CALIFORNIA. (From the Polynesian's Correspondent.)

New Zealander, Volume 4, Issue 279, 31 January 1849, Page 2

CALIFORNIA. (From the Polynesian's Correspondent.)

Bernicia City, August 16, 1648. The discovery of the gold mines in this region has given a new interest to California, and I have no doubt that any information in relation to it would be read with much intereit by your patrons. You will hare heard, before tint time, the manner of its discovery and the time. I will therefore only speak of the progress of the work, and the probable effect it will have on California and other countries. As to the extent of the mines, there seems to be bat one opinion, and that ii, that the amount of gold will not be materially diminished, in the present generation, from the fact tb»t the gold region corers a. v»sfc extent of country, and so far as examined, is bo uniTersal, that almost the entire country must be dug up before the precious metal will be exhausted. The people of California, now look upon thii region, as a

bank upon which they have only to present a check, to draw what amount they wiih, the aequiiiiion ii bo 11 There are now, say three thousand persons at work, many of them gathering from four to eight ounces a day, yet even allowing that the general average is not more than one ounce, this gives three thousand ounces a day, 48,000 dollars, which would he 1,248,000 dollan a month. This ii a tremendous amount of the precious metal to be picked up by three thousand persons in one month. It is hard for a stranger to believe this, hat I have made the eKtimate from the amount which I have seen in posseision of the miners on their return to their farms, and from the statements of those who are at work. I shall not, however, complain of your readers, if they serve me as I did others, tvhen the mines were first opened— believe only half of my statement. Allowing even one half to be. true, jt will give to California invaluable resources, and must turn an immense tide of emigration in this direction, and open a field for commerce, not inferior to any port in the Pacific. The Bay of San Fransisco, instead of being occupied by one or two " hide drogers," and a few launches, as I heretofore, will soon have a commerce suited to the wants of many thousands, with a great abundance of cold to pay with, instead of hides and tallow. In addition to the flood of white population which will be attracted here by the wonderful riches of its mines there are about fifteen thousand Indians who live in and near the gold region, who have heretofore not consumed to the amount of fifty doll.rs a year, who are now used in the mines, and as fast as they can be induced to gather the duit, will become the most extravagant ami profitable c .nsumers of poods and provisions; so that we may safely estimate the increase of consumers at about 200 per cent, Four month! ago we had a white population of about en thousand • now about ten thou«aud Indians, and the emigration from all quarters for the present year cannot fall short of ten thousand more. While the original ten thousand had the means of paying at the rate of twenty dollars a Lead, which was about the amount of goods sold, (200,0 0), the present tlur.y thousand will be able to pay an average of near three hundred dollars, which will make a total of thirty millions a year I have no idea that such an amount of goods will be <o'd, hut the means of paying will exist to that extent, wiring alone from the mines. The export of hides wilt probably diminish, only by neglect and waste which must happen, for no man will stop to take care of a hide for one dollar, when he can gather six times this amount of gold in the same lenuth of time. Little can be done in agriculture, while labour »so amply rewarded at the mines ; but it is to be hoped that many persons, after having gathered laree sums of gold, will purchase lands ..nd return to farms, to enjoy that comfort, ease, and luxury, which the farmer may acquire here, with so little labour. The next important question is, at what point will the trade be concentrated. Certainly in the Bay of San Francisco. The town of San Francisco, situated at the mouth of the Bay, has a good harbour, a num. her of commodious warehouses and stoiehouses, and at present hII the merchants reside there, it being the onh town on the Bay of any size. It is situated on the'peninsula at the mouth of the Bay. To reach the mining district by land, you must compass the Bay of Santa Cla'a, one hundred and ten miles to the Straits of Carguiney, and then across the Buy, and travel about one hundred miles up the north side. By water you cross the Bays of Sau Kajlmel and San Pubic a distu.ee of thirty-five miles, to the S. raits of Unguinay, where you enter the huigun Bay and the baciamento River. _ .... The next point, which is now attracting attention, is Bcmcan City, situated at the Straits of Cangmnry.— This place was laid out la»t summer, and has now only fifteen bouses. It is the head ot ship navigation, with an anchorage and harbour equal in point of convenience and hafety to any in the world, and a wide and straight channel of five fathoms water, to the Pacific. There is a narrow channel above the city, where .small boats are well protected by a tiu.i.l«r of Wands which b ff ro h shelter. This is the point at which the lea-goiPg vessel ami the river era tcaneufhange ea goes, with the least expanse and ihe greatest safety. It is on y two days' ride from this place to the mining district, wit i an excellent road (or waggons or horses. The town is located on an inclined plane, about one mile wi< c, backed by low hills and valleys, with a bold shoie. very convenient for the construction of wharves and warshouses. The climate is equal to any part of California, -bein°- sufficiently distant trom the Pacific to be out of the reach of the cold wind and fogs, and yet sufficiently within the re eh of the sea breeze* to make it pleasant. The propiietors of the tow.., with an eye to the encourasrement of general education, have given the entire receipts of the ferrj, which has paid about fifteen hundred dollars a nwntn, to the school fund. From the fact that there is no other point at which the Buy and rivers can be crossed in safety for near 180 miles, this must continue to be ihe crossing place. F.om the fact that trade always bee Us to get as near the market a« po^ble, with all the natural advantages which Beinicia possesses, there can be no doubt that th* entire trade of California will be done here in a ▼cry short time. It must, of necessity, become the grfat commercial emporium of the Pacific, and in all probability the seat of government. The advance of California i» destined to be more rapid than any other country oh earth, and I have no doubt that many who are fortunate enough to reach bere within the present year, will arrive at a poiut of wealth and honour far beyond their most sanguine expectations.

