Wisconsin herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1846-1849, 1848-12-30
The Geld Region of California,

From the n. o. Picayune of November "a
Lieut.. Loeser, U. S. Army, arrived here
yesterday from Jamaica, with dispatches
from Governor Mason, of California, to the
! United States Government. Lieut.. Loeser
| left Monterey in August last for Payta, in
Peru, which place he made in forty days.
He came thence by the way of Panama and
Jamaica to this city.
! In company with Lieut.. l.. came David
Carter, who went out to California in the
employment of the Government early in
the commencement of the war. From the
! latter we learn that there WAS no excitement
in California except that produced by the
reports from the gold regions of the Saera-
nento and its tributaries. The mama Tor
gold digging had reached such a length that
/ it was difficult to procure workmen IN Mon
terey except at the most extravaganza wages.
| Desertions had taken place from the United
States forces, and from the marine to such
an extent that the United States ship Ohio
had to supply men to take the sloop War
rem lower down the coast, out of the way
of the infection. From the latter vessel
boats crew deserted, in open daylight, for
the gold regions.
Company f. Sd artillery land the dragons
! left AT Monterey, had suffered little from
desertion, but the citizens generally, had
gone off in quest of the precious metal.
Lieut.. Loeser brings over with him speci
mems of gold obtained in the valley of the
/ Sacramento. Some of the pieces are the
/ first found in the country. The extent of
the gold has not been ascertained, but the
ore has been found in a territory so miles
extent and 80 in breadth. Mr.. Carter thinks
that many of the accounts of the great
abundance of the precious metal IN the re-
gion in which it is found, are exaggeratlons,
but that it is recovered in large quantities Is
absolutely known. He informs US that the
ore is procured at some risk and with great
labor, yet that il must abound IN the coun-
ltry--consideriug the "quantlties" brought
to Monterey and the imperfect means en-
ployed in separating it from the soil.
The tract of country constituting the gold
region is level plain. Whether the par
ticles of gold have been washed down from
the mountains, or heaved up by volcanic
force, no one knows, but the latter is gener-
ally believed to be the true theory. Mr..
Carter has himself seen drops of virgin
gold weighing two ounces, and there are
those who assert they have met with it In
bulks of greater weight.
| As vet, all attempts to employ capital in
Those who have organized a company TO
collect the precious metal have lost their
outfits, for the persons bred for such service
invariably leave their employers and set up
business on their own accommodating with
them the implements entrusted TO them
/ The gold Is not confined TO the beds of the
rivers, but everywhere within prescribed
I limits it may be had 10y digging up the earth
and washing the soil from the metal.
/ The eject produced in California by
this new source of wealth has been any
thing but beneficial to the colony or adj
vantageous TO the public service. The
/ New \ FORK volunteers, as soon as they were
disbanded, repaired to the gold region, Col.
Stevenson with them, and every article Of
merchandise, food, or clothing had risen in
value to an exorbitant extent. The cpl
ldernic was universal. The crews of whale
ships and other commercial vessels had de-
serted for the enchanted region, as well as
the enlisted men in the u. s. service.
I Money in coin, which was plenty enough
+ for all purposes before gold was discovered,
had grown so scarce that the duties on i'm
ported goods could not be paid except by
bypothecating Z" dust" Those who could
not procure better means Of collecting gold,
wandered off in its quest with tn pans,
buckets, and whatever else could be used to
separate the metal from the earth by wash
ing.
We annex a letter and a proclamation
from Col. Mason, showing the troubles
which this gold fever has brought upon the
lcustom-homse, and an article from the Cali
lfornian of the 4th of August giving an
account of the discovery Of gold IN the val
LEY, and the progress made IN its collection.
lOur informant thinks il viii require large
force to protect the interest Of the United
States from the depreciation of the dig
lgers,' who form the largest, most desper-
ate and vagrant class of foreigners" IN that