THE GOLDEN DREAM. (From the "Spectator," April 6th )

New Zealander, Volume 6, Issue 458, 4 September 1850, Page 3

THE GOLDEN DREAM. (From the "Spectator," Apri l 6th )

This is essentially the age of iron. Iron roads, iron houses, iron churches, iron boats, are the stem, in« flexable feature of the times in which we live. Yet there are those who still dream of a golden age, and fancy it is about to be realized in California. The Sacramento seems to them a river of gold, that will abundantly supply the world by its never ceasing flow Science, however, that sad destroyer of pleasing fancies* will not let such golden dreams abide; but, personified by Sir Roderick Murchiaon, steps forward 10 despel the illusion. Sir Roderick, bringing tlie facts of geology and practical experience to bear on the dii. tribution of gold on the earth, has arrived at the,c°nclusion, that by far the greatest part of the gold within the reach of man it is to be found in the gravel and sand which cover the surface, and have resulted fiom grinding down the tops Of former mountains. Thii opinion was recently enforced and illustrated by Sir Roderick in a lecture at the Royal Institution; wherein the mineral structure of the Sierra Nuvada of California was shown closely to resemble that of the auriferous locks of Siberia and other parts of the globe. The general geological characteristics being the same, the inference is, that the metalliferous products will be similar, and of nearly tbe like amount. Deep mining for gold kas ever been a fruitless adventure, however promising the appearunca at the beginning ; and such, there i§ good leason to believe, would be the result in Callifornia if it were attempted. The law laid down by Sir Roderick Muichison is, that gold in situ, or solid rock, dwindles away down to zero; and unless the geological backbone of California form an exception to the oilier great veitebral columns of the

American continent, and to all auriferous rocks in the Old World, (he new diggings must have their limit when the trough of locally rich debris of former rocks isjexhausted. Gold seems to be only ipread on the surface, as if it had been erupted from some deeply-seated lake of the molten metal, and thence sprinkled by.Pluto over the earth to Inre men to his domains. The opinion of the limited store of California gold so confidently advanced by Sir Roderick Murchison, and founded on broadly-diffused and well-ascertained physical data, is confirmed by a communicatioii subsequently received from an old miner who is Resident at the diggings, and who arrives at the same conclusion from practical experience. His viewi of the state and prospect of California are thui set forth :«r In 1848 the population consisted of about 15,000 souls at the mimes : the average profits about ten dollars per day— 3oo working days.... 45 millions, 1849. Population about 40,000; whose earnings will average five dollars per day, at 300 working days.. . . 60 millions. 1850. Population probably about 60,000 earning about four dollars per day 72 millions, 1851. Population probably about 100,000 ' souls; earnings probably averaging two dollars per day. ........ 60 millions. 1852. Population propably reduced to 50,000 souls; earning two dollars per day. 30 millions. 1853. There will probably be stiaggling parties worked at the mines already working before, noc earning more than two dollars per day; the whole population being probably reduced to 30,000 souls. 18 millions. Lastly.— The diggings will be exaustcd by degrees, and fall into the same condition as the South American mines; although for eight years' longer at least they will yield annually about six millioni of doU lars. , , According to this aspect of the state and prospects of California, the supply will be exhausted even looner than Sir Roderick Murchison seems to anticipate; But whilst thousands are rushing to the banks of the Sacramento to exhaust the gold and die, another source of the precious metal promises to he opened in one of our colonies. Six years ago Sir Roderick Murchison predicted, form the gelogical characteriiticts of Australia, that gold would be found in certain portions of that great continent. This prediction has now been realized ; and specimens of the golden produce, mixed. with the some qnortzose detritus which accompanies the metal in other auriferous districts, have been recently received in this country. [Sir Roderick Murchiion not only predicted the di9aovery of gold in Australia, but urged the colonicl minister to allow legal facilities for rendering the discovery beneficial. This appears to have been at last conceded : the Government, we are imformed, having agreed to give up the royalty on the preoious ores.] A good practical geologist, writing from Sydney, October last, uses these remarkable words :— This colony (New South Wales) is becoming a mining country, as well as South Australia. Copper, Lead, and Gold, are considerable abundance in the schists and quartzites of the Cordillera. ( Blue Mountains, &c ) Vast numbers of the population are dailygoing to California; " but some day, I think, we shall have to recall them.' 1 Thus, gelogical science has gained another triumph. The character and succession of the rocks which 'constituted the crust of the globe having been well estab« lished, when the specimen is seen, the associated rocks and their metalliferous contents may be predicted with tolerable certainty ; even the mere description of the geological features of Australia by Court Stizeleble was sufficient for Sir Roderick Murchison to fuuud the opinion of tha presence of gold,_which has been confirmer). The law which Sir Roderick endeavours to establish as to the distribution of gold, does not apply to the other ' precious metal. According to his views, the silver vein is a milch-cow that will stand tugging at for countless years, whilst gold is superficial aud can only be detected in hitherto untrodden countries. This opnion, founded Jon induction from known geological data, seems to have been entertained so far back as the days of the patriarch Job—" There is a vein for the silver, the earth hath dust of gold." Verily there is nothing new under the sun. Though the pleasing dreams of a reluming golden age are dispelled by the light of geological science, it at the same time dissipates the nightmare dread of nervous annuitants, threatened to be ruined by the expected golded shower. They need not be alaimed. Let California give up her diggings ; let the yet untouched stores of Australia be brought to light; gold — the British standard of value— will ttill be gold.

