Year: 1859

| The results of Horace Greeleys brief and
/ imperfect observations in California have
been awaited by many with degree of Gu
riosity highly complimentary to the eccen-
trio philosopher of the Tribune, and a peru
sal of his first letters from our State, re-
ceived by the last steamer, has gratiied this
curiosity quite satisfactorily. His general
descriptions appear to US to be very accu-
rate; indeed, his great forte as correspon-
dent is graphic description of what his own
eyes can take in understandingly without
verbal aid from less careful lockers The
topography and physical characteristics of
such portions of the State as he had visited
are truthfully sketched, with much precision
of terms and occasional felicity of express
sion. His views are eminently practical,
accompanied by suggestions which are some
times wise and occasionally otherwise. In
descending to details, especially with refer
ence to the mines, he falls into errors and
absurdities of statement which were to have
been expected and which he apologies for
in advance, so let US not be critical With
such capacity for sharply seeing and faith
fully reporting as he exhibits, it is to be re-
GREETED he could not have remained long
enough with us to have gained such full in
formation as would have made his letters
fully accurate and reliable. Imperfect as
| fhpv hou fbo
honest and sensible ever written from the
State for eastern publication. Their very
errors cannot mislead any person to our de-
triment.


| What he says about hydraulic mining at
North San Juan is the most inaccurate as to
details and statistics of anything we have
read frem his pen and yet to strangers it
will convey a tolerably correct idea of that
process of mining. For the entertainment
of our readers we extract his remarks on the
subject at length:


"At North San Juan, near the middle fork
o. the Yuba, streams at least three inches in
diameter, and probably containing twenty
measured inches of water, are directed
against the remaining half of high hill,
which they strike with such force that
boulders of the size of cannon-balls are
started from their beds and hurled five to ten
feet into the air. BY this process, one man
will wash away bank of earth like hay
stack sooner than a hundred men conld do
it by old-fashioned sluicing. believe earth
yielding bare cents worth of gold to the
pan may be profitably washed by this pro-
cess, paying reasonable price for the wa
| ter. AS much as SlC0 per day is profitably
paid for the water thrown through one pipe
The stream thus thrown will knock a man
as lifeless as though it were grape shot.
AS the bank, over hundred feet high, is
undermined by this battery, it frequently
caves from the top downward, reaching and
burying the careless operator. Three men
have been thus killed at San Juan within
the last month, until at length greater eau
ton is exercised, and the operator stands
| twice as far away as he formerly did. Very
long sluices-as long as may be-conduct
the discharged water away and | am told
that it it is no matter how thick with earth
the water may run, provided the sluice be
long enough. 1t is of course so arranged
as to present rifles, crevces, &C., to arrest
the gold at first borne along by the turbid
| food. l believe there are companies oper-
ating by this method whose gross receipts
| from a single sluice have reached a thou
sand dollars per day"