The several territories pertaining to the Union, with the exception of New Mexico, seem to have been at this period in a flourishing condition. The reports from Minnesota and Oregon were of the most flattering kind. Settlers were coming in, and the improvements every year made, were adding to their growth and strength. The former, with a very severe climate in the winter, has its attractions for the speculator and the agriculturist; and portions of the lat ter, especially the beautiful and luxuriant valley of the Willamette, are described as among the most desirable points of emigration in the far west. Except for two or three months during the winter, the climate of Oregon is said to be delightful; and in the valleys, from April to September, the whole surface of the uncultivated lands is covered with flowers. The new capital of this territory is located at Salem.

The territory of New Mexico has exhibited but feeble signs of progress in the extension of agriculture and trade. One favorable symptom, however, appeared. A contract was made by the government agents for one million pounds of flour, for the use of the army; and it was thought that the amount would be easily furnished by the three flour-mills then in operation in the territory. A branch of trade, too, had sprung up in the export of sheep to California, which promised to be profitable, but was attended with many risks.

In Utah, the seat of the Mormons, everything was prosperous. The peculiar institutions of that remarkable people seem to have presented no obstacle to their progress.

Early in the spring, the leaders of the Mormons issued a manifesto, which they called their Fifth General Epistle, addressed to the Saints throughout the world. It traced the history and rapid spread of Mormonism, from which, and the convulsions prevalent among nations and governments, they argued the near approach of the Messiah, and the unusual ascendancy of their church. It hailed with pleasure the advent of the new U. S. Government, and declare that the elders would always submit to it, wherever they might be. It directed the English Mormons to cease emigrating through the States, and remain where they were until they received further notice, as it was the intention of the elders to open a way across the interior of the continent by Panama, Tehuantepec, or some of the interior routes, and land them at San Diego; and thus save a long inland navigation, exposed to a sickly climate. The Mormons in the United States and Canada were urged to go to the territory at once, by the old route, north of the Platte River, and to bring with them plenty of nails and laborsaving machinery.

The epistle also mentions the progress that had been made in

the new settlement. A Council-House had been erected, and a Tithing Store House was in progress; a pottery establishment was nearly completed; and the Saints expected to manufacture their own china-ware very soon. Woollen and cotton factories had also been commenced, with good hopes of success. School-houses had been built in most of the wards, and the capital fenced into blocks. Measures had also been adopted to prevent the depredations of Californian emigrants. The General Assembly had appointed Governor Young to receive the $20,000 appropriated by Congress for the erection of a State-house in the territory, and directed that the edifice be located in the Salt Lake City.

The Epistle gave a magnificent view of the operations of their emissaries, and the spread of the Mormon creed throughout the world. One of the apostles was on his way to the Society and Sandwich Islands, and Chili. The work was reported to be very prosperous in the Society Islands. Another was at Boulogne, in France, preaching, translating, and publishing. Another, having visited the Italian States, was located in Piedmont. E. Snow was at Copenhagen, translating the Book of Mormon, and the work was prospering in Scandinavia, Germany, and the surrounding countries. An elder was presiding over the church in the British Isles, and had an office at Liverpool. Information also was given that a new colony had been formed in Iron County, about 250 miles south of Salt Lake City, where extensive beds of iron ore had been discovered, which the colonists intended to work.

The General Assembly of Deseret adjourned without a day, on the 5th of April, having previously passed resolutions accepting of the legislation of Congress in the act establishing a territorial government for Utah.

CHAPTER III.

California-Increase of Gold-Attempt to elect U. S. Senator-Session of the Legisla. ture-Charges against the Members—Character of the emigrants-Lynch Law— Executions-The apology for self-constituted tribunals—Return to the supremacy of law and good order-Agricultural improvements—California Land TitlesAction of Congress-Bills presented-History of the titles-Objects of the Bills introduced by Messrs. Gwin and Benton-Debates-Reference of the whole matter to Judiciary Committee-Report by Mr. Berrien-Further debates and result.

THE recently acquired and rapidly-increasing State of California, which had already obtained a world-wide notoriety, continued to attract the earnest attention of adventurers and to receive large accessions of population. American, English, French, Germans,

Chilians, Mexicans, and the far distant Chinese, flocked thither to gather the precious dust. A new stimulus was given to emigration, early in the year, by the discovery of supposed rich placers in the country adjoining the Klamath River, especially on its tributaries, Scott and Simon Creeks, also in Snow range near Feather River, and in Shusta Valley. At the same time it was reported that very valuable discoveries of gold had been made. near the sea-coast, at the mouth of the Klamath. The "Gold Bluffs," as they are called, are about thirty miles north of Trinidad, and present to the ocean a perpendicular front of from one to four hundred feet, extending to the distance of six miles. The golden sands brought thence surpassed in richness any yet seen. It was estimated that from the first discovery of gold in California, to the 1st of April, 1851, nearly one hundred millions of dollars' worth of the metal had been yielded by all the mines in the State.*

An attempt was made in February to elect a United States' Senator, in the place of Col. Fremont. The principal candidates were J. C. Fremont, Judge Hegdenfeldt, John B. Weller, and T. Butler King: but after 142 ballottings, it was ascertained that neither of them could obtain the requisite number of votes. The Legislature then deferred further action on the subject, until the the 1st of January, 1852. That body adjourned on the last day of April, after a session of four months.

They had passed an act making Vallejo the capital of the State, another exempting homesteads and other property from forced sales in certain cases, and also a usury law, fixing the rate of interest, except in special cases, at ten per cent.

