world render fair prospects of a much larger gathering the second season. Hitherto the industrious have been well rewarded, and it seems to be generally understood that each man averages about an ounce of gold per diem, and in many cases individuals have been able to collect, in the space of a few days, sufficient to satisfy their highest aspirations for wealth and affluence.

The almost simultaneous discovery of quicksilver, is an event of equal importance to that of gold, and will, perhaps, become as valuable an article of commerce as the gold itself. And beside these two valuable metals, California yields almost every description of mineral. "While in California," says Bryant, "I saw quicksilver, silver, lead, and iron ores, and the specimens were taken from mines said to be inexhaustible. From good authority I learned the existence of gold and copper mines-these metals being combined and I saw specimens of coal taken from two or three different points, but I do not know what the indications were as to quality. Brimstone, saltpetre, muriate, and carbonate of soda, and bitumen, are abundant. There is little doubt that California is as rich in minerals of all kinds as any portion of Mexico.”—(“ What I saw in California," 1848.)

California produces many novelties in botany, and furnishes a wide field for the enterprising student. Many of the plants are said to possess extraordinary medicinal properties. The Canchalagua is held by the people as a panacea to all their ills, and is supposed to be a universal remedy. It is used especially in fevers, and as a tonic after the subsidence of acute affections. As a purifier of the blood, (a term not very distinctive, but which is much resorted to by the quacks of the day to mystify their victims) it is said to surpass in its effects all the medicinal herbs that have been brought into notice. How it acts, we are not told, and it is to be feared that the newness of its introduction into the Materia Medica forms its chief claim to notice. The plant, however, has become a fashionable remedy, and will no doubt retain itself in the affections of the people, until replaced by something Its introduction into the United States must be lamented, not that it has been introduced, but that it has been introduced as a quack medicine. Whatever its qualities, it has an inauspicious introduction, and it augurs little in its favor that the learned physician has not thought proper to use it in regular practice. It is very plentiful, and in May or June, its flowering season, its pink-colored blossoms form a conspicuous display among the great variety that adorn the fields of California.

newer.

The soap-plant (amole) is another anomaly in botany, and appears to be one of the most useful in nature. The root is a natural soap resembling the onion in appearance, and possesses all the cleansing qualities of the common washing soaps manufactured from grease and alkali. It is used much by the inhabitants for this purpose, and must, of course, be a means of economizing household expenditure in this favored region. An "Indian Doctor" might make his fortune by introducing this root into the United States. It would go well with the Canchalagua-the one to cleanse the outside and the other the inner man. Both might be sold at prices sufficient to cleanse the pockets of the credulous, and at the same time serve to remove any superfluous "wool" from the eyes of the patient.

The state of agriculture, previous to the advent of the American emigrants, retained all its primitive rudeness, and existed as it used three hundred years ago. It was never known as a science. The implements were inefficient. The plough consisted of the forks of a small tree, and merely

scratched the ground: it was the same pattern as the Roman plough used two thousand years ago; and the harrow was a mere bundle of brushwood dragged over the sown ground. The other implements were of a similar ungainly description. The Americans, however, have introduced many of the scientific improvements, &c., and the farming tools of England and the United States are taking the place of the simple ones of the natives; the consequence of which has been the production of a total revolution in California agriculture, and the crops are considerably larger and better than formerly. The production of wheat as a staple, is immense, and Indian corn and other cereals are abundantly cultivated.

The natural productions of California are very various. Oats and mustard grow spontaneously, and such is their rankness, that they are considered as a nuisance. The varieties of grasses are greater than on the Atlantic side of the continent, and are far more nutritious. Clover is abundant. All the grasses, and they cover the entire country, are heavily seeded, and when ripe, are as fattening to stock as the grains with which our cattle, horses and hogs are fed. Hence, for the purposes of feeding, little corn need be cultivated. The statistics of production are, however, quite unknown, and any estimate in the present condition of the country, must be liable to error, or only of a local character.

