The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1850-11-06

| by custom or self-gratification. The Hintloo
Shastras direct that Brshmins shall eat Mt
two O'Clock in the dny, and again at one in
the night; bnt this law is at present but
little needed, though but two meals arc
taken by the people generally. The do
mcstic conversation turns chiefly upon the
business Of the family. the news of the viii
laGc, religious ceremonies, journeys tn holy
places, marriages, narratives Of heroines
| and gods, with other tories not peculiar 10
that country in distinction from regions
more enlightened and Christian. So u,.ch
for the Hindoo at home. India and the
Hind00S.
| -~~~~~-~~..-0.-.. .--~~~~~~-
Mining In Eastern California-The Gold
| Mountain.
! We have seen gentleman Just re
turned from California who has person.
aIly visited the so-caIlcd Gold Noun
tain, which has been quite commonly
considered fabulous. II lies in about
lat. 3} deg. North, two hundred nnd
fifty miles east Of Los Angeles in South
ern California, and perhaps ore hundred
West Of tho Colorado. The region is
rs iorbdding MS can br, without inhnb-
tan,s, even Aboriginal, though tncrc is n
sparse population Of savages on the Ma
have River, say fifty miles East. To
approach il, you pass over the Sierra
Nevada, near Monnt San Brrnardino.
across two sand deserts Of sixty 10 eighty
miles, and thence 10 n region of deep
canons anI rugged mountains, sterile,
almost destitute Of grass, aud with no
timber except the m,isqui,, Something
like our aldcr,) which rarely grows 10
the size Of a INNS arm. The region
is infested with ralllcsnnkcs in incrctIi.
Bile numbers, and the earth 50 full Of
minerals Especially snl rra,ns) tha, tho
water is absolutely poisonous. There
is no water fit TO drink within sixteen
miles of The Gold Mountain so called.
which rises about 45D feet rather stecplv
from a canon which has an elevation of
some one hnrrircd ,,sah fihyrfael on the
other side of il. The canon is abou,
one fourth Of mile long, and the Two
hills arc surrounded by sand deserts.
The hills are composed Of II dark horn
hhcndc rock, with perhaps tenth of
white tehiSpnr in,crmixcd with il; nnl
the Gold is found in both, generally run.
nlng III strcdkS or strings, though some
times showing bulbs or Jumps like II
button. II has been found by analy ySis
10 yield an average Of about S5 l.2 per
pound Of the rock.
Eight miles north o" this mountain,
our informant tried his luck at digging
in The usual California fnshon-scrnp.
ing of the surface earth and washing
that which lies Immediately above the
rock. lie dug thus with two indians
for four hours, obtained nbou, ten ounces
OF pure gold, taking only the Jumps,
having nothing 10 wash the earth with
Probably as much was thus lrt; us Ia en-
He did not Try in nnv other spot, bur
has no doubt that the gold extends all
The way from Sonora in Northern Moxi-
co I" the upper Sacramento and Oregon
IA distance OF full eight hundred miles
The region here described is about five
hundred miles from the ncnrcs, d,ggings
in California, but cannot be approached
by less than II thousand miles Of actual
travel. Ii is very near The boundary
line just established by Congress be-
tween California and Utah.
"A company has been formed in
San Francisco expressly to mine This
Gold Mountain and vicinity. |, is en-.
titled 'hc Los Angeles Gold Mining
Company and has or is 10 have capi.
tai of S75O,000. II has already sen,
forward " pioneer party Of one hundred
miners, with implements, provisions,
| &c
We have thus given, on indubila-
bic testimony, n succinct account of the
| Gold Mountain of whose existence we
| have hitherto avowfh sccplici~m if no,
incredibly. 1t will be seen that i, is
not mountain Of gold, but only n
mountain containing gold throughout.
Yet we doubt whether lis like is known
elsewhere in the world. The men
| sent out to work it are well provided
unL armed, and are TO be paid So per
dav 'and found which is n considcra-
lion in region where il is so easy md
so pcrilous 10 get lost. The mules (all
but four constantly employed in carry.
ing water for drinking) have been
brought away, so that the miners (Sono>
rians mainly) could not run of if they
would.
Nov don, pick up your traps and
rush oil post. haste for this new Gold
| Region. Remember thni it is some
hundred miles from any where, in a
foodlcss, almost grasscss, woodcss, wa
terlcss region, whose chief dcnZcns arc
rattle-snakcs, and where the thcrmom
clcr frequently shows I30 to $50 de-
grces Of Fahrenheit, with the first droy
Of drinknblc water sixteen miles away
Our friend who visited il met on the
way th,her scores Of immigrant men
women and children. ,o,tcring Califor
MIA ward, on foot, fnmishing, and ncarl,
divesied Of clolhing by the briers an,
thorns, through which they had scram
blod since their animals starved or SAM
10 die by the way. The hollow ant