On April 26, 1892, three hundred pounds of "spat" or seed oysters were received and planted at Alamitos Bay, four miles distant from the Long Beach Park, and at the mouth of New River. The seed were from Baltimore, being the York river variety. They are presumably the Eastern oyster known as Ostrea Virginica, and those at Long Beach are said to be from seed "as fine as any Eastern oyster." Mr. John McGarvin, the Vice-President of the company, to whom I am indebted for data, says: "The few we have (Nov. 24, '93,) are of good marketable size, but, as they are multiplying, we would not dispose of any until our grounds are stocked. We will make a large planting next March." He does not expect to begin to market the oyster for two years.

The Eastern oysters were planted in the same waters and in close proximity to our native oysters. Mr. McGarvin says the company has had no serious trouble with the latter, nor with Nassa and other carnivorous shell fish.

As this is said to be the first attempt in Southern California to introduce the Eastern oyster for culture, it is a cause for congratulation, especially when scientists are becoming alarmed at the depletion of the Eastern oyster beds. President Daniel C. Gilman of the Johns Hopkins University, writing in 1891, of the danger of an oyster famine in Maryland, enumerates the trades and industries that would suffer in case of an oyster famine in that State: "It is not only the dredgers, the dealers, the shuckers, the packers, the coopers, the tinners and the carriers, but everybody in Maryland would suffer more or less." This gives us some idea of the commercial value of oyster beds. In a recent number of The Popular Science Monthly (November, '93,) a writer says: "In the present conditions an oyster famine is not far away nor an impossible contingency. We have been large consumers of oysters, and we did not sow where we have reaped."

In the light of such a revelation of the natural oyster beds of the United States, an industry tending to counteract such a depletion should be encouraged, especially upon the coast of Southern California, where the native products are inferior in quality.

University, Los Angeles Co., Cal., Dec. 12, 1893.

As a year has elapsed since this report was written for our Historical Society, it is necessary that later data be added in regard to the oyster industry in Los Angeles county. In a letter received from Mr. McGarvin, dated Dec. 13, 1894, he says the oysters of Alamitos Bay are equally large as those of the same age raised in the East. The oyster ground now embraces the whole of Alamitos and Anaheim Bays. The outlook is very hopeful for this industry. No star fish nor carnivorous shell

fish have been detected among the oyster beds. The oyster company had one carload of oyster seed shipped from the East that were nearly all dead when they arrived. This will set the industry back, as the oysters now in the bays cannot be marketed but must be reserved for propagation.

Mr. McGarvin says as a proof of the confidence the company have in the ultimate success of the local oyster industry, that none of the stock has been sold, although many are desirous of purchasing.

It is possible that the shipment of carloads of Eastern oysters may result in also planting the fry of other shell fish from the East in San Pedro Bay. Mya arenaria L. and Urosalpinx cinerea are now propagating in San Francisco Bay as the result of the introduction of Eastern oysters in that bay. Local shell collectors will do well to be on the alert for Eastern forms that may appear in San Pedro Bay.

The laws of California are encouraging in regard to the cultivation of oysters. A copy of these laws will be found in "Oyster Resources of the Pacific Coast," by Charles H. Townsend, published by the U. S. Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries.

The activity of local conchologists has not abated during the year 1894. A new Chiton from the channel off San Pedro has been reported upon. Mr. T. S. Oldroyd obtained this Chiton "from a stone pulled up from about seventy-five fathoms." It is called Lepidopleurus percrassus (Dall) and Dr. Dall says of this new form, for which he has proposed a new section, that it "is very remarkable." It is probable that other new shells have been collected in San Pedro Bay this year, but as they have not been named and described, further particulars are needed for confirmation. (I have Miss Shepard's authority in regard to the probability of new shells found in San Pedro Bay.) Shells new to this locality are collected each year.

Dec. 31, 1894.

*See The Nautilus for December, 1894, page 90, for a decription of this shell.

CALIFORNIA FIFTY YEARS AGO.

BY J. M. GUINN.

[Read May 1, 1893.]

Among the recent valuable accessions to our Historical Society's collections (the gift of Dr. W. F. Edgar) is a copy of "Mitchell's New Map of Texas, Oregon and California, With the Regions Adjoining, published in 1845."

The chief authorities from which the map is compiled, the author tells us, are the Congressional Map of Texas (1844), Ward's Map of Mexico, Fremont's Map of His Explorations in Oregon, California, etc., in 1842, 1843, 1844 (our Society has a copy of this map, also the gift of Dr. Edgar), Map of Lewis and Clarke's Tour, Major Long's Tour to the Rocky Mountains, and Other Authorities. Accompanying this pocket map is a guide book of forty pages, descriptive of the countries delineated on the map, and of the customs and habits of their inhabitants. The information given in this guide was no doubt new to the men and women of fifty years ago. Some of it will be new and rather surprising

to the people of today.

The map shows, or claims to show, the boundaries of Upper California when it was a Mexican territory. The author of the guide informs us that "this part of Mexico became independent in 1845." He says: "It has of late attracted much attention in the United States; a number of American citizens are already settled in it and many others are preparing to emigrate thither."

