been travelled. Major Ph. St. George Cooke, second dragoons, made a variation from Gen. Kearny *s route, on his way to Cali- fornia with the Mormon battalion, in the following re- f^pects. Continuing for thirty miles down the Gila, he made a detour southward, returning to the route of Gen. Kearny near the village of the Pimos and Maricopas. The change was important, as the route of Major Cooke was across a level country, without hills, and for many miles along an old wagon-road from Vanos, in Chi- liuahua. The above are the chief overland routes to California, and far the best for persons with small means. The most pleasant, however, by far, of all the routes, are those across the Mexican republic, either from Tampico to Guyamas, or from Vera Cruz via Mexico, to Acapulco, and thence up the coast of the Pacific, or of the gulf of California. These routes are expensive and inconve- nient, from the fact that little or no baggage can be taken ; and must, therefore, be always a line of merely incidental, not regular travel. The routes from the At- lantic ports to Chagrcs, on the Isthmus of Panama, are, to a degree, liable to the same objection. The voyage from New York thither occupies usually fifteen days. From Chagres to Panama the country is crossed by ca- noes, and part of the way in the saddle, in between two and three days. From this point to San Francisco is UPPER OR NEW CALIFORNIA* 61 twenty.four liundrcd milosi, and will occupy not less than twenty-four days, when we take into consideration the uncertainty of the communication which must for a long time exist on the Pacific. The expense on this route will not fall short of three hundred dollars. There are steamers running also from New Orleans to Cliagres. Any amount of freight or baggage can be taken without trouble to the latter place ; but there will be much difli- culty in conveying it, in miserable bungos^ up the river, or on mules, over the mountain road, which probably has not been touched since the Mexican revolution. It may also be taken, when once at Panama, easily to Ca- lifbrnia. The only other route is that from the Atlantic ports, around the Horn, a voyage of great length, of va- riable cost, and of a duration upon which no seaman- ship can certainly pronounce. One thing, however, is certain ; it cannot occupy less than six months, and in all probability will demand a year at the least. Tho cost of the voyage, including stores, etc., will not be less than five hundred dollars, for what is ordinarily called a first-class passage. All of these voyages, so far, have been presumed to bie by steam. The voyage by sail would iieriiaps be more pleasant, and, in most cases, more expeditious; for with a fair wind (and those of the Pacific may be calculated with certainty), a ship or brig of correct mould will generally go faster than a steamer. The sail vessels, too, will always be the cheapest ; al« though as intercourse becomes more frequent, when the present rush shall have become loss, freight and passage will also decrease. The voyage to the Pacific was once one of great variety, vessels touching at Bahia, Rio Ja- neiro, Buenos Ayres, The coasts of Patagonia, Valpa- raiso, Guayaquil, Acalpulco, and perhaps the Sandwich Islands, were also visited ; and the traveller saw, in one voyage, a fourth of the world. Climates of all kinds, many nations and races, were seen. This will not hi^ppen again. Ships will leave New York with full freights for San Francisco, and the passenger can scarcely expect to touch the shore, from the time he -n fr2 U1»1»ER on NKW CALIFORNtA. leavefi an Atlantic port until he reaches Californlfli Other routes will ultimately he opened, and time will modify those known to exist at present. It may not, however, be improper even now to refer to these. Schemes for railroads to the Pacific have been placed on foot by various projectors, the most prominent of whom was a gentleman named Wilkes, of New York. The end of his line \vas, however, to be Oregon, which has been placed out of the question by the recent Cali- fornia excitement. Mr. Wilkes' scheme had reference exclusively to Oregon, and the immense current of trade to be expected across the Pacific fVom India. All Or- mus* pearls have, however, been insignificant, compared with the gold of California, Steamboats can scarcely ever usurp the place of sail vessels between t^*; Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the United States, for many reasons. It is not to be ex- pected that the United States will soon acquire any co- lony on the South American continent, and the immense burden of coal necessary for a sea navigation of more than ten thousand miles, will be so great, as to eat up the advantages otherwise to be acquired by speed. Port