The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-05-13


lnder false pr, tence D. from W. H. Brown, shpbuider,
lad vas demanded for sentence
T. excessvel' crowded state of our columns pre-
tents Us from eferring particularly to large num-
Der Of telegrf .phc dispatches from all parts of the
country, as well as much other interesting and ia.
portant nj .tter published to-day. Besides the ~
ports Of he anniversary meetings, tie inside pages
contain he proceedings Of the Art Union Investgat
ing CO. nmittee Letter from Nicaragua. Late News
from Buenos Ayres; Accounts Of Trottng Matches
over the Union and Hunting Park Courses; Financial
and. Commercial affairs, &c.
r ne Gold COuntries-Australia and CalifOr-
MIA.
Gold gold gold is still the cry from all
Sides Gold in Carolina and gold in Missouri !;
gold in Texas, and gold in Canada gold in the
North in the South, in the East. and in the
West; everywhere mountains of geld, streams
rolling Pactolus-like over golden sands, ships
and steamers freighted with bags of dust, bars
of the solid metal, and ingots of fine gold
Fresh discoveries follow each with magical ra-
pidity. Farmers plough their fields with ner-
vous anxiety lest nugget Of the bright yellow
treasure should escape their watchful eye. Spec
enough metal to pay twenty-five per cent on
the cost of working it. One man buys up all
the tailings that have passed through the crush
ing mills, and invests his capital in the pur-
chase of a new machine, warranted to exhaust
the quartz. Gold from the bosom of mother
earth, gold from refuse washings, gold from
mountain ridges. and gold from slopins valleys
still it comes, and adds monstrous item to
the conventional wealth of the world.
Enough of speculation as to the results of the
golden fever. Suppose we do produce two or
even three hundred millions of gold year,
what then? Your happiness and ours, friend
reader. will not be much affected thereby
cash may be in eagles instead of bank notes,
your remittances to Europe may be in ingots
instead of barrels of -four or bales Of cotton.
But none of these changes will alter the pulsa-
ton in your veins, or disturb the charming lit
tie arrangements you have made for Marian and
the children. You would not be the richer if q
thousand million of gold were annually depo-
sited at the mints. Let us leave castle-build-
ing to those Of our neighbors whose time hangs
heavy On their hands and see if we cannot draw
some practical differences from the news from
the great gold fields to which our acquaintance
are focking in such numbers.
Australia has, without doubt, produced
more gold than California in the same space of
time. English biologists prophecy a still larger
yield. Sir frederick Murchison. who claims
not without fair show of reason the credit of
having been the first to indicate the gold de-
posts in Australia, is confident that when
sufficient number of men are at work ON the
placers, the crop will far exceed one hundred
millions per annum. 1t is quite natural that
Sir Roderick should make the most of his for
tunate discovery but without disparagement
to his Judgment we may be permitted to attach
some weight to more disinterested witness. We
are assured by the celebrated author, William
Hewitt. who has gone to Australia for the pur-
pose Of furnishing the British public with cor
rect information respecting the state and pros
poets Of the colony, that the actual yield of
gold is much less than that reported in the
newspapers. The colonial press. he tells us,
are naturally interested in exaggerating the
receipts of gold and have frequently overstep-
ped the bounds of truth, with a view to induce
emigrants to adopt Australia as their home in
lieu of the United States. As an instance of
the dishonest speculation which is being carried
on, he mentions instances in which the same
nugget of gold was carried round from one pit
to the other. credited to several in succession
and reported in the newspapers as having been
found in half dozen. A valuable discovery
enables the proprietor of placer to sell it at
handsome profit and the 8" loan'' Of large
nugget will answer his purpose equally we'll.
Many Of the holes which are supposed to have
produced from $4,000 to 100000 owe their
reputation to a maneuvre of this description.
1t is needless to remark that no imposture
can be practised on those who derive their in
formation from the returns of the Imperial
officers, or from the published manifestoes of
the Australian packets, but we fear that these
are rarely Consulted by those who emigrate to
Australia. The bulk of the emigrants resolve
to expatriate themselves after reading glow
ing account Of the discovery of large nugget,
(Which had perhaps been discovered half
dozen times before,) or of the enormous yield
of hole whose proprietors had carefully
plugged it with Jumps OF gold before they no
tilted the Sydney papers of its wealth.
In the second place, the most wonderful mis-
takes have been made about the climate Of Aus
tralia. We have been assured that the island
was Garden Of Paradise, where neither cold
nor heat Inconvenience the miners and where
serene sky and genial sun were perennial
pwellers in the foggy British isles in the frigid
and torrid zones of America have sighed l9r so
blest cline. Now, however, that we have
disinterested testimony on the subject. we find
that the temperature of this paradise sometimes
varies as much as sixty degrees in twenty hours,
and that the extremes Of heat and cold are not
only felt, but felt at extremely short intervals
of time. The fine salubrious climate" which
has been 30 much Wanted in the English