CALIFORNIA. This name was at first applied to a peninsula on the iv. side of Mexico, but was gradually extended to an indefinite portion of the adjoining continent, as far n. as the parallel of 42°. The original C., however, and its augmentation were distin guished from each other as old and new, lower and upper. Iu I848, partly by conquest and partly by purchase, continental C., down to the parallel of 32' 2S', was ceded to the United States. After existing as a territory for two years, it was, in 1850, constituted one of the United States; bounded n. by Oregon, c. by Nevada and Arizona, s. by Lower C., and w. by the Pacific. Between the two Californias of the present day, the Ameri can one and the Mexican one, there is nothing in common but the name.-1. 3P.riean is the peninsula above mentioned, which, though considerably longer than Great Britain, is yet so narrow as to be very little larger than Scotland. From end to end, it is one ridge of mountains, which here and there rise to about 5000 ft. above the sea. A few favored spots yield fruits and grains in abundance; but, generally speaking, the produc tions are unimportant, for even trees, and those of no great size, are found only towards the southern extremity of the country. The population does not exceed 25,000—the oldest and most considerable town, Loretto, on the e. side, containing barely 1000 inhab itants. Ou the w. side is the magnificent harbor, peculiarly valuable on a coast so desti tute of shelter, formed by the bay of Magdalena and the island of Santa Margarita.-2. American C., vaguely claimed, under the name of New Albion, by Drake for England in 1579, lay unoccupied till 1767, when it was invaded by Franciscan friars, the succes sors in Mexico of the newly expelled Jesuits. These zealous apostles, backed, when necessary, by armed coadjutors, planted various missions, bringing under their influ ence, such as it was, the great mass of the aborigines. Under such circumstances, the new province became pre-eminent, even in Spanish America, for everything that could paralyze the progress of a community. Anglo-Saxon speculators engrossed most of the trade; American trappers walked through the land as if it had been their own; the Muscovites established, iu the n., a town under the ominous title of Ross or Russia; and a Swiss adventurer of the name of Sutter, who had carved out for himself a /1"e2o ./L Ire tia, virtually set the government at defiance. But the discovery of gold in Sutter's mill-race during 1847, and the political transfer of 1848, taken together, changed, as if by a miracle, the aspect of affairs. The matchless harbor of San Francisco became the grand mart on the Pacific, presentiug a center of attraction to the restless and energetic of every race and every clime. Between 1850 and 1835, the population increased from
92,597 to 327,000; in 1870. it was 560,247; and in 1875, it was above 800,000, of whom 75,000 were Chinese. The total yield of gold in this state up to 1875 was about $1,000.000,040. In 1874, the value of the gold and silver produced was $20,300,531, and in 1875, $17,753,151, C. possesses the richest quicksilver mine in the world—that of New Almaden—which at one time produced from 2,500,000 lbs. to 3,500,000 lbs. per annum. It now yields about 1,000,000 lbs. In 1864, 15,000 tons of copper were exported, to be smelted at Swansea and Boston, but not nearly so much is now pro duced. Platinum has been found in many of the placers. There is coal in nearly all the coast counties; and asphaltum is produced by many springs along the southern coast. Other mineral products are iron, tin, and borax. The yield of wheat in 1870 was 16,676,702 bushels; of barley, 8,783,490. Ia the year 1875, 8.000,000 gallons of wine were made, the product of 30,000,000 vines. Silk culture is making rapid prog ress; and the woolen factories of C. consume nearly 6.000.000 lbs. of wool annually, while about 30,000,000 lbs. are exported. Manufacturing industry has lately greatly increased, the chief manufactures being woolen goods, flour, iron, glass. wine, sugar, and silk. The amount of taxable property, real and personal, as assessed in 1878, was $584.583,651. The state debt amounted in the same year to $3,403,000.
The country is mountainous, and is cut into coast and interior by a subordinate range from Oregon. The interior is subdivided into the valleys of the Sacramento and the San Joaclihn—two rivers from the n.e. and the s.c., which enter the noble haven of San Francisco. The former is the chief seat of the "diggings." Since the completion of the Pacific railway. terminating in San Francisco, C. has been visited by many pleasure seekers, attracted by its magnificent scenery. The most celebrated district is the Yosemite valley (q.v.). C., with a lovely and salubrious climate, produces fruits and grains freely, under advantageous circumstances of soil and situation. In the growth of timber, however, it appears to be almost unrivaled. Fremont measured one tree that was 21 ft. in diameter, or G6 in circumference; and another has been seen, which, with a length of 150 yards, is nearly 120 ft. in girth. A sequoia gigantea in Mariposa county is 274 ft. in height. Besides San Francisco, the state contains the cities of Sacramento (the capital), Oakland, Stockton, San Jose, Los Angeles, Marysville, and San Diego, with the second best port in the state. There are several Protestant and Catholic colleges in C., and education is progressing.