Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1848-12-21

ma, twenty-four from that of San Francisco
aud twenty-four from Monterey. For a few
days the evil appeared so threatening, that
great danger existed that the garrisons
would leave in body and refer you to
my orders of the 25th of July, to show the
steps adopted to meet this contingency, !
shall spare no exertions to apprehend and
punish deserters, but believe no time in
the history of our country has presented
such temptations to desert as now exist in
California.
The danger of apprehension is SMALL and
the prospect of high wages certain; pay
and bounties are trifles as laboring men at
the mines can now earn in one d0y more
than double a soldiers pay and allowance
for month, and even the pay of licuten-
ant or captain cannot hire a servant. A
carpenter or mechanic would not listen to
an offer of less than fifteen or twenty dollars
day. Could any combination Of affairs
try mans fidelity more than this! | re-
ally think some extraordinary mark of favor
should be given to those soldiers who remain
faithful to their flag throughout this tempt
/ ing crisis. No officer can now live i'll CAL
iiornla on his pay, money has so little value
the prices of necessary articles of cloth
ing and subsistence are so eXhorbltant and
labor so high, that to hire cook or servant
has become an impossibility, save to those
who are earning from thirty to fifty dollars
day. This state of things cannot last for
ever. Yet from the geographical position
of California and the new character it has
assumed as mining country, prices of la
Dor will always be high, and will hold out
temptations to desert. | therefore have to
report, if the Government wish to prevent
assertions here on the part of men, and to
secure zeal on the part of officers, their pay
must be increased very materially. Soldiers,
both of the volunteers and regular service,
discharged in this country, should be per-
mitted at once to locate their land warrants
in the gold district.
Many private letters have gone to the
! United States giving accounts of the vast
quantity of gold recently discovered, and it
may be a matter Of surprise why | have
made no report on this subject at an earlier
date. The reason is this, that | could not
bring myself to believe the reports that |
heard Of the wealth of the gold district I'M
til | visited it myself have no hesitation
in saying now that there is more gold in
the country drained by the Sacramento and
San Joaquin rivers than will pay the cost
of the present war with Mexico hundred
times over No capital is required to OBJ
tain this gold, as the laboring man wants
nothing but his pick and shovel and tin pan
with which to dig and wash the gravel and
many frequently pick gold out of the crev.
ices of rocks with their butcher knives, in
pieces from one to SIX ounces.
lpt
terey, and worthy of every credit, has Jus,
returned from Feather River. lie tells mt
that the company to which he belonged
worked seven weeks and two DAYS, with al
average of fifty Indians (washers) and tina
f their gross product was two hundred aut
| seventy three pounds of gold. His share
/ Zone seventy after paying all expenses, il
about thirty-seven pounds, which he bro
with him aud exhibited at Monterey. | SEE
no laboring man from the mines who doe
not show his two, three or four pounds o
l gold. A soldier of the artillery company
t returned here few days ago from the mine
having been absent ON iurlough twent,
, days. He made by trading and workin!
e during that time, s 500. During thes
twenty days he was travelling ten or clever
= days, leaving but week, i'll which he mad
!, sum of money greater than he receives il
e pay, clothes and ratons during whole en-
e listment of five years. These statement
n appear incredible, but they are true.
It Gold is also believed to exist on the east
d ern slope of the Sierra Nevada and whe
S at the mines | was informed by an intelli
l. gent Mormon that it had been found nea
j. the Great Salt Lake, by some of his frater
= nifty. Nearly all the Mormons are leavin
G California to 90 to the Salt Lake, and thi
e they surely would not do unless they wer
n sure of finding gold there in the same a
e bundance as they now do on the Sacra
e mento.
3 The gold "placer" near the mission c
% San Fernando has long been known, but ha
d been little wrought for want of water. Thi
to is in spur that puts off from the Sierr
n Nevada, (see Fremont's map,) the same i
i'd which the present mines occur. There Il
therefore, every reason to believe, that !
le the intervening space of 800 miles centre
a. ly unexplored) there must be many hldde
RS and rich deposits. The "placer" gold
It. now substituted as the currency of tn
a country; in trade it passes freely at 81
- per ounce; as an article of commerce i
of value is not yet fixed. The only purcha
i'll l made was of the specimen No. Z, whic
at | got of Mr.. Neigh at Sl2 The ounce
IS That is about the present cash value in Il
i'll country, although it has been sold for les
lis The great demand for goods and provision
ed made by sudden Development OF wealt
ed has increased the amount of commerce
an San Francisco very much, and it will co
u tinue to increase.
IS, would recommend that mint be c
tablshed at some eligible point OF the Is
It. of San Francisco; and that machinery, al
TO all the necessary apparatus and workme
as be sent out by sea. These workmen mt
w be bouno by high wages, and even bone
r. to secure their faithful services, else t
he whole plan may be frustrated by their gol'
to the mines as soon AS they arrive IN Ca
we fornia. If this course be not adopted, &C
lc- to the amount of many millions OF dolla
els will pass yearly to other countries, to e
Use rich their merchants and capitalists. L
lrs fore leaving the subject of mines | "
mention that on my return from the Sacl
of mento, | touched at New-AlmoGer,