CALIFORNIA

Colonist, Issue 97, 24 September 1858, Page 4

CALIFORNIA

The T;;dv?m"iForrest arrived in Hobson's Bay; Victoria, on jhe evening of the 7th inatant,. with San Francisco papers to the 10th July. . ■ The great topic of the clay continued to be the prospects of the Vancouver's Island and Frazer River gold-fields. The San Francisco Heruld of the sth July has the following remarks on the monetary condition of the State:—

Should the Hudson Bay Company's possessions prove to be really as rich in mineral wealth as reports would have us believe, another mass of gold will be thrown into the money markets of the world which cannot but create wonderful changes in other respects. At the present time masses of unemployed bullion, surpassing auything of the kind that the world ever before saw, are lying in the vaults of England, France, and the United States. It has been estimated that not less than 231,000,000 dollars are at this moment unemployed and withdrawn from the commerce of the world in the banks of the United States, London, and Paris. The ill-judged expansion the banks, and wild speculations in railroad securities, brought about the financial crisis from the effects of which these countries have scarcely yet begun to recover. The terrible lesson inflicted at that time has caused a corresponding contraction now. Those who were felled by the blow lack the capacity to enter into new commercial operations, and' those who passed through without failure, have neither the will nor the means to spare to embark in new adventures. Men of all classes have curtailed their expenditures to the purchase of mere necessaries. The expensive luxuries indulged in prior to the crash have been dispensed with. Our extravagant consumption of foreign goods has" in a great mea-, sure ceased, and the practice of econom}^ forced on our adoption. In the meantime* enterprise of every description is. in a, state, of anxious expectancy. The hope is-fer-vently entertained that better times will soon begin to dawn, and this hope is not without good reason. The injury sustained by every class of industry through the sudden withdrawal of two hundred and thirty odd millions of dollars from the money markets of the three countries named,

is too apparent and too oppressively felt to continue. The banks themselves will naturally adopt every means to stimulate speculation in order to reap dividends. The injury will be as sensibly felt by them as by others, and it would be suicidal to close the door on the life-blood of iiadustry. The Bank of England has already taken the lead in this respect, and reduced its rates of discount from seven and eight per cent, per annum to "four per cent. The Bank of France has followed in the : footsteps of its illustrious rprepleces'spr,; and those =of our cpunli.y "are ; ;^egmniifgito open ; their, doors and their hearts. -Within the last ten years OalifoMia/^alpne; has added six hundred,'millions"of^'dollar's- -to the treasure of the world, without taking into account the immense supplies drawn from Australia. The mines of,both these countries yield as much and more now than ever before. Our shipments for the past six months;have equalled those of any former period, and we are daily in the receipt of intelligence going to shew the discovery of other and rich diggings, quartz ledges saturated with gold, and other rich deposijs of the glittering prize. The wonderful addition to the world's currency caused by the gold mines of California and Australia, was undoubtedly the first great cause of the financial distress in our country, by inducing those extrayagant and expensive habits into which our people^ at the East so unthinkingly plunged; and should the newly discovered mines to the North: of us turn out as they have been reported, another mass of wealth will be thrown upon the world, which it is possible will create another era of unrestrained luxury. In view, however,'of the promised addition to the existing wealth, the banks will be doubly anxious to get rid of their superfluous cash. The chance that four or five hundred millions more will be added to the hard currency of the world within the next eight or ten years, at the same time that the : golden streams from California and Australia maintain their precious flow,- will undoubtedly liurry on their operations in this respect. We therefore augur the speedy and satisfactory employment of the pent-up millions now in their vaults.

The " regular correspondent" of the San Francisco Weekly Herald furnishes an elaborate report of the proceedings in the gold regions of the Hudson's Bay territory, published in the issue of that journal of the 9th, and from which we select the most prominent extracts:—• > ;

I now '-. commence to forward such facts and ' general information as have come under.,' my direct observation in my tour to the new El Dorado of the NorthV and the new- rising towns, which soon will assume some importance from the great immigration of our farfamed California.

