Daily national Democrat., 1859-11-26
Mountain Correspondence.
Rainy Season in the Notwithstanding
News--Interesting Facts.
GlnsoNtlLLr. Nm onlh nd

y
cord OF passing events, from time to time as
the most agreeable aad profitable manner Of
spending my leisure moments, which might
otherwise prove burdensome. Mr. Editor
living as you do in the heart of that beau,i-
ful city, where every species Of recreation
and amusement is to be had at your desire,
you no doubt think strange to hear me talk
about the dreariness of time; but a soiourn
of only one winter in these mountains would
dissipate all such conceptions. Hard, hard
indeed, is it for one born within the classic
limits Of civilization to cast his lot in these
dreary snowclad hills In summer it will
do-hardly debut when winter comes, so
isolated is our existence, that we must possess
an ineXhaustibe mine of cheerfulness or our
spirits sink into an unfuthomaLle abvss of
gloom But, the lot of mankind is as varied
as the landscape Of the earth we inhabt. We
could not all dwell on the fertile plains of
Italy, even though her social institutions
were as inviting as her transcendenta eli
mate. Did one common desire possess us all
to luXuriate in city lfe-tis fortunate it is
otherwise-the luxury would soon be con-
verted into camps of misery and starvation
But happily, there is as great variety of
tastes as there are different occupations to
he followed. But fear this harangue will
neither interest you nor your many readers
will strike out on more practical trail
for fear that you will exclude me from your
columns upon my first introduction.
As you are no Coubt aware, we have had a
considerable amount of snow and rain togeth.
er, recently. the latter preponderating, and
the joyful result is, the bitches are now all
The ground is thoroughly saturated with
moisture, aud those most capable of forming
an opinion upon the subject, assure us that
mining win not he entirely suspended again
this winter-grtifying intelligence, | assure
you. And should the prediction prove cor
rect, will not the contrast between last win
ter and the approaching one be almost incred-
ible? Certainly the difference would be Sc
great that upwards of six times more gold
would be taken out in this section, the pres
ent season than there was last. Already,
there has been more gold washed up, in this
town, since water commenced running
about two weeks snce-than there was last
season up to the tenth of May. Should the
present fattering prospects grow no less en-
than they now are, our financial
will be as easy as need be desired
This section of California abounds in rich
mines are inexhaustiLle-and
our only drawback is the brevity of the min
ing season.
1t is a mistaken IDEAS erroneous as it |
is Popular-that such vast quantity of
snow is beneficial to the mining interests
There cannot be found, in this section, a dis
senting voice to the well-founded opinion
that had we have had only one fourth as
much snow last season as we did have, we
should have had far better mining season
than we were the recipients Of Why? Be
cause, with the above specified quantity Of
snow, we should have had plentiful supply
of water by the middle of January. at the
farthest; whereas, as it was, we had not wa
ter sufficient for mining purposes until the
10th Of May. 1t is actually sickeniag to
the flightful blank in our exist
ence of last fall, winter and nearly all the
spring. The prime object with US is to have
water commence running early, for it is an
estal lished fact that twenty feet of snow is
not capable Of protraeting the mining season
to exceed three weeks longer than four feet
will the heat of July being bould to melt
away whatever there may then remain, let
the quantity be great or small
This town is prospering about as rapidly,
in the way of permanent improvements, as
any other town of the same size either in or
out of the State. Our mines are no myth,
but permanent institution, and consequent
~ call for IL cOrrespo nding permanency in
everything around them. The leads of gold
in this county are as lasting as the gigantic
mountains that temporarily conceal them
from our view.
The first mines in this town were discov-
cred in May, 1851, and each succeeding year
from that time to the present. the quantity of
gold harvested has been steadily on the in
crease. Nor will it stop here, but on the
contrary the yearly increase from this on
will be at least five times greater than it has
at any time heretofore been. Our mining
district, pI evious to about two years since,
was confined within the limits of the town,
but now it is extending rapidly in every di
rection. Two years ago, some of our intre-
Did miners launched their fortunes in u pros
pecting" experiment about one mile above
this town. 1t was an experiment, but for
tune favored them. They drove their tun-
nels diligently, night and day, for the space
of eighteen months-when lOl they struck
the gravel, and their fortunes were made
Some six or eight companies have already
got their tunnels in; every one of them have
struck it immen ely rich, and the beautiful
large flat now bears the pretty eognomen of
Mount Pleasant. The first company that
struck the gravel believe. was Levi Day &
Co., and more worthy men there are not this
day following the honorable occupation of
digging for living.
The celebrated "bue lead" crosses about
two /. lies above this town, and tunnels are
penetrating it from every quarter. Already
several companies have struck gravel (strik-
ing gravel in the blue lead, at this point. is
equivalent to a mine that will pay from 81