thousand acres of land susceptible of cultivation, a large part of which, including the valleys of Pajaro, San Juan, Carmelo, and the northern portion of the Salinas, is of the finest quality. Number of acres in cultivation, two thousand nine hundred and fifty-four.

Legal Distances.-From Sacramento, two hundred and forty-five miles; from Stockton, two hundred and forty-five miles, and from San Quentin, one hundred and thirty miles.

Third Judicial District.-Hon. Sam Bell McKee, Judge District Court. Sessions, fourth Monday in April, August and December.

County Courts.-Terms of the Court of Sessions: First Monday of February, April, June, August, October and December. County Court and Probate Court immediately thereafter. Special terms whenever necessary.

Third Senatorial District.—Senator: Hon. D. S. Gregory; term expires January, 1860.

Member of Assembly.-Hon. M. Malarin.

History. The following interesting description of this county, is taken from the report of J. R. Porter, Esq., County Assessor, 1856:

"Its chief tropical characteristic is the Salinas Plain, which opens at the bay of Monterey and runs up to near the mission of San Miguel, a distance of some ninety miles in length, and in breadth from two to ten miles; it contains some two hundred thousand acres of good agricultural lands, the remainder is excellent pasture for horn stock, horses and sheep.

The valley of San Juan Bautista, and that portion of Gilroy belonging to the county, comprise some of the most fertile and salubrious lands in the State. The plain lands of the county are divided into about seven ranchos, which at present are mostly used for pasture. The Coast Range of mountains contains, also, its sub-valleys, which are in every respect admirably situated for the raising of stock for the supply of the southern gold mines, and these tracts have been more settled this year than before-many rancheros driving their stock from the western plains, and pasturing on the rich grasses of these sub-valleys and mountain slopes, and which have very materially assisted to keep the stock of the county in condition this year. These subvalleys of the Coast Range are better adapted for sheep raising than any other portion of California; at one time the missions of San Miguel and San

Antonio, both of which are situated some thousand feet above the sea, in plateaus of this range, had over one hundred thousand head of sheep.

In the valley of San Antonio Mission, which is very warm and dry, figs, peaches, apricots, grapes, apples, quinces, pears and olives, grow in great perfection, and have been cultivated there since 1775. The same fruits will grow in the missions of Soledad and San Juan.

The sides of the sub-valleys of the Coast Range generally abound in the pine, oak, roble, islay, and various other useful trees; the pines are generally those species containing the edible pine-nuts, called by the Spaniards, pinones.

The courses of the rivers and arroyas abound with the sycamore, cottonwood and other trees of similar habits. At least five-eighths of the superficial surface of the county is mountain land, and it is one of the most salubrious districts of country on the face of the earth.

Nothing is more interesting to the intelligent traveler in this country, than the most abundant exhibitions on its surface, and in its geological formations of fossil molusca, of fishes and vartebræ and animals, aqueous and terrestrial. They may be found on the tops of the highest mountains, the flattest plains and the ocean shores. The town site of Monterey, is an immense cemetery of fossiliffera of every kind. A few months ago, in digging a well in the upper part of the town, the tooth of an extinct species of bat or saurian animal was thrown out, of wedge shape, like an arrow-head, measuring three inches in breadth, of a polished blue-black color, and serrated on its two edges like the mandibles of a duck. The beds of indurated clay of the town, used for building, are filled with the remains of what seem to be fresh water molusca; when these beds intervene or occur in the vicinity, no drinkable water has been procured, as yet, from wells. These features in the geology of our county have attained great celebrity and interest from savans in Europe and the United States; but, as yet, the matter has been but slightly investigated.

The Coast Range of mountains which intersect the country from north-west to south-east, also contains great deposits of silver, lead, chrome and mercury Rich and valuable veins of these minerals are found in several places, which will no doubt, in time, become of great value. The argentiferous lead mineral of the Alizal mine is remarkably well situated for working to profit; the ore is easily fusible, as has been proved for twenty years.

The four rivers which intersect the county are the Salinas, the Carmelo, the San Benito and the Pajaro. None of them have ever been properly traced to their source, nor has the county ever been properly delineated on a map; this is an object every day becoming more necessary.