*. As yet I have seen no gold-cjust; but I have''metvwith.'Tniners about to return to| the mines \yhoL'rep6ft~rich diggings. The S.urprise is not Jhere, b;ut,hourly expected. I' ; Havejnot yetise^'one^rniiier who^nas!; returned . from Frazer ; River disgusted^ and I believe it is time to see such if it is a humbug. All who have gone up seem willing tq remain, and do remain, except those who come down here and return. I have but just arrived,'and have only seen two return. They say they had good diggings—about 2Q;'dollars. to - 40-dollars a day, and came for provisions. I have only their word for it. I have not myself seen'any gold-dust, but I am informed by one 6f the editors of tbje Victoria Gazette, iri whom I place good confidence (Mr.C.Oßa'rtlett,) that he saw some.-5000 dollars worth in the company's hands.' 'He- Bays;the; most isipaiid over to th^^^pany,fb!r,^pjr^ ibn..the river. The* great" difficulty seems to be that the mineils^eairittofc aiwi eGonomici^^y^^|;^^ecari:get goods to the miners but the company.

That may account for the want of seeing gold-dust about here. Ido not know how else to account for the fact that thousands have gone up to Frazer River and remain there, and do not return. Surely all our experienced California miners cannot be so egregiously mistaken in. the prospects. ;bf the country that they will wait there, doing nothing—some would certainly by this time see the folly of this course, unless they knew it would pay to remain. I know of nothing to induce people to come at present —there are enough idlers here. Let all who are doing anything at all in California remain where they are for the present. If the rush continues there will be much misery in the mines and the towns, caused by a surplus of population. The same correspondent writing on the following day says :— The Surprise arrived here this morning, and I learned the following facts from George Bently, a returned miner, upon whose statements I rely. The Surprise goes up as high as the Fort, whence the passengers can wade and pull up canoes to Fort Yale, and can go no further up by water. To this point every available space is taken up by miners waiting for the river to fall, and are not making expenses now. Provisjpns are high, and although, the diggings' are rich, yet there are sufficient men there to work every available foot in dry weather, not giving each man 10 square feet. Coarse gold is found at Canoe Diggings and Carmine River only. Where the gold exists diggings are rich, but no person can get there and pack 50 lb. of provisions over the rocks, and, therefore, the few who get over there must soon return for fresh supplies. Bently had gold with him, but could not remain for want of provisions, and says that there are more men waiting at Fort Yale to go over, when provisions, are to be had there, than will find room to dig on the bars. No gold has been found in any ravine, or gulch, or. out of the bars on these ravines, and these.bars are divided by these terrible canons. I also saw and conversed with W. T.Ballow, the express messenger of Freeman on the Frazer and its tributaries, and he corroborated Bently in every particular. He says the mines are over-crowded now to excess, and almost starvation. Nothing can be had there except of the company. Ballovv says it is madness for more to come, unless they know where there are other diggings except what: he has seen, and he is marvelled to know how the thousands there, and those on the way, will be supported. The Surprise can only make one trip more to Fort Langley, and then there will be no chance for the miner's to get a supply of food.- .■■■■■■■*

That there is gold I do .not doubt, for I believe the statement of these men, being steamboat men partly, &nd made against their own interest. If this immense immigration may lead to the discovery of goldfields in Washington Territory, then some good may come of it; if not, I fear the steamships who have received so rich' a harvest from their egregious folly, will be compelled to relieve these mines of their ■surplus population.- If there are rich diggings on a few bars in a small riyer, the iSame may be said of many parts of California, and let the people rush there when they will be guaranteed sufficient to sustain life.

The Indians abound in Victoria as did the natives in San Juan, and appear about equal in proportion. I believe they do not work more than they are obliged to, but will render any small service of porterage at a low price. They seem mild, kind, and peaceable, and quickly trade away their 'money in the "Boston" shops for newgew-

gaw. The following testimony with reference to the Frazer River mines had been given to the Mercury on the 28th of June by a miner named "M'lntyre, and we select it from a number of paragraphs of a si mil ar character:—