charged make it impossible for steamers to stop for fuel at the shore of another nation, and therefore sail vessels will long continue to be the most usual mode of commu- nication between the two coasts. Heavy freifiit will not bear any transportation where the motive j tower is animal strength, and therefore, for some centui ies, the old mode of ** weathering the Horn" will continue In making this immense voyage time is lost and aanger run, which persons travelliivg rapidly will seek to avoid, precisely as for some time past the exigencies of the British government have made necessary the Aden route to Bengal. This can best be done by a canal across some one of the isthmus* of Mexico or Guatemala. For more than a century the feasibility of this scheme has been a subject of great consideration, and many scien- tific men have lent their minds to elucidating its various bearings. Among those persons who have made it a to urrEn or new California. G3 subject of consideration was the famons Baron Hum- boldt, to whom Spain, in violation of the rule she seemed to have marked out for herself in regard to her colo- nies, unfolded all the information which, during* the course of centuries, had been acquired by her officials of every grade. This savant, consequently, without a personal examination, was able to throw on the matter so distinct a light, that even now his authority continues to be considered almost decisive on the matter. He in- dicates five different points of what is now known as Central America, or in Mexico, where a passage may be had : Ist. At the Isthmus of Darien. • ' " .' ','' 2d. In the Colombian Province of Choco. [\"'^,:"* 3d. At the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. .-''*'*'' ^ 4th. By way of Lake Nicaragua. ' ' <• '.\ 5th. At the Isthmus of Panama. In relation to the first, there are two manifest diffi- culties ; the principal of which is, that the isthmus is sixty miles long, and very mountainous, without any river other than the Santa Maria, which would require to be canalled its full length. The isthmus is also crossed longitudinally by a lofly chain of mountains, which must necessarily be divided to render the scheme at all practicable. It is besides cursed with a most un- healthy climate, which, in spite of many advantages offered by ports on both seas, has always prevented its beihg populated. It is doubtful whether any labourers unacclimated (and such a work cannot be accomplished by any of the present South American races), can resist its faUl effects. ^^^ -v -' •> ^ ' ^ - ' ' > The union through the Choco could be effected, at a very slight expense ; but the shallow waters of the Avalo, which runs into the north, and the Noanona, emptying into the south seas, even if united, could only admit vessels of very light draught. The commerce of the world, however, being carried on by three-masted vessels, such a communication, with only eight feet of water at the deepest, would be valueless. \ I 64 UPPER OR NEW CALFFOUXIA. or all the routes, Hiimbolilt preferred the one through Tehuantepec, believing that at the port of Guasacoalco, on the gulf| a river existed of far more depth tlian re* cent examinations have shown the stream to possess. The Chimolapa he also thought a very deep stream. It has been however ascertained tiiut in accomplishing this work there arc many difficulties, not the least of which are the breadth of the isthmus, and the great unhealthi- ness of the climate. The Isthmus of Panama and Lake Nicaragua remain, and to these, of late years, attention has been exclusively directed, under the auspices of the republic of Guate- mala and Columbia. The principal of these plans arc the following : Barclay & Co., of London, proposed, Sept 18, 1824, to the authorities of Guatemala, to effect a passage through Lake Nicaragua; and, 2d Feb., 1825, Burke and llanos made the same offer. A contract between Guatemala and Palmer &> Co., of New York, was signed June 16th, 1848, to make a ca- nal along tlie Rio de San Juan, and to unite Lake Nica- ragua to the Pacific. The king of HoUaad al the same time made the same offer. ..,..,: In 1829, Bolivar sent engineers to examine the coun- try between Chagres, and intended to employ the army of Colombia in making the canal. In June, 1831, and October, 1833, the congress of Panama authorised any company which would accept certain conditions, to open a canal or railroad. And again, in 1833, Baron Thierry obtain d permission to open a canal between the Rio Chagres and Quebra Grande. , - - '. - March 3, 1835^ the congress of the United States sent out an agent to look into this scheme. The officer, however, instead of attending to his employer's interest, obtained a grant in favour of himself. Thus was lost to the United States the glory of tiiis enterprise. The house of Solomon &, Co., of Guadalupe, in May, 1838, obtained the grant which had previously been rpjMVR r;T{ m:\v f at.i torxta. 