As permitted by the Act creating the Board, the Trustees, with the assistance of the Mineralogist and Custodian of the Museum, prepared an exhibit for the State Fair held at Sacramento in September of 1892. They are still further making ready for a large exhibit at the Columbian Fair to be held at Chicago, Illinois, in 1893. No effort will be spared to do credit to the State and to the Bureau.

We are greatly obliged to the editors and publishers of the following newspapers and periodicals which have been regularly received at the Bureau, free of charge, during the past year:

Calaveras Prospect, San Andreas, California.
Calaveras Citizen, San Andreas, California.
Central Californian, Fresno, California.
Daily Tidings, Grass Valley, California.
Daily Union, Grass Valley, California.

Downieville Messenger, Downieville, California.
Financial Mining Record, New York City.
Fresno Expositor, Fresno, California.

Humboldt Daily Standard, Eureka, California.
Inyo Independent, Independence, California.
Mining Exchange and Review, Denver, Colorado.
Middletown Independent, Middletown, California.
Mining Industry, Denver, Colorado.

Oakland Daily Tribune, Oakland, California.
Placer Argus, Auburn, California.

Placer Herald, Auburn, California.

San Leandro Reporter, San Leandro, California.

Santa Ynez Argus, Santa Ynez, California.

Siskiyou Telegram, Yreka, California.

Visalia Delta, Visalia, California.

Wallace Press, Wallace, Idaho.

Weekly Star, San Francisco, California.

West American Scientist, San Diego, California.

Wood River Times, Hailey, Idaho.

To his Excellency H. H. MARKHAM, Governor of the State of California:

SIR: In accordance with the provisions of an Act of the Legislature entitled "An Act to amend Sections 332, 333, and 334, and to repeal Section 335 of the Political Code of the State of California," approved March 12, 1872, relating to public reports, and in pursuance of the provisions of "An Act to provide for the establishment and maintenance of a State Mining Bureau," approved April 16, 1880, I herewith transmit my report.

WILLIAM IRELAN, JR.,
State Mineralogist.

SAN FRANCISCO, CAL., September 14, 1892.

2m

REPORT OF THE STATE MINERALOGIST.

Nearly two years have elapsed since the publication of the Tenth Annual Report of the State Mineralogist, issued December 1, 1890. Up to that date the reports had been issued yearly. In accordance with an Act of the Legislature of 1891, "all officers, Boards of Officers, and Directors required by law to make reports to the Governor or Legislature, except the Controller of the State, must send the original drafts of such reports to the Governor before the fifteenth day of September, in the year eighteen hundred and ninety-two, and in every second year thereafter. The Controller of State must send his report to the Governor before the fifteenth day of December, in eighteen hundred and ninety-two, and in every second year thereafter." Therefore, until further legislative enactments the reports of the State Mineralogist will be issued biennially. Within the past two years several changes of importance have taken place in mining affairs in the State of California. Among these the organization of a Miners' Association; the discovery of new mines, which promise to become remunerative; the active steps taken toward the resumption of hydraulic mining; the interest taken in the proposed construction of new lines of railroad, which will make easily accessible mining regions now too distant from railway transportation to make profitable operations possible. On the other hand, the unprecedented decline in the market value of silver has had a very unwholesome effect on the silver-mining industry, which was yearly assuming greater proportions, particularly in the southern part of the State. Yet, on the whole, the past two years have marked an era of progress in our mining affairs, and we may congratulate ourselves that the mining interests have advanced steadily, and give promise of increased output.

In almost every county in the State, new mining enterprises are in operation or are being organized. We have extensive quarries of marble and numerous other building stones, and investigations are now being made as to the feasibility of working into marketable products our practically inexhaustible economic deposits.

From statistics obtainable to date the output of gold will probably reach the sum of $13,000,000 during the year 1892. There will, however, be a serious falling off in silver production, owing to the fact that some of the largest producers have been obliged to suspend operations, being unable to work at a profit in consequence of the price of silver during the present year.

Looking over and carefully considering the metalliferous districts of California, the close observer is forced to the conclusion that these dis⚫tricts, as fields for active mining, disclose the fact that every important factor that goes to make mining an assured success has here strong representation. Considering, first, the variety and extent of our mineral resources, these are found to be very great. There occur in this State nearly every metal and mineral known to science. All that possess much economic value we certainly have. As these forms of our natural