CALIFORNIA.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VIII, Issue 654, 8 November 1851, Page 4

CALIFORNIA.

[From the Sydney Morning Herald.] We have files of Californian newspapers to the end of July. A meeting of the merchants of San Francisco had been held for the purpose of forming an Exchange. Considerable dissatisfaction prevailed in the country towns at the decisions of courts and juries, and the feeling in favor of Lynch Law seemed rather on the spread. The Vigilance Committee was sitting. The accounts from the mines continued satisfactory. The Governor of California hnd at length move., in the matter of the infamous Vigilance Committee, and bad issued a proclamation calling on all good citizens to support the laws, and pointing out the evil efiects on the community of suc h a state of things continuing, Anarchy, murder, and every other crime continues to rage at California ; and in addition to hor internal foes, the state begins to

tremble for the consequence upon foreigners. That she wifi ous reckoning to answer with Gm there now remains no question-, i about to prefer a heavy claim for’ fiscated on pretence of the StatS ds laws not having been complied with 1! merenants ; and the ceived notice from Chihuhu- ,k , ad '«■ to the amount of. twenty million J!S for damages done to Mexican nJ l U, ‘. Indians from the side of the Rhave been filed with Mexican auS 0 ° rs r n,,e » presentation to the central gove for the treaty, which provides tbatTh? n*' States shall prevent Indian • eJ Thus it wculd seem that, f or (Jif • s> fearful day of retribution was at hand 0 * 011 ’’ ’ Our extracts from the fil fls fo ef ’ as usual, a catalogue of the mns , r“ 8 . ,1e i events. ° St A riot had taken place at Colonia the adherents of the Mill and panies. Fifteen men were number were seriously wounded.’ California, without expressing "th/JJ surprise or regret, merely obsenei “the long disputes between the two 6it nies are said to have occasioned thio n3‘* ous strife.”

A traveller just returned from the northern mines, in giving an account oftheiin J conflicts between the miners aud the India observes, “ that the miners always kill the Iq dians whenever an opportunity presents but they cannot spend the lime necessary to fj| low them to tbeir strongholds in tlie t ains, and thus hundreds of the rascals Qn r M ’ t unately escape.” The following extracts show how this butchery is pursued :— “Shasta, July 6, 1851, Dear CoL.—This evening another party of fifteen men, who started out some fe» days since, commanded by Captain B, F Harvey, returned f.om an Indian hunt. Caju tain Harvey informs me that this morning, about nine o’clock, he made an attack noon some eight hundred Pitt River Indian. O ”* -Uw, UUU j wu this side ol the Sacramento, some twenty miles from this place. A warm fire immediately commenced, and was kept up for some considerable time, during which time some sixty or seventy were killed, and alarge number mortally wounded. The parly captured and brought in four squaws and one young child about six years old. P.S. This morning, 150 men, well aimed, left for Pitt River, and all other pails of the country where the Indians are to bi found. Shasta, July 15, 1851. Captain Haivey and company returned from an Indian hunt yesterday evening. The Captain informs me that on the morningo the Ist instant he made an attack on a Rancheria, killing some fifty Indians, and wounding more. He captured and brought in some six or eight prisoners. Our town is nightly infested by these troublesome hombres, who, no doubt, are after their wives and children we hold as prisoners.—Yours, in baste, A. French. Shasta, July 16, 1851. Dear Col. —Some short lime since aman was brutally murdered by a digger, with » 5 axe. He was in the employ of James Macklay, Esq., cutting bay some sixteen mile* from this place. A party of fifteen menwu immediately headed by Mr- Macklay. who pursued him to a rancho, where a large body of Indians had collected for the purpose ol making an attack upon the whiles, upon which a hot fire immediately commenced 8"“ was kept up for some two hours, kil'ingsW twenty of their number, and wounding ** many more. The party brought in thr« captives.”

The gaols were one and all crammed suffocation, and the Alta Californio B flaS r that a number of very interesting ctimiM trials are soon to come off in the DisWic Court, and Court of Sessions, which P fo ' mise rich treats,” . As Lynch Law, and the acts of the *»g*’ lance Committee, have received the un<J®*' lified advocacy of every newspaper in 1 Francisco, it is exquisitely absurd to L that a convention of the press *<»“ - called by the proprietors of the leading nais to consider, among other matters, means of elevating the tone and characWt the press.”