CALIFORNIA.

Otago Witness, Issue 554, 12 July 1862, Page 3

CALIFORNIA.

We (Melbourne Ag<i) have our Californium files via Sydney k> tlicj loth of April. Wo make the following extracts: —

The Heral'l of that date says: — Some time asjo, a joint resolution was adopted directing the Governor to telegraph Secretary Howard, inquiring his views as to the necessity of erecting additional harbor defences on the California!! coast. The .secretary immediately replied, and ho seems to seeommend that two iron-clad vessels be built for the protection of the harbor of Sail Francisco. Acci r ling lo the circular letter issued by secretary Heward caily this M j ar, any expense to which the State may <>o in creating military difenees for the coast will be repaid by the United States Government.

The same paper states that the bill to extend tV time in which the second telegraph lineacrosa the continent must be built, in order to gain a State premium, is before the Legislature. It is the intention of those competent parties who have the erection of the second line in prictical and earnest contemplation, to run the wire from Los Angelos to Fort Yuma, and thence pretty nearly to the old Southern Overland Mail route to Memphis or St. Louis. In the present disturbed condition of the Southern section of our country, through which thi3 line must pass, it is utterly impossible to eoiihtiuct it at this date, or to proceed to its construction. Hence the propropriety of the extension of time asked for of the Legislature. Of course such iinmciue outlay as a line of this reach demands, precludes the possibility of its constiuotion by private corapan'es without State and national Hid. With a central and Southern continental telegraph, we may rely upon regular transmission of news and business communications. Breakages from storms and other causes on one line will not be likely to date with hindrances to telegraphing, from similarly cau-el accidents, on the other wire.

The Weekly He ia Id and Miiror states that letters received in iSan Francisco from the East foiediadow an unusual immigration overland to California during the coming year. Senator Latham's estimate is thirty thousand, but there is nothing so extraordinary in those figures. If we mistake not, the convulsions of the times drove more than, that number across the plains last year, and that was before the war,— the actuiil strife, — hud extended itself much beyond the lines of the Potomac. When the rebellion is iin.illy extinguished, we shall look upon a scene of desolation such as has never been presented before in the United States, and we trust never may be again. In Missouri and many par- s of the south-west wo shall hear accounts of ruined homes and dcsjlatud healths, and fields laid waste bjyond the power of the original owners to cultivate them. There will be thousands on thousands of mi led farmer?, merchants, and petty tradesmen, who, when the war is ended, will gathur up the remnants of their families and goods, and look abroad for a new field in which to mend their broken fortunes. There will be many thousands of discharged soldiers who will desire to find some eligible spot remote from the scenes of their hardships and diseouraj_emcnt?, where they may rear for themselves new habitations on soil unstained with blood. A majority of these will look towards California and Oregon as the promised Canaan of their hopes. If, then, we place the. number who will seek these shores during tiie twelve months next succeeding the war at sixty thousand, we do not think we shall be far out of the way.

The weather hail set in line, and the disastrous effects of the late floods were being rapidly effaced. The Sacramento Bee says :: — '• The changing seasons bring with them a change, not only in the general face of nature, but in the personal feelings and business prospects of mankind as well. A i'ew short weeks have effected an agreeable change in the interior of the State. Spring — bright-eyed, full-robed, life-creating, and life-expanding spring — is upon us. Wln«jr grimly, sullenly lingered long in her lap, and it was by a vast effort only that the young maiden pushed the hoary monster asid-, in order that she might stand erect in all the dignity eivl beauty of her adornment. fc>ho tiium plied at last, and behold the result— green fields,, blooming orchards, odoriferous gardens, genial sunshine, pleasant faces and smiles everywhere, where the floods are

not. With tho slo v decadence of the waters, the people of the valleys, who were driven from their farms, are returning, and farmers are vary busy sowing sucli crops as are suitable to the soil and season, while many ot 1 them are yet sowing wheat in great abundance. The gratifying assurance may be added that throughout the State business and mining are reviving."

Stati: Aums.— California i; owner of four brass G-poundci'S three 12-pound howitzers, two iro.i G-pounders, twenty-four sets of harness, 1830 muskets, 1137 rifles, 1(108 bayonet scabbards, fifty horsemen's pistols, 18:2 swords, and 12 haversacks.

Tin: TiiUK.v'rr.vci) Ivdixx War. — Cver bince the earliest movement in the direction of AYashoa, it has been evident to far-seeing minds that an Indan war was impending. With the fkst rush Was'aoc-ward they appear to have t'iken the .'ilar:», and ever since then we have heard a rur.iorul Indian le-igae throughout thi' coast and t he inter. or. ;io far a.s appears th;i- far, no concerted plan lui-s boon iiiontel; but the savages arc numerous, and it only needs a worthy successor of n.audt or Fonliac (a style of hero not likely to bo I'o.hkl among lii'tunsof the piescnt day) to !iy lit 1h ■ torch of war along the border fi'tilr-ment-:. AVil'i anylhing like general concord vi' aclioi", these Indians would be troublesome to handle, but hitherto they have not succeeded in imi'iui;-, uutfl we hoar oi" the sudden bi'leaguerment of a litth foit containing only forty men in Owen River Valley, by an army of fifteen hundred Indians, who will pioba'oly succeed in butchering the biave little baud of settler.-; before aid arrives. A military force is to be despatched against these Indian.- from the camps at Los Angelos, anil in the nicantinif Colonel Lippctt's regiment, lately stationed at Fort llumboldf, is at last all in the iiul.l, Aviili the exception of an available force of twenty men left to take clmrge of tiie fort. The comnianl compvijes both infantry and cavalry, and will find plenty of woikto do. Indian blojd is up and Indian outrages aro of constant occurrence ; and although this is not exactly the sort of work for which our volunteers enlisted, they will probably pro for au Jndau campaign to idleness, and will do their best to keep the redskins permanently quid. — Herald, 4th April.