*The following table furnishes, probably, an accurate account of the shipments for one year and a-half:

SHIPMENT OF GOLD FROM CALIFORNIA. -The Baltimore American is indebted to Messrs. WINTER & LATIMER, of San Francisco, for the annexed authentic statement of the amount of gold shipped from California, from its first discovery, in 1849, to the present time:

Gold dust shipped by steamers, from 1st April, 1849, to 31st December,

1850

$34,570,255

Estimated to have been taken by passengers
Shipped to foreign Pacific ports and to Europe, coined, manufactured
into jewelry in California, and forwarded per sailing vessels, as per
custom-house reports

4,571,500

4,576,042

Carried overland and coast wise by miners from Mexico, Chili, and Oregon, shipped by merchants without manifest entry, and amount at present in possession of miners, merchants, &c.

19,000,000

62,717,797

In the above estimate the value of gold dust has been computed at $16 per ounce, troy. To this amount should be added $1.50, the mint

value, say

During the session, a committee was appointed to investigate certain charges of venality and corruption against the members; but the effort to substantiate them was abortive, as all the principal witnesses had absconded. Many of the members were also accused of improper conduct in other particulars; and it was currently asserted that, the elections having been left to the management of a few intriguing and designing men, the incompetency and corruption of a portion of those chosen was a natural consequence. The new accessions to the rapidly-increasing population of California were not all of the most desirable kind.

Among many hardy and industrious adventurers came also many who left their former abodes, because they were too indolent, unprincipled, or improvident to succeed at home, led to this modern El Dorado, by the auri sacra fames, and the hopes of availing themselves of the fruits of better men's toils, without giving a corresponding value in return. There were gamblers and sharpers from the Atlantic States, and a large accession of burglars, pick-pockets, incendiaries, and swindlers from various parts of Europe, America, and Asia, with escaped convicts from the British penal colonies of Australia.

At the same time the eager pursuit of business and their different vocations, by the moral and industrious portion of the community, left everything pertaining to the administration of justice in arrear. In such a state of society, severe laws rigorously administered are requisite, in order to check crime, and secure life and property. But the circumstances just mentioned, and the recent estab lishment of the Constitution and State Government, prevented such measures. Hence, crime of various kinds abounded. A great part of San Francisco, the principal town in the State, was repeatedly reduced to ashes; and it was suspected, not without some good grounds, that these fires were, at least in part, the work of incendiaries, who expected to plunder during the conflagration. At Stockton and Nevada, also, there were destructive fires. Thefts and robberies were frequent; and scenes of bloodshed and murder were not rare occurrences. Sometimes desperate encounters occurred in gambling-houses, oftentimes between Americans and foreigners, principally. Chilians and Mexicans. The border marauders from Mexico were ever ready to seize the first oppor tunity for rapine or murder. There was every facility to commit crimes, and no sufficient legal safeguard-the law loosely administered-no effective prisons or guards, and hence, it was hardly to be wondered at that the people, especially in the interior, should return to the rigid code which they had adopted in the early state of California society; short accounts with offenders and speedy settlements. The governor, too, it was

thought, was ever ready to use his constitutional right of pardoning convicted criminals, or commuting their sentences; and this led to several cases of summary vengeance on the objects of executive clemency. In other cases, the supposed offender was tried summarily by a jury appointed by the people, who heard testimony, and whose verdict was quickly executed, whether it was death, banishment, or scourging. Five Mexicans were thus condemned to death for stealing cattle and horses, in the San Joaquin Valley. The jury found them guilty of the acts, but left the sentence to the people present, who unanimously voted that they should be executed in twenty-fours; and they were hanged accordingly.

In most of the cases the individuals thus summarily executed either confessed their guilt, or the facts were strongly against them. The parties who took the law into their own hands appeared to act from a conviction of duty, and conducted their proceedings coolly and deliberately, examining witnesses, admitting counsel, and giving to the trial the semblance of an impartial hearing. Still, however, the experiment was a hazardous one. Summary and irregular proceedings in the nature of lynch law are liable to be controlled by the momentary passions and prejudices of those concerned in them, rather than by a regard to justice and the real merits of the case; and their existence is, therefore, generally to be dreaded. as the precursor of evils of greater magnitude.

This does not, however, seem to have been the result in California, judging from the fact, that in the course of the season, many settlers removed their families thither, with the view of making it their permanent home.

Another pleasing sign of improvement was the increased attention paid to agriculture. The productiveness of the soil and the excellence of the climate, render a great part of California well adapted for tillage and grazing, and the products of the land can be readily disposed of at high prices. Therefore, many preferred farming and gardening to the more perilous and exciting operations in the mines.* To add to this better state of things, San

* Some agricultural facts may not be uninteresting in this place. In the rich valleys, good farming lands could be bought for ten dollars per acre. Any amount of stock could be raised, for the cattle do not need foddering in the winter; the hills are covered with wild oats. A statement was given of what was done in the raising of crops, by Mr. Hosmer, at the mission of St. Jose, forty miles from San Francisco, which seems almost incredible. From 130 acres of potatoes he raised 35,000 bushels; from four acres of onions, 40,000 pounds; from 15 acres, 40,000 cabbages; and so of tomatoes and pumpkins, and that, at the high prices which produce then brought, his whole crop was worth more than $200,000.

So forward is the season, that on the 1st of March of this year, in a field of 35 acres of barley, near San Francisco, the grain averaged ten inches in height.