The Sun.
London, England, 1851-12-06 00:00:00

6, 1851.

[PRICE SD.

CALIFORNIA.
We extract the following summary news from a San-Praneisco
• T been
last fortnight has paper
eof Californian
and
if
Californian unusually barren of
exciting news;
eboentinues in the com-
mon-place way she has done for t
generally believed, we fear that the 101331; month,
asis
mar-
vellous and the startling, on the Atlantic
to think that we have sown our wild
e:ids eo,fwtihllebeginjuvenile vastly
now settled down into sober, staid manhood,s'and are
escapades.
wiser and better from our late
Which
indays of
The deeds of high empri.se,'
yore used to fill the columns of our steamer
redounding to the glory or shadowing forth the n2Peiosihrs,
tunes of. our city, have entirely ceased; and tho c'l;
extra animation we have evinced of late, apart fromn -
that usually consequent on our every-day energy and
enterprise, was but a reflection of the excitement oc-
casioned in other parts of the Union by the reports of
the unfortunate expedition to Cuba. Great hauls,
beautiful specimens, now and extensive diggings and
quarts discoveries, together with wharf 'and city im-
provements, massive fire-proof buildings of brick,
iron, and stone, and increased facilities for locomo-
tion by land and water now absorb public attention, to
the exclusion of dreadful conflagrations, daring rob-
beries, and summary hangings. The Vigilance Commit.
tee is no longer needed ; and, as a consequence of this
state of things, business is resuming its wonted activity,
and the busy hum'of industry is heard in every city
and village on the banks of every river, along the
slope of every mountain, and in the depths of every
gulch and valley. The Southern Convention for the
division of the State is to be held on the 20th instant,
Those favourable to the project have at length united
on Santa Barbara as the place where the delegates are
to assemble. San Diego, Les Angeles. San Luis
Obispo, Monterey, Santa Cruz, San Joaquin, and
other counties have elected their delegates. Several
addresses have been published in support of the move-
ment. The principal grounds upon which its origi-
nators rely are stated in the following extract from
the address of the Monterey delegates to their consti-
tuents:—
" The products of the mines and placers of Cali-
fornia for three years are estimated by some as high as
150,000,000 dolls. It would be a curious subject of in-
quiry to know how much the diggers of this vast amount
of money have put into the Treasury of the State, and
what proportion of the State's burdens these fortunate
men have borne. If they should say, as has been the
argument of many, that they are living; and working
on Government land, which the State has no right to
tax, the
.same principle would apply to our section
of country, as our titles to land aro unacknowledged by
the United States, and, by a parity of reasoning, we
ought also to be exempt from State taxation. But while
the actual miners have not paid more than a hundredth
part of the taxes, they are settling, end their representa-
tires have been most desirous, in effect if not in wordy,
to throw the great burden of responsibility on the
shoulders of their poor neighbours, the g,reziere, mer-
chants, and landholders. They had the power, and they
used it oppressively.'
" Every exertion is being made by the collector of
city taxes and his assistants to pay the interest on the
funded debt of the city. The coupons fall due on the
let of November, and, as they are themselves receivable
tor taxes, a considerable portion of them will doubtless
be absorbed before the interest falls due. The credit of
the city depends in a great measure on the promptitude
with which the coupons will bo paid; and, from the in-
creased confidence in city stock and the steady demand
for coupons, there is no doubt but it will bo preserved in-
violate.
"Some amusement was caused last week at the Con-
vention of Justices, in the election of two associate jus-
tices of the Court of Sessions. On proceeding to the
ballot, Messrs. Bailey and Shepheard (Whigs) received
three votes each, and Messrs. Gorham and Corbett
(Democrats) also three votes each. After several
ballots were had with a similar result, and several
attempts made to compromise the matter, a mo-
tion was ruade by Mr. Gorham to adjourn, which
not beineadopted, the three democratic members
took up their hats and walked out, leaving the Whig trio
without a quorum. The chairman, therefore, declared the
Convention dissolved for want of a quorum. Judge
Campbell thereupon appointed Justice Shepheard and
Justice Corbett his associate j ustices. The former declined
the appointment, on the ground that the county judge had
no power to appoint an associate justice, unless to fill a
vacancy, which, he contended, did not exist, as con-
templated by laws Whereupon Judge Campbell ap-
pointed Justice Gorham in his stead. This gentleman
has since declined on the same grounds; and thus the
case rests for the present. A writ of quo warranto will
probably decide the matter before another tribunal.
The Court of Sessions being thereupon opened,
proceeded to hold a special term to hear the
matter of a contested election between Messrs.
Addison and Wainwright for the county clerkship.
The former, in his petition, prays that the election of
Wainwright bo set aside on the ground of malconduct on
the part of the Board of Judges of Election in several
of the wards, &c., in relation to the ballots. The de-
fendant demurred to the petition of the claimant (Mr.
Addison), on the ground that it did not sot forth suffi-
cient facts to annul or set aside the election. The
Court overruled the demurrer, and the further
