in southern Oregon. Crescent City is located upon northern beach.

its

PELICAN BAY.-A sort of bend in the coast forms this bay; it is directly north of Crescent City, in the fortysecond parallel of north latitude, the boundary between California and Oregon passing directly through its centre. A lagoon, six miles in length, and Smith river empty into it in the northern corner of Del Norte county. The Coquette river in Oregon, just north of the State line, also empties into this bay, which is an open roadstead, and not sheltered except by the coast on the east: it has no advantages as a harbor.

CHAPTER XVII.

Islands off the coast-Farallones-Islands in bays and rivers→ First mint in California-Indian tribes-Shell money-Springs— Petroleum-Mud springs-Calistoga springs-Sulphur springsSoda springs-Tar springs-Asphaltum-Geysers.

ISLANDS.

THE islands of the coast line of California are few, considering the great distance from San Diego to Humboldt. In the entire length of the State there are but seven islands of any importance, and these are at its southern end, the farthest north being off the county of Santa Barbara in latitude thirty-four degrees, and all within a coast line of seventy miles, leaving eight degrees of latitude, or more than five hundred and fifty miles of coast, from Santa Barbara to the Oregon line, without a single island except the Farallones, a clump of rugged rocks off the Golden Gate.

Besides the islands off the coast there are several inside the Golden Gate; these are described in the chapter treating upon the Bay of San Francisco.

The islands of the coast will here be described in their order, commencing with the most southerly and continuing northward.

SAN CLEMENT ISLAND.-This is the most southerly island of the coast. It is directly in the thirty-third degree of north latitude, and is forty-three miles distant from the coast of Los Angeles county; is twenty miles in length and five in width. There is but little good agricultural or grazing land upon this island; its general

character is barren and rocky; and some of the peaks are over one hundred feet in height.

SANTA CATALINA ISLAND. This island lies directly midway between San Clement island and the county of Los Angeles, about twenty miles from the coast, and is about the same size as San Clement; it is twenty miles in length and five in width. There is considerable good land and some cultivation on the island, which has been a grazing field for thousands of sheep. Some of the mountains on this island rise three thousand feet above the sea. There are two good harbors, Union and Catalina; and an abundance of good water on the island. Both this and San Clement island were, by act of the California Legislature of April 25, 1851, attached to the county of Los Angeles: they are south of San Francisco about four hundred miles.

North of these islands and off the coast of Santa Barbara county are the five other islands forming the coast islands: the most southerly of these is

SANTA BARBARA ISLAND. This island is thirty-six miles south of Santa Barbara county, is about two and a-half miles in length, about two miles in width, and. about five hundred feet in height, rocky and irregular, and is the abode of innumerable sea-lions and wild birds. It is thirty-six miles from the mainland. There is but little good land on it.

SAN NICOLAS ISLAND.-This island is twenty-six miles northwest of Santa Barbara island and sixty miles from the mainland of Santa Barbara county; it is twelve miles in length and five miles wide. A great portion of its surface is rocky, but there are some valleys, and

large numbers of sheep pasture among them. Its greatest surface is about six hundred feet above the sea. It is about three hundred and forty miles from San Francisco.

SANTA CRUZ ISLAND.-Inside of San Nicolas, almost in a direct line east forty-two miles, twenty-five miles from the mainland and directly opposite the town of Santa Barbara in Santa Barbara county, is the island of Santa Cruz; it is twenty-four miles in length and seven miles in width. Its surface is rugged, but it has a great portion of good pasturage, upon which more than thirty thousand sheep graze. Wild hogs and goats abound in the mountains; so numerous are the former that they destroy the sheep by devouring the young lambs, and although efforts have been made to exterminate these hogs, it has been impossible, as they secure themselves in the dense jungles in the hills. These hogs first came from the Sandwich islands: they never grow large, and are somewhat like the North Carolina pinewoods hogs; are long legged and long bristled, have great heads and tusks, run like race-horses, and generally die if fed upon corn and potatoes. There is now a war of extermination waging between the sheep and hogs: the sheep by destroying the grass, and the hogs by rooting up the pasturage and devouring the lambs: the hogs have the sheep at a great disadvantage. There is good water on the island, and a safe harbor on the land side. It is two hundred and eighty miles south of San Francisco.

SANTA ROSA ISLAND.-Five miles directly west of Santa Cruz island, and thirty miles from the mainland. of Santa Barbara county, is Santa Rosa island, sixteen

miles in length, and twelve in width at its widest point. The sides of this island are about two hundred feet in height, with but few safe places for landing. The surface above this is almost level and produces abun dant grass, upon which thousands of sheep pasture. A few Mexican families reside on the island.

The first mint in California was established on this island, how long ago is uncertain-perhaps centuries before Julius Cæsar invaded Britain. From it was issued the panga or shell money of the Indians, which supplied the coast and interior tribes as far east as the Tulare and Owens lakes with the current funds of the aborigines. Once a year bands of Indians from the interior would visit the sea-coast at Santa Barbara county and the island of Santa Rosa, to trade with the island or coast tribes. Those of the interior brought panoche, (a thick sugar made from honey-dew and a species of wild cane,) nut pipes, and wild tobacco. This money was made from mussel shells found on the coast and the adjacent islands; the pieces had holes in them, and were strung on fibres of wild hemp; eight strings were of the value of a silver dollar; and as this money brought the tribes into commercial intercourse, the priests encouraged it. As late as the year 1833, the Indians preferred this money to gold or silver. Not a trace of these once powerful coast-tribes, their canoes, or money remains at this date. Santa Rosa is two hundred and seventy-three miles south of San Francisco.

SAN MIGUEL ISLAND.-Six miles west of Santa Rosa island, twenty-eight miles from the coast of Santa Barbara county, and two hundred and sixty-five miles south