collecting the remaining Indians on two large reservations-the one at Round valley, in the north-eastern part of the county, and the other on Noyo river, on the coast near the middle of the county. These reservations contain upward of 100,000 acres of good land, on which the Indians, under white supervision, raise enough grain and vegetables for their own support. These hostile tribes are now so thoroughly subjugated, not only in this but throughout the other northern coast counties, as to be no longer a cause of alarm to the whites, whose number has considerably increased since the savages were gathered upon these reservations. In 1860, there were only 1,498 white inhabitants in this county; at the close of 1867, there were 8,176, including 2,500 children under fifteen years of age.

Ukiah City, the county seat, is situated on the main Russian river, on a beautiful undulating plain, well timbered with oaks and willows, and sheltered on the east and west by lofty mountains. Three handsome rivulets, flowing from Potter's, Little Lake and Walker's valleys, empty into Russian river just below the town, the scenery in the neighborhood being wonderfully bold and picturesque. The place derives its name from the Eukio, or Yukio tribe of Indians, who dwelt in the valley when it was first discovered. It is the trade center of an extensive agricultural district, the importance of which will be much enhanced when it comes to be connected with Napa valley by means of a railroad, which it is thought may be effected in the course of a few years. The town, having a population of about four hundred, contains several good brick and stone stores, a neat court house, with a schoolhouse, church and other public buildings. Land is cheap in the central and northern portions of this county-the price of good improved farms varying from five dollars to twenty dollars per acre.

Mendocino City, the most important coast town in the county, stands on the north shore of Mendocino bay, at the mouth of Big river, or Rio Grande, one hundred and twenty-eight miles northwest from San Francisco, in the midst of the most extensive redwood forests on the Pacific coast. Besides being a shipping point for large quantities of lumber, it is the outlet for a large area of open country lying east of the heavy timber belt known as the Bald mountain, a portion of which extends for several miles along Big river, and also for nearly twenty valleys lying in that quarter, most of which are connected with this point by wagon roads. Mendocino, which has a good depth of water and convenient wharves, contains four hundred and seventy inhabitants, being the most populous town in the county.

There are known to be valuable deposits of minerals and metals in

this county, though little has yet been done towards their development. In 1864, a ledge of partially decomposed auriferous quartz was discovered in the mountains near Ukiah City, and from which the discoverer extracted several thousand dollars. In November, 1867, further discoveries of gold bearing quartz were made in the mountains, thirty miles northeast of Ukiah. In October of the same year, samples of ore taken from an argentiferous lode found on Eel river, yielded, by working test made in San Francisco, at the rate of $49 50 per ton-several auriferous lodes and some placer diggings, having been found in the same vicinity. In 1863-4 considerable placer mining was carried on in the neighborhood of Calpella, eight miles north of Ukiah, other mines of this class having also been worked on the north fork of Big river, twenty miles from Mendocino City, as well as still further north, about the base of the Yalloballey mountain, in Trinity county; and when it is considered that the same range in which the rich placer mines of Trinity are situated extends south into Mendocino, there is good reason to believe that still further and more important discoveries will yet be made in this county also.

Copper ores have been met with at several points in this county, the more promising deposits being in the hills near Coyote valley, eight miles north and fifteen miles north-east of Ukiah-in Potter's valley, Walker's valley, etc. Petroleum springs are found at several places in the county, many of the settlers collecting it from the surface of the pools, and burning it without any purification. At Punta Arenas, where this substance exudes from a sandy shale on the sea shore, a considerable amount of money was expended, in the spring of 1865, in seeking after more permanent deposits, but without any marked success. Sulphur and salt are common minerals in the county, and hot springs are numerous. Within half a mile of the county seat, there is a spring of natural soda water, which, if situated in a more populous district, or near a large city might be made to yield a handsome income.

NORTHERN COUNTIES.

HUMBOLDT COUNTY.

Humboldt county was organized in 1853, from portions of Trinity and Mendocino counties, and is named after the famous German savant and traveler, Baron von Humboldt. Cape Mendocino, the most western portion of the State, lies near the center of the county on

its western border. Humboldt county is bounded on the north by Klamath, on the east by Trinity, on the south by Mendocino, and on the west by the Pacific ocean. It is fifty-six miles long, north and south, and fifty miles wide, containing 1,800,000 acres of land, of which about 500,000 are suited to agricultural, and 300,000 to grazing purposes, there being about 5,000 acres of swamp or overflowed land near tide-water. Much of the county is covered with the outlying spurs and more westerly ranges of the coast mountains, which, near the coast, are clothed with heavy forests of redwood, spruce, and pine. The timber-belt, varying in width from eight to ten miles, recedes from the coast, in some places in this county, a distance of several miles, leaving at these points an elevated terrace, or a sandy beach, destitute of timber. Humboldt bay, in the north-western part of the county, is a spacious, landlocked harbor, in which large-sized vessels may enter and lie with safety. This beautiful harbor, which has a good depth of water in most parts of it, is thirteen miles long and from one and a half to five miles wide, being narrow near the middle and expanding into a circular harbor at each end. It is popularly supposed that this bay was first discovered from sea in April, 1850, and by land in 1849; but it appears from a Russian work, published in 1848, containing a chart on which it is laid down, and which purports to derive its information from colonial documents of the Russian-American company, that it was discovered by citizens of the United States in 1806, an American vessel engaged in the fur-trade having entered it that year. The principal streams, discharging into the sea and bay within the limits of this county, are the Mattole, Bear, Eel, Elk, and Mad rivers. By the removal of obstructions near the mouth of Eel, it could probably be rendered navigable for some distance-a sloop of one hundred tons' burden having already passed up it for five miles; small vessels also succeed in running up the Elk for several miles. None of the other streams mentioned are navigable or susceptible of being rendered so, nor do any of them expand into estuaries at their outlets, forming coves into which small vessels can enter and load, as in Mendocino county.

