Wisconsin herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1846-1849, 1848-12-30

the borders of the West countree," and
It's influence will soon be felt, if it is not
felt already, even among the least adventu-
rous of our home population. Every arri-
val, every letter from the gold region on
Feather river, brings us more and more
glowing accounts of the Juror that animates
the people all about there, and of the mar
vellous success in gathering up riches by
which il is nourished and stimulated. All
other channels of industry are abandoned
sailors run from their ships. mechanics
fling aside the hammer the saw the chisel,
and the plane; tailors descend from their
shop-board I; soldiers desert their colors
agriculturalists scorn to dig or plough and
oil classes, meh, women, and children, are
rushing to the sands of Pactolus, which
have been so Unexpectedly discovered amid
the wilds of California. ~,
The accounts are amazing they have
been so from the first, and they continue to
grow in richness and wonder. We read Of
individuals gaming fifty, eighty, hundred
dollars day, with the rudest Implements
and by the simplest of all imaginable pro-
cesses. Lumps of gold worth from five to
ten dollars are said TO pass from hand to
hand rs freely as shillings and quarters do
with us in the ordinary traffic Of social in
tercourse, in the purchase of common ne
cessaries or indugences. MIR. Larkin, the
consul, writes that he gathered nearly five
dollars worth Of the precious dust in thirty
minutes by the watch. But, per contra, the
relative value of the metal, possessed in
such abundance aud on such easy terms,
undergoes change which takes off consid-
enable of ITS glitter. Flour is in demand at
thirty dollars barrel ; pair Of shoes cost
l.tln tb,. 4 a.
used in digging the rich earth are sold at
from twenty to thirty dollars each, when
they are to be had at all, which is not al
ways the case and mems daily wages for
gold hunting or any other employment, run
up TO sums which appear to be absolutely
fabulous.
The present extent of the gold region,
known to he such, is represented as eighty
miles in length and thirty in breadth.
Letters represent the amount already
gathered to be worth fifteen millions of dol
lars and they report that seventeen ves-
sells were lying in the harbor of San Fran
cisco, their crews having deserted and gono
to the gold region. 81
But, on the back of all this, ugly doubts
seem to exist--not as yet discovered by an
actual examination Of the gold anywhere
hereabout-that it is not all gold that gilt
tiers so temptingy in reference TO which
we close by copying the following commune
cation from the Journal of Commerce of
this morning: s 81
CALIFORNIA GOLD.
A gentleman of Georgia, near Savannah,
who has been interested in gold mines there
says that he has seen some of the California
gold, so called, and what was shown him
was not gold but mica. He cannot judge
of what is now reported to be coming into
San Francisco; he only Judges Of what he
saw.
We all remember the great bubble Of tho
Virginia gold mines, which bewiidered this
city in 1884 and '35. There may be yet
some mistake about the California mineral,
which, in custom-bouse language, is " deem
ed and TAKEN to be gold. New YoRK.
From the same paper Of Saturday Epening.
From SAN FRAsoIsco.--We hear thar
very late accounts have been received in
New York from California, &c. Letters
are down to the 18th Of October, which is
very late from that region. Some of the
letters intimate that il is not all the pure,
brilliant, virgin gold they are gathering, as
Father Richie Of the Union would have IL,
but is considerably mixed up with mica.
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