The Express.
London, England, 1848-12-26 00:00:00

THE GOLD FINDERS OF CALIFORNIA.

Reports al vast quantities of Gold lying almost on
the surfers of the soil of the mealy ceded territory et Upper
C ilifornia, reaching this country through tee United States,
where ft is well known the figure of kyr. thole S garish.' In
the blithest piesibli monition, have been scarcely eredned.
It would appear, however, that In ibis imtance, Brother
Jonathan bee nut taxed our terseiity upon a beeches fabric.
The accounts el men rued. width, in a week—of, In shot,
gold got for the digging, or even for tn. scraping. although
pou.ibly exaggerated, are not, it would seem, without sums
feundation.
A castes:Toney publisces a letter u from a private
eirreopundeut, which is dated from San Blas on Sept. 28,
1848. It gives a more glowing account co the onfie trea-
sures even than that of our own tut irritant :
t' At the distance of ons-third of the circumference of the
globe from the capital of the Britteh empire, an event hes
occurred before whir reality the fabli• o aotiquity vanish
into feeble fm icings. The sands to lb. Psetolm have long
ceased to he gulden; the mince of Mexico !hardly ply the
working them; but in the but and eleng die banks of the
Sacramento, the virgin ore waits but to be gathered in an
abundance at present not to be minuet. d Lomps of pore
gold have brae picked up, each large reemeb to make a
diadem. The man who in the morning puesesed nag mo-
perty but his Ira or, no imamate is but his utiniciated
hands, before eight saw himself the umber of more wealth
then years of l boor in any other ninutry it the *or id could
have procured him. inn in a few days he b came rich, and
it he ahem, independent.
"la the present short and unexas rated aecount, the
writer, whose intormation was obtained on the meet in the
month of September, hes been careful to eoutioe hes ace-..unt
to such o curretwes as may be tidied ..n an eu•hr utic, and has
not stated several, which, though perteet:y trot, woold not
at present obtain credit in ff.:gland, bow vit well at-
tested.
The bay and town of Ban Prentice) ere situated in the
north-western portion of Upper Cili•conia, and due:, the war
between the Vetted States and Meeker have tarn token pe-
wiesion of by the former country, to which, by recent treaty,
Upper California hes been entirely ceded. The country is
so fertile, and peones. so many fine ports, that, op to the
spring of this year, nuestien of cue rearms had arrived serum
the Rocky Menatains with the übje-t making a permu-
te. rettlemect. Already many Inmate had be ve built in
San Fruit-Leo, and everything b-gun swum, the appear-
ance of growing preaperity, coreequent on the nalleatuat of
a hitherto neglected cannel by en inrln+!riuus and enterprisi
log race. From these eircumetaiicee it was eaey to foresee
tae rapid growth and lecrease of populsuen.
"Much was the state of affairs when an nnk)-ked.in•
et:turned acted like an el ctrio shock on the mind" and
pursuits of the inhabitants. Families were suddenly left,
former employmenis thrown aside, h, men I vashen, ships
de sorter,; and at this moment, frum every roarer to which
this news has spread, those who wood' be rich with sped
and little labour—those who having uothuivleeire to primes,
something, sad those who having ereeth de.iire more,
are preemies onwards to the happy spot. • the excitement
lies very properly obtained the ligrile of the ' golden fever;
it has spree. to the remote islands of the Pantie. and along
toe woweni coast of the continent ; the idle and the covetous
are waking Awn their dreams and schooling. to hurry to
this the onlyorais Credo.'