San Francisco, August 24, 1848. The sailing of the S. S. for your sunny slioies presents an opportunity of forwarding to you the news of the " onwa<d and upward" tmrch of your California neighbours, of which I most cheerfully avml myself. The reception ot the news of the ratification of the treaty of peace between the United Slates and Mexico, appears to have given most unbounded satisfaction to all classes— botU foreigners and Califoraiaas-and the demonstrations of patriotism be,, t anything of the kind ever witnessed at the iilands on the Fourth of July, or on anY other occasion. Great quantities of liquor were consumed-guupowder burned-bunting dwplayedand in the evening such an illumin«tion as has consumed all the sperm candles in town, and created such a scarcity ot tallow, as to cause a general rise on the ; m aterißl.-Black eyes and bloody «o,es w«re occa Anally visible, and all the other nccompaniments necessary to make the rejoicings complete. But the "sober second thought" has put a new aspect upon affata f and rapid strides of advance hare begun to deoelop themie yes. Notwithstanding the extraordinary S wageV of mechanics, several building, are id course of erection, and other improvements are vi.ible \n every direc.ion. A splend.d hotel, the property ot R A. Parker, will soon be completed, and opened upon « most magnificat scale. It will probably be second to none thu ride of C*pe Horn. California Your Government must open its eyes, or California w.ll soon Iftre you so far in the background as to forget

importance, that your resources should so long remain undeveloped, and capital ihould have to be invested in more congenial soil. Every arrival from the islands brings with it numhers of your resident!, mechanic!, and labouring men, who are eagerly sought after the moment they land. Hundreds of others, if here, might soon be on the high road to fortune. There are do poor men in California. Once at the gold mine 9, and the most indolent can easily procure his ounce or two per diem, and hundreds daily obtain two or three times that amount, to say nothing of those who have p eked for days together from two to four hundred dollars. With mch nccuoo illations of the precious metals, California must make the most rapid strides in wealth and importance. She will soon lake a stand beside her sitter states, worthy the indefatigable enterprise of her citizsus, aad her unbounded resources. Gold is by no means the only valuable mineral production of California. Quicksilver, silver, copper, lead, coal, and in truth almost everything that will ennch a nation, are found in a profusion absolutely astonishing- and not to be appioached in any other part of the earth. Her agricultural resources are abundant, and nowhere can the husbandman more surely calculate on a rich reward for his toil and iudustiy. To hold that position which Nature itself so justly entitles you, I again lay, the germs of wealth, now lying dormant in your uncultivated lands, must be developed If your Government longer neglects the interests of agriculture, you will find what little capital you hare seeking other channels for investment, and many of your mdustiious citizens seeking in California a home where the rewards of labour are more certain. There is no difficulty in procuring lands here — none of the painful delay* which stamp your Government's proceedings.* 1 am frequently aiked if there is any land for sale in Hawaii. It you have any lands for sile, why, I ask, are they not advertised ?

