The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1849-02-01
Late from California,

/ SSneers ana Men IN the United States Serrice-Ba
A correspondent of the New York Courier, OF
board the q. S. ship Dale, writing from San 10
seph, Lower California, on the 18th of Now, saws
vessel sailed short time before our arrival a
Monterey for Mazatlan, with twelve hundref
pounds OF this gold, which found upon our arriva
SOLO lot over sixteen dollars per ounce avoirdupo
weight. Ihe gentleman who owns this gold came
our 10 tins country in January lS47, in one of the
store ships chartered in Boston to bring out pro
Visions for the squadron; he brought on with him
between four and five thousand dollars worth o
goods, which he bought at auction for venture
lie located IN San Francisco, and in August O
,he same year. he told me that with the goods he
Drought out and mis- purchase of two lots, he was
worth thirty thousand dollars. Lots bought origin
any ior fifteen dollars now worth five or six
thousand dollars; all of this took place before the
discovery of the mines. This gold has been as
sayed and found to be twenty-three and hal
caiats hne-pure virgin gold. The largest piece
found weighs twenty-five pounds, in one solid
block; the next weighs seven pounds and so on
down to fine black sand
Before l left Monterey saw MIR. -, who
came out to this country in the - store ship as
purser steward, He, with four others, went to
the mines In April last, and in seventeen days, he
says, the five dug out twenty thousand dollars
worth, when he was taken sick, and the copart-
nership dissolved. He had fifteen thousand dollars
worth with him, and does not intend to dig any
more, but to trade in goods.
cargo of China goods realized $500, 600 in a
week at San Francisco
On the Doth October. another correspondent at
Monterey says:
Commodore Jones, with numerous suite, was
TO have taken his departure for the mines yester-
day. The object of the visit it is imposs be to i'm
agine. However, iii consequence of the numer-
ois deserlons in the squadron, he sent party, but
remained here himself A circular letter from the
Commander-in-Chiefo of the Pacific squadron, was
but recently read on the quarter decks Of all the
vessels, in which he speaks of the placer as ride
ulous golden dream, etc. But Immediately on
arriving in Monterey and ascertaining that in Alta
California, there is gold deposit of about four
hundred square miles, the edge of which can he
reached in three or four days travel, and that even
the Governor of the newly acquired territory, was
among, if not one Of the diggers, he prepared for
journey to the land of dreams. 1t must be adj
mltted that in this case, precept was much better
than example.
But you can form no conception of the state of
affairs here. do believe, in my SOUL every body
has run mad-stark, staring mad. Officers of the
army have so far forgotten their dignity, to
mence system of speculation. Upon the road to
the placer, wagons with the brand u S. upon them
may be seen, travelling at a brisk rate, and sur
rounded by parties of gentlemen in high spirits,
mounted on fine horses strong mules, some of
which are also branded as above, all taking a
northward course. In these wagons are-uiSible-
saddle-bags, and pots, kettles, and other camp
equIpage; but if one could have a close examina-
tion he would find, nicely slowed away underneath
all these, goods for barter. What tell you is
the truth, and you need not be surprised all this,
for, as before said, every body is mad. Talk of
March kares-nonsense i-simtude must be al
tered to Yankees IN California
The Lexington (store ship will leave here in
FRANCISCO "a N Upld (OntU
think of thatD whence she will proceed to the
Sandwich Islands, and from there to the United
States Uia Valparaiso and Rio de Janeiro. What
Is the destination of the rest of the squadron the
tand-tubbers have not learned, but ! heard rumor
that another ship would sail for home on the LIST of
January, taking the route of the Lexington. |
have also understood that the Commodore hopes to
obtain PERMISSION to return home in the Ohio by
way of the East Indies.
The New York Herald says, that by this arrival
it has received private advices which are too won
1erfu for belief, and which it consequently sup
presses. 1t states on the strength of them that the
gold region is 800 miles in length by one hundred
IN width and that small body of diggers therein
produce annually one hundred million dollars
worth. The Herald gives the lengthy letter, how
ever, which it has heretofore promised Its Monte
'ey correspondent gives the following:
rec and grazing my horse, seen a few pieces of
pure gold picked up from the crevices of the rocks
or slate where we Were stopping. On one occa-
sion, incoming or refreshing on the side of a stream
entirely unknown to dggers or prospectors,' or
'ather, If known, not attended to, one of my COM
oanions, in rolling in the sand, said, Give me
in pan why should we not be cooking in gold
sands!' He took pan filled i, with sand, washed
It out, and produced in five minutes So or So worth
Of gold, merely saying, as he threw both pan and
gold on the sand, | thought 500
From the LIST of July to the LIST of October, more
Or less, one-half of the people will have fever and
igue, or intermittent fever which takes them from
The first day of digging until they have been 100
niles from the placer fifteen or twenty days
In the winter, it is too cold to work but from next
April to the following July, $I,0J0,000 of pure
gold, or more, per month, will be produced from the
gold region, without digging more than three feet
ieep."
The Argus of yesterday afternoon has also a let
er from Purser Buchanan, of the Navy, dated on
BOARD the u. S. ship Dale, Nov. %, 184S, from
which we make the following extracts
We will sail tomorrow for San b as to receive
SlC0, 900 for the army, and then will sail for the
Sandwich Islands. We remain at Hilo and Homo
ulu a short time, and return to San Francisco and
PIPER California early in February We leave
'bou the 10Th of February for Valparaiso and Rio
md hope to reach the United States on or before
Angus I5t.
When we sailed from Monterey on the Sd of No
'einber II was said there We're about four thou
and persons washing, digging and collecting gold
lust AT the mines labor is from ten to fifteen dol
ars per day board ten dollars per day Nth the
'r,o,ege OF sleeping under tree. A pair of ban-
iets is worth $50; pea jacket $50. Tea is |
worth s. per b. and every thing in like proportion
Capt. Halleck, of the Engineer Corps, who has |
'een there, says there is no tale in the Arabian |
h,1r
II ptacers, as they are called An extent of over
hree hundred miles by thirty to fifty broad has |
'een explored, and due west from Monterey as far
outh as the City of Angels an extent of two hun
ired miles, yet unexplored, contains gold. NJ |
nerous vessels from here have gone up loaded with
'o9ds, money and passengers, and people from all
arts of the world are fockng there in great num-
'ers. There have been many deaths, as many are |
bliged to stand in the waters over their knees. |
With an intense sun on their heads, and many are |
aid up with fevers.
The store ship Lexington will sail for the United |
ia ahnrf he 1sfn 6 al