Page:California Inter Pocula.djvu/239



the country  in  his  expeditions  to  Guiana  in  1595 and 1617. On all  maps  were  to  be  seen  traces  of  the pseudo discoveries  of  Martinez  and  others. There was one map,  made  much  of  by  Raleigh,  showing  the capital of  the  golden  kingdom,  along  the  streets  of which  were  no  less  than  3000  workers  in  precious metals, the  sidewalks  being  flagged  with  the  yellow kind, and  the  wagon  way  cobbled  with  the  white kind ; for  at  hand  were  situate  a  hill  of  gold,  a  hill  of silver,  and  a  hill  of  salt. I cannot  speak  of  the  royal palace of  snow-white  marble  with  pillars  of  porphyry and alabaster,  all  encircled  by  galleries  of  curiously wrought cedar  and  ebony,  for  description  here  is  be- yond the power  of  tongue  or  pen.

The Diccionario  Historico,  a  Spanish  translation  of Moreri's  French  cyclopedia  with  valuable  additions  by Miravel,  published  in  1753,  speaks  of  the  province  of El  Dorado,  as  situated  between  the  rivers  Orinoco and Amazonas,  containing  the  great  lake  Parimo,  and  a great  city  on  its  western  shore,  with  mines  of  gold  in great  quantities;  but  adds  that  "  todo  lo  dicho  esta encantado,"  and  that  all  search  for  the  same  had  thus far proved  to  be  only  "  buenos  desseos  de  los  espano- les." Humboldt proved  that  the  lake  was  almost  as fabulous  as  the  city  of  Manoa.

Now, if  in  California  we  had  not  then  the  gilded king, and  were  obliged  to  be  content  with  only  a gilded  country,  we  have  had  since  then  more  of  gilded humanity than  ever  the  Essequibo  valley  could  boast. And the  coat  of  gilt  has  been  getting  thicker  and thicker on  many  of  them,  until  there  is  an  inch  thick coating of  metal  of  some  kind,  base  or  otherwise ; silver, gold,  or  brass,  some  being,  indeed,  all  a  casting, blood and  bone,  heart  and  brain,  all  cold  dull  earth, and nothing  else. More than  once  we  have  thought to discover  the  veritable  cave  of  Mammon,  where dwelt the  money-god  himself.

After all,  with  such  examples  before  us  as  the  tulip mania, the  South  Sea  bubble,  the  Mississippi  bubble,