New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-05-21

iifea and DepreciAuou o. AAeai L"N
J.wA-Adams & Co.'s Express, &c
Cor-sspoucencs u TIE Tribune
san FAAycIsco. Tuesday, Apnll5.
Bv nv recent dates yo1 will think that am
travelling correspondent, rather than local one
uvlass letter from this place was dEsed l'sn D9'
cember. since when have given you an oCoS'
sions letter from other parts OF the STATE. ~
tio,a has mostly been spent near the Legislature
., San lose. and in travelling through the sou'n-
-, COMMITTEES. which have not IS yet ieit 10 uucH
of the innetus given to affairs on TINS coats y
the coming of the Americans.
The Weather still continues, as It has been now
To- almost q year, remarkably fine. Very little
..in Ia, fallen within that period, except few
leaking storms in November last and lew
sGoTeSsthe pEst month. These lait have not
-onatrated far 10 the south, as the former rains
IA NOT In San DiegoscNcely any rain has fallen
CO.. The entire wear past To the north OF this
Mace. IN Oregon, more rains have occurred 81
diferept times within the past TOUR or i've months
Heavy falls of snow have slso taken place 70 the
north Of this latitude and the higher SUBMITS 70
the south have been covered with snow within
the past two months. The temperature, nov
ever In the vsies and plains, has been remark
ABLY eoueble throughout the winter and sprllg.
There aspects Of the season have had their ell
fects on al the interests Of the country. Less
mining has been performed, and prices of goods,
with which the market is well stocked, have
ranged comparatively low. The miner has not
worhe ed so hard as usual, and has been satisfied
with smaller gains and with the lower range OF
prices and retains for labor in the mining region,
other interests have deprecated.
Great attention has been directed, as | stated
to you in November, would inevitably take place,
10 scientific mining for gold in the quartz Dis
coveries nnumera9le are making IN pats OF the
gold bearing region az present more to thenorth,
because nore miners by far are congregated there.
The results Of these numerous explorations do
not as yet promise much, regret TO say, from the
almost total lack of adequate machinery Tor crush
ing the quartz
Indeed, this is one Of the most singular facts
connected with the history of the discovery and
working Of the gold in California. No sooner had
the Message Of President Polk and accompanying
documents been published, in December, ls49,
than nearly every worker In wood, lron TIN or
copper, in the Atlantic States, went to work 70
devise ways and means to make fortune out Of
inventions for washing out the gold. Similar
efforts Of genius have been put forth 20 gather In
q golden harvest from the veins OF the obdursto
alex. So far as my own kno Wedge extends, this
has been done. up to the present time, with SINH
lar results in the latter case as IN the forner NO
adequate conceptions Of the precise nature OF the
work to be done appears 70 have entered into tue
minds Of machinists at home.
The qunrtzose veins in which gold has been found
wherever they exist are OF remarkable hardness In
most csBeF, and Of course require machinery OF
the most weighty ard durable character. Besldee,
the methods Of securing the impalPaole gold pow
der thus set free from among the mass OF ierrugln'
Gus land siliceous particles, themselves hard as
steel are as yet to be investigated with scientific
precision and nicely or all investments in quartz
mining will prove worthless The enormous ex-
penditures oil physical energy annually lost by the
crowd Of hOmbres, who, with brIwny arms aud
sturdy strokes, deve in the placers lsuperhclal
mining] will avail as little indeed far less, than
now, when directed TO quartz mining, without the
guidance OF proper methods 10 secure the desired
results.
A scientific Miners Journal is at present one
Of the wants of California. The entire Press here
is now divided between the leaders often Gn-
meaning and crude generalltles; the Items
eferyescent limitations Of the same class IN older
cities, though sometimes as is seen in the alta,
unafectedly good and the "adS, the business,
of which the great portion of the papers get but
little. Indeed, there is a surfeit, and more, TOO,
Of newspapers, iobbers, and materials, here az
present, and invoices of the latter, now here and
{" to arrive" can hardly be given away. But out
of all individual losses, the general prosperity 10
sure to be mRintsined in this as IN all other IN
stances
The number Of arrirals for the last fifteen days
has been astoniahingly great from all parts The
palm for speed, q sure indication that to whatever
they turn their hand in 1.-THE city OF notions, In
that they are certain TO excel Not ten years
since the Eastern vessels were remarkable for
nothing bat their capacity fer freight and dull
sailing qualities. In fact, of the vessels which
came to this port in ls49, think they oisenest
made "lOng rum
The session of the Legislature still "drsgs its
slow length along l an sorry to believe that
but little Of valuable work has been done, except
to increase by various modes the public debt.
But few Of the members are equal 70 the TASK OF
making laws, and nothing is so much wanted, II
we are to have any attempt ct system at all, as
regular code. The ler CaiDorRleaSls, Lynchs
method, in my opinion, would have been better for
all parties up to the time when such code could
have been formed. The first Legislature at
tempted TO compile statute book from those OF
New.York, Louisiana, and some OF the new
States Of "the West" This year | think the
effort has been to throw into the crucble the ele
ments Of an original or at least an improved sys.
tenn which should be rather beau IDEAL Of
body Of laws than that which is really wanted by
Californis ss she is BeIdes, il is the work not
of a numerous legislative assembly, popularity
speaking, but Of commission, select and able
few, 20 digest such scheme as 10 needed.
The infection Of summary justice 10 one feature
absolutely required by the necessities OF the case
here at present, and such will continue 70 be the
fact tor some years to come. The chain gang
recently adopted BY the municipal authorities
here, has exhibited another feature Of society
and shown itself TO be admirably adapted to the
wants Of a community ike that we have In this
country. Capital punishment must also be made
the penalty for a larger class of olenses, until
such time as society shall hsye settled down into
fixed form until at least school houses and
prisons, ss well as churches and thesters, have
been boilr, of which last We have an abundance
already. We need All-the whole-not the sep
arate parts of system. state Of society
without It's periods OF infancy and childhood is OF
necessity exposed TO the reproaches which have
been cast upon Us in California, and no human
foresight could have prevented II.
The continued sccessions Of families render it
certain that Improvements are rapidly taking
place. Every steamer arriving brings TO us more
or less women and children. These too. are 10 he
the permanent occupants Of the country and the