06 ■i ^ conrrdrd 1o \\w a^fMJioftljp United Slates. All of these plane failed ; and recently a n^'W company has been formed, which have Jin njfcnt now at Panama, making a reconnoisHance for a railroad, of the puocess of which there is no dotiht. This will be but a temporary expedient, yet will answer /or the time, and v/ili be important, aa it cannot but demonstrate the immense advantages to be derived from a perfect communication. By way of Jiakc Nicaragua, there already exists an almost perfect communication through Lake Leon, and up the San Juan, which descends in a winding course to the Atlantic, about one hundred miles long. The lake itself is about eight fathoms deep. At the mouUi is a bar, which, when once crossed, admits vessels into a roadstead of twenty.fivc feet deep, which continues a long way. It is said, however, that not more than four feet water can be depended on. The Marquis of Yce- neni, and all others, agree that in the route are rocks, and great natural difficulties. The Lake of Nicaragua is large, being one hundred miles by forty, and has no outlet other than the San Juan, though many deep streams run into it. The San Juan has never been ac- curately explored, and much that is set down is conjee, tural. There is however one strong '»i»*cum stance in favour of its navigjbility. The old Spanish government knew much of this country, and affixed the penalty of death to any nttempt to navigate it. The object of this was to keep foreign curiosity, in relation to the route by Nicaragua, at bay. No such precautions were taken in relation to the others. There are, however, after the establishment of a communication with Nicaragua, other difficulties ; a range of low hills would be required to be pierced, and there is certainly a diiFerence between the level of the lake and the Pacific of one hundred and forty feet. The Panama route is short, and should end at Cha- gres and Panama ; and the country is said to be divided not by mountains, but by almost isolated hills, with low marshes between the peaks. There is also along a n I ' mm mst 5 i I m UPPER Oil NEW CALIFORNIA. great portion of tfie route an immense lagoon, which would dispense with much of the excavation. The great difficulty, the inequality of the level of the two seas, is not so great as it is thought, for at two periods of each day and night, they are at the same level precisely. Ultimately a communication will be effected some- where. On the route of Tehuantepec there are many advantages. During the rainy season, even now, there is a communication for boats from sea to sea. The isthmms has also many deep rivers; two of which, one running into ihe gulf, and the other to the Pacific, are navigable for vessels of the largest size to within twenty leagues of each other. There is also a good wagon road across the isthmus, whicii, even now, may be crossed in fourteen hours. There is no doubt but that some day there will be a communication for large vessels here, - In the following correspondence which has been pub- lished by authority, since the last pages were wtitten, the reader will find the ideas of the best route inculcated by this book, warmly urged by persons who have long been famiiiar with the Santa Fe and California tradt., It is important enough to be published entire. Washington, February 2, 1849. Dear Sir, — In answer to your inquiries concerning the emigrating party from Arkansas to California, which will set off* about the first of April next, I herewith en- close you a communication from the adjutant-general, oivering a copy of a letter of instructions to General Arbuckle, with which he has been kind enough to fur- nish me. From this, you will see that an escort of troops has been ordered to accompany this party, at least as far as Santa Fe. In connbction with this expe- dition, ako. as you will see, an officer of topographioal engineers has been ordered to make a reconnoissance of the route travelled,, t^nd to report, &c. I need not remark upon the advantager? this action of (he govern- ment will confer upon the expedition — in affording se- curity to all who may desire to avail themselves of this uri»Eii ou yiAv California. 