The Sun.
London, England, 1849-01-11 00:00:00

calf; a proper calf indeed it will look when not worth
its weight in veal !
It is clear that the divinity of gold, like that of the
lama, depends altogether upon his shrouding himself.
The moment he is found out, the sources of his being
discovered, and full measure of his abundance taken,
there is an end of his worship. In this, as in other
instances, familiarity breeds contempt. The mere
that is had of him the less is made of him ; and the
moment is measure is taken, not in ingots but in
degrees of latitude and longitude, his decline and fall
are fixed. California, as the French phrase it, is
coming to market in block; men are putting the
valley of the Sacramento in their pockets ; one vaga-
bond picks up a plum before breakfast, another fills a
worsted stocking with gold dust, realising the story
of the golden leg. But these Dead Sea fruits have
not the faculty of keeping, and as they pour into the
market they must turn to ashes by process of depre-
ciation.

It is curious enough,.now that every foot of land in
the neighbourhood of San Francisco has its enormous
temporary value, to turn to Commodore Wilkes's
account of the country before its cession.
Commodore 'Wilkes had the command of an ex-
ploring expedition of the United States in 38-42, a
duty which he performed with admirable ability, being
a man of very superior qualifications. He described
Francisco as the most spacious and best harbour in
the world ; but all the rest was poverty and barren-
ness. The town Yerba Baena consisted of a frame
building belonging to the Hudson's Bay Company, a
store kept by an American, a billiard table, the poop
of a ship occupied as a dwelling house, a blacksmith's
shop, and some outbuildings. This fine town is sur-
rounded by a sterile soil and bare rocks. Such is
one of the principal stations of the El Dorado. The
blacksmith's shop must by this time be changed into
a Storr and Mortimer's.

There is every diversity, it seems, of soil and cli.
mate in California, and the valleys of the Sacramento,
the scene of the gold-finding, and the San Juan, are
mentioned as the richest in fertility by Commodore
Wilkes, who little dreamt at the time that their clods
were gold.
The climate has this peculiarity, that the summer
is colder than the winter.

Even before the discovery of the gold every neces-
sary of life was enormously dear in the country,
trade conducted chiefly by barter, and civilization in
a low state, the upper classes idle and dissipated, the
Indians inordinately addicted to gambling, which
they may now indulge in for stakes of golden pools
instead of bits of rubbish.—Examiner.

SHORT ROUTE TO THE PACIFIC.
A project long contemplated as a vast improvement
in commercial geography is at length on the point of
being realised. An American company is to run
steamers from New York to the Isthmus of Darien,
whence goods and passengers will be conveyed across
to Panama ; from Panama a second line of steamers is
to ply to Oregon and the new El Dorado of Cali-
fornia; and a third from Panama along the coast of
South America to Guayaquil, Callao, and as far as
Valparaiso. A branch line is also proposed from
California to the Sandwich Isles and China.
The enterprise will, it is said, commence in
the present month. The road from Chagres to
Panama across the Isthmus is to be re-
paired and improved by the Government of New
Grenada, from funds supplied by the American Com-
pany; and, in order to encourage trade, this Go-
vernment has exempted vessels frequenting the ports
of the Isthmus from tonnage dues, and has reduced
the duty on imports to one per cent. on assorted car-
goes. This establishment of a regular communica-
tion across the Isthmus of Panama, will do for the
New World what a similar communication across the
Isthmus of Suez has done for the old ; it will consti-
tute an era in the history of commerce, and by
bringing the ends of the earth into juxtaposition,
will have a powerful influence on the progress of
civilization.

The voyage from New York to San Francisco
in California, round Cape Horn, is 17,000 English
miles, and occupies a sailing vessel about five months.
The two voyages from New York to Chagres, and
from Panama to San Francisco, have an aggregate
length of 6,400 miles, and will be performed by
steamers in about 30 days, or in 36 days, allowirg
time for the journey across the isthmus (about 60
miles, over land about 800 feet in height), and for un-
shipping and reshipping. The new line of communi-
cation will be of great advantage to the trade of our
own country. It will reduce the length of the
journey from Britain to Lima and Guayaquil one-
half, and the time two-thirds. And it will benefit the
world by accelerating the settlement and growth of a
great:civilized population on the western shores of
North America. New California, lying betwixt the
parallels of 32 and 42, with a fertile soil, and with the
Pacific on its western side to temper the extremes of
heat and cold, ought to be one of the most desirable
countries in the world.