.sATITZ ram The -on of this unbounded eafirceno-t ma; be
ing of the Royal Asiatie Society, Prof Wilson read • p.p., shortly rscoanted. In the spring of this leer some settlers
relative to the program solicit boa test made of late yi dr• were ezeavatiag a will:race in the mix hboarhood of the
by that pinion of the swim Indian minting press which is Si.raniento, a river about thirty miss tti the north of Sit.
wholly meoeneeted with Eansierins, either es "Wen -r Francisco, suet its rise in the Csliforniut mountain, and
patrons. He observed that the sataltlishment cif a pew in nsvigable foe bosh; 'boot one hundred Mies. Itfalh into the
&legal was a dreamless of 90 old a date that it wee no e sea in the bay of Sen Pah o, es do also two other rivers, the
trainman knows, theegh the midis nor Afilfelgy imam a. can Joachim nod Jesus Maria. In the coarse of their week
what extent its *pasties had been maltiplied. Re wield they met wit,. several pieoes of heavy yellow-coloured metal,
niggly say that in the city of Calcutta Ste rs cote which, being of a suffinieotly peculiar hater*, to excite
, plated is POnillO or Riedesteal, Rine is the curiosity, mere speedily dirovered to be gold of great
=s of and two Mlngllsh,—edited by natives; sad that purity. Pee eme time they preserv,d the secret,t, sad ere
of Mow. the Bhopooot, and of other celebrated 'apposed to ham gsthcred • very consolerahls• quantity be-
weelftee well as a hot 01 'satin aed Ins respectable ;nth fore it erimpired As length an Indian surprised them
&glom Is the hasoi , lied boos prodeeed there while isesepied ia marching, and although tb y endeavoured
M Mae@ dpriests • One of the wear it it• to divert his sues son, and detained him for smne time, he
*am it see Acmes of prejudice la India, was the acquainted hi. tribe, by warm wane it *got become known
being d Ilhalasteal tesaslatimis of the Zone, whir.'. in the outatry. Such sit unheard-of cirmai•tonee cau•ed
the Meamen, eon the see of Mohammed, had laid net surprise end sems curiosity, but • ntw keying hied for
to be toe holy le admit of translation, bat which theme lves, sad haring b. oeme mod sctietac only convinced
taut be reed and stated in the origiaal teat sine of in teeth, all other liar vita were abandoned, and all hands
A peopeities Erb Sher years ego to prepare a translation beamed to the diggings '—the esortnnye, hut indexed,
ed the volume wet aced by the doctors of name given to the told country. In the c•urre of three
Ladle; but as des waft elms more than ems Rindenani month., 4,000 peop'e collected, digging earl scraping early
version were is the binds of the Kohatareeden peettlation. and late
TM activity al the mho, mese if India, holm Iry gene- " Orte meals one day 'fathered gold to the value of 1601.
rally known, ems anntisned more fa dem& The plotters merliog, sad thouelt this re a eimiula c.ot, y..t the canna..
of Delhi have been the asset forward in the week of pulsars- wages offer. dis 31. 41. per day, with subsistence to any men
Lion. They haws Mae/ translations of 11M's " who *ill dot tor a certainty in prefer. oc• to working t4e
gotratkof." of 11PNaartitten's "In ilea and Mobanievdao speculation on his own aneunt ; het this is sham( union..
Law," of Dr Royle's " Productive Reriuress uf India." of • 1., rejected ; for every one is discuatented with his 'ley%
Arnottb "Elemeets of Natural Rudy'," end of soyesal labour, and remove to snot' er port of his diggings, Yrt.t
systems of algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and of the di.- dose not pick up to the nine of hum 61. Si. a day. On,
Meath' and integral eaculas Thy have also produced deadens.. who employed deb- Inenns cleared in flame days
translation at several English hist Ideal works. Rarer. 3101. y col , and 1801 by merchandise : in atl 5004. A
literature, too, has bail Its share of attention, evinced by lb- blanket that oet 16e. sold for more than All , end even now
editions, or Riodootoni tramlations. a the "Life of Third.," they sednig wholesale in Saw Frain:i.e.) for 31. a pair.
of "The Thousand aid Oat Nights," of puts of Abolteitc, Umie kninii, worth trim Bs. to IA. situ, sold for 121. ster-
ol the abridged "Snch Numb: mid of celebrated actin mg. Another searcher in four weeks made 1,2001. One
treatises on setrononty said seathenstiee—as well as by the nun left, rifler a tew days. ewllceting, srkh ggps. weight of
issue of sassy elementary monks, eh.. wing the activity or etc !V', end another i 4 magi O 3 have Wilt down 125!bs.