67 opportunity to visit our farthest western possessions. But the great benefit to tlie country I anticipate from tlie movement, is the settlement, in great part, at least, of the mooted question, Which is the shortest and best route to California ?" Herewith I send you, Filso, slips from the Fort Smith Herald, consistiPiT of an editorial of that paper, and the circular of the leaders of the emigrating party. These, I doubt not, will be read with interest by all who desire to go to California ; and I assure you the statements, alike of the editorial and the circular, may be confi- dently relied upon. " ' . ' • , ,■,?,; I will add, that at this time, and from this until late in the spring or summer, Fort Smith is entirely ac- cessible, on steamboats of good size and excellent ac- commodations, by way of the Arkansas river. To this add the estimate of only one hundred days i'ot the over- land travel from Fort Smith to San Francisco, which I consider verr reasonable, and it will be found that this route already compares favourably, as to time, with any other proposed route. And when the certainty and safety of this expedition, togetber with tlie salubrity of the country and climate through which it will pass, are further considered, its advantages and inducements to emigrate strike the mind in admirable contrast with those of any and every other. The trip from almost any jx>rlioii of the eastern or middle states to Fort Smith can be made with entire convenience and comfort on steamboats and railroads, within three weeks at farthest. Thus, only one hvndred and twenty days, or four months^ will be sufficient to place the emigrant, from the most distant point m the United States, at San Francisco; arid that, too, over a route which, for safety, certainty, and freedom from disease, has no rival. Who would expect to reach San Francisco by way of the Isthmus of Panama, now rej^arded as the most expeditious and almost the only route, within a time much shorter than I heve estimated for the other ? especially when the al- most inevitable delay ai Panama, waiting for transpor- tutio^s is considered ; a.id (^ncountciing, at the sumo 1 i 1']) '! . i "~V I I I I ■I i! 1: _. 63 urrEU on m:w cALiioitMA. time, the diseicoiuforts uiid perils of a sea voyuge ibr a distance of at least fifteen hundred miles, even from New Orleans to Chagres, and about double that distance from Panama to San Francisco — to say nothing of the hazards of the general insalubrity of tiie tropics to un- climatizcd persons, and the particular pestilential atmo- sphere of Chagres — and leaving out of the account the troublesome and expensive travel across the isthmus. The Fort Smith route is free from all these very serious, and, to many persons, insuperable objections; while over the more northern overland route from Indepen- dence, heretofore generally travelled, to Santa Fe, it has tlie very important and desirable advantages of a shorter distance by about one hundred miles — of an earlier sea- son (for grass upon the prairies) of about three weeks — uf supplies of corn and other provisions for about two hundred miles on the way — and of an abundance of wood and water the whole distance. As I have received many letters of inquiry similar to your own from various portions of the country, and as a press of business puts it out of my power to answer them, you may,* if you think proper, make this, with its enclosures, public, ibr the information of all who may desire such information as it conveys. 1 am, very respectfully and truly, yours, SOLON BORLAND. Col. Jno. C. McClemore, Washington city. Adjutant General's Office, Jan. 23, 1849. ' Dear Sir, — The secretary of war, having referred to this olHce your communication of the 10th instant, re- questing an escort of dragoons for a party of citizens of Arkansas, who design proceeding to Santa Fe in April next, I have the pleasure to enclose you a copy of a let- ter of instructions of tiiis date, addressed to Brevet Bri- gadier General Arbuckle, by which you will see that Uie war department has fully complied with your request. I am, dear sir, very truly yours, R. JONES. * Hon. 8. BonLAND, U. S. Senate, Washington, D. C. ^\ €'•-. UVPER OR NEW CALlFoRMA. 6ft of ;-( ; .,.,.,.,- • Adjutant General's Oi'i'iCE. Washington, Jan. 23, 1849. General, — Senator Borland, of Arkansas, has stated to the secretary of war that a party of citizens of that state are desirous, some to emigrate and others to trade in the territories of New Mexico and California, pro- vided that the party be protected by a military escort. The plan proposed is, for such citizens, as may be de- sirous of making the exploration, to rendezvous early in April at Fort Smith or Van Buren, and proceed to Santa Fe, along the valley of the Canadian river, &c. The secretary of war, being anxious to obtain information with respect to this route, as well as desirous of affording proper facilities for sucli explorations as the one contcm- plated, and with a view of opening new avenues for emigration to our newly-acquired territory, he deems it expedient to authorize the desired protect'on ; and you are accordingly