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CALIFORNIA GOLD.

JUNE 20, 1857.

ONE of the most remarkable discoveries that has ever surprised the world was that of the immense gold fields of California. All the gold found by Pizarro and his followers sinks into insignificance in amount compared with that annually poured out upon the world from the placers of California. A new empire rises on the Pacific. The two oceans All nations flock

are joined together by iron bands. to the new El Dorado, and the Anglo-Saxon race rushes across the Rocky Mountains and round Cape Horn, to take the lead, to control, to guide, and reap the advantage of the new enterprise. In an almost incredible short space of time a new State is added to the Union, and roads projected to join it to the great Confederacy. Truth, says a French writer, is stranger than fiction, and surely no fiction comes up to the wonderful reality we have witnessed. Gold has become more plentiful than ever entered into the wildest dream of the Arabian Nights. The touch of

Saxon enterprise and labor has converted the fields. and rocks of California into gold, more abundant than has ever rewarded the magician's wand, and far outshining all the wealth of " Ormus or of Ind.”

It is said that the first discovery of this precious metal in California was made by one of the scientific corps in Wilkes' exhibition, and witnessed by a Lieutenant in that expedition, whose home is separated from us only by Charlestown bridge. Time was wanting, however, for a full verification of the discovery, and the vessel sailed with only a small specimen of yellow earth, which but a year or two later was to fill the world with wonder, and the heads of thousands with golden visions of untold wealth. But few of those visions were ever realized. Hard labor, hard fare, and a broken constitution, were the only results to the great majority of those who "made haste to be rich." Such is the great law enacted from the beginning, and from this law the gold fields of California permit no exemption. "By the sweat of thy brow shalt thou eat thy bread," is still the great law, and this law holds as well in the land of gold as in the ploughed field. There is no royal road to riches, even when the rivers and the earth teem with the yellow dust. Labor, which converts all things into gold, is nowhere more severe than where the gold itself is digged from the bowels of the earth.

A natural inquiry arises, what advantages are we to derive from this wonderful discovery? Are we to be made richer or poorer by it? Is it to be made a matter of rejoicing or of regret to us? Who is to be benefited by it? the gold-digger on the plains of Sacramento, or the merchant in Wall or State street? That a new Empire is to arise on the shores of the Pacific, and a new impetus given to commerce throughout the world, is certain, and the results of this great revolution in human affairs no man can calculate, or perhaps over-estimate, but, so far as we have yet experienced, it may well be doubted if we have reason to congratulate ourselves on this great discovery of our age. The thousands who are engaged in digging the precious metals in California may be considered as engaged in an unproductive employment, and one which can never enrich the State of California itself. Until agriculture and manufacturing are introduced, that State must remain poor, with all its mines of gold. The gold that is dug from the mines adds nothing to the wealth of a State which can retain but little if any of it. Nor, under our present tariff, can we retain it on its arrival at New York. It goes to the great manufacturing centre, London, to pay for goods that we might make at home, but which we prefer to buy of the foreigner, and to pay him the manufacturer's profit.

But apart from the last consideration, it may be

doubted if the enormous amount of gold received from California has added anything to the wealth of the world. The effect has been only to lessen the value of gold, and enhance that of all other articles. We are therefore no richer than before, and if, instead of feeding and clothing the thousands in California who are employed in digging gold, we fed and clothed them to break stone for macadamizing our streets, we should be gainers to an almost equal extent with that now realized. The labor in which they are employed is for the most part unproductive, as much so as if they were employed to carry stones from one place to another, and then carry them back again. They create no wealth, but only help to depreciate the value of that by which wealth is represented. The "auri sacra fames" has and will always be a ruling passion of man, but gold is something which can be neither eaten nor drank, nor worn upon our backs. Nor is it like iron, of important use in the arts, though answering many purposes of ornament and luxury. However prolific therefore may be the gold fields of California, neither that State nor the world is likely to be materially enriched thereby. If those employed in digging gold in California were employed in digging iron in Pennsylvania they would be doing far better service to the world and to themselves.

In another view, however, the discovery of California gold may be considered a great misfortune to us.

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