settlement of Jamestown by nine years, and that of Plymouth by twenty-two, and has stood during the two hundred and ninety-nine years since its erection not as a cold rock or monument, with no claim upon the interest of humanity except the bare fact of its continued existence, but as the living center of everything of historic importance in the Southwest. Through all that long period, whether under Spanish, Pueblo, Mexican, or American control, it has been the seat of power and authority. Whether the ruler was called viceroy, captain-general, political chief, department commander, or governor, and whether he presided over a kingdom, a province, a department, or a Territory, this has been his official residence.

From here Oñate started, in 1599, on his adventurous expedition to the eastern plains; here, seven years later, 800 Indians came, from far off Quivirato, to ask aid in their war with the Axtaos; from here, in 1618, Vincente de Salivar set forth to the Moqui country, only to be turned back by rumors of the giants to be encountered; and from here Peñalosa and his brilliant troop started, on the 6th of March, 1662, on their marvelous expedition to the Missouri; in one of the strong rooms the commissary general of the inquisition was imprisoned a few years later by the same Peñalosa; within its walls, fortified as if for a siege, the bravest of the Spaniards were massed in the revolution of 1680; here, on the 19th day of August of that year, was given the order to execute 47 Pueblo prisoners in the plaza which faces the building; here, but a day later, was the sad war council held which determined on the evacuation of the city; here was the scene of the triumph of the Pueblo chieftains, as they ordered the destruction of the Spanish archives and the church ornaments in one grand conflagration; here De Vargas, on September 14, 1692, after the eleven hours combat of the preceding day, gave thanks to the Virgin Mary, to whose aid he attributed his triumphant capture of the city; here, more than a century later, on March 3, 1807, Lieutenant Pike was brought before Governor Alencaster as an invader of Spanish soil; here, in 1822, the Mexican standard, with its eagle and cactus, was raised in token that New Mexico was no longer a dependency of Spain; from here, on the 6th day of August, 1837, Governor Perez started to subdue the insurrection in the north, only to return two days later, and to meet his death on the 9th near Agua Fria; here, on the succeeding day, José Gonzales, a Pueblo Indian of Taos, was installed as governor of New Mexico, soon after to be executed by order of Armijo; here, in the principal reception room, on August 12, 1846, Captain Cooke, the American envoy, was received by Governor Armijo, and sent back with a message of defiance; and here, five days later, General Kearny took formal possession of the city, and slept, after his long weary march, on the carpeted earthen floor of the palace. Coming down to more modern times, it may be added that here General Lew Wallace wrote Ben-Hur, while governor of the Territory, in 1879 and 1880.

CAPITOL BUILDING.

A few years ago the beautiful capitol building, located in the south part of the city, was burned, and the Commonwealth has had no official structure except the old palace; but at the present time a new capitol, which will compare favorably with the state houses in most of the States, is in course of construction, and will be ready for occupancy by the time the legislature convenes again.

A LOOK INTO THE FUTURE.

What the future may have in store for the city of Santa Fe only that future will reveal, but is certainly something bright.

With the unrivaled climate, the fertility of the soil in the immediate vicinity, the orchards that are rapidly multiplying, and a constantly growing population, the outlook is anything but discouraging. The business depression that has held back enterprise and development for the past four or five years has given place to an era of prosperity, which is sweeping over the entire Territory. Mining operations are assuming unusual activity, cattlemen are reaping a harvest, and the experiments that have been made in sugar-beet culture are rapidly crystallizing into action looking to the establishment of a large factory here in the near future, and it is certainly within reason to predict a marvelous growth for the city of Santa Fe during the next five years.

SIERRA COUNTY.

Sierra County enjoys the distinction of being out of debt. Its warrants are maintained at par, its resources varied, its people energetic and hopeful, and its outlook for the future bright. It is situated in the south central part of the Territory and has a population of about 6,000. Its area is about 2,376 square miles. The county lies principally in the Rio Grande watershed, which river traverses its entire length, taking up in its course hundreds of lesser bodies of water, which will serve as an important factor in making agriculture and horticulture the leading industries of this section.

MINING.

Among the mining districts of the Territory of New Mexico the Hillsboro gold mines, near Hillsboro, in Sierra County, claim especial attention, from their past and present yield of gold and by reason of those features of recent discovery and development which promise enlarged operation and production.

The annual output of gold, silver, and copper, obtained from quartz veins and from placers, has been about $350,000 for the past few years, or since the mines have begun to be worked at all scientifically and systematically. Of this yield but a small proportion has been taken from the placers, yet the greatest promise of the district lies in these extensive gold fields, and their output was very considerable for some time after their discovery in 1877. The process of working then was to haul the gravel, some 4 or 5 miles, to the Percha River, but only the rich gulches and pockets would justify such expense, and now the water must be brought to the ore. Very recently California experts, after an exhaustive examination of these placers, have recommended to their principals an investment of $600,000 in reservoir and hydraulic works, with confident promise of large profits. The ground is easily shown to contain gold in paying quantities.

There are no vexatious laws to hinder placer mining in this Territory, and in any event these placers do not converge upon any agricultural lands. With certain payment in gold of all revenues and profits it is not likely that these fields will much longer be unworked for want of the capital necessary to raise the water from the stream beds.

The placers proper of the Hillsboro district are comprised in an area of 4 by 6 miles. Of much greater extent is a deposit of auriferous conglomerate known as the Cement Mines. This conglomerate stratum, with its croppings of from 100 to 1,500 feet in width, is distinctly traceable from north to south through Sierra County. With the subjacent limestone it dips to the east, underlying the placers proper, which are in all probability made from its partial denudation and disintegration. Some small fortunes have been made by discovery of and following rich streaks in the conglomerate, but to make available the immense treasures of this deposit larger operations are needed. As in the similar conglomerate reef of South Africa, the ore must be mined and reduced on a large scale to be profitably handled. The average value of the material and the cost of bringing sufficient water to its reduction are matters easily to be ascertained, and with the accelerating pursuit of gold we may expect to soon see these fields assume a national import

ance.

The quartz veins of the Hillsboro district are of the kind known as dike fissures. Igneous dikes course through the surrounding trachyte formation in a general northeast and southwest direction. The ore is