Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume III.djvu/618

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612 CALIFORNIA instructors, 55 male and 60 female students, and a library of 2,000 volumes; the Pacific Methodist college, at Vacaville, with 7 instruc- tors and 119 male and 88 female students; Ilesperian college (Christian), at Woodland, with 7 instructors and 37 male and 82 female students; and the Franciscan college (Catho- lic), at Santa Barbara, with 6 instructors, 92 students, and a library of 2,000 volumes. So far as heard from, these 18 institutions had in 1871 90 instructors, 1,682 students, of whom 308 were females, and 19,150 volumes in their libraries. There are three theological semina- ries : that of the college of St. Augustine (Epis- copal), and the theological seminary (Presbyte- rian), in San Francisco, and the Pacific theo- logical seminary (Congregational), at Oakland. In 1871 they had 8 instructors, endowments aggregating $50,000, and 1,500 volumes in their libraries. The Toland medical college, in San Francisco, was organized in 1864, and in 1871 had 14 professors. There are three institutions for the superior instruction of fe- males only : the young ladies' seminary at Be- nicia, the female college of the Pacific at Oak- land, and the college of Notre Dame at San Jose. These institutions in 1871 had 46 in- structors, 720 students, and libraries contain- ing 5,000 volumes. There are two commercial and business colleges in San Francisco, and one at San Jose. The total number of libra- ries reported by the census of 1870 was 1,617, with 474,299 volumes. Of these, 873, contain- ing 316,674 volumes, were private, and 744, with 159,625 volumes, other than private; among the latter were 288 school and college libraries, with 29,113 volumes; 268 Sunday school, 63,940; 96 church, 18,180; and 31 circulating, 22,475. The principal libraries are those of the mercantile association of San Francisco, 30,000 volumes; of the odd fellows' association, 17,000 ; of the mechanics' institute, 12,000; of the What Cheer house, 5,000; of the Verein association, 4,500; the state library in Sacramento, 26,000 ; and the collection of the Sacramento library associa- tion. The total number of newspapers and periodicals in 1870 was 201, having an aggre- gate circulation of 491,903, and issuing 47,- 472,756 copies annually. Of these, 33 were daily, with a circulation of 94,100; 4tri-week- ly, circulation 9,500 ; 4 semi-weekly, circula- tion 2,700; 140 weekly, circulation 298,603; 1 semi-monthly, circulation 300 ; 17 monthly, circulation 82,200; 2 quarterly, circulation 4,500; and 14 were published in foreign lan- guages : French 2, German 5, Spanish 4, Ital- ian 2, and Russian 1. The total number of religious organizations was 643, having 532 edifices, with 195,558 sittings, and property valued at $7,404,235. Included in these were 7 Chinese organizations having 5 edifices, with sittings for 2,600 persons, and property valued at $22,500 ; and 2 Greek organizations, with property valued at $6,000. The principal de- nominations were : DENOMINATIONS. Organizations. Sittings. Property. Baptist. Oil 1<>77."> $271600 Christian 80 8,880 34 160 40 11,509 282400 46 13,095 898,200 7 8,010 814.600 Methodist 184 43083 677 625 79 21 T98 453 050 Roman Catholic ico 60,640 4.692,200 The Chinese are nearly all Buddhists. A few of the Indians have been Christianized, but most of them are destitute of any creed beyond a vague belief in the Great Spirit. The name California is first found in the writings of Ber- nal Diaz del Castillo, an officer who served un- der Cortes in the conquest of Mexico, and by him limited to a single bay on the coast. In some of the early English maps California is called New Albion, having been so named by Sir Francis Drake, whp touched on the coast in 1578, during one of his buccaneering expedi- tions. A century later, being then supposed to be insular, it was called Islas Carolines, in honor of Charles II. of Spain; but subsequent- ly the original name was revived and univer- sally adopted. Lower or Old California was discovered as early as 1534 by Ximenes, a Spanish explorer ; but the first settlements were made much later, in 1683, by the Jesuit mis- sionaries. The precise date of the discovery of New or Upper California is uncertain; but it was subsequent to that of Old California, and the first mission (San Diego) was founded as late as 1768. Other missions and presidios were established in the following years, and the government of the country, both spiritual and temporal, was intrusted to certain monks of the order of St. Francis. The bay of San Francisco was discovered about 1770, and a mission was established there in 1776. In 1803, according to Humboldt, 18 missions had been established, with 15,562 converts. Three more missions were subsequently established, and in 1831 the entire population is stated by Forbes in his "History of Upper California" at 23,025 (exclusive of unconverted Indians), of whom 18,683 were Indian converts. The Spanish power in California was overthrown by the Mexican revolution in 1822, and though the government of that country changed fre- quently, all administrations agreed in the pol- icy of secularizing the government of Califor- nia, and the fathers were finally stripped of their possessions and their former dignity and influence. The settlement of the country be- gan to advance, particularly from the immigra- tion of foreigners, the people of the United States being largely represented. During the years 1843, '44, '45, and '46 many thousands of emigrants from the United States settled in California. After the declaration of war be- tween Mexico and the United States the strug- gle for the mastery in California terminated favorably to the latter early in January, 1847. The treaty of peace soon followed, by which California and certain other territory were .