The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1850-05-25
Interesting S,al;:srnis letter.

publication. sonta'ps so much interesting ainina-
tin. 'Aa, wshacs tSsscd ,As pcemi..son to l"y i;
hvfvse o,S rcadera It ~aA written 70 the Hoo }.
D cssc. II lhsps~s
c4fxwA BAa, Msrch IL. 1850.
1Pos A<-Ti;hcut ,sS<inx anc npoloyy fyr
trvssNssing u ycrr tire than o~n ins.uin ,.,t,
| md tie kind eusutsaaSss of cur acqusiutan.>,.
sit dJxa On ra.ay ,iav 20 write yea 81 Cali.
torniA ,squi:e likely that yon ar, ere it.s, sur
iti,ed With saeh te~s fus 1t INST b. that the -
pcrs arc filed With the lacuSa;icns .! a r.u,i
toae VI letter wri,er, but the changes III this TO-
Gently cxplutea cuui;ry are so great, tina, j, would
almost be q coDs,ar, ovnpation tor a man 70
keep pace with them With hi, pen The great
emigration last year ma Indeed wrought grpa,
changes in the aspec. Of thing, socially and po
litcally, and the vas. crowd that We learn il com
ling out the present season will no, experience the
same hardships end lcstitu,ion on their arrival
that We did, although they viii hare enough. God
Knows, 10 curse tho day thev Sc. ou. On pu. a..
rival in the valley las. year. there were bu, fur
ranches on the rad for distance Of two hundred
miles from Reid'nss digging 10 Sacramento q
W and now there are stopping places and towns
at convenient dIs;ances along 'hc whole route.
uhp,e the nccessa-es Of life can BE- obtained al
though at eSurbiaGt ratrs, while TINT character fur
unheard of honesty among the people in towns
where thousan J, Of dollars worth If property Inv
continually exrossi night and day is undergoing
a change. A recent visit TO Sacramento made
me cogn,ant OF the grea; md rapid change s
months had produced found town, springins
up along the blnks Of the navgable streams,
with speculation rife IN town lots as YOU ever
knew 1t in the city where ninety days ago not n
single house stood Ln,s are selling in these new.
~ Lila out towns fogn 500 10 or 1000 dolilrs,
with titles not worth pin, and the whole country
in nv humble opinion is bound To be scene Of
litigation and SEES O! trouble. The whole domain
Of the inhai,able por,iuns Of Alta Calitnni4 con.
sis.s chiefly OF the Sacramento and Gan joaquin
vailes But p small portion q these are snr way
suited for agricultural purposes, ana much q thu;
even is overt'owed by the floods Of winter m
spring, and this whole Country /, in the hands oi
a few, cay forty or fifty iuer who claim the tcni.
tory under Mexican grants Su,,sr for instance
laws claim TO lOn square miles Lawson 10 ten.
Davis TO az n,uth more willie Neil, Potter + Red
ding take the rest occrpyiny-rather claiming,
the valley Of the Sacramento from Sacramento
city 70 Reidings mines The southern portion, OF
the country are held in the same wav hy the very
few In tbs meantime The emigration Of las;
year il here AMI msny wlo came with families for
the purpose Ct making permanent hone, and
Others, who unable 10 dig, or disappointed in mi
ming are dppused to work on lands Which they
though: originally belonged to orr 9oteynmen,
have taken possession upon the principle and are
wanrcd of o. these Mexican claimanta Men whc
have braved the per!ls Of an overland Journey &c
this country, Snd who perhaps are unable to re
turn, will have home.
They would 10 willing that these claimants
snd pioneers should have princely fortune, per
hsns hi. .la, will b,ra al; .l;,., ,,i,,, 6,
themselves. their wives and CHILDREN, and ary nj
Tempt to dislodgo them will produce a cou.tina
tion sud union which will REQUIRE a military force
TO brea. Up. Should the goyern,ren, recognise
these Mexican grants, it places the multitude Il,
the mercy ri the few. ENGRAVING in fact the Peon
system of Mexico or the feudal tenure Of Europe
upon our Republican institutions in California
making q few lords o! the soil with multitude
OF dependents upon their will state rf .!.ing.
to whish our Anglo Saxon race are strangers and
! TO which they will not submit. Shulll the gov.
crnmcn, not acknowledge The rish, of these Mex.
lean claims. AMI assume the Fee Simple Of the
soil 10 itself and by its Justice and liberality con-
firm the squa;;ers in their profession, even By
paying fixed price for their lands, much Of the
difficulty will be obviatcd. and 50 too even ii gov.
srnnent concrrs in the validity Of those claims il
it vR buy o:tt the claimants and then confirm to
the present occupants the RICH, of pre- cmpiion
In tins unsettled state o: things. towns are laid
out lots AMI r'n,hes change hands, and at price.
too that cannot b. sustained even IN this land Of
gold. 60 tina, when the bubble bursts as j. ,arel,
will, litigation. failures md trouble must ensue
making paradise FOR lawyers and Hell fr eli.
en,s. do not anticipate for California, that higl,
destiny Which nanny OF our citizens at home do. |
have read several plausible and well written eii.
.orias upon the subject in various city papers but
they originated with men either Interested in some
scheme or unacqutin!cd with the actual condition
Of tho country. believe that in political econo.
MY every prosperous state mus; depend upon its
own proper resources for ils prosperity For ~.
stance, New England has It's water power, its
wool &c, the Middle Western and Southern
states have their crops timber wool coal tobacco,
sugar &c. &t., to give employment to the ship
pin. OF our seaboarl. As an agricultural country,
California 1ill amount to nothing The climate
and most OF the sol! /, antagonistc, and m ordiua
~ population must be fed and clothed by impor
ta;ion. Its trIc source of wealth is in It's mnes
and TO long as they continue prolific, commerce
to certain exteut will b. drawn TO is shore.
Its being n half way house TO China, amounts to
nothing A merchant in New York fitting out a
ship for load Of tea viii avail himself OF the 18th
mu, canal when completed out instcad II pur-
commission and profit storage. &c. will ,eni his
ship direct, as usual to Canton, aud buy from
first hands. and then return BY the usual roita
u New York, rather than make u forty or fifty
days sail ou: Of the way by San Francisco II
railroad i. even built from the states it cannot
compete IN prices Of freight with steam ships or
sail vos'els, and pay n profit to the San Francis
80 dealer, A rail road. however, will benefit the
trautl!iny community and be beneficial a. com
ncnication. The gold mines are the true and
legit rate source Of wealth Of California and at
ter ,hsi, exhaustion you may mark tho decline
Of ,his uui.'t!y praised country. It may reach
a mushroom growth. but i. will eventually be
thrown upon It's ovn resources and sink 10 its
own proper level. Oregon will be substantially
benefited frr there. wheat can be grown aud
its water power will produce the flour to feed
Californis. while its manufacturers Of woollen
gcois will 10 exchanged for the mineral wealth
Of its sister state
found in nv recent visit below. tina. great an.
teipations we're formed MS to the amount OF gold
to DO raised tho comm. season in the mines.
This, think. will b. in some measure justified.
much larger number Of persona are engaged
in the mines, than heretofore-new mines are o.
pened-new discoveries are made and the use OF
quicksilver will be more general than usual in mi.
ning The use of the latter in separating the gold