Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1856-12-25
FROM THE PACIFIC COAST
Correspondence Of the Belmons Chronicle:
San FRAscrsco, CALIFoAsIA)
a

SoItSePoHaShif diu sOiuS " spShu iuc
winter on an Island in the Sar Joaquin
river, about ten miles from Stockton, a do IT.
isEing city in the interior of this S,ate.--
The island has been purchased from the
State by company Of about seSenty-6ve
persons, called the ''Un ion Land Associa-
t;cn," and three hundred and twenty acres
fal to nv lot. /, is the design Of the CON-
pany 70 levee the island, 10 prevent over
flows; and | am going up hext Monday to
assist in The survey. and after that is done,
proceed to do nv share of the work. Being
believer in what the noble Swedenborg
calls THE GOOD OF UsE," it is my chief
aim to make myself useful citizen of this
Republic. You know, my dear R, that
our country has need OF you and me; and
when We can no longer serve the public as
I hewers Of wood and drawers oe water, ]
think we would make very respectable
Congressmen--at least we would be de-
cideG Improvement on the modern style
! When YOU consent TO be nominated il would
! be superfiuous to ask, ais be honest! is ne
cspable!' Tne public know you are. And
when | am nominated, will possibly re-
spond as follows. "Gentlemen, acce pt the
honor, though with great reluctance, as my
/ land operations leave me but lille time for
pugilistic exercises. rnd | hardly have time
to knock ny neighbo, down lEore than once
year. However, for this once, | will m
duIge in the luxury of Congressional 6gh:
in the Capitol. feel, gentlemen, that it
would be caiGmitous to the comm1n veal if
| should dec inc the nomination at this
crisis. The GLORIOUS prime pies set forth
/ in this my letter OF acceptance, must De sus-
tanned at all hazards. Your platform, gen
tlemen, deserves my most cordial approval,
and feel that am no longer the Honor
able Little Brook. but your obedcnt servant,
GREAT SAT- RIVER"
California is glorious State; her re-
sources are manifoln, almost uuriyalled, in
deed. Last week. in company with three
friends, went to the San Joaquin valley,
and took look at our island. We forded
/
land, which is among the richest in the
State. The island is alb Jut hundred and
! fifty miles from San Francisco by water,
and the steamers pass 1t daily on their way
to Stockton. On cur route, which vas
overland, we passed through hills and orer
valleys thar are truly rich and lovely. We
saw vulturcs, and eagles, and ravens, and
other birds familiar to this couu try. Hun
dreds of cattle were seen grazing along the
| wide-spring plains. The San Joaquin has
| its source away among the Sierra Nevadas.
and in the month Of jane the waters come
laundering dox n, creating some havoc and
alarm the valleys below; but these Spring
iTeshets are gradually subsiding, owing,
perhaps, to the fact taat the mining opera
tions in that region have directed the wa
| tiers into other channels. 1t is thought tha,
! the land on our island will be worth hum
dred dollars an acre before great while. -
If SO, | shall hardly consent to run for Con-
gress. 1t wouldn't "pay."
have so many things 20 tell you, my
dear R, that know not where TO COM
mence, and perhaps | may end without tell
ing You anything, after all. Having been
in the country Tor several months past,
know little OF hat has been going on in
the world. The Chronicle still reaches me,
am happy to say, without interference or
probability of lie being suppressed by the
"secret police" All, | am wandering
speaking OF "secret police" as if we lived
in France or some other oppressed country.
But we dun't-we live in land where op-
preston is by-word; we are free men
among free people. Some people at the
| North have advanced the alb urd theory that
slavery exists in this Republic, somewhere
South of Mason and Dixon's line; but trav-
elers have brought from thence only few
fossils to testify that such thing as slavery
ever existed there. l. is said that in an
cent times the people in that region he Id
slaves, but the slaves were gradually eman-
cipot-d on the eve of each Presidential elec.
tion, until the peculiar institut ion" became
I utterly obsolete.
Ii one of nv faults preponderstes, that
fault is digressinn. You perceive, my dear
R that begin to talk about the Caron-
icle, and forthwith plunge into distractions
the obsolete ins.itut ion o! slavery, etc. once
saw two negroes chained together; thew were
+ travelling from Kentucky to New Orleans
. they were doubtless old friends, linked to-
= gether by an interior friendship, of which
the CHAINS were only an exterior token: anc
perhaps they ielt a singular ptide in chain
ing themselves thus, so that others might
behold the beauty and strength of true
friendship. But alas! the noble example
set by these two men was not much follow
ed--indeed, doubt if white men at The
South ever attempted to initiate this exam.
pie. beautiful and instructive as it unques
tim by was.
1t vas my intention TO tell you somethin!
about California, but here [ am almus
through before having commenced. Well
they may talk about "iast" people, but The
people of this State surpass in velocity an,
people | wOt OF. Their journey through lie
is not pilgrimage, but a telegraphic dis
patch. They are like waxen candles sho
through inch lumber, sustaining little or nC
injury n tine operation, but leaving inefface.
able marks OF their passage through it
The Vigilance Committee was organized
came, saw, and conquered, finished a gigan-
: tic work, and disbanded. Peace aud quiet
e e restored, and stranger would hardly
: observe any indications OF the revolution
e that begun and ended in the space OF few
weeks One great drawback 10 the progress
b o. the State is the uncertainty Of the land
/ titles. Some of the old Spanish settlers,
claiming thousands of acres, have had their
claims confirmed by the Land Commission
ers appointed to ADJUST or adiudicate these
| claims. The Treaty of Guadalupe H ldalgn
. seems to sustain the decisions ut the C,m-
missoners, but the people are by no means
satisfied with the result, as the S2sniards
DOW ask exorbitant prices for land, with no
great desire to cell at any price. II seems
4,,r1 fh,,t tI IL