SAN FRANCISCO MAIL NEWS.

Grey River Argus, Volume XVI, Issue 2149, 29 June 1875, Page 2

SAN FRANCISCO MAIL NEWS.

[COEEESPOin)BNT .OF SOUTHBEN; CROSS.] /L; The rapidity with which the State of California is ; growing v may be judged by the number of emigrants, that are daily, arriving.' • ThY einigratiotf that is', novr , setting; ict from the East is beyond all;.. previous 1 ' experience. Scarcely a day passes but one or more ponderous train* of the U.nipE| 'Pacific . ■ Railway; J arrive freighted with men, wpmen, and children, who have decided to make their homes in the Far West. It- is computed v that 150,000 emigrants will arrive in California during the present year j a large proportion of t whom will settle in San Franciscol The-nVere mention .of auch figures conveys no adequate idea ! ;of their real, significance. To convey the same number of emigrants to New Zealand would require five hundred and forty ships, or three every two jdaya !YaU lthe ; year found, supposing each to carry. 330 passengers. Yet this enormous number, which is exclusive of Chinese immigrants, has not flooded the labor market,' or disturbed in any way the economic condition of the state. The emigrants as they arrive are in most cases drafted directly to their destinations, or if they have not fixed on any locality, are offered opportunities of getting work in the city. Most of the;. emigrants are 'posaewed of • some - V capital s of . their .own, .and in no sense of the word can I they be 'callecP paupers. Among almost. . every > European . Nationality s is; represented, v from s them hardy, iNqrieman, to the ; . a rartby,ihahd- ; some, music-loving, indolent inhabitant of ■-:■■ Southernltaly,crfrom the hirsute Russian of the Ural mountains, to the lively French- ' man, r only a "few weeks from s his beloved ■'. ■ ; Paris; Of course > amdngtheenu^antathere : - are; a large number of Americana, jeithjbjff native, born, Jo" the" soil, or naturalised. ,\. These 'nden'liave 'found the older atates P soniewhat crowded, and are anxious to ~ secure themselves , homes, before, . all -the best lands' in the' Western States hiave been absorbed. This is even now to some extent becoming the case in California, and bold men are already emigrating with flocks and herds to the unsettled and faroff jlands of Arizona and New Mexico. But however good a field, speaking generally, California'^may > be for the working^ v man, it is no place for the loafer. The struggle for existence is oharp enough, and idle or incapable^ men quickly come to grief. Only last weekanew^-wrived

emigrant was found in a starving condition on a door step, while the employment offices are surrounded by crowds of. eager men apparently. anxious to procurfe t ork. Employers, ■ however, ta\r a different tale. They complain, that/ many of the newcomers will not B§fctte"cfown to honest hard work, bu^refer loaf Lug in liquor saloons, an/fhane[ing about the large towns i^the hope of picking up Btrayjobß^Sofarasl can learn the demaiiajggr i i rea i jive men »j s great as »«*^ver7 The truth is, that no man who really means to work need be long without it, and that, too, at higher wages than he could obtain in New Zealand. .There are ■ plenty of advertisements for able-bodied men at from 10s to .153 a day ; while for skilled tradesmen considerably higher rates prevail. ■ ' ■ THE OPHIk MINE Has been the theme of men and journalists for the last two weeks. The mine is one of those situated at the famous Bonanza reef or lode. So copious was the yield, so rich the ore, that its discoverers not inaptly named it after that mysterious land whence King Solomon procured his precious metals. To the fortunate shareholders the mine was considered a permanent source of wealth. Shares, by a series of rapid leaps, rose in a few days to forty time's their original value. Vast fortunes were realised in a few weeks, and it seemed as if the old days of El Dorado were about to return. . After a while, indeed, the shares fell some fifty per cent, but still paid handsomely as an investment. Within the last ten days all this has been changed with woeful rapidity. Every day has witnessed a decline of two or. three pounds per share, until the sixty-pound snares are now not worth seven, pounds. To make matters worse, the directors have determined to make a call, and, strangely 'enough, have fixed on a time of panic, as at the present, in which to make their intention public. After all, it would seem that there is no real cause, as regards the actual condition of the mine, for this depression. There can unfortunately be little doubt that it is owing to the operations of a "ring,". a word of great significance in : all political or business circles in America, . The sharemarket, in a word, has been "beared" to enrich a few unscrupulous men at the expense of the, general body\of shareholders. Happily, the Press in the United States is not corrupt. ■ The San Francisco journals have been outspoken on the subject of their Ophir mine. The Chronicle, especially, in a fearless and powerfully written- article, has published names, and gives dates and figures, which there is" no gainsaying. Some of the greatest speculators, and wealthiest bankers of the city, are to be found on the Board of Mining Directors, and comparing one series of facts which have come to light with another, j the conclusion is irresistible that a few wealthy and respected citizens have endeavored, not unsuccessfully, to enrich themselves at the expense of the general community. In many parts of the world, such a bold couse as the San Francisco Chronicle has taken might prove disastrous to a journal from a financial point of view ; but such is not the case here. The threat of an action for libel falls Jharmfessly pn the editorial, ear.., That furctionaiy is well aware that juries, willpgive a verdict for the-plaintiff only in very, extreme cases, if . at. all. One : journal in this city has lately sustained five actions, in. each of which it- was successful. The Press, indeed, in San Francisco is practically unfettered, and it is well for the general community that such, is the case. THE PALACE HOTEL, now in course of construction is nearly finished. This enormous building is the largestldf its icind in the world! Like the BigTirees and the Ypsemite Valley, the Palace Hotel will soon be reckoned among, the wonders of California. It will be jteeong-iojels what the. Great Eastern is among vesselßr^with-^his^difference, however/ that whereas the^Great Eastern proved an unsuccessful speculaCibir, ihe Palace^ Hotel .willprobibly yield. hand- s some 0 dividends. It will contain eight hundred rooms ; and accommodate over ; a thousand visitors; Everything in it will be on the largest and most complete scale. The ; building is seven storeys high, v and put* together in the strongest, manner. - Huge pillars, beams, knees and girders of iron, .alternating wjth." solid.' courses of masonry, and.. heavy timber combine .-.'the, greatest amount of strength with the least lobb of space. . Each, corridor is supplied withran ample'supply of water, that can be turned out at, ; a moment's notice. Thermometers placed at ; stated; intervals along each passage-will give the watchmen, who I keep their -watches day and night, timely notice of any rise in temperature. The roof of the hotel is flat, and will be laid out as a fashionable promenade, to which accesß can be ' gained without fatigue by means of a steam lift. Each corridor will be provided , with a letter-receiver connected pneumatically with the main postthe building. The basement will bell&svoted. 'to the!yaridua trades or businesßeß"V^|pb will flourish on the patronage of the grKXts, who in number will exceed the population otmany/up-country towns. Without leaving his table 3 man will be able /to despatch or receive his letters, coptounicate telegraphically; .with Europe consult his lawyer, doctor, or . /Btockbrokeri-procure a passport to foreign countries, provide himself with a suit of clothes, or the latest three volume novel. The .cost of this- gigantic hotel, with the Aground , it stands on, is .estimated, at I@QQ.OO6. A halfrfihare of the building aloner wasjiold last week for L 36,000, the largest single transactionm. real property that has ever taken place in San Fran-' cweo. ■ .-„,,, 'pv.-.vy.-.:, -.Av^v' .-... . C :