"It extends," he tells us, "from the Pacific Ocean to the Anahuac Mountains, and from the 42° of N. lat. to the head of the Gulf of California. On the north, it is bounded by Oregon, on the south by Old California (or Lower California) and the province of Sonora. Its extent from north to south is about 700 miles, and from east to west from 600 to 800 miles, with an area of about 420,000 square miles.

"The largest river of Upper California is the Colorado or Red River, so called from the color of its waters. It flows through a region almost

unknown.

"The chief mountains on the eastern frontier of California are the Sierra Anahuac, the Sierra Los Mimbres and the Sierra Madre. These

form a continuous chain, and are part of the great Rocky Mountain range, and separate the waters of the Colorado from those of the Rio Grande del Norte. The highest peaks of the Coast Range." so our author tells us, "are San Bernardin in the south and Mount Shasta in the north. These are always covered with snow.

"The largest lakes of Upper California are the great Salt Lake, near its N. E. extremity, and the Utah, a smaller fresh water lake which flows into the former from the south. These two lakes," says our guide book, "are doubtless the Timpanogos and Buenaventura Lakes of the old Spanish maps, but they are now, for the first time, correctly portrayed by Capt. Fremont on the map of his late explorations.

"Nearly the whole of the central part of this region (Upper California), extending from 400 to 500 miles from north to south, and about the same from east to west, is unexplored. It is called the Great Interior Basin of California, and is enclosed on the west by the Sierra Nevada, and on the east by the Bear River and Wahsatch Mountains. It is inhabited by wandering tribes of Indians called Diggers.

"The wealth of California consists of live stock. The chief articles of export are hides and tallow; about 150,000 of the former and 200,000 arrobas of the latter are exported annually. About 2000 beaver, 3000 elk and deer, and 400 to 500 sea otter skins, the latter worth $30 apiece, are also exported; besides which about 12,000 bushels of wheat are shipped annually to the Russian settlements on the Northwest Coast.

"The number of aborigines is estimated at 15,000. One-half of these are converted Indians; the remainder reside mostly on the Sacramento River. The whites are estimated at about 5000, with 2000 more of mixed blood; making the whole population of Upper California about 22,000 souls."

Even at that early day our climate got a puff. Our author says: "The health and robustness of the white inhabitants seems remarkable and must be attributable to the fine climate as well as to their simple diet. This consists of beef roasted upon the coals, a few vegetables, and the tortilla, which is a thin cake made of corn meal and baked upon a sheet of iron. Throughout the country, both with the rich and poor, this is the general fare. The children are for the most part left to take care of themselves. They are generally robust and their relative numbers seem to be great. It is by no means uncommon to see families of fourteen or fifteen children. A large number die from accidental falls from horses, with which, from their earliest childhood, they are accustomed to be engaged. They early become expert and fearless riders, and this skill is not confined altogether to the male sex; the women are almost equally expert. Families with numerous members are seldom met with who have not had to mourn the loss of several of their number from casualties of this sort."

"The missions were establishments founded by Catholic missionaries for the conversion and civilization of the Indians-some were converted by persuasive means and others by force. In 1831 their number was about 18,000. The missions consist of a cluster of small houses, usually built in a square, with a territory of about fifteen square miles each; free from government taxes and each subordinate to a Franciscan friar, termed a prefect. The towns of the country are all small. Monterey, the capital, has only 300 inhabitants; San Diego and Pueblo de Los Angeles, from 800 to 1000; Santa Barbara and San Francisco are next in importance.

"This country was in part discovered by Cabrillo, a Spanish nayigator, in 1542; and its northern part, called New Albion, by Sir Francis Drake, in 1578. In 1768 it was first colonized by the Spaniards and until after the revolution in Mexico formed a province of that country. In November, 1836, the people of Monterey and its vicinity rose, attacked and subdued the garrison, expelled the Mexican functionaries and troops, declared California independent, and established a congress of deputies for its future government."

This war of California independence is new historical matter.

The author adds: "It returned afterwards to Mexican authority, but in 1845 the people again proclaimed their independence."

In regard to the geography and topography of Southern California our map maker is very unreliable. The principal river of Southern California is laid down on the map as the Rio de Los Martiries, which rises in the Colorado Desert, flows southwesterly and empties into the Pacific at San Luis Rey. The Santa Ana, San Gabriel and Los Angeles are not named. The Rio San Buenaventura rises in the neighborhood of San Luis Obispo, flows north into the Bay of Monterey. (This is the Salinas.)

The names of numerous Indian tribes are scattered thickly over that part of the map that delineates the eastern portion of California. Judging from their names, they must have been terrible fellows. Think of meeting delegations of the Jum-bu-i-cra-re-ris on the warpath, and, if fortunate enough to escape them, of falling into the hands of the Chame-gu-a-bas, or leaving your scalp with a festive Jen-i-gu-i-e-hes!

Laid down on the map as starting from Loreta on the Gulf of California, near the lower end of the Peninsula, is a well defined trail. From Loreta, it crosses the Peninsula, and follows the line of the Coast up throughout the length of Lower California, passes through San Diego, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and terminates at San Francisco. This is the Comino del Rey, or King's Highway of the early mission days, and is the route by which a part of Junipero Serra's mission force entered Alta California.