FROM CALIFORNIA
The steamer Empire City arrived at New York, from Chagres, on the 13th inst, bringing $700,000 in gold. Her news is important, although the ac-counts from the diggings do not differ much from those brought by previous arrivals. During the month of July there arrived at San Francisco 3614 persons, about 3000 of whom were Americans, and 49 females.
Among the vessels arrived are the Edward Everett, Capitol, Suliotte, of Belfast, and Daniel Webster.
There had been some rioting at San Francisco, but the rioters had been overpowered and sentenced to punishment.
There had been an election of delegates to a con-vention for forming a constitution, 5 of whom were sent by San Francisco. The agents of the General Government appear to have everything their own way, as most of the people are too busy with their gold-digging to attend to political matters.
The following extracts from a letter written by a trustworthy mechanic, will give a tolerable idea of the state of things at San Francisco.
"I have visited out of curiosity several gambling houses in town, and have seen men loose or win hundreds and thousands of dollars as careless as a man would be in Boston playing with coppers. I can safely say that I never saw so much money be-fore in all my life as I have seen here. Night be-fore last a man went into one of the gambling hous-es and won $700 and started for home. He was followed, robbed, and nearly killed. As for law, there is none. But there is a party here called the hounds, composed of a part of Col. Stephenson's regi-ment of discharged volunteers, and headed by some of the first men of the place. If any person (pro-vided he is an American) is injured or robbed by any one, no matter who, all he has to do, is to let them know the man that done it, and he is a gone coon: that is, he is shot and his house torn down and his money divided amongst the crowd. One of these scrapes came off last night. Some Chilians, accused of robbing a man, had to suffer; five or six were killed, tents torn down, and thousands of dollars taken from them. Things are perfectly safe out of doors. A man might leave his chest out on the beach all night and no one would dare touch it, for if he is caught stealing he will be shot right down."
It was found upon inquiry that the hounds had been engaged in some scrapes about town not altogether coinciding with law and order. The robbery that was laid to the Chilians, it was ascertained, was committed by one of their own number, and several other murders and numerous robberies. According-ly two or three merchants, smart fellows, harrangued the people and called on them to assist in preserving the public peace. In about half an hour they had collected together about two or three thousand people who readily volunteered to hunt the hounds. In the mean time they got wind of what was going on and made tracks in all directions for the moun-tains. But they suceeded in arresting seventeen of them, and sent them on board the sloop-of-war War-ren, for safe keeping.
Very rich deposits have been found on the North Fork of the American river. At a place known as Smith's Bar, digging has been attended with great good fortune. There is a story of a Baltimorean, who has recently arrived in this country, having taken in one week, upwards of $6,000 in gold from one spot, and this unaided, and with common min-ing implements. The report is generally accredited in the north. The daily average per man, from the best authenticated accounts in our possession, can be safely set down at one ounce. There are many who do far better than this; while there are others who scarcely procure this sum.
The Mormon Island Mining Association has nearly completed the dam at that point. It is pre-sumed in three weeks they will turn the river from its bed. Shares in this work are now selling for, $5,000. At the junction of the Forks above this point is another association for a similar purpose, and great numbers are at work.
On the Yuba river, about 50 miles from its mouth, new washings have been recently discovered, where it is represented the miners are highly successful.—On Feather river, also, discoveries are reported to have been made.
Although the excessively warm weather has set in, it is not accompanied by the amount of sickness apprehended. But very few cases are believed to exist in the Sacramento valley. It may be that the scourge of fever will be spared its citizens this sea-son, as the winter inundations were not so severe as those of the preceding year. The heat is intense, notwithstanding. At Sacramento city the mercury ranges about miday, at the sweltering height of 115 degrees in the shade!
Provisions are plenty in the mines, and our in-formant states, without doubt correctly, that goods may be obtained in Sacramento city at San Fran-cisco prices. Business in the former place is brisk, improvement rapidly going on. Town, property, which three months ago was sold for four hundred, now readily commands from ten to fifteen thousand dollars!
Letters from the adventurers inform us of the death of many excellent persons who were tempted to retrieve their shattered fortunes by the delusive visions of El Dorado. Accustomed to the ease and comfort of domestic life in the city, they soon fell a prey to toil and exposure. They must be tough fellows in fact, who can hope to live through the murderous process of gold washing. “What fools we all were," is the general cry, "to leave comforta-ble homes for this hot corner of h—l." "Don't ad-vise a dog to come to California." “Not a wrinkle is to be seen upon the heaven's front from Feb. to December, while old Sol shines his severest. My neck, arms, hands, and feet are blistered. "You steam away your life in a deep hole, just large enough for full swing in your horrid labor, and all breezeless as the grave." These surely present no pictures of purple enchantment to tempt the stal-wart sons of New England from the stony fields of the old homestead.
