The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1869-01-02

the ore, which appear to he nearly all silver, and is
said to turn out siHety per cest. pure silver. over
5000 persons are already collected there and thou
sands are ON the way thi,her. In richness it Ger
taiuly Surpasses any silver ore ever yet discovered in
this or any other country and it is not unlikely that
other districts in Nevada contain quite as rich de-
posits.
The Overland Mails
Have again created great confusion with the mail
matter destined for the Pacific States. About the
first Of October the Washington authorities gave or
ders TO have all the mails carried overland. In COM
pliance with the new regulation, from twenty to
forty bags Of newspapers and periodicals were daily
despatched by the railroad from Omaha over the
Rocky mountains. All went along well as far as the
railroad was completed From that point nc convey
ance had been provided, and the bags accumulated
till not less than 100000 pounds Of mail matter was
collected At Salt Lake City and other points east of
II. Up TO this date, the missing mails have not ar
rived here, though the Post Master received a deS-
patch yesterday, stating that a portion of it go
bags) had arrived at Sacramento. and $4,000 pounds
were on the way thither. Some of this may reach
the city in time 10 be distributed before the Idaho
leaves. But if any parcels of eastern papers and
Magazines are not received at Honolulu promptly,
the above explains the reason of the non-receipt.
hhNS Will IIopdoAl All dIElNS aitSr Il NulIS-
The National Highway.
From the overland mails to the overland railroad
is an easy transition, and it is gratifying to note the
progress of this great national enterprise. On the
first day of December the track was laid on the en-
tire line excepting about two hundred miles west of
Salt Lake and one hundred miles east of the same,
leaving a gap of 312 miles. This unfinished portion
will all be graded during January, and ready for the
rails ubauavar tla- urr;va tho shout S,,D1, g
which may cause a delay of several weeks. As soon
as the winter SHOWS disappear in the spring, the
iron horse viii probably pass through without inter-
ruption from Sacramento to Chicago and New York.
4 Beautiful Steamer.
Capt. Conner took me n few days since to see a
propeller which the California, Oregon & Mexico
Company have just bought. She was a blockade
runner, captured by the United States Government
during the late war, and is as saucy and feet-look-
ing craft as l ever saw. She is built of steel, can
redily steam twelve knots, when burning twelve tons
of coal u day, and would probably make eight knots
with six or seven tons. Capt. c.. thinks she is the
best adapted to the inter-island trade of any vessels
ever brought here, and am inclined to concur with
him. She could easily perform the service required
under the late law, running TO IIilo and back in one
week; but the above company will never undertake
the service for the sum offered nor for less than SO
900 a year. SO we shall probably have to do without
steam, for n while at least. The Bulletin has the
following account of the above vessel:
The steamer Pelican has been sold to the Califor-
MIA, Oregon Y Mexico Steamship Company at o fig
ure which we are not at liberty to name. The PeI-
was built at Hull, in England, in 1868, and
intended to be run between Dublin and Liver
pools She soon found her way, however, into the
Confederate service, and was used rs a blockade run
ner during our late civil war. Upon the collapse of
the rebellion she was at Havana, where she was
turned over to the United States authorities, and
taken TO New York and sold. She was
to San Francisco by her owner, David Fay, and
arrived here on the 9th of October. after a passage
of 12T days, including sundry detentions. The
Pelican is n steel built vessel, and the only one of
the kind on the Pacific coast. She has five water
tight compartments. Her length is 1S9 feet; breadth
of beam, "a feet; depth of hold, Is feet she is
called a twin propeller, having two direct acting
cylinders, each Of which is forty inches in diameter
and 10 inches stroke of piston. Her present regis
tered tonnage is AS tons. She is light draft, and
will carry 500 tons cargo under deck, with . feet of
The vessel is now lying at the Company's
at the foot of Folsom street, where she is I'M
n thorough refitment for service ON this
coast. including a fine cabin for the accommodation
Of from 80 TO so passengers. 1t is expected that she
will be ready for service on the 18th of january,
she Will be put on the route from San Fran
cisco to Victoria.
Shipping-Items, &c.
The clipper ships Windaoard and National Eagle
arc ADVERTISED lOr HonSkong, 10 leave this port
lbout the 10th to 25th of December.
Messrs. Swift & Aliens vessels, which for the last
i've or six years have recruited at this port, will
hereafter recruit at the Hawaiian Islands. 1t is re-
ported that it cost the New Bedford whaleship own
ers one hundred thousand dollars more to refit their
vessels in San Francisco in 1867 than it would have
them at Honolulu. If so, the sooner the change
5 made the better for them.
The Helen Mar and probably other vessels of the
Francisco fleet, will visit Honolulu in the spring
md ship their oil.
Ever and Faithfully Yours, II. NJ. WHITNEY.