The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1849-10-27
X From the Cadiz Sentinel
Late and Interestingf from California,
LETTER FROM DR.. OSBURN

| LETTER FROM DIR. OSbURN:
The following letter was written to J.
Scott, Esq, Of Cadiz, by DR.. Osburn.
DIR. O. il brother-in-law of Gov. Shan
non; and is well known in this county.
We consider his letter highly satisfactory,
and arelgratifed that we are able to pre-
sent it to our readers in the present num-
Der.
RIVER JUBA, July IA, 1849.
My DEAR FRIENDS Here / am upon
the banks of the Juba River, in Califor-
MIA, taking out Gold from its sands, and,
according to my promise, l will now un-
dertake to tell you something about Cali
fornia, and about gold digging. We
have been in these diggings, now about
three weeks, and have been digging and
working for two weeks. | am about IS
miles from the mouth of the Juba, on a
bar formed by the mouth of ravine," ("
with mountains rising high up all around.
No broad pleasant valleys here to work or
play upon. The mountain slopes, gene
rally, run with rapid descent into the
river, and are all covered with tremen-
dous rocks, and generally impossible to
pass over. The water rushes by us with
the speed almost of race horse, and
occasionally dashes down over rocks 80
to 40 feet high. But water and rocks,
and pleasant valleys, are not what you
wish me to talk or write about. 1t is
Gold! and oh! only wish you were here
to see the many disappointed fellows that
strike the diggings first at this point This
day, five fellows, Yankees, from Conneo-
ticut. left here for San Francisco, to get
work, fully tired out with gold digging;
and every few days parties arrive and
stay week and leave in the same way.
tell you, many, many, are disappoint-
ed. They expected to pick up gold here
with little labor, and in large quantities,
and rapidly, too; but in all they find, they
are mistaken. The truth is, gold is plenty
here. You cannot pick up pan of earth
here but has gold in it, and the river runs
literally upon bed of gold, but labor and
patience are required to get it. The
Governor, (Shannon,) employs his time
in exploring, and has not yet made per-
manent location, Myself, James Barnet.
and young Spaniard, are working hard,
| tell you, and we have gathered some
gold, too. am not disappointed. We
worked here one week, and made nothing
On the beginning of the second week we
bought cradle at great. bargain. We
paid 800 for it to man leaving, though
its value here is 5000. carpenter with
boards and nails can make as good one
in Cadiz in day. This seems extrava-
CANT, but | tell you, the next day we
rocked out seven ounces of gold, worth
here $ll2, and at home 1854. 1t is now
nearly two weeks since we purchased it,
and we since then have gathered about
four pounds. This is considered here
extraordinary luck, but we happened up
on rich pocket, and | took out two
ounces from one pan full of soil, or dirt,
as it is called here, in half an hour.
The average amount gathered here, is,
however,, ounce per day at this time. But
as soon as the waters get down, we ex-
pect much more. The best season for
mining has not arrived, the richest depos.
ties of gold are in the beds of the riv ers,
and it will be from one to two months yet,
before they will be exposed. Goods and
provisions are extravigantly high here
Sugar sells for SO cents, per lb., Flour 35
cts. do, picked pork so cts We sold
very common rife for $4,000, and pair
of horse pistols for $50. A red cotton
handkerchief such as is sold for l85 cts.
with you, readily brings $500 from the
Indians. fair horse is worth $4,000
yoke of oxen $4,000, &c. Horse hire
is six dollars per day-freight for 25 miles,
S12, so per hundred, Labor at mining is
from six to twelve dollars per day, and car
penter's wages are one ounce per day. !
have made full hand every day for two
weeks, and am improving daily. | think
my life will be prolonged several years by
this trip. | am as hearty as buck, al
ways ready for my meals, and have not
had symptom Of cough since left
home. am happy, too, and i'll only had
you here to crack jokes with me after our
days work is through, and to help me
clean the black sand from the gold, would
be still happier | frequently mention it
to Barnett, and we spend rlany hours in
looking back and talking about our friends
in Cadiz, and imagining that we hear you
wondering how we are all getting along
among the gold. expect to work hard
until our company arrives, and until they
all get fairly under way, when | will COM
mence trading with the Indians.
This is more profitable than gold dig
ging. Or may locate upon ranch or
farm close to the digglngs. We have
sent in proposition for one which ex-
pect we will get Itcontains seven square
leagues Of land, with two good adobe hou.
ses, &C., and 5000 head Of cattle and 1900
head of horses. With this ranch we can
carry on bold business at mining. It
has several hundred Indians dependant
upon it, and they work pretty well.
The young manis ready to start and
am sorry am'hurried-so you must ex-
cuse thaa haste | do not think much ofl