Baltimore commercial journal, and Lyford's price-current. [volume] (Baltimore, Md) 1840-1849, 1849-01-27

conviction nnon any one in this country is difficult
nowit was, some months since; but gold has ialen i
from sixteen dollars the ounce to eight; ana se'erh
at the mines selling, from necessity, ior SIN
dollars the
rode from one end to the other of the main val
ley, in the dry dggings and questioned almost every
man there, and they all, without single exception,
then making from two ounces TO two hundred
dollars per day, when they chose to work. Many
had shanties, with trnkcts blankets and calicoes Tor
the Indians, and comforts and necessarles Tor the
whites ] think at least two thousand whites, III
GLIDING Caornians, were on the dry dgglngs OF the
American Fork and one thousand on the river, IN
different parts, washing. There cannot be less than
two thousand the Nuba, the north fork OF the
American, and Feather river, all of which the
washngs bring the finest gold and in great abundance
at almost every deposit in the bed Of the river; and
it is fact, which only the daily ocular proof had
convinced me of, that for many miles OF wild and
drcary space, watcred by nearly all the eastern trlb-
utarics OF the Sacramento, traveller can get oil ms
horse in the bed of any mountain stream where the
hills either side OF graveliy red clay, and the
slate crceps out in the bed Of the gully, and there,
in an hours washing, he is sure TO get some gold
sometimes vial, sometimes two, three or ten Dol
lars worth. Bnt the gold is scattered in all the hiS
Of claycy and slaty formation; and the geological
features of the country told by those most IN
innate with them, nearly the same from Dyes
place, lat 400 TO the Motcumenes, about lat. 81, aud
from the commencement Of the hills 80 miles from
the river 10 the big main range OF the snowy
mountain, about eight miles further east. Gold has
been found abundant enough TO attract the laZest
skeptic in large part OF this district, and without
any enthusiasm; which, by the way, has not formed
part of my system since | came round Cape Horn TO
gain glory fighting Mexicans. think the Calitor-
niasfor gold is found in bOth-under the enterpris-
ing gold loving Yankees, will export from six TO
ten millions of gold annually in less than ten years
1t was estimated by the most intelligent, that over
two hundred thousand dollars had been taken out
when was there, three months alter 1T was made
public, and by the small vagrant and ragabond poPu.
lation of California Three fourths Of the men i
working in the dry diggings, were either run
away sailors or soldiers, or men who had lett home
suddenly, and might be called drinking. fighting,
but not a working population will not repeat any
Of the hundred stories mara of men who had found
many pounds in a day, and others getting INTO rich
spots and killing their horses rather than FISK bchS
followed back, and bringing cut arobas of gold, &c;
but my second trip up the mines, was riding
down the main dry digging and teamstcr, who had
stopped his team aud stood looking, with whip in
hand, al chap busy picking at niche or pocket in
the rock called out to me, Just come here, captain,
and look at this picking out the gold!' turn
ed my horse 10 the spot, and sure enough, he was
picking out Of the crevcc IN the slate, across which
the water had pitched in winter to bed some few
feet below, the gold and earth in Jumps, and had his
left hand full when saw him. mean he was picking
il out Of open hole in the rock, fast as you can
pick the kernel out Of lot Of well cracked she'll
barks. / have since the teamSter in town; he
is back here after his FIRMLY and for supplies and he
tells me, that in less than half hour, the man got
between five and six of pure gold; they told
me also that this very extraordinary picking.
| am cut short in my description by fair wind
and the unexpected departure Of Lieut.. Locser-an
old, well-tricd chum Of mine--with dispatches. |
have not time to copy these hasty sketches. IN |
tended TO complete an account OF cur trip, which, |
towards the last, gave idea Of the wild and
rich plains Of the Sacramcnto-whcre I the |
grsly bears within few miles Of a wcll-tTavelled
road, and hundreds Of elk and antclopes, which, |
wild they are, have had time to get out of the
way Of the tide Of gold hunters rolling over the
plains.
| expect to have a strange time of it here. Forts
" ithOUt sOldicrs--ordnanCc without men enough TO
guard thc1n-towns without men-country without !
government, laws, or legislators, and what is more,
no one disposed TO stop to make them-and sort of
colonial territory Of the United States, without even
a communication with the home government for
nearly two years, with the navy for many months.
The officers Of the army here could have seized the
large amount of funds 10 their hands levied heavily
on the country, and been living comfortably in New
York for the last year, and not soul at Washington
the wiser for it. Indeed, such is the ease
with which power can 60 unchecked and unpublished
in this region, that will be hard for the officers Of
government TO resist temptation; for salary here is
certain poverty and debt, unless makes up by
big hauls. The merest negro can make more than
present governor, Col. Mason receives in toto.
The Washington Union of Saturday night has the
following authentic information from the gold region:
OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS.
INTERESTING-CALIF GOLD.
Extract Of letter from Thomas o. Larkin, Esq, !
late consul, and navy agent, Of the U. States,
to the Secretary Of State, dated at Monterey, No
yember 10Th, lSiS, and received in this city on
Friday evening last.
The digging and washing for gold continues to
increase the Sacramento placer, far regards
the number Of persons engaged in the business, and
the size and quantity Of the metal daily obtained
have had in my hands several pieces of gold, about
twenty three carats fine, weighing from to two
pounds and have it from good authority that pieces
have been found weighing sixteen pounds. Indeed,
have heard Of one specimen that weighed twenty
FIVE pounds. There many men at the placer who
i'll June last had not one hundred dollars, in pos
session of from five to twenty thousand dollars, which
they made by digging gold and trading with the In
dians. Several, | believe, have made more. A
common calico shirt, a silver dollar, has been
taken BY Indian for gold, without regard to size;
and half to of gold--say IS TO S l6-is
considered the price Of shirt, while from three
10 ten is the price Of blanket. One hundred
dollars day for several days in succession was and
is considered common remuneration for the labor
Of gold digger, though few work month at
a time, as the fatigue is very great. From July TO
October one-half Of the gold hunters have been af
ficted either with the ague and fever the inter-
mittcnt fever, and twenty days absence from the |
placer during those months is necessary to escape
these diseases. There have not, however, been |
many fatal cases. The gold is now sold from the |
smallest imaginary piece in size TO pieces Of one
pound in weight at s 10 per troy ounce for all the
purposes of commences bur those who are under the
necessity Of raising coin to pay duties to the govern
ment are obliged TO accept from s 10 10 : II per
ounce. All the coin in California is likely TO be
locked up in the custom house, the last tariff of
Congress in force here i'll regard to the receipt
OF money.
"Coud you know the value of the California pla
Ger, as ! know IL, you would think you had been
instrumental in obtaining most splendid purchase
for country, TO put other construction on the
late treaty.
''Thc placer is known to be two or three hundred
miles long; and as discoveries are constantly being
made, it may prove 1000 miles in ength-in fact il
is, not counting the intermediate miles yet unexplor
ed. From five 10 ten millions Of gold must be our
export this and next year. How many more wears
this state of things will continue cannot say You