Volume 11 (1865) (424 pages)

The Mining and Scientific Press, 3 rilsefil Ynformation, The Philosophy of Sleep. NOMBER FIVE. QUANTITY OF SLEEP. , The qnantity of sleep reqnired by grown-up people ruuges hetween four aud ninc hours. ‘This has partly to do with pecoliarity of constitution. With some the mind aud hody work quietly and without irritability ; others, going through tho snme round of business and amusement, are more cxhausted; the latter require longer sleep. But use hus muck to do with this, as with other functions ; ond muy snppose a much longer period of repose neccssary to them than thcir henlth actunlly requires. ~ Too much slesp is relaxing. The best rale, for those who are in health and sleep well, is to rise after their lirst sleep,—whbeu one feels relreshed,and can rise at once with alacrity. Upon indulging in u sccond slecp, a fres_perspiration often ensues, aud one wukes relaxed, and heavy from sleep, und exhausted. Women require viore sleep than men ; thoso of the nervous and snnguine temper. ments more than the phleginutic und hillious. ‘The necessary quantity of sleep for adults varies from Jour to nine hours ; tron seven to eight is thu want of the majority. Persons under training sleep from eight to ten hours. Those who slecp nine or ten hours from indolence, probuhly sleep loss concentratedly, and have not the sume intensity of repoxe which those bave, who, sleeping only when it ig nécessary, drop sound asleep at once. Infants, for the first month, pass almost their whole time in sleep ; or they nlternately toke nonrishment and repose. ‘he qnantity of nourishment necessary for their growth fatigues them, and they sleep to recruit their digestive powers. Itis the same with those who are. recovering from exhausting illness. They often reqnire tne same quontity of sleep, the same light and frequeut .meals. ‘Till the age of three ysars, cluldren require sleep during the day, and pass halt of their time in sleep. The period of sleep is then to he gradually reduced ; a child at seven should not sleep more than nine hours. With weakly children, it is important to bear in mind the exhausting character of more prolonged, or, as it really is, renewed sleep. ‘l'hey sbonld rise early ; and if more sleep is necessary for their strength, they may lio down and tako repose for a short period daring the day. Children should never be wakened suddenly ; their nervous system, tremhlingly sensitive, is liable to receive injury from the lightest causes. »Great care should he taken to exelude from, orto prevent arising in, the minds of children, those superstitious fears, and that terror of the dark, which they are so disposed to full into, When age begins, the quantity of sound sleep lessens. In extreme age the tendency to longer slecp returns, and part of the day is passad in sompolency, the more necessary, that the rest at night is frequently hrokep. ‘The celebrated De Moivre. slept twenty hours out of the twenty-four, and ‘Thomas Farr latterly slept away the greater part of his existence. Dr. Rush ohserves of the wakefulness of old people,— Such is the excitability of the system in the lirat stages of old age, that fherevis no pain so light, no anxiety so trifling, and no sound so small, ag not to produce wakefulness in old people. It is owing to their imperfect Sleep that they are sometimes as unconscious of the moment of their passing from a sleeping to a waking state, as young and middle-aged people are of the moment in which they pass from a waking toa sleeping state. Henes, we so often hear thein complain of passing sleepless . . This. no doubt, frequently is the: nights. case; hut I am satisfied, from the result of an inquiry made upon this subject, that they often sleep without-knowing it, and that their com_ plaints in ths morning, of the want of sleep, arise from ignorance, without the least iutention to deceive.” Dreaming is“ universal ainong old people. Ths recollection of their dreains has more or. less to do with their imperfect steep. -PENIOD FOR SLEEP. It is unnecessary seriously to argue that the night is the proper time for repose in temperate climates, lor no one will deny that we most exist alternately in waking and sleepiug, orwilldoubt that day is the proper time for the former. Our eyes aro formed to use by day; Nature, in her brillianey of coloring, cau be seen then only ; and the direct action upon the skin, of the light and heat of the sun, is necessary to perfect health? But we have still a choics to make. For in the winter there is more darkness, in the sunimer less, than the neccessary period of repose demands. Are we to borrow hours of waking from the evening or the morning of the long winter's night? ‘Vhe common senss of the world hes decided tliat tho latter is preferable. Those who are engngcd in husiness are, through this huhit, beforehand with the doy ; nothing