Southern shield., 1852-01-24
The California News.

Ill me papers, they are chiefly filled with ac- counts of Indian depredatons; speculations on the probability of general Indian war and the wonderous wealth of gold that is being gathered in Bear Valley, Maraposa county. It is said that the placer was dis covered by the Mexicans, who, in one week
 before making it known. took out $2OO,OOO m dust, and that within three weeks after
 the discover the value of $4O0,OO0 was ob-
 'aIned. Provisions were commanding an enormous price in the Valley. The Herald furnishes the following items in relation to
 this extraordinary placer
 The gold is extremely fine, being found
 in the shape of minute rounded points, fin
 sreven than the sand itself. No Jumps have
 been found, and very rarely is piece met lwitk weighing a quarter ofan ounce. TAe miners extract the gold either by washing the aurferops cart h ip d common pan, ,lor reducing 1t to well mixed mud, in a Mexican tasna or rastra, and then anal
 gan1ating with quicksilver.
 | Our informant states, by way of illustra
 tration, that if bucket of water is dashed
 over a heap of the earth, it appears as if
 coverd with sEanges of gold.
 l One battea fql of the earth has yielded,
 after washing, sediment ofeighteen ounces
 of fine gold powder. A small sack, in which
 the earth is transported from the cayote hole
 to the stream, and containing from seven-
 ty to eighty pound', has yielded from 3D.
 400 to $3,OOO. Taree pounds of the earth
 weighed gave one and half pounds ofgold. From the facts, and a thousand others of
 similar kind, all who have witnessed the
 new diggings declare that everything else heretofore discoveredin California sinks in-
 to insignifcance in comparison-Sonora,
 Carson's, Sulivan's &c., &c., are not to be
 compared with it.
 As matter of coure, the news of the dis
 covery of these rich deposits has spread | like wild fire through the mines, and pro- duced an intense excitement, and perfect
 stampede from the old and wornout placerS. Agua Eric, Quartzburg and other embryo
 mining towns in the vicinity are perfectly deserted.
 On Sunday last -four days after the news
 was spread) there was not less than 5000 people upon the golden hill; and one might
 travel in every direction from it and he
 would see squads of miners hurrying to the spot. Already, from the crest of the lofty hill down its slopes, and for a mile beyond its base, are the 300 feet claims of the min CTS staked off.
 But the strangest thing of all, and one that best illustrates the mighty rapidty with which towns and villages spring into exs- tence in California, is found in the fact that within twenty-four hours after the first great rush to the spot, town, little dis tance removed, was surveyed, mapped, sub divided into streets, squares, &c., and in forty-eight hours afterwards, it contained a number of stores, tavernS, boarding houses and hotels, gambling houses, with monte and billiard tables, and all the usual estab- lishments found in the inland mining towns. In regard to Indian affairs the Herald in leading article thus sums up the intelli- gence:
 The intelligence from the Southern coun-
 try, independent of the rumors based on surmise, and divested of the usual amount of
 exaggeration, is of a very startling charac- tOi. uO 'oiiOuo pOWCIluI tllDGS LII luul-
 ans along the South Eastern border, long
 known to be disahected, have now given
 unmistakable indications of revolt, and so
 imminent appeared the danger from their combination that the rancheros were flying 10 the towns on the sea coast for safety
 It appears that Juan Antonio, under whose conduct the Indians of the Cahulla tribe gained Q victory over twelve Americans some time ago-a victory which has caused them 10 maintain since then a rather inso- lent and insubordinate demeanor, had form ed compacts with other tribes and was at the last accounts said to be making active pre- parations for descent on the towns of San Diego, Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, and on the ranches and missions interven- ing. Simultaneous with this rising, news is received that the Yumas have surround ed the military station on the Colorado this time not false alarm-and that three skirmishes have already taken place be- tween them and the handful of men under command of Lieut.. Sweeny. They had killed four Americans who were driving sheep from Chihuahua, and were preparing 10 march on San Diego. So alarming and credible were these accounts regarded, that Mir. Warner, who has lived for many years on his ranch at Aguas Calientes, on the road leading to the Colorado, about sixty miles from San Diego, had left with his fam fly for the latter place. MT. Williams whose ranch is also on the outskirts, and who has lived there for many years, had likewise come to Los Anglos. The citizens of the latter place were in hourly appre- hencion of an attack and tbera 1uoro bnt