New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1858-05-19
CALIFORNIA.
THE FRAZER RIVER MINES.

;,,.,t,nce that MAKE them lbe fnoJecV OF
separate letter ., o.,r IN. .n.h
,-.,.1n. .. il here obtanabe in regard to toe TO-
v,..,,n,y O, the place, little IS it may De, viii ee
.,,, introduced here. Frazer River is 800
-. long and has n volume of water greater than
frat Of the Hudson. IL empt'es into the ''nll oil
I.~ores-as the channel east of the southern part
Of Vaneouyer's Island called--in 'titude 49, Il;
six miles north OF the American boundary.
II We ascend the river starting from It's In0nth,
Ne shall 80 eighty miles little north of EAST, the
river gradually removing more aud more from the
American dominion. At the distance Oi eighty
miles from the gull we find the stream makes
night angle and turn due NORM, which IS the
general course of the stream for $50 mlles. Eighty
miles above the bend we come to the mouth OF
Tlompson's River large stream which comes
from the eastward aud emptes into Frazer about
hat SOC 90 The valley Of Frazer River and the
country west of il is called New CALEDONIA. The
valley is bounded the east by aspur OF the Rocky
Mountains and on the west by coast range which
seems 10 be al extension of the chain known in Or
eeon as the Cascade and in California as the Sierra
Nevada Mountains. These mountains come close
To the river at the bend, and form very rugged
country on both aides OF the stream.
Frazer River is nayigable for large vessels to a
distance of twenty-five miles from It's mouth but
Aevond that distance il is broken by great
the bend, that the trade of the upper part OF the
valley instead of following the river has usually
struck across 10 Fort OkOnagan, on the Columbia
and gone down the latter river. The distance by
The latter route is vastly greater as may be seen by
glance at map, and the preference given to tins
route shows that Frazer River must be hard
road to travel. There is a considerable amount OF
good land in the northern part OF Frazer Valley, IN
some places prairie and in Others covered with dense
forests of large and valuable timber. The Winters
are very cold, and snow remains on the mountains
on both sides of the valley throughout the Summer
The number Of vegetables which can DE prOhtaoiy
cultivated ls very small.
II is impossible 10 learn at what time the mines
were first discovered or worked. The Indians
we're probably the discoverers of the gold and the
only seekers after it for several months. As early
~ January last parties OF them took little parcels
of the precious metal TO the various forts OF the
Hudson's Bay Company and sold it at a very lew
price. The amounts coming in increased as the
rieor Of Winter passed, and the Englishmen became
fret inquistve and then excited. The Indians said
that they had dug the dust on bars OF Frazer and
Tbompson's Rivers near the junction of the two
streams, and that there s plenty more ct 1t scat
tered over a great extent of country. Several par
ties started out from NancOuyers Island, and sent
back such reports that all the men on the island
who could 60 to the mines have gone, and they nave
been followed by considerable numbers from Wash
jngton Territory The nmbermen engaged at the
hdng there with lumber for distant ports, the coal
miDers at Bellineham Bag, the soldiers at Fort
Steilacoom and Port Townsend, have all been taken
with d great desire 10 try their luck in the new
mihes The consequence is a great disturbance III
The relations of business about the Sound, bat af-
fairs will improve, for the chief occupations
Of The people are farming aud numbering, and both
tbese branches will be benefited in proportion to
the richness of the mines, while they cannot be per-
manently Injured if the mines should prove, on fur
Their examination humbug.
But of that there is no probability The gold
has been obtained in considerable quantities Re-
port SAYS that 600 ounces have been shipped by
Ibe HudsOn's Bay Company to England aud num-
Der Of ounces have been brought to this city. Ii Is
found both file and coarse; some III rough lamps
Of half an ounce or more, though they had never
moved far from the place where they were when
they were set free by the decomposition oil their
quartz matrX. Other Of il is III little hikes resen-
ling the dust Of the Yuba, like faxseed but thin
er, ,cokng though it had been carried long
isiance and polished by much rubbing with gravel
All Of II which has been assayed here has been
found 10 contain large proportion OF silver, aud to
be worth not more than $40 per ounce.
About the yield per day there is no trustworthy
information. Reports put down the daily earnings
1T from s. 10 S25. correspondent of The Alta
California, writing from Port Townsend-and Of
course interested in telling as good story as pos
sibIe Of the new diggings-says they pay better
than the California mines ever did, and he thinks
they average not less than 50 to the man. he
largest strike of which he pretends to have heard
wac that two men dug $2l3 IS in one day. Mining
tools are scarce and very dear, aud provisions are
high. Salt pork is said to be worth 81 - ut
the mines. The diggiugs which worked are
all on the bars of the river, and the gravel IS shall
low, not more than foot or two deep. The only
instruments used in mining are shovels aud pans
and Indian willow baskets, which last are resOrted
10 on account Of the scarcity of tin pans.
There are steamers running regularly every I vo
weeks from this city 10 Puget Sound, and they will
probably 60 more trequently now. The fare TO
Port Townsend is SO 10 the cabin and S25 ia the
steersge. The distance is 200 miles. Port Town
send IL al the mouth of Puget Sound, and is the
eet American town to the mines; but probably
Victoria, on Vancouyers Island, " Il be selected
starting point by most of the miners.
All the travel 10 the mines now goes up Frazer
River. The travellers start from Victoria with
large Indian canoes with which they do not hest
tate 10 crOss the Sound, in which they have 10
paddle sail about forty miles TO the mouth of the
river. They ascend the stream some forty miles
without difficulty and then came TO fierce rapids
and deep canons, where the current is swift and
broken by 80 many rocks that no water craft could
succeed III ascending or come out whole after de-
tcenong. These rapids have to be passed by pOr-
iages Which are IN some places four or five miles
bong over rough mountains. The length of time
required 10 Va irOm the mouth Of the river TO the
mines is variously estimated atrom week to two
weeks.
In the Summer the nav igatOn will be still worse
and the tng,l ana humber OF the pOItSges much
increased This canoe aud portage navigation NAV
Gene as second nature t. The Canadian cOyaqcHrs
aBd half breeds, who compose cons dc-abe porio1of
the Jcrsons about the Forts Of the lludspus Bay Com