xciting election ensued. The main objection urged
against me was that I was a new comer. I had been there only three
days; my opponent had been there six. I beat him, however, by nine
votes.[3]

On the evening of the election, there was a general gathering of
people at the Adobe house, the principal building of the place, to
hear the official announcement of the result of the election. When
this was made, some one proposed that a name should be adopted for
the new town. One man suggested "Yubafield," because of its situation
on the Yuba River; and another, "Yubaville," for the same reason. A
third, urged the name "Circumdoro," (surrounded with gold, as he
translated the word,) because there were mines in every direction
round about. But there was a fourth, a solid and substantial old man,
evidently of kindly domestic affections, who had come out to
California to better his fortunes. He now rose and remarked that
there was an American lady in the place, the wife of one of the
proprietors; that her name was Mary; and that, in his opinion, her
name ought to be given to the town, and it should be called, in her
honor, "Marysville." No sooner had he made the suggestion, than the
meeting broke out into loud hurrahs; every hat made a circle around
its owner's head, and we christened the new town "Marysville,"
without a dissenting voice. For a few days afterwards, the town was
called both Yubaville and Marysville, but the latter name was soon
generally adopted, and the place is so called to this day. The lady,
in whose honor it was named was Mrs. Covillaud. She was one of the
survivors of the Donner party, which suffered so frightfully while
crossing the Sierra Nevadas in the winter of 1846-7, and had been
living in the country ever since that terrible time.

With my notions of law, I did not attach much importance to the
election, but I had a certificate of election made out and signed by
the Inspectors, stating that at a meeting of the residents of the
District of Yubaville, on the day named, an election for officers had
been held, and designating the Inspectors who were appointed, the
number of votes that had been cast for the office of Alcalde, and the
number received by myself, and the number received by my opponent,
and that as I had received a majority of all the votes cast, I was
elected to that office. It was made out with all possible formality,
and when completed, was sent to the Prefect of the District. This
offi