need then bs hurried; the offices of the day mny be well thought over, snd every fecessary arrangement planned. Nor is there any better time, if one has soperfivous leisure, for literary pursuits, thon ths eurly morning hours: It is indesd too ninch the custonQ and sometimes hardly avoidable, to throw one’s studies late into the night, when there is no interruption, and there lappens to be spare time. ‘This proctice, however, forms a most injurious cémbination with a lile of business, as it destroys sleep. that is so uceded. ‘The mind, instend of wholesomely tiriug towards eleven, is wakened up, stimulated alvesh hy its own exertions, ond hour after hour glides by ; and when at leugth ouu's couch is sought, the busy thoughts cunnot detnch thomselves from our pursuits, the mind cannot bs put out of gear. (Qne whose time is his own, niny, if he plenses it, convert night into day, day into night; and if during some port of the doy he takes whalesoms exercise in the open aiy, and his diet is moderate, ono cannot sny that his henith will necessnrily suffer by this substitution of an artificial for the natural period; but the probability is, that the habits of life which would co-exist with such indulgence would Le irregular, and that therefore it would be iudiectly more injurious. One who combines with late hours of study habits of activo busioriginal strength, find both his heulth and meutal powers easily impaired. : [To be Continued.) Rapid Desulphurization---Scientific Experiment. Tho Monitor Gazelte, of the 2d instant published in the town of Monitor, Alpine county, in this State, is responsible for the following : We witnessed one day this week the successful application of Arnold’s new process for disintegrating quartz rock. ‘The quartz taken from the newly opened lode of the Monitor G. M. Co. is about as hard a quartz as is ever found; so hard that four well tempered drills were required to put down a ten’ inch hole for blasting, and a good deal of beating with sledges to break it into handling shape. A solid lump of this, of ahout twenty pouuds weight was placed in a common fire-place and brought to red heat, and then immersed in Arnold’s mixture—a liquid preparation wherein lies the secret. A terriblo commotion ensued, which continued until the liquid had entirely penetrated the lump, setting tree the gases therein contained which filled the room like a cloud, aud crumbling the rock into more than a dozen pieces, any one of which, after the sbullition ceased, showing that every part of the rock had heen penetrated—could be erushed by the heel to finesand. We consider this a fair teat of the disintegrating power of the process ; nothing could be more perfect, and for this alone the discovery is invaluable, eas the cost of reducing to a fineness necessary for amalgamation is greatly reduced, the tirst cost of the machinery necessary to produce certain results being ten-fold less, and the amount which may he accomplished by any givun works increased to the same ratio. It is claimed however that disintegration is the least of the merits of this procegs, that it does and will desniphurize and destroy all hase nietals in any ores. rendering those of the most obstinate character tractable and easy of amalgamation by the simplest means. We shall pursue this subject farther. and not only az to the last. claimed power, but in regard to the cost ol'the whole process which it is ctaimed does not exceed here over two dollars per tou. Sineutar Paenomena.— Quite an interest. ing and singular class of pheuomena recently occurred at an oil well, near the mouth of Dunkan Creck, on the Monongahcla, which is related by a correspondent of the Pittshurg Oil News, as follows : : The Coal Bank Well, No.4, took another fit on last Friday evening when I was present. It torced the water and stones at least two huodied feet above the top of the derrick for at least forfy minptes, throwing out stones, that would weigh two pounds, a sample of whith I will show you when I come home, The well is all the time flowing in the conductor about two feet high, and it seems that those violent emissions occur about once a week ; a8 this is.the third one since the well has been sunk, and all of them occurred on Friday. J have quite a number of speciinens of rock and soap stone that has been thrown out. ‘he shisve timbers on top of the derrickénre very much torn and splintered, in fact so much so that they are unfit for use again, all from the effects of the stones thrown out striking them. ness in theday, will certainly, whatever his . THE GOVERNOR'S MESSAGE ON THE MINING INTEREST. Governor Low sent in his first biennin] messags to the Legislaturs on ‘Vhursdoy last, an examination of which shows thnt ths various State institutions, und the affoirs of the Stato generally, are in a hopeful condition. We give below the Governor’s remarks