The Trinity journal., 1856-12-06
Resources Of California.

! The following extracts from a sermon deliver
cd in the Congregational Church. Sacramento,
November 2Oth, 1856, will be read with some de
gree Of interest by our readers:
AGRIcULTURE.-In '55. there were under cult
walton in California, in twenty-six counties, 25S-
600 acres and there were produced in these
counties, and portions of others 2333 900 bushels
of wheat and more than 5000 600 bushels of bar
ley. with other cereals. and with excellent roots
and vegetables, Of every sort in fair proportion.
In Oregon. the number of acres in cultivation
in 80, was l3S,0O0; in 50, probably l75 OOO.-
In Washington, one-foarth as many as in Oregon
will approximate the truth so that there have
been, beyond doubt, q half a million of acres of
land, the richest in the world this year under
cultivation on the Pacific slope and producing
more than enough TO feed the population we
have.
If now we assume onceighth Of our territory
to be good arabic land, We shall have 81 800, 900
of acres fit for cultivation, Of which l-75th part
only is now subjected to the hand of man. and
that but rudely cultivated. And on this basis
if We reckon, in order to come at the total of
the population that might be sustained and fed
as fully as ourselves, we again reach the number
of more than 81, 900 600. And when we consider
what low estimate of the capacity of our soil
this is, it were not very eXtrayagant to say that
our empire could supply these millions and also
/
eign lands not produced at home.
MINEs.-These consist Of coal silver qucksil-
yer and gold Coal, in the large way and of a
good quality is not found in California but there
are coal fields in Oregon and Washington Terri
tories of considerable extent and the coal is of
fair quality. Enough, however, is not known
concerning them in their present undcvcloped
condition, to warrant the assertion that they will
ever be adequate to the supplying of the whole
| region with fuel More quicksilver can be pro-
duced than the market of the world calls for and
the cinnabar at New Almaden will not be exhaust
ed for ages, though all other regions should fail
! TO yield it, But little silver ore is found that
will pay for reduction, but large supplies of
this metal are obtained from the melting and re-
! timing Of gold, into some of which it enters by a
| large per centage.
Our gold mines, ii is needless to say. are among
| the most productive Of the earth and they have
| already yielded not less than four hundred mill
ions of dollars in value, Of which nearly three
hundred millions have passed through the custom
believing that the annual yield will average less
than nifty millions for many years to come and
! ii is more likely to exceed that amount. In min
eral wealth there cannot be doubt that our Pa
ciic empire is the richest in the known world, of
! the same area, no matter where selected.
COMMERCE.-ln position for a worldwide com
mercc this realm Of the Pacific stands unrivalled
/ We have 200 miles Of sea-coast, with three or
! four large and commodious harbors and several
more that are capable of being made secure for a
moderate fleet. On one Of these extensive har-
bors has already risen a city, of third rate i'm
portance, commercially; which is soon to take
rank among the first. The amount of duty re-
ceived at its custom house is scarcely less than
one and half millions year. In The number
of merchant ships and seagong steamers that
visit its wharves it is inferior to but one or two
cities Of the land. a large city is yet to spring
into life, far away at the north, on Puget Sound.
to compete with others for the great prizes of The
sea- There are to be the ships built which shall
whiten the broad Pacific with wings, rs thickly as
the snow flakes do the fields of ether. When the
lines Of trade to the Asiatic continent shall have
been make direct to our coast when the treas
ures of the great East shall flow hither in exchange
for our gold, silver quicksilver, hides, talow.
wool and grain for our inventions, books. learn
ing, science skill. and various appliances for
human comfort-then commerce will have be-
gun, the like of which the world has never seen.
The commerce of the whole Union has elements
of increase not combined hitherto and not exist
ing in any other nation. Bat no section of the
Union in its capacities and its latent resources for
commerce, in coming years, is at all comparable
with this which we inhabt.