• I landed at Victoria on the 14th of May, and stayed at that place for two days. 'Myself and eleven others then started in a schooner for Fort Langley, a distance of about 130 miles. It took us- seven days to make the voyage. We stay-ed at Fort Langley one day, and then started in a lar£e whale-boat for' Fort Hope, distant about sixty miles,! at which place we landed in eleven days, our whale-boat having capsized, and thereby being compelled, to'procure a canoe. . We remained at Fprt Hope one day, and- then started for Fort Yale, distant about twenty miles, in a canoe, where; we arrived in one day; spending 12 'hours in prospecting on the way. I then went down to Hill's Bar, which is~thr.ee miles' below Fort Yale, and went to : work. The first day we went to mining we took out 5 dollar^ to the hand, We continued|o wash ( for afeout nine days at an average of about 8: dollars. per day to the hand. The river then commenced rising at the rate; of 18 inches in 24 hours, when we were obliged to quit work. We then started down the river and landed again at Fort Langley, stayed there two days, and went to Fort Gamble, and from thence to Fort Towsend, stopped there one day, took the steamer and landed, at San Francisco. We prospected; the river from Fort Langley up— 'at .that place, we found about three cents to the pan; five miles higher up we found seven cents to the pan; and the whole river averaged about that until we got within about three miles of Fort Hope, at which place it paid about 1 1\ cents to the pan;. and 15 miles above that point we found from 25 to 30 cents to the pan. We prospected all the ravines, gulches, and banks very thoroughly, and could not find the ■" color" anywhere except in the bars on the river. The bars are generally very large, but lie low. All the, gold that is discovered so far is drift gold, and no one can yet: tell the extent of it.

Letter from.Fort Hope. ... . , . ... ~ , ,Jm®W;WS. I.write again in haste to-infoum you of how lam situated. Since I landed I find the miners are leaving for) -^ftbnipSbiirßiver. I go to-morrow in the same direction with!

the crowd. I want you to remain where: you are until you hear from me again, .when I will be able to tell you how Thompson River pays. Three plugs of tobacco cost 1 dol 25 cents. At the; Fort flour costs 24 dols per hundred pounds. If you come up here bring as much as you can; and-say* to the Hudson's Bay officers it; is for ■ your partners. If you mark the provisions that way no duty will have to 'be paid.. All is humbug here. This is' the wildest looking country I ever saw in; all my life. .All around are very high mountains. It has rained, and snow has fallen since my arrival. The Sea Bird is high and dry aground below this place. It is probable I will start to-morrow morning up . the river. I .am living on: beans alone, but I am in hopes of getting some gold soon. N: M. Mining Regulations. —The following is a copy of the regulations which are to be observed by persons digging for gold, or otherwise employed in the goldfields of the Hudson's Bay Company:— 1. The license is to be carried on the person, to be produced whenever demanded by any commissioner, peace, officer, or other duly authorised person. 2. It is especially to be observed that the license is not transferable, and that the holder of a transferred license is liable to the penalty for misdemeanor. ■■*■*■■'*■ 3. No mining will be. permitted where it would be destructive of any: line of road i which it is necessary to maintain, and j which shall. be determined by any commissioner, nor within such distance around any store as it may be necessary to reserve for access to it.

4. It is enjoined that all persons on the gold-field maintain a due and proper observance of Sundays. 5. The extent of claim allowed each licensed miner is twelve feet square, or 144 square feet. .'■''■'■'■■ 6. To a party consisting of two miners, 12 feet by 24, or 288; squarefeet.

7. To a party consisting of three miners, eighteen feet by twenty^-four, or 432. square feet.

8; To a party consisting of four miners, tvventy,-four feet| by twenty-four, or 576 square feet, beyond which no greater area will be allowed in one claim.

Business at Victoria.— -In reply to numerous : queries in relation to business in Victoria,/the. G-azette sayb :— 1. Victoria is at.present, so far as-duties on merchandise imported are concerned, a free port. None of the restrictions incident to traffic in the interior of the territory prevail here. And as the trade with miners here is rather of a wholesale than a retail character, we think the opportunities for even the more extensive branches of commercial enterprise good now. Of course this opinion refers only to the actual nresent condition of the market.

2. There are as yet no taxes here, or license imposts upon any traders, save those retailing malt or spirituous liquors. A beer license costs 240 dollars per annum, payable in advance. "Wholesale liquor sellers must pay 430 dollars for a license. 3. There is a good opening now-for the starting of many descriptions of : minor trade. Good artizans and'mechanics are in demand. Accommodations in the way of shelter and entertainment are meagre and poor in quality. Hence a lively market with no tax imposts is open to all in the town, who are hi search of such an oppor-

tumty.