on . ths mining interest of the State, the progress -of the Stut® Geological Survey, and the ueces. sity for uction by the present Legislatnre to) secure ths benefit of thu Act of Congress . donating to the State 150,000 ucres of land for the establishinent of an ugriculturul college. The Govervor very properly suggests that, although the Act of Congress requires that agriculture shnil be the chief sciencs taught at the institution which may be estoblished on the Land und donated, it does not preclude the the union with agricilture of any other of the . uselul sciences. We append so much of the nicssage as refers to tllese matters : MINES AND MININO. Since the last session of ths Legislature, the question of taxiug ths products ol the mines, aud the sale of inineral lands, have assumed importnoce ; and the action of Congress in regard to ths former has caused considerable uveusiness in the mining portions ol this State, as well as in our neighboring States aud ‘Territories. timed protest of our delegation in Congress caused such a modification of the tax that hut little complaint has since been nade. Since the last adjournment of Congress, several ol its, ‘. distingaished meinbers have visited the mineral regions of Colorado, Utah, Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Nevada, and California. 1 auticipnte great good as ths result of their visit. ‘hey will return to their places in Congress fully couvinced, I think, that the present plau of working the mines is the best, and that: it would be eyually unwise to sell the mineral ‘lands, or to diminish the production of the mines by imposing onerous taxes upon them. ‘fhe inforniation they can and will impart, cousidered, ag it must Le, free from prejudice or interest, together with the efforts of the delegation in Congress from this coast, will be likely to set pt rest some of the projects that have been heought forward in Congress, which, if enacted into laws, would be detrimentul it not ruinous to mining interests. ‘Yhe development of gold, copper, and other . mines in Califorvia, has, received a morked impetus duriug the present year. The opening, in various portions of the State, of vast oumbers of rich and productive quartz ledges, gives assurance that in the “ placer diggiugs ” we were hut at the threshold of our mineral diseoveries; and affords ground for the belief that we are entering upou a field that will he as permunent as it is productive. In this connection it is a source of regret to observe that a check has Leen given to mining investments in Nevada. ‘I'he interests of both . States are so nearly allied that the causes which injure one must sooner or later affect the other. In view of this, it may be well to ascertain, if possible, the influences that ‘have induced this sudden depression in the value of mining property in Nevada, that we may ascertain whettur any portion of this loss has resulted from a want of restrictions and penalties iu the incorporation law of this State, under and by virtue of which many of those coinpanics were formed. The management of the mines in Nevada has been a source of discussion and animadversion, Loth by the people and the press. What proportion of the losses has been caused by the recklessness, extravagance, deception, and fraud of the officers and agents of incorporated mining companies, 1 have no means ol ascertaining. If the representations of Califurnia capitalists, whose losses in this connection may be estimated by millions, are to be rclied upon, no small share of the decline in values may be traced to these causes. While the spirit and advancement of the age require that laws shall be enacted providing for the associaticn of capital _in the form of corporations, it ig the duty of the law-making power to insert such checks and safeguards in these enactments as will protect the stockholders, ns well as the public who do business with them, from losses occasioned by thé dishonest practices of ageuts and officers. With this view, I would recommend that tire statutes of this State providing for the formation. of corporations for iniuing purposes be-revised, and go amended as to.provide for the infliction of severe penalties on trustees and officers of companies who shall borrow money with which to pay dividends, or who shall misrepresent the actual condition of a corporation of which they may be agents or managers. Acts eonionitted by officers of a company, for the purpose of deceiving the stockholders of the public as to the valae of property belonging to such institution, either by the payment of dividends that have not Leen earned, or withholding dividends that have been earned, or similar acts, should be Fortunately, the earnest and well: / the most cultivated intellects, declared felonies, and panished as snch. I would also suggest ths advisahility of compelling a published statement