TRURO ELECTION.
The nomination of a successor to the late Edmund
Turner, Esq., as a representative of Truro in Parlia-
ment, took place on Tuesday, at the Market house, in
that town. At ten o'clock, Humphrey Willyams,
Esq., with his friends, appeared at the northern en-
trance, and Montague Edward Smith, Esq., at the
southern, accompanied by their several friends, with
banners, flags, and bands of music.
The MAYOR requested the usual forms to be gone
through, and subsequently addressing the electors,
said that in consequence of the death of their late
Member, and from a precept received from the sheriff,
which had been read, the electors were required to
elect a fit and proper person to represent their borough
in the Commons House of Parliament. He trusted
they would, and required them to conduct the election
with good temper, order, and in strict conformity
with the law.
G. SI/axons, Esq., said he had the honour to pro..
pose to them Humphrey Willyams, Esq., as a fit and
proper person to represent the borough in Parliament.
He was a townsman, and had spent his whole life
with the electors—their local interests affected him in
common; he was a magistrate, a banker, and a miner,
and, in short, combined in himself all those qualifica-
tions which should be possessed by their representa-
tive. The Hon. Gentleman who was to be named in
opposition was a gentleman, a rising man in his pro-
fession, and was clever; but these did not make of
themselves a fit representative ; further, he was a
stranger to them.—(Cheers.)
Mr. E. MercuELL seconded the nomination.
Dr. CARLTON rose from a sense of duty to propose
an opponent to his friend Mr. lillyams, in the per-
son of Mr. M. E. Smith. The candidate he supported
could scarcely be called a stranger—he was a
brother of a worthy fellow-townsman, and was one
of the ornaments of the Western Circuit, and chiefly
he was a warm and able advocate of Conservative
principles, and well fitted to represent the borough in
Parliament.
Mr. BURROWS seconded the nomination.
HUMPHREY WILLYAIIS, Esq., addressed the elec-
tors. He said—lt has often been my lot on similar
cccasions to the present to appear before you to solicit
your suffrages on behalf of other candidates ; but on
the present occasion I appear in my own proper per-
ton soliciting your interest on my own behalf. It is
much easier to advocate the cause of others than one's
own, and though I feel great embarrassment, yet I
have this consolation, I am not a stranger to one of
you; 1 have always lived among you, and hope to
die in your locality. My manner of life and pro-
fessions are my good advocates, and my principles
of attachment to the constitution, and yetrs
y
liberal tendencies, have been for thirty e
unchanged. The honourable candidate,
i con-
tinuation, regretted to allude thenfluence men of the
exercised at this election by
their coracles
Church of England, who came inu.F?
who danger upheldwhich
fromand told the silly tale that it wid
be dangerous to
%wen By doing so,
trust him (Mr. withWillyams)e
in danger. Why, the
Church was inp fclemrgy
destructive
in
they said the Church would b
her worst enemies—her
own ministers,
nies, and dogmas,wPeorpei sha
likerites,
and ce
their tendency to the
Crown and the Church. By
one voter he had been told that he could not be sup-
use accent was b d
a a emp oyer. He replied
ported because
from Loud
that he did geton ; the voter said,
are no friend to y
" Then you our country." He
would say to the constituency that if
they got a
representative ve from London, instead of
from them-
selves they were no friends to their town.
M. !E. SMITH, Esq., said his • • title to their support
depended on his professions of
tional principles. The business
of the day was not a
personal question, but one of constitutional principle.
He
was opposed to free trade. Proper economy and
retrenchment he fully approved of—not the cutting
up wholesale, but the exercising a proper and rigid
economy in administration. lie was a sincere ad-
vocate of the question of education, and for the
adoption of measures to promote the better recreation
of the working classes. Now, whilst we were en-
joying the blessings of peace, was the time to con-
sider such questions.
On a show of hands being taken,
The MAYOR declared the majority to be for Mr.
Humphrey Willyams. A poll was demanded for
Mr. Smith. A very sharp contest is expected.
" TRURO, WEDNESDAY.—The polling commenced
this morning at eight o'clock. The numbers stood
thus :—At nine o'clock, for Willyams, 86 ; for
Smith, 103. At ten o'clock, for Willyams, 168;
for Smith, 173."

The circulation of forged notes of the Bank of
England appears to be greatly on the increase, and it
would seem they are exceedingly well executed, so much
so as to deceive good judges. It is suspected that the
plates are engraved abroad ; but although the police
and the authorities havo been unremitting in their en..
deavours to trace out the offenders, it 1145 beau laithertg
without UCCE sa.—Neavastle Journal.