hearing of the case was postponed till this day.
The petition was dismissed this morning with costs. In
addition to the above there aro two other cases of con-
tested elections before the courts, The one is a petition
of Dr. S. R. Harris, filed in the district court, alleging
that C. J. Brenham had been illegally exercising the
duties of Mayor of San Francisco since the 3d September,
to which complainant claims to be on titled by virtue of
his election on that day, and praying that said Bren-
ham be ousted. The decision in this case will settle the
question as to who are legitimately entitled to the
city government—the present incumbents or those
lately elected. The other case is that of Judge
Norton against Judge Satterlee, for the judgeship of
the Superior Court. Some of the most eminent counsel
in California are engaged in the above suits, among whom
we notice Elisha Cooke, Hon. R. M. Lane, Hon. I. E.
Holmes, Judge S. Heydenfeldt, H. T. Hepburn, Philip
Hamilton, &c. An election for alderman having
been lately held in Stockton, the nominees of the
party in favour of the tax of 2 dollars per ton on all
merchandise brought to the city were elected, and the
merchants' nominees, or those opposed to the tax, de-
feated. A difference, however, of 80 votes has been
discovered between the tally and the poll-lists, and a
new election has been ordered in consequence, which
will be held on Friday next. Some idea of the traffic
between San Francisco and the southern mines may
be formed from the fact that there are at this mo-
ment ten steamers plying between San Francisco and
Stockton. There are ten also plying between San
Francisco and Sacramento. The latter are, for the most
part, of a larger size than those on the San Joaquim
River, and make the trip of about 120 miles in from
seven to eight hours. In the elegance of their accom-
modations, and the luxuries of their larder, they might
compare favourably with any passenger vessels in tne
world. There are ten other steamers plying from Sa-
cramento to different places in that city. One year ago
there wus but one steamboat in Oregon, the Colum-
bia; now there are about eleven steamboats of different
kinds running on the Columbia and Willamette rivers,
not including the Pacific steamers Seagul, and Columbia,
running between Oregon and California. Stockton, in
the early part of this month, became the scene of out-
rages of a similar character to those which some time
since disgraced Francisco. On the 3d inst. three men were
shot in the vicinity of Stockton. On Saturday evening
an attempt was medal° shoot two others, without provo-
cation. On the same night a Mexican was most iohu-
manly butchered in a house in the outskirts of the city,
and on Sunday morning an attempt was made to shoot
a gentleman, for no reason that ho could imagine. This
is a most unprecedented state of things in that city, and
has excited considerable sensation in the community.
As the steamer Republic was on her last trip from Pa-
nama to San Francisco, she struck upon a rock near
Point Blanco, about twenty miles from this city, during
the prevalence of a dense fog. Owing to the judicious
and skilful management of Captain Hudson, his officers,
passengers, and crew, she was kept afloat till the Cali-
fornia went down to her relief. The latter towed h^r
into San Francisco. The damage, it is thought, will be
.easily repaired. The steamer Miner, loaded with hay,
was completely destroyed by fire last week, while enter-
ing the Suisun Bay from the Slough, just below New
York. A spark from the smoke stack lit upon the hay,
and in a moment the whole was enveloped in flames.
One man was burnt to death, and another dangerously
so. Tho boat was a total loss. The Mormons have at
length taken possession of the rancho of San Barnar-
din°, near Los Angelic), for which they paidlo2,ooo dol-
lars. 25,000 dollars were paid down, and the remainder
is to bo paid in two equal annual payments. It is
saide
and to be their intention to build a great city there,
d railroad to Salt Lake is confidently spoken
It a
of. is
also said that the heads of the Church in Descret have
given directions to the Mormons in Europe, that all
the emigration to this country must in future come by
San the way of the Isthmus of Panama to
an Diego. The
population of San Bernardino is to he increased by s,oiotos
within the next six months. It contains
boundaries more than 80,000 acresof el a great part of which can be irrigated. x The Santa
eewleintthin land,
Anna river runs through it, furnishing. a lare sad un-
failing supply of pure water, g
and havin excellent mill
seats. The mountains near
are covered with pines suf-
ficient to supply with lumber all Southern California
for years. The improvements to bo immediately
made will be of great benefit to Los ele
golos county. This settlement commands the CanB
n.
jion
Pass, and will protect the valley from furtherf Indian
eursions. A flour-mill and several saw-mills will
erec-
ted there during the rainy season. The
abouttrae to of land inclu-
ded within the limits of San Bairnardinoembraces
16 leagues. The Mormon emigration from Liverpool, it
is said, amounts to 13,000. Salt Lake City (the head-
quarters of the Mormons). contains a population of 8,000,
and the other settlements in the territory about as many
more. Judge Murray, late judgmf the Superior Court,
has been appointed by the Governor Assosiate Judge of
the Supreme Court, iu place of Judge Bennett, resigned.
Intelligence has been received from Hong-Kong to the
2d of August,' by the ship Heber, 57 days from Wham-
pea. 'steps are being taken to induce the Chinese to
run an electric telegraph on the coast. The rebel forces
have had several the imperial tr9Qppo aid