to be nade of the netual condition of each company, &: least ssmi-annually. GEOLOOICAL SURVEY. During the pust two yenrs, such progress hns been made in geologicul explorations of the State as the limited uppropriations would udinit of. Tull particulars relative to the survey will he gathered froi the report of the State Geologist, herewith sutmitted. The Act of April 4th, 1864, provided for the publication ol a report ‘in the form of a geological, botanical, aud Zoological history ul the Site.” ‘the pluu of publication adopted by Professor Whituey calls for the fullowiug volumes ¢ No. t—Physical Geography ; Nos. 2 and 3— General Geology ; Nos. 4 und 5—Paleoutology; Nos. 6 and 7—Econonicul Geology, Mining, ond Metallurgy ; No. 8—Botany ; Nos, 9, 10, 11 aud 12—Zoology. No. 13—Maps, Sections, and Plates. Of these, oue volume of paleoutology is puhlished, avother—the first ou geolozy—is now finised,und on ths wuy hither from New York, and considerable progress has bsen made in the preparation of sonte of ths other volumes. An accurate map has been drawn of all the central portion of the State, which will be extended ns ths explorations progress. I trust the Legislature will carefully consider the matter of the geological survey, and give to it the nid which its importance justifies. Let no hasty action be taken which will be repented of.in future. It isa work which will amply repay the State for the expenditure, viewed in a pecuniary light. In addition to this consideration, the result of these explorations and . investigations will prove a valuable acquisition to science, which, in its explanation of and research into the laws of nature, does so much . to develop all branckes of material progress, AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE. I desire to call your earnest attention to the Act of Congress donating to this State 150,000 ucres of land for the establishment of an Agricultural College. To secure this muuificent grant, it becomes necessary that the required steps be taken by the present Legislature, else it will be forfeited by the expiration of the five "years in which the State must act offirmatively. Should the national endowment be lost to the children of our State by reason of our neglect, the merited ceusure of coming generations would he cast upon the memory of those whose duty it is to act at this time. Tho Act of Congress contemplates that agriculture g. all be the leading science taught, yet it does not har the introduction of all Lranches of learning ; and I would recominend that proyision be made for every scientific profession. When we glance at the wide and varied character of the already discovered minerals ir our Stute, we can but adinit the uecessity of a more general diffusion of knowledge of geology and civil engineerisg among our people; nor least among our educational wants in a school of agricultural chemistry. By reason of a peculiarity of climate, our agricolture must be-conducted on entirely different principles from that of most agricultural couutries. In the Atlantic States, agriculture is ab unvarying routine, while with usit isa labor admitting of varied expcriments involvin scientific investigation. Among the parieue tural industries destiued to assume the highest importance among. our*people, may be meptioned vine and silk culture, of which we pos‘sess but a superlicial knowledge.Each of these branches ol’ remunerative and pleasaut toil has, in Europe, for ages engaged the attention of France owes much of the stability of her population, aud the hieh order of her civilization, to silk and ‘vine culture. How much might be expected from the education of a large number of our youth in a scientific knowledge of these and kindred pursuits. For ths pressnt purpose of a college, costly huildings will not be required. A true economy would suggest that no expense be spared to secure the highest order ol talent in the various professorships, and requisite apparatus for the instruction of pupils. It is the individual pro‘fessors who popularize all resowned institutions of learning rather than imposing edifices. ‘The proverbal liberality of Californians may beconfidently relied upon to herenfter furnish the means for the erectjon of costly structures, and their endowment with professorships. The consolidation of the Seminary Fund with the proceeds of the sale of the Agriculture College lands, and the necessary merging of the Agricultural College and the State . University into one, would, it is helieved, give one institution a good heginning, and make it worthy the claims of not only the people of California, hut of those scattered over the great and rapidly-developing regions west of the Rocky Mountains, where the want of educational fucilities is the prominent canse of so many of those who have acquired competencies going back to older communities to educate their children.

