The Sun.
London, England, 1849-09-11 00:00:00

that I do not think it necessary to trouble you with
more than a few remarks upon San Francisco, its
commercial capital. This town, which, until the dis-
covery of the " gold diggings," consisted of a few huts
and of one good house (a post of the Hudson Bay
Company) is situated on a slope of a range of low,
bleak, sandy hills on Yerba Buena Bay, one of the
numerous bays comprehended in what is generally
known abroad as the " Bay of San Francisco," and
which is one of the most magnificent sheets of inland
water in the world. " San Francisco Bay," as the
name is generally applied, is a misnomer. The waters
known by that name form an inland sea of many
miles in extent, land-locked, the entrance being nar-
row, of less than two miles in width, and compre-
hending the Bays of San Pablo, Sancelito, San Pedro,
Sinsun, &c., besides a great many creeks. The sea is
studded with islands
; that called Angel Island,
standing opposite to San Francisco, is a bold triangular
mountain, skirted round its base with wood, and sup-
porting herds of wild cattle of a very handsome
breed, and chiefly of
.a white colour. Most of the
other islands are barren> The ,scenary of the
coast is throughout picturesque, and in many parts
grand, but it wants colouring ; the absence of green
for the greater portion of the year imparting to the
entire range a character of sameness that tires the
eye. San Francisco is increasing rapidly by means of
emigration from all parts of Europe and,the Americas,
as well as from China, and all the islands in the Pa-
cific. The buildings are almost all wooden, and are
run up with amazing quickness. The population is
of so shifting a character that it is impossible to com-
pute it. There are constant arrivals from abroad,
and constant departures for the interior to the gold
regions. During the last two months the number of
houses has been doubled.
It is difficult to give a correct report upon trade.
The supply is abundant, but the demand is varied and
uncertain. The trade of this place does not increase
in proportion to the increase of emigration, because a
great many of the emigrants bring goods for sale and
provisions for their own use, besides houses to live in.
The trade of the place is much overdone, and there is
a glut of many goods in the market, the fleet of mer-
chantmen now in the harbiur having brought varied
and large cargoes from all parts, so that a vast amount
of money will be lost by shippers generally.
I had wished to have appended to this letter a
general price current, but from tke fact that no
system of mercantile business
a general price current could nut
gh
ae sn e;eatl
be relied upon. Almost every one here is more or
toarkeunnriofoortm,
less of a merchant just at present. The town is
studded with stalls, tents, " shankies," and tables,
where all the heterogeneous articles of human con-
sumption are vended wholesale and retail at every
variety of price. The tendency of prices is down-
ward decidedly, and great caution is necessary in_
speculating to this market. Goads sent here from
the old established marts of the South Pacific have

for some time back left a loss, and are now selling
at lower rates than they would command in Chili and
Peru. The consequence is that several invoices
lately arrived from Chili are about to be returned, as
not being worth paying dutit s and charges on in the
present depressed state of the market.
Then, again, it is difficult to make up an assort•
ment for this market in its present state. Not only
is the population varied, changeable, and uncertain,
but it is to be remembered that it is not the ordinary
and natural exigencies of a community that are to
be provided for. What must be provided for, in a
great measure, are the desires, whims, tastes, and
caprices of men hitherto unused to wealth, suddenly
enriched by gold digging, carried away by sudden
impulses into a vortex of extravagance and all sorts
of wild indulgences; reckless in their expenditure,
and indulging in luxuries that they formerly knew
only by name. Hence the great demand for cham-
pagne and liquors of the first class, and of preserved
meats and fruits, and other delicacies, which has all
along existed, and which still continues, although the
increased supply has lowered the price. For general
information I quote the prices which I know to have
been obtained for some articles within the last few
days, at wholesale and duty paid :
" Lumber—American pine, 375 dolls. per 1,000 feet;
Swedish pine, 250 dolls, to 275 dolls. ; Chilian lumber,
(Alerce boards, &c.) assorted, 300 dolls. per 1,000 feet.
" Flour, per sack of two quintals (200 lbs. Spanish),
9 dolls.; abundant, but demand improving. Lumber
sold a month ago as high as 400 dolls. per 1,000 feet;
and flour, three months ago, sold as high as 18 dolls. per
quintal.
" Potatoes, the produce of California, 12 dolls. per
quintal (of 100 lbs.); scarce and in demand.
"Hams, 36c. per lb.; mess beet, 1 doll. 50c. per barrel;
abundant, no demand.