requested to organize a s litable escort to accompany the party as far as Santa Fe. As you have no dragoons at this time within your department, a detachment of one officer and thirty men from company F, at Fort Scott, has been ordered to re- port to you in person. Inform the citizens of Fort Smith at what time the troops will be in readiness to move. It is intended that an officer of topographical engi. neers shall accompany the detachment, to make a re- connoissance of the route, report, &c. Enclosed herewith you will receive special orders (No. 6) of this date, making the details referred to. I am, General, very respectfully, your obedient serv*t, R. JONES, Adj't. Gen. Bvt. Brig. Gen. M. Arbuckle, Comd'g 7th Mil. Dept., Fort Smith, Arkansas. Emigrants to California. — We call the attention of individuals and companies in the various states of tiio unioHf who are preparing to proceed to California, to the circular of the Fort Smith Conipnny, in a subsequent ni '^A 70 VPPEK OU ?iEW CALIFOK-\IA. column. Wc have now a plenty of water in our river, offering a fine opportunity for forwarding freight without delay to the rendezvous at Fort Smith, . . ?« .tcsi ; Ho ! FOR California. — We publish below a copy ofa circular, which has been issued on a letter sheet, by tho agents of the comp>any making up for California. The great amount of letters received on the subject it was^ found impossible to answer; therefore it was deemed tiie best plan to send forth the circular, and embrace in it all of the necessary information that migiitbe thoughl requisite. j For the information of the public, v/e would state that this place, Fort Smithf has between five hundred and a thousand inhabitants, and that it is steadily increasing in population. Buildings are going up constantly. Tliu military post at this place is in no way connected with tiie town, but lies without its corporate limits, partly in the state and partly in the Choctaw nation. In regard to bttsines&\ perhaps no place within the limits of this state, of the same amount of population, can boast of doing as much in the way of trade. There are several wholesale mercantile houses, besides a large number of retail stores. All are doing well ; and altliough tiie past season has been one of unprecedented dullness in con. Kequence of the low stage of water in the river, which has prevented several of the merchants from reeeivimg' tiieir goods, yet business has been, and continues, brisk* Mechanics of every trade, almost, may be found here. There are a number of blacksmith and wagon-maker shops, where work is done as well and as cheap as at any other point in the western country. Carpenters are all busily engaged in the building of houses; and here we would remark, that one evidence of the prosperity of Fort Smith, is, that vacant houses cannot be found puflicient to meet the demand of those who wish to rent. Provisions can be purchased as cheap hero as at any other place in the United States, not excepting Cincia* nati or St. Louis. ^ Vl'l'LK OK IVL:W CA LI i'ou.\r.\. 71 9 I t k r > I i The persona wishing to unite with the company for California, will see at once that in starling from thit* place every necessary for an outfit may be procured at Tcry low prices, and the transportation will thus be saved. Even horses, mules, oxen, wagons, &.c.,may al) be purchased here on very reasonable terms. We had some conversation a few days ago with a gentleman (Mr. Thomas Aird) on (he subject of the California expedition. Mr. A. is an intelligent man, and is engaged in trade among the Creeks and Semi- iioles, about one hundred and eighty miles from this town, on Gregg's trace. He states that the road from tills place to his trading-house is good, and, with a little work, it might be made a first-rate road ; and that those Indians have a large surplus of corn and beef, which could be purchased at very low prices. The Creeks are a very civil, industrious people, and always raise an abundance of produce. The Seminoles are very friendly and civil to the whites. This route is settled about two hundred miles, and there is a plain wagon road for that distance, within four hundred miles of Santa Fe and Albuquerque ; which latter place is on the direct way to California. We would invite all those persons who are intending to emigrate to the delightful and healthful region of California, to come this way, aud unite with the com-. }>any now forming here, which is increasing in numbers daily ; and we can assure them with certainty that they will find this the shortest and best route, affording ac- commodations tiiat can bo found on no other. Our in. formation is obtained from good and reliable authority^ such as cannot be questioned. Undoubtedly practicable, it must