New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-10-11
CALIFORNIA.

who is not quite 80 enEnUBlaSlc III Ills
praises of California as many who write
from that country. Perhaps his ideas Of
tho Golden State take their celoring to some
extent from his failue of luck or success
in the Mines; but we know him to be
man who would not designedly make
statement calculated to mislead the public
We know him also TO be G man who cannot
re classcd among tho lazy On the con-
trary he is remarkable for his industry and
energy:
Jreeyiencs Of Miner WI4ter he Miass. Fl D2rado
Co7oa... Gen. Cadwalader and h. Compeag Dan'-
mo the Rssys... California Lam Suit. Resulting the
Sheriff. Operland Emigration. Famine among The
En,t9rants. Iatuuan Conduct. High Price Of Pro
ysons . The Climate and .Mods Of Life in California
Duu Prospects. :. California Letter WriterS &c
Correspondence CT The Tribune
MIDDLE Fork OF AMERICANA, CALIFORNIA, July %.
DEAR C.,rThe receipt by the last mail Of two
Tribuae's at Culloms reminds me Of TIE Promsas
| made to write you frequently from California.
II have not already ahmed away the day of grace
/ pray you forgive ms my long delay. Twas
indeed a treat to got bold OF The Tribune once
more, sent to my own proper name, sill for 80 oonta
each month at heretofore.
ASH write, my seat il q rock, my house an over
hanging ahrub, my writing desk piece OF board
placed across my knee, my mirror the tranquil
stresm which lavcs the shore at my feet behind
and before me rise the rugged hills, through which
meanders the Middle Fork coursng or ito way to
the ocean The sun which has made the atmosphere
TO glow with almost furnace heat to day 10 sinking
behind the estern hills casting the shadows of the
tall pines upon the aides Of the opposite mountains
which are broken into the roushest outline by
massive rocks projecting from their surface, and by
deep eorgea When | tell you that have spent
fvsmontha upon the stream, and have been obliged
at least once fortnight to climb these hills 1000
feet in hight, and descend them again with so or
60 lbn Of pork and -four on my back brought dis
lance Of eight mies, you will get very slight hint
of she way gold diggers oontrive to live here
Ispens the winter upon Weaver Creek by rea
son Of snow ard rain we myself and partner) could
only work about third of the time. generally
averaged or 10 dollars day, which ct the dollar
a pound system for provisions gave us a toerable
living mostly made up Of slap jacks, beans, rice
and pork with an occasional treat Of fresh beef at
50 and rs cts ID. We did as wei! as the genera
run OF minors near u.s. Every one considered him.
self doing we'll who paid his way. At Hangtown
the dggingp turned out well a very few made good
"hauls,' t. got from two 80 three thousand dol
lars for their winters work, but the large majority
did rot average over 10 or 6 dollars for zach days
work.
The winter proved mder than our winters at
hons, more rain and rnow, but less intense cold
In Eah MI rfa cd hjcb
led many to suppone winter was over, and they
were, therefore, &ured from their comfortable log
cabins to wander in search of diggings A heavy
/ fall of snow, however, aeon undeceived them, aud
shut up many in the mountaing through the whole
! OF March, who suffered severely,
Since spring opened the whole gold region has
been overrun and overturned good mules com
msnded $500 and $500 each for weeks together
the thoroughfare from the city TO the head aters of
the North aud Middle Forks literally thronged
with loaded mules, and loaded men WhO were TOO
poor to buy mules. Interested PERSONS lie. dealers
in provisions and whisky set in motion report
that rich diggings were discovered in certain can
Ons high up on the Middle Fork. Before month had
elapsed and while there was yet sac and eight
feet of SaOto the ground three thousand persons
it waa estimated, had consregated around "E
length was claimed, and SO eager were the multi
tuds to h&ve Ehsre in the rich canon that many
serious Quarrele among rival claimants for the
feet and inches still ying ten feet under the snow
To settle ell disputes convention Of she Invading
army as last bit upon this expedient-a book Of
records was opened in which each person holding
claim had the privilege of recording it By paging
So. All persons not on the ground by the lss
OF June were considered as having abandoned
their claims Some Of the shrewder sort, taking ad
ysntsge OF the excitement sold out their rcA claims
for SEQ and 1000 dollars EACH Snd puS OUT. Alter
eating up ali their pork and slap jacks, and finding
the anow would not melt or the water ran off, one
by one they left che ground, which is now almOss
deserted.
Gen, Cadw&llader with hia company had claim
in this canon they lay By it, enoampe1 in snow
waist deep for three month";, built aevsra hundred
feet Of ,soewsy, ard expended several thousand
dollsrs About the lst OF June, the wster became
low enouRh 60 prospect il, when they found the
bottom smooth solid rock, with about Sc much gold
upon it as you can fad On the coppar roof of the
Ag,or Houge. Not one claim in ten was worth
wor king. Some of the canons, however, turned
out better but the delusoR that eli The gold has
down from the Sierra Nevada mountains, has
led many upon wild goose chREe The north
branch of the Middle Fork, higher up, was De-
aieged in the same way, and miles OF dams aud
raceways were built but 1t has turned out poorly.
AS TO the dry dlsglpgs, every rayine, guoh sad
canon has been torn up over the whole surface OF
the country, and one must n0w travel hundreds OF
miles where last year be need only have travelled
teps to find dry djggings thstw pay. Ia fact shs
rayines and gucheg have been deserted for months,
as there has been no water in them since May.
The general rush IL now for the rivers. These
are all claimed throughout their whole lengths By
companies who intend TO dam and drain the water
by racewsys, aid there have been many serious
diBpptts on account Of the great numbers wishing
to Dam the river Affiliations and lay suits ars
common. l will give you specimen;
interested, and for which myself and partne; had
sacrificed 81 500 vas Jumped by SONS lfi4hmen.--
We first warned them Gil, then tried to got then
tL b,,f