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

FORNIA.

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA,ueiiii JULY 2.
So much has of late beea written about California

.• repugnant to the feelings and sentiments of American
citizens. Hence a good deal of bitterness of feeling
has been engendered, and a conflict has arisen between
the alcalde (en American) and many of his fellow-
citizens.
This state of things led to curious but characteristic
proceedings. I will give a short summary of them.
Some months back a public election took place here
by universal suffrage in the widest sense of the term
(for rotes w?re admitted without regard to qualifica-
tion by olzizenship) for the ostensible object of
supplying the district with a Government. Out of
the members so elected has sprung a body styling
itself " The Legislative Assembly of the district of
San Francisco." This Assembly completed its
arrangements by appointing a staff of salaried officers,
such as a " Speaker," " Clerk," " Sheriffs," &c. One
of its earliest acts was to abolish the office of alcalde
on a charge of malfeasance, preferred or alleged
against the officer filling the office. It then called
upon this officer to deliver up the archives of his
office. The alcalde resisted, and applied to General
Riley, the Governor. The General remitted the case
to a committee of a few of the citizens to investigate
the charges. This committee, instead of following
the General's instructions, recommended the abolition
of the office. The General, not considering himself
justified in according his concurrence with the
recommendation of the committee, on the ground
that the country must remain under Mexican law
until Congress abolishes it, and substitutes another
constitution, the matter dropped for a time. By and
bye the Assembly renews its demand on the alcalde,
which he for soma time evaded compliance with.
At length the Assembly brought the affair to
an issue by sending its sheriff, with a posse, who took
possession of the records vi et armis. The alcalde
showed fight on the occasion by presenting a loaded
pistol, which, as he told me, he always kept at hand,
" as au auxiliary in the dispensing of j ustice ' from the
judgment seat, and threatening to fire at any one who
touched his " papers." The sheriff had anticipated
him. He presented a six-barrelled revolver at the
head of the magistrate, when the latter, as he expressed
himself the next day, " seeing his chance of the first
shot to be lost, gave up further resistance." The
sheriff and his satellites possessed themselves of what
books and papers they thought might be the records
of the office, and carried them away to the " Hall of
the Assembly," where they remain locked up and in-
accessible to the public. The dethroned alcalde pre-
ferred a second complaint in person to the Governor at
Monterey, whereupon a proclamation was issued re-
pudiating the conduct of the " Assembly, on the
ground that its members had " usurped powers which
are vested only in the Congress of the United States."
This proclamation and a counter address from the As-
sembly you will see in the Alta California of the 14th
of June, which I forward by this mail. The alcalde
has, after a short interregnum, resumed his functions.
He has opened a new set of records for land title-
deeds, and for other judicial and notorial proceedings
passed in his office. He expected to have had his re-
cords restored during General Riley's stay here for a
few days last week ; but he told me two days ago
that, on the General's return to the seat of Govern-
ment, the Assembly had become "refractory" and de-
clined to part with them.
The proceedings of the Assembly are naturally the
subject of a good deal of comment. Some persons
remark that its functions, or rather its seltassumed
functions, are monstrous. They are certainly ano•
melons, to say the least. Some of their edicts are of
an imperial charater—such as we see issue from a
supreme legislature in the old countries of Europe,
while others of their " acts " are of a municipal cha-
racter. They passed a " revenue law," under the
date of the 24th of May last, whereby they impose
duties as follow :—Upon auction sales, a duty of l i
per cent. up sn the amount of sales : upon all mer-
chants, traders, and tavernkeepers, 200 dolls. a year,
payable quarterly in advance; upon hawkers and
pedlars, 600 dolls. a year, payable monthly in ad-
vance; upon billiard-table keepers, ten-pin alley
keepers, and other gambling house keepers, 180 dolls.
a year, payable monthly in advance. The merchants
and others above designated were very hostile to this
measure; but what with bullying some and cajoling
others, " smartness " enough has been displayed to
collect a very respectable " contribution" out of the
inhabitants, which goes to pay the necessary expenses
of the Assembly in devoting themselves to the interests
of " the people." It is likely that the reign of this
august body, however pleasant it may be, will soon
be at an end.

