Page:California Inter Pocula.djvu/54



rumors concerning  the  early  discovery  of  gold  in  Cali- fornia. Several persons,  he  says,  coming  to  this comitry, brought  with  them  bullion  or  dust,  to  be used  as  money,  which  passing  into  commerce,  was handled by  different  persons  and  shipped  at  various times to  various  places. Thus Palacios,  arriving  in 1834  as  agent  for  a  Guaymas  merchant  who  had  pre- viously shipped goods  to  California,  and  had  purchased land and  cattle,  brought  a  considerable  quantity  of grain  gold  and  silver  bars,  obtained  in  Sonora,  where- with to facilitate  his  operations. About the  same  time J. P.  Leese  arrived  from  New  Mexico,  having  in  his possession placer  gold  to  the  value  of  several  thousand dollars. A large  proportion  of  this  treasure  fell  into the hands  of  the  agents  of  Boston  merchants,  and was shipped  to  Boston,  California  thus  acquiring the reputation  in  certain  circles  of  a  gold-producing country. Thus Mr  Dana,  referring  to  the  cargo  of the  Alert,  states,  in  his  Tiuo  Years  Before  the  Mast,  that among other  things  was  a  quantity  of  gold-dust brought from  the  interior  by  Indians  or  Mexicans. And he  learned  further  from  the  owners  that  it  was not uncommon  for  homeward-bound  vessels  to  have on board  a  small  quantity  of  gold. Rumors of  gold discoveries were  then  current,  he  adds,  but  they  at- tracted little attention.

In Mexico,  by  a  law  of  March  24,  1835,  was  created the Estahlecimiento  de  Mineria,  which  body  was  to superintend  the  mines  of  California,  in  case  there  were any, as  well  as  those  of  northern  Mexico.

Notwithstanding all  these  affirmations,  oaths,  and prophecies, Alexander  Forbes,  in  1835,  writes : "There are  said  to  be  many  mines  of  gold  and  silver in  the  peninsula,  but  none  are  now  worked,  unless,  in- deed, we  may  except  those  of  San  Antonio,  near  La Paz,  which  still  afford  a  trifling  supply." And again: — " No  minerals  of  particular  importance  have  yet been  found  in  Upper  California,  nor  any  ores  of metals." And   speaking    of  the   coming    of  Hijar's