The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-01-16

tonshing character of the results which have been
4 thus arrived at Mr.. Wright informs US that he
has recently convcrsed with an intelligent gentle
man, now IN this country, who has been long con
yersant, in the capacity Of overseer, with mining
operations, carried on in the. quartz veins OF
Georgia. From this source, Mr.. Wright learns
that fifteen horse steam power. working twelve
| stamps, will stamp about thousand bushels OF
quartz rock in day-each bushel Of quartz weigh
ing about eighty pounds. If twenty five cents
worth Of gold is yielded from each bushe Of eighty
pounds the business is considered good one, in
Georgia If the yield be fifty cents to the bushel,
| the profit is large. Now the yield of the rock
which Mr.. Wright has collected and tested, instead
Of being quarter of dollar, or halfa dollar to the
seventy five pounds, is, in one great vein, nearly
SO to one pound Abate this, in view Of possible
| or probable mistake, in view of the superior
yield OF single richer vein TO an average OF So, or
suit still remains in every point of view, almost
| equally unexampled and momentous.
| The whole question is, does gold-bcaring quartz,
making any approximation TO any such yield, exist
| On this main point the recent investigations of
| Mr.. Wright coincide entirely with the observa-
tons and conclusions of Mr.. King, and with the
testimony of all the explorers Of the region with
whom we have conversed. They all agree that a
large number of veins of quartz permeate visibly
the western slope OF the Sierra Nevada, running
mainly from north to south, and throwing out
branches from the main lines ut intervals in every
form, and in all directions. Mr.. Wright, we learn,
is well assured of the reality Of the results
which he has arrived, that, in connexion with his
partners, ne has already, at large expense,
placed number of men at work on one of the To-
caities which he has observed, and which he states
| to be, apparently, scarcely more promising than
| many others-has sent for a mule load OF quartz
isthmus-and has already forwarded to the Allan :
tic side large order for machinery suitable for
the mining operations which he contemplates.
In conclusion, we have only to add, that we put
l 100. f.Il- II
our responsibility to the public. We aver nothing
of our own knowledge, for TO this information is
as new and as surprising as we are persuaded that
I it will be TO most OF our readers, both here and in
| the Atlantic States We would say nothing incon-
siderately TO aggravate the gold mania anywhere.
II has already produced, in the gold region of Cal
fornia and ON the routes to it, terrible scenes OF
individual suffering, disease and deatb-scenes be-
fore which the boldest spirit may well quail, and
from which the hardest frame may well shrink
away. But our information comes to at first
hand, from sources of unquestionabe integrity and
| intelligence and appears to be the result of very
thorough and deliberate investigation. In its gen
eral outlines il has had the full sanction of the most
eminent minds among us. 1t apprises us of state
of facts of the highest importance to California, to
the mining interest every where, and, in word,
4 to the whole commercial and financial world.
If these facts turn out to have been accurately in
vestgated and accurately stated, it seems to us
that neither in the wet diggings, yet in the dry
diggings, are the future mining operations of this
State to go on but on the contrary, in those pri-
meval masses of rock in which the gold was
formed, in which it still lies, imbedded and mex
haustibe, of which all the gold, in all its FORMS
scattered through the ravines and bars of the
ers, is only the inconsiderabe chance washings or
abrasons, and which the hand even of the most adj
venturous and intrepid miner among us has yet
scarcely touched. Such information, derived
and so vouched for, we have deemed it our duty To
lay before the public without delay.
| From the Alta California, December l.
The Vote OF the State.
| Enough is known to determine concusively the
result Of the late election in this country far
the of the State constitution. the choice of
/ Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and probably of
| Representatives TO Congress, concerned; we
have next TO learn--and the issue is fraught with
interest-what is the strength of the vote cast.
To the extent which our returns up to the present
time enable us to form opinion, It is established
beyond shadow of doubt that minority only of
the total number of voters in the districts heard
from is represented by the official and unofficial re-
turns. For instance, the district of Sacramento
(taking the vote on the constitution as an aggre-
gate) poed five thousand six hundred and FIVE
votes, which may be put down scarcely amount
ing to one fourth the number Of electors which the
district contains.
The San Joaquin vote win fall as far short of an
entire representation, and the districts of Sonoma
and San Jose show nearly an adequate deficiency
in the numerical strength Of their respective votes
Monterey district cast vote of three hundred and
sixty, mostly for the constitution. and it viii ap-
pear by note appended TO the rcturns in another
column that this number is far from a fair proper
ton of the vote actually belonging to the district.
Taking therefore the returns of the two great dis
tricts of Sacramento and San Joaquin, numbering,
| as the figures thus far seem to indicate, three
eighths Of the eccting population, the whole vote
polled in the State will be found hardly to exceed
| fifteen thousand.
OF this number, from eight hundred to one thou
sand will be against the constitution" and,
| through an oversight in preparing tickets whereon
the question relative 10 the adoption of this instru-
ment did not appear, several additional hundreds
have been lost, both at the polls of this city and
elsewhere. II Is but fair to presume, however that
may be taken as an expression in favor Of
the constitution, while we arc prepared to account
| for this unexpected array against II in manner
which will leave n somewhat difficult task TO imply
actual dssension-at least TO the degree indicated
| by the figures.
| Our information-and il is authoritatve-attri-
butes the strength Of this TO the fact that in
many precincts, remote from the great routes OF
travel through the northern country, the constitu-
ton was not distributed-ithat IL failed TO reach
these places and that the action Of the State
| ton was not known until within day or two OF
the time appointed for holding the election.
| To this failure is ALSO in measure attributable
the great deficiency in the popular vote Of the State.
IL s natural 10 presume that the residents Of
| tons thus situated, feeling aggricved, have re-
manned away from the polls altogether, and with
the same propriety that others have resisted the
constitution-both the ground Of not having seen
that instrument Add TO this the fact that the rain
fell in torrents on election day in every part Of the
country, and we may account for the weakened vote
Of the State Of California at this, the first md VIC
fear in many parts unforewarned, general election.
The DrrrrcuLry IN THE sEsArE--wc regret To
have 10 state that the Senate chamber the
Of another difficulty on yesterday forenoon, being
between Senators Thornburg aud Gardenhirc. We
learn that Mr.. Thornburg, in the debate in relation
TO the bank matter and the letter of the President.
made some remarks which were construed by Mr..
Gardenhire az implying that he had acted dishon-
orably, and had obtained the letter referred 10 by
unfair means, 10 which the latter gentleman re-
| piled in very roft terms, and advanced with n
pair Of tongs for assault, which was met by the
| former, who warded off the blow with chair in
his defence. The combatants were separated by
Senators interfering, apd peace was restored. Eek
1 plantations made--Mr. Tbornburg stating THAI
i the import Of bis language was misconceiyed;