The Mining and Scientific Press, 3 rilsefil Ynformation, The Philosophy of Sleep. NOMBER FIVE. QUANTITY OF SLEEP. , The qnantity of sleep reqnired by grown-up people ruuges hetween four aud ninc hours. ‘This has partly to do with pecoliarity of constitution. With some the mind aud hody work quietly and without irritability ; others, going through tho snme round of business and amusement, are more cxhausted; the latter require longer sleep. But use hus muck to do with this, as with other functions ; ond muy snppose a much longer period of repose neccssary to them than thcir henlth actunlly requires. ~ Too much slesp is relaxing. The best rale, for those who are in health and sleep well, is to rise after their lirst sleep,—whbeu one feels relreshed,and can rise at once with alacrity. Upon indulging in u sccond slecp, a fres_perspiration often ensues, aud one wukes relaxed, and heavy from sleep, und exhausted. Women require viore sleep than men ; thoso of the nervous and snnguine temper. ments more than the phleginutic und hillious. ‘The necessary quantity of sleep for adults varies from Jour to nine hours ; tron seven to eight is thu want of the majority. Persons under training sleep from eight to ten hours. Those who slecp nine or ten hours from indolence, probuhly sleep loss concentratedly, and have not the sume intensity of repoxe which those bave, who, sleeping only when it ig nécessary, drop sound asleep at once. Infants, for the first month, pass almost their whole time in sleep ; or they nlternately toke nonrishment and repose. ‘he qnantity of nourishment necessary for their growth fatigues them, and they sleep to recruit their digestive powers. Itis the same with those who are. recovering from exhausting illness. They often reqnire tne same quontity of sleep, the same light and frequeut .meals. ‘Till the age of three ysars, cluldren require sleep during the day, and pass halt of their time in sleep. The period of sleep is then to he gradually reduced ; a child at seven should not sleep more than nine hours. With weakly children, it is important to bear in mind the exhausting character of more prolonged, or, as it really is, renewed sleep. ‘l'hey sbonld rise early ; and if more sleep is necessary for their strength, they may lio down and tako repose for a short period daring the day. Children should never be wakened suddenly ; their nervous system, tremhlingly sensitive, is liable to receive injury from the lightest causes. »Great care should he taken to exelude from, orto prevent arising in, the minds of children, those superstitious fears, and that terror of the dark, which they are so disposed to full into, When age begins, the quantity of sound sleep lessens. In extreme age the tendency to longer slecp returns, and part of the day is passad in sompolency, the more necessary, that the rest at night is frequently hrokep. ‘The celebrated De Moivre. slept twenty hours out of the twenty-four, and ‘Thomas Farr latterly slept away the greater part of his existence. Dr. Rush ohserves of the wakefulness of old people,— Such is the excitability of the system in the lirat stages of old age, that fherevis no pain so light, no anxiety so trifling, and no sound so small, ag not to produce wakefulness in old people. It is owing to their imperfect Sleep that they are sometimes as unconscious of the moment of their passing from a sleeping to a waking state, as young and middle-aged people are of the moment in which they pass from a waking toa sleeping state. Henes, we so often hear thein complain of passing sleepless . . This. no doubt, frequently is the: nights. case; hut I am satisfied, from the result of an inquiry made upon this subject, that they often sleep without-knowing it, and that their com_ plaints in ths morning, of the want of sleep, arise from ignorance, without the least iutention to deceive.” Dreaming is“ universal ainong old people. Ths recollection of their dreains has more or. less to do with their imperfect steep. -PENIOD FOR SLEEP. It is unnecessary seriously to argue that the night is the proper time for repose in temperate climates, lor no one will deny that we most exist alternately in waking and sleepiug, orwilldoubt that day is the proper time for the former. Our eyes aro formed to use by day; Nature, in her brillianey of coloring, cau be seen then only ; and the direct action upon the skin, of the light and heat of the sun, is necessary to perfect health? But we have still a choics to make. For in the winter there is more darkness, in the sunimer less, than the neccessary period of repose demands. Are we to borrow hours of waking from the evening or the morning of the long winter's night? ‘Vhe common senss of the world hes decided tliat tho latter is preferable. Those who are engngcd in husiness are, through this huhit, beforehand with the doy ; nothing need then bs