" Preserved Meats-16 dolls. to 20 dolls. per dozen.
"Sardines-22 dolls. per dozen in half-boxes.
"Green Peas (preserved)-14 dolls. per dozen.
Cheese (llutch)-350. per lb.
"French prunes, 5 dolls. 50c. per jar of 111 b.
" French brandy (in case), 16 dolls. per dozen. Eng-
lish brandy preferred, but none in cases in the market.
Martell's (English) brandy in cask, 6 dolls. per gallon,
bat difficult of sale, as are all liquors in wood, bottles
being of more convenient carriage to the mines.
" Champagne, 15 dolls. 4c. to 25 dolls. and 30 dolls.
per dozen, according to quality.
"Port—No demand.
"Sherry-1 doll. 37c. to 1 doll. 75c.; moderate demand.
Madeira-2 dolls. per gallon; little demand.
"Madeira in Bottles-3 dolls. 50c. to 4 dolls. 75c. per
dozen.

" Rum (New England)-55c. to 75c. per gallon, ac-
cording to quality.
" 'Whiskey (Monongahalia)-1 doll. 500. to I doll. 75a.
" Gin (Dutch)—ln casts, 6 dolls. per dozen.
" Ale—Bass's, 7 dulls. 50s. per doz'n. Some of
this ale, brought here lately from China, fetched this
quotation.
_ _

" Glasgow Ale—Tennant's and. Baird's, 7 dolls. per
dozen."

All classes of " dry goods" arid ready-made clothes
are so abundant as to sell only at and under cost
prices. Prints realize only Manchester prices in

many cases.

ATI goods for the interior are purchased in San
Francisco, 'and selected to meet the demand in the
Placers or "gold diggins," and the interior market is
rather fluctuating from the wandering habits of the
"diggers," and from its being dependent upon their
" luck" being good or bad.
The American tariff of 1846 is in force, and foreign
vessels pay tonnage dues at the rate of one doll, per
register ton.
All foreign vessels under the burden of 70 tons are
permitted to engage in the coasting trade, and to run
on the rivers which lead to the gold regions. Foreign
vessels can procure a licence from the Custom-house
to enter any of the rivers, but they are not allowed
to return to San Francisco.

In California there is de facto no Government and
no administration of justice. Those establishments
are in a not
tl if not in an unprecedented state.
General Riley is Governor of California, and resides
at Monterey, the nominal seat of Government. Com-
modore Jones is Commander-in Chief of the naval
forces, and has his flag hoisted on board the Warren
frigate, at present in San Francisco harbour; and
General Smith is Commander-in-Chief of the land
forces in California and Oregon,,This
and has his head-
quarters in San Francisco. is array of authority
looks well on paper, but from the desertion of soldiers
and sailors (particularly the former), the arm of
military power is almost powerless. The military
are posted in different parts of the country—a few at
the Presidio of San Francisco, about three miles, and
a half from this, situated near the entrance to the
harbour from the ocean. A small party of men is at
Venicia, and several small parties are pasted at diffe-
rent parts of the Sacramento ri▪
ver, the great highway
to the gold region. All the soldiers are allowed in-
dulgences to preserve their fidelity Those at the
Presidio are permitted to come into San Francisco to
work at all manner of jobs on their own account,
by turns, on leave of absence. They are also
allowed the use of the Government cars and wag-
gons, which they let out on job; while the men
in the interior are allowed furloughs to go to the
placeros, to try their bands at "digging,,, by turns,
the produce of their labours forming a common fund. '
In the absence of legislati▪
ve maasures by the
American Congress for the government of California,
the Administration of the country is attempted to be
carried on by a mixed, and necessarily confused, sys-
tem of Spanish lay::, grafted on American institutions,
which is found impossible to amalgamate and im-
practicable to work. The only semblance of a court
of justice which exists in Francisco that vested in
the office of alcalde. The functions and attri-
butes of this magistrate, if fully carried out according
to Spanish (Mexican) law, are. incompatible with
American notions of civil and criminal jurisprudence
and totally
—inconsistent with free institutions,