In the absence of a constitutional and universally
acknowledged and respected Government, of an
effective military force, of legally appointed tribunals
of justice, of municipal authorities, of a militia, and
of a police, it would be naturally supposed that this
country was in a state of anarchy, confusion, and
disorder, if not of riot, rapine, and bloodshed. This
is far from being the case, however extraordinary the
assertion may appear. Merchandise of all sorts, fur-
niture and liquors, are exposed in the streets, on the
beach, in open yards—in short, all over the town,
owing to the want of warehouse room for storage, and
remain (except in very few and solitary instances)
untouched by the hands of the robber and the thief.
There are few crimes or misdemeanours of a public
character committed, and until lately the general re-
marks in San Francisco were—" How very quiet the
place is." " Walk were you will of a dark night, and
alone into the most lonely spots, and you are un-
molested." " How peaceable the people." And
" What security is felt with such unprecedented op-
portunities for the commission of all sorts of out-
rages." The Americans unriddle the enigma by the
fact that the American people are well accustomed to
self-government—" they govern themselves, and never
see at home any display of authority over them."
The only exception to the above general character
of good order which is worth citing, is that of the
II conduct of about 50 young men, most of them dis-
banded volunteers, the scum of the cities of North
America, and who are known by the generic term of
"Rowdies," and by the more peculiar cognomen of
"Hounds," which they delight in, who, infesting the
taverns and gambling houses all day, where they are
generally drunk or muddled, get up " sprees" at
night, by passing practical jokes upon the inhabitants
which are in most instances ill-natured and brutal.

The value of real property has risen beyond com-
putation in San Francisco, and rents have kept pace
with the advance of real estate as a natural conse-
quence. A lot of land which was offered a year ago
to a friend of mine for 1,000 dolls , and which he re-
fused as being over-valued, sold in three lots within
the last four mouths for 28,145 dolls. cash. Instances
such as this are common.

A house built this year, which cost about 40,000
dolls., was let a few days ago to a tenant for one year
at the rent of 40,000 dolls.; thus returning the capital
invested in one year ; besides that the owners have oc-
cupied the house for some monthsback themselves. A
year ago the house in which I am now writing was let
for and after the rate of 50 dolls. per annum ; it is now
rented at 1,800 dolls., and will fetch vary soon a good
sum over and above the present rent. The value of
houses may be judged from the enormous price of
lumber which I have quoted in the first part of this
letter. _ _ _

Labour is very high. A common porter gets 7
dolls a day wages; a labourer, 5 dolls.; a carpenter
or other workman (tradesman), 8 dolls.; a journey-
man, 12 dolls., and if a competent hand to superintend
a job, as high as 16 dolls. a day ; a cook or steward
gets 150 dolls a month ; sailors, 6 dolls. a day for
Jobbing about the harbour, and 150 dolls. a month
regular pay for a voyage.
Provisions, almost all of which consumed in the
place are of foreign growth (except beef and a little
inut'on) are high in proportion
Butter, 2 dolls. per lb. ; milk is 500. a quart, and
scarce ; eggs are very scarce, and worth at a cafe 3
reals each (Is. 21. sterling). All the vegetables used
are preserved, except a few potatoes, which come
from Bodega and Ross on the coast. Agricultural
operations are almost entirely suspended from the la-
bourers having engaged in gold digging.
Towns are springing up all over the country, as
will be seen by the advertisements in the newspapers
which I send by this mail.
There are now in the bay 103 sail of merchantmen,
of which 89 are American, 22 Chilian, 9 British, 7
Danish, 6 French, 4 Hawaiian, 4 Otahitian (Protec-
torate flag), 3 Mexican, 3 Peruvian, 2 Hamburgh,
1 Spanish, 1 Bremen, 1 Ecuador, and 1 Portuguese,
besides a fleet of small craft engaged in the navigation
of the rivers San Joaquin and Sacramento and the
inland waters of the bay.
Her Britannic Majesty's ship Inconstant, Captain
Sheppard, returned to this port on the 14th of June,
from a month's cruise to Vancouver's Island. She
brought but little news from that distant quarter.
Coal was being worked on Vancouver's Island to
supply the American steamers plying between this
place and Panama. The Oregon people had suffered
molestation from the hostile Indians, which led to a
recent encounter, in which several of the latter fell.
The Inconstant did not enter the Columbia River.
While she was lying at Whale rs' Harbour, an an-
chorage situated on the opposite side of this bay,
about seven miles west by north of San Francisco, at
which vessels usually take in water, she lost one man
by desertion. The day previous to her making the
bay one of her men died from sickness. On the ves-
sel's anchoring, a Lieutenant's party was sent on
shore to bury the body in a promontory close by the

