Page:California Inter Pocula.djvu/59



turn, when  he  pubUshed  his  book  on  geology,  he  made mention of  gold-bearing  rocks  and  quartz  veins  both in Oregon  and  California. Hence the  report  became current, after  the  discovery  of  gold,  that  Dana  had told of  its  existence  in  California  seven  years  before, which was  not  the  case,  as  he  himself  distinctly  states. "It is  very  doubtful,"  justly  observes  Tuthill,  in  his History of  California,  "whether  it  occurred  to  Profes- sor Dana  that  there  was  gold  to  be  found  here  in quantities  that  would  ever  get  into  more  practical  use than  to  lie  as  rare  specimens  behind  plate  doors  in the  mineralogical  cabinets  of  the  colleges." Murchi- son made  similar  remarks  on  the  auriferous  rocks  of Australia,  and  so  have  twenty  other  persons  spoken of twenty  other  places,  which,  however,  is  far  from the actual  discovery  of  gold. It is,  moreover,  a  little singular that  so  shrewd  a  man,  and  so  experienced  a scientist  as  Dana,  should  not  have  seen  the  gold which with  the  sand  and  gravel  he  displaced  during his journey  along  Feather  river.

James Anthony  Froude  claims  that  by  reason  of his  geological  knowledge  Sir  Roderick  Murchison  was enabled to  foretell  the  discovery  of  Australian  gold. It is  true  that  Murchison  said  that  this  metal  might be found  in  Australia;  a  safe  affirmation  for  one  laying no claim  to  geological  divination,  and  considering  the size and  character  of  the  country.

At last  we  have  a  veritable  gold  discovery,  and gold mines  worked  in  Alta  California,  with  greater  or less  success,  for  a  period  of  six  years  prior  to  the  dis- covery of Marshall. They were  situated  in  the  San Fernando valley,  on  the  rancho  of  Ignacio  del  Valle, fourteen leagues  from  Los  Angeles,  and  eight  from  the San Fernando  mission,  toward  the  Sierra  Nevada. The discovery,  which  occurred  in  March  1842,  was  in this  wise  :  Two  vaqueros  were  searching  for  stray  cat- tle in the  valley,  and  when  tired,  threw  themselves upon the  ground  to  rest. One of  them  casually  tak- ing some earth  in  his  hand,  noticed  shining  particles,