lloiuur.u; Su-rumso and IJoAru. — The Silver Aijc tjlls in su!>sb.uce the story of" a po>)r foreigner, called Frinch Joe, who had built a cibiu on a timber claim about seven miles feouthcasferly from the 1 outlet of Lake Bi^ler, and einpl'»\ed his tine till Ute in the wmtei in making shingle*?. Bcinir alone after winter set in, and havimr no lvjighbo-s nearer than Ferguson's, at the out Vi, iv vwi-, i»: couisc, isolated fiom thcie?t of mankind, cx<\yt when some settlor farther doun the Inke would venture out to the valleys thro'iy;h the deep snow. At last he fell sick, and had Ikvii confine.! to his lonely cot, for some days, unable to hoip hims-'lf or to bend for help, when, about tLc Ist of February two men, known us Kirk and Day, h.ipj encd io come by and staved ovui iii'^ht ■nth Joe. Mext day, be offered them five thousand shingles to take him back to Fergiiion 1 !,, and on their icftisal, he offered Kirk two dollars per day to slay and take care of him. This was nLo refused, and the sick man was left alone and helnlovs, with the vague promise that they iniuht return in a (a\r days. Bui they failed to do i-o, and did not even iufoim Joe's friends in Wushoc Valley of his preeaiiou.- condition, and he was compiled to linger lluou^h the miserable days and nights ciieeeedh)"- their visit, with increased and untold suffering, lie had procured a flw matches from these men, and kept a. fire us long ab he could, by burning his table, chairs, bedstead, n.id the floor of hr> cabin, but being too weak to procure other fuel, his fire went out, and his feet and legs fioze up to the knees, and he lay for days at a time in a trance or stupor, unconscious of life or suffering. He had been in this horrible condition without food or water, for about twentytwo days, when a couple of Washoe Indians came by his cabin, and shoving the door open, discovered the almost dead man. They brought him a lard-can full of water, all of which they aver lie drank. Singular as it m.iy appear, this draught did not kill him, but appeared to give him new vitality, and he gave one of the Indians a sack of flour to go and bring Ferguson, while the other staid at the cabin. Ferguson lost no time in obeying the cull, and was horror-struck on finding bio neighbor in .such a sad predicament. Joe had been, a man oi' remarkably strong constitution, and usually weighed 180 lbs. ; now he was reduce.l to ;i mere skeleton of skin and bones, Ferguson having brought along a few delicacies, did all in his power to alleviate the sufferings of his unfortunate friend ; and as soon as> he thought it advisanle, witli the aid of the Indians, he ventured to return home with the sick man on their lucks ; but the snow wa-s &o deep and soft that they wero th.'ic: da)s and nights in reaching a point huU'-viay between the two cabins. They would at time» plunge in almost neck deep, and at other places r hey were compelled to wade the soft snon waist deep. At last, however, they reached Ferguson's cabin, and every means was resorted to which could alleviate the poor man's sufferings, or giw him strength. But all was un tv.iiliiiLT — h« was beyond recovery, and gradu illy sai kto the grave. He was a Canadian Frenchman, and loaves a family at Montreal : he was forty- live years of age, and his habits were of the bes-t — being sober and Midustrions. Among the last acts which Joe was able to do before his sickness and subsequent suflvring, was to turn lik horse loose and give hiui free access to the haystack, and egress to the lake. Tlu> horse could rcieive no more attention, but instinct lud him to take caie oi himself. During the severest snow storms of winter, and in the darkest nights, old "Jlaz'ird" would invariably venture out of his comfot table quarters, and for hours' at a time employ himself in breaking and keeping open the trail to the Lake shore. Thus ho was enabled to oat and drink, and is yet the master of his own desii.iv.

Moke: Ixman Onritvons in Hu.uboldt County. — By the arrival of the Humboldt Express, biivb the Trinity Journal of ti recent date, we learn th.it another a:t.ick was made on the bottlers in tho vicinity of Angel's ranch. The expressman states tint hi tiie afternoon the Indians attacked Angel's ranch house, where George Zentucr and brother and two women were at the time. The young Zentncr was soht in the stomach and hand tit the first fire. George escaped from the house, leaving the women, and proceeded to Miner's place for a physician. He htatos that when somo one or two miles from the hou^c he diheoverc 1 ilnxt it wits in flames, leaving little doubt that all tho inmates were murdered. Previous to this attack they hut tied the house of .Patrick's ranch, and it is feared also that the family of Mr. Goodman, formerly residents of Weavervillc, were also murdered, as the Indians crossed the mount'iiu from the dncction of their houbc. The mail-carrier to Orleans Bar had been fired on and a large number of cattle killed. — Bulletin, sth April.

Lifi; at EbMURALDA. — A correspondent of the Tunlumnc Courier, writing from Aurora, on Mmch 10th, says : — A shooting affray came oft at Aurora on the 9Ui inst. " Cheeks," a married man, shot i.n I wounded Joe Mrlvin. The parties had borne angry words in the morning, and Cheeks then attempted to shoot ; but Checks' wife heroically threw herself between them, and dared her husband to fire. Later in the dly Checks armed himself with a dragoon six-shooter, and fired at Melvin two-shots in the open street, which took effect in the left hip — not considered dangerous. Cheeks was ai rested, and had the honor ot being first occupant of the new jail, which has just been completed, and opened for the reception of boarders. — Bulletin, Bth April.