The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-02-28

Oar California Coxrespondence.
San FRANCIsco, Jan. -, 1864.
are the Gold Mines IHerha1stibls -Opi~iows of a
Mswr upon the Subject Discoxyogimg Accoxnts
From che M'wss-Gold Becoming Scarce and
Labor Cheop-Accos~ts from the Mines By a
Wal street Bear, &C., &c.
would oAll the attention Of your readers, particu
AIRY the commercial classes, to the future prospects
q this State, particularly the mining portion MY
views difer materially from those Of many Others In
relation to the future yield Of the mines Steamship
companies expressmen, stage contractors, traders,
speculat0rs and all that genus, will not only diner
from me- but denounce any writer who may express
an opinion that the mines are nearly worked out,
and viii not continue to yield as they have formerly.
have worked for upwards Of three years in the
mines Is hard as any man in the country, and be-
Heve that am as capable as any man to give Ger
rect opinion, more especially when derived from
facts and personal experience. l have travelled
during the past summer and fan from one extreme
of the mining region to the other.
BY reference to Eddy's map Of California (which,
by the bye is not quite accurately you will see that
the gold region-or rather that portion upon which
gold has been discovered commences at the San
Joaquin river in the south and extends to Oregon
distance of about three hundred and fifty miles, the
width sfrom three to thirty miles, not ehundredth
part however yields gold in sufficient quantity for
man to make his board.
That portion that yields gold has beea worked and
reS0rked until large portions will not now pay fifty
cents to the man per day. Some of the richest
streams have been worked over nine and ten times,
and lave been entirely deserted by white men. Thou
sands OF men many Of whom are fully qualified to
ill almost any public situation in the State are this
day working for wages ranging from fifty cents to
two dollars d y.
-
nopolists The ieterior papers publish all the rumors
of strikes that they can hear 0f-many of them
tons OF their own imaginatons- though the number
OF strikes are getting beautifully less The papers
Publishing these strikes do not want to give fair or
correct impression Of the actual state Of affairs in the
mining region-they do not tell us that while one
company make strike OF few hundred dollars,
that they the company have not paid expenses for
the last six months and that there fifty conlpa
MES who have not made board Some few mouths
ago it vas said in dry diggugs, "f we had water
we could make money Canals were cut, and the
water let in but the desired result was not obtained.
From among many hundred instances / will cite
Moquelumne Hill, in Calaveras county, water was
brought on, and not one company in ten could make
enough to pay water dues, which was four dollars o
day for each siuice stream, and hundreds left for
other diggiDgs, the Amazon or the New Republic
At the same time, and with the facts before their
eyes, subsidized presses will publish accounts that
A and yesterday took out Of their claims thirty
ounces, and more Of the same sort left"-givng the
impression that there Is plenty OF remunerative
poyment TO be had there Such is the case through
out the mines. The papers all complain about the
else than the right cause Watt Of gold is the sole
cause it is not in the ground, i and hundreds Of
spectators must go down. II had employment for
men could obtain thousands, who would work hard
on contracts that will not pay them one dollar day
above their board. Such has been the case last fall
in TuOiomne and other mining counties Any nun
Der Of ".6libusters" can be obtained if their ex-
penses be paid to Sonora, or anywhere else.
hard impa In And fhon1 aak
out papers In the interior contain advertisements
of bankers, which read lowing to the scarcity OF
gold dust, we, the undersigned, are compelled to
raise the pr ,e of exchange on San Francisco
The stores in the mines are supplied with upwards
OF twelve months stocks, as are the warehouses in
the cities, TO say nothing of the immense number Of
ships from Eastern pors now due here.
The shipments OF treasure in this month have fall
en- oil considerably ,teven taking the published state
ments OF the shipments, which have been VIGOROUSLY
iccorect) from previous months, and three-fourths
mark my prophesy-the yield of gold for the next
twelve months from California will not exceed one
half OF thai OF 1853 and that Of 1866 VIII be decreas
ed in the same ratio.
and the immense shipme nss Of goods that in con-
temptation should feel that am repaid for the
labor OF laying the facts before your readers.
am no alarmist, and viii say to the youth OF the
States, that if they wish 10 come to country where
they can II. IKE board though bat rough and intend
to expattiats themselves, or rather make this their
future home and have a few thousand dollars to go
to farming with, they can vegetate here II they
are cup to snuff but the chances are thou
sand to one tSat some knowing man swim
dies them out of it before they are here
six months Then they will 6nd this the worst
country on earth for q man without money. speak
from sad experience. have been in the country,
sick without money and met with neither sym.
patty or assistance. Such has been the experience
Of Thousands. many of whom have died that would
have recovered had the slightest aid been rendered
them. There are more re skless, desperate men in
this State than can be found even in Australia.
have been here three years, and have made no
thing-unless premature age be called gain-but
still continue in hope; but if the ensuing summer
does not bring the long desired consummaton Of my
hopes sh all return home.
before stated thst differed from hosts that were
Interested in keeping up the excitement; but my
statement win not be disputed by one man in ten
thousand not connected with speculation. They will
say: You have not given q sufficiently graphic de-
scriptiop Of the country"
There are thousands Of men who will die in the
country for want of the wherewthal to get back
home. MINER.