San Andreas independent., 1858-01-30
PER WELLS, FARGO a co.'s INLAND EXPRESS
SACRAMENTO LETTER.

Progress of Legislation Visitusg Committees
! Weather- Weather IN the South-M Mariposa-
Cultural-San Francisco Tar 4cf- Quay
Wau-Mnaasg Lands Tan-Ditch Osoners
Act-Ranch act Td5led-S ". Act-Nears-
paper Vulyarity.
SACRAMENTO, Jan. 26th, 1858.
Mr.. EDITOR He must have been a
most indefatigable hunter this week, who
could satisfy himself that it were possible
to make up an interesting batch of current
news items. Most of them have gone to
Kansas, and everybody is full of twaddle
on the subject.
The work of Legislation goes leisurely
on, and if much has been begun but
nothing finished, it does not argue that
the peoples representatives to the ninth
| California session, are idle. On the con-
trary, amidst SO much buncombe, much
of which has been quashed, the Commit
tees are, by degrees, getting into useful
work Those persons changing their
names SO often by special acts, and those
measures for the guage of the intellectual
strength and calibre of the several men,
bers, are about done for, | think. All
things are fitting in and dovetailing. The
Committees of visitation have returned,
but have not yet reported. In noticing
few incidentals, previous to items of
greater interest, may state, for future
reference, that Immediately subsequent to
the dense fog of last week, in the valley
we were blessed with two days sousing,
soaking rain, and night storm from the
southeast of rather fierce dimensions for
the size of the accompanying breeze. 1t
was subject Of general graduation, more
especially as the news from the extreme
south is of rather an unfavorable charac-
ter, both for agriculturalists and miners.
In Mariposa, especially, the anticipation
was somewhat gloomy. A friend from that
quarter informs me that there has been
very little rain there-that there is very
little HIT water the HE rivers, and that in those
localities in which thrown-up dirt forms
the winters hope of the miner, said hopes
are not too likely to be realized as to the
washing out. We think that the case of
Mariposa county-lacking mining canals,
is a very excellent illustration of the
kind of enterprise likely to take place in
California generally, whensoever a title
shall be given to the mining districts by
the General Government, viz: dog in
the mangar case of enterprise, IN which
case the miner is the COW.
Your very interesting article of last
week from E. S. Holden, like too many
of the same kind in the State, will, [ am
afraid, never be fully appreciated. AS
contrast to it, hypocondriacal editor at
the Bay commenting deprecatinglyon the
farming and nursery enterprise that would
raise peach blossoms in December and
strawberries in April, as proving an ener-
waiting climate in California, went so far
as to say that those big squashes and
pumpkins, periodically so emphatically
spoken of, were positively sickening. 1t
is hard offset this, to the doctors excel
lent article Still they are planting this
lovely city Of Sacramento with trees. The
cotton-w wood, or poplar. or aspen, as it is
yariously called in the vulgar tongue, is
found to be very disagreeable in summer
from shedding cotton on the sexes court
ing the balmy zephyrs at eve; these are
being superseded by the Acacia and Palm,
but principally the princely Locust, for
side walks, which latter is of very rapid
growth, and forms very pleasant, cool
ing shade. With the exception of the
city being a little sloppy and liquid, which
would have just suited the imagination of
Moleaire, with which to draw summers
descriptive charm, there is naught of To-
cal interest, if we except, that building
proceeds somewhat Vi gorously for the sea-
son of the year.
There are several political business sub
jects of considerable interest and more
than unusual importance, on the tapis Just
now The action of the Houses is being
silently and pretty closely looked after, on
the San Francisco taxation Bill, which in
wolves the collection of some $3.50, 900 of |
taxes on property in the Bay city and
principle of the power of an oligarchy of
"princely merchants versus the Tax
Collector. If the Act to enforce the col
lection of this immense sum, is not passed
before the lst of February, its period of
Limitation, it cannot be collected at ALL
In the meantime, the bill has not yet /
passed its first reading in either House,
and it quivers in the balance with about
as pretty chance to escape as ever a
murderer had the gallows in California
some few years or so back.
Another matter relating to the same
city, and of considerable Importance in an
engineering point of view, (Which is the
medium through which its chief value
may be looked at is the great number
of bills that are endeavored to be thrust
through by Tom, Dick and Harry, to OBJ
tain the privilege of building a sea wall
facing the Bay at San Francisco And
this leads me to say that in the examina-
ton of merits, engineers should be con-