The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1848-12-08
Eery Late from Ca1itornia.
G OLDI GOLDI GOLDI


Lieut. Loeser, bearer of dispatches These accounts
were of so astonishing nature that they appeared
TO many rather the wild imaginings of a disordered
fancy than the sober reality of TRUTH vet wonderful
as they were we have every reason to believe them
Every successive arrival from California not only
confirms but generally improves upon the state
ments Of the former so that we shall be forced to
cry bring no more reports, if we wish to re-
tain our people at home contented with the quiet
accumulation of wealth by means of the plough,
the anvil and the loom The very latest news we
have from California is to the 18th Oct, and for it
we are under obligations TO Mr. Cutting, gentle-
man who left San Francisco at that date and came
home by the way of Mazatlan, Mexico and Vera
Cruz Mr. Cutting is, or rather has been, resi-
dent Of Will county, Illinois, to which part Of the
country he returning for the purpose of taking
his family thence to California. From this gen.
tleman we have learned many interesting particu-
lars concerning California, its present condition,
prospects, and particularly the aurferous product
Of which it contains so plentiful supply. We
must confess that previously we have had no incon-
siderable degree of skeptcisn in regard the exis
tence of such vast quantities Of the precious metal
but doubts are fast being dspelIed and we have
come to the conclusion that California must be the
place sought for by the Juvenile Wilmington when
he expected TO find the streets of London paved
with gold. MIR. Cutting has been in California
year. He went there for the purpose of testing the
soil and climate, with a view of returning for his
family if he found them favorable to agricultural
pursuits. In these respects he speaks of the country
in the highest TERMS and is satisfied that notwith-
standing the abundance of gold the more substan-
al source Of wealth is to be found in the fertility
AND productiyeness Of the soil. In spite of this,
however, the whole population has been seized
with the mania for digging the mariner has aban-
doled his ship, the blacksmith his anvil the farmer
his plough, and all are to be seen busy night and
day extracting the shining ore from the bosom of
the earth. So great the rush to the mines that
for time the unfortunate editors were compelled
to cease publishing, for want of readers The
sequence Of this stale of things is that the labor of
the country has become more powerful than the
capital-thus reversing the usual order and the
editor Of the Californian declares that he had to toss
up with his devil to decide which should split the
firewood. The total American population of the
territory is estimated at about 5000. OF this the
greater number is employed in the mines, where,
including Indians, there are about COCO persons at
work. The gold which is found by the latter class
soon passes into the hands of the whites, as the
Indians are willing sell it for almost any kind of
trinket, little gunpowder or Ratchet, and they
frequently give it for its weight in beads. This,
however, will not be the case long, as the Indians
will soon commence TO know the value of the article
by the estimate the whites set upon it. The mining
region, as far as it has been explored, extends
400 miles in length, by $50 in breadth that is from
the head waters Of the San Joaquin in about lat
lo4 18th FTkiS IL he NJ fba
explorations in that section; but from the geologi
cal structure of the country beyond the sources of
the San Joaquin, it is supposed that the ore exists
to as great an extent has already been discovered
la the southern part of the territory two large de-
posits have been found, as we learn from the fol-
lowing which we extract from the Californian of
October 7th:
MORE GoLD.-Wheu will they be done discovering gold
in California The last that has TO hand in the
neighborhood of the Ciudad los Angeles where gold
but was not until recently that explorations were
made when 10 the gttenng ore was found IN AZ great
diggins Where will be The next discovery 81 THIS no
a well or the grading of street in our nsighborhoOd.
1t appears from this that wherever researches
have been made the surface has been found to TEEN
with gold How much more careful and scen-
tifc system of mining might yield we can scarcely
imagine; but, at all events, the quantity is mex
haustbe. Il singular thatthe metal of the great
est use in gold mining has been also discovered to
exist in California in immense quantties-we mean
quicksilver This is scarcely of less importance
than the gold itself, and must prove great source
Of wealth. As yet, of course, the system of mining
has been carried on in the rudes and most primitive
manner. Pickaxes, spades, iron pots, wooden bowls
and even sticks, are the implements principally in
use, and therefore il would not be astonishing if in
the very spots already visited by the miners later
and more elaborate explorations should discover
three times the amount of the precious metal that
has been taken away. As it is found now, the gold
is nearly in pure state. The specimens shown TO
us yesterday by Mr.. Cutting weighed from several
grains to two or three ounces. In some instances
few quartz pebbles were scattered through the metal,
and in others the gold was deposited in pieces of
quartz. Mr.. Cutting was at the mines only forty
days, and in that time gathered $l5Co, being an
average Of $37 so per day. Many, however, make
much more than this, and instances are mentioned
in which one person has found from $500 to $500
in day.
When Mr.. C. returned through Mexico he was
in much danger Of being robbed, but fortunately
escaped He says that robberies are Of daily oc-
currence all over the country, and scarcely any
measures are taken to Fepress them.
BY the appearance of the San Francisco paper,
the advertisements, etc that place must be becom-
ing quite an American settlement, as evidence of
which we give the following marine news from the
Californian of the 9Th;
PoBT o. SAN FRANcIsco arriged qct 4 Peruvian .a
eng Paeleo Lawrence, from Canton and Hong kopg via
Monterey 9TH Russian American Companys brig Ochos
klnkoiistfom, from Stka. New AFchangel =,
Sa'teaQct I. brig Saline Hatfield. for Oregon CITY, 4th
5Hganitine Louisa Perry Ellis. for Monterey -.
- CHder Dtspdtch Bark CaliaO for San Pedro and san
Bias, to-day; bark Mary Frances Gould Honolulu today
bark Olga, Bull for leewaTd ports Mouday brig dalek
f71uhe nan, lof NtaNatlan tomorrow bng tepc. Luce
Honoulu next week. brig Cayusa, Mazatlan. week.
hemoraHda.-Ship Sweden, hence, al Mazatlan May zs
The paper, we perceive, has changed hands, and
win be published in future by Henry l. Sheldon,
Benjamin F. Foster and William E: Weaver We
sincerely hope that they may succeed in their effort
to establish an American newspaper on the shores
Of lie Pacific.