Cattle breeding is the principal employment of the California farmer. The cattle are large and well conditioned, and the beef delicious. Immense herds are found on the plains, and their hides and tallow have hitherto composed the principal exports of the country. Perhaps 200,000 hides are annually sent to foreign parts, and a corresponding quantity of tallow. The average value of cattle is, perhaps, five dollars a head. Horses and mules are equally numerous, and although most of them are used within the country, considerable numbers are driven to the neighboring states of Sonora, New-Mexico, Chihuahua, and some to the United States. The horses are smaller than in this country, and perhaps not so capable of endurance. They are, however, very swift and graceful in their movements.

The wild-horse, the elk, deer, antelope and grisly bear, are among the wild animals of California, and to these may be added the beaver, otter, coyote, hare, squirrel, and other small fur-bearing animals. Birds are not in great variety, but in numbers are prodigious. The bays and coasts swarm with myriads of wild geese, ducks, swans and other aquatic birds, and the interior lakes and rivers are equally the scenes of their presence. The geese and ducks are of various species, the plumage being variegated. Some of the islands of the coast are white with guano deposited through ages, and boat-loads of eggs are taken from them. The pheasant and partridge inhabit the mountains.

With regard to the insect tribes and reptiles, California is abundantly supplied. The shores are covered with crustacea, and the rivers are alive with every species of fish. Animal life, in fact, is here prolific in the extreme, and to whichever element the traveller turns, the eye is delighted with its multiplicity and beauty, and the hand finds abundance to supply all the wants of nature; and what are considered luxuries in other portions of the world, are here the every day rations of the humblest citizen.

The population of California has been estimated at 75,000. Of these, about 8,000 are Spanish-Americans, 50,000 foreigners, chiefly from the United States, and 12,000 civilized Indians. The remainder consists of зeveral tribes of wild Indians, inhabiting the mountains and interior portions

of the country. The Indian population of the Great Basin, being spread over a vast extent of unexplored country, their, actual number cannot be accurately ascertained.

The Indo-Spanish inhabitants are identified with the same race in other portions of Mexico. The intermixture of Indian and Spanish blood, however, has been less, although it is very perceptible. The men are probably superior to the southern Mexicans, both physically and intellectually, and retain more of the valor and magnanimity of the pure Castilian. They are well proportioned, and pleasing in countenance, and possess much grace and ease of manners and vivacity of conversation. The whole population, with one or two exceptions, is destitute of even an elementary education, and their knowledge of the world is limited to information they derive from casual visitors, and such as may by chance flow through the polluted channel of a Mexican news sheet. There are no public schools in the country, and but few families possess libraries. In the old missions, however, extensive collections of theological books are found, and perhaps a few of a scientific nature, but these, of course, are sealed from public inspection. The life of a Californian is almost altogether spent on horseback, and certainly he excels in horsemanship They are trained from their infancy to the horse, and the use of the riata or lasso, and the first act of a child, as soon as it can stand alone, is to throw his toy-lasso around the neck of the house-cat ; his next essay is on the dog, and so progressing until he mounts the horse and demonstrates his skill upon the wild cattle of the plains. For the pleasures of the table they have no relish. The Californian, with his horse and trappings, is content, so far as personal comfort is concerned. But he is ardent in the pursuit of pleasure and amusement; and monte and fandango, horse-racing, and bull and bear baiting, occupy his leisure. Desperate in gambling-if they lose, they pay the forfeiture with punctuality, and are little concerned at the greatest sacrifices, so that they retain the gambler's honor. The Californians have been accused of treachery and insincerity, but on what grounds is not stated, otherwise than their affinity to the IndoSpanish races generally, who have acquired throughout the world an unenviable notoriety for these qualities. It is conceded, nevertheless, that the Californian is superior in every way to his congeners further south, and though not displaying that energy and skill which places the North American in a superior station, still there is the natural capacity-the diamond in the rough-which only requires cultivation and polish to give value and efficiency to that which, in its present state, is almost worthless. The communion of this race with the immigrants from the east will improve it morally, and, in process of time, by intermarriages, amalgamate the primtive energy of the one with the refinement of the other, obliterating in the process the sharp edges and asperities of opposite nationalities.

