The Sun.
London, England, 1858-07-12 00:00:00

PRE FRAZER .1:417.ER GOLD MINES.

From the San Francisco Evening Bulletin of June 5.

The steamship Panama ariived here this forenoon
at 11 o'clock, from ports on Puget Sound, and
Victoria, V.I. We have only time to lay before
our Atlantic' and European readers the following
valuable correspondence, from our special corre-
spondents on Frazer river and at Victoria, in re-
gard to the new gold diggings iu the North—to
catch the outgoing mail steamer for the East.

Fort Langley, Frazer River, May 25, 1858.
Since I last wrote you—on the 11th instant—l
have been up above Fort Yale as far as it was pos-
sible to get up in a canoe. I left Fort Hope on
the 12,h, and arrived at Hill's Bar, one mile below
Fort Yale, and fifteen miles from Fort Hope, by
noon, This bar is about 500 yards in length, and
about 60 men were working on it, the claims being
each 25 feet front,

Th 3 river from Fort Hope to Fort Yale presents
no difficulties whatever to canoes ascending, except
in one place, where there is a rapid, which, how-
ever, is no great obstacle, as close to the shore, in
the eddy, a canoe is easily towed past. But, about
one half mile above Fort Yale the river finds its
passage between huge rocks—the sides almost per-
pendicular—and a canoe cannot be taken any fat-
then From thence, all golds have to be packed.
Now and then a stretch of a mile or so is found,
where the canoe can be of service.

Some 200 Indians, with their squaws, were at
work on the bar when I arrived, and they were
nowise particular in seizing on the dirt which the
miners were digging up, for their own washing.
The whites were not troubling them—suffering all
and trying to promote good feeling with them—
although they were annoyed and insulted very
much.

The morning I arrived two men (Kerrison and
Co.) cleaned up .sfr ounces, from one rocker, the
product of halt a day's work. Myself and partner
staked off two claims' and set to work making
rockers ; and no boards 13,,ing on the btr, we had,
per force, to go to the woods and fell and hew out
our lumber. Kerrison and Co. the next day cleaned
up lOh ounce 4, from two rockers, which I saw my-
s,lf weighed. This bar is acknowledged to be one
of the riche,t ever seen. Old California miners say

they never sAw so rich diggings. The avenge r(3-
stilt per day to the man was fully s2o—some, much
more. The gold is very fine, so much so that it was
impossible to save more than two thirds of what
went through the rockers. There was no quick-
silver to be had ! one man went down to Fort
Langley and bought one pound, paying $l5 for it.
Numbe:s of canoes were arriving every day; and
by. the time I left to come down here, they were
scattered all along the river, from Fort Yale,to Fort
Hope. The river was risinr, steadily at the rate of
about a foot a day ; and when I left, on the 23d,
the bars were nearly covered with water. By this
time all river mining must have ceased, The miners
were building cabins, &c., when I left.
Rocker irons were in great demand, but few hav-
ing brought them with them. Nails brought from
$1 to $1 50 a pound. One lot of a dozen noands
brought s3—or two bits a, nal A few days before,
a canoe arrive 3, bringing a sLoall supply.
A tradcr came up with a lot of provisions, and
three b irrels of whisky, and one of brandy ; and
in ten minutes afterwards, the Viir was in c mmoo-
tion. He drew his revolver on sonic drunken In-
dians, who were at his tent, and inst.:lllly tire In-
.

dims raus to their tents and b•ou;ht out their
nriskets, and ihings looked very sod us for a few
moments ; Lot a miner offered to go to the trldei's
help, however, bat one of a party of IY+atm,2n from
S Frauc:sco, who are working claims hc•re, w3.lked
up with an axe over his arm, and anther rolled
the casks out, whilst he snr,shed their holds in—
an op:sration which met with the en mini ,us ap-
proval of all the white men ou the bar. The minere
called a meeting and passed some laws. One of
these laws pr( hibited any liquor at all coming on

the bar, and any person found either selling or
giving tin Indians any, was to not only forfeit
all his goo is, he had one—but be sent
down the liver in a canoe withlut any pad lies.
The man's name was Patsey—sotnethlog, I have
forgot what ; but he certainly deserved gre it ci edit
f.Jr hi nerve, to do what he did in the midst of a
crowd of excited Indians, maddened with liquor
and armed to the teeth.

