This being the condition of California at the time of the Mexican Revolution (1813-23), the government of the Republic had little hesitation in taking possession of the immense estates of the Franciscans, and appropriating them to the uses of the government, while to the friars were left only the care of the spiritualities of their missions. At the same time, the country was thrown open as it never had been before to permanent settlers of all nations.

Under the operations of this new policy California soon had a very considerable number of new settlers, among whom were many Americans. The revolt of Texas, one of the Federal States of Mexico, in 1835-36, the acknowledgment of her independence by the United States in 1837, and, above all, the admission of the new State into the American Union in 1845, brought on the war with Mexico in 1846-47; one of the first fruits of which was the capture of California and New Mexico by the Americans, and the annexation of the same to the United States. By the treaty of peace in 1848, Mexico ceded to the American Republic Alta California, New Mexico, and the whole territory now known as Nevada, Arizona and Utah, and a part of Colorado and Texas — being nearly all the vast and unoccupied region of country claimed by Mexico northward for six or seven hundred miles, and from the Pacific coast eastward from eight to ten hundred miles.

Alta California stretches along the entire Pa

CHAP. X.)

DISCOVERY OF GOLD.

373

cific coast of this new territory about seven hundred miles; and inward from the coast, about two hundred miles, including an area of nearly one hundred and ninety square miles, or more than one hundred million acres of land. But nearly one third of this area is occupied by the great mountain ranges which extend in parallel lines nearly the entire length of the State, and the numerous spurs and groups of mountains which stretch east and west from the great ranges. These mountains divide the State into several quite distinct sections, and serve to give it as many distinct climatic and other peculiarities as there are great divisions.

Alta California - for Lower California is still Mexican territory-had been United States territory but a few months before the gold, which the Spaniards for successive ages had been hungering for, was suddenly uncovered to American eyes by the merest apparent accident-the process of enlarging the sluice-way of Sutter's saw-mill at the junction of the American and the Sacramento rivers, about one hundred miles northeast of San Francisco.

This discovery was made in February, 1849, and speedily changed the whole face of California. In the course of about one month there were a hundred and fifty persons on Sutter's land, living in tents and shanties, intent on securing their share of the newly discovered treasures of the place, overrunning Sutter's lands and disregarding

all his personal rights. But these were only the pioneers of an advancing host of gold-seekers, speculators, gamblers, thieves, knaves, and murderers; and withal a sprinkling of honest, good men, who hoped to retrieve their broken fortunes in this "land of Havilah where there is gold." In four years' time the settlement at Sutter's Fort grew into the city of Sacramento, with twelve thousand inhabitants. And in every direction where a trace of gold could be found, there was a corresponding increase of settlers, so that the White population of Upper California, which in 1845 was estimated at about ten thousand souls, grew to ninety-two thousand five hundred in 1850; and to two hundred and fifty thousand in 1852; and to about three hundred and eighty thousand in 1860; and in 1875, to about six hundred and ninety thousand six hundred.*

Though the rich mineral productions of California-her gold and silver and precious stones, her cinnabar-rare and precious, her copper, lead,

* Bryant's California, in J. Morrison Harris' paper upon California, before the Maryland Historical Society. This valuable compend of early California history has been very useful to me in making this sketch.

Mr. Harris copies from the New York Herald a statement that there had cleared from the United States for California, before the end of March, 1849, no less than two hundred and seventy different vessels, carrying seventeen thousand three hundred and forty-one persons. And to these must be added the many thousands who had gone overland from this country, and from other countries.

CHAP. X.

A WONDERFUL LAND.

375

tin, iron, coal and nearly every other valuable mineral production of the world—though these constituted the grand attraction to the gathering thousands of people within her borders, these, after all, are not the most precious things of California. In the variety of her climates, and the corresponding variety of her soils — by means of which this single State can produce everything that can be made to grow in North America wheat and corn, vegetables of all kinds, fruits of every description-everything that is pleasant to the sight and good for food and needful for man's convenience may be abundantly raised in some part of this wonderful land which the Lord God has made a very Eden.*

Among the early emigrants to California - even before the discovery of gold there were some decided Congregationalists, both ministers and laymen. The Rev. Timothy Dwight Hunt, a graduate of Yale College in the class of 1840, was the first Congregational minister, and, in fact, the first Protestant minister to enter California; serving as town chaplain of San Francisco from

*I know not where else so much minute and interesting information about Calfornia can be found within the same compass as in two large volumes of tracts which may be found in the Boston Public Library. They comprise Sketches of Travel and Personal Observations, Addresses and Discourses, Papers relating to the Country, Official Reports, Statistical and other information, prepared expressly for the Centennial Exhibi tion in 1876.

November, 1848, to July 24th, 1849. Two other Congregational ministers found their way to that country in 1849 - the Rev. Joseph A. Benton, of Yale College, 1842, and afterwards Professor of Sacred Literature in the Pacific Theological Seminary, and the Rev. Samuel V. Blakeslee, of the Western Reserve College, Ohio, 1844, and of the Theological Seminary, Andover, Massachusetts, 1847; afterwards editor of the Pacific newspaper, which was a most important auxiliary in the work of civilizing and Christianizing California.

The Old School Presbyterians claim to have formed the first Protestant church in the Territory as early as May 20th, 1849, at San Francisco.*

The first Congregational church in California was organized at San Francisco, July 29th, 1849, and embraced eleven members. It is still living, and has the largest membership of any Congrega

*MS. Letter from the Rev. George Mooar, dated Oakland, October 2d, 1869. He says Mr. Hunt was a New School Presbyterian, though he became the pastor of the first Congregational church in California. But Mr. Hunt's name is in the list of ministers in the earliest Congregational Year-Book, 1854, and he is spoken of by Prof. Benton in his First Quarter-Century of Congre gationalism in California as identified with the earliest Congregational movements in the State [page 35]. Mr. Mooar says, “Mr. Benton [Rev. J. A. Benton] was the earliest Congregational minister, never in any other ecclesiastical relation, to land in California. [It should be added, that the Report of the Presbyte. rian Board of Missions for 1850 claims for the church at Benicia the distinction of being the first Protestant church in California, -G. B. J.]