Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1848-12-23
SUNBURY AMERICAN AND SHAMOKIN JOURNAL.
CALIFORNIA-ITs COMMERCIAL ADvANTA.
GES, &c. i.

GES, &c. ~
| A recent number of that very able work,
"Hunts Merchants Magazine" contains an
excellent article Of the commercial advanta.
ges Of California, from which we make ex-
tracts:
WHEN DIscovEREp AND CoLosIzED.-Up-
per California was discovered in 15as, by
Cavello, the Spanish navigator. In 1878 the
northern portion Of il was visited by Sir Fran
els Drake, who called it New Albion. It was
first colonized by the Spaniards in l76S, and
formed province of Mexico until after the
revolution in that country"
ITS BOUNDARY AND EXTENT. tilt is bound
ed by Oregon on the North, the forty-second
degree of north latitude being the boundary
line of the two territories on the East by
the Rocky Mountains, on the South by Sonora
and old or Lower California, and on the
West by the Pacific Ocean; its extent from
North to South being about 700 miles, and
the average distance from East TO West is
about the same. The strip of country along
the Pacific Ocean, about 700 miles in length,
and an average of 1876 miles in breadth,
bounded on the East by the Sierra Nevada,
and on the West by the Pacific, is the only
fertile portion of this extensive territory"
Irs RIVERS AND NOZZLE VALLEY -"The
Sacramento and Josquin rivers have each a
course of from 300 to 400 miles; the first
flowing from the North, and the last from
the South, and both emptying into the Bay of
San Francisco at the same point. They
water the large and fertile valley lying be-
tween the Sierra Nevada and the coast range
of mountains. This noble valley, the first in
California, and one of the most magnificent
in the world is about 500 miles long and SO
wide 1t is bounded on the East by the great
Snowy Mountains, and on the West by the
low range which in many places dwindles
into significant hills, and has its northern ter
minus at the strait of Carquines. on the Bay
of San Francisco, and its southern near the
Colorado river, which is the largest in Upper
California, and has course of about 1000
miles, emp,ying itself into the Gulf OF Cali
fornia in latitude about 80 deg. Norh.'
BAY OF SAN FRANcIsco.- Bay of San
Francisco is about 45 miles long at its en-
treme points if taken in a straight line in
norlh-northwest and a souh-southeast direc-
ton, and its greatest width about l2 miles
From its position and extent, the city and
port of the same name must become the de-
pot for all the produce of the great rivers and
valleys. 1t will also become the great naval
station of the Pacific, and here also will be
the great rendezvous for whalers.'
Town OF SAN FRAScIsco.-"The town of
San Francisco is regularly laid out in lots OF
fifty varas square, generally six of which
form block. Some, however, are i'll lots oil
100 yaras. and are also in blocks of SIX. The
streets are from so TO 100 feet wide There
are large hotels here, besides boarding and
public house. Two wharvcs are nearly conf
pleted, which are indispensable to the mer-
camille houses, and other important facilities
for trade are in progress
Tur CIrM,Tr Ann PRoprcTroNs.-"Ihe
thermometer ranges at San Francisco from
60 degs to IS dogs. A peach orchard bloom
ed in January and the fruit uninjurcd Gull
nary vegetables are raised .he year round
Wheat succeeds admirably, yielding in quail
tv equal to Genesee or Egyptian. In grapes
and wine, this land will, ere long, challenge
the world. 1t is emphatcaly the land of the
vine.
:Sheep are very prolific, and subject TO no
diseases and here is the pasturage and eli
mate for growing the finest Mcrino and Sax
ony fceces, Old Spain and New Holland not
excepted" -,
VALUE OF IMPORTS AND ENPoRTs.-The
following statistics furnished by the Collector
of the Port of San Francisco, embrace the
quarter ending December 81, ls47:--Total
value of exports for the quarter, si9,597 SO,
of which $685. s5 were of the produce OF
California, and were shipped as follows to
Peru, S2l ,43S Sc; Mazatlan, $500 Russian
America, s7,as5 so; Tahita, s7oo; Sand
wich Islands, $500. The balance were OF
the produce of foreign countries, sls,s4s 6s
and shipped as follows to the United States
s2,l60; Sandwich Islands Sl2, ,i42 ls; Maz
allan, s4,s3l so.
Total imports for the same period, S5S,
:
United States, s7,7oi SO from Oregon, 49,,
676 "A from Chill, S3l,74o 10 from Sand
wich Islands, s2,i7l 30 from Russian Amer
lea, S492 81 from Bremen, and $40 81 from
Mexico.
GENERAL REMARKs.-"At present large
portion of the trade at San Francisco is indi
rect and consequently costly to the consu
mers, who have to pay duties and profits t'
the merchants and governments OF other coun
tries by the channels of traffic. in selecting
the port of San Francisco for naval eslab
lishment upon the Pacific, our government
has shown degree of sagacity worthy of iht
highest craftsmanship Without the succo
which American ports could extend to ou
commerce, we have already four-ffths of al
the shipping upon the Pacific under our owr
flag. With the assistance of a secure nava
establishment on the western coast, under A
merican laws, our commercial interests mus