The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1849-01-11
Emigration to California.

Emigration to California.
The spirit OF emigration, which is carrying of
thousands to California, so far from dying away,
increases and expands every day. All classes of
our citizens appear to be under the influence of
this extraordinary mania but the distance to be
travelled, and the expenses of the Journey restrict
the Adventures In some measure to that class of
persons who can command some property, suff-
cient, at least, to carry them to their destination
II the government were under the necessity of
making levy Of volunteers to the amount of two
or three hundred thousand men, tor any purpose IN
California, the ranks would be filled in less than
three months. 1t may be recollected that the en-
thusiasm which sprung up for the Mexican in
vasion. after the first battle Of General Taylor on
the Rio Grande, sweled the ranks of the volun-
teers from the various States, to the number of
nearly one hundred thousand men. The mania
tor Mexican invasion, as It was exhibited In those
days, is outstripped by the for emgrating to
California. This mania, more humane, more safe to
the adveniurers, and more poetic, is at the same
time tar more practical and of much greater utility
than the enthusiasm for Mexican invasion. What
will this general and overwhelming spirit of emf
grafton Iced 20? Will It be the beginning of new
empire Ia the West--a revolution IN the commercial
highways Of the world--a depopulaton Of the old
States Tor the new republic the shores of the
Pacific? The future alone can answer such CUES
tons.
At this moment the spirit of emigration seems
to prevail mostly In the agricultural and CONNER
cia States Of the North as we'll as In some of the
Southwest. In every Atlantic seaport, vessels are
being fitted up, societies are being formed, hus-
bands are preparing to leave their wives sons are
parting with their mothers, and bachelors are
abandoning their comforts; all are rushing head
over heels towards the Ell Dorado ON the Pacific
that wonderful California, which sets the public
mind almost on the highway to insanity. Look
ut the advertising columns of the Herald, or any
other journal, and you will find abundant evidence
of the singular prevalence of this strange move
ment and agitation in favor of golddieging on the
Sacramento Every day, men of property and
means are advertising their possessions for sale,
in order to furnish them with means to reach that
golden land. Every little city and town beyond
the great seaports, or within their reach Is form
Irg societies either to cross the Isthmus or to
double Cape Horn. In the small town of New
Brunswick several scores of men of means have
already taken their departure, or are about leav.
ing, tor the same destination. In this days
Herald, our readers will find splendid grist
mill, near New Brunswick, advertised for sale
by Mr.. Smith, who has been overtaken by
the gold fever, and cannot resist the con.
tsgion Of the day. In Boston, companies and
associations of young men, belonging to wealthy
families, have taken up the line OF march,
and are gcing, or are gone, to that wonder
full region. New York presents the same traits of
enthusiastic emigration. A few days since, an
association, composed of some o! our most fashion,
able youth, the sons of wealthy men, took their
departure around Cape Horn and every day SINH
lar clubs OF the young, educated, and best
classes of our population, are leaving our shores.
Poets, philosophers, lawyers, brokers, bankers,
merchants, farmers, cergymen--ill are feeling the
impulse, and are preparing to 90 and dig for gold,
and swell the number of Adventures to the new
FL Dorado.
The spirit which has been thus awakened IN
this country by the discovery OF the gold mines IN
California, and by the authentic facts Published
concer ming them, under the authority Of the govern
ment at Washington, exceeds everything in the
history of commercial adventure that has occur
red tor many ages, and can only be paraleled by
that which sprung Up in Spain and other parts Of
Europe, by the discovery Of the miaeral wealth of
Mexico end Peru, by the expeditions OF Cortez
and Pizano. The expeditions Of those Spanish
Adventures, and the consequences growing out Of
the wonderful wealth which they discovered in
South America, are some of the principal causes
which gave the Spanish nation about that time
most preponderating influence and rapid growth IN
European history The wealth which flowed into
Old Spain, from South America, aroused the
spirit Of Spanish adventure, which gave the
government a control over other European ma
IONS for many years afterwards; and but for the
system Of monopoly which was adopted by SPAN
in relation to those gold discoveries, 1t is very
likely that that country, had that movement been
left TO individual enterprise and the development
Of private adventure, would now be the greatest
commercial nation In the Old Word-mucl1 greater
IN this respect than even Great Britain. The
system OF monopoly, however, ruintd the spirit Of
individual enterprise, which sprung up after the
discovery If the mines of Peru and Mexico, BY
the expeditions OF Pizafro and Cortez. That
=, stem laid the foundation OF the decline and
TALL Of the Spanish empire, and originated that
train II misfortune which has followed the Spanish
name since.
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