The Middlebury galaxy. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1848-1850, 1849-02-06
SENATOR BENTON ON CALIFOR
MA GOLD,

recent speech IN The senate, on California, OF
which some account was given under our
Telegraphic head, two or tlree weeks since,
will be read with much Interest. This speech
is considered we believe, the best of the
session, thus lar-embodying rs it docs ar
Unusual amount Of good sehse, forecast, and
intelligence. With all his faults, Senator
Benton is strong minded, discerning man,
and. in his own party, has few equals, and
scarcely any superiors:
/ These wasbings arc called in Spanish ria
Ger, from the Latin piGcere. to please; lecausc
it is 4 pleasing thing to find the shining gold
under ones feet. But it is Il transient pleas
urc. THERE Is no fec simple in it; there Is
not even life estate in it not ever a lease
for year, month, a week, or dav. The
| pleasure is soon gone. Exhausted pIQccrS nov
exist in New Mexico, formerly yielding much,
now some % or 30 cents day, and only pur-
sued by the poorest Mexicans. Regular min
ing has followed there, and is now yielding
considerable quantities. These washings OF
California are marvellously rich for We have
TO believe what is certified to Us BY so MANY
witnesses /; but they are not the richest that
ever were seen. Far from it. Those of Bra
81 o.
the time Of Lord Ansons voyage, say one
hundred wears AGO. were far richer /; and vet
they have been exhausted 50 long that all
memory of them is lost, and their history OIL
| ly lives in old books Two millions sterling
ten millions of dollars-weye annually sent to
Europe, for wears, from these washmgs. They
were worked Ly slaves. who, to secure their
fidelity and industry, were usually allowed by
their masters all the proceeds Of the day above
given amount ; and in that way many slaves
became rich, purchased their freedom, and
then bought slaves of their own, lived in splen-
dor and opulence, and laid the foundation Of
families. Yet these washings are exhausted.
time out of mind and so will be those OF
California; and the sooner the better.
am friend to n gold currency, Int moi 10
gold mining That is pursuit which the ex-
perience of nations shows TO be both impov-
erishins and dcmoralizng 10 a nation. / re-
gret that we have these mines in California
but they are there, and / am for getting rid of
them as soon as possible. Make the working
as free rs possible Instead of boarding. and
holding them up, and selling in driLlcis, lay
them open TO industry and enterprise. Lay
them open TO natural cspital-to labor-to the
mau that has stout arms and 4 willing heart
Give him 4 fair chance. II is no matter who
digs up the gold, or where it goes. Tho die-
ger will not eat it, and it will 20 where com
merce will carry it. The cations which have
| industry-which have agriculture, commerce,
and manulactures-they will get the gold, pro-
vidcd always that they keep out small paper
money. Not sales, but permits, is the proper
mode to follow, and the only practical mole.
| People are going TO California TO dig, and dig
they will. y wise legislation world regulate
Al.
put them on the side OF the law; for it would
give them protection and security sales and
boarding would put them in opposition TO the
law, and they would disregard it. Sir, this
is a case in which the lawgivcr must 60 with
the current; and then he may regulate it il
he goes against dle current, his law will ht nu-
gatoIy, and his authority will be dcspiSed
The current IS for hunting, and digging;
permits follow this current, and by granting
them the legislator may control and regulate
the current.
If you want revenue, raise It from the per-
mits-a small sum for eacI-and upon the
coinage.-In that way It would he practicable
TO raise rs much as ought to be raised. But
revenue is no object compared 10 the great
object Of clearing the ground Of this attraction,
which puts an end to all regular industry, and
compared 10 the object Of putting the gold in
TO circulation. J care not who DIGS It up. l
want it dug Hp. want the fever 10 be over.
| want the mining finished. Let nil work that
will. Let them ravase the earth-eXtirTa'c
and exterminate the mines.-Then the sober
Industry will begin which enrichcs and emo
bles nation Work rs hard as VIC may, we
cannot finish soon. These gold Indications
cover more than two thousand miles. They
are in New Mevico-on the waters of the
Middle Coora,Io-on the mountairS both be-
vond and on this side Of the Sierra Nevada
Professor Dana. who was geologist TO Captain
Wilkes Exploring Expedition, and who cx-'
amined the country between the coast range
and the cascade range of mountains, found the;
oold-bearine rocks. as biologists call them, on
the Umpaua, the Shasti, and the Klamath riv-
ers, and at the head of the Sacramento valley.
1t has been discovered and no one can tell
where it is to end The Sierra Nevada is.
six hundred miles long, ten or twelve thousand
feet high, and has a slope Of from forty 10 scy-
enty miles, and all this seems TO be an aurif-
erous region. South Of the Sierra Nevada arc
prolongations of the same chain and Of the
same character, and SHOWN to possess gold.
In New Mexico the gold and mineral region
IS described as large and various BY the learn
ed and enterprising DIR. Wislezenus, who was
making an exploration when The war with
printed by order of The Senate.
The Ural Mountains, now yielding so much
cold 10 Russia. are bat Twelve handred miles
long and five or six thousand feet high; the
mountain chains in New Mexico and Caifor-
mia which produce gold ere near twice as long
and twice as high as the Ural Mountains. is
all this 20 be boarded by The Government-to
be sold in two-acrc patches-to be guarded as
a thing too precious fo- the people ? Is it to
be the Hesperian fruits guarded by dragons?
and if SO, where are the dragons to come
from
am against the whole scheme Of boarding
these mines, or endeavoring TO conhne their
product to their own country. | am not for
serving ne Great upon it. / am not for try
ing to stop it from going elsewhere. Let it go
where it will like wafer it Mill find its level.
Let it 90 where it will i will find its way to
industrious natiors who will Danish small pa.