The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1872-11-08
Our Pacific States.

In thinking of the resources and
| promise of our Pacific States, it is in
| terestipg to remember how narrowly
they missed, at two or three points, a
| widely different history. To go back
no farther than about thirty years, in
1S4l France had her eye on this terri.
tory, and sent deputation to make a
thorough exploration, preparatory to
an effort to acquire it. Had she sur
missed the wealth of the possession,
which was developed within a decade
thereafter, she would probably have
been both more secret and more rapid
in her movements. AS it was, our
Government became aware of her in
tentiOn, and expressed dissent by the
presence of a squadron of five vessels
of war, which remained long at San
Francisco to watch the motions of the
French.
A few years later, when, in the pro-
gress of our war with Mexico, the
American squadron took possession of
Monterey, an English fleet made its
commander subsequently confessed TO
Commodore Sloat that he had orders
himself to take possession of the region
III tllC ldLlC vi llIS AhCiO
wereHot wanting plausible pretexts in
France to adopt such q course as this. |
Had either of them done it, no one can |
tell to what complications the action
would have led. Certainly it would |
not have been so easy for us to round |
out our boundary on the Pacific as we
afterward found it. So, too, had the |
Hna hot No In, tos,
ed at the time of our subsequent treaty |
treaty would probably not have been
drawn as tLey We're. They might have |
been different in territory ceded. |
Mexico must have been most unwilling |
to give up such provinces, and her
European creditors, backed by their
Governments, would have been un-
willing to have her. But the famous
discovery of gold in the race-way of
the Sutter mill, though made month
and q half before the signing of the |
treaty, was not known either in the
Eastern States or in Mexico until alter,
for then, before the days of the Pacific
telegraph, it took months to send mes
sages where now it takes only seconds.
In ignorance, therefore, of the facts,
both parties made bargain which has /
proved so much to our advantage as to
make Us, in this respect as well as
others, well nigh the envy of the
world. Though it, from being hardly
producer of gold and silver at all, we
have become the largest producer in
the world. There have been well nigh
a thousand million dollars worth of
these metals exported by way of what
was then the little village of San Fran
cisco alone. The amounts sent from
other places have been very large; and
now, also, the exports of other mer-
chandise, and especially of agricultural
products, from these regions, are rapid
ly coming TO take rank with those of
gold and silver.
1t is not easy to foretell the develop
ment which the next quarter of cen-
tury may witness in this tier of States.
Not all of them are comprised within
the territory ceded by Mexico, but the
future history of all must be closely IN
terwoven; and this history in respect |
to the whole must become vastly diff
ferent from what it wsuld have been
had California remained Mexican, or
become English or French; or, after
an allegiance to either of these Powers,
fought out an independence of its own.
California is set down as containing
los, 1857 square miles; Oregon, 81, ,24S;
Washington, 69,034 Nevada, los, 900; |
Arizona, lis, 900; New Mexico, 121 ,291;
Utah, $1,000; Colorado, 104 500; Idaho,
1000; Montana, 145 900, and Alaska
570,OO0La total of 1853, $50 square
miles; or nearly twice as much as all |
Europe Except Russia) combined. A
far less European territory contains |
more than hundred and fifty millions
of Inhabitants. Every capacity of this
is as great: its resources OF useful met
ais far greater. The past twenty-five
years has been only laying the founda-
ton of the efuture-accustOming immi
grants to the country-preparing in
part its means of communication, and
teaching how varied and abundant are /
the other resources where men had
come mainly to seek gold and silver.
The turning of public attention from
mining, as the almost exclusive busi-
ness of the country, to other important
and varied industries, must mark
bright era in all this region.
The march of commerce is worthy
of special note. twenty-five years ago
San Francisco had haruly ship once
a year in her bay. Now she has six
large mail steamships in the China
trade, eight in the Pacific Mail Ser
vice to Panama, twenty regularly en-
gagged on The coast and running 10 the
Pacific Islands and Australia, beside
hundreds of ships and steam-vessels
plying in different branches of her
trade and on the island waters. And
nowhere perhaps, is the disposition
more urgent to extend a commerce
whose foundations are thus so auspici-
ously laid.