, 1870-09-10
CALIFORNIA,
History and Geography at Fault.
Lower California md tho Dis
Covcrtcb Made There,
Mr. Stewards Speech on His Departure
from San Francisco,

Mr. Stewards Speech on His Departure
from San Francisco.
lFRoM oCR owS CORRESPONDENT
SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. l.
Is CaliioEnIA the Oldest OF the youngost
portion OF out consiuents" This question ia
often aekea, hut doctors disagree. and It is
hardly likely 10 he satisfactorily answcred in
our day.
GIGANTIC FOSSIL
The other dav party placed on exhibition
3. Plast's Hall, in this city, fragment Of n
tusk twelve feet in length, and seven OF ths
teeth Of m animal Of tho most Incredible sue,
dug up from the cement formation Of Lo
Angeles County, thi1ts-six feet below the sur-
face Naturalsts who have. examined
these remains, deelare that the
belonged to an animal which weighed full,
5000 tons, and could, in his day and genera
ton, walk over the dxellings OF men OF th
present day, rs the man Of our time walks ore
Ant-hille. This would indicate th4t Lower Ca
ifoIpiA il IN old country.
HrAR1L1Sa CHANCES
but against this fact comes up one which, in
connection with others, well authenticated,
stattlea the student OF history and Of nature,
The old Spanish maps OF 200 years aimee, rep
resent the Gulf Of California ae extending d.
-agoually across to the northwestExrd and
connecting with the kea 1T . point somewhere
above where Santa Barbara is now located.
Such map may be scen at the Mercantile
Library, In thus city to-day. It makes Lower
California an Island Later maps represent
the Sacramento River, or quiet stream cor
responding with it, empty1ng into the neA
near Santa Barbara, and on mono OF them
is there sueh . body of water as the Bay
-of San Ftaacisco in i:atea- Sir Francis Drake
even Skilled night past the Golden G1te-n it
anchor for months in the bay which bears his
usme and climbed the Coast Range Noun
tainr, from which he could have seen the bays
OF San Francisco, SIN Pablo, and Suisun,
omit: al! nentlon Of them The Indisns-
never very good anthority--say thata great
changed all the courses Of the rivers. less
tlau two centuries ago.
Now, look over the map Of Southern Cali
for1ia, IN tue eastern part OF San Diego Conn
California, and you will see m inmease salt
plain, 70 feet below the level o! tho sos,
stretching for GO CT 81 miles toward the N7x-
ican frontier. Above thls, aud to the north
ward for IS or 100 m,les, you Can trsce ths
epeent az ,e ~.ssgns far OF b..a h' sides aass
II fiom the desert many aud
many time. The Indians who still dwell on
the edge OF this accureed deze1s, sag that their
grxndI .erents Gveit On the chores Of sea
which tilled this plain, and th@t tho Tz1leJn in
the mountains, now fllea with lava, ashet,
and burned and crumbliug rocks, were richly
fertile, and the homes II thousands Of their
people were there. There arc eti1 millions Of
tons Of delicate little sea shells OF about tho
zize OF grain Of wheat piled i'll great waves
~1n ,fa lag 3r@rS rSrcr3 Nd ~ S,.to
above the present head Of the Gulf Of Cali
foruia, and their structure is 30 delicate that
N.ax could not but bc worn away by attrition
when 1essed about by the winds on the desert
sands for many years. low rango Of recent
volcanic hills cuts on this low plssn, now COW
cred with white salt, from the Guif. Of Cali
fornia, and tho evidences of recent volcanic
action on all sides of it arc unulis tax able.
There ie still an active, boiling, mad volcano
on the southeastefu siee 0, this desert, below
Dos pa1nl3s. ! BaW it iu eruption few years
Fince.
L the January number of the GALAXY for
1870, you will find 3 description OF m adven-
tute = night in 1868, on this fearful desert,
entitled :. In the Valley OF :he shsdow," writ
ten by Colone! Albert ). Evans, Of San Fr,.-
cisco. From this articles make the follo~ing
extract;
could not behold a sceue OF m utset deaolation
or be Wrapred ia stlc &C tuoFe ,otrlelc- The full
moon flooded the landscape with her mellow
Light but naIGht OF lie was 20 te seen: the Ehast-
l5 pallor Of death was orcf aud upon everything.
Sontnward, to the very nortzon, stretched a
great plain Of SNOWY sail, the white ghost Of +
Dead Sea, which once corercd all this accurecs1
land, but has passed away forever. Acros9 tals
While plalu, as across the waters OF plac< lake,
the Noon threw sn1cad OF shilnmtrsaK Light,
Se!asf hsas f5 % .ss s 1sr!iss sGs r eas:sss +
M nghts iar 91t IN the ceatEe q tae. =, gooSsay sa5
appeared In the dim dlxance, tue wreck Of GAL
l1At ship which might have gone DOWN there
centuries Egor when The bold Spanish adEentur-
err, besI.nG the cross and sworn Ia either hand.