At "Sailor Diggings," above Fort Yale, they are
doing very well, averaging from $8 to $25 per day
to the man. The watcr was rising fast on them,
however, and they mu•st soon be at a stand-will.
From the best authority I could get, I find that
the river will be at its height abint the middle of
June, say the 20111,, and about the 15th of July
will c(numence falling.
Flour wal soling at $lOO per barrel, or $5O a
hundred, at Sailor Diggings. It was selling for
$45 at 1-111.'s Bar when I was there. Bacon was $1
p, r pound. At Fort Hope there was nothing but
dried salmon, at a bit apiece, a little flour, and
some tza. for sale.

I left Fort Yale after breakfast, and arrived here,
stopping at Fort Hope on the way, before sundown.
It took me five days to go up the river over the
same ground, so you can form some idea of the
current. Here I found the Company's steamer
Otter at anchor, which had arrived from Victoria a
few days ago, with the launch of the war steamer
Satellite astern, armed with a brass 12-pounder,
and manned with a crew of some thirty marines
and sailors, with lots of rifle, tkc. I also learned
that the Satellite was anchored off the mouth cf
the ricer, and no goods or provisions were to be
allowed to enter the river for the purposes of
trading. Miners were free to go and come, with
their tools and provisions only-.
Governor Douglas was here and some of the dire 2-
tors of the Company. Some 100 men were camped
on the beach, and more continually arriving. A
Chinaman from the Sound bad opened a " Miner's
Home," in a log cabin ; and the fare he offered
really would have done no discredit to a„ first-class
restaurant.

The miners were in great commotion about apro-
clamation which appeared on the gates of the
Fort, a cipy of which I enclose to you, publishod
in the Bulletin, which prohibits the bringing in

of any goods, or in fact, attemptmg in any way to
trade on this river, or in this territory. The Hud-
son's thy Company claims the sole right to all
trade and jurisdiction over this country, by right of
their charter from the English Government, and
subsequent acts of Parliament. This clapped a
stopper on ten out of eleven persons who were
hurrying off to the Sound and San Francisco, for
the purpose of bringing in goods, &c., their visions
of fortune and " piles' were dissolved like snow in
warm wa,er ; and the long faces on the beach sug.
g,ested to one not knowing the cause, the idea of
th,,ir having heard of the demise of some near rola- '
tive or dear friend.
The license to work in the diggings is to be $5
per month ; but will not be demanded, I believe,
until the Company are enabled to give the miners
some protection in return, either through soldiers,
whose arrival, it is rumoured, is daily expected in
the 11 avanualt, a British ship of war, or through
a local police.
The G:ivernor is about starring up to visit the
mining regions. He has been visiied by great
numbers of the miners, and has, so far as I can
learn from ttiem, evinced every desire to supply the
mines immediately with goods and provisions,
whilst he is determined to enforce the rights of the
Company. It is understood that the Company will
sentdheimmmineedrisataetsrielpaspolinetslbul, rates.p3' and will furnish them
to
I have been informed by a friend in the Com-
pany's service, that arrangements have been nearly
concluded with the Pacific Mail S,eamship Corn-
rany, to run a lino of steamers to Victoria, V. 1.,
from San Francisco—the Hudson's Bay Com-
pany to have control of the line, so far
only that their freight is to be brought up in
them. Passengers, on their arrival at Victoria,
are to be charged 2 dollars a head. The Company
intend immediately to place a steamer on from
Victoria to the river running up as far as Fort
Yuba.

One can but imagine what this river and the
upper country, for so long the solitary home of
the savage, will look like i❑ six months from now.
The old English and Scotch employoi of the Com-
pany seem like so many Rip Van Win:des already
—men who have bun been out here 20 to 40 years,
and who sometime 3 hava not seen a white man for
a year at a time, whom no difficulties or dangers
seem to daunt.

'Yesterday afternoon a canoe arrived from the
mouth of the river witi the body of a man, named
Charles Adams, a trader. H wa3 shot through
the heart by one Chis. McDonald, whilst
camped near the mouth of the river, on his way
to Point Roberts. It appeals that the two
we; e partners. Adams owed McDonald some
money, and left here the day before. McDonald
left shortly after, making threats that he would have
either his money or Adams' life. He caught up to
Adams, and, on landing, called Adams to one side,
t ► talk ; o.nd whilst Adams was sitting upon a
stump Emoking his pipe, McDonald drew his re-
volver, some ten paces off, and shot bin). McDo-
nald then to k all the gold dust and coin which
Adams had in his canoe, and left. A boat was sent
after him from the Satellite on their recciviog
not:ce of the a•ove, hut I have not learnt whether
they caught him or not. If they
They held an inquest on him this morning, here iu
thq fort, and the verdict was in accordance with