The Sun.
London, England, 1867-10-22 00:00:00

SAN FRANCISCO.

The most rising city in the world is San Fran-
cisco. It is a marvel, outstripping in its progress
and iu its future the wildest dreams of an enthu-
siast. At this moment San Francisco is the Queen
of the Pacific. Yet San Francisco of to-day is but
a poor village compared to what the San Francisco
of the few years hence is likely to be. It is almost
impossible to name a production that is not forth-
coining, or that cannot be raised on the Pacific
slopes of the Rocky Mountains. This city is the
centre not only of a vast agricultural district, of a
mining territory compared with which all others on
earth sink into insignificance, but it also holds a
position which dominates the greatest of oceans. It
is the store-house of precious metals ; from its barns
every port receives grain ; it is the centre to which
the commerce of Asia and all the Pacific islands,
great and small, including Australia, will radiate ; it
is the station where hereafter every one must halt who
travels between the far East and West. The grape,
of which there are 300 varieties, grow in such pro-
fusion and excellence that California cannot fail to
become the greatest wine-country of the world.
Already its hock and muscatel, its white wine and
port, its Angelica and brandy, are sold throughout
the States. More than three and a half million
sacks of wheat, valued at $6,750,000, have been
shipped from San Francisco since January. Two
millions of sheep are spread over the pastures, im-
proving and increasing at a rate which promises ere
long to place California at the head of pastoral dis-t
tricts. Whether it be grain or tobacco, sugar or
fruit, wo find the same overflowing abundance, and
these wonderful gifts are in the hands of the most
enterprising of people. Two hundred flour mills
are in operation ; scores of foundries are turning
out machinery, not for domestic use only, but
for export to all surrounding countries. Sugar, cord-
age, chemicals, powder, woollens, cottons, tweeds,
even paper, are there manufactured. Every day
produces a new invention. The ingenuity of the
American is here most fully brought into play.
Labour is expensive, and labour-saving machinery
is the peculiar product of the Yankee brain.
Isolated from the greatest and most civilised por-
tions of the earth, by barriers hitherto considered
almost impenetrable, California has accomplished
these results, at once erecting herself into an agri-
cultural and manufacturing country. When,
then, these barriers have been penetrated by
the Pacific Railroad, the obstacles subdued,
and the link established which is to connect
San Francisco with the civilised nations of the
earth, what is to be the future of this wonderful
city ? Whether from Hong Kong or from New
Zealand, from Borneo or Japan, the traveller to
Europe will then have to strike for San Francisco.
These places will become so many outlying depen-
dencies having their centre at this port. San
Francisco will be the gate through which
the Pacific will communicate with the At-
lantic. That all the countries of the North
Pacific should find their most direct route through
San Francisco is sufficiently intelligible, but all may
not be aware that from Sydney or from Wellington
the distance to San Francisco is shorter than to
Panama. From Wellington the run is 5,86 k
nautical miles, or 700 less than to Panama; there-
fore the Panama line of steamers will see their in-
terest, when the Pacific Railway is finished, in
making San Francisco their eastern terminus in-
stead of Panama, thus reducing the time between
the ports from 27 days to 25. The navigation
is equally easy ; Tahite lying exactly in the course
2,200 miles from New Zealand. A writer in a New
Zealand paper, who bad just made the voyage via
Panama, strongly advocates this change. He gives
the time as follows :

Wellington to San Francisco 25 days.
San Francisco to New York 5
71
New York to London l2 „
making a total of 42 days for the mail, and for pas-
sengers the option of passing as quickly or as lei-
surely as it suits them through a most varied and
interesting country in the latitude which marks the,
finest weather on the globe. If the distance be
shorter from New Zealand—the most southern of
inhabited lands of the Pacific—those of the north,
approaching, as they do, the latitude of San Fran-
cisco, must be shorter still. Hence San Francisco
becomes not only the best shipping port, but the
most direct. The Central Pacific Railroad, par-
tially open as it is, gives proof of what its earnings
will become when completed. For last month its
receipts were $200,400, and the net profit $161,638
in gold, not greenbacks. The energy with
which the huge difficulties of the line are overcome
is characteristic of the Californians. It has been
pushed on with amazing vigour, for the people are
aware that their own industry, coupled with the
extraordinary advantages of their country, cannot
produce their full results until this work is accom-
plished.— Anglo-American Times.

COUNTRY MARKETS.

COLCHESTER—OcT. 19.

This market was moderately supplied with wheat to-
day, and the business done was at is to 2s per qr under last
week's prices. Barley was in fair supply, and prices is
dearer. Beans and peas were unall erect.
Wheat, white 748 Bk)s Beans, Mazagan......4os 428
red 7us 748 Middle and 5ma11..44s 486
Barley . 408 428 Peas, white. 38s 425
Oats ..... —s 8 grey ...... ......30s 1211