New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1848-12-14


W. publish n letter from highly respectable
gentleman in Monterey California, Ia relation 20
le gold fever ia that place. The writer OF ne
letter has been long resident oi tsllorn- -, a'l
has filed a. official station nader the United
states Government
MoxrEREY California Aug. B. -.
DIAN FR1ESDs Amer yercs.ns this l7ug letter ard
yiaofng The many sudden and singular changes that
have taken place in California within short time
nope that you viii readily excuse me for not writing 70
you before
I, will BE- almost impossible for you D. comprehend
the disorder that prevails here IN regard 20
thinz except gold digging Jnsaleable goods on hand
ia the year 1870 now sell with astonishing rapidly.
sud there is nothing but what IDS ready aud quicz
market. IT bad sent home ten months ego 5000
for goods should have been able REMIT the se
slu but instead Of that laid ont all OF my ready cash
and more 10 the purchasing OF snds building Of house,
Sc. uniil nov own twenty leagues oi and one hun
cred house lots and dozen houses-vhcn TO my a.
t0nishneDf IN few short weeks my property not
worth cent Though rich. IN one sense, an msera
by poor my houses nearly al stand empty. and are
the source Of no income The cause Of AT this vii
briefly relate
In January or February last some Mormons digging
mi,l-race for Capt Suffer on the south American
Fork. ~ miles from New HelveIia. found small guam
ivy yellow metal which proved 10 be gold This dis
coyery led 70 others The news soon reached the town
Of san Francisco bGt Tor short time little no 4
ten,on was paid % H. when some some Of i was
brought there for sale IN the month Of April the great
quantities Of this precious metal which came into
ket commenced 20 attract the attention Of too people ia
Northern Calf rns snd gradual oimiuishment Of the
inhabitants was soon perceptbe On the At Of June
was IN san Francisco Mellus s. Howard and some Of
The srgesi merchants had then but about 81 90 worth
Of this gold but before left Nr. branno, resident
OF that place who had been trading A. the fiacero
banded IN my presence 70 Mellus Howard three bot
tics containing % pounds Of gold From that time
ward II has been arriving 10 large Quantities IN bottles
phial- sc About the NJ. IDLE of June passed over
portion of the Pacer0 which s supposed % Doe 10 o.
he hint ia nv mi l. Ilf
greater for there - not direction in which you c.n
20 but what there Is gold II seems almost neNhlust
i1.c. Al that time there were about Loo people, 800
foreigners working the PlaceToi which then yielded
about 900 per day. At the present time % yields
about $4,000. As the number Of workers has n-
A. u not now exclusively confined 10 foreigner.
"A great number Of the natives have commenced
working and nov mag be the representatives. Of
almost every country on the globe, even the Wild In
dian tribes think al the lowest estimate toe month
Of July yielded half million Of dollars, reckoning the
gold al = per ounce.
The valleys Of the Sacramento which but short
time hardly known full of wide aud dusty
roads Half Of the houses in Monterey empty. and
~ least TWO thirds of those in san Francisco. Inc no
tes and Aoras have al been closed and many farms
have no occupants whatever The hotel IN san Fran
cisco s however again opened under the direction If
Robert Parker of New York; but the expensea must
be- enormous. be pays mis- head steward. black man
zoo per year the second 800 and the cook : 200
40 ! am informed on authority entitled 20 credit ln
Monterey at the present time there "a no place Of en-
iertanmen and strangers arriving and ohcers sta
toned here, some days hardly know where 10 get any
thing % eat even without the necessary comforts
u would have afforded me great pleasure 90 have bad
you dine With on the memorable I'm Of July as We
Jared sumptuousy on bread and coffee with en indian
IN attendance Many families are without single ser
want and nod il very difficult sometimes 10 got any
thing done whatever. There are no mechanics now
lef 10 town except one blacksmith and assure you
his forge proves 70 him real Placero as crowbars
and pickaxes are in great demand There are II san
Francisco two or three vessels with only man 90
board If each ~ the have all deserted for the
purpose of digging gold The garrsons here have also
lost great many men and IN al probability vii nsr
many n ore think ia the towns IN the lower part OF
pper California must soon share the fate of san Fran
cisco and Monterey, the whole population are gong
crszy-0ld well young, are daily falling victims to
the gold fever.
