(Vol. ii., p. 132.)
E.N.W. refers to Shelvocke's voyage of 1719, in which reference is made to
the abundance of gold in the soil of California. In Hakluyt's _Voyages_,
printed in 1599-1600, will be found much earlier notices on this subject.
California was first discovered in the time of the Great Marquis, as Cortes
was usually called. There are accounts of these early expeditions by
Francisco Vasquez Coronada, Ferdinando Alarchon, Father Marco de Niça, and
Francisco de Ulloa, who visited the country in 1539 and 1540. It is stated
by Hakluyt that they were as far to the north as the 37th degree of
latitude, which would be about one degree south of St. Francisco. I am
inclined, however, to believe from the narrations themselves that the
Spanish early discoveries did not extend much beyond the 34th degree of
latitude, being little higher than the Peninsular or Lower California. In
all these accounts, however, distinct mention is made of abundance of gold.
In one of them it is stated that the natives used plates of gold to scrape
the perspiration off their bodies!
The most curious and distinct account, however, is that given in "The
famous voyage of Sir Francis Drake into the South Sea, &c. in 1577", which
will be found in the third volume of Hakluyt, page 730., _et seq_. I am
tempted to make some extracts from this, and the more so because a very
feasible claim might be based upon the transaction in favour of our
Sovereign Lady the Queen. At page 737. I find:
"The 5th day of June (1579) being in 43 degrees wards the pole Arctike,
we found the ayre so colde, that our men being grievously pinched with
the same, complained of the extremitie thereof, and the further we
went, the more the colde increased upon us. Whereupon we thought it
best for that time to seeke the land, and did so, finding it not
mountainous, but low plaine land, till we came within thirty degrees
toward the line. In which height it pleased God to send us into a faire
and good baye, with a good winde to enter the same. In this baye wee
anchored."
A glance at the map will show that "in this baye" is now situated the
famous city of San Francisco.
Their doings in the bay are then narrated, and from page 738. I extract the
following:--
"When they [the natives with their king] had satisfied themselves [with
dancing, &c.] they made signes to our General [Drake] to sit downe, to
whom the king and divers others made several orations, or rather
supplications, that hee would take their province or {337} kingdom into
his hand, and become their king, making signes that they would resigne
unto him their right and title of the whole land, and become his
subjects. In which, to persuade us the better, the king and the rest
with our consent, and with great reverence, joyfully singing a song,
did set the crowne upon his head, inriched his necke with all their
chaines, and offred unto him many other things, honouring him by the
name of Hioh, adding thereulto, as it seemed, a sign of triumph; which
thing our Generall thought not meet to reject, because he knew not what
honour and profit it might be to our countrey. Whereupon, in the name
and to the use of Her Majestie, he took the scepter, crowne, and
dignitie of the said country into his hands, wishing that the riches
and treasure thereof might so conveniently be transported to the
inriching of her kingdom at home, as it aboundeth in ye same.
"Our Generall called this countrey Nova Albion, and that for two
causes; the one in respect of the white bankes and cliffes, which lie
towards the sea, and the other, because it might have some affinities
with our countrey in name, which sometime was so called."
Then comes the curious statement:
"_There is no part of earth heere to be taken up, wherein there is not
some probable show of gold or silver._"
The narrative then goes on to state that formal possession was taken of the
country by putting up a "monument" with "a piece of sixpence of current
English money under the plate," &c.
Drake and the bold cavaliers of that day probably found that it paid better
to rob the Spaniard of the gold and silver ready made in the shape of "the
Acapulco galleon," or such like, than to sift the soil of the Sacramento
for its precious grains. At all events, the wonderful richness of the
"earth" seems to have been completely overlooked or forgotten. So little
was it suspected, until the Americans acquired the country at the peace
with Mexico, that in the fourth volume of Knight's _National Cyclopædia_,
published early in 1848, in speaking of Upper California, it is said, "very
little mineral wealth has been met with"! A few months after, intelligence
reached Europe how much the reverse was the case.