The Nevada journal., 1851-11-15

try on earth whose hills have been SO
thoroughly dug over as California. 1t is
somewhat surprising that in all the tun-
neling, the cayoteing aad the race dig
ging-to say nothing Of the thousands of
acres which have been overturned by
what is called surface digging, in which
even the miner goes, at times, six or
eight feet into the earth-so few relics
should have been brought to light. Go
where you will on the foot hills of the
Sierra, from the head of the San joaquin
to the boundary Of Oregon, the miner
has been there before you and not the
ignorant, careless miner but the intel
ligent, observing, and often highly edu-
Gated man. The mountain papers sell
dom inform us Of any thing remarkable
as pointing to past age, or o people
who have disappeared from this land.
The inference is, that California either
comes fresh from Nature into the hands
Of the Anglo-American, or that if it has
been wandered over by race of men
in the past ages, that race must have
been not whit superior in intellect and
energy to the Indians who now spend
their lives here, scarcely removed one
step above the brutes.
We find the following paragraphs in
the Calaveras Chronicle. Ala.
Curious RELIC. Judge Putney, of
Murphysville, has now in his possession
piece of rock which is called Chi
nese marble, upon which appears to
have been drawn, with some indelible
matter, most beautiful landscape view
The scene represents a we'll defined
forest; the low shrubbery and chaparral
in front, and towering pines and trees
rising in the back ground. The color
of the lines in the drawing is about
such as is produced by dark lead pen
Gil upon white paper. The rock is beau
tifully variegated in color, and is about
one foot long, eight inches wide, and
five or Six inches deep. Other pieces
of rock of the same description, but
somewhat smaller, bearing the same
perfect pencillings, are in the possession
Of other persons in that neighborhood.
These curious specimens were found in
the bed of the creek into which Judge
Putney's claims extend They are very
highly priced by those who own them,
and we have as yet found it impossible
to obtain a specimen A fine field is
here laid open for the antiquarian.
MAMMOTH TooTH--Judge Putney's
party took out of their claims, on Muir
phys Creek, short time ago a tooth
measuring 3 3-4 of an inch across the
top. 1t has two prongs, one of them
being four inches long from its point to
the base of the tooth. There were no
other bones found near this, which was
discovered IS feet below the surface.
Scarcely more interesting field for
research could be opened than that
stated by the Alta in the above. The
almost entire absence of any relics of
past ages in this section of the western
continent, contrasting with the whole
territory watered by the Gila and Co.
larado rivers, and with Mexico, and
Central Mexico, all rich in historic re-
mains, certainly gives good ground for the
inference that this is the first occupation
of this country by superior race to the
inert savage. But we are cognizant of
the fact that some months ago greatly
rusted pistol was excavated from con-
siderable distance below the surface of
the ground in cayote lead, from earth
as compact and apparently undisturbed
within thousand years as any in the
whole lead. Remnants of iron ware
have also been occasionally discovered
in the same location. What all this
proves save that the couvulsions in this
region have been comparatively recent,
and articles deposited by travellers have
become embedded far below the surface
we are not aware. A similar race to
that of the ella may have erected their
firm dwellings on this very site, and
the changes in the surface have en-
veloped them from research A miner
encountering wall of stone or adobe
deep in the earth would consider it but
a natural impediment, and however in
ligent little suspect it the work of a by
gone race. These are mere speculations,
and in the absense of reliable data,
little else can be advanced.
MA queer looking package reached
us by breathless messenger from
Freeman's the past week, expressed
from San Francisco. We handled the
mysterious missive rather suspiciously,
on the look out for sell, when 10! as
the last fold Of paper fell of, we saw a
very excellent-bar of soap. An ac-
companying note from Colt & Beals
showed its origin. This excelsior
soan we have used sinca and found ~ n