Burlington hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1845-185?, 1849-09-13
From CoIlfofnia.

Dragons. These extracts will be found to be very
interesting.
CIuDAD-DE- Los-ANcELEs, NEW California;
February 10, ls49.
We arrived here on the eighth Of January, after
long and most tedious march Of nearly six months,
with four companies Tor rather the ruins Of four
companies) of Dragons. Our entry into this place
presented melancholy spectacle under any circum-
stances, but it became pitiable indeed when com.
pared with the brilliant appearance presented on
review at Chihuahua. I think q more beautiful
command never existed than ours when we took the
road at Monterey, in July last, for California. Ev
cry thing the heart could desire the Imagination
conceive tending in any way to the comfort and ef
nciency of troops, was furnished to with lavish
hand. For the California part Of the expedition
alone q GU know one part went to Santa Fe IN New
Mexico) were provided between seventy and hun
dred wagons, between eight and eleven hundred Of
the very finest mules, about three hundred and fifty
excellent dragoon horses, with saddles, brides, co-
thing and provisions for the men, ell Of the best
quality and, apparently in abundance. And yet on
the eighth of Janury, ls49. we dragged ourselves
into Los-Angeles on foot, the few horses that were
left about one hundred having been sent ahead to
keep them from starvng) many Of the men barefoot
and half starved with train Of some ten or fifteen
wagons, dragged by the skeletons Of about one hun
dred mules II fact the whole road from the Pima
village on the Rio Gia, down the valley Of that riv.
er to the Colorado, the Desert and over the
mountains to this place is literally dotted with wag-
ons that we were compelled to abandon and sprink-
led with the bones of our noble animals, deserted
one by one, to die on the barren road and become
sad monuments of our long and gloomy passage.
But it is not my intention at present to travelback
over that dismal road, even In imagination; and
know you will excuse me from such task when
promise at some future time, to crafty your Curl
osity with full description Of our whole march
from Monterey, Mexico, to Ciudad-de los angeles,
city Of the Angels, little town situated about
twenty-five miles from the Ocean, in a very pretty
and luxuriant valley. There is scarcely tropical
fruit that does not grow here in abundance, besides
many of those Of our own climate, such as apples,
pears, peaches, apricots, ounces and grapes. The
latter fruit the grape) is cultivated in great album
dance; indeed there is scarcely family Of any
means, in the place, that does not have its own vne-
yard. This place is, perhaps the largest in Caor-
MIA, and may contain from thousand to fourteen
hundred inhabitants. At present, however, the
place is literally crammed with foreigners principal
" from the state of Sonora Mexico anxiously await
ing the opening OF spring, that they may hasten to
the gold mines. OF these mines, no doubt you have
heard and have heard too, great deal that you
inclined to receive snake stories but. after all
you. The whole range of mountain extending along
the Sacramento river and diverginy towards Oregon
on the one side and the Rio Colorado the other,
appears to be vast bed Of gold requiring little
more labor to obtain it than the mere trouble Of
picking il up! These mines were first discovered
by Mormon while digging mill race for gentle-
man named Souter; allowing the water to pass
in and out to obtain the proper level, he discovered
large quantities Of " gold dust remaining in the bot
tom; this led them to push their enquiries farther,
when to their surprise and delight they found the
whole country covered with gold. How deep in the
earth the gold may extend, suppose no one has yet
taken the trouble to empire the surface yields suf
ccnt for their purposes by merely scratching it up
with an ordinary case knife. Lieutenant Davidson
assured that in five minutes, whilst talking with
some gentlemen, he scratched up particles TO the
amount Of half an ounce, with his pen knife! Hun
dreds OF poor wretches with nothing but rags
their backs have gone from this place and returned
| after three months with two, three and four thou
| sand dollars. have seen as much perhaps as five
hundred ounces Of this dust, and it is really beaut
full gold. lhave it Of all sizes from small scales
TO Jumps large walnut; but the largest piece
that has been in this place, Il did not see it, was in
the possession Of Capt. Smith OF my regiment; it
| weighed twelve and half pounds! The roads in
all directions literally swarming with people,
and their pack-mues, from all parts OF the world,
where they have sacrificed and left behind, every
thing they had, that they might fly to California
Law and gospel seem to have been either banished
from the country drowned in their cagerness for
money. And Sunday morning if you please, you
can stand in the church door and while being edited
by sermon in Spanish, can also enjoy the excite
ment Of = horse-rsce and cock-fght, and hear the
jabbering Of hundred little parties seated on the
bare ground, ali over the plaza, playing Monte their
| favorite game at cards Murders: among the Indi-
ans particularly (who constitute the lower order of
society Of such frequent to excite
no curiosity whatever in the passer by. So often
have my eyes been RECALLED, on opening my door in
the morning, BY the sight Of dead body lying in the
street, that you will hardly believe me when tell
you pay no more attention to it than il it were a
liuing body passing BY. All that people here seem
to want money for is that they may be enabled to
gamble, and when they get it, they do not appreciate
| it or know what to do with it. When they wish to
buy anything, they scarcely enquire the price,
but throw down their money and allow the seller to
take out what he wants. Neither can you get any
body to work money is so universally disseminated
through the mass that you will be laughed at by
man whom you ask to work for you. was amused
| the other day at the parley between woman from
Sonora and IN Indian woman who Glanced to meet
in the street. &C Here" says the former, handing
the squaw twenty five cents, "take this dos reals,
and 60 and wash my husbands shrt.'' The Indian
viewed her for moment with a contemptuous
smile, then drawing from her breast douhloon,
said, " here take this ounce and go and wash nv
shirt ~
SAN LUIS REy, CALIFORNIAN
June s, lS49.
Dear WW:-The mail is just about closing and
am pcrplexed too much with commissary and quar-
ter master papers, to wife you anything hut few
lines of disgust. was in San Diego few days
since on a visit, and while there the steamer Pana-
ma arrived from the States, bringing among other
things, eight ten of the Commissioners to run the
boundary line. Major Emory, Typographical Engi-
neer, believe, is in command Of the expedition
TtnI .sn v@A~. e. L