The New York herald., 1849-02-12
the LATEST NEWS FROM CALIFORNIA
Highly Important and Authentic
FROM THE PLACERS.
The ConRr alton Of Previous Accounts.
NEWLYDIsCOVRRED GOLD NINE In OREGON
ONE MONTH LATER.
--~~~~~~~~>~>~~/~N~N~
SHIPMENTS Of Gold to the United States,
&c. &c. SC.


We are pleased in having it in our power to place
before our readers this morning, authentic and res
liable intelligence from San Francisco, CALI
fornia, to the 10th December last, which Is four
weeks later than any news which we were previ-
ously In posse ssion of. This news is very lmpor-
tant and interesting, and Is entitled to full
dence.
il was brought to this city by Mr.. Robert Ather-
ten, who arrived In town yesterday morning, with
the New Orleans mail, and confirms IN q great
degree all the accounts which we have previously
received from the newly discovered FL Dorado
The modern, if not the ancient, Ophir.
Mr.. Atherton is now staying at the Clinton Hotel
in this city, and will remain here for two or three
weeks. He has brought with him q number of
letters for people In this city, and a file of the
Californian newspaper, published at San Francisco,
to the 18th OF November last, number of extracts
from which we publish in this days paper, at the
end of this verbal intelligence. He arrived at San
Bias from San Francisco on the goth of December
last, in the brig Laura Ann, Captain Blanchard
which vessel left San Francisco the 10th of that
month. This news is therefore nearly four weeks
later than any intelligence which we have received
from the famous gold regions of California. Mr..
Atheton came via the city of Mexico, ana arrived
at New Orleans the 3lst ult. in the brig Irwin,
from Vera Cruz.
BY this intelligence, which, as we have before
remarked, is a..nentic, and entitled to full cre-
dence. we learn that the yield of gold dust from
the soil Of California, is as great as 1t has been
heretofore represented to be, and that emigrsnts
from the Sandwich Islands and South America
were pouring in there. The extent Of the gold
region, far it has been explored, Is three hun
dred miles in width, by one thousand in length,
I-,~r 10 f,nv
day. To the time when Colonel Atherton left,
there never more than fifteen hundred persons
engaged in digging for the precious metal at any
one time, the average result of whose labor was
about three ounces per day, to each digger. This
gold is found In flakes scales in what is termed
the wetdiggings, and in Jumps and In the crevlces
OF rocks In the dry diggings. Various reports
were in circulation as to the size and weight of
those lumps-some rsons asserting that they have
been found to the weight of twenty-three pounds.
These are, however, only rumors; but Mr. Athef-
ton, our informant, himself saw a piece which
weighed seven pounds, and which was found by
one OF the adventurers. Both the dust, or flakes,
and the lump gold, had been assayed and tested by
Mr. Forbes, In Teplc, the proprietor of the extern
sive quicksilver mines, and the former was found
to contain twenty-one and half carats of pure
gold, and the latter nineteen and half.
There has not been as much sickness at the
place as we were led to supposp, neither is the
state Of society there had has been intimated.
Fever and ague prevails there to certain extent,
and attacks those who are careless in regard to
their health; but with ordinary prudence, persons
can get along without any sickness.
About dozen people have dice, among whom are
Mr.. H. p. Richardson, Of Boston, who was taken
sick at the placer, but removed to San Francisco;
Mr.. VIM. Mcdowell, Of the West, and Mr.. Dckin-
son, Of Philadelphia; about dozen have died at the
gold dlggings, Principally from want Of prudence
and exposure.
At the time when Mr.. Atherton left San Fran
cisco, the United States store ship Lexington had
not sailed but was to do so in day or two. She
had on board gold dust to the value of half
million of dollars, which was destined for New
York, and consigned to several houses here. The
Lexingten will take Messrs Wells an Dewitt as
passengers. They belong to New York, and have
gold on board as freight They were attached to
the New York regiment
The shp-of the.lln Ohio, Com Jones, was also
in the harbor of San Francisco.
One of the greatest features Of the news broughtby
this EXPRESS the fact OF the discovery OF gold
mine, OF great extent, In Oregon. This discovery
was attracting the attention of the people of that
territory, who were focking thither In great num-
bers, IN preference to gong to California.
The whole valueof gold which has been gather
ed in California, Is estimated by those acquainted
with the matter, at three millions of dollars two
of which lett there in various ways, and the re-
mander is on it's way to the United States 1t is
supposed that 1t would take one hundred thousand
degers ten years to exhaust the gold this region
must not be supposed, every gets
~ls tl L.
the gold dust and washing 1t, is very arduous.--
Capt. DAILY, OF San Francisco, organized an expedi-
ton of ten men, who went to gold digging, and
were absent three weeks but they did not gather
enough to cover expenses, and were dlsbanded.
The precious metal exists there, however, in
Extraordinary abundance, as Is proved by the fact
that the Captain of the French brig Perseverance,
with one halt of his crew, gathered ten thousand
dollars worth IN three weeks, as well as by the
large prices for which merchandise of every kind
lie sold. A pair of boots costs twenty dollars, of
winch, however, there was but small stock ON
hand when Mr.. Athterton left common blanket
coats are worth forty dollars, and fine frock coats
fetched hundred dollars readily. Mr.. Aherton,
himself. sold a coat which he had worn at inter-
walls, for two years. at eighty dollars. Liquors sold
at twenty-five cents per glass, and champagne was
worth four dollars bottle in San Francisco. Real
estate, too, WIS selling at enormous prices-lots
in San Francisco, containing rs yards square,
sell ng Tor ten thousand dollars Provls,ons were
very plenty at San Francisco and the diggings-
Flour poured In IN great quantities, from Chill and
Oregon, and came down In price, from twenty-five
dollars per barrel, to sixteen, at San Francisco
The probability Is, that that article has fallen still
futher-perhaps 20 ten dollars per barrel Board In
San Francisco was $lO per week.
Great as the discoveries OF gold arc, they are