THE GOLDEN DREAM.
Tins is essentially the age of iron. Iron roads, iron houses, iron churches, iron boats, are the stern, inflexible features of the times in which we live. Yet there are those who still dream of a golden age, and fancy it is about to be realized in California. The Sacra- mento seems to them a river of gold, that will abundantly supply the world by its never-ceasing flow. Science, however, that sad destroyer of pleasing fancies, will not let such golden dreams abide; but, personified by Sir Roderick Murchison, steps forward to dispel. the illusion. Sir Roderick, bringing the facts of geology and practical experience to bear on the distribution of gold on the earth, has arrived at the conclusion, that by far the greatest part of the gold within the reach of man is to be found in the gravel and sand which cover the surface, and have resulted from the grinding down of the tops of former mountains. This opinion was recently enforced and illustrated by Sir Roderick in a lecture at the Royal Institution ; wherein the mineral struc- ture of the Sierra Nevada of California was shown closely to resemble that of the auriferous rooks of Siberia and other parts of the globe. The general geological characteristics being the same, the inference