native publisners, and calculated to spread useful keowlotiste " Mercoasts were offering sramen as much at 154 per
among the people of Upper India. A Persian MB. list of to. atonal, which wes refused, sines is the lasoehes mployol in
books published in Delhi sod Birelly, with an Boglial• aiming goods and pessengors to and fro, the men get 301.
tranelati a, by Mr. Doman, was laid before the eurelue ; per moth, and the masters 801, but men at this rate they
sod from this it appears that at the oldest pram, which tat . till not work more then two or three voyages daring 'the
established at Delhi in 1837, beside. a newspaper, oetwe. n nekly season, no remuneration being sufficient to keep tn. to
seventy and eighty works had bees pirate", amoeg w.. .atomthoi "fist, of gold." A.l thin time, when man)
were Meet editom of the IL•snla (one of which COWS:, 41 have .eft the ey.r duraig tho prevalence cf toner, the cum.
the Arable text, es well as ths Urdu tren•lation),—edmons IGOOlot workunu get from 244. to 12t. a day, Arta At the SEW
of the " Gulistan," in Persian and Urdu, the " Bash of ot seat smooth, *hen the healthy time recommences, one

sad all will be off to the harvest. The merchant eerie
lie neglected in Yi :be Buena Say ; in one Jonsson all
bends, without exception, deserted, leaving the master,
who was also fortunately the owner of the vessel (the
Janet, English barque) to billow their szal.
The very earth for some distance throughout the
neigh-
bourhood Se impregnated with geld cut, but this hi
thrown aside as not worth the lab.= of washing. A
cese is mentioned in the hied paper, that • five keels of
earth whisk had been dug oat sad sold for 1601., yielded,
after washing, 4,0061.'
" A knife was the ealy metruntent used by the early
eIOITAtOni to Collect the preemie misers), and cue gentle-
man, being somewhat fatigued, sad left trebled for a ihort
time by his companions, lay down sad *abetted the one with
kis rani& ; the later Matins afterwards used pick and
'hovel, and these are as yet the only assistants to human
strength employed. The earth was rinsed and separated
from the metal in baskets or ha pans; sad now a kind of
rude trough or cradle is used, having a double end with
larger and smaller orifice.
The gold is found in three forma--greauland of the
size of medium gunpowder, and mixed with iron ; in email
scales or laminar of from one ei. hth to one-twelfth of an inch
is diameter ; and in solid lumps of from halt an ounce to
4fts. is weight, which last is the heaviest I know, though
sassy mach larger are spoken et The latter form le fre-
quently found adhering to the rooks in the bed of the river,
sad many Liao pines have beim gathered as one would p.
their limpets from the crevices and holes left dry at few
water.
Up to the middle of September the quantity known tube
to the v.lue of 660,0001., and toffs does not in-
=ilireed Is
sesiderable amounts of which no account could be
obtained. It Is confidently believ ol by the best informed
that the outskirt only of the peat geld region has been
tou'lled on ; more than one benne has happened of men
who had enimantered the Alai, g substance in their perm'
westward urns the mountains, and viewed it with indiffer-
ence as some valueless substance, but who quickly retraced
their steps on hearing it to be gold. The Mormons,
driven b persecution frost their native country, have been
among the most conaileiralge Own. The entire extent of
country abounding in this amassing wealth is considered to
be considerably underrated at 600 square miles, and the
depth to which it extends Is of course entirely unknown.
The Indians inhabiting the district freely give its weight in
gold fur a silver dollar.
" Of the state of a society gathered frets all ratty and com-
posed of men of filmy nation it is difficult to speak ; hitherto
the unbounded gratifies:ion of the strongest of the peados;
the love of gain, has prevented the development of the led
freangs of such a motley community, and but few cans of
outrage have yet occurred ; but in the absence of competent
legal power or regular authority this state of things cannot
be expected to continue, and the arrival of ?rester number,
in the next year will probably give rise to commotion.