anchorage, and while all were intent listening to
the burial service one of the men slipped away from
behind a bush, where he was allowed to go fur the
purpose of cutting a couple of twigs to mark the
boundaries of the grave. One of the midshipmen
and
otherhe
day,wa s
'be
sgeaevne nen hma suer, e but. o tnh et h sea
vi leoara a orua t rraent hr
return
mt
the men were sent on shore to water the ship, bat
none attempted to escape. When on duty, in con-
veying the officer to San Francisco some ten days
ago to receive specie, the boat was guarded by two
officers well armed. Immediately on landing the
purser the boat shoved off, and lay some dis-
tance from the shore. By means of these precau-
tions no more men were lost a great novelty, as
all vessels lose their men by desertion in this port.
The Inconstant took in 130,000 dolls. in gold dust,
and sailed direct for Valparaiso on the 24th of last
month.
Several merchant vessels have lately left the port,
and there is now no difficulty in procuring sailors at
150 dolls. a month.
Gold dust, which is at present rather scarce, fetches
15 dolls. 50c. per ounce troy, and is taken at 16 dolls.
per ounce in payment for goods. News from the
" gold diggins" encourage the hope that, during the
present and next month an abundant harvest will be
reaped, as the rivers are now getting low, which will
enable the " diggers" to pursue their labours on the
" bars," always the most profitable " locations."
With regard to the gold region, which is now ex-
citing aninterest all over the world, I cannot give a
better account than can be gathered from the following
extract, with which a friend has favoured me from his
journal, kept during his journey into and his residence
in the interior. This gentleman is a scientific and
practical miner, at present engaged with a party of
14 men on the Juba River, and his information may
be relied on :
" Starting from San Francisco, you cross the bay of
the same name to the leeward of Angel Island, enter the
Bay of San Pablo, and proceed up the Straits of Carquen
to the new town of Benecia, where you enter the Bay of
Susan (which I think is ' Freshwater Bay of B.:echy),
about twenty-five miles north-west of San Francisco.
After passing the Bay of Susun (into which the Sacra-
mento empties itself) the river runs in a northerly direc-
tion for about fifteen miles through a low marshy
country. At this point the river forms two branches—
one the main branch running a little to the eastward;
and another called the Sleugh, or Sluice. This latter is
generally the one taken by boats, as it cuts off about
eighteen miles of a bend which the main river forms,
the country between the branch and the main stream

