New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1853-03-26
.pr;ef sketch of ssn Francisco.
81 y GIBBONS o
Tn. vear which raye birth TO the great IVES

The wear which gave birth 10 the great Vest
Republic The Atlantic shore OF \ 18th Am=rica,
aso wines Ell the hrst permanent settlement me
coast Of Upper CsiOfnia In lIIo Two Missionaries o!
the Romrn Catholic Church, landed in he Bay Of Sac
Francisco and proceeded TO establish central point t)r
TIER operations in cviLine and chrsslziDsile native
tribes Their names were FRANcIsco PALoU and
BTxrro CAxsoS. They were natives of Spain, ba,
came to this place from Mexico Filming fsrcle tract
cf land capable OF irrigation, two mdes south OF
the present city, they chose Il for their home ami found
cd mission whioh they named Mission Dolores. in com
memoThiion Of the suieTings OF the Virgin The VI =
sion of San Jose santa Clara, San Raphael and Others
in Upper California established subs ,qusniy and
we're dspendsI, on that Of San Francisco
On the present site of the Cry of San Francisco, =
few houses were erected about the time. This
settlement named Verbs Buena-go)d herb-5e-
csuse an herb of that name considered highly meiic
nal and sometimes used substitute for Chinese tea
found in great abundance the surrounding hills
The town retsinfd the name Of lerba Buens until
cup,ed by the Americans. The hrt houses were erect
ed by SETH from Mexco,-except building which
was put up by Russian who had been left on shore
from Russian ship, touching az the harbor.
AL the buildings were Of suntred bricks a1ob,s
The first house built the Mission stood about two hun
dIed yards in front OF the present church where is
cTumblDg walls are still visible Next was bulk the
chapel with is appurtenanees. The Preside, three
miles vest Of the town and the entrance to the
Boy, col structed near the same time FOR Govern
ment purposes.
Soon alter its organization, the Mission hourished
rapidly realizing the hopes OF its founders. The Indians
learned TO repose entire Indencc in the Padres AMI
embraced with sVidty the religion, and many OF
the arts OF civilization They lived in small commun-
ties and occupied in tilng the earth and other
employ meuts under the direction OF the Missionaries
They worked eht hours in the twentyour and receiv
ed in return all the necessses of life such food and
apparel to- ether Wiz rinkets and um-the latter being
considered in those Gays almost essential 20 life OF
civilization Lnd goodness.
At various times. parties OF Indians were provided
with the proper means and dismissed by the Mission
snes that they might pursue independent life Bat
u invariably cd
the natives later returned 10 setk the prntec
ton and gus ranshp Of the Padres, after wasting their
cattle ana other stock.
Some idea NAV be formed OF the extent Of those oper
atoms from the fact that there belonged this Mission
at period twenty thousand head OF cattle, three
thoufand horses and thirty thousand sheep. Ia 1870
the number Of Christian baptsms had reached three
thousand eight hundred and ninety six and in 1884, the
period of greatest prosperity the whole number hal
amounted 10 six thousand eight hundred and eighty
three. From this date decension took place, which
was greatly accelerated by the Mexican Revolution in
1896 when the cattle and property destroyed and
the Indians driven Oft by political disturbances From
1881 to ls49 the number of baprisms was only four
hundred and siXtyeight. OF the entire list, it is com
puted that nine tenths Indians and the remainder
Caiort ians immigrants and their descendants prn
cipally from Mexico.
Ia the meantime thetown slowly increasing some
importance being attached TO in consequence of the
hides and allow which il exported. In 1892 it laid
out as town by Captain John Voget, the few houses
being previously scattered without regularity In 1919
there were one hundred aud fifty inhabitants. About
this time il began 10 attract the attention of some adj
venurous Americans, and the population increased in
two years to nearly five hundred. II was, in fact
American settlement long before Upper California be
territory OF the United States.
