Grand River times. [volume] (Grand Haven, Mich.) 1851-18??, 1852-02-10
CALIFORNIA.

By the arrival ofthe Ell Dorado, we have dates
from San Francisco to December l6,--one day
later.
The only news of interest is the account of
more remarkable gold discoveries. The details
are given by the Calaveras papers, as follows:
"Some Of the most astounding discoveries Of
gold we ever heard of, have during the past
week, been made within mile of this place, in
an easterly direction. The whole town, in fact
seems to have run mad-every class of our CON-
munity, from the ounging idler to the most en-
ergetic, having gone post-haste to the new FL
Dorado, (some of them even late at night, and
staked off chains for nearly mile, up and down
the hil-sides, bordering upon the head OF the
Chilean Gulch The new diggings are called
Sport Hill, from the fact that their extraordina-
ny richness have tempted out nearly all the old
sportsmen Of our town, who may now be daily
seen welding pick and spade as Justify as the
hardest miner. It would be useless for us here
to repeat any of the many extravagant stories
(none of which are contradicted) that we have
heard of these extraordinary diggings, but we
will mention what we know by our own obser-
vaton The hole which created the furore is
one hundred and ten feet deep, and commenced
paying we'll at thirty-fve feet from the ledge
We stood by while one ofthe party in this claim
washed out some half dozen buckets of refuse
earth, from which he obtained ten or twelve dol
lars Of gold one piece weighing upwards of six
dollars. This dirt was only washed to throw
dust in the eyes of the crowd who stood around,
the No. dirt being kept separate, and reserv-
ed for future operations, when there shall be
plenty of water. The ruse, however, did not
succeed, every one seeing through it at once,
and only becoming more firmly cOnviced of the
vast wealth that lay hidden in the earth beneath
their feet. The majority of the claims are being
worked with will" and we shall soon know
| if the whole hill is rich or if this one claim a.
lone is to yield fortunes to its owners. Anoth-
er hole, lower down the hill side, has commence
ed paying at seven feet from the surface, the
owners averring most positively that they get
| from it five dollars per bucket. tunnel CON-
pany has also been formed, and have commence
ed operations in the hill. The indications Of
gold here, are the same as those on French and
Stockton Hills.
THE WONDERFUL RESOURCES OF CALIFORNIA.
We find in looking over the files of Calfor-
mia papers, that some new and hiterto undevel-
oped resources are constantly being brought to
light in that wonderful country. At first says
the Alta Californian. the productions of that
country were hides, then came gold, and altho'
she was very valuable country owing to her
gold mines, yet her soil was of course poor and
unproductive because of its mineral character.
But gradually we find that grapes, rich fruits,
and huge and most delicious vegetables are the
almost spontaneous productions Of her misera-
bic soil. A little later we hear of elegant mar
BILE lodges, of granite quarries, of quicksilver
mines, of coal mines. We listen among the
mountains and we hear hundred waterfalls,
waiting merely for the mill to turn out with un-
told magic the richest fabrics. On examination
some say that the soil Of large portion of the
State and climate also are admirably adapted to
the growth of the very finest of cotton. From
ice and granite, to wines and oranges; from the
Indian scarcely removed from the brute, to the
most refined and delicately constituted mind
from the canoe to the steam palace, whose vari-
Gus saloons are soft with velvet; they are all
found in this Misunderstood and il-appreciated
California Of ours.
The very last production, however, is found
to be nutmegs, which are found growing very
finely on the hills of that State. The Sacramen-
to papers say that ,astonishingly fine specimens
of nutmeg have been discovered. Gov. Bigler
says he saw large quantity of them growing
last summer. What profound opinion that
was of Dan. Websters when he said that all the
territory sought to be acquired from Mexico
acdS not acorth dollar!
SIR JOHN Observation-Disclosures the
i'll success Of the heroic enterprise of our gal
liant countrymen, last year, in search Of this i'll
fated adventurer to the Polar Seas, we are glad
to see that the earnest and impassoned appeals
of his devoted wife, have induced the English
Government to persevere in its efforts for his
rescue, if alive, and that another expedition is
now fitting out for that purpose. Though the
natural supposition may be that Sir John Frank.
lin is now beyond human aid, as for several sue.
cessive years, expeditions have sailed for his re-
lief without being able to reach him, yet traces
) of his presence have been lately discovered il
the arctic regions, which at least leave room fol
hope that he and his companions may yet be
alive. Are we to sit down then in the quiet
conclusion that further search for the adventure
GUS band is waste Of human energy! He may
be enclosed in some latitude, difficult Of access
or egress, and yet capable Of supporting human
life for an indefinite period. To abandon hin
then would seem to be heartless. And such i.
the opinion of others, if we may Judge from the
measures in progress for another attempt to fine
him, and though the cold dictates Of prudence
may disapprove of the enterprise, every noble
impulse of the heart will respond to the effor
with the warmest enthusiasm. Free Press.
THE PRoMETHEUs AFFAIR.-A dispatch from
81 3 L