Iowa capitol reporter. [volume] (Iowa City, Iowa) 1841-1855, 1849-01-31
! would rather have the above medicine
within my reach, than the assembled wis
dom ofall the doctors in the world. Yours.
JOS. N. Mcdowell, M. ID.
Gold is not the Only Thing WORM
Living for. 4

The following letter from AxrHoxY
Ten EYcK, American Commits sionet at the
Sandwish Islands, addressed from San
francisco, to his mother at Watertown,
n. T., is puklsshedin the Jefssrsoniap.-
II IS under aa!e Of August 9th. He is. d
gentleman Of known character for erac.tv
and integrity. His account confirms the
abundance Of gold, as we'll as the desperate
character ofthe population. When he re.
marks that he would not live there for oil
the gold in the mines, he but expresses the
opinions Of sound minds, that gold alone
cannot make men happier or more confor-
table: .'.--
81 have visited the famous gold mines
at the base of the California mountains.
and upon the southern tributaries of the
Sacramento river, some 200 miles from
here. | crossed from here to the north
side of the bay, and went up by land on
horseback. | returned in an open boat by
water down the Sacramento and the bay.
The journey was long, tedious, fatiguing,
and disagreeable in every respect. The
weather, after getting 20 miles from here,
was very hot, and the farther advanced
into the interior the more oppressive it be-
came. / was absent from this place lust
three weeks, and during that time eat
scarcely any thing that did not cook N.Y.
self or assist the cooking, and made nv
bed and slept upon the ground. could
have slept most Of the time in California
house, but preferred being out of doors to
avoid the fieas, which infest every house
in the country. After May, and until late
in October, it never rains in California,
therefore there is no danger of being wet
in travelling here in this season Of the
year. TIE country find pleasant and in
teresting. 1t can never be an agricultural
country, and is onl y valuable for grazing.
The vicinity of the mountains. and for
many miles down the streams, which, taxi
their rise among the mountains, abound
in gold, which is now being collected b..
thousands of people in very large quanti-
ties. The mineral region covers very
large extent Of territory, and the gold seems
to be inexhaustible. There are now pro-
badly a,ooopersons digging gold, and dc
not exaggerate when say they will aver
age from $40 to $50 day. each person.
Some men have made large fortunes all
ready, after three or four weeks labor.
81 know Of two men who collected from
the surface Of the ground and within
very small space, IN two days, $l4, OOOin
value. Within a circumference of 300
yards, some 100000 was gathered in s.
days, this is calculating the gold worth $l6
the ounce, IL on. to the ID.
at is most astonishing, but nevertheless
is true. Isupposc no gold mines have
ever been discovered Of sqllal extent, and
yielding such quantities, with SO little la
Dor, as those Of this country: and it will
be years before it can be exhausted. I
have visited the "diggings, some 40 miles
along what is called the american Fork
of the Sacramento; almost every yard is
occupied, and all are getting out Quantities
of ore. have about So worth of gold
dust, which washed cut myself in the
course of two or three hours. l shall
keep it, of course, as a memento of what
] myself have in gold digging. The effect
Of this discovery will be bad for the NOR
ais Of the country, and will ruin all its
prospects as farming or agricultural
country. l would not again 90 through
what have, to see TIE country, md
uou!d not settle doaen to lire in 1t, for ALI
The god in the mines. The mode of life is
horritle, and a more dissp ted and i'm
moral set Of people never yet saw
People are tockins in here from all
parts ofihe coast, and as socn as me news
reaches foreign parts, the worst Of their
population will emigrate hiiher. l pity
any decent white maa who may live in this
region six months hence" 81,