The daily national Whig. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1847-1849, 1849-01-04
DAILY NATIONAL WING.
WASHINGTON, d. G.
THURSDAY MORNING, JANUARY 4. ls4s.
Ell DORADO OF CALIFORNIA.

1 The mouth Of the Bay OF st. Francisco
on the Pacific coast is nearly in the same
latitude as the mouth Of the Chesapeake Bay
/ on the Atlantic coast. This fact deter
mines in measure, the climates Of the
countries bordering on the said Bays to be
nearly alike. The structure Of the two
Bays in their extension inland, differs in one
important point, and that is, while the Chesa-
peake water stretches northward, that Of St.
Francisco extends northward and southwark
its embouchure Both Bays occupy very
nearly the same number Of square miles, and
their navigation is not unlike but while the
Chesapeake receives large number of inn
portant andnavigable tributaries, the st. Fran
cisco can only boast Of 2 grand feeders those
ofthe Sacramento & the st. John, (which unite
at their mouths and traverse together Del
ia OF some twenty five miles in length
The character Of the country upon each
of these Bays is not dissimilar, if we except
| the mountainous features Of the Pacific
i coast Sand downs on the Atlantic coast
correspond to the feature. birds eye
view Of the country westward from the
peaks Of the Snowy mountains, leads irre-
sistibly to the conclusion, that the range Of
mountains on the seacoast, was displaced
from, the mother range and preeipitated by
glacial action into the ocean that once wash
ed the base Of the main ridge. Closer ex-
animation Of the geology Of the Sacramento
and st. John valies, goes strongly to sup
port this idea. Indeed, upon no other hypo-
thesis can the structure of these vallies be
satisfactorily accounted for.
Tie valley Of the Sacramento river ex-
tends northward Of its confluence with the
St John river some three hundred miles to
the snow capped and isolated Mount Shastl
1t is traversed by the Sacramento river flow
ing southwark. From the snowy mountains,
| distant about one hundred miles eastward
from the Sacramento river and lying par
|rallel to t,-there are thrown number Of
considerable streams into the Sacramento
river, swelling the volume of the latter into
navigable stream for vessels Of heavy
draft, for distance of over one hundred
miles from its mouth. On the west side of
the Sacramento number of small streams
drain the east slope of the coast hills
The valley Of the st. John stretches some
two hundred miles or more, from the union
ofthe st. John river with the Sacramento
river, to the southwark as far as the lake Of
Tular. The conformation of this valley is
the same as that Of the valley Of the Sacra-
mento, only the feeders Of the ST. John river
from the Snowy mountains are not so large
as those Of the Sacramento river.
There are other rivers flowing directly in
to the Bay st. Francisco, chiefly from the
south, each forming its valley and basin.
The extent Of the basins of the Sacra-
mento and the st. John, may be estimated
at seventy five thousand square miles. The
least length Of the two united, is FIVE hun
dred miles; and its average breadth fully
one hundred and fifty miles.
| The whole Of this extensive region is. one
vast Gold Placer or plain Of gold. The. ore
is found chiefly in fragmentary state
nowhere has it been discovered in its natu-
raj matrix, except at the base of Mount
Shastl and the Snowy Mountains. As this
mountain is a spur Of the Snowy Range,
the influence is irresistible, that the ore
abounls in the same state throughout that
whole elevated ridge But it is hattened
form which the native gold Of this immense
plain principally takes on. How was this
effect produced' The theory Of Mr.. Horn
sted, of Boston, that il was produced by
glacial action, we believe, will be found.to
be the true one. The Encouragement and
sliding down of the coast hills from the main
range Of the Snowy Mountains into the
ocean, are causes quite sufficient to explain
the fattening process by which the native
ore was converted into scales This idea
is further strengthened by the fact, that the
natural position OF the fsh-scale ore, as it is
very appropriately called, is sea-ward, or
pointed towards the sea-coast Where it
is found IN large quantities, they have all
the appearance Of having been dragged
downward from elevations by immense SUI
proposing masses, and left behind by the
rolling forward Of the defending mountains
On the other hand, how came the native
gold in these plains, in its natural form, as
though it had just been disengaged from the
matrix 1t is evident, that the pressure of
glacial action is only adequate to the de-
struction of the matrix. A variation of the
pressure is sufficient to produce both results.
Again, spring rivulets have been found lay
ing bare large fattened masses Of the ore an
inch or more thick, pointing to the sea-coast,
and bearing indubitable evidence of having
been fattened by the passage over il Of
sliding masses.
We hear, recently, that Mr.. Dana, Of the
Exploring Expedition, when in this Dorado