Washington telegraph., 1853-03-02
Two Weeks Later from CaIifOr.
nia----Arrival Of the PhiladeI-
phia.

Ihe United States mail steamship Phlla-
delphia, Captain J. s. McKinstry U. S. A.,
commanding, arrived here last nj ght, having
left Aspinwall on the % inst, She brings
the Government mails and California dates
Of the 18th ut, $4,000 in gold dust On
freight, and one hundred and ghty passcn.
gers. The Pacific mail steamship Golden
Gate reached Panama on the 18th ult.. with
SIX hundred passengers and Sl,7OO. 900 in
gold dust The steamships Independence
and Winfield Scott left San Francisco on
the 10Th January. The steamships Ohio
and Uncle Sam, from New York. arrived at
Asplnwall on the Both ult. The health Of
the lsthmus was considered good. The val.
ieys Of the Sacramento and San joaquin
were st'A flooded; much damage and incon.
venIenee had been sustained BY the high.
water. Flour was very high. being from
S34 to $50 per bbl. There was much suf
fering in the mines, the roads being in pla-
ees impassable. 1t is said that 81 per pound
had been paid for -four in the mines.
1t was estimated that the Ohio. Philadel
phia and Uncle Sam landed sixteen hundred
passengers At Aspinwall for California. The
passengers BY the Philadelphia reached Pan.
anna by the 30th ult There was nc intelli.
gence Of the Winfield Scott when the Phil
adelphia left
We received only one paper, the Alta
California Of the 18th, and from it we take
the following summary Of news:
The old project Of calling constitutional
convention is once more on the tapis. The
ostensible object az set forth by the Execu-
tive in his message, is to abolish certain of.
fees created by the constitution: but the
real end is the abrogat;on Of the anti-slayery
clause and the division of the State. The
first, If It aims at the accomplishment Of any
definite object, confemplatcs the introduction
OF slavery here-a scheme which all men
whose lntellects are not cIouded BY prejudice.
know to be the widest and most chimerical
that was ever entertained by intelligent men.
As FOR the division Of the State, after more
than q years investigation, We can discover
no plausible reason for K The advocates
Of the measure have never yet shown what
was 70 he gained by it in political or finan-
cial point of view. But the business of the
session will turn upon the Constitutional
Convention, which will most probably Be
called. The intended changes, however,
will not be effected when it is called.
Our latest intelligence from the southern
mines represents great improvement in
the veal her and the winds. The extreme
strin-eney IN the provision market N relax
ing ~ supplies come IN, and there Il every
prospect that the end Of the next fortnight
will find the mining population prosperous
and happy.
Pr. Beale. Indian agent, was at last ac-
counts in the Tulare country, where he had
been mos. successful in his negotiations with
the Indians. He has restored peace and
satisfaction to the savages, who seem willing
to work for their own support, now that they
see they are compelled to do so.
Further Nclrs tl0m Shasta and Tl-cku.
--Co7h)motton Of that prertously re-
ceiUed.-Mr Tracy, the express messenger
OF Adams and 4 Co., between Shasta and
Sacramento. arrived from the upper country
on Thursday evening.
The citizens of Yreka were destitute Of
nearly ali kinds Of provisions; and the par
ty which arrived at Shasta from that place,
were obliged to desert three of their animals
III Scots Valley. having been eighteen days
in accomplishing the journey to Shasta
Three Of their number were left at Martins
ranch, % badly frozen in the feet and ankles
that they purchased 100 dollars worth of
provisions and sent them back to the sui.
fcrers, who like themselves, had snbsi.tel
on parched barley Martins house was de-
serted rs the roof had fallen In from the i'm
rnense pressure Of snow
Mr. Tracy reports that trail had been
opened from Shasta to Weaveivil!e, and
that the snow had almost entirely disappear
cd
an Hdian's Erppriencc-We have
been informed by gentleman from the sec
ond story Of submerged house in Yolo
county, that, having recently held commu-
nication with one Of the aborsines Of the
country. an old chief he was informed by
that worthy, that in period of seventeen
years, there had not been 90 much snow on
the ground or water on the plains as at the
present time.
From the encampments about Nevada,
from Angels and Murphy's. number Of
miners, necessita;ed by sheer hunger, have
crowded into more favored localities. aban-
doning the modicum Of provision left them
for the sustenance of the females and the
sick some, in attempting to flee the appal-
ing presence Of famine. have perished BY
the way sinking exhausted from emaciation
ard fatigue into snowy sepulchres; others,
more fortunate, securing in the timely shell
ter of some ranch an escape from impend-
ing death. Where it was impossible by the
ordinary means to transport food, bands of
energetic miners carried upon their backs
packages, in some instances Of hundred
pounds, OF -four, distances Of sixty and sew
enty miles A squad of Cinnamon was OBJ
served tramping. in single file, freighted