The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1849-06-01

IFrom the Mobile Register. May IS


lieut. Edward F Beai. Of the United States service,
young officer is well known for the distinguished SER
ofGen Kearney, and the expeditions OF Col fremont
Though attached to the Navy, he is Of those sd-
sessities frontier difc with Mexico and
the explorations of the West have developed and who
have been of incalculable benefit to our country.
Lieut. Beal was sent, early in November last, rs o
bearer Of dispatches from government to the Unit
cd States officers in California and upon the Pacific
he was entrusted with communications to Col Wash
ington at Santa Fe, Col Mason in California, and Gen.
Lane in Oregon and required to pass through the
extensive regions beyond the Mississippi to reach his
destinations. He left Fort Leavenworth, the Mis-
souri,. the Goth of November. with a command of
seventeen mounted men. all raw recruits, and a few
adventures After a tedious and fatiguing Journey
they reached Bent's Fort, and learned that Col Free
mont and his party had passed about ten before
In crossing the Taos Ratons mountains they
eountered all the seventies Of winter in those difficult
and gigantic passes covered with the SHOWS of an
usually cold and Indictment season. Many Of their
mules persisted from the rgors of the weather and
march, and number Of the men fros. bitten and
usabled from farther service Upon arriving at Santa
Fe which he reached the 25th of December, Lieut.
Beall gave permission to such # his men
unwilling to be panied in the dangers and trials
before him by any upon whom he could not rely with
implicit confidence. To supply the deficiency, Col.
Mason allowed him to enlist eight additional mounted
men who DESTROYS of engaging in the expedition
With this force Lieut. Bosl started from Santa Fe
the 18th January and was soon destined to encounter
the most trying difficulties The Sierra de los Mem
bres vast range of lofty mountains, enveloped
In storms and the route most hazardous and
oppressive So intense the cold that mules
were frozen to death, at night under tents and
covered with blankets The fortitude of a number of
the failed and sergeant and six privates desert
cd Or these, as well as OF the who had previ
ousy left subsequent information has been received
They no doubt persisted under the violence of the
weather or were assassnaed by the Indians who nfest
those regions
luton through ndescribabe difficulties to the head
waters of the river ella. Passing to the southern
SIDE, he followed the train which winds in a zig gag
manner al.ng the precipitous sides OF the lofty
tans that prevail in this region This section OF
for good road or roads to California From Lieut..
Bealls description it is continuance of the
rugged and inaccessible mountains, with vast gorges
peaks and declivities covered perpetuay with SNOW,
and presenting barriers to be passed only by incred
Bile exertions. No track for wagon, or any wheel
vehicle can ever be made along this route. The men
could only press along the acents by the aid Of their
hands we'll feet and the tenacious mountain
mules often precpta from the declivties and
rolling down the extensive slopes, were crushed to
pieces with every bone broken and their saddles
30 DESTROYED that they could not be further used
This route the head. waters of the ella fire.
quently, to avoid the barriers which constantly
jut and overhang the stream That river in this
portion Of its extent Is not susceptible Of canoe
navigation Its current is Of arrowy swiftness shoot
ing rocky and irregular falls with short serpen
tine windngs through narrow and dangerous
that produce whrlpools and cascades which would
snguf any water. craft entrusted to its control
Colorado and the latter stream to within fifty miles Of
the Gulf of California Lieut. Beal and his little party
struck out northward the intervening DESERT
for San Francisco. This desert is very extensive aud
more barren than that of Sahara. The weather here
was intensely hot and greatly afflicted the men, who
had been suffering amid the frosty rigors of the
tains but found themselves in arid, sandy re-
gon deprived Of water EXCEPT such as they bore with
them A travel of one hundred and twenty miles
brought them however on the LIST of April in sight Of
the welcome dwellings Of San Francisco and In the vi
entity Of those gold regions that in prolific
wealth the Hesperian Gardens Of antiquity.
Gen. Persifer +. Smith, the Governor, greeted the
corners with hearty welcome; received tho des-
municaiions tor Gen Lane, in Oregon, by q speedy
/, conveyance.
but took time to look around him at the condition
of the country The for gold like the rod Of "A
ron had swallowed up an other passions; Inc innaoi
the necessary edces but were residing in tents aud
shantees hastily erected. The extent Of the gold
region cannot BIZ defined 1t has already been found
to cover O territory more than hundred and fifty
miles in length, and from fifty to sixty in breadth
The precious metal is discovered in perfectly
pure in the beds Of the streams and in the hills
and plains adjacent. 1t found In small particles
fakes in the water mingled with sand, which has only
to be washed away to leave residue Of fine gold and
In the "dry dggngs' 1t exists In solid Jumps some
weighing eight ten pounds, which are dug up with
pickaxes and spades. The laborers generally prefer
working in the streams the other method Is the
most laborous. Every laborer can certainly secure
each day, at least twenty dollars worth Of the metal
while those who fortunate frequently make from
one to two hundre dollars.
Lieut. Beall showed specimens Of gold he had pro-
cured in the country Of both Varieties in PARTICLES and
the lump. One specimen was well calculated to make
the eyes stare and " the lips water" 1t was o solid
lump weighing eight pounds, and worth $4,000, Of the
1t is impossible to compute the number Of persons
in California No could be TAKEN for they
scattered every where through its extensive forests
prosecuting the quest for the root Of all evil Still the
utmost good order prevails the country they have
no regular laws but the large infusion Of intelligent
and upright inhabitants and quiet, by
species Of modified Ly nch jurisdiction, which neces
sty has created. They do not complain as has been
said Of want Of government for they have not time,
in their engrossng avocation, to think Of such
thing.
Lieat Beall informs us that the rumor of mutny
the OHIO Is without foundation, everything In
most perfect state Of subordnation that vessel,
the night before he left Governor Smith having en-
trusted him with dispatches for our government he
took passage from San Francisco on the 18th of APRIL
board the steamer Oregon for Panama The steamer
touching at San Bias and remaining three days for
fuel he received information from party of Mexicans
who had been trading among the Indians Of the safe
arrival in the country of Col Fremont and party
That gallant officer had proceeded across the desert for
San Francisco.
After trip ofabout twenty days the Oregon arrived
at Panama. Here Lieut. Beall met Mrs. Fremont with
Mr. Jacobs her brother-in.law and communicated the
news concerning her husbBnd She had previously re-
ceived from tke United States, OF his DIM
cuties and of his fortunate escape About two thou
sand waiting ut Panama for transportation
to San Francisco About three hundred of these, in
cludinQ Mrs Fremont would take passage In the Ore
ron and the others would go in the California and
stber vessels daily expected The California was to
leave San Francisco the day after Lieut. Bea, with
Mrs Persifer Smith and number Of other ladies re-
turning to the United States With this party Col.
Mason would also return.
Being DESTROYS of reaching Chagres In time for the
Falcon Lieut. Beall proceeded at by night; but
though he reached that port in seventeen hours he
found that had sailed the evening before.
Leaving the mails for the return Ut that steamer, he
took passage the LIST instant the bark Florida,
for New Orleans, where he arrived on Monday morn
ing and Immediately on to this city His journey
has thus been remarkably brief; but had he obtained
passage on the Falcon he would have made the trip to
New ork from San Francisco, in the remarkably short
time Of twenty -seven days.
Lieut. Brall proceeded yesterday to Washington, by
the mail boat from this dty
From the New Orleans Picayune
BY the British steamer which arrived In Mobile Bay
Monday, on her return passage from Vera Cruz,
received Ell FREQ Iris of that port, to the 10th inst
and the Tampico Noticioso to the 18th inst.
An article from FL Monitor Rept5licano copied into
Ell Iris Of the 10th inst states that according to
the Alta California paper published in San Francisco
the municipal authorities Of the principal towns in that
territory had presented to Governor Smith and Com
modore Jones a memorial the state Of affairs under
their provisional government invoking the support and
approval Of those officers respectively in reference