The Late Lord Jeffrey. —The young Scottish student was by no means piepossessed in favour of Oxford, and seemed to think, like Gibbon, that little else than port and prejudice were to be imbibed in the College halls. He used to declare that he expected to learn nothing more than the pronunciation of the English langqage. This accomplishment, however, he never attained for he only engrafted some high English tones on his Edinburgh patois, which, even , with his fine deep Toice, was far from being graceful or musical. An anecdote of his early days we have heard related, to the effect that when pleading one day before old Lord Newton, the judge stopped him, and asked him, in broad Scotch, " Whaur were ye educat, Mr. Jeffrey?" " Oxford, my lord." Then I doubt ye maun gong back there again, for we can mak nocht o' ye here." On another occasion the advocate in stating his case before the same judge happened to speak of an itinerant violinist. " D'ye mean a blin* fiddler ?" asked Lord Newton. " Vulgarly so called, my lord," answered the spirited advocate. Novej, Curb for the Cholera. — The following is an extract fiom a letter dated Andelot, in the department of the Haute-Marne, on the 3 1st ult.: — "The cholera suddenly appeared a few days since in the small commune of Ecot. There were five deaths iv two days. In order to create a diversion to the panic caused by the scourge, M. <Ie Bourges thought of an expedient, which wai ttended with complete successHe invited the population to a wild boar hunt. The hunt lasted hve duys, and forty-two wild boars were killed. Since then not a case of cholera lias appeared. A correspondaut of the Times at Southampton has communicated the result of returns which have been made of the specie and bullion-imported by the Royal Mail steamers during the last year from the gold countries of South and North America, and t\ c Atlantic and Mediterranean ports of Southern Europe and Northern Africa. The West India packets have brought 4,648,270/., the produce of the mines of Cahtoruia, Mexico, Central America, aud the Pacific States of Souih America. Of this amount, it is esiimated that about 4,000,000?. in gold has come from California, dnect or via Lima and Valparaiso, wheie much California dust is melted into ingots for England. j The Peninsular and Oriental steampackets have j brought— from Alexandria, 728 857/. " gold ami silver coin"; from Constantinople, 933,51 u/ *' gold and I silver"; from Spain and Portugal, 3LU,OUO(f,T u tal of tuo I ye« 6,788,655?.