126 
LETTERS FROM CALIFORNIA.-NO. 2. 
in the evening,) snow and ice still upon shaded 
roofs and yards. It will freeze again to night. This 
is another calamity to this already overburthened 
land. The river never was known so high at this 
season of the year. In several places above us, 
the levee is broken and towns and plantations are 
overflowed. New Orleans is about a little , as yet, 
safe from the overflow. Many places have not six 
inches of levee to spare. Solon Robinson. 
New Orleans , Feb. 1 6th, 1849. 
LETTERS FROM CALIFORNIA.—No. 2. 
When writing my last of 2d inst., I had hoped 
to reach the gold regions before again writing; but 
owing to some business, a slight indisposition will 
detain me here for a few days longer, and I avail 
myself of a moment’s leisure, to forward another 
letter by the same messenger who takes the prece¬ 
ding. Although I have seen nothing of the gold 
country, I have heard much of it. The welkin 
rings with the sound of gold! gold!! gold!!! 
Stories are told of the findings, which a few months 
since would have seemed incredible, but their con¬ 
stant repetition, and from so many sources, would 
seem to leave me no choice but belief. 
So far as I can learn, the gold region, thus far 
explored, lies nearly between lat. 38° and 45° north. 
Gold is found on the sandy plains, sometimes in clay, 
but more frequently in the alluvial soil, in the beds 
of rivers, in dry ravines, and in the sides of 
elevated hills, and probably mountains. It exists 
in small grains, sometimes almost as fine as dust, in 
minute scales, and in various larger pieces, varying 
from the size of half-matured, shrunken flaxseed, 
or grains of rye, to irregularly-diffused masses, 
spread through quartz or other rocks. It is said 
that some of these lumps have been found weighing 
several pounds, but none are properly authenticated 
as weighing over a few ounces. Many stories of 
wonderful success, which, at a distance, bear all 
the impress of established truth, have been found 
reduced to common-place results when traced to their 
sources. One of our former associates, w r ho enjoy¬ 
ed the envy of our whole camp, for his reported 
luck of having found a lump weighing three 
pounds, soom after became almost an object of 
commiseration, when it was known that his trea¬ 
sure consisted of a few ounces only, the largest of 
which weighed less than two, and this was the re¬ 
sult of weeks of arduous search, half the time waist 
deep in water, and exposed to a broiling sun. All 
this time, too, he was living on flour at a dollar a 
ound, while the other necessaries of life had to 
e purchased by him at equally exorbitant rates; 
and the poor fellow returned to San Francisco, 
where he has lingered for weeks with the severest 
attacks of intermittent and other fevers, from 
which, if he ever recovers, he may carry the ef¬ 
fects with him to the grave. Many similar cases 
have occurred; but others may be guessed from this. 
As an offset to these disheartening cases, it may 
be stated, that no one who has really made an in¬ 
telligent effort, has failed in his search for gold— 
that while all have secured some, a few have suc¬ 
ceeded in amassing considerable amounts. The 
veriest loafers in the streets of San Francisco, 
who, a short time since, had scarcely a shirt to 
their back, a hat to their head, and shoes to their 
feet, have returned there with bags of the pre¬ 
cious dust, for which a Girard or Astor would 
have endured as much as it has cost the lucky 
finders. Many, also, have returned without much 
apparent exposure or fatigue, and with no evidence 
of disease. So far as I can learn, the results have 
been, on the whole, highly favorable ; and most of 
those engaged in gold hunting have been rewarded 
far beyond the ordinary pursuits of life. Will 
this success be realized hereafter? I will give 
you my views on this subject in my next. In the 
meantime, let me say a word or two by way of 
practical remark , to such as will be flocking here 
in crowds the coming season, after they have 
learned the success of those already here. 
The contrivances now in use here, for washing 
gold, are of the rudest kind, consisting often of a 
cracked bowl, or broken pail, or any earthen or 
metallic vessel, light enough to carry, yet suf¬ 
ficiently large to hold a moderate quantity of earth 
containing the precious metal. Much of tl^t 
washed and thrown away, is still rich in the auri¬ 
ferous dust, but so finely divided as to be con¬ 
sidered by the greedy hunters, unworthy their 
attention. I have no doubt, should some skillful 
and scientific persons subject the earth , already 
partially harvested by these hasty manipulators, 
to the test of a well-arranged machine, they would 
find it far more profitable to follow, rather than 
precede, these pioneer hunters. Some machine 
may be so constructed as to pass one hundred 
times the quantity of dirt that can be washed by 
hand, and save all the minute particles which are 
now thrown away. It is impossible to secure all 
the gold by the contrivances thus far used ; and it 
has been lately conjectured, that much of the 
heavy black sand which has heen thrown away, 
acquires its peculiar gravity from containing a por¬ 
tion of the precious metal. If, to these machines, 
there be added a plentiful supply of pumps, lead 
pipe, or leather hose, shovels, picks, quicksilver 
retorts, the necessary carpenters’ and blacksmiths’ 
tools, abundance of proper food, clothing, and pro¬ 
tection from the excessive heat by day, and some¬ 
times piercing cold by night, the future gold diggers 
of California may reasonably hope for a fair return 
for their labor. * * * 
San Joaquin , California Alta , Oct. 8th , 1848. , 
The above letter was unavoidably crowded out 
of our last number.— Eds. 
Danger of Using Arsenic as a Remedy for 
the Smut in Wheat. —As long ago as the year 
1779, Duhamel, in his “Elements of Agriculture,” 
noticed the employment of arsenic, by the farmers 
of France, for the prevention of smut; and whilst 
speaking of the dangers arising from its use, for 
this purpose, expressly states, that partridges, 
pigeons, &c., from eating poisoned seeds, endanger 
the lives of persons who use those birds as food. 
It would also appear that, in the ten years, from 
1830 to 1840, there occurred, in France, 235 public 
accusations of poisoning, out of which number, 
110 were against individuals connected with agri¬ 
cultural pursuits; and it was considered that this 
arose from the readiness with which they were 
enabled to obtain poisons, especially arsenic, for 
the purpose of steeping grain. 
