Page:California Inter Pocula.djvu/67



Juan Bandini  imagined,  in  1846,  that  the  hills around San  Diego  were  impregnated  with  metal;  in- deed a metal  of  some  unknown  description  had  already been discovered. Writing in  his  Historia  de  la  Alta California he  says:  ^'Empero,  de  lo  que  yo  creo  que son abundantes  estas  pequenas  sierras  es  de  metales, pues todas  las  piedras  de  la  superficie  asi  lo  indican,  y aiin  se  ha  sacado  para  fundicion  un  metal  cuya  calidad no se  ha  conocido,  atribuyendo  esto  d,  la  escasez  de hombres  de  conocimientos  mineralogicos."

"During 1847,"  Picket  says,  "and  particularly  in the  fall  of  that  year,  there  was  quite  an  excitement  in San  Francisco  and  San  Jose  on  the  subject  of  mineral discoveries.  But  this  was  mostly  in  reference  to quicksilver  and  silver  mines,  which  were  reported  to be  rich  and  numerous  in  the  hills  and  mountains bounding  both  sides  of  the  valley  of  San  Jose.  To- ward winter  this  excitement  subsided,  all  the  silver mines  having  proved  to  be  humbugs."

One George  M.  Evans,  of  Oregon,  aspires  to  the distinction of  having  been  among  the  first  to  find  gold in California;  or  at  least  he  attempts  to  throw  Mar- shall into the  background. If what  he  claims  for himself has  no  better  basis  of  truth  than  what  he claims  for  others,  he  may  take  the  palm  for  unblush- ing impudence and  mendacity. Meanwhile let  him be satisfied  with  the  notoriety  to  which  he  has  already attained ; for  its  odor  will  not  be  improved  by  further agitation. So far  as  I  am  able  to  ascertain,  it  was  he who  started  the  story  of  Cabello,  before  mentioned, and most  bungling  work  he  made  of  it. Will Mr Evans  tell  us  to  what  lingo  belong  'the  words  placeros, and Recordado  en  Historia  el  California  Alta,  and  how he obtained  information  that  the  mission  of  San  Jose was built  on  the  bay  of  San  Francisco  in  1672,  a  hun- dred years before  ever  a  Franciscan  was  on  the  ground  ?

I do  not  say  that  all  which  he  affirms  is  false,  for  I  have no means  of  knowing. I only  say  that  the  statements which I  know  to  be  false  cause  me  to  distrust  all  his