Philadelphia, Feb. 19. (From the Morning Chronicle, March 7.)

New Zealander, Volume 5, Issue 319, 20 June 1849, Page 2

Philadelphia, Feb. 19. (From the Morning Chronicle, March 7.)

One of the grandest conception! and projects of the age, certainly the gieatestthat has ever been offered in the New World, has been introduced in the United Sta'es Senate by Mr. 'Jhomna H. Ben»on, the senator for M'tisouri, and his bill for the measure ha« been read twice, and referred to the Military Committee. Mr. Benton's bill propoies • national road from the state of MisHouri, at or near St. Louis, acrois the continent of North America,, to the bay of Sao Franckco, on the Pacific Ocein, wrtn a branch road ujMhe Sacramento and along the bale of the Sierra Nevada, to the tidewater of the Columbia river. Now this great highway is neither to be confined (o a railway or a macadamized road, but a noble track of a mile in breadih, within which may be embraced a railroad, a plank road, and an " old English road," so that all kinds of trav?Hin?, by steam, by cararan, or ai the case may be, shall henceforth and for ever ba free, across the Prairiei, the Rocky Mountains, aid the S^erca Nevada, mountain passes being now known that are entirely practicable, and easy of ascent and descent. According to the bill, this road will be guarded by military »tations, be fettered with no restraints, cicept in cases of contract with the Government to transport mails, munitions of war, &c, for limited times only ; otherwise free to all men of all nations. This grand scheme will no doubt be carried into effect, perhaps with some few modifications, either in the present or next »easion of Congress ; and that it may be accomplished with comparative ease, and even with an 'outlay by no means extravagant, will he readily seen, when it is remembered that the property in land (a few Indian claims to be allowed tor) along the entire line is now Tested in the United States. Mr. Benton's speech in support of the bill was a masteily display of eloquence, thought, and power — a calm review of the present, and a rational glance at the future. He commenced with a history of all suggestions of the kind (all, I am bound to say, on a very minor scale as compared with his own, even allowing for past ages), and traced them from Li Salle's project in 168', from Montreal to the Pacific, down to the present day— commented on such a road as the great instrument of populating Oregon and California—of making San Fiancisco the finest harbour in the world, a vast emporium of commerce — and on opening a new and commanding avenue to the commerce of India, China, and all Asia—" the European merchant as well as the American, will fly across our continent on. a straight line to China. The rich commerce of Asia will flow through our centre— and where has that commtrce ever flowed without carrying wealth and dorait nion with it?" He then traced Indian commerce through Tyre, Sidon, Baalbec, Palmyra, Alexandria

Genoa Venice, Lisbon, and Amsterdam; "andLon* don l what make« her the commercial mistresi of the world— what makes an island no larger than one of our first-class itatei the mistress of posseisions ia the four quarters of the globe—a match for half of Europe, and dominant in Asia? What make§ all this but the Aiiatic trade." Mr. Benton concluded hit address, which was listened to with profound attention, with the following language :—'« The state of the vrotld calls for a new road to India, and it is our destiny to give it the last and greatest. Let u« act up to the greatneis of the occasion, and shew ourselves worthy of the extraordinary circumstance! ia which we are placed by securing, while we can, an American road to India, central *nd national, for ourselves and our poiterity, now and hereafter, for thousands of yean to come." San Francisco. There had been twelve deaths within about a fortnight, owing to the sickness | roduced by the climate, by hard work, and a want of dv« precaution. Two murders are reported by Mr. Atherton. Prices of all the neccssa'iei of life were still enormously high— coati 100 dollari each, bocti 20 dollars a pair, blanket wrapper! 20 dollari. building loti, 100 feet square, in S»n Franeiico, 10,000 dollari each ! Large quantitie» of flour had bren received from Chi i and Oregon, and that article had fallen to 16 dollars per barrel. The following is extracted from a letter which appeared on Monday in tlie New York Expras. It i* fiom a mrmber of Colonel Stephcnson's regiment, and is dated San Fianctßco, Doc. 7 :—: — "I hare been at the diggings something like three months, and though I have 6cuped up enough of the dust to nuke me comfortable for life (if I can only get it »hipped to New Yuk), I would not go through the lame suffering and privation again for ten timei the quantity. There was, however, no alternative left but to go to the mines. Provisions, clothing, boaui house tent— everything, in fact, became all of a sudden bo exorbitantly high, that to stay in Sin Francisco was but to Bt,irve. " The whole amount of gold collected at the washing* since the excitement first bioke out is variously estimated— some put it down as high as 4,000,000 of dollars, but this I think is a little too high " Adventurers continued to arrive at San Francisco from ail parts of the world; and tevernl persons who wer-e reported 'o be laden down wilh gold, were anxious Co return to the United States, but could not very readily find a conveyance, at the sailois deseited the fihrpi immediately on their arrival in port.