Eea1ch OF me fountain OF ;outh, the famed King
donof GSoa Ehisn 'ay On tae eass xas IL i9sd Thss
e Enfrs e. f9ps Msb q " i; e1fss ss
11s NV. 6aalfa 6ssl Elannd
Now, strangely enough. after this lapse OF
years, comee up from San Diego the follow
ing telegram:
Some days since, on the Yuma Desert, some
thirty pilta west Of Dus PAlmas, parties d!scov-
cred fhe remains Of wrecked ehll. The ttmhers
OF The $oME and oiher part. e ia good state Of
preservation; The WRECK vas fannu At a spot
where there had been saline lake"
This wreck ID found more than a hundred
milea from the Sea. In = burning desert where
sea once w1a. II the 't6traits Of Auiau "
really existed, ss the old Spanish nsvisato1s
shaken this coast two centuries ago. Tha
enbject is one worthy Of the profoundest at.
tention Of the ecie1sitic, and I hope that !,
will receive it.
DEPARTURE OF HR aEEANp.
The Hon Wm. H. Seward. after week oj
comparative resi- sailed away from our ahorct
to-day, perhsps for 1he last tlme; God kuos1
hope not The day was bright and beautiful
snd ss stood on the wharf looking at him
sitting there On the deck Of the great steamer
America to those Of ehsJ BRENT Tcouid not: .it
feel sadness no words can express crs; plne
over me- IhAve been with him in 1us lands
and learned to le2nan honor him IL = 49,, nave 70
ossdo Loved snd hs 7ew ds fIea ads s os ysa small
party gathered 4 II hcspitaa ae home o. Judge
Hastings, in this city, to p'etake OF farewell
dinner with =" old stFesmsu. When the
suished suest The Hoe. VIM. H. saward," )" Was
given, the s1-Premies. ovsuently much moved
and afr~ted beynnl his uout. arose and made
The Glowing reply. which, as his last words to
tEpeopIe OF the Pacific coast and tho United
States, in fact, on the eve Ct his departure,
will he read with interest By the dxei|crs on
the other eide of the Rocky Mountains as well
rs BY those who live By the shore OF the sun
set sea- 1send corrected proof in advance
OF publication here.
.MR. HAs11SGS, LADIES, GENTLEMEN Avn
FktEfps: Dutiug my travels within the Tinted
States as yell as my star at home, 1t has been
Nevertheless, ier! ta; that 1hsrc are OK oecssians
when speech IL duty. / nave thought, uutil
now. that it was tmstsslblr for c1lzens OF Sau
Mountain stxt.s and Tvrrltor1rs, to increase tae
obligaiious winch, by demonstratiye f1lensishin
ana lASGf, thty CAST upon nc Last year, have
1ouEd EyA~u mistaken: not To search for bea!th
already lost, but TO anticipate and stay Ii nos.
slb'e. decline OF health 30 long merct{uv
ruuehsafed TO inc, Is 3ne OF the ph}ects OF tie
journey which, soouer than ctutd Layc exp,.ct-
ctl, brings me again within the folding ttoora OF
me Golden Gate: Abstinence from excitement,
study: and popular gatherings and greetings d
one Of the Conditions OF such travel Nv feiinx.
c!ttzens here, ard throughout my whole 6ro0resl
ntnef1ot uave manifested all their former frisnti
EMP and EnuneEs, but With deltcacY nnd for
oeA5ahce which yphe cau see Ia The resulk nf
an E!ecuFc sjmpktny. How could 1t be Ynsf I
ShoQlh hCt desire tLas tlcy should khntE hnu,
deeply this Kindness Affects ne.
But, ladies and gtutit ucn friends this ez,osisrn
Muss nos tpdulge further. Continents on the
EARN arc tke plantta In the Universe, They nave
ttcn matef7a1 atmosphere. their internal nrcs aud
ioIc1S. thtif attractions aut iCpulslons They atr
1nnusncrd-ny ntxIActaona and rrpul1lpna Of Gther
cOus1neuts- ann exert corresponding tut,utnce
uFon them The operation OF all these forres
terds, be5 ond doubt, TO The establishment and
preserraiion OF mursl Political anu social euuil.
1hriult. The operation, huweyrr, whtle gpluR on
must Pt0dnce excitement. disturbance conuo.
sinn, aud coasnlsion- Wac, now, can wpute1
that wien this American continent of ours
became Tor the est tEc tncatre
of enlightened human activity, Tith
II sncla! ruVcr, the uat1Ee Indian races Who ~.
iGSeu 10 accept tho dsclpuhe aid the blessings nj
civlnzatcn, began every where to decline ! Who
ean Nonhes tant the s14uug, sturtlv Imnesuous
stlueFf. IN The tEUav produced by rt.alt1inn
sense 01 the maEni'uhe Of their latpr and fhoir
GteF feehlebeas 70 eject It w,t3put eTrernr hAfr
eon&Lk and stole the Afitcan, and brought hisn