The immigrant population, which is chiefly from the United States, is yet small, but is daily increasing. The persons who have gone to this distant region consist of a class of "locomotive" energetic people-the same who turned the first sod in the wilderness east of the mountains, and who, as the pioneers of civilization, have paved the highways for the development of our national prosperity. Restless spirits these ;-impulsive, and never satisfied -they leave the home gained by years of toil for a vision which themselves must convert into reality. California is a desert:-they must transform its features and make the wilderness yield its latent wealth. With this class are the destinies of the country, and to it is entrusted the development of

the moral and physical welfare of future states, whose history in after ages will claim no unimportant page in the annals of America.

The Indian tribes have generally been brought to a state of apathetic civilization, and converted to the Catholic religion. Their condition is much the same as in all those countries over which the Jesuit Fathers have extended their influence. They are mild, docile, and obedient, and incapable of exertion. They are congregated about the numerous missions, or large ecclesiastical establishments instituted by the church. These Indians are chiefly employed in agriculture, and the lands about the stations are highly cultivated and productive.

The Roman Catholic is the religion professed by the native Californians. The forms are, however, much mixed up with pagan ceremonies, grafted on the original formalities of the church by the missionaries, in order to accommodate the superstitions of the Indians. The people, as in all Roman Catholic countries, are devotedly attached to their creed and the laws of the "Holy Apostolic Catholic Church," and the females are especially conformable to the dictates of the Holy Fathers. "I have seen, on festival and saint days," says Bryant, "the entire floor of a church occupied by pious women, with their children, kneeling in devout worship, and chanting with much fervency some dismal hymn appertaining to the services. There are but few of the Jesuit Fathers who established the missions now remaining in this country. The services are performed at several of the churches that I visited, by native Indians, educated by the padres previous to their expulsion by the Mexican government.

As elsewhere observed, there are no schools for the education of the people. Since the arrival of the Americans, however, several meetings have been held in the settlements, especially at San Francisco, to promote the institution of primary and public schools throughout the country, and it is probable that before this the schoolmaster is abroad, and the people receiving the first lessons in knowledge and learning.

The towns of California, having reference to those of the Atlantic states, are small. PUEBLA DE LOS ANGELOS, MONTEREY, SAN FRANCISCO, &c., are the largest and most important. San Francisco, from its situation, must eventually become the centre of a large trade, and in course of time, rival the great commercial cities of New-York and New-Orleans in business and prosperity. The other towns are:-Fremont, opposite the mouth of Feather river; Vernon, on the east bank of the same river at its confluence with the Sacramento; Boston, on the Rio Americano; Sacramento City; Sutter City, a few miles below Sacramento; Webster, on the Sacramento; Suisson; Toulumne City, at the head of navigation on the Toulumne river; Stanislaus; Stockton; New-York of the Pacific; Benecia; Napa; Martinez; Sonoma; St. Louis; San Rafael; Saucelito, &c. These are mostly recent settlements, and, perhaps in many cases, more speculative enterprises than realities.

California was discovered by Cobrillo, a Spanish navigator, in 1542, and the northern part was called New-Albion, by Sir Francis Drake, in 1578. In 1768, it was first colonized by the Spaniards. The country has several times since the Spanish power was exterminated, suffered from revolution, and for the last ten or twelve years the authority of Mexico has been very loose. The people have more than once declared themselves independent, and as often rejoined the confederacy. In 1846, it was occupied by the United States' forces, and by the treaty of 1848, was ceded to that government.

THE Mormons, on their expulsion from Nauvoo, fled from the scene of their wrongs, across the western prairies, and over the mountains, in search of a new home, where they might worship God according to the dictates of their own consciences, and find a place of rest from the persecutions they had endured from the hands of their enemies. After long and painful wanderings, during which many perished from fatigue and exposure, the great body of this peculiar people arrived at the valley of the Great Salt Lake, in Upper California. This epoch in their history occurred in July and August, 1847. Here they settled, and by a course of well-applied industry are building up a prosperous colony, and have lately formed themselves into a body politic, under the style and title of the State of Deseret, the territory of which embraces the whole valley, from the Sierra Nevada to the western borders of New Mexico, and from the Rio Gila on the south to the Wind River Mountains on the north.