continue the popular route, and is, in the opinion of the writer, tbe only cer* tain road to Califurniu, 41 'n ■i ,*w n» <• i» APPENDIX. DESCRIPTION OF GOLD IN ITS VARIOUS STATES — METHODS OF TESTING ITS GENUINENESS, ETC. Gold, in chemistry and metallurgy, is a yellow metal of specific gravity 19*3. It is found in nature only in a metallic state, and most commonly in grains, ramifica- tions, leaves or crystal, rhomboidal, octahedral, or pyra- midal. Its matrix is generally quartz, sandstone, sili- ceous schistus, &c. It is found also in the sands of many rivers, particularly in Africa, Hungary, and France, in minute irregular grains, called gold dust. Native gold is never completely pure ; it is alloyed with silver or copper, and sometimes with iron and tellurium. The largest piece of native gold discovered in Europe, was fbu.id in the county of Wicklow, Ireland. Its weight was 22 ounces. Much larger lumps have been found in South America ; and in Cabarrus county. North Caro- lina, a piece was found, weighing 28 pounds, to say no- thing of the large lumps recently picked up in Upper Cali- fornia. The gold hitherto found in California has been obtained chiefly on the American and Feather rivers, branches of the Sacramento. It exists in the sand and gravel in the bottoms of the rivers and creeks, and in the earth on their banks. Various simple machines have been invented for working it, but the mode generally pursued is as follows : one or two shovelfulls of earth are thrown into a tin pan or wooden bowl, which is then placed an inch or two under water ; the operator stirs up the dirt, so that the running water will carry off the lighter matter, occasionally throwing out with his hand the stones and gravel. Afler continuing this operation for fifteen or twenty minutes, a small quantity of black sand 4 AITENUIX. 78 and giuYci remains, vviiicli is pluced on a dotii ur hand- kerchief, and dried in the sun, when the lightest parti- clos being blown off, the pure gold remains. In some of this black sand tiie metal exists in particles from the size of a pin's head to the weight of an eighth of an ounce. In other cases it is obtained in small flat or slightly rounded scales, similar, except in weight and colour, to fish scales. It has been likewise found in the fissures of the rocks, or pockets, as these deposits are called, in pieces of considerable size and value. 1'he following is Kirwan's arrangement of tlie ores of gold : . . , Species 1. — Native gold. Its colour yellow, more or less dilute, or brownish-red, like Spanish snufT, malle- able and flexible. Found either in compact masses; or in spangles, inlaying or disseminated ; or capillary, ar- borescent, ramified, interwoven, or dentiform ; or crys- tallised in cubic, pyramidal, prismatic, or tabular forms ; or in grains visibly or invisibly mixed with various other substances. External lustre, 3. Internal, 2. Me- t.illic. Fracture, hackly. Hardness, 5. Specific gravity exceeds 12, more or less in proportion to the quantity of silver or copper with which it is commonly alloyed, and the cavities it may contain. The substances in or on which it is found are either stony, sandy, earthy, or inflammable, or ores of other metallic substances. Of the first, the most common is quartz, siliceous schistus, hornstonc, sandstone, spar, gypsum, &/C., in Hungary, Transylvania, Bohemia, &,c. ; or trap, or jasper, felspar, or in clays, as in Bohemia ; or in the sand of various rivers, in different countries, as Hungary, France, Africa, &.c. : particularly in the yellowish-red, and violet sands. It is so generally in- terspersed through earths of various kinds, that Berg- man thinks it more extensively diffused, though in ex- cccdingly small quantities, than any other metal, except iron. If 100 lbs. of sand contain 24 grs. of gold, it is said the separation is worth attention. In Africa 6 lbs. of 7 -"^J ii 74 APPENDIX. sand often contains 62 grs. of gold. The lieaviest, which is often black or red, yields most. Gold interspersed through sand, is often separated by mere mechanical means. Native gold is sometimes invisibly dispersed and disguised, sometimes visibly contained in the form of a brownish-red powder in martial pyrites, as in that in Adelfors in Sweden, and also in Norway, Bohemia, and Siberia. It seems now agreed that it is not really mineralised in these ores. For it is often extracted from them by the mere mechanical means of pounding and washing, or at least from the residuum left after solu- tion in the nitrous acid ; its quantity is generally very small, scarcely above 8 grs, in 10,000 of the ore, or 1 oz., or IJ oz. in 1 cwt. of the ore. That of Facebay, in Transylvania, however, contains 12*5 per cent, of gold. ■ - ■'- Gold is also extracted from a particular sort of argen- tiferous copper pyrites, called, in Hungary, gelf. Tliis is found either massive, or crystallised in rhomboids, or other irregular quadrangular or polygon masses. Its contents in gold and silver are rich, but very unequal : much of the gold may be separated by pounding and washing. Muller concludes that gold exists in it in a state of dispersion, and not combined nor consequently mineralised. Native gold is found, 1. In solid masses. In Hun. gary, Transylvania, and Peru. 2. In grains. In the Spanish West Indies. 