SANJOAQUIN AND PLACER INTELLIGENCE. [From the " Alta California," May 21.]

New Zealander, Volume 6, Issue 451, 21 August 1850, Page 3

SANJOAQUIN AND PLACER INTELLIGENCE. [From the " Alta California," May 21.]

7'hc Land of Flown s — The JJigyings on the Tuolumne — Now Digging!) at Columbia— Li/e *» Sanota— Mining and Undermining— Exciting Reports from So nor a. Stock ion, May 22, 1850. Messrs. Editors — Tho descriptions winch I linil read, before leaving the States of the mildness nud salubrity of the California climate, and thu riclmchs of our botany and flora, have ut length been realized. Last fall the appearance of the country, butweeu this place and the mines, was anything but pleasing. The lulls ami plains which were then perfectly barren and arid, are now covered with a luxuriant growth of glass and wild outs, over which is gcattcicd a profusion of ilowem, unrivalled for bounty, variety and bnlliuucy, by those ol the richest of our parterres tit home, i The first diggings which I vUitcd, on my recent trip, were those between Hawkins and Indian Liars, on the Tuolumne. Gcncially speaking, but littlo in the way of digging gold has been accomplished kinee luit fall, along the banks ol this river. The gold lifH under walei , iv the bed ot the river, and thoso who have been enabled to make a living, during the winter, have considcied themselves well oil. Companion have !>een organist d along the whole i-xicnt of lliu river, and at every available point it will be dammed and turned, I for the purpose ot getting out the gold which is known to iio in the bed. The work of cutting canals and races liuh been gome; on for the last six months. Imiiientc ditches huve been dug, and extensive beds of rock have ' been blasted away, during the winter. An immense number of men may find employment, at good wiiges, on this, whf ii the wutcr (uIK, m August. Those who hire nt $8 or >!> 10 per day, will piobably do butter in the end than it they worlml on Lluir own account, ai the best places are ull claimed, and the livei bottom being rich, they will m nwtiy cuscs, be enaliled to hecure, good locations lor the following Bcabona. The next diggings I viaiicd vveic tuoau of Woode'j

Jtuni'Ntown, Sonor.l, Su!li\.in\ and Cm Us. Wmcklh and Jamestown were paitiallv elf verted , on account of new diggings found at a place now culled Columbia, three miles from lliu (own of Sonor.i. Thither both traders and diggers liud pone in large, numbeis, from the surrounding settlements. At tho last accounts, there were two thousand pcrsunH .'it Columbia. Several lurgc frame houses hail been elected, and {own bis wi'ie Rolling at good prices. Sonoia i« nearly an lai«« a Stockton, and fur ahciul of it for yold, gala, imiMC, Rambling, (iprecin^, &o. It's, a f.^l pl.ic; and no mistake. Every Sunday then) is either a limse race 01 a hull bait, and nny number of fight h and roa.s. f-'m-h :i motley collection of Mexicans, Chiluns, frenchmen. Chinese, Jewa, Jonathans, I'addus, and Sawnie.R, ) huve never sei'n together before in C ilifornia. Then; are some good houses and heavy liadingmlabliuhmoiita in Sonora. It is in the cenlio of an extensive minim; region — a winter depot foi provisions— a place ol recreation for the people of Urn "mi rounding settlements, and the head quarters of the Mexicans liom the piovincc of Sonoru. Hero t lie Mexicans and Chilians, who had been driven fuim olhei* settlement!?, huvu i»l~ ways worked unmolested. Sonoi.t is detained to he the next town of impoifunoe, in tho Kan Jonquin valley • In every point of t lie eompasa, for ,i distance of twenty to thiity milrs, from S mora {{old ia found in the gulches 1 , which abound in this hilly i onion. Within the last two months discovene.'i of noli placis have been made in the plains, and oven on the hill siiles. At Columbia sonic, ot the liehtst hole 5 me twenty , thiiiy, and even fifty feel deep. I have luiud a tunny mining story, which I must relate here. A Moxuan had dug a hole which umk (onsidercii ii<:h. An A men can worked hard for several dayH, in sinking a hole .1 few ynrd« distant. When hu hid got down nbout thirty feet, he came to the Mexican, who was stretched at full length at the bottom, with a cmullu 111 one hand and n pick in the other ! lie had been undermined. The Mexican had got alicud ot him, ami picked onl ail the big lumps. This ipecicß ot uui rowing, is called uiijotaing, I must now inform you that nt thin moment there ii: quite an excitement heie. in conbcquctiee of repot lh received lust evening irom Souoia. 1 will give you the, news in a relmb c lonn. A number of foiei^nei.s, at Sonora, having refused to roinjdy with the reqiusilions of the '' Act for the {government of foreign niiners," a time was fixed upon by tlio Collector or" I^ieeiißO to summon a posse ol American citi/cus to prevent them, forcibly if neccbSiiry, from ct'iitinuing mining operations. The timu fixed upon, 1 bolieve, was lout Monday. On Sunday there was quite an excitement; among the foreigners. Guns and ammunition wore purchased by them at one of the stores, and they paraded the streets armed and uainj; tlucutcnitig lun»inu' ( e. The Bale of fne- arms was ptohihitc 1 by the uuth irilies, and couriers weic dispatched to the suuounding >ettlements for reinforce'vientH ol Americans. In tho evening, the Sheriff, Mr. Work, was accosted by a Mexican who asked him if lie was not an ofl'iccr, or th.; officer who intended to enforce the payment of the license. On replying that he was, the Mexican made an attempt to stub him, when a person fltiinding by, named Chirk, with a single stioke of a bow'n; knife, nearly seve.ied bin hcud from his body. Thiity urmed Americans soon arrived from Maunon Gulch, and the whole American population were on the alert all night. At lust accounts there weie two or three hundred Americans at Sonora, under aims, and others wero houily arriving. On Monday the excuinent hud somewhat abated, llumliwls of the Me.vicimn mid CluliatiH were packing up and having for Stockton. Many of thorn disclaimed hnvnig had any intention of rcß<niii>|> to arms, and all were evidently more or lens frightened nt the aspect oi «il'.urs. It. appears. Unit thu Mexicins who took part in the disturbance, weie led on by some hot-headed Frenchmen, lately arrived from Fiance, of the Red Republican oidfr. They found, howevci, that the majority of the Spaninrdu wcio not disposed to join them, nnd it is supposed that tho whole aflau will blow over, without any very serious consequences. The afFiiir will probably be u severe blow to busiuutu, for the present, in Sonora. R. W.