hurried; the offices of the day mny be well thought over, snd every fecessary arrangement planned. Nor is there any better time, if one has soperfivous leisure, for literary pursuits, thon ths eurly morning hours: It is indesd too ninch the custonQ and sometimes hardly avoidable, to throw one’s studies late into the night, when there is no interruption, and there lappens to be spare time. ‘This proctice, however, forms a most injurious cémbination with a lile of business, as it destroys sleep. that is so uceded. ‘The mind, instend of wholesomely tiriug towards eleven, is wakened up, stimulated alvesh hy its own exertions, ond hour after hour glides by ; and when at leugth ouu's couch is sought, the busy thoughts cunnot detnch thomselves from our pursuits, the mind cannot bs put out of gear. (Qne whose time is his own, niny, if he plenses it, convert night into day, day into night; and if during some port of the doy he takes whalesoms exercise in the open aiy, and his diet is moderate, ono cannot sny that his henith will necessnrily suffer by this substitution of an artificial for the natural period; but the probability is, that the habits of life which would co-exist with such indulgence would Le irregular, and that therefore it would be iudiectly more injurious. One who combines with late hours of study habits of activo busioriginal strength, find both his heulth and meutal powers easily impaired. : [To be Continued.) Rapid Desulphurization---Scientific Experiment. Tho Monitor Gazelte, of the 2d instant published in the town of Monitor, Alpine county, in this State, is responsible for the following : We witnessed one day this week the successful application of Arnold’s new process for disintegrating quartz rock. ‘The quartz taken from the newly opened lode of the Monitor G. M. Co. is about as hard a quartz as is ever found; so hard that four well tempered drills were required to put down a ten’ inch hole for blasting, and a good deal of beating with sledges to break it into handling shape. A solid lump of this, of ahout twenty pouuds weight was placed in a common fire-place and brought to red heat, and then immersed in Arnold’s mixture—a liquid preparation wherein lies the secret. A terriblo commotion ensued, which continued until the liquid had entirely penetrated the lump, setting tree the gases therein contained which filled the room like a cloud, aud crumbling the rock into more than a dozen pieces, any one of which, after the sbullition ceased, showing that every part of the rock had heen penetrated—could be erushed by the heel to finesand. We consider this a fair teat of the disintegrating power of the process ; nothing could be more perfect, and for this alone the discovery is invaluable, eas the cost of reducing to a fineness necessary for amalgamation is greatly reduced, the tirst cost of the machinery necessary to produce certain results being ten-fold less, and the amount which may he accomplished by any givun works increased to the same ratio. It is claimed however that disintegration is the least of the merits of this procegs, that it does and will desniphurize and destroy all hase nietals in any ores. rendering those of the most obstinate character tractable and easy of amalgamation by the simplest means. We shall pursue this subject farther. and not only az to the last. claimed power, but in regard to the cost ol'the whole process which it is ctaimed does not exceed here over two dollars per tou. Sineutar Paenomena.— Quite an interest. ing and singular class of pheuomena recently occurred at an oil well, near the mouth of Dunkan Creck, on the Monongahcla, which is related by a correspondent of the Pittshurg Oil News, as follows : : The Coal Bank Well, No.4, took another fit on last Friday evening when I was present. It torced the water and stones at least two huodied feet above the top of the derrick for at least forfy minptes, throwing out stones, that would weigh two pounds, a sample of whith I will show you when I come home, The well is all the time flowing in the conductor about two feet high, and it seems that those violent emissions occur about once a week ; a8 this is.the third one since the well has been sunk, and all of them occurred on Friday. J have quite a number of speciinens of rock and soap stone that has been thrown out. ‘he shisve timbers on top of the derrickénre very much torn and splintered, in fact so much so that they are unfit for use again, all from the effects of the stones thrown out striking them. ness in theday, will certainly, whatever his .

