The Sun.
London, England, 1850-06-24 00:00:00

AMERICAN NEWS.

[A summary of the subjoined intelligence (re.
ceived by Electric Telegraph) was published in The
Sun of Saturday
LIVERPOOL, SATURDAY MORNING.

The new steam-ship Asia, Captain Judkins, which
belongs to the British and North American Royal
Mail Company, has just arrived. She sailed from
Boston on the 12th, and Halifax on the 14th, and
has therefore made the run from the former port in
nine days eighteen hours ! The Asia brings a full
complement of passengers, and the usual mails from
Canada and the United States.

The American Mail steam-ship Atlantic, which
sailed from Liverpool on the 29th of May, arrived at
New York on the afternoon of June 9, after a run
of eleven days two hours.
The present arrival brings nine days later news
from New York, including the telegraphic dispatch
from that city, via Galway.
The following is from a New York journal:—
" Mr. Clay had a severe attack of indisposition
while attending Divine service, and was obliged to
be carried out of church. He was better yesterday,
and it was supposed there was no reason for alarm.
"A large fire occurred at Pit sburgh on the night
of the 7th inst., destroying a number of private
dwellings and warehouses, as well as a large Presby-
terian church. The total damage amounts, it is sups,
posed, to 100,000 dollars.
" Robert W. Barnwell has been appointed by the
Governor of South Carolina as Senator in the United
States Congress, in place of Colonel Elmore. Mr.
Barnwell was formerly Member of the House of Re-
presentatives from South Carolina, and has also been
several years president of a college in that state.
" The Legislature of New Hampshire commenced
its session last week. The annual message of Go-
vernor Samuel Dinsmore discusses the corporation
and railroad questions, common schools, agriculture,
the militia, and other topics of public interest. It
states that there are now in New Hampshire 450
miles of railroad in active operation, constructed at a
cost of 16,000,000 dollars. The message concludes
with the statement that the people of New Hampshire
are hostile to every form of oppression, and that the
question of slavery, now pending at Washington, can
only be settled by compromise.
" The proposal to aid in the construction of the rail-
road from Toronto to Lake Huron has been defeated by
the people of Toronto by a vote of 665 to 196.
The plan was warmly opposed on account of the feature
resembling a lottery scheme, which provided that the
control of the corporation should be determined by the
drawing of prizes. The Bill for the simplification of
practice and the diminution of legal expenses has
been voted down by a large majority in the Canadian
Parliament."

The difficulties between this country And Portugal
are assuming a serious aspect. Mr. Clay, our chargd
at Lisbon, is expected home in a short time. The
President, it is said, on good authority, will then
transmit a special message to Congress, recom-
mending the adoption of the most urgent measures,
if Portugal shall continue to refuse the payment of
the American indemnities.

The Nashville Convention is still in session, but
ihusfar without important results.

All the New York papers are in the greatest spirits
respecting the passage of the Atlantic outwards, and
say that she is one of the swiftest vessels afloat. Her
run was of coun,e very quick, and shows this vessel a
rival not to be despised.

CALIFORNIA.
We have California dates to May 1. The gold
digging is represented as in a highly, prosperous con-
, dition. The new settlement at Trinidad Bay pro-
mises to be a place of a good deal of importance. On
a beautiful plateau on the northern shore of the bay
the site of a town had been surveyed, and buildings
are now erecting in considerable numbers. The
harbour is said to be the finest on the coast, with the
exception of San Francisco and San Diego. The
Legislature has adjourned, after a session of 100 days,
having passed 143 Acts, most of which were essential
to the complete organisation of the State Government.
The people express a decided adherence to the position
they have assumed in favour of free soil and a free
constitution.
DISCOYERY OF A MOUNTAIN OF GOLD.
(From the Pacific News.)
A party of emigrants by way of the Salt Lake ar-
riving at Los Angelus, gave an account of the existence
of gold on that route, east of the principal mountain
range, when a company then fitting out for a spot about
sixty miles from the Pueblo changed its determination
and proceeded in search of this other. The route lay
in a north-east direction from the place of departure,
and full of difficulties. Striking the Mahahve river,
they followed its course some distance, crossing and re-
crossing as necessity compelled, some days as often
as fifteen times, leaving it where it makes a bend
to the south-east, towards the Colorado, into
which it empties. Obiaacles were encountered at
various points of the journey almost insurmountable, in
the shape of mountains of rock, which they had to climb,
and mountains of snow which they could not avoid, nar-
row gorges through which they had to pass, and still
narrower cliffs, along whose crests nothing but a mule
could pass with a prospect of safety, and where this
slightest mis-step would land rider and all hundreds
of feet below; but they pushed on about 230 miles from
the Pueblo, the point for which they started. Here
among the eastern spurs of the Sierra Nevada they
found the object of their search—gold, and silver too;
and in such quantities as they had not dreamed of—a
perfect mountain of rocks with silver and gold mingled
and commingled in solid masses weighing from one to
many tons. The quartz proved to be exceedingly hard,
to such a degree that during their short stay all the im-
plements made for this particular purpose before starting
were completely worn out in the operation of drilling
and blasting.
The strangest part of the whole discovery is yet to be
told. These large boulders of gold, silver, and quarts
have the gold in the south end and the silver in the north
end. No exceptions were found in their examinations,
the silver being the most abundant of the two. In the
words of the person who was on the spot, " there is
enough silver there to sink every ship in this harbour."
Possibly some may look on this account as a jest, and
so far as the practicability of putting the discovery to
any use at present is concerned, it is so. All the water
to be found for miles and miles around is highly impreg-
nated with salt, or saleratus, or both. Nota single drop
of water free from one or other of these properties did
one of the party obtain during the ten days of their slay.
is a perfect waste, and disease and
The whole region
death must inevitably follow any prolonged stay. OL
their return they met a large company
going to the same
spot. A true statement of the difficulties and dangers of
a further prosecution of the expedition induced about 200
to turn back-50 went on.
The gentleman named, from whom these facts have
been obtained, is now in this city, with specimens in his
possession brought from the mother-mountain. They
are the most singular and beautiful we have over seen.
thing has been told but the truth.
and one need only to see them and hear him to be con-
' ,Locets that DO
These facts are coinmmunicatfd by the gentleman
who homed the party of exploration—a gentleman for-
merly connected with the New York press, Mr. Hien, of
the .Mery Era. The specimens we have seen.