SACRAMENTO & PLACER INTELLIGENCE. [From the "Alta California's" Correspondents.]

New Zealander, Volume 6, Issue 446, 24 July 1850, Page 3

SACRA MENTO & PLACER INTELLIGENCE. [From the "Alta California's" Correspondents.]

SiCRAMr.Nro City, April 1", 185 i) — 'Ihu wutc-r in the baciamcnto River is i o\v very high, Hnd the fact can hardly be disguised lh.it an ovciflow it teiiously apprehended. Everything is being done to pievent such a citnstro|)he thai ill-- nagacily of our ci ize,n» ohu devise; and Mayor Liijelow is exerting himself to the uunosi ol his | ower m guarding the lets elevated portioui of the bunks of the river, and also of the atou^h on F itrcet. The water will have to use yet nevial inches to K«"t inl ° lllc Clt y « aml luc » lron g noitn win ' which prevailed yesterday and continues 10 day, tnny be considered u very favourable ctrcumstaiKO. 1A t die lint 21 liouri the rise has btcn haul y perceptible, mul possibly now the wat r mny be at Us highet-t point. — Tnere is mucli divernity of opinion as to the qiimiiiiy of snow yet remainmj; on the mountains. Sone nay tliu snow his moHtly LV,iporated, wliilu others ass 1 rl that there is much m ire remaining than is usual f.n tins seisin of tin* yiai. Judging from the sm.ill quantity visible on the higlips' p^-aks ot the mountuins, Irom this point, I ii in inclined to the opiuion that the snow U mo»tly now. It the water bh >uld j>ct into the ciiy, I think we Bhould be troubled with the intrusion but a few da>s, and tnen the uuisinca would be abuted for all time to come— lor it is the determination ot the cuizais ot ?>jcrHinciito tocomuiLnci* a leveeas sooa .is the water will admit of the uuderi.ikinij.

Sacramento City, Ai-ru, 15, 1850 — Yentorday (Sunday) a coloured mun wus taken tlnough J utieet, with a rope round Inn neck, to (he Imk Stuffoid, lying at the loot of N street, lie had lieeu suspected ot stealing about <82,00« worlli of g< Id dust, but not acknowledging the justness ot the accusation, notwith stiindtiu the evidences ot h<» guilt he was taken u short distance out of town and severely whipped before lie would own up 10 the iinpcaclnne.it. 1 understand that a rope was twice adjusted around his mck with tlic mt nt'on of s'ranglin; him \ but some oi the purty assembled o jerting to tins kUinuiu y way of punishing theft, lie wa< Hotied into the cty wiih u liHlter round Inn nrcU. 'I he barque Strafford vat piesent the receptacle <>* the criminals oi tlie city: there are now lour on board of her in chains — two of them (boy») uti'ler tin- sentence of the Cii<ii><al Court, of this district. Tlieie was a large crowd fillowing the colored prisoner, of wlnm I have been •peaking, >md after he wai delivered on board the vessel, M»yor Bigelow took occasion to make nbr et address to hone assen bled, in the tourne ot whicli I understood htm to say that tlic city uutliontiei have no nglit to work crirain.ls in the »trectb — tnat is, taking American law at a precedent. Thete remurka w< re made in consuiuencc of Judge Wilson placing the two boys committed of theft at the disposal ot the city, to form, us wus mppi sml, it porlii n ot a chain gang. According to the Mayoi's view ot the matter, some other mode will have to be deviled for punish ng culpiits. 1 suppose tome provision will be nude by (he Mayor and Council for ihn pioper dispo«nion ot criinin ib and the punishment of cmoe.— The new Recorder ot Uie city, U. F. Washington. Esq. (by the iray, one <>1 the clearest-headed men elecicl on tue Ist instain)» »i»» not entered upon the ilut os of his office yet, because the prorince of hid otfice is

not clearly defined by Lpunli'tivc ennrtment, and the City Council linn- not acted on the subject. Tlit 1 water at this tune (Monday, 10 o'clock, p, M.) lvii receded n litile. and f.<nrg of a tempoiarv overflow «r(* not so grent as they wue 11 few days since. There is nnich water, however, in Rome portions of the city. In 3rd, 4 h, imd sth streets, south of X, boats am naviijiitinp^ prop< lied by bo'li hiil mid oar. Nolwithutandin^ this, tlieie in no iibilcinent of business. Alt kinds of businehS is going fui Wild wiih the same energy aii'l peratvernncc as though the watei were not viaibln in any of our street*. The distinguished p'anist, Mr. He z cmre up in the Senntor on Sunday mornu.g, and will give lm firil coni oi t to-inoi low evening. J. G.

