turn, when he pubUshed his book on geology, he made
mention of gold-bearing rocks and quartz veins both
in Oregon and California. Hence the report became
current, after the discovery of gold, that Dana had
told of its existence in California seven years before,
which was not the case, as he himself distinctly states.
"It is very doubtful," justly observes Tuthill, in his
History of California, "whether it occurred to Profes-
sor Dana that there was gold to be found here in
quantities that would ever get into more practical use
than to lie as rare specimens behind plate doors in
the mineralogical cabinets of the colleges." Murchi-
son made similar remarks on the auriferous rocks of
Australia, and so have twenty other persons spoken
of twenty other places, which, however, is far from
the actual discovery of gold. It is, moreover, a little
singular that so shrewd a man, and so experienced a
scientist as Dana, should not have seen the gold
which with the sand and gravel he displaced during
his journey along Feather river.
James Anthony Froude claims that by reason of his geological knowledge Sir Roderick Murchison was enabled to foretell the discovery of Australian gold. It is true that Murchison said that this metal might be found in Australia; a safe affirmation for one laying no claim to geological divination, and considering the size and character of the country.
At last we have a veritable gold discovery, and gold mines worked in Alta California, with greater or less success, for a period of six years prior to the dis- covery of Marshall. They were situated in the San Fernando valley, on the rancho of Ignacio del Valle, fourteen leagues from Los Angeles, and eight from the San Fernando mission, toward the Sierra Nevada. The discovery, which occurred in March 1842, was in this wise : Two vaqueros were searching for stray cat- tle in the valley, and when tired, threw themselves upon the ground to rest. One of them casually tak- ing some earth in his hand, noticed shining particles,
