The Sun.
London, England, 1855-02-14 00:00:00

CALIFORNIA.

SAN FRANCISCO, DEC.
The Mail-steamer Sonora arrived last night t, in
13 days, from Panama, bringing dates from .1 Ong_
land to the 18th of November, from New York to
the sth, and from New Orleans to the 6th of 'lbis
month. The steamer Golden Age leaves to-mor-
row morning, with the mails for Panama.
California is this year -visited by ono of its perio-
dical droughts, which has continued so long as to
be called a " water famine." The want of rain is
seriously felt by all classes. The miners are in
many cases idle and poor. The farmers have not
been able to plough or sow, as they cannot "break"
the ground until after the first winter rains ; and
merchants, tradesmen, mechanics, and labourers,
all sutler from the stagnation caused by the short
supply of gold.
There is a little rain to-day, which, it is to be
hoped, will increase. Hitherto we have had a
continuation of summer weather throughout the
winter season, improved by the absence of the
trade winds, which blew in summer, and nothing
can he more healthy or grateful. A dry winter in
California surpasses in loveliness every other
climate.

The long depression of business has caused great
tfghtncss of money among the merchants, as for
some time past they have had to make remittances
without being able to make recoveries ; conse-
quently the rate of discount has advanced to 4 and
5 per cent, per month ; while, on the other hand,
the large amounts of foreign capital arriving for
permanent investment have reduced the interest
of money loaned upon the security of real property
to 2 per cent. per month.

The short supply of gold dust has caused the
price to advance to $l7 .50c. the ounce. Exchange
remains without variation.

Some useful statistics have just been published
here, from which I will extract a few items of general
interest:--

The amount of gold exported, as " manifested"
in the last four years, was $186,684,088, divided
thus: in 1851, $34,492,000; in 1852, $45,779,000;
in 1853, $54,906,956 ; and in 1854, $51,506,132.
This shows a decrease in the present year of
$3,400,824 from 1853, but which is accounted for,
I believe, satisfactorily by the drought of this win-
ter. These amounts, however, give but a very
imperfect return of the gold which really left the
country, as great quantities are carried away
by passengers leaving by every steamer via Panama
and Nicaragua, while considerable sums are also
taken by passengers and remitted, for the purpose,
of commerce, by the masters of sailing vessels des-
tined for the various countries on the Pacific coasts
for the islands of the Pacific, and for China, aid
other countries, which it is not necessary to mani-
fest. Nor do the amounts " manifested" by any
means indicate the production of the mines. To
ascertain this latter fact, we must add to the ac-
count the gold taken away by the miners return.
ing to Mexico by laud, as well as that coined in
San Francisco, that used in the manufacture of
jewellery, &c., and the amounts in circulation and
hoarded in the mines and. throughout the country
generally. These latter amounts exceed the amount
exported, as " manifested." But the population
of miners engaged in extracting gold, and a com-
putation of their earnings, afford the most reliable
data from which to form an estimate of the
productions. The number of miners is pretty
well ascertained to be 100,000. Taking them at
this number, and allowing that each miner ex-
tracts $3 a-day—a moderate estimate—the ag-
gregate amount of gold extracted in the year
(counting working days only) would exceed
93,000,000 dollars, and those persons with
whom I have conversed in the mines and in the
towns who are most competent to form an opinion
estimate this year's production at about 100,000,000
dols. Ido not think this is over-estimated.

Another of our mineral productions worthy of
notice is quicksilver, from the mine of New Alma-
den, situated about 60 miles south of San Francisco.
The shipments in this year were 19,320 flasks, con-
taining in gross 1,449,0001 b., being an increase of
only 39,0001 b. over the export of 1853. The
quantity used in California for the amalgamation
of gold is not great, and as the quartz miners come
to learn their busixess better, they will use less
quicksilver than they do now. This mine is cap-
able of yielding sufficient quicksilver for the con-
sumption of the whole world, but, from ita locality,
and the competition with the Spanish article, which
is better known, its use has hitherto been almost
entirely confined to Mexico, Peru, and Chili, for
amalgamating silver ores, and to China, which
takes a considerable quantity for various purposes.
A shipment of 500 flasks has lately been sent to
New York.

The statistics of commerce, as exemplified by the
arrivals of vessels, do not appear satisfactory, as
they show a decrease from 1853. The total num-
ber of vessels of all nations which arrived in 1854
was 617, of an aggregate tonnage of 407,485, being
6,494 tons less than in 1853. This falling off is
really no loss, for the trade was overdone in 1853
to a greater extent than it has been this year. Of
the arrivals this year, 261 vessels, of 215,822 ton-
nage, were American. Of the foreign vessels 58
were British, with a gross tonnage of 26,013.
A striking evidence of the rapid growth of San
Francisco is afforded b) the large number of
vessels owned and registered at this port. These
amount in number to 631, having a tonnage of
63,423, while there are in addition 23 steamers of
an aggregate tonnage of 23,566, belon,„crino• to other
ports, engaged in the trade of the plac'e'. Alto-
gether there are 80 steamers engaged in the traffic
and in the passenger trade of the port of San Fran-
cisco. This is " going ahead "in four years.
The increase of population by immigration in
1854 is, in round numbers, 50,000 souls, of which
12,565 are Chinese—an accession which
i is con-
sidered far from desirable, owing to the immoral
means of livelihood which they resort to in the
towns. In the mines their conduct is less re-
proachable.
The courts of law of this State have decided that
Chinamen are not eligible as witnesses against " a
white man," and that they are not entitled to
citizenship on the ground that they do not belong
to the Caucasian race, who are alone entitled to
the benefits of naturalisation.
I will detain you with the relation of only two
other classes of statistical facts, which are charac-
teristic, perhaps peculiar to us—viz., fires and
divorces. In the year just past there occurred
throughout the State 37 conflagrations (without
counting small fires), the losses by which are com-
puted at 52,778,500. All these would about equal
one of our San Francisco fires of old. Of the 37
fires 8 occurred in San Francisco, but they were
insignificant, and involved a loss of only $304,500.
The only months of the year which were exempt
from fires were April and October. The other ten
months maintained the character of the country
steadily.
Divorce cases form an important brands of legal
practice here. Of these interesting cases we have
had 38 in the course of this year in San Francisco,
all carried to a successful issue. This in a popula-
tion of 40,000, where the proportion of married
persons is very small, would indicate a " free and
easy " sort of disposition. The oddest thing is
that the divorced persons come together again. I
have known them to be re-married. Divorce cases
are falling off, however, or they are becoming ex-
hausted. The crop was more abundant in the pre-
vious year than in this.
None of the vessels of the Fronck or English
squadrons are here at present, nor do we expect
guy 4... t i.. r - -