Sacramkvto City, ♦Sunday, April 21. — The watery invasion continues, The rise mid progress of the flood hus been, noted by inches within (lie pagt week; on the ocuision of the previous oveifl-w, tlioy rountcd iti rise nod mibii 'euro by supei filial feet. Tlie city is in a lamentab'e stnteof siege. One thousand waggons from the m.ning districts are outside thin place awaiting the fall of the water to enable them to procure supplier. Puck nnimnls ore horded on the plums beyond our city, anil accessions to th« impatien*, hungry host are constantly occurring Bnniness. i» tnach depressed, everything it at a stand -still, nr'n's minds ere occup ed with the gloomiest forebodings ; but the growing impression nppe rs tf» be llut tho waters have attained their greatest height Up to within a day or two since, the fl od has strengthened graduiilly — rUing during (he night usually between 3 and 4 inches, and abating neail) half as much by noon. The thaw of noon-day above always biings the waters up by midnight of the lumu day at this point on the river, to the fullest extent, and the cold nights on the mountains of course check tlin me ting" of snow, and lit noon w« have the w.iter ht its lowest stage. Notwitlut tiding the tried efficiency of Mayor Bigelow'a embankments, in preventing a generul overflow (for the water h>is been within about two feet of its greatest height during tho inundation in January) they have not averted the disastrous consequences of 11 >od, or the business ol the city. All the sloughs ate brimming full of witter, and alihouqh the foot-pnsaeiiger travel or the principal streets is kept by mentis ot ferrying facilities which, by the way. is d-monstra'ive of the i tiling 1 spirit of business stiife ; in the hour of gloom it is quite impossible to pass freighted waggons ,ilan£ our mundati d roads. The embankments extend up and down the strenn, ami along the line of the vast tlou h, milking in form the junction of the Saerimento and Aineric»n rivers. They averige about 14 indies in height, composed of brushwood filled in with clay. The encroachment ol the. water i» carefully lotked to, and a night-watch gaurd tlic weakest iiortions of the embankment. Tins is the ha'lowed day of rest thus sot apart in th« infiincy of the creation , and a morning of elemental disquietude, tempestuous wimlß, wialh-ftfaring clouds — tlie tlicnnoint ter at 48— has been succeeded by an evening of hurprisnig hm-lineis— calm, soothing, and ptrtakinsr of twilight serenity, such as would fi 1 the contemplative m<ud with tuhlime and holy inspiration. But Sunday iv Sacramento City, although unbrokou in its pervwding quiet by the clat'eriug hammer of the mechanic and the junng and rumbling' of wlicc's, may not be said to enj jy tlie disiinctio<i of a day of rest. The coraiinn mini is too occupied with painful thoughts filled with forebodings a'nl harraised by oppressive care, to tu<n to the reproachful calm and gentle I)t-Huly of nature. The wuters are slowly receding It is the d.iy which will probitlily decide the p ate of our city ; the cold witidn of b tew evenings pa»t h.ive probnbly lessen d the flow of the mountain streams to a cnn'iderable degree. We .ire hoping that the wnoirow will prove as luVournble to nn abdtemt-nt of the flood us ihiH day. E. C. K.

SACR\MnNro City, Apiui, 22,— -Thn rivpra .ibovn urc gradually falling, Hft«r hiving " played deluge" with several of the principal town. At this city thfl Hubsideoce U almost imperceptible at the timn I write. The <l*y « fine, cl udle^s, waim — thennomett'r 7<l (leg. in the shiul. . Business is a shade brisker. I send you the repoitof the City Purveyor on tlie practicability of constmcting al vee, the co*t, ten. This in an estimate of the quantities of embankment and leveu set forth. On line from 1 -street up to Sacramento and American rivers .. 31,252 On line from l*ntreet, south and ea»t f to high land ilf).'Jl2 Add for muck, ditotab, &c 10,000 Cubic yard* 1(51,000 The levee and embankments aie to b(j pluctfd at such n distance buck from the liver, that the aloping of the liver hunks will «ive the neoess.iy quantity ol eirih to cuaslriict thorn ;a id wlieie i lie embankments do not bonier vmm tliß river, the m.itoii'il will bo pr icured fiom widu drchc> to be dug on the outside. List evening n row ocnucd in the Humboldt Hou^e, which resul'ed in the severe wounding by knivebof two men, names not learned. IS. C X

Sphki us Gold Dusr — ihere U evciy rea*on to Mipposu tint arrangements me milking to practice upon thw community a stupendous fnud by throwing into cinilat on a larj;p .unouat of spurious metal, ntirl it is time that our merchants slwuld be upon thn loiik-out. We understand from unquestionable tiurhou y, tlmt a large umouut of metal, pin porting to bo mid bearing i ln« semljluiuie of gold du->t, was revetted in this port per steamer Calilornin, h.i vintc bb l ' pn "hipped from some of the M-moan ports on the Pacific const. Wo ill io learn that it bus been ascertained almost to * rertuinty that arrangements have b -en made for the shipment of >i constant supply of this spurious metal to thn port. Whet'ier it is to ho ui'd in coinage, dis. •em i inteil through " quickulvcr gold," or mixed with, other dust can only He conjectured. It behoves all parties who may be liUely to become the victims of fraudulent attempts to throw this trash ino circulation, to keep a sir ct wa'ch, mid we h >pc tbut the parties conrerned may be detecti d and brought to justice.— Alia California. Tub Diogings.— Gentlemen from v,vioui paits of the mining distt icts up north inform us that, although i here are many wh i h.vo otruck rich If.ids «nd done well, the greai body ot the opi'iatort havj been un.ihlo as yet to work to advantage, ■■wing to the high tt>i£c of the wator. The snow tt the mourn ama i.s rapidly ev,iporatin^, and through (his the tributaries of the .Sncrimentu are much swnolli'.n, making it impossible for miners to work on the unrein* of theie streams with mucli facility. A« soon us tne great boJyof the snow leaveijlhe mountains, and the ttreami gt't lower, much ground whi'h ii now covered with water can be worked over, and.v will b • foun^lue|richeit in the whole plucer. in the mean tim ', geutloriicn bound lor the mmci can find their w.iy •nt> the lectio 1 of country or locality in which 'hey intend to opeia c, ami although they will not finJ tlnir Inbour as profi able as it w 11 beiix weekt hence, yet they will be so situ ited »s to lake immed»»t« advanuge ot every favourable circuimiauci] in tuu ebjing ot the waier.— flavor Ttrnei,