The weekly Placer herald., 1854-06-03
NUMBER 38.

Of the State of New York; and capable from
her commercial position. and agricultural
and mineral resources, of maintaining pop
ulation equal to that now held by the whole
American Union. With the coast range OF
mountains, in its beautiful undulations from
lofty SUBMITS to irregular hills on the west,
and the snowy mount tains and Colorado river
on the east, and Lower California on the south,
it's center intersected by the rivers Sacramento
and San Joaquin, whose magnificent valleys
alone contain millions of acres of the most
fertile soil, stretching near the entire length
of the State, each flowing distance OF three
or four hundred miles in contrary directions
from the north and the south, and uniting in
the same estuary to discharge their waters
into the Bay Of San Francisco, dug out, as it
were, by the hand of nature herself, for the
noblest of human purposes.
Here we have harbor and port. the natu-
raj receptacle of the produce Of our extern
sive valleys, and at no distant day to be the
Pacific seat Of trade, and an equipoise to the
Atlantic emporium. 1t will be this entrepot
and storehouse to which the coasts of tho
Western ocean Of Northwestern America,
aud of the Asiactic regions, will send their
products From this common center of trade
will be furnished in exchange the grain and
other of cur products required for subss-
tence by the southwestern people coast, Of
the Mexican and Central American States,
down to the equator, to Peru, to the south
western coast of Asia and islands OF the Poly
nesian group. The serenity and mildness Of
our climate, the mammoth growth Of our veg
etation the capacity Of our soil for wheat
and the smaller grains, extending its adapta-|
ton also to the vine, giving advantages not
surpassed. if equalled. within the limits Of any
one of the States Of the Union. few short
years ago she was held by sparse and apa-
thetic population of some few thousand souls,
with limited wants, and these almost supplied
spontaneously by nature. From the moment
the American flag rose UPON her hills the
scene was changed Western settlers enter
ed her limits, those pioneers whose strong
hands and patriotic hearts have everywhere
laid the deep foundations Of our prosperity.
Apathy in California ceased, and was suc-
ceeded by the activity OF industrial pursuits.
The golden discoveries were first made in see-
ing few glittering particles sparkling in
the sunlight in mill race on fork of the
American river, q tributary of the Sacra-
mento. This discovery was followed up in
our rivers which, rushing from the Nevada
chain lberate and sweep down to their beds
the hidden treasure, and point the way to the
way to the sources Of mineral wealth, hither-
to ilimitable in extent, and exhibiting no
signs of exhaustion.
The opening, expanding veins of our rocky
structure have been reached, and their gol-
den deposits unfolded by the ingenuity and
enterprise Of that indomtable band Of immi-
grants, whose tireless energies mock at all
d diiiculties and defy all obstacles. The rush
of immigration extended, energy and enter.
prise 10 ked to our shores Labor, that
makes man what he is, and without which
gold is as valueles. as the dust Of the earth,
did its work. Industry, that "intantigble,
abstract commodity directed our energies,
aud we rose in the full propositions of SOW
ereign state, unprecedented in growth. and
unexampled in its career in the history OF
nations.
Her mineral discoveries. which the press
had announced from one end Of the globe to
the other, until the news even penetrated the
isolation of the Chinese dominions, were first
! looked upon as oriental fctons, then doubt
ed, then believed and finally realized, be-
yond all anticipation.
In 1920, we had metallic currency in the
! United States, according to Mr.. Gallatin's re-
port in that year, of &32 800 600. The pro-
ducts of all the mines in the Union, from
l. that year until 1913, furnished an additional
sum Of -l2 IA 647, being an average annual
yed of four and five hundred thousand dol
lars. Our net specie imports over our ex-
!
immigrant supplies, at an average of mil
lion a yeaI gave us 27 100000, making an
aggregate of specie in the United States at
the beginning Of the year 1848 Of 1854, $685..
l08 La that year the aggregate products OF
the mines of Virginia North Carolina, South
Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama and
New Mexico, fell below the general average
| have stated, having only reached about
| $500 900, to which California, just then be-
ginning to open her treasurers, contributed
an additional sum of more than one fifth the
product of all our mines at that time. She
has, since that period, increased her product
in almost q compound ratio, until her annual
contributions to the metallic currency are
o8e h9ndred malions being two and o half
times greater than the aggregate average
annual yield between the years 1929 and
1913, Of the Uralian, Mexican, Peruvian,
Bolivian, Chilian, and in fact of all the mines
in the world together.
Look back at the commercial crisis at diff
ferent periods Of our history. and especially
those within our recollection, from 1887 to
| 1910, when we suffered from q drain of our
then limited supply of the precious metals,
and reflect upon the disasters which pervaded
the country IN every department and busi-
ness Of life. What is it but the gold of Cali
fornia that has held in equipoise our COM
mercal balance, and furnised us with re-
dundant supply of bullion, Notwithstanding
the immense expansion OF our trade and in
creased importations, whilst at the same time
it has impaired wide spread prosperity over
the face of the whole country, by which
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