3. In a vegetable form, like the branches or twigs of plants. 4. In a drusic figure, as if composed of groups or clusters of small particles united together, found in Hungary. 5. Composed of thin plates, on thin pellicles covering other bodies, found in Siberia. 6. In a crystalline form in Hungary. Gold is also found in the form of thick solid pieces. It is in general more frequently imbedded in quartz, and mixed with it than with any other stone ; and the quartz in which the gold is found in the Hungarian mines, is of a peculiarly mild appearance. Sometimes, however, it is found in limestone, hornblende, &o. I - f APPKNDiX. TESTS T6 Perfectly pure gold may be obtained, by dissolvings the gold of commerce in nitro-muriatic acid, and preci- pitating the metal, by adding a weak solution of sulphate of iron. The precipitate, after being well washed and dried, is pure gold. Pure gold is very soft, tough, ductile, and malleable, unaltered by the most powerful furnaces, but volatilised by the intense heat of powerful burning mirrors; and it has been driven up in fumes by a stream of oxygen urged upon it when red hot. The electric shock cot»- verts it into a purple oxide, as may be seen by transmit- ting that commotion through gold leaf, between two plates of glass ; or by causing the explosive spark of three or more square feet of coated glass to fall upon a gilded surface. A heat of 32° W., or perhaps 1300<^ F. Is required to melt it, which does not happen till after ignition. Its colour, when melted, is of a bluish-green ; and the same colour is exhibited by light transmitted through gold leaf. But silver, copper, and all the rest of the metals which can be formed into leaves, are per- fectly opaque. No acid acts readily upon gold but aqua regia and aqueous chlorine. Chromic acid, added to muriatic, enables it to dissolve gold. When gold is immersed in aqua regia, an efferves- cence takes place, and the solution tinges animal mat- ters of a deep purple, and corrodes them. By careful evaporation, fine crystals of a topaz colour may be ob- tained. The gold is precipitated from its solvent by a great number of substances. Lime and magnesia pre- cipitate it in the form of a yellowish powder. Alkalies exhibit the same appearance ; but an excess of alkali redissolves the precipitate. The precipitate of gold, obtained from aqua regia by the addition of a fixed al- kali, appears to be a true oxide, and is soluble in the sulphuric, nitric, and muriatic acids ; from which, how- ever, it separates by stand i!»g, or by evaporation of the T n i 70 APPENDIX. acids, (ialllc noitl precipitates ifold of a reddish colour, vcr}' soluble in the nitric acid, to which it commiinicatea a fine blue colour. Ammonia precipitates the solution of^old much more readily than fixed alkalies. This precipitate, which is of a brown, yellow, or orange colour, possesses the pro- perty of dctonatincj with a considerable noise when gently heated. It is known by the name of fulminating gold. When precipitated from this solution by tin, it forms the purple precipitate ofCassius, so much used in en.imelling. This consists of an oxide of gold, mixed with an oxide of tin. Sulphurcts precipitate gold from its solvent, the alkali uniting with the acid, and the gold falling down combined with the sulphur ; of whicli, however, it may be deprived by moderate heat. The solution of gold in sulphuric ether appears to crystallise afler a considerable time. Mr. Sivright hav- ing allowed a solution of gold in sulphuric ether to stand four days in a vcsp 1, with a cork and a piece of leather tied over it, found that a great part of the liquid had evaporated, leaving the gold in the form of a thin plate, which has the usual brightness of pure gold, and resem- bles the flat pieces of native copper found in Cornwall. There were distinct crystals in one or two parts of the plate. THE END. iir, •■>-.. tea ■ ' '.. < '■ ' )r« :L 1 » ^ 1 i I (■ I i^Tk 'L. .^.. \^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) // 1.0 I.I 1.25 l^|2£ ||2.5 ■so '■^" li^B 1^ IS lU If 1^ 12.0 1.8 1.4 m V2 ^% 7. >/> .^. /^ '•^ y Photographic Sciences CorpoiBtion 1. 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