Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1848-09-23
FROM CALIFORNIA.


Mr.. EDwARn F. BEALr, Passed Midshipman, arrived n
this city Saturday, from Commodore JosKss SQUADRON i
the Pacific, and said to have performed the most rapd %
ney that has ever been known from the Pacific 10 Wasbno
ton lie left Commodore JoSEs at La Paz ON the lst ~
August came by Mazaan, and arrived at the port of San
Bias the 10Th, and pushed his way BY horses and mules
the country to the city Of Mexico where he arrived IN
the nth. He detained by Mr. CLIYroRp three dav. for
dispatches and in foryeght hours passed from Me.ico 10
Vera Cruz about 275 miles, sleeping not more than ten mi
nutes al time. From Vera Cruz he sailed 10 Mob;, anil
arrived here Saturday evening Mr. BEALE crossed from
the Pacific at San Bias TO the Gulf Vera Cruz in The m
examped journey Of days the road and was detained
at Mexico three days.
The most extraordinary intelligence which Mr.. BEA1y
brings about the real Ell Dorado the Gold region in Cali
ornia His accounts of the extraordinary richness of the
gold surface, and the excitement it had produced among all
classes Of people, inhabitants Of the county and Of the towns
among seamen and soldiers confirmed by letters from
Com. JONES and from Mr. LAnKIS the United States NAVY
Agent at Monterey California Mr. BEALE states that the
whaler had suspended their opcaionshe captains permit
ting their seamen to TO the gold region, upon condition
that every ounce Of gold the obtained should be given
to the captain for SlO making dollars by the
bargain The towns were being evacuated, mechanics &C.
going to the attractive spot The newspapers he'd been
suspended the compotos going off gather gold for them
selves.
The " Unon" publishes the following letter from Mr.
LARKIS to the Secretary Of the Navy
u. s. NAVY AGENCY,
Monterey, California, July /, ls4s.
cir since my last letter to YOU written in San Francis
have visited the Placer gold region of California
and found all it had been represented to me- NV ancpa
tons were fully realized The part visited was the south
fork OF the river Americana which Joins the Sacramento at u
ers Fort. two miles from it. This river has its north and
south forks branching than twenty miles from Fort SUI
ter On these two forks there 1000 people digging
and washing for gold. On Bear creek and Hulo creek
branches OF Feather river many beginning to work.
1t supposed that the banks and bottoms all these small
streams contain vast quantities go and that the valleys
between them rich with the metal The people are
now working at many places some eighty miles from
others The place visited about league in extent; on
ths were about fifty tents many have not this covering
AT one tent belonging to eight single men, remained two
or three days These had two machines made in day.
from eighty hundred feet inch boards and very rough
ly put together Their form something like a chds era
die without the ends end there movable sieve
rack to wash down the dirt and shake off the stones Holes
were made in the bottom Of the machine catch the gold this
wash stopped and this scraped out hourly These two
machines gathered each day present to one
pound each, being three to four of gold per man.
These had worked week with tin pans the last week
with the machine the result of the first days work of
two brothers, Amercans had dollars the other
eighty they worked the five yards land one
however, worked less than the whole day Their plan like
hundreds of Others first with pick and shovel clear off
two feet OF the top earh then put in tin pan wooden
bowl shovel OF dirt into running water, with the hand
stir up the dirt and heave the stones until they have re-
naming spoonful Of emery black sand containing
five dollars. This can be done twice day.
Each day causing saving Of labor by the improve
mants in the rough machines in The day left,
some small companies of five to eight had machines from
which they anticipate five hundred dollars day There
certainly must this day be at work the different Placers
several hundreds of Americans and Others who cleaning
of geld day. have this week seen in Monterey
Californian who shows four hundred dollars gold from the
labor of week; much Of the size of wheat my
self weighed piece from his bag and found the weight
even ounce He like Others only went TO the gold
regions the place, borrowed TOOLS worked few days,
and home TO show his labor and take up brothers and
cousins and provisions Flour at the "Placer is
SIC per 100 lbs AT almost this price il must continue as
people orsakng their fields. do not think exagge-
rating in estimating the Of gold obtained the
have mentioned at ten thousand dollars day for the astew
days There is every believe the will
this qness the washers driven from their work by
sckness be any less In this case the addition of workmen
joining the first ones and the emgrants from the Attain
tic States shall have in October and December will
swell the value of California gold that will be washed out
an unheard-o value Many who have the Placer"
think will last thirty forty years. should think that
would afford work two three years many thousands of
people, and may for very many years, cannot calculate
the extent of country having gold The working Of quick
silver mnes like every thing else is stopped three ourhs
Of the houses in the town of San francisco shut up
Houses in Monterey being closed this week the voun
teer companies Of Sonoma and San Francisco have lost
raj men oy deseren Under the present excitement ship
owar other vessel lying anchor in San Francisco
would lose many In that there is hardly
chanc remaining. expect the in Monterey in two
weeks Both newspapers have stopped. All nearly all
the hotels shut up One Of my clerks who received $500
and board receives in his New Halvea (Su
te Forty 500 per month my others fast closing their
books to leave In fact find myself shall this month,
without clerk, carpenter servant and oil my houses for
mery rented given up In two weeks Monterey will
be nearly without inhabitants.
am with much respect, THOMAS O. LARKIN.
Com Tuos AP G.. JoNys