Burlington hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1845-185?, 1850-04-25
CALIFOR MA.
REPORT OF HON. +. BUTLER KING.

REPORT OF HON. r, BUTLER KING.
.-..-s ,cosr,suEp.1
/ now proceed to give you the result of
my inquiries, observations, and reflec-
tions, respecting the population, climate.
soil, productions-the general character
of grants of land from Mexico-the ex-
tent and condition Of the public domain
the commercial resources and prospects-
the mineral and metallic wealth of Cali
fornia.
ropULATroS.
Humboldt, in his Essay on New Spain,
states the population of Upper California
in 1902, to have consisted Of:
Converted Indians 1862
Other classes 1900
1882
Alexander Forbes, in his history of
Upper and Lower California, published
in London, in 1889, states the number of
converted Indians in the former to have
been, in 1881 1858
or all other classes. at 4,342
23.O25
He expresses the opinion that this
number had not varied much up 10 1885
and the probability is, there was very
little increase in the white population un.
iii the emigrants from the United States
began to enter the country in 1898.
They increased, from year TO year, so that
in 1856, Colonel Fremont had little diff
Guilty in calling 10 his standard some five
hundred fighting men. n..-.
At the close of the war with Mexico,
discharged volunteers, from ten TO fifteen
thousand Americans and Californians. ex-
elusive of converted Indians. in the Terri
tory. The immigration of American citi
gems in lS49, up to the lst Of January last,
was estimated at eighty thousand of for
eigners, twenty thousand. .s
The population of California may there
fore be safely set down at $4,000 at the
commencement of the present wear.
II is quite impossible to form any thing
like an accurate estimate of the number Of
Indians in the Territory. Since the COM
mencement Of the war. and especiallv since
the discovery Of gold in the mountains.
their numbers at the missions and in the
valleys near the coast have very much ci-
minish.d. In fact tbe whole race seems
to.Le rap;dIv disannear;np. -
The renn;ns If a vast number of VILLAGES
in all The valleys of the Sierra Nevada
and ,monc The foo, hills of ,La, rance q,
mountains show tb,, .t M d;s,,nt d,v
,bo,. u,s, have haan , ,,merors ,o,,,a.
zion where there i M, now an Indian ,c
10 sa.-s The.. ,~a 1. f.. .,ll ra,,iref
in tie service ofthe old Caiifornians. bu
these do no. amoun, 70 more ,hs, fev
Thousand in the whole Territory. II !.
said there are larr, numbers Of them j.
the monn,ains and valleys abou. the head
waters Of the San Joaonin along s,s wes.
fern base ofthe Sierra and in The northern
nart Of the Territory and tha, tbev ar,
hostile. A number Of Americans were
killed bv them during the last summer !,
alternating 10 peualraie h;oh mn the river,
in search Of gold; thew also drove one O,
two parties from Trinity river. The,
have in several instances attacked par,ie,
comirp from or RETURNING IN o,eaop ;r
the section of country which the lamen,ef
Captain Warner wa: examining when he
was killed.
His onite imnossib]s 10 form anv est;
mate ofthe number of these mountain Tn.
dians. Some ,unnose there arc rs MANY
as three hundred thousand in The Terrific.
rv. but 7 should not he inclined 10 believe
,hat there can be one third Of ,ha, n,nber
Il is quite evilen, that they are hostile
and tha, tbev ouoht 70 he chastised for III,
murders already committed
The small bands with whom I me,
scattered through the lower nor;ons Of the
foot hills of the Sierr, and in the valley,
ha,veen Them and tho coast. seemed to h.
almost the lowest Grade Of human beings
They live chiefly on acorus roots. insects
and tbe kerue' of the nine eburr-occasion
,ry thev catch fsb and ,,,ma Thev us.
,hs how and arrow lut are said to be to,
law and effem;nata to make s,coessfn"
hunters. They do not appear 70 haze :he
SLIGHTEST inclination TO cultivate The soil
nor ia ,hev even attem,t u-as far A.
could obtain iprormat;nn-eycent whe,
thav are induced IN enter the service -,
the inhabitants They have ncver nre.
yau,ed /, hold anv Interest in III. sol, no,
h.v. ,har hao, ,.o,tod h., tho S,,.,;sh ~,
American ;mn;ar,r.s as no<sexs;no ,nv.