From my corridor / can gaze upon the deserted
streets OF the town and behold nothing moving therein
but occasionally the fair sex Every woman who
chooses can ind ready employ nent IN making ny
clothing for the gold digeers, and AT great price Inc
ma ket contains nothing whatever. and II is Win
great difficulty that GET any thing even the com
mon nccesssres of life. Horses command any price,
and saddles cannot be bought for love or money, 60
grea, il the demand Tor these articles have but two
houses occupied az the present time the rest are as
useless AS so many piles OF stones.
have company OF three or tour Americans hted
out with or . carts and oxen, and SJOOO worth al
goods provisions and clothing, which are now At the
placer0. fitted out another at my sacramento Kan
cho under the head fnan and his TWO brotrtrs was
To have one third They started with 10 Indians but
at that time only able 20 obtain ID shirts and pants
for them (Which, however they only required on the
part OF ecency a. their bodies had before made
the acquaintance of cloihng) but unfortunately they
did not remain but a few days. Last week Mr. Cir en
and myself started young men with carts and ~
yokcs of oxen 100 aro5es Of Hour snd SJOO worth OF
clothing. accompanied by Caliiornians NJ >3 per
month foreigners at $40 and Indians at >25 (cach
How many DAYS they will dis gold remains 10 be seen
however hope at least hall VIII remain Ihe'e TWO
young men 60 prepared 10 hire Wild Indians
Z. nfrFlpr w IN az f
of June hsve worked over 100 wild Indians. Having
$1,000 worth OF goods with them they take from u
L. pounds OF gold per day The head man. Charles w
Weber. told that his sixth part amounted TO over
= coo per week. which is certainly bright prospects
consdering that they commenced without capital
have parties Of white men, with common roush
machine getting pound of gold per day aud indivd-
uss each with n common Tin pan, making from c2o o
SlOO per dsy Many natives and foreigners make >lOO
per wees but the weather being so hot and TIE labor
So hard they cannot continue ~ 1.-TWO months think
least there from 800 10 600 men VINO on an aver
age since the month Of May have taken 900 IN gold
duet Al $40 per ounce.
The scarcity of money here and the present necess'
~ tor H. greatly depreciaes the value OF this gold here
which can be readily purchased for $40 and I'll per
sunce and In a short nine perhaps less. However,
think in the Of Elk months II viii gradually rise
again as money becomes more abundant IN circulation
Its real value l. about ais per ounce. There Is every
nronaet of th. old dgsins lasting all next year Two
thousand dirgers now sversge an ounce per day ana
think for ten fifteen years from three to Elk dollars
may be obtained next year.
large portion of the diggers IN the months Of Msy
and lupe washed from SIS 70 500 day, ~ so per
ounce I have seen many Csliiornisns bring - town
$500 and 5000 10 gold, having dug and washed Tor
less thsn two weeks some pcrsons who commenced
working II the time Of discovery, by the employment
of Indians now have from 5000 TO S0OOO Mr. Dy
res.den, of this place retained few days since he
was member Of company who In the short space OF
seven or Int weeks obtained 30 pounds oil sod ceai
OF all expenses. This company consisted oehe'e OF
seven OF eight men.
II people ever suffered from an overpus OF this pre-
cous metal we now suffer for il has deranged every
one aud forced everything out OF it, proper channel
Forty snd nifty dollars per day no object 70 mech ac
a. il will not induce them 20 remain IN the towns ana
work 4 gradual advancement IN tue pflce OF every
thing Is daily percepible and IL s not uncommon ior
persons 81 the Pacero having 20 pay 20 per day iof
hoard and that OF the commonest kind consisting 81
rnea, boiled on the Goals cakes OF hour and water aud
tea or coffee The cooks generally receive so OF 50
per dsy. Lumber commands so per 100 ieeii trans
por,son is also in comparison with everything else
500 per load for tiny miles on good road
No doubt after reading the foregoing, you val ask l.
this possible Is no, the writer under de!uS3h, on
been most grossly imposed upon Or Is the oraei OF
Nature in California about ehangins-sll 10 eo rleh none
MORT Ye, do not doubt for IL Is bat true however eN
ssgerated il may now appear; but little time WI.
elspss before you will be convinced OF me 'fs'n o.
what now write 70 you in regard - IRIS eNiehs'e
plscer When You see millions Of dollars Irivins 10
he United states from California Of this precious metal"