Little is known of the major portion of this vast territory. The Mormon settlements occupy, in reality, but a small portion in the valley of the Great Salt Lake, and there are also some settlements in the Utah Valley. They are everywhere surrounded by a laby rinth of mountains, which is supposed to abound in useful minerals and the precious metals. Rock-salt is very abundant in the neighborhood, and the Lake is saturated with salines, which concrete spontaneously on its shores, and encrust its bottom. Otherwise these settlements are possessed of vast resources. The climate is delightful, and protected alike from the extremes of heat and cold. The soil is rich, and when irrigated, which is of easy accomplishment, yields fine crops of grain and other agricultural staples. Add to these natural advantages the industry to appropriate them, which is a portion of the religion of the settlers, and what shall stay the onward progress of this state of the wilderness, the location of which three years ago was scarcely known to civilized man. The ecclesiastical polity under which the Mormons were banded together having been found inefficent, and the heads of the Church being aware that as a religious body they could not claim special protection from the Federal Government, called together a Convention, "consisting of a large portion of the inhabitants of that part of Upper California, lying east of the Sierra Nevada Mountains," for the purpose of taking into consideration the propriety of organizing a territorial or State government. The Convention met at the Great Salt Lake City, on the 5th of March, 1849, and after forming a Constitution, adjourn ed sine die on the 10th. This instrument, which was submitted to and approved of by the people, is essentially a counterpart of our State Constitutions; it provides for the elec tion of a governor, lieutenant-governor, and other executive officers. The General Assembly consists of a Senate of 17 members, and a House of Representatives of 35 members. The judicial power is vested in a Supreme Court, with a Chief and two associate Justices, and such others as the Legislature may ordain. No reservation is made in regard to the Mormon faith, but all religions are to enjoy the same privileges and protection. With regard to slavery the Constitution is silent. The first election for executive and legislative officers was held on the first Monday in May, when Brigham Young was chosen governor, and Heber C. Kimball, lieutenant-governor. The first General Assembly met on the 2d July, and adjourned on the 9th, having in the meanwhile elected Almon W. Babbit, their Delegate and Representative to the United States' Congress, and adopted a memorial to that body, setting forth the reasons which had impelled them to organize a State government. In this instrument is cited the failure of Congress to provide for them a government, the abrogation of Mexican law, and the anarchy consequent thereon. "The revolver and bowie knife, "it is said, "have been the highest law of the land-the strong have prevailed against the weak-while persons, property, character and religion, have been unaided, and virtue unprotected." Finally, they represent that there is now a sufficient number of inhabitants to support a State government, and to relieve the States from the expense of providing for a territorial government; and therefore, they ask that the Constitution accompanying this memorial be ratified, and that the State of Deseret be admitted into the Union on an equal footing with the other States, or that such form of government may be given them as may be deemed expedient, and their interests properly represented in Congress. What action the national legislature may take in these premises is problematical; but, until it is ordered otherwise, the State of Deseret will remain under its present organization.

The GREAT SALT LAKE CITY, is situated about 22 miles south-east of the lake from which it takes its name, and about one mile and a-half east of the Jordan, 4,300 feet above the level of the sea, and according to the determinations of Prof. Orson Pratt, in Lat. 40° 45′ 44′′ N., and in Long. 111° 26' 34" W. It is laid out in large squares, and one acre and a quarter is allotted to each family for garden purposes. A Council House is being erected, and it is proposed to build another temple larger and more magnificent than that of Nauvoo. The houses as yet built are small but commodious, and, in general, constructed of sun-dried brick. The population is variously stated, at from 8,000 to 12,000.

Being on the high-way to California, thousands of emigrants from the United States find in these settlements a place wherein to rest their tired limbs, and recruit their stores of provisions, previous to entering the deserts they have to cross, before reaching the gaol of their desires.

*Deseret, in Mormon history and interpretation, signifies "honey-bee," indicative of industry and its kindred virtues.