HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA. 439 



"prospecting," or looking for newer and richer locali- 

 ties. 



I also found that the reports which had reached me 

 of hostilities between Americans and foreigners, in 

 the mining districts, were greatly exaggerated, and 

 that, with a few individual exceptions, every thing had 

 remained quiet and orderly. In some of the northern 

 placers a party of Americans and Europeans, urged 

 on by political aspirants, who seem willing to endanger 

 the peace and tranquillity of the country, in order to 

 promote their own personal interest, have assumed the 

 authority to order all Mexicans and South Americans 

 from that part of the territory. Their orders were 

 quietly submitted to by the foreigners, a portion of 

 whom removed to the mines further south, where the 

 American population manifested a very decided dispo- 

 sition to afford them protection should they be further 

 molested. The more intelligent and thinking portion 

 of Americans regard this measure as illegal and inju- 

 dicious, and will discountenance any repetition of 

 movements so well calculated to disturb the public 

 tranquillity, and to create bitter and exasperated feel- 

 ings, where it is evidently our policy to cultivate those 

 of the most friendly character. Some of the English, 

 Irish, and German emigrants, in the northern placers, 

 assisted in this movement against the Mexicans, Peru- 

 vians, and Chilians, and probably exerted themselves 

 much more than any of our own citizens to create a 

 prejudice and excitement against the Spanish race. 

 They were probably actuated by pecuniary interest. 

 The great influx of people from the southern portion 

 of this continent was diminishing the price of labor in 

 the towns near the northern rivers, and the large 

 number of pack animals brought from Lower Califor- 



