The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-08-22
VOL. ".

of brick. The common council have forbiadsr
the erection of wooden houses over fifteen fee, n
height; and, with all these guards, we need have
no fear of any conasgration SO terrible as tboss
which have lately visited us.
Our citizens and the authorities have bean
in snarl ever since the first organization a,
the Board Of Aldermen. These disinterestea
patriotic gentlemen commenced their labors nv
imposing severe tax on every kind Of industry
and voting to themselves the very moderate sum
Of $4,000 per annum, for their services This
touched the people. Public meetings to remop.
strate were held, and committee appointed 70
present to the Board of Aldermen a ser;s. 30
resolutions adopted by q large mass meeting. in
Portsmouth Square. The committee waited unor
the Board, but only their chairman was allowsa
to enter within the bar. The resolutions war.
presented by him, and after little discussion
their consideration was indefinitely postponed
This insulting course of the council called down
great deal Of Indignation, and finally the local
tax bill has been entirely repealed and the salary
bill promises 10 meet the same fate
The fact is that California is regarded by al.
most everybody who comes here as great gooss
out Of whom feathers are to be plucked and h.
who succeeds in getting the most is considered the
best fellow. This is particularly exhibited in our
governmental affairs; and where salaries ara
pSaceo 30 CONTINUOUSLY nigh, vvrrcspUnumg s,s
TEN Of taxation must be made to meet them
~ ctrsS<,~ a. IA ,s~I>s 49, -, ,4~r>aO,-
lars per annum, and county tax of three7 Tbese
we are paying now, and they are used for the Dur
pose Of supporting In Office politicians, who gen.
orally will leave California as soon as they have
made their "pile p which, at present rates win
not be long Poor California from her conquest
to the present time, she has been lorded over BY
military and naval tyrants in epauiets drained
by her local officers, insulted and oppressed by the
officials of the General Government, and utterly
neglected by the mother that should have cher
ished her as her most worthy child. And yet
with all this, there Is not found upon our whole
continent more loyal class Of citizens than are
those in California. True we have amonEstus
Hotspurs ambitious men, ready to build their own
fame and fortune il necessary, upon the ruins Of
our State, but an immense majority Of our citi-
zens are true to the core, and the cry of dsunion
has as yet, among us, received not serious
thought.
The progress of vice in our city has been in
measure stayed by the enactment of an ordinance
prohibiting gaming on the Sabbath which is
am glad to say, fully complied with. A petition
has lately been extensively circulated and signed
praying the common council to cease licepsips
this system Of robbery, and forbid it under &C.
we're penalties. | doubt very much whether, at
present, this course is pns2icsbla Our, sae.e at
society is 80 peculiar, that laws, which in other
cities are easily enforced, are here rendered de-
pendent entirely upon public feeling. Here
the gambler, who in the United States is looked
upon almost with contempt, and who never pre-
III -.
street. here he is at the top Of the heap y is the
owner of many Of our finest buildings, has great
influence in our elections-is in word, one of the
great aristocracy of money, the only aristocracy
we know in California. To show you the
facility with which money is raised here by this
class of the community, | need only relate to
you an incident Of Col Bryant, who Is considered
at the top of his profession. He came here about
year since, with some capital, and in few
months amassed fortune by gaming, his profits
often being more than thousand dollars day.
During our county election, he ran for the Office
of sheriff, in which he was defeated by the cele-
brated Col Jack Hays. This election is said TO
have cost Brysnt $50, 900, and, in connection with
series of losses in real estate specuatons, COM
pletely ruined him. He left heresom six weeks
since with twenty five dollars in his pocket, pro-
eeeded to the Southern mines, and, by a series of
successful gambling operations there, succeeded
in returning here in one month and paying of
about s23, 900 of old debts besides pocketng a
handsome sum.
| One Of the prettiest specimens of "getting
roundn q law has just been exhibited here. The
Common Council passed an ordinance requiring
that all bar.rooms should be closed at 12 O'CLOCK
midnight, under a severe penalty. As il said
nothing about what time they shall OPEN the land
lords shut their doors at midnight and FIVE min
utes afterwards open for the aez1 day. Our wise
oouncilmen are about remodelling the bill
The news from the mines very favorable the
collectors are generally succeeding well in epforc-
ing the tax law in relation to foreign miners atho'
in the execution their duties they meet with great
difficulties If some action is not soon taken by
Congress in regard to MS, | am satisfied that our
next Legislature will either diminish the tax or
entirely repeal the law. The miners generally are
making from five to sixteen dollars per day and
the season is rapidly arriving when the waters
will 90 down, which will make digging during the
autumn months very profitable. A new placer
has lately been discovered in the vicinity of what
has been named Gold Lake" high upon the Sa-
cramento One man who has wintered there is
reported to have extracted over thirty thousand
dollars. Thousands are rushing there, and there
is prospect of great harvest. A company are
working the quartz rock upon the Mariposa with
distinguished success making from twenty to
fifty dollars day to the hand There has been
but little sickness in the mines this year, and the
sickly season is now nearly over.
We are particularly blessed with newspapers
here, if the blessing can be said to exist in the
number of them We have now three daily news
papers in active operation, and another, The Pa
cifc Courier starts this morning This latter
is supposed to be the organ Of the General Govern
ment in California. Another daily paper is to be
started by Messrs. f q. 4 w. A. Bufum, so
that San Francisco will ere long be decidedly lit
erary town.
The entire absence Of any news of Importance
must be my plea for tae shortness of this letter
expect to leave for the diggins" in few days,
and will then be able to communicate with you di-
rectly from the "seat of war;
The California leaves tomorrow at noon, with
1876 passengers and one million seven hundred
and forty thousand dollars in gold dust
Yours. "HoNBREn
For the National Era.
Mr.. CLAY ON SLAVE BREEDING.