The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-11-20


Oar readers remember the excl cement pro-
duced last winter by the news of the organiza-
ton of an expedition under General Morehead,
to invade Sonora, and annex that wealthy pro-
vince TO California. The expedition fell
through, but no tidings were received Of the
party. We find in late Los Angeles paper, the
following interesting notice of their finale
1T will be remembered that in May last a
company of forty men passed through this city,
on their way to Sonora, in Mexico. Three of
them arrived ia town yesterday, having been
absent about five months. The rest of the par
ty, excepting one who has died, are on their
way hther, and may be expected daily. Their
object mas been to explore the country, and pros
pect for gold They stated that they found gold,
silver and cinnabu all through the southern
part of California, but the gold, as general
thing, is not sufficiently abundant to pay for
working. On the north side of the Gila they
found very rich silver mine where they STOP
ped about six weeks While there, large
party of Mexicans arrived from Sonora, but the
Indians attacked them, and forced them to leave.
In Sonora they went AS far as the town OF Altar,
about 100 miles from the boundary line. In
the northern part they found silver and gold,
but the expense Of transporting provisions TO
the mines, and the scarcity of water prevents
s'C' pSiiS Wothcu Will pTout
"The men stated that they were cOurteously
treated In every town through which they passed.
The authorities would not grant them permis-
sion to mne. but told them they were at liber-
ty to prospect as much they pleased
"'rhe country Of Sonora they represented as
in many places destitute of vegetation, and IN
inviting in every respect. Water is very scarce,
In coming up, they were two days and two
nights without water.
''At some places, the Mexicans mistook them
for Morehead and his party, regarding whose
conte nplated expedition they had heard"
THE DIVISION OF CALIFORNIA.
1t at last appears TO be agreed upon that the
convention of the Southern counties to consider
the proper steps to be taken towards securing,
if possible, division the State, shall assem-
BILE at Santa B,rbara on the third Monday OF
this month The citizens of Los Angeles were
to assemble on last Wednes day afternoon
to nominate delegates for the convention
Other counties are taking the same step A
meeting was held at San Luis Obispo on the
4th inst at which delegates were chosen
At a meeting Of the citizens Of Santa Cruz
on the Gath ut., Messrs. William Blackburn, r.
X. Per Lee, Gregory Speel, and c. p. Steven
son, were appointed delegates.
The following address sets forth the grounds
upon which the division of the State is desired:
ADDRESS OF THE MONTEREY DELEGATION
MONTEREY, Oct 9th.
The convention called to meet at Monday on
the 9Th of September last, for the purpose of
considering the propriety Of division of the
State OF California, and the formation of ter
rtorial government, to include the counties
south of the bay of San Francisco, having failed
tO mapt N n fha ba ,cJo
signed delegates, and subdelegates elected from
this county, feel called upon to express their
sentiments on this matter to them and their
constituents, of vital Importance
At the time Of the formation of the constitu.
ton of California, great fears were expressed by
the citizens of our neighborhood, and those
south and east of us, (many of whom had re-
sided fifteen years or upwards in the country,)
that the bringing into immediate operation, in
newly acquired country, and under such peculiar
circumstances as then existed, a set of new laws,
new officers, and new modes of legal procedure,
would be attended with great confusion and diff
fculty, and that the ultimate effect would be
that the laboring classes, and the land and pro.
perty holders in the State not situated in the
gold districts, would have to foot all the costs
and expenditures of the State government, the
result of which would be ruin to every man who
owned foot of land or dollars worth of per
sonal property.
These sagacious fears have in great part
been already realized.
We have the indubitable evidence in the
records of the State government, that the pas
toral, agricultural, and shipping portions of the
State, have contributed an undue share of taxes
f'r the support of the State government, ard the
mining counties, which are inhabited by at least
two-thirds of the population, though the richest
parts, pay but modicum of the burthens OF
this most expensive of all Anglo Saxon com.
monwealths.
Another great feature presents itself to our
citizens The most deusely populated, ener
getc, and wealthy counties of the State, not
satisfied with the possession of that which is
their fair earnings, have, to every appearance
and undoubtedly in effect, oppressed their fe
low-citzens of the thnly settled counties, by
unequal, expensive, tardy, and useless laws
passed without due examination and care and
resulting IN dismay, confusion and ruin, to
thousands of industrious and valuable citizens,
who are republicans in heart, and American and
Californian in feeling, and bound by every tie
that can bind man to his native land and this
fairest portion of Gods earth
As an instance of our anomalous condition in
this part of the State we have only to state that
laws have been passed at the last legislature
and we are yet in profound ignorance of their
character, although we are bound by them
More than six months have elapsed since the
passage of some of them, and yet they have
not been promulgated in the manner required
by the constitution. Indeed, we fear that new
system will be sprung upon us before the prin
ters get through with the last laws. To be
governed and bound by laws that are not made
public is wrong too great to be endured long
by reasonable people.
The products of the mines and placers Of
California for three years are estimated by some
as high az one hundred and fifty millions of
dollars. IL would be curious subject of en-
quiry to know how much the diggers of this |
vast amount Of money have paid into the treas.
ury OF the State, and what proportion of the
States burthens these fortunate men have
borne. If they should say Gas has been the |
of many that they are living and
working on government land which the State
has no right to tax-the same principle would |
apply to our section of the country, as our titles
to land are unacknowledged by the United