CALIFORNIA.

Wellington Independent, Volume VI, Issue 506, 17 August 1850, Page 3

CALIFORNIA.

(From the Southern Cross, August 2.)

We have intelligence from California and the Sandwich Islands by the brig Kiwi, which arrived from Honolulu, after a passage of five and forty clays, on Tuesday.

As is usually the case, upon the arrival of a California!) trader, considerable anxiety was evinced to ascertain the changes and the chances for New Zealand. These, after a careful tion, may, we believe, be pronounced to be encouraging ; for, although timber and wooden houses continued to be drugs, yet for good souud potatoes a liberal return might safely be expected. We have been credibly informed that one vessel which had arrived with- two hundred tons of potatoes, sold them readily at eight pence per pound, and that her cargo would have 'been greedily taken at that figure, had. it amounted to two thousand instead of two hundred tons. According to the Report of the San Francisco Markets of trTe29th April, published in the Polynesian of the 23th May, " the demand for flour contiuues steady; the market firm, and tendency upward. Sales of half-burrels had been closed at six dollars. Two cargoes of potatoes just arrived, have been closed at 20 and 24 cents, a very material ad-. vance upon former price's. , A still further advance may be anticipated, the stock being light, and evidently held for speculation , "

We are happy at being enabled to state, in relief of those apprehensions so naturally created by the disastrous sale of the potatoes by the Skamrocfr, that an examination took place into the condition of those on board the Jehnstone, on the arrival of that ship at Honolulu. These proved to be perfectly sound; and there is consequently every reason to anticipate the most favourable Account Sales, not only for that cargo, ; but for others which bad shortly preceded or followed it. It is a matter of vital consequence to Auckland; and we would fain hope that the enterprise of our merchants will not go unrewarded, or that the industry of New Zealand shall be baulked of the market so opportunely presented..

We have been favoured by Mr. Wai-j ton, with the perusal of'the Polynesian,] from the 11th May to ioVtbe Ist of June inclusive. Interesting as are the general j contents of that Journal,,we can discover nothing of especial local or Californian interest. The numberof the Ist of June furnishes an elaborate price current of the San Frahoisco market, but as the goods enumerated, are.not of the produce of New Zealand, whilst they are of extremely fluctuating value, we have deemed it advisable to limit our quotations to those given above.

In other matters we glean the following " waifs and strays." A private letter, dated Sau Praucisco, 4th May, treating of the late conflagration, says;—

"The losses of this morning are immense, and will fall heavily upon all— they enn only he counted by mi lions !

"This (ire was undoubtedly the work of an incendiary, ns it was first discovered in an unoccupied gambling house, about Which there had been a law-suit, which a few days since was decided against the gamblers. , Since I commenced writing, I learn that two men have been arrested upon suspicion, and that the police have goop grounds for arresting three more.

If there are good grounds for arresting them, the community will not wait the slow action of the Court, but give them a funeral pile out of the embers of their own destruction. The town is all excitement, an;! no business doing."

Tljc /V (//msiaii of the 2~jih Yiuv, like wise supplies us with the following San Francisco summary :—

" April 30th. —About six o'clock last evening the splendid steamer Gold Hunter came into our bay from Panama, in the short trip of 22 days, bringing IoU passengers. She brings no later dates from the United States. From the Panama Echo of the 6th inst., we extract the following :

' The Suriih Sands, Captain W. C. Thompson, sails on Monday next, with nearly four hundred passengers.

' The steamship New World is expected here on the 17th or 20th inst. She is said .to be a swifter sailer, and is destined for the Sacramento river. She eluded the officer's grasp at New York, but rumour says—we know uot bow truly —that the sheriff 's posse are on the watch, and intend pouncing on the ship in the port of Panama; it may be so; we shall see.

'It is estimated that there are 1000 Americans in and about Panama.

'Oliver Charrick,Esq., ex-alderman of New York, is located in Panama as agent of George Law & Co.'s steamers.

' General Mosquera, of Panama, has engaged 250 slaves aud 300 free men for the Isthmus railroad.

'We were not aware that there were any slaves in Central America, until we saw this news.

' The steamship Carolina, we" understand, is to be employed to run between San Francisco and Oregon, to carry out the contract with Government. This will be brave news fur the Oregonians.'"