The Portsmouth inquirer. [volume] (Portsmouth, O. [Ohio]) 1849-1855, 1850-04-08
Correspondence ofth Journal Of Commerce
Mr.. Kings California Report


WAsHicToN, Mirch 25.
Mr.. Thorn as Butler Kings Report on
California was readto the President and
Cabinet today and occupied two hours ant
a half in reading
II will Of course be presented TO Con-
gress. The topics Of which It trents ore
The population Of the country
Its agricultural resources
Extent and production Of The minern
region /; rvs
The commerce aud navigation of Californi I
The Legislature necessary for the ter
ritory;
And especially in regard to the disposi.
tion Of the gold bearing lands, belonging tc
the U. States. IS
The population ofthe country is now a.
bout one hundred and twenty thousand.- -
An accession to the population by the inn
igration, during the year beginning Al
the next dry season-on the first of May
is estimated ut two hundred thousand.
The agricultural capacities of the State
are vastly greater than has beenhcretofore
represented. There isl vast extent Of
pasture lands. unsurpassed any where in
| the world, in yerdure and richness. The
wild oats grow spontapeously all over the
plains, yielding nm annual crop III The rate
Of forty bushels per mere. Any number
Of cattle and sheep may be rnised. Two
hundred thousand headof sheep must be
bro't into the country during the,next two
years.
The cattle were formerly killedfor their
hides, which was the chief article Of ex.
port and they were worth but four dollars
a head but now they are worth twenty o.
thirty dollars a head.
California is especially adapted TO wool.
growing gentleman was about 10 i'm
port ten thousand sheep from Mexico, will
a view togo into that business. The fu
ture value of the vineyards is represented
as very great.
AS to the commerce Of the country, he
estimates the value of import needed il
California from the Atlantic State.
for the next year, at four millions Of dol
liars in -four, six millions in other articles
As to the article Of lumber, its price il
now $75 per thousand, and cannot below.
er because it is below the cost of labor ne.
cessary for cutting and saving lumber ir
California. 1t Gun be carried to. Cali
fornia for ga -pos-M- ;--und supposing Il
to cost $50 here, it will still continuetopay
The gold region is described as extend
ing FIVE or six hundred miles from the
South to the North, and from forty to sixty
miles in width, from the East TO West. i
rises gradually in oninclined plane fror
the Sacramento valley, to the elevation o
1000 feet, ut what are called the Foott
Hills. Between these hills and the Sierrt
Nevada, a number Of streams ofssthei
source, and take their course through The
Foote Hills Westward.
Mr.. King examined twelve Of these riv
ors and found themall very rich in gold.--
The territory on the North is very rich il
gold and the conclusion is inevitable
from all the facts that the whole quart;
plain, containing three thousand square
miles, is full of gold bedded in the quart;
and some of which; disintegrated from the
quartzby the torrents,may be found in ius
and humps in tho beds Of tho sironms.
| The whole number of foreigners in the
region who are gold hunters, is fifteer
thousand American gold hunters. TIL,
Chilians and the Sonora people came ir
crowds, and have carried off twenty-five
millions. The Americans have procured
fifteen millions. The Chilians are expert
diggers.
The amount of gold already procured, i.
forty millions. But forty MILLIONS more
will be procured during the doming dry sea.
son-say from May till November.
The regular mining operations in The
solid quartz rock will soon begin, and ear
be continued during the wet as well a.
the dry senson.
Mr.. King estimates the amount of golt
which will be procured from the Isl M v
1851, at one hundred millions :
He recommends that the lands be retain
cd as public property forever ,--and as .
perpetual resource for the republic exche.
quer.
To the workers and diggers of gold. he
proposes to grant permits, at the rnte of an
ounce of gold each pound.
For the encouragement of regular min
ing operation, he proposes to grant leases
of a limited number ofacres, to persons OF
companies, at small per ccntage on the
amount Of gold procured.
!
| pYooI IN, a&inx. Gov Eo,k