THE GOVERNOR'S MESSAGE ON THE MINING INTEREST. Governor Low sent in his first biennin] messags to the Legislaturs on ‘Vhursdoy last, an examination of which shows thnt ths various State institutions, und the affoirs of the Stato generally, are in a hopeful condition. We give below the Governor’s remarks on . ths mining interest of the State, the progress -of the Stut® Geological Survey, and the ueces. sity for uction by the present Legislatnre to) secure ths benefit of thu Act of Congress . donating to the State 150,000 ucres of land for the establishinent of an ugriculturul college. The Govervor very properly suggests that, although the Act of Congress requires that agriculture shnil be the chief sciencs taught at the institution which may be estoblished on the Land und donated, it does not preclude the the union with agricilture of any other of the . uselul sciences. We append so much of the nicssage as refers to tllese matters : MINES AND MININO. Since the last session of ths Legislature, the question of taxiug ths products ol the mines, aud the sale of inineral lands, have assumed importnoce ; and the action of Congress in regard to ths former has caused considerable uveusiness in the mining portions ol this State, as well as in our neighboring States aud ‘Territories. timed protest of our delegation in Congress caused such a modification of the tax that hut little complaint has since been nade. Since the last adjournment of Congress, several ol its, ‘. distingaished meinbers have visited the mineral regions of Colorado, Utah, Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Nevada, and California. 1 auticipnte great good as ths result of their visit. ‘hey will return to their places in Congress fully couvinced, I think, that the present plau of working the mines is the best, and that: it would be eyually unwise to sell the mineral ‘lands, or to diminish the production of the mines by imposing onerous taxes upon them. ‘fhe inforniation they can and will impart, cousidered, ag it must Le, free from prejudice or interest, together with the efforts of the delegation in Congress from this coast, will be likely to set pt rest some of the projects that have been heought forward in Congress, which, if enacted into laws, would be detrimentul it not ruinous to mining interests. ‘Yhe development of gold, copper, and other . mines in Califorvia, has, received a morked impetus duriug the present year. The opening, in various portions of the State, of vast oumbers of rich and productive quartz ledges, gives assurance that in the “ placer diggiugs ” we were hut at the threshold of our mineral diseoveries; and affords ground for the belief that we are entering upou a field that will he as permunent as it is productive. In this connection it is a source of regret to observe that a check has Leen given to mining investments in Nevada. ‘I'he interests of both . States are so nearly allied that the causes which injure one must sooner or later affect the other. In view of this, it may be well to ascertain, if possible, the influences that ‘have induced this sudden depression in the value of mining property in Nevada, that we may ascertain whettur any portion of this loss has resulted from a want of restrictions and penalties iu the incorporation law of this State, under and by virtue of which many of those coinpanics were formed. The management of the mines in Nevada has been a source of discussion and animadversion, Loth by the people and the press. What proportion of the losses has been caused by the recklessness, extravagance, deception, and fraud of the officers and agents of incorporated mining companies, 1 have no means ol ascertaining. If the representations of Califurnia capitalists, whose losses in this connection may be estimated by millions, are to be rclied upon, no small share of the decline in values may be traced to these causes. While the spirit and advancement of the age require that laws shall be enacted providing for the associaticn of capital _in the form of corporations, it ig the duty of the law-making power to insert such checks and safeguards in these enactments as will protect the stockholders, ns well as the public who do business with them, from losses occasioned by thé dishonest practices of ageuts and officers. With this view, I would recommend that tire statutes of this State providing for the formation. of corporations for iniuing purposes be-revised, and go amended as to.provide for the infliction of severe penalties on trustees and officers of companies who shall borrow money with which to pay dividends, or who shall misrepresent the actual condition of a corporation of which they may be agents or managers. Acts eonionitted by officers of a company, for the purpose of deceiving the stockholders of the public as to the valae of property belonging to such institution, either by the payment of dividends that have not Leen earned, or withholding dividends that have been earned, or similar acts, should be Fortunately, the earnest and well: / the most cultivated intellects, declared felonies, and panished as snch. I would also suggest ths advisahility of compelling a published statement to be nade of the netual condition of each company, &: least ssmi-annually. GEOLOOICAL SURVEY. During the pust two yenrs, such progress hns been made in geologicul explorations of the State as the limited uppropriations would udinit of. Tull particulars relative to the survey will he gathered froi the report of the State Geologist, herewith sutmitted. The Act of April 4th, 1864, provided for the publication ol a report ‘in the form of a geological, botanical, aud Zoological history ul the Site.” ‘the pluu of publication adopted by Professor Whituey calls for the fullowiug volumes ¢ No. t—Physical Geography ; Nos. 2 and 3— General Geology ; Nos. 4 und 5—Paleoutology; Nos. 6 and 7—Econonicul Geology, Mining, ond Metallurgy ; No. 8—Botany ; Nos, 9, 10, 11 aud 12—Zoology. No. 13—Maps, Sections, and Plates. Of these, oue volume of paleoutology is puhlished, avother—the first ou geolozy—is now finised,und on ths wuy hither from New York, and considerable progress has bsen made in the preparation of sonte of ths other volumes. An accurate map has been drawn of all the central portion of the State, which will be extended ns ths explorations progress. I trust the Legislature will carefully consider the matter of the geological survey, and give to it the nid which its importance justifies. Let no hasty action be taken which will be repented of.in future. It isa work which will amply repay the State for the expenditure, viewed in a pecuniary light. In addition to this consideration, the result of these explorations and . investigations will prove a valuable acquisition to science, which, in its explanation of and research into the laws of nature, does so much . to develop all branckes of material progress, AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE. I desire to call your earnest attention to the Act of Congress donating to this State 150,000 ucres of land for the establishment of an Agricultural College. To secure this muuificent grant, it becomes necessary that the required steps be taken by the present Legislature, else it will be forfeited by the expiration of the five "years in which the State must act offirmatively. Should the national endowment be lost to the children of our State by reason of our neglect, the merited ceusure of coming generations would he cast upon the memory of those whose duty it is to act at this time. Tho Act of Congress contemplates that agriculture g. all be the leading science taught, yet it does not har the introduction of all Lranches of learning ; and I would recominend that proyision be made for every scientific profession. When we glance at the wide and varied character of the already discovered minerals ir our Stute, we can but adinit the uecessity of a more general diffusion of knowledge of geology and civil engineerisg among our people; nor least among our educational wants in a school of agricultural chemistry. By reason of a peculiarity of climate, our agricolture must be-conducted on entirely different principles from that of most agricultural couutries. In the Atlantic States, agriculture is ab unvarying routine, while with usit isa labor admitting of varied expcriments involvin scientific investigation. Among the parieue tural industries destiued to assume the highest importance among. our*people, may be meptioned vine and silk culture, of which we pos‘sess but a superlicial knowledge.Each of these branches ol’ remunerative and pleasaut toil has, in Europe, for ages engaged the attention of France owes much of the stability of her population, aud the hieh order of her civilization, to silk and ‘vine culture. How much might be expected from the education of a large number of our youth in a scientific knowledge of these and kindred pursuits. For ths pressnt purpose of a college, costly huildings will not be required. A true economy would suggest that no expense be spared to secure the highest order ol talent in the various professorships, and requisite apparatus for the instruction of pupils. It is the individual pro‘fessors who popularize all resowned institutions of learning rather than imposing edifices. ‘The proverbal liberality of Californians may beconfidently relied upon to herenfter furnish the means for the erectjon of costly structures, and their endowment with professorships. The consolidation of the Seminary Fund with the proceeds of the sale of the Agriculture College lands, and the necessary merging of the Agricultural College and the State . University into one, would, it is helieved, give one institution a good heginning, and make it worthy the claims of not only the people of California, hut of those scattered over the great and rapidly-developing regions west of the Rocky Mountains, where the want of educational fucilities is the prominent canse of so many of those who have acquired competencies going back to older communities to educate their children.