Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1849-03-02
CALIFORNIA;

The brig Henrlc0, Capt. Paine, has arrived al
Charleston from Chasres, which place she left on
the 3lst ul.. She brings as A passenger Captain
Phelps, who has with him 1877 pounds Of gold,
which is worth in Valparaiso "a leuer from there
says $500 per To-, or S3s, 100, all OF which he
dug and made By trade in SIX months.
The Charleston Courier publishes IN inIeres
ting lcIlcr from Valparaiso, which contains sumo
new facts about the gold region, and We, there
fore, make An extract:
Captain Phelps tells me he has taken out
many pieces of gold from under the roots of an
old tree with no other implement than a sheath
knife, and no other instrument is necessary in
any part but a small pick axe, shovel, and a Tub
or trough to wash the sand and dust from the
pieces and particles of gold. Pieces of an cnor-
nous size have been found, from four pounds up.
wards, and as you ascend the mountains The
pieces increase in size. Now this range Of
mountains extends over four hundred miles. and
the distance from The great bay Of San Fran
cisco and The sea is from fifty to an hundred,
Intercepted by many small streams navigable
for small vessels and launches, with every ia
cility for carrying on trade, and building towns
and cities, with an immense fertile country on
each side Of it. The River Sacramento runs a
long distance to the norlhward inland, into
which runs several other rivers, all navigable Tor
vessels drawing ~ 10 Is feet wafer, and the cnur-
Try around capable OF supporting millions of pop
ulalioa-p!eniy ri wood Of all kinks. What
our government ought 10 do IS 10 establish Il
Branch mint Immediately, and let each in
di7idnal have a license 10 dig by paying a small
SUN per month, aui heavy fines for digging with.
or a licensc-a mint 10 give The raw material a
valuation and furnish The country win a curren-
cy and Standard, andtheir revenue would he inn
lnense. There are now from five 10 len thousand
persons employed a! the d,seins on their own ac-
account. Say eight thousand, at len dollars per
month, is $4,000 per mouth. Besides The profit,
Of The Mint, The siirer, quicksilver, and lead mines
are vc,y rich, and from sdlDples taken and tiled
yielding rom gu 10 so iwls. Of pure metal, which
mines are not troubled as yet, as gold is found
easier and al nj expense. There is an immense
field open IN Ibis vicinity for enterprise. The
transportation is now carried on by Launches,
worked by three or tour Indians, and bring iheil
owner in rom thirty TO forty dollars per day, and
there will b. employment Tor hundreds OF steam
boats on the waters OF San Francisco bay is less
than i've years. A steam boat now would MAKE
a fortune i'll a short lime. You NAV ak
how Is it that commerce has started M so sud-
denlyl Formerly every kind of Trade was
carried on by barter in hides and tailow, conse-
quenl!y business moved slow, and a small
amount covered a large space, and everv body
went ragged and Inc Indian naked. Now goli
has changed every thing. The people are c'orh-
ed, deb;s paid. and inIufies obtained by picking
pthe gold from under their feet and paying Tor
IL, and II is not c%onsumable in a dav. The depth
OF The soil containing gold is about six 10 eigh,
ieet, when you come 10 hard dry clay or stone,
called "Tusca" pronounced "Toska") in this
country, and where no gold is found; the black
soil is from twenty 10 thirty feet deep on lhe flat
lands, growing thinner as yon approach The
mountains, and very rich. Slavery is not re-
quired in this country, The Indian population are
disposed 10 work, and the climate will permit Of
any kind Of labor. There is a dry and wet sea-
son in California like that Of Chill, neither no; III
summer nor cold in winter, as in the United
States or on the Atlantic side OF the Continent.
The winter OF a wet season is The mosl pleasant,
as between the intervals Of rainy days the eli
mate is delightful, as in Chill, the thermometer
a, about so deg, and the air sufficiently charged
with moisture 10 be pleasant. In the dry season
the thermometer AT 70 and so, dry and warm.
"Th gold lever is raging all along this coast
all our best mechanics and young men are
leaving for California. The Sandwich Islands
are qnite deserted Of all classes-every person
has left Monterey and San Francisco, so much
SU lnal mere dTe no servants 10 De had. / VIII mere
relate an anecdo;e OF The times at Monterey.
Cap. Sparrow, OF the schooner Lanbiaeano, on
arriving at Monterey from San Francisco, in
CURED Tor Gov. Mason The house being pointed
out 10 him, he entered, found Two men sitting i'll
the kitchen, Que with his coat of, sleeves turned
NJ, pealins potatoes; the other in the same dress
washing them and putting them in The pol; and
who should these two men be but Gov. Mason and
the Collector of The Customs. Gov. Mason said
10 Capt. Sparrow, its not my turn TO cook To-
day, but | am helping The Collector-so destitute
YOU see they are OF sefvants-cook or siarve.
Many OF the soldiers have deserted, and all The
sailors left their vessels. To give you further
ideas Of The gold fever, H. B. M. irigate Con-
stsnsc, (now in this port) was in San Francisco
in August last-the commander knowing the dis
10 desert, anchored his ship TWO miles
from The shore, doubled his guards and had the
marines under arms, and only Stopped there 4s
hours; yet two OF The men deserted, and with
difficulty be sol his ship ouI, or he would
have lost half Of his crew by desertion."
u We are requested to announce, as We do
with regret, that Benjamin Hiner, Esq, will not
be a candidate for reelection TO The House from