CALIFORNIA.

Lyttelton Times, Volume III, Issue 139, 3 September 1853, Page 5

CALIFORNIA.

We select the following items of intelligence from our tile of Californian papers.

A Californian Academy of Natural Sciences was constituted, and held a meeting on the 12th April. The principal object of the Society is to spread a knowledge of the natural history and resources of California.

Rich and extensive diggings have been struck within five miles of Weaverville, near the source of the Sacramento river, which were creating great excitement, and hundreds of miners from the region surrounding, were-flocking thither to stake off claims. There is mention of several other new diggings..

Every succeeding Sabbath brings with it the assurance of rapid change that public opinion is creating in the observance of that day. But a few months since, and there was scarcely a shop but what was kept open, and now, scarcely one open shop is to be found on Sunday. There is also a quiet order and decorum now observable, very different from the old order of things, and particularly gratifying to the lovers of peace and order. The " Placer Times" describes a floating church at San Francisco:—" The interior of the floating church which lies moored to Davisstreet, is undergoing a thorough renovation. The hulk of the vessel is used for storage purposes, while the church structure rears itself above. It would hardly do to have a bell in the belfry, lest during the prevalence of a heavy sea, the solemn warner might ring out a mournful peal in unison with the rocking of the craft. New pews, a gallery, handsome pulpit, &c, are in process of erection ; fresco painters are at wok on the walls, and on the whole, when finished, the church, so far as its interior is concerned, will be one of the neatest in the city."

In an account of the route across Nicaragua by the lake, a correspondent of the San Francisco Herald' vrritegi^^^he—scenery-t)n~the-river is 1 beautiful beyond description ; but though the eye of the traveller is delighted with the magnificence of primitive nature before him,

the mind turns to the degenerate condition of the people inhabiting this country, who, after four centuries of occupation, have scarcely done anything towards civilizing their population, and improving the soil on which they live. Grey town, the Atlantic terminus of this route, is a small settlement, with a commodious harbour, where the wind blows and the rain falls, according to the saying of the inhabitants, 360 days out of the year. Its population does not number over a few hundred, composed of native Mosquito Indians, and foreigners ; of which latter, nearly all are Americans. It is a sort of * sovereign city,' governed by a Municipal council, legislative and executive, who acknowledge no superior authority to their own. They have a Marshal and one policeman, who watch over the peace of the town, and collect dues from the canoes arriving from the interior —added to which there are a few muskets and a couple of cannon in the station-house—but no soldiers. Gambling is prohibited, and vagrants are shipped to Ohagres or some other congenial spot. The British protectorate exists now only in name —the whole management of the town being vested in its present local authorities.

The San Francisco Transcript says," Among the novelties of the day we notice the formation of a Japan and California Trading Company in this city. If there ever was a doubt touching the fastness of the universal Yankee nation, this sets the matter at rest. The time is calculated when the American squadron should reach the coast of Japan, an estimate is made of the length of passage between California and the Sealed Empire, and forthwith three of our clipper ships and a barque are put up for Jeddo. The crafts are to sail about the first of June, and San Francisco has no kind of idea of allowing any other port to run off with the first-fruits to be reaped from the lucrative trade which it is supposed will promptly spring up between Japan and the world.