452 HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA. 



at least four hundred miles long by forty wide ; in al- 

 most every part of which, where the surface is de- 

 pressed by the beds of rivers, gold has been obtained 

 without digging more than ten feet below the surface, 

 and very seldom that much. 



It is impossible to furnish any grounds for estima- 

 ting the number of people engaged in mining, or the 

 amount they have produced. Persons engaged in 

 trading with the miners say they amount to about ten 

 thousand, but I cannot say with what reason. They 

 can better judge of the amount produced, which the 

 lowest estimate places at $4,000,000. More than 

 three thousand persons have been added to the miners 

 up to this time, — chiefly from Mexico and South 

 America. 



When the mines were first discovered, all the ports 

 of South America on the Pacific, and of the Sand- 

 wich islands, sent the merchandise collected and stored 

 there to be sold here. They realized enormous profits, 

 before any competition from our eastern States could 

 meet them ; and these goods were generally owned by 

 European houses, who thus became possessed of the 

 first fruits of the mines, which were shipped to Eu- 

 rope on their account; and it is thus that so little 

 gold has reached the United States. 



When the merchandise now on its way from our At- 

 lantic States arrives, and is sold, the current will set 

 that way ; but the profits will be much diminished by 

 competition, and still more by the enormous expenses 

 here for labor, storage, &c. These are almost incredi- 

 ble ; the ordinary wages for the poorest laborer is $6 

 per day ; many receive $10. 



The extent and richness of the gold region have 

 not been exaggerated ; and the exorbitant prices paid 



