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

labor will always he high, and will hold
out temptations to- DESERT l therefore
have to reportifthea government wish 10
prevent assertions here on the part OIL
men, and to secure zeal on the part OF
officers, their pay must be increased very
mnte rally. -, ,.E,.... 49,. ~ ~. '.'-
NV Soldiers, both Of the volunteer and reg
ular service, discharged in this country,
should be permitted TO locate their land
warrants at once on the gold Districts
Many private letters have gone to the
United States, giving accounts Of the vast
quantities Of gold recently discove red,
and it may be a matter Of. surprise why |
have made no mention ofssthe subject AZ
an earlier date-The~ reason,is, | couN
not bring myself to believe the reports
that | had heard Of the wealth Of the gold
district, until visited it myself. have
no hesitation now in saying that there is
more gold in the country drained by the
Sacramento and San Joakin rivers, titan
will pay the cost Of the present war with
Mexico a hundred times over.-No CAPT
tai is required to obtain this gold, as the
laboring man wants nothing but his pick
and shovel, and tin pan, with which to
dig and wash the gravel; and many frc-
quent|y pick gold out Of the crevices Of
rocks with their butcher knives, in pieces
from one to six ounces.
Mr.. Dye, gentleman residing in Mon
terey, and worthy Of every credit, has
just returned from Feather river. He
tells me that the company to which he
belonged, worked seven weeks and two
days, with an avcrase Of fifty Indians,
(washers,) and that their gross product
was two hundred and scventy-three
pounds Of gold. A soldier ofthe artillery
company ecturned here few days ago
from the mines, hcving been absent on
Through twenty days. He made by trad
ing and working during that time ST.
5o0 During these twenty days lie was
travelling ten or eleven days, leaving but
week, in which he made sum Of mon
cy greater than he receives in pay,
clothes, and rations during whole en-
istment Of five years. These statements
appear incredible, but they are true.
Gold is also believed to exist on the
eastern slope Of the Sierra Neveda; and
when a! the mines, was informed by an
intelligent Mormon that it had been found
near the great Salt Lake by some Of his
frrtcrnlty. Nearly all the Mormons are
leaving california, to 60 TO Salt Laid; and
this they surcl y would not do unless they
were sure Of finding gold there in the
same abundance as they do now in the
Sacramento.
The gsld "p|acer'' near the mission Of
San Fernando, has long been known, but
has been but little wroug ht, for want Of
water. This is in IA spur that puts off
from the Sierra Nevada; (sec Fremont's
map,) the same in which the present
mines occur. There is, therefore, every
reason to believe that in the Intervening
spaces Of five hundred miles (en,irely un
there must be many hidden and
rich deposiles. The "pIacer'' gold is now
substituted as the currency Of the coun-
try; in trade it passes freely at $S16 per
ounce; as an article Of commerce It's val
ue is not yet fixed. The only purchase
[ made was Of the specimen No. 7, which
| got Of Mr.. Neigh at $f2 the ounce
That is about the present cash value in
the country, although it has been sold for
less. The great demand for goods and
provisions made by this sudden develop
ment Of wealth, has increased the amount
of commerce at San Francisco very much
and it will continue to increase.
| would recommend that mint be cs-
tpbllshed at some eligible point Of the bay
Of San Francisco; and that machinery,
and all necessary apparatus and work
men be sent out by sea. These work
men must be bound by high wages, and
even bonds, to secure their faithful scrvi-
ces, else the whole plan may be frustra.
ted by their going to the mines as soon
as they arrive in California. If this
cource is not adopted, gold to the amount
of many millions Of dollars will pass
yearly to other countries to enrich their
merchants and capitalists.
Some Of the specimens Of gold accom-
panying this were presented for trans
mission to the department by the gentle
men named below. The numbers on the
Typographical sketch, corresponding to
the labels Of the respective specimens,
show from what part Of the gold region
they were obtained, ).
/. Capt. j. A. Suffer. .# |
2. John Sinclair.
3. VIM. Glover, r. G. Kirby, Ira Blan.
chard, Levi Fi6eld, Franklin II. Argues,
Mormon Diggins.
4. Charles Weber. Sc ...s 81,
s. Robert Spence.
g. Sunol 81 Co..
7. Robt. d. Neigh. y 4
8. C.E Picket, American Fork Coiuma.
9. T.. G. Kemb'c.
10. 7. II. Green, from San Fernando
near Los Angeles.
A. 2 OF purchased from Mr.. Neigh.
b. Sand found in washing gold, which
contains small PARTICLES.
II. Capt: Frisbie, Dry digg;ns,, Weber,s
creek.
10. Consumes. 7
10. Consumes, Hartwell's ranch.
have the honor to be your most obedi-
ent Eerv't, 4 B. MASON,
Col. LIST Dragons, Commanding.
Brig. Gen. Z Jones,