The most westerly branch of the Coast Range is rugged and broken within the limits of this county-Mount Pierce, one of its highest peaks, being 6,000 feet high. Cape Mendocino and "False cape," six miles to the north, are formed by the projections of spurs, striking from the main Coast Range at right angles. That forming "False cape" continuing inland, constitutes the divide between Eel and Bear valleys; the other uniting with and forming part of the buttress of Mount

Pierce. The more easterly ridge of the Coast Range, forming the boundary between this and Trinity county, also rises in some places to a considerable height; Mount Balley, one of its peaks, being 6,357 feet high, while several lesser elevations attain an almost equal altitude.

Interspersed among these several ridges and spurs of the coast mountains, are many fertile valleys, hilly districts and rolling prairies covered with the native grasses wild oats, and other vegetation, rendering them the favorite resort of bears, elk, deer, and other game; presenting to the herdsman one of the finest pastoral regions in the State. The scenery here differs much from that met with further south, as well as in the Sierra Nevada. The mountains, though numerous and steep, are not so high or barren as there, while the forests, consisting of spruce and maple, have in most places a heavy undergrowth of wild shrubs, brambles, berry-bushes, and gigantic ferns.

Diagonally across this wild and broken, but rich and beautiful region, run the Mad and Eel rivers, pursuing their course towards the north-west, about twenty miles apart, and entering the ocean-the former about six miles north, and the latter seven miles south of Humboldt bay. Each of these streams has numerous small branches which serve to water a large expanse of country, and supply an extensive power for the propulsion of machinery, which will no doubt be largely availed of when the country is more fully settled.

The valley of Mad river, and its tributary branches, contain much good land, a portion of which has been brought under cultivation during the past three years. Eel river valley, the largest in the county and which also contains a fair proportion of good land, has been settled to some extent. Its soil is productive, and especially well adapted to the growth of the cereals, potatoes, etc. Seventy bushels of wheat, weighing sixty-one pounds to the bushel, and over one hundred bushels of oats weighing forty-four pounds to the bushel, are often produced to the acre, while fifteen tons of potatoes to the acre is not an unusual yield. Flax also grows to a large size, yielding two crops a year, with great weight of seed. The humid atmosphere favors the growth of this and other textiles, rendering the stalk vigorous and the fibre heavy and strong. The salmon-fishery at the mouth of this river, is the most prolific in the State; and the fish are said to have a finer flavor than those caught either to the north or south of this point. The annual catch here, which ranges from eleven hundred to three thousand barrels, might be greatly enlarged were there more of a local

consumption, or better facilities for shipping the fish to a market. At present, all sent away have to be hauled to Humboldt bay, at considerable loss of time, risk, and expense.

The settlers in Bear river valley, keep many cows, and engage quite extensively in butter and cheese-making, a branch of business largely carried on in some other parts of the county. The Bald hills, portions of which lie adjacent to Bear valley, afford, throughout the entire year, an abundance of the most nutricious kinds of pasturage.

The lofty headland of Cape Mendocino, projecting into the ocean, renders the climate along this part of the coast more cool and humid than it is further south; the rainfall on Eel river, besides being more evenly distributed throughout the year, is nearly twice as great as at San Francisco, promoting vegetation and keeping the grass green most of the summer. A first-class lighthouse, recently erected on this cape, was nearly finished in the fall of 1867, during which year this structure no doubt would have been completed but for the wreck of the U. S. steamer Shubrick, which occurred near the spot, in October of that year, while engaged in transporting material for its use.

The scenery in the vicinity of the cape is very fine, both marine and inland. Mount Pierce, with its rocky spurs piled up in wild confusion, extends to the famous headland. Among the rocks and reefs along the shore, covered with moss and algae, the waters seethe and foam, while the dark forests cast their shadows over the adjacent mountains.

Humboldt bay is the center of an immense lumber trade, while on its shores quite a large amount of ship building is carried on. In 1867 there were nine saw-mills in this county, and another of large capacity in course of construction. The following figures indicate the amount of lumber cut at the larger of these establishments during the year 1867 the Bay mill, Dolbeer & Carson proprietors, and Vance's mill, cut 5,000,000 feet of lumber each; two mills belonging to Jones and Kentfield, cut, the one five and the other 6,000,000 feet; the several smaller mills, located in different parts of the county, cut, collectively, about 4,000,000 feet, making a total of 25,000,000 feet, besides which there were a large quantity of posts, shingles and other split lumber, sent from the county. These mills afford employment to nearly a thousand men, and steady freight for ten or twelve schooners of two hundred tons burden each, in transporting their lumber to San Francisco. The most of these schooners were built on the bay. Vessels frequently load here for foreign ports, some of this lumber being shipped direct to China, Australia, the Sandwich islands, and Central and South America.