SAN ]FRANCISCO (ante), the capital of San Francisco co., Cal., and the most important city on the Pacific coast of North America, situated in lat.. 37° 47' 35" rt., long. 122° 24' 15" w., at the n. end of a peninsula 20 m. long and (at this point) 6 m. wide, which separates the bay of San Francisco from the ocean. The city and county, which are consolidated, contain an area of 42 sq.m., and comprise, besides the northern part of the peninsula across to the ocean, Goat island, Alcatraz island, and Mission rock, in the bay, and the Fara:lones islands, 24 in. off in the ocean. The laud upon which the city is built is sandy and unproductive; a portion of it was originally hilly, but has been lev eled by art. The development of the city has been quite recent. As far back as 1776, indeed, a Spanish military post was established on its present site, together with a mis sion of San Franciscan friars for the conversion of the Indians, but it was not till 1835 that a village was laid out under the name of Yerba Buena. In 1347 the name was changed to San Francisco, the number of inhabitants at that date being about 450. Next year the discovery of gold was made in California, and emigrants from all parts of the world were at once attracted there. 'rite growth of the city from that date was rapid. In 1850 the population was 25,000; in 1860, 56,802; in 1870, 149,473 (of whom only about one-half were natives of the U. S.); and in 1880 it was estimated at about 300,000, including 20,000 Chinese. The city was incorporated in 1850, and the city and county consolidated in 1856. In Dec., 1849, a number of buildings weredestroyed by fire, and within fourteen months thereafter four other extensive conflagrations devastated the business portion of the city. Earthquakes have been quite frequent, but so slight as to cause little or no damage. In 1851-56, owing to corrupt municipal government and inadequate enforcement of the laws, the citizens, to protect themselves, organized vigi lance committees, which summarily dealt with a number of public criminals and reduced the others to subordination. Since then the city has been in the main an orderly one, although in 1877-78 considerable trouble was again apprehended from the unruly mem bers of society led by the popular. demagogue, Denis Kearney.—San Francisco is regu larly laid out, with wide streets crossing each other at right angles. The business portion is closely built up, but outside of that the houses are frequently quite scattered. Belgian blocks and cobble-stones are used in paving the business streets; wood pavements with asphalt sidewalks are more common elsewhere. The principal thoroughfares are Mont gomery, Kearney, and Market streets; all are fashionable promenades and contain the leading retail stores. The wholesale houses are chiefly in Front, Sansome, and Battery sts. ; the principal banks and brokers' and insurance offices are in California street. Du pont and Stockton sts., in the southern part of the city, arc lined with handsome brick residences. Elsewhere the houses are mainly built of wood, often very lavishly decorated. There are no shade trees, but the yards around the better class of houses make a splendid show of flowers and evergreens—the natural sterility of the soil being overcome by artificial means. The public buildings are not many, though several are remarkably fine specimens of architecture. Such, when completed, will be the new city hall in Yerba Buena park, which is estimated to cost $4,000,000, and such are now the merchant's exchange on the s. side of California st., the banks of California and Nevada, the mercantile library building, etc. The custom-house and post-office is a plain sub stantial building in Battery st. The present U. S. branch mint in Commercial st. is even less pretentious in appearance, but a new and magnificent stone structure has been cony menced in Mission st., to which the mint Will be removed. The Palace hotel is said to
be the largest, as it is one of the most magnificent, buildings of the kind in the world. It occupies an area of 275 by 350 ft., is 9 stories high, and has accommodations for 1200 guests. It was erected at a total cost of $3,250,000. The Baldwin house, although smaller, is hardly inferior in its appointments, and other first-class hotels are the Occi dental, the Lick house, and the Cosmopolitan. The custom of living in hotels is very common, not only for single men, but for families. There are 85 churches, of which 14 are Catholic, 5 Jewish, and 66 Protestant, representing 18 different sects. The most important of these are St. Patrick's church and St. Mary's cathedral, both Roman Cath olic, the former being the noblest church edifice on the Pacific coast; Grace church (Episcopal), a stately stone building; Trinity church (Episcopal); the Calvary Presbyte rian; the First Unitarian, one of the most elegant buildings in the city; and the Jewish synagogue of Sherith Israel, a richly decorated and substantial edifice. San Francisco is the residence of an Episcopal bishop and a Roman Catholic archbishop. One hundred and one periodicals are published in the city as follows: 15 dailies, most of which publish also weekly and tri-weekly editions, 2 semi-weeklies, 42 weeklies, 2 semi-monthlies, and 40 monthlies. Among the educational institutions there are 3 literary colleges, 2 medi cal colleges, an academy of sciences, and an excellent school of design. The public schools are 69 in number, with a daily attendance of about 21,000 pupils. There are 18 public libraries, the Mercantile, the Mechanics, and the Odd Fellows being the largest. Of the charitable institutions, the principal are the U. S. marine hospital, the new city hospital, the state woman's hospital, and various hospitals and asylums under the • 4ontrol of the religious denominations. The great lack of the city is that of a suitable public park such as is possessed by every other important town in the union; but a com mencement has lately been made in the Golden Gate park (1043 acres) w. of the city, which is now being beautified. There are a few public squares in the city, as Ports mouth, Washington, Union, and Columbia squares, which arc tastefully laid out and planted with trees and shrubbery. The principal cemeteries are Lone Mountain and Laurel Hill.—The Chinese portion- of the city, "Chinatown," is one of the great curios ities to travelers. Here 20.900 Chinamen are huddled together in quarters which would not accommodate one-fifth that number of Americans, and they have brought with them all the habits and ways of life of the mother-country. They have 2 theaters, ioss-houses, opium-sellers, and all conducted on the Chinese fashion.Business in the city is.remarkably brisk, owing to the energy and pushing qualities of its inhabitants as•well as to its favorable location. The manufactures comprise silk and woolen goods, cigars, boots and shoes, iron castings, rolled iron, carriages, flour, glass, sashes, soap, leather, cordage, billiard-tables, wind-mills, willow-ware, etc. The only railroad which terminates in San Francisco itself is the Southern Pacific, although the Central Pacific, the California Pacific, the North Pacific Coast, and the San Francisco and North Pacific all terminate.on the bay of San Francisco, and are connected with the city by steam-ferries. The harbor of San Francisco is beyond all comparison the finest on the western coast of North America, and it enjoys in consequence a monopoly of the com merce on the Pacific slope. Forty-three ocean steamers run from this port to China, Japan, Australia, and Panama, and to domestic ports on the northern and southern coasts, besides thirty inland steamers which run to points on the tributaries to the bay. The number of sea-going vessels that arrive in San Francisco is nearly 5,000 annually..