;In speaking of the above gold discoveries, ithe Melbourne Argus, of September 9th, ;says— ... .^ ■ | " Accounts from the Frazer River gold mines vary so widely, that it is impossible to form a decided opinion as to the importance of this the newest of the great goldfields. Information comes to us through ithe Califbrnian papers, and there is an evident and indeed an avowed desire there to discourage as much as possible emigration to the northward. Already had this taken place to an inconvenient extent, threatening to cause a scarcity of hands at the approaching harvest, and by the rapidity with which wages were rising, to put a- stop to many promising, but not immediately remunerative, under takings. The people df palifornia seem to be subject to the influence of a mania for rushing to unknown regions in search of fortune. Many were leaving claims yielding a goodi return, and business of a. profitable nature, to run nway in search of they knew not what, and with but a doubtful prospect of bettering ; their condition^ Excitement they were sure to have in overcoming the difficulties arid hardships they must undergo if they persisted in reaching the mines, but beyond this nothing seemed to be clearly ascertained./ One effect of this7desire ibr; emigration is to be seen in the publicity given to the discovery of new reefs, the opening up of fresh diggings, and to remarkable cases of individual success, all which used formerly to be kept secret, but are now held up to public observation as. a counter attraction to the exciting reports from Frazer River. These'statements afford us a better opportunity of learning what is actually being done in jOalifornia itself; and althoug;h of course designed to show the domestic affairs of that State in tlia most favourable light, yet vvith.alldue allowance for probable; exaggeration, we may readily believe the condition of the mining part, of the population to be in a most satisfactory state, andtHe mines to be yielding more largely thaii; for some years past. This is mainly owing ip the extension of operations among the Quartz reefs. [ ■ ;Of the visitors to Frazer River who had returned to California hone that much gold had been obtained by those who ivere fortunate enough to reach the mines at a time when work was possible. It was even said that some spots were found to be richer than any ever'discovered in California, that the miners obtained, their wealth more easily than in the palmiest days of the latter country, and spent-it as freely as they then spent it. On the other hand,

the difficulty of'/reaehing the mines is very great, arid provisions of all kinds are enormously high, i The,lndians are numerous, and not td be trusted, being most expert thieves, and they have of late murdered several, white men whom they wished to plunder. Nothing is known of the extent; of; the mines. As yet gold has only5 been; found in the river beds, and the working of the best-pa3^irig claims did not continue long* having been interrupted by floods' which kept the miners in a state of cornpulsoty idleness, or drove them away' to the towns in search of amusement.' All attempts to discover dry diggings had failed, gold in remunerative quantities being obtained nowhere except on the bars of the main streams. Reports were current of fresh discoveries being made in different parts of the surrounding country, on the American as well as on the British side of the boundary line; but these required confirmation. In fact, nothing was certain except that a Sew miners had worked profitably for a short time, and that the Company's servants were in possession of a considerable quantity of gold; but whether received from miners of the European races, or from the many thousand Indians who draw their supplies from the Company's stores, was not very clear.

Vague and discouraging in some respects as was this information, it was sufficient to cause an exodus from California to the northward. Parties were endeavouring to make their way overland, through a most' difficult and but partially-known portion: of the continent, and thousands were flocking to the coast to take shipping from San Francisco by the numerous steamers that were to depart as soon as the summer weather, was fairly established in the more inhospitable regions to which their course was bent. The prospects of mining were such as we describe them, and the state of society was less desirable than that which existed during the early days of San Francisco itself. Gambling, and-its concomitant vices were the only amusements, counterbalanced by the discomfort of being obliged to livej on food of the worst quality, and in tents and shanties quite unsuited to a rather wet and cold climate.

Whatever the future fate of these early adventurers may be, it is to be hoped, for the sake of humanity at large, that their exertions will open up another rich and attractive gold country. The effect of such a discovery will be beneficial in giving renewed life and activity to many branches of trade and industry at present in a dull and torpid state, and in causing the establishment of a vigorous offset of the British race in a part of the world where it is much needed for the spread of civilisation. Nor will many regret the sweeping away of the obstructive monopoly so long enjoyed by the Hudson's Bay Company. The policy of. ■ this Company as always iDeen to discourage any large influx of population into. their .territory,, but- no efforts of theirs will suffice to repel the wave that is; certain to flow in upon their western boundary,: should these Frazer River gold-fields prove as rich as by some accounts they are described to be. Just now the aim,: of the Company's servants seems to be to extend their trade by legitimate buying and selling, and to profit to the utmost by the present movement; but this must soon outgrow their powers of control, and the British Government will have to step in and resume the management of at least the western extremity of the Company's large dominions.