Southern sentinel. [volume] (Plaquemine, Parish of Iberville [La.]) 1848-1858, 1849-05-16
Interesting News from California.


Interesting News from California,
GOLD LEGENDS FULLY ceNF1RmRpy
Detenssom of the Cal1ornia-Dexr,iom
of her ersv, &c.
BY the arrival of the ship Tyrone from
Vera Cruz, the Picayune of the 9Th has
received interesting letters from San Fran
cisco, on Of which we give below, writ
ten by a gentleman Of New Orleans, with
whom the editors are acquainted, and it
may certainly be relied upon:
SAN Francisco, March Z, 1s49.
My Dear CT wrote you a few days
since on our arrival and avail, of the de-
tention of the vessel for Mazatlan, to give
you some items of matters and things in
this delectable country. In the first place,
so far as one IA learn, the gold stories
are att true. The consequence is that
labor, tents, provisions, Sc, are enor-
monsIy high. Town property for cash
is beyond any thing ever heard of in a
new country, and lots are selling in this
place from five to twenty thousand doilars;.
rents from five hundred to one thousand
dollars per month. Carpenters wages
eight to ten dollars per day. The steam
er California is deserted by every soul
except the captain and chief mate, and
there is no probability of her leaving uu-
der two or three months. This is spec
%ulation on my part, for there is no say
ing when she will get either fuel or a
crew.
Fifty to one hundred dollars per day
is nothing extraordinary for miners to
make. There Is however, some danger
from Indians and our own countrymen,
proving about the country, and COM
hitting murder and theft. Gold is very
abundant and goods e1travagantly high,
and ar immense population coming for
ward who all resort to the mines aud re-
turn merely to thow away the proceeds
of their labor. In fact, l can hardly give
you an idea of the state of the country.
Those who have been here a year, with
common industry and prudence, are worth
from twenty thousand t o two hundred
thousand dollars: 1 have not been able
to procure board in the place, and in COM
pany with Mr.. Frazer and young Duc,os,
have pitched our tent a quarter of a mile
fron town. Wages of servants $50 to
5000 per month, and in the course of two
or three weeks, when it will be seasons-
BILE weather to go to the mines. nom will
be had at any price. You may Judge
what a state of things exist when COM
mon laborers can 60 to the mines and re-
turn in a month or six weeks with from
one to three thousand dollars in gold.
1t is yet too early for the mass to start
to the mines, the weather having been
very inclement. We intend to 60 up 10
the mines and see the country, and have
formed a party of five for that purpose
The great difficulty is in procuring con-
veyance. The price Of passage to SUIT
ter's Fort is S25 each, and IS per cwt. for
baggage and provisions. We had an idea
Of buying a w%hale-boat; the price is
500. From Suffers Fort to the STAN
islaus the transportation is difficult and
expensive, as a team Of two oxen and
wagon earn 800 per day!
Gold is selling at $l4 per ounce; but
is taken in trade at $40. 1t is worth in
Valparaiso SIS, and would nett in the
States $17, all expenses paid. 1 ~
know not when / shall be able to
send you another letter. II have little
faith in this reaching you, as it goes by a
transient vessel to Mazatlan, thence
through Mexico. Captains of coasters
are much in the habit Of destroying fet-
tiers to avoid carrying mercantile Informal
ton. My health is very good.
Yours, truly, A. G.
T~penty-t,0o Days Later:
The Picayune of the 9th, has the fol-