Year: 1859

SACRAMENTO, Feb. 18th.


The Military Bill was considered this morn
ing in Committee of the Whole of the AS
sembly. 1t was taken up. section by section
and thus commented upon by detail Its
discussion was the cause of much elaborate
argument and great display of analytical
ingenuity. The bill was rather carefully
prepared by Mr.. Holman, and is generally
acceptable to the members ANYTHING that
smacks of drums, flies and gunpowder, strikes
the fancy of legislators as readily as it does
that of humber persons and because this is
fact is one reason why the BILL with all its
attending buncombe, received as much Sc
rious attention as it did. Many members
would as soon think of laughing at the words
and music of Hail Columbia, as they would
of making light of SO patriotic measure as
that of an act concerning "that bulwark of
our national independ dence," the melishy.


Several unworthy occurrences took place
pending the ultimate action of the Commit
tee of the Whole upon this bill. The 10Th
section goes on to provide that the Adiutant
General shall "at the termination of his Off
cial career, turn over to his successor all the
military stores" &c Mr.. Briggs, of El Do
RADIO, moved to strike out all after the words
turn over; which motion, had it prevailed,
would have made it obligatory upon all out
going Adjutant enerals to perform at least
one summersault, as their last official act and
deed, "u der the constitution and the laws"
Mr.. De Long spoke upon one clause of the bill
relating to the adjutant salary. lie expressed
himself as opposed to any reduction of that
time or other, he might occupy that high
and soldieriy position himself. However, af-
ter Mr.. De Long had consulted an important
provision of the propos, law, he discovered
and stated that, whereas he was not quite
five feet eleven in height, and consequent
ly ineligible to the office, he was entirely
Indifferent as to whether salary was cnt down
or not A growing spirit of levity on the
part of many members was quite overawed
by some serious and strongly sensible re-
marks made by the tall member from Yuba
county. The ensigns of the House-that is
to say the patriotic cusses, like Street, Las
peyre, ct i'd onne genus-were strangely
quiet throughout the discussion, and neither
one waved the American flag over his head
whole sitting.


The Senate was engaged all the morning,
and a considerable portion of the afternoon,
in debating upon the free bridge bill intro
duced by Mr. Parks, of Sutter county in
tended to be present while this matter was
being acted upon, but didn't know that it
had been called up, until it had been disposed
of. AS you will see in the Union, it passed.


The topic of conversation most completely
engrossing to the capitalists at the present
time is the San Francisco Bulkhead Bill,
which will come up in the Senate tomorrow
at II o'clock, as the special order of the day.
That this bill is a most important one may
readily be concluded from the fact that it
has the warmest supporters and the very
bitterest enemies of any bill which has vet
come up for the action of the present Legis
lature The dock company of San Francisco
to which will be granted the right to con
struct the bullShead, should the Senate bill
pass has many strong and persuasive friends
working for it and so also has the chamber
of commerce, to which is to be ascribed the
, i IA :,
portant that San Francisco should be sur
rounded by a sea wall, but doubt the build
ing of such structure by reason of any bill
that will be passed during this session of the
Legislature There are too many opponents
of any one bill that may be devised to admit
of the passage of either yet provided-in my
very humble opinion.


The member of the lower house remind
me of children who have become tired of a
too protracted play day. They act as if
weary of the novelty of law-making; and
what they regarded as an exciting amuse-
ment, they now feel to be an irksome task,
lacking all its first attractveness Fun is
fun, but when fun becomes a business it
ceases to be so very funny.


Trusting that something win soon transpire
to assist your correspondent in giving his
letters less commonplace tone, permit me
to subscribe myself


Yours, truly, VANDYKE Brown


THE MINEs.-The severe storm which has
ragged for SO many days has compelled total