Gamblirg, under the form of inotite, the universal game of
the south-west continent, is carried on to a peat extent, and
gold to iii value of 91. has been given for two bottles of
brandy."
As a sedative to all this intoxicating information, we
quote from the New York Jountalof Commerce, which warns
persons from Wog canted away by all they hear from the
newly Convent Dorado: "The production of gold in
Calitunia is so abundant, it is said here, that it will east
the market value of that mineral. Such an ideals, however,
very idle. It appears from all the accounts that it seats
searly as much to produce the gold in California at present
as It is worth—labour, provisions, and utensils being extrs-
vegeatly dear. Labour is from 10 dollen to 20 dollars per
day,
_eserediett la meat of the accounts. Oold is no doubt
preflased mesh draper in the Ural Mountains than it ever
will be in California. The richness of the turbos indications
lards no test of the value of the mines. Where gold is
head in boulders there le generally but little below the ear-
ism. A lamp of gold was found in North Conlin', some
yeses age, that was worth 20,000 dollen. A New York
campus, bought the lead where It was found at a high
pries. They spent 40.000 dollen in sinking a shaft, sad
never obtained but three pennyweights of gold. The plate
was abandoned, and has never been worked since."
The effect which the accounts of California already pub-
lished will have on mired a are thus predicted in a letter
in the Washington Thum, of Dee. 3. The writer, It will be
seen, also draws a glowing pismire of the gains of the " gold
finders." His reccommendadcm of establishing a mint in the
midst of the scene of wealth bee been adopted by the United
Sates goo. mount. The epistle is dated Monterey, in AIM
California, Sept. 10 :—" It is cakulated that over 2,000,000
dollars aro taken oat of the mines in grain gold per month,
and this nun will be more than quadrupled another season.
This grain gold is now shipped off in large quantities to
Mexico, Chili, and Pete where it will be opined under the
insignia of those re
insignia and lost to the metallic basis of
our own circulating medium. This gold can be secured to
our own currency only by a mint. Such an institution will
bring this grain gold at once to its intrinsic value and sustain
it there and save the poor emigrants, who get it out of the
earth, then,
the hands of speculators. It will do more to
cherish and sustain emigration than the appropriation of mil-
lions for ordinary purposes. and will at the same time swell
immensely the aggregate of oar national coin.
" The need of the emigrant column for the year has
already reached California; they will pour themselves in
mme into the mines. There will also be a large emigration
from Orogen, and also from the Sandwich lobate; and there
will be a heavy tide over the isthmus, as soon ea the steam-
ers are on their destined track. When the wealth of these
gold mines is really known and believed in the United States
there will not be waggons and steamers enough that can be
to bring the emigrants here. Ton are now ail inert.
clout; you regard oar statements as the dreams of an ex-
aifed imagination : bat what seems to you mere &lion is
stern milky ; it is not gold in the clouds or in the sea, or in
the centre of rock-ribbed mountain, but in the soil of
California--eparkling in the sun and glittering In its
streams. It lies on the mum plain, in the shadows
of the deep ravine, and glows oa the summit of
the mountains, which have lifted for ages their Osten core-
net to beano. As an evidence of the facility with which it
is procured, let one or two fasts suffice. Every sailor that
sow ships from a port in California gets his 60 dollen per
month, and but very few can be procured at these wages.
An offs, of 100 dollars a month would be rejected by dee-
med's of those now see in the mines. They consider
thi it labour there gooier 80 dollen a day, and it often
realises them more. Even the poor Indian, when you talk
of hiring him, *bakes bis bag of gold in your eyes. The cum-
sequence is, we have no hired labourers—no servants ; every
man must black hie own boots. Tab is a practical demo-
cram—no theory—no talking &buil equality ; we an all on
a level by tkat great low of circumstances which no one can
surmount. The rounds of roar Wider, ilia true, are of gold ;
but your neighbour's ladder TIM bot as high."