Southern sentinel. [volume] (Plaquemine, Parish of Iberville [La.]) 1848-1858, 1852-01-10
--latest from California.

aaIt A8LCSE IEO4H SSS2AAO1 SAANs
The news from the mines, says the Plcayun'
Of Wednesday, continues to be of the mos
cheering character. The yield seems to in
crease rather than diminish. Nearly every day
accounts are received OF new discoveries, boil
of quartz and placer mines. Recently Il dis,
coyery was made in Bear Valley, in Maraposa
county, by four Mexicans, the reports from
which nearly stagger credulity. In order to be
more certain of protection, they. took some
Americans in with them--but before doing so
in the space of one week they had taken out
over 100000 Of god. Within three week,
after the discovery, it is stated that over 500,
OOO were obtained. We have seen specimens
of the rich dirt, or substance from which the
gold is extracted. 1t somewhat resembles
~decomposed quartz, but it has more OF Il sIa-
fish appearance. The PARTICLES Of gold are
very fine.
When the news first spread the rush ofreo-
pc to the spot was tremendous, and provisions
rose accordingly. Wagons were emptied d.
rectly into the hands of the hungry crowd ii
enormous prices, and every thing commanded
| profits such as they did two years ago.
The Herald gives She following particulars,
received from q gentleman who had recent
" visited the favored region.
The gold is extremely fine, being found, in
the shape Of minute rounded points, finer even
llan the sand itself. No Jumps have been
ionnd, and very rarely is 4 piece met with
weighing a quarter OF an ounce.
The miners extract the gold either By wash
ing the auriierous earth in a common pan. or
reducing it to a we'll mixed mud, in 4 MeXican
tasn0 or rastyG, and then amaITamating with
quicksilver.
Ourinformant states, by way of illustration,
that if Il bucket of water is dashed over i heap
of the earth, it appears us ifcoyeged with span
giles OF gold.
One battea full of the earth has Welded, af.
ter washing, Il sediment Cf eighteen ounces oil
fine gold powder. 4 small sack, in which the
earth is transported from the cayo;e hole to
the stream, and containing from seventy TO
eighty pounds, has yielded from $4,000 So
600. Three pounds Of the earth weighed, gave
one and a half pounds of gold. From these
facts, and Il Thousand others of 4 similar kind.
all who have witnessed the new digging declare
shat everything else heretofore discovered in
California sinks into insigniticance in COMPARE
s~on--S"nora, Carson's, Sulliyan's &c, arc not
to be compared with it.
As a matter Of course, the news of the dis
c"very Of these rich deposits has spread Ike
Wi!dfre through the mines. and produced an
Intense excitement, and a perfect stampede
from the old and WORKOUT ~placers. Aqua Frio,
QuartzbuFg and other embryo mining towns
in The vicinity are perfectly deserted.
On Sunday last -four days after the news
spread)t there was no less than 5000 peo-
pie upon the golden hill: and one might travel
in every direction from it and he would see
squads ofminers I'urrying to the spot. Already,
from the crest of the lofty hill down to its slo-
pes, and for i nile beyond its base, are the
300 feet claims of the miners staked off.
But the strangest thing of all, and one that
hest illustrates the mighty rapidity with which
OWLS and villages spring into existence in Cali
'ornia, is found in the fact that within twenty
our hours after the first great rush to he spot,
town. d little distance removed, was surveyed,
mapped, subdivided into streets, squares. &c,
nd in forty-eigLt hours afterwards it contain )
d a number OF stores, ~tayerns, b~oarding-houses /
md hotels, gambling houses, with monte and {
'i.i."fi tables, and all The usual establish meHts
ouud III the inland mining towns. t