forming an island of considerable extent, thickly wooded
and full of lakes and swamps formed by the over-
flowing of the river. The banks, upon entering the
Sleugh, become bold and woody on both sides, the
principal timber being white oak of an inferior kind, the
sycamore, and a kind of bastard beech. The gramens
which I noticed upon this river are the wild tare, the
lichen, and various species of trefoil. The earth is of a
sandy alluriel character, with a sub, strata of black clayey
mud. The banks of the river abound in deer and elk,
hares and rabbits. Of the feline tribe I have noticed only
one, killed by one of my men, of the small panther spe-
cies. Grizzly bears, of a large size, are numercus. The
ornithology of this part of the country is very peer and
of very little variety, with the exception of the aquatic
birds. Ducks, geese, the cormorant, and the stork are
very numerous. The land birds noticed by me woe the
raven, the common crow, the jar falcon, and the white
hawk, besides a species of mocking bird with a blue
plumage. I have also noticed One species ot humming
bird of the dwarf kind, with very beautiful red and green
plumage Rattlesnakes abound on the banks of the river,
although they are said not to be so venomous hue as in
the warmer regions. There are also several species of
red and black streaked snakes, but they are perfectly
harmless. The water abounds with salmon and trout of
an excellent quality.
" After passing the Sleugh, the riser (Sacramento)
makes a bold sweep almost due north, its width going
about a quadra and a half (about 120 Dade) Follow-
ing this direction, you reach a place called the Russian
Einbareadera, where the Russians formerly had an
establishment for trading with the Indians. The fes-
tut es of the banks of the river continuo the same, with
a flat fertile country in the back ground, covered with
flowers of every description, and amongst the numerous
bulbous plants I noticed some of the lily species, very
largo and beautiful. These plains are bounded on each
side of the river by a range of mountains at a distance
of about 26 or 30 miles, those on the west side being
low and apparently wooded. Those on the eastern side
consist of two distinct ridges, ono apparently of secon-
dary formation, from which the auriferous rivers de-
scend; and beyond this the Grand Snowy Ridge, or
Cordillera of the Sierra Nevada, which as yet has been
but little explored.
" On the eighth day after leaving San Francisco we
arrived at the new town called the Disembarcadera,
situated near the junction of the Rio de los Americanos
(American River) with the Sacramento. The banks
here continuo to maintain the same features as already
described. At this point, leaving the larger vessel (a
launch or barge), I proceeded up the river in a whale
boat, to a distance of about 55 m:les, where the river is
joined by another of its tributaries, called Feather River.
This river, which runs in a direction nearly due east,
from the mountains to the Sacramento, is a broad, deep,
rapid stream, its banks rather bolder than those of the
other river, but presenting the same geological and bo-
tanical features; and it is singular to remark that none
of those rivers, in their course towards the ccean, roll
any stones, and I believe but little gravel, along
with them. No stones are to bo found on the banks,
the only thing approaching to them being tosca,'
a petrifaction of sand. The only shells found on
the banks are a few bivalvula, or fresh water
mussel. Proceeding up Feather River to a distance
of about 50 miles, you come to the junction of the
Yuba (or Juba'), the banks of which are covered with
wild grapes. At this point I left the boats on account
of the rapidity of the current, finding it too laborious to
pull against the stream. I crossed a valley on horse-
back for about 15 miles, the whole of which is a magni-
ficent country, fertile in the extreme, covered with
clumps of wood which reminded me of a park in Eng-
land; the weather, although only the end of April, un-
commonly hot, the thermometer standing at 90 degrees
in the shade at mid•day; but the evenings and mornings
remarkably cool and pleasant. After passing the plain
I began to ascend the Alpine region. Hero the face of
nature changed suddenly, the vegetation being confined
principally to the pine and dwarf beech, and a small
shrub of the myrtle species, being a hard iron-wood with
which the Indians point their allows. The ground here
is of a red manly clay, and contains gold even to the
summit of the hills, which are interspersed with
large crags and rocks. The river to which you de-
scend to get into what is called the ' placers,' or gold
washings, is a rapid dangerous mountain torrent,
running between bold banks of crags and rocks, from the
sand accumulated amongst which the gold is wa.licd out.
As yet mining has been done in a very imperfect manner,
by the adventurers who first flocked to these regions,
and who, finding gold so abundsnt on the surface, gave
themselves little trouble, and did not care to penetrate into
the bowels of the earth. The gold runs in a regular strata,
forened, in my opini m, by the alluvial deposit from the
neighbcuring hills, during a lapse of ages, and, as a na•
tural consequence, arising from the gravity of the metal,
the sub-strata is infinitely richer than that upon the
surnsce. I am at present (June, 1819) working at a
place on the Juba where the gold has already been
taken from the surface, and I find, that the deeper I dig
the richer the earth is. As a proof that this gold is all
alluvial (or brought down by the river), it is found in
treater quantities at a bend where the river forms a bar.
I have also observed that where the hills on the sides of the
river are bold and precipitate, the auriferous deposit is
generally greater than where they run in a gentle slop:.
As yet I have seen no veins of gold in these mountains,
but a specimen of gold imbedded iu a matrix of white
quartz was shown to me, said to have beer brought
from the Snowy Ridge. It was exc.'ediagly rich, the
greatest part of the stone (ore) being pure gold, und
weighing about 41b. Troy.
" That the beds of these rivers contain incredible
riches I have little doubt, because, after the freshets cc-
oes:oned ley the melting of the snow are reduced, and a
part of the course of the stream is left dry, the earth
dug out is much richer than that found up the banks;
which is easily accounted for, as the principal bed of the
river receives the auriferous deposit from all the bills
which it passes from its source, whereas the higher
banks can only be enriched by the gold washed down
from the nearest mountains.
" Although there has been much exaggeration in the
statements will regard to the gold in California which I
had seen previous to my arrival in this country, never-
theless its riches appear almost incredible, and I have
much hesitation in stating the quantities of gold which I
know persons to have washed out in a very short time.
I will confine myself to the fact which has come underon
my own personal observation, that a man whharm
bowl,
washing-pan, which is merely a round de
containing about the fourth part of a bushwelo of earth, in
u to two
ounces of gold—ol pure
six or seven hours' labour obtainsfrom no
gold, too; and this the men
under my direction are actually doing.
been got out ot the
gold washings of Chili or I eru, by a regular routine of
labour.ing.Let me remark
that this is a sum which has, never
at their highest pitch of fertility since the Con-
vest."
Here my friend's journal goes into business parti-
culars and calculations, which I omit. his remarks
on the Indians are interesting, and I will, therefore,
give them
:
The Indians (I believe some writers have called
them root diggers ') in the distiict ‘,l here I am at pre-
sent working are a quiet, peaceable, and timorous race,
and appear to me to be about the rudest' and most uncul-
tivated of all hum en beings. Their colour is a dark
copper, they are small of stature, the formation of the
head and features evidencing than to be of Asiatic
origin. They generally go armed with bows and arrow},
but have a great dread of a white man and firearms.
they go perfectly nakc d, except the women, who wear
a very primitive covering, much like that of our first
mother, and which is merely a small bunch of rushes
secured round the middle by a thong of the same frail
material. They are very ill-featured (both sexes),