The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-07-11

scourges that now eurrounf them.
Within the last week, there have been three
separate alarms Of FIRE, all of which IL Is positive
were ircendiary attempts but which were crush
ed before any serious damage was done. No Ian
guage can express the mental and moral villany
Of the man who would thus attempt to bring ruin
upon our city. But when IL is remembered that
we have amongst choice q set Of Williams as
ever peopled St Giles or the Five Points, and
the various causea which would produce such
crime are considered, il only appears strange that
more are not committed. Daily are pouring in
| upon MS from Van Diemans Land, the condemn
ed oonvicts Of Great Britain, until il has almost
become a proverb, that California is Englsnds
Botany Bay Desperate men from all parts Of
the world have here found centering place, aud
! in the previous absence of any understandable
law amongst us, have given way to the grati6ca-
ton of their villanous desires. Add to this the
! fact, that desperate men are rendered ten-fod
more desperate by the streams Of alcoholic poison
that are almost literally pouring through our
streets and by the existence of hundreds Of gam
ing establishments, licensed by our city fathers.
and which our Legislature have taken no means
to suppress, and We can at least in ope-
ration here that may cause us TO shudder.
In addition TO all this, we are utterly lacking in
any system Of rational amusement The only
thing bearing that name at present is q series Of
brutal bull fight exhibitions, which have lately
taken place almost daily. am happy to say, how
ever, that our new Common Council have imposed
| = tax which will hA elmost NyoAihitOrV unon CT
| n,n,,Uns
Our city organization is now fully made and il
was fondly hoped that, in its operation, we would
| be freed from the many nuisances that surround
US, and that the heavy taxation which has rested
like an incubus over us for year past would he
ightened, and that our new officers would endeav-
or to forget their personal aggrsndIement for the
public welfare; but almost the first act Of eur
Board Of Aldermen has been TO reenact almost
literally the old revenue law, and to place the sal
airy Of mayor at $4,000 per annum, the city attor-
ney and some other inferior offices Mt the same,
and a bill is now before them voting themselves
| as aldermen the snug little sum Of SO 900 year
for their services in behalf of the dear people 1t
is hoped, however, that public opinion will frown
down this unhesrd-of extravaganza. Our city is
growing rspidly-more rapidly than ever before.
Lumber has come down to a respectable price,
and our vacant lots are fast being improved. Pro-
visions still keep up. Potatoes are worth from IS
cents to IS cents. Onions, 90 cents Flour, sl0
to sl2 per hundred, and other articles in proper
ton. Board is worth twenty dollars per week.
Lsborersi wages, s. per day
Our State generally is not so quiet as our good
city. Troubles are brewing, which, IL not Grip
spled in the bud, promise 70 be Of long duration.
The most formidable Of these is the resistance to
! the Foreign Miners Tax. Our Legislature, CON-
posed in great p&ft OF men fresh from the States,
who knew nothing Of the toll and rewards Of the
miner, enacted law taxing sll foreigners engaged
In working the mines Of Californis, the sum of
| twenty dollars per month. Collectors were ap-
pointed, and despatched to the different mining
counties. They Of course Immediately found
trouble At the present season Of the year, the
afaro 90 hi oh hat ba min
psratively nothing and in the great influx Of for
eigners, q large majority of them have not sufh-
cient sum to pay for months licence, which is
required to be paid ia advance. A large deputa-
tion came about week since to the Alcalde at the
town Of Sonora, demonstrating against the tax and
requesting his intervention. He, Of course could
do nothing, and mild remonstrance was forward
ed 20 the Governor. He had no power to alter
the law and the foreign miners now threaten to
take it into their own hands. In Tuwalumne
county, notice, of which the following is COPY
has been posted very extensively:
"NoIIcE TO FoRElGSERs.-It is time to unite
Frenchmen, Chilenos Peruvians, and Mexicans
there is the highest necessity for putting an end
to the veIations Of the Americans in California
"if you intend to allow yourselves to be fieeced
by band Of miserable fellows, who are repudiat
ed by their country, then unite and 70 to the
Camp of Sonora next Sunday there we will try
to guarantee greater security for us all, and te
put bride into the mouths of that horde whc
call themselves citizens Of the United States
thereby profaning that country"
The result OF this meeting has not yet beer
heard but 1t Is reported that the collector OF
Tuwalumne county has been killed, and that about
100 Mexicans have been arrested there There
is great deal Of certain kind Of sympathy fell
for the foreigners in the mines principally by the
Trad and rkn ;uto tad 4
ing profits from them.
The fact is, that In this tax the Legislature ha,
overstepped the mark. The tax is altogether toe
high, and it never can be paid. Were It paid, il
would create a revenue that might shortly pay
of the national debt Of England, and enrich the
collectors, who would receive three dollars for
each license issued, which, IN some cases, would
amount to q commission of $50 900 per month
Had this tax been placed at s., instead Of $50, a
handsome revenue would have been created and
it would have been paid without murmur As
it is do not see how the difficulty is to end The
Legislature which does not meet till next No.
vember, alone can repeal the act, and the miners
will not and cannot pay the tax.
Our California legislators are 80 eager to 6l
their own pockets with Government spoils, that
they forget good policy in their great haste and
TO insure the success Of our new State enterprise
hereafter, more polite and temperate measures
must be adopted
We have also had, and are still having, diff
culties with the Indians or late the disturb
snces first occurred in the vicinity Of Deer Creek
| high up on the Sacramento, where several white
men were murdered In the valleys of Sonoma
and Naps, and at Clear Lake, there has been
trouble. The causes and termination Of the diff
culties in this latter place are q fair exhibition
Of the justice which has ever been dispensed by
| the white man 10 his red brother. The lands in
the vicinity Of Clear Lake were purchased SOME
two years since from General Vallejo one Of the
richest landowners in California, by three broth
ers, named Kelsey. In accordance with old Cali
fornis custom these brothers claimed by purchase
the right Of controlling all the Indians found
upon these lands, and last fall succeeded ID
forcing q number Of them 10 the mines, where
they were made to dig gold In the capacity of
slaves. The hard labor, TO which they were unac-
customed, and the scarcity Of food furnished
them, soon reduced their number from hundred
70 about dozen One of those who reformed,
burning for revenge, attempted the life Of the
wife Of one of the Kelseys. The husband fol-
lowed him up, and meeting him one day in the
streets Of Sonoma, blew bis brains out with pis-
,ol. This Of course maddened the Indians, and
they subsequently murdered another of the Kel.
seys A party was instantly raised at Sonoma,
who armed themselves, and started on an Indian
| hunt few miles from Sonoua, they found q
number Of pesceable Indians upon the farm OF
Mr.. Foster, in Napa Valley, and, dwelling their
rifle, stretched fifteen Of them dead upon the
ground, and burnt their huts This, OF course,
was signal for hostilities among the red men Of
that quarter and since that time there has been
DO safety among them. A terrible retribution
has been dealt During the present month,
party of Is United States dragons, under CON-
mxnd of Lieutenant Davidson, started from the
sonoma garrison, proceeded to Clear Lake, and,
without distinction Of sge or sex, shot every To-
dian they could find, killing about 800, most Of
whom, IL not ait, were entirely guiitiess Of any
wrong TO the white man A splendid despatch
Of this brave and daring deed will probably be
| a IL W..