CALIFORNIA.

Southland Times, Volume 2, Issue 57, 26 May 1863, Page 5 (Supplement)

CALIFORNIA.

The Beau River Inpian FighT. — Brigadier-General Wright gives the following official order as to the fight between the California Volunteers, under the command of Colonel P. E. Connor and the Indians on Bear River, Washington territory, on the 29th of January : — " HeacUquarters Department of the Pacific, | " San Francisco, California, " February 19, 1863. i " General Orders No. 6.— The General commanding this department has the gratification of announcing a signal victory gained by the California Volunteers, under the command of Colonel P. Edward Connor, on the 29th of January, 1863, over a large body of hostile Indi a ns, strongly posted on Bear River, Washington territory, 150 miles north of Salt Lake City. " The force consisted of companies A, H, X, and M, Second Cavalry, under the immediate command of Major Edward M'Garry, Second Cavalry, and Company X, Third Infantry. The battle lasted four hours, and its severity is well attested by the loss of the combatants, 224 Indians being left on the field, while the loss of the troops was 15 men killed, and 4 officers and 42 men wounded, out of a force not exceeding 200 actually engaged. One officer, Lieutenant Chase, and 5 enlisted men have since died of their Wounds. " Colonel Connor awards the highest praise to Major M'Garry, Second Cavalry, and Major Gallagher, and Surgeon Reid, Third Infantry, for their coolness, gallantry, and skill, and bears testimony to the gallantry of company officers throughout the action, and closes his report by. saying, 'Of the good conduct and bravery of both officers and men, California has reason to be proud.' "By order of Brigadier- General Wright, " R. C. Drum, " Assistant Adjutant-General." Copper Discoveries IN Amador. — The Jackson Ledger of February 14th, referring to recent copper discoveries in its locality, says — "As Fish, Trowbridge, and Me Kirn were returning to Jackson from a copper prospecting expedition, on last Wednesday, they saw what they supposed to be copper croppings. Dismounting from their horseg the Rev. Mr Fish commenced breaking off portions of the rock, which, to the surprise of all, proved to be native copper. The lucky finders have located thirteen claims and commenced operations. This is the richest copper discovery we have had in California. The lead ds wide and is located a few miles this side of Michigan Bar. Several parties from Jackson have gone down to locate claims, and next week we will know more in relation to it. Some of the cr-oppings brought to this place have been assayed, and the enormous return of eighty per cent. This is better than any copper yield this side of the Lake Snperior mines." "J. W, Armstrong and Adams recently discovered a lode of copper within aTaout one mite of Jackson, on the Volcano road, which, from all appearances will eventually prove to be valuable. The cropphigs arc completely full of copper sulphurets in a decayed state. It has been named the Buld Mountain Lead, and is claimed for about fivo miles tbeEueeka, the Badger, and the Illinois companies owning the most of it. It is their intention to commence prospecting as soon as their arrangements can be made. 1 ' Salt Discovery in the Uumboldt River Region. — The following are extracts of letters received by a resident of San Francisco from parties in the Ilumboldt River region : — Unionville, N. T., February 13. I presume you have seen in the papers notice of the discovery of a large salt marsh or mine. ' It is not only large but great. I surveyed it for the Humboldt Salt Mining Company, — capital stock, 110,000, — and it contains 763,804 acres, and has j near fourteen miles in its boundary lines. It is in the valley on south side of Table Mountain, which is almost due south from Unionville. It is in many paces three feet thick on the top of the ground, and as clear as any table salt you ever saw. There is not an unclean spot in the whole survey. This country has many secrets in it, which an outsider only sees through a mist. There are assays made which would surprise you, and prospects that are astonishing. If you desire to know where they are from, they are under the snow now, and you and every body shall know all in the spring. I have seen the largest prospects this winter that I have ever seen. I hear this morning that the National rock crushed by Fall and Price's mill turned out 865 dollars to the ton — this is hearsay.—E. E. F. An Enormous Land Grant. — In 1859 the Legislature granted to Oliver M. Wozencraft and his associates, all the interest of the State of California or that it might acquire, in a tract of land beginning at the initial point of the San Bernardino base line, and lying along the Colorado river for about ninety miles, on condition that they should introduce fresh water on the line or travel between the San Gorgoua Pass and Fort Yuma, within three years from the passage of the act. The land is not yet ceded to the State by the General Government, but it is supposed that it soon will be, Wozencraffc has failed to introduce the water, and is before the Legislature askiag for further time in order to save the grant. When the bill came up and seemed about to pass without objection, Mr Barstow addressed a series of questions to Mr Allen, of San Bernardino, the introducer of the bill, calling for information as to the amount of

land embraced in the grant, whether the sources of the supply of water were embraced within the exterior line of the tract, whether it extended to the south bank of the Colorado river, aud how far the waterworks were advanced towards completion. The answers not being satisfactory to the House, the bill was re -committed. Subsequent examination discloess the fact that this land monopoly embraces over 2000 townships, or say, 6,000,000 acres ! It is true that the land is chiefly a desert country, but the Territory is large enough for a State. It is unexplored. It may be another Nevada — it may be a Sahara. The grant certainty will not slip through unobserved, and its prospects of passage at all are very much clouded by the rigid investigation which M r Barstow's queries have secured.