The hydraulic press., 1859-04-23
A SIGN OF PROSPERITY.

evils. Even in the earliest times, when we
had no agriculture and manufactures of our
own deserving mention-when, in fact, we
produced nothing for expectation but gold,
it was common to bewaii pathetically the
constant outflow of the precious metal as
though it were our very lfe-blood leaving
US, and as though we were not receiving as
near an equivalent as was possible under the
circumstances. This has formed chronic
complaint of the newspaper press, to believe
which it would be supposed all California
needed to make her prosperous and endow
her with permanent, yirtuous population
was the retention of the gold crop in her
own midst. In spite of these lamentations,
the laws of trade continued to control the
matter, and to work their own sure results.
So long as mining was the most remunera-
tive occupation, the majority of the adven-
turers whe came hither persevered in it, and
the gold they realized was exchanged for
such staples of food and clothing as were
needed and could only be obtained out of the
country. Hence these articles commanded
high prices, and as mining became less gen.
orally remunerative people began to abandon
them. Many were induced to cultivate the
soil, as the most easy way of realizing for
tune, and their labor soon produced at home
those articles of food formerly brought at
| r.
the gold shipments for the last three or four
years show marked decrease, not because
less gold has been extracted from the mines,
but chiefly because we are becoming self
sustaining, and the wealth we earn is inves-
ted where we earn it. In 1853 the amount
of gold shipped from the State as per mani
tests, was nearly fifty-eight millions. Last
year the shipment had decreased more than
ten millions. This was partly occasionally
the Fraser river exodus, bat steady decrease
is proved by the fact that there was con-
siderable falling off in the shipments of pre-
vious years, amounting in the aggregate to
about five per cent. If it were possible to
obtain correct statistics of the gold taken
4roane BY passengers, no doubt greater pro-
portionate decrease than this could be ex-
hibited. The majority of those who have
succeeded here, after a brief visit to their
old homes return contented to their adopted
ones, and invest their means in the develop
ment of new sources of wealth. The gold
that formerly went East to support absent
families, now builds fixed homes for those
families on the Pacific. The grain fields and
vineyards of the State are rapidly advancing
to rivalry with the mining interest, while
that interest itself has acquired more stabil-
ity and contributes something directly to
the welfare of the country.
The desideratam so long prayed for is
thus being realized. The gold crop is going
more and more to our o~nenrichment, to the
j development of healthful and varied forms
of industry and to the consolidation of pub
lie and private interests heretofore too wide
ly separated. That the gold will cease leay-
ing the State is not possible nor desirable;
but that we shall hereafter be able to retain
i enough of it to secure our own prosperity is
! a most encouraging certainty. ~ 1k
IMMENSE LIBRARIEs.-T Edinburgh Recie,c
gives list Of the largest European libraries,
from which it appears that. the Imperial Lii
brary of Paris contains 100000 volumes
the British Museum 100000; Imperial Pub
lie Library of St. Petersburgh 900; Roy
al Library at Berlin 100000; Royal Library
at Munich 100000; Royal Library at Copen-
hagen 4lo, 900; Imperial Library at Vienna
365, 900; University Library at GottengenI
1000; Royal Library at Bresiaa 100000;
Royal Public Library at Dresden 3O5, ,00O.-
The Library of the British Museum is said
to contain greater proportion of really
valuable books than the Paris Imperial Li-
brary, to which it is next in size. The cata-
! logue alone, which is not yet completed, oc-l
cupies 997 volumes, and will embrace when
completed in three or four years more, a
million entries, allowing the present rate of
increase to continue These entries will
have occupied the entire energies of a large
staff of librarians and transcribing clerks
during six hours day, for just a quarter of
. century. The department of American
books alone, is said to number 80, 900 vol
ufnes-a fuller collection than can be found
!, in America The titles of works by or about
. Shakespeare or Luther occupy three volumes;
!, Horace or Erasmus one volume and from
this fact it is inferred that the proportions of
f universal printed literature directly occupied
| by those writer's are respectively about one
in seven hundred, one in a thousand, and
one in two thousand. The Museum contains
, somewhere about one fourth of extant liter
ature.
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