Page:California Inter Pocula.djvu/40



pecially as  in  some  parts  of  the  land  veins  of  metals are to  be  seen ; " — porque  en  algunas  partes  en  la tierra  firme  descnbrian  betas  de  metales.  Thus,  there is  little  wonder  that  very  early  the  rumor  was  abroad that  there  was  gold  in  California,  though  without  any foundation,  as  the  interior  had  never  yet  been  visited by  white  men.

As far  from  the  truth  as  the  preacher's  story  and the king's  story,  is  the  statement  passed  from  one writer to  another  without  comment,  that  Loyola  Ca- bcllo, a  priest  of  the  mission  of  San  Jose,  bay  of  San Francisco, on  returning  to  Spain  published,  in  1690, a work  on  Alta  California,  in  >vhich  the  existence  of gold  in  placers  was  mentioned. I do  not  know  whom to hold  responsible  for  starting  this  fiction,  though  one George M.  Evans  has  been  active  in  circulating  it. We can  only  wonder  that  so  many  respectable  persons have repeated  it  as  fact. In the  first  place  no  such book was  ever  published. Secondly, in  1G90,  and  for nearly a  century  thereafter,  there  was  no  San  Jose mission on  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco,  though  there was a  San  Jose  dtl  Cabo,.near  Cape  St  Lucas. Lastly, if there  was  such  a  man,  and  such  a  book,  and  such  a place,  there  was  no  gold  there.

Fortunately for  mankind,  believing  a  thing,  or  fan- cying a belief  in  it,  be  it  never  so  sincerely  or  strongly, does not  make  it  true ;  nor  is  seeing  always  believing, when perforce,  one  must  see  through  the  eyes  of  sail- ors, whose statements  are  proverbially  unreliable. "De Gualle  saw  many  islands  eastward  of  Japan  in latitude  32°  and  33°,"  says  old  Arthur  Dobbs;  and sailing further  east,  he  saw  many  populous  and  rich islands, some  with  volcanoes,  which  abounded  with gold, cotton,  and  fish. . .  Gemelli  mentions  rocks  seen in latitude  30°,  and  an  island  said  to  be  rich  in  gold ; and also  another  in  latitude  32°,  called  Rica  de Plata,  which  from  their  names  and  abounding  in gold,  may  be  supposed  to  be  well  inhabited." By  how   many  have   these   gold  bearing  islands  been