The Cily of San Francisco stands on narrow neck
Of land between the Bay and the Ocean fronting east
ward the Bay and having the Ocean five miles the
west The Bay extends southwark some nifty miles
parallel with the sea- from which it is separated by
narrow strip Of land varying from five to twenty miles
in width The CITY is the point of this prom
Its site l. handsome and commanding being N
inclined plane half mile in extent from the waters
edge the bills in the Two points OF land, Clark
Point on the north and Rincon Point on the SOUTH one
mile apart project into the Bay forming crescent be
tween Them which s the water front OF the city, and
which has already been filled in and covered with build
ing 10 the extent of half mile Those points, and the
lofty hills north and west, upon which the city rapidly
climbing, afford most extensive and picturesque view
Of the surrounding country There scarcely to be
found charming and diversified prospects than
presented from these nights. Taking your stand
Telegraph HILL 10 the north OF the city, and looking
ward, you see the spacious Bay, eight miles in width,
owded with ships from all quarters of the globe and
the fertile coast OF Contra Costa beyond with its
city Of Oakland behind which rise hill h to the Red
wood fore the SUBMITS. Towering the rest,
the concs pesk of Mount Dabolo distance OF thirty
five miles To the north Is the entrance from the Ocean,
almost beneath your ee and Sauceto ak miles distant
at the foot of the opposite hills The northern of
the Bay also stretches away till lost in the distance stud
ded with smoking steamers their way 10 the
Gus points the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers
Turning TO the south you look down the busy city,
whose tumultuous din rings steadily in your ear-the
Mission Dolores in a charming little valley beyond,
acked by graceful hillsthe southern of the bay
lost in the horizon and the dim and distant range
OF mountsns running parallel the east Facing the
west you lock upon the narrow strait rJugh which the
restless ebbs and ows and into which the sea
breeze sweeps daily with its chilling but purifying mi t.
the Golden Gste-the Presdio--the Fort--the great
Ocean beyond.
Prior TO the construction of wharves the principal
landing the foot of Broadway towards Clarks
Point where there bold shore with deep water
Boats a!so landed at North Beach which obained the
OF Washerwomans Bay; it, clean, sandy shore af
WIS at the foot OF Cayst
The war with Mexico which broke out In 1886 gave
impulse TO the commerce Of the port, by requiring
the shipment of supplies fol military purposes On the
18th OF March ls47 there in the harbor the extra
ordinary number Of six vessels viz U 5 ship Cyane
ship Moscow chip Yandaa chip Bsrnstabe ship Thomas
II Perkins, and brig Eupnerna. On the 18th OF De
cmber OF that year there four vessels in port aud
arrivals had occurred for week. The imports for
the last quarter of le47 amounted TO and the
exports $4,000. In the first quarter of 64s there
une vals OF vessels four OF which were from
Monterey and San Pedro.
In April lS47, the number of inhabitants exclusive of
Indiana. 375. Eight months aflerward when cen.
sus was taken by the Board Of School Trustees the num-
Der exceeded 500 OF these there adult males 47J
adult females, III children of age proper TO attend
school, 90. This increase of more than a hundred per
cent IN eight months, took place some months before
the discovery OF gold and when California was sought
merely for agricultural and commercial purposes
AS early as January, ls47, complaint was published
IN The California Star that there no school for chill
dren the writer stating that be had counted forty chill
dIen playing in the street. public meeting was then
called, 10 adopt measures 10 found a school But the
project failed Some months later il was revived with
better success. schoolhouse was built and com.
ptted by the LIST of December On the 2l.t OF February
le4 election held for school Trustees and the
following q ntlemen were chosen Dr. F. Fourgeaud C.
l. Ross, ESQ, Dr.. j. Townsend j. Serrine, Esq, and w
DAVIS Es9 The Town Councilpassed resolution that
not exceeding four hundred dollars be appropriated 70
the payment OF the teacher OF the public school of this
place two hundred 70 be paid the expiration of the
INST ix months and two hundred at the expiration of
twelve months from the commence nent of the school"
Thai was the day OF small things Gold was a scarce
ARTICLE In California. except hidden treasure But
the enterprise and energy OF the American people were
nevertheless directI themselves in a channel which
Weuld have made the country great and prosperous,
there had not been grain OF the precious metal