The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1849-01-12
The CALIFORNIA; ayines.


:. the gold region of California from original survey"
and geographical and typographical description of the
country accompanied by an original letter from highly
intelligent officer of the 81 artillery, stationed CaIfor-
MIA, 10 his brother in New Orleans. The letter is well
wren--s full of acknowledgement displays in most
brilliant colors without any appearance of figure or
exaggeraton, the astonishing OF that extraor
binary region He describes the very simple process for
washing the gold, by which men all around US
getting rich" When more efficient machines intro
duced into use-such the improved gold washers now
about TO be shipped from New Yorkhe products of the
placer be still astonishing The spectacle is
indeed wonderful We shall probably publish the
whole letter hereafter; but must now content our
selves with the following interesting extracts:
The in this gully dried up with the exception
of few pools and holes l asked one of the Caornans
to let satisfy curiosity by washing little OF his
EARTH which lay at the edge of small pond or pool,
which he had ght from the gully little higher
up, where it found quite rich He of assent
cd led the way his cradle He brought the earth
an Indian basket holding little less than peck, and
he threw the earth the cradle top, dashed the
and Capt 5. rocked the cradle. We worked away with
spirit attracting several spectators, who laughed at
undigni6ed position but first essay making
money by labor and entered into il with zeal
and Interest the result Alter about fifteen minutes
dashing water during which go, good soaking below,
Our friend (he Calornan) eager to the result
Selves himself scraped the black sand and gold, and
several gathered around him how much there He
kind enough show the gold when he had Gle aned
it, and the guesses its quantity varied from hall
ounces There probably more than of pure
gold taken from til earth, had been hauled from the
hillside in less than half hour and in second visit
which had occasion TO make and in which learned
more OF the difficulties and profits of gold hunting.
satisfied that in many perhaps hundreds of canadas like
this, several miles long, the earth is rich and
will give many years work from fifty thousand
hands, who each reckon upon OF pure gold
per day while washing To fasten this conviction upon
any in this country not difficult nowt was,
months since; bat gold has fallen from sixteen dollars the
to eight; and several at the mines selling
from necessity for six dollars the ounce.
rode end the other Of the main valley in the
dry digsings, and questioned almost there
they ALL without single exception, then making from
to hundred dollars per day, when they
chose work. Many had shanties with uinkets, blank
e,s and cacoes for the Indians and comforts and
saes for the white think least thousand whites
including Calfonians were the dry digging. of the
American Fork and thousand on the river, in differ
parts, washing There cannot be less than two thou
sand on the Yuba, the north fork of the American
on Feather river; all of which the washings bring
the finest gold and in great abundance almost every
deposte in the bed of the river; and it is fact which
only the daily occuar proof had convinced Of
for any miles OF wild and dreary waered by
y all the tributaries OF the Sacramento traveller
can get his horse In the bed Of any am
where the hills elmer OF Eravely
the slate out in the bed oil the gully and there in
hours washing he is get gold-sometitne.
vial sometimes two, three ten dollars worth But the
gold scattered in att the hills Of cayey and slay forms
ton; aud geological features of the country told
by those most intimate with them are nearly the
Dyes place 400 the Motcumene about lat
and from the of the hills 80 miles from
river the big main range ofe snowy mountain about
eight miles further east Gold has been found abundant,
enough to attract the --LATEST kepc in large part of this
district and without any enhusiasm which, by the way
formed part OF system since came round Cape
Horn gain glory fighting Mexcans think the Caor-
nias-fo gold is found in boh-under the psng, gold
loving Yankees will export from six millions Of gold
annually in less than years
II estimated by the most intelligent that two
hundred thousand dollars mad been taken when
there three monhs after it made public, and by the
| small vagrant and vagabond population of California
Three-ionrths OF the working in the dry dig.
gings either runaway sailors soldiers who
had left home suddenly, and might be called drinking,
fighting. but working population. will repeat
any OF the hundred heard of who had found
many pounds day. nd Others geuing into rich spots
and killing their horses, rather than risk being followed
back and Bring ing out arobas of god Nc but my
ond trip up the mues, riding down the main dry
digging and teatnster who had stopped his team and
stood looking with whip in hand, at chap busy picking
niche pocket in the rock, called out 10 'Jus.
come here, captain and look at this picking
the gold - | turned my horse the spot, and sure
enough he picking out cevce in the slate
which the water had pitched in winter TO bed few
below, the gold and earth Jumps and had his left
hand full when him. mean he picking it
open hole the rock fast you pick the kernel
oat of lot of wecra cked shellbark have since
the he is back here after his family and
for ppes and he tells that in less than half hour
the between five and SIX ounces OF gold they
told also that this very extraordinary picking.
| | an cut short in my description by fair wind and
the unexpected departure Of Lieut. Loeser-an old. we'll
tried chum Of mne-wiih dispatches. have not time to
COP these basty sketches. intended complete
count of trip, which, towards the last gave idea
Of the wild rich plains of the Sacrameno-when
the prsy bears within few miles of welltraveled road
and hundreds of elk and antelopes, which, wild they
are, had time to out OF the of the tide
of gold hunters rolling over the plains.
expect have strange time Of it here. Forts without
solders-ordnance without men enough to guard them
towns without meGcounry wiihou, government, laws
legislators and what disposed to stop 10
make them-and of colonial territory OF the United
eminent for nearly years. with the navy for many
months The officers of the army here could have seized
Of funds in their hands, levied cavity
the country and been living comfortably in New York for
year, and soul at Washington the wiser
worse H. Indeed, such Is the with which power
eau 90 unchecked and UNPUBLISHED in this region, that
will be for the officers of government resist tempta
ton; for salary here is certain poverty and debt unless
one makes up by the big hauls. The meres negro
make than present governor, Colonel Mason,
ceves in toto.
We subjon to these extracts the testimony of another
eye witness, who confirms this extraordinary
If to believe it all, there scarcely anything
the adventures of Aladdin which surpasses it:
/ Louis Daily New Era, Dec 49,