Monterey, August 28, 1848. Gold has been found on the greater part of the rivers (and tributary streams running into them) which empty themselves into the San Francisco and Sacramenta, from lai. 23' north, and lon. 121 west, to lat. 40.15" north, and lon. 122 weat, particularly on the Mokelamy and Consume Rivers, the Arrogo de las Uvas, the American Fork, theJuba Creek, the Feather River, and the Bukes and Deer creeks; and m the greatest abundance an the north and south folks of the American Fork and on the Consumne River. It is found gent rally on the borders of said nveis and creeks, and in the beds of the numerous little streams which flow into them, and which are perfectly dry in summer. There cannot be less tha ■ four thousand persons employed at piesent in digging and washing gold, and I think you miy safely cakulate that the average daily produce of each person will not fall short of one ounce. This may appear to you enormous, but there is no doubt that many have taken ont from three to six ounces a day each, and in general when peop'e do not get more than one ouuce a diy they becsme dissatisfied, and shift their " diggings" to look for a better place. On account of the scarcity of vvat r at this seusou in what are called the " dry diggings, ' they are obliged to cairy the earth ou mules, horses, or in carts, to a distance ot lome two or three miles, by which o great deal of time is lost, yet nevertheless as tlnse " iiry divings" are much richer than those on the bnnks of the large rivers, they find it to their interest to do bo, rather than remain where watu 1 is not handy. . Piovisions ate not scarce, but they are excessively hign. Cattl can be purcuased at about 2t dolhrs a bund, pnd flour is woith from thirty dollais to 40 dollars a band,— th>it is, you must understand, where the people are at work. Labourers cunuot be obtained in the settlements at any price, for all prefer digging gold to woikiusj at their tra les.

The Auckland Island-..— ln the report* of the reply of Mr. Hawes, on Monday evening t ■ »n inquiry respecting a communication from Mr. Enderby to Earl G ey, on the subject of Vancouver's Island, iv connection with the Southern Whale Fisheries, a lea»« of tne Falkland Islands is slated to have been granted to Mr. Endeiby,for the purpose cf enabling him to carry out his project for re-establishing those fisheries j whereas it is the Auckland Island*, situated in lati.ude 51- south, and longitude 166- east, of which he has übiained a lease from the Government. We under, stand the purport ol Mr. Enderby's communication to Earl Grey to have been— that iv order to insure the colonization of Vancouver's Island, and at the same time to facilitate the realization (hithrrto alone prevented by the disturbed state of monetary and commercial affairs) ot his views in regard to the hshery, some common plan of action should be concerted between him and the Hudson's Bay Company, and that Vancouver's Island should be made a subsidiary or branch station to that the Auckland (the South and not the North Pacific being, for various reaiom, which will be obvioui, the proper seat for the chief establishment), at which whaling vessels from the latter, whilit fisliing in the Norcli Pacific, might at all times be able to refresh and refit. An advantage would thus be conferred on Vancouver's Island similar to that which the Sandwich Island* now derive from the visits of the numerous fleet of American wh«lers, winch make tbem their place of rendezvous, and to which it is entiiely owing that they have sprung into consideration and importance.-- Morning Paper.