The Indian tribes who inhabited the boundaries of this county when the Spaniards arrived in 1770, were the Mutsunos and Ansaymas, in San Juan Valley; the Kathlendarucas, Sargentarucas and Sackhones who lived in the Mission of Soledad, which occupies a position midway in the length of the Salinas Valley; the Ensenes, Runsenes and Achastas, who occupied the land around the town of Monterey, the valley of the Carmelo and the neighboring mountains; and the Jolones, who were inhabitants of the valley of San Antonio Mission. These tribes were divided into numerous rancherias, whose sites may be seen at this day, not only around the town of Monterey, but in every valley of the county-near the coast by abundance of sea-shells, and in the plains by remains of mortars, arrow-heads, etc. On the line of the sea, the Indians lived on whale flesh, fish, aulones and muscles; off the coast, on deer meat, geese, elk, acorns, oat and grass seeds and pinones. The Indians of these missions, numbers of whom are still living, all assimilate in features; color, reddish brown; head, broad and bulging; hair, lank, coarse and black, and coming down low over the forehead; thick lips; iris of the eye, mahogany color; always with good teeth; figure squat, and seldom ex

ceeding five feet six inches in hight. There are probably left in the country, at present, of all these Indians, not more than two hundred souls, young and old, male and female-the most of whom live on ranchos with the owners of land, or hang around the neighborhood of the old missions. The same missions or the county-contained 3.261 Indians in 1802: in 1845 they had decreased to 1,828 souls. In 1791 the only two missions within the present county boundaries, San Antonio and Carmelo, contained 3,593 horn cattle and 2,913 sheep. In 1831, the priests of these missions reported to the Government of Mexico that they had-cattle, 20,719; horses. 3,000; sheep, 27,775. The old settlers say, however, that they had four times the number of stock at the time, but were afraid of the government officials of Mexico." Agricultural Products.-Wheat, 2,861 acres, 28,610 bushels; barley, 2,544 acres, 76,428 bushels; oats, 65 acres, 3,900 bushels; corn, 43 acres, 430 bushels; buckwheat, 40 acres, 400 bushels; beans, 300 acres, 6,000 bushels; potatoes, 980 acres, 245,000 bushels; hay, 2,687 acres, 4,030 tuns; butter, 20,000 pounds; cheese, 30,000 pounds; eggs, 3,000 dozen.

Fruit Trees-Apple, 1,204; peach, 775; pear, 1,243; cherry, 91; plum, 113; apricot, 33; quince, 20; fig, 30; olive, 60; almond, 40; walnut, 20; nectarine, 5; strawberry vines, 25,000; grape vines, 50,000.

At the mission of San Juan there is a fine orchard of pear and apple trees. The orchard at the mission of Carmelo contains a number of pear trees, in fine bearing condition. In San Antonio there are several huertas, or gardens, containing many varieties of tropical fruits, such as apricots, figs, olives, pomegranates, etc., besides grapes, quinces, apples and pears. In Soledad there is a vineyard, containing about six thousand grape vines, which bear abundantly.

Live Stock.-Horses, (American,) 231, (Spanish, tame,) 2,283; (Spanish, wild,) 3,711, Half-breeds,) 130-total number of horses, 6,355; mules, 255; asses, 27; cows, (American,) 1,096, (Spanish, tame,) 2,675, (Half-breeds,) 264; calves, 2,300; stock cattle, (American,) 1,342, (Spanish,) 41,726, (Halfbreed,) 1,380; oxen, (American,) 108, (Spanish,) 353-total number of cattle, 51,244; sheep, (American,) 31,220, (Spanish,) 43,119-total number of sheep, 74,339; goats, 400; hogs, 1,609; poultry, 7,166.

Wool. The product of this county, for 1858, amounts to 190,000 pounds, mostly of a superior quality of French and Spanish Merinos, crossed with the American and Spanish breeds. The wool trade is evidently destined, and at no distant period, to be the great wealth of this county, as the climate and lands are admirably adapted to sheep raising, and a number of the residents are devoting considerable attention to the increase and improvement of their stock.

Manufactories.-Saw mills, 1-steam; capacity per day, 20,000 feet; cost of construction, $10,000. The lumber from this mill is said to be superior for street planking and bridging, being tough and durable; it sells readily and commands the highest prices.

Ferries and Roads.—Ferries, 3; value, $3,500; roads, 1. The turnpike road through the Pacheco Pass is four miles in length, and is one of the most traveled thoroughfares in the State; cost of construction, $5,000.