Agriculture and commerce flourish

and the State is the centre of great financial interests. The public schools are liberally maintained. For higher education there are 96 public high schools, 63 private secondary schools, four public and three private normal schools, 12 universities and colleges for men and for both sexes and Mills College and the College of Notre Dame at San Jose for women. The principal universities and colleges are, University of California foqened 1869, non-see tar i an); Leland Stanford Junior University Gan non-sectarian); St. Ignatius College (1855, Roman Catholic); Santa Clara College (1851, Roman Catholic), and the University of Southern California (1880, Methodist Episcopal). The strongest religious denominations in the State are the Roman Catholic, Methodist Episcopal, Presbyterian, Congregational, Baptist, Protestant Episcopal, Luther an. and Disciples of Christ. The total length of railroads within the State, Jan. 1, 1900, was 5,461 miles, of which 169 miles were constructed during the previous year. The a e ed valuation of railroad telegraph, and expre property was $46,- 394,275. In 1901 there were 1,659 post offices of all grades, and 681 periodicals, of which 111 were daily, 2 tri-weekly, 21 semi-weekly, 435 weekly, 1 bi-weekly, 6 semi-monthly, 100 monthly, 8 bi-monthly, and 2 quarterly. The a e ed valuation of all taxable property in 1900 was $1,218,228.588. The total bonded debt Sept. 1, 1900, was $2,281,500, of which $1,526,500 was held in trust for the public schools and $751,000 for the State University. There ‘were also outstanding bonds aggregating $600,000, not included in the public indebtedne because payable out of collections by the harbor commi ioners. Of this - amount the State School Funds held $200,000.; The Governor is elected for a term of four ae and receives a salary of $10, per annum, re se ions are held biennially, beginning on the first Monday after January 1, and are not limited in duration. e legislature has 40 members in the Senate, elected for 4 years, and 80 in the House, elected one: geen each, $1,000. per term. There are 11 Representatives in Congre under the last census. In 1869 the completion of the Central Pacific R. R. advanced the prosperity of the State. From 1870 to 1890 the agitation against Chinese immigration led to the Exclusion Act. In 1906 a disastrous earthquake caused great destruction in San Francisco and other coastal towns. ‘The same year the Anti-Japanese agitation Jed to international representations, and raised the question of State rights as affecting Federal interests, California, Gulf of, or Sea of Cortes, an arm of the Pacific Ocean, separating Lower California from the Mexican mainland. It is 100 miles in length and varies in width from 40 to 100 miles.