Weekly miners' express. (DuBuque, Iowa) 184?-1849, 1849-01-02

may, without departing from any rule OF pro
pricty. reluctantly accord 10 them that crcdi,
which Justly belongs to heir characters; but
VIC have no right TO call in question the into
gritty Of their Official conduct. or attack their
private character, until we arc prepared to OK
hibit that testimony which will produce con-
vction at the bar Of public opinion. This is
the course which sound discretion dictates,
and which, if were an editor, / would feel
bound invariably TO pursue.
Respectfully, yours.
a WIG.
But not Ultra Wig.
INTERESTING DESPATCH FROM CAL
IFORNIA.
Among the documents received by the
Secretary Of War, and communicated
with the Presidents message, is the follow
ing letter from COL Mason, the military
Commandant Of California;:
HEADQUARTERS 10Th MILITARY DEPARTMENT,
Monterey, Cal(o rEia, Aug. IT, le4S.
Sir: have the honor TO inform YOU
that, accompanied by 1t. w. T. Sherman
81 artillery, A. A. A. General, started
on the l2 Of June last, to make tour
through the northern part of California.
My principle purpose, however, was to
visit the newly discovered gold 'splacer,''
in the valley Of the Sacramento. | had
about forty miles, when | was
overIaken BY an express, bringing me
intelligence Of the arrival at Monterey
of the U. S. ship Southampton, with i'm.
portant letters from Com. Shubrick and
1t. Col. Burton. | returned at once to
Monterey, and despatched what business
was most important, and on the 18th re-
sumed my journey. We reached San
Farncisco on the Goth, and found that all,
or nearly all its n'alo population had
gone to the mines. The town, which u
few months ago was busy and thriving,
was then almost deserted. On the even
ing Of the 24th, the horses of the escort
were crossed to Souseleto in launch,
and on the following day we resumed the
journey by way Of Bodega and Sonoma
to Suffers fort, were we arrived on the
morning Of the Ed Of July. Along the
whole route, mills were lying idle, fields
wheat were lying open to cattle and hor-
ses, houses vacant, and farms going 10
waste. At Suffers there was more life
and business. Launches were discharg-
ing their cargoes at the river, and carts
were hauling goods to the fort, where al
ready arc established hotel, several
stores, &c. Captain Suffer had only two
mechanics in bis employ ia wagon maker
and bIacksmi:h,) whom he was then
paying ten dollars day. Merchants
pay him monthly rent Of a $500 per
room; and whilst was there two-story
house in the fort was rented as hotel a,
$500 month.
At the urgent solicitation Of many gen.
tlemen, | delayed there to participate in
the first public celebration Of our nation
al annive rsary at that fort, but on the 9Th
resumed the journey, and proceeded
twenty miles up the American fork to a
point on it known as the Lower Mines,
lor Mormon higgins. The hill sides were
thickly strewn with canvass cents and
bush arbors; store was erected, and sew
eral boarding shanties in operation. The
day was intensely hot, yet about two hun,
dred mon were at work in the full glare
Of the sun, washing for gold-some with
tin pans, some with close-wove Indian
baskets, but the greater part had rude
machine known as cradle. This is on
rockers six or eight feet long, open at the
foot, and at its head has course CRATE, or
sieve; the bottom is rounded, with small
elects nailed across. Four men are re.
quired to work this machine; one digs the
ground in the bank close by the stream
another carries it to the cradle and emp.
ties it on the CRATE; third gives VIC.
lent rocking motion to the machine
whilst fourth dashes on water from the
stream itself. The sieve keep the coarse
stones from entering the cradle, the cur.
rent of water washes off the earthly mat.
ter, and the gravel is gradually carried
out at the foot Of the machine, leaving
the gold mixed with fine black sand a
bove the first elects. The sand and golc
mixed together are then drawn off thro
auger holes into pan below, are driec
in the sun. and afterwards separated by
blowing off the sand. A party of rou
men, thus employed at the lower
mines averaged 800 a day. The In
dians, and those who have nothing bu
pans, or willow baskets, gradually wash
out the earth and separate the gravel by
hand, leaving nothing but the gold mixet
with sand, whichis separated in the man
ner before described. The gold. in tn.
lower mines is in fine bright scales, o
which l send several specimens.
As we assembled the south branch O
the American fork, the country becam
more broken and mountainous, and at tn
saw mill, Is miles above the lower wash
ing, or so miles from suffers, the hill
rise to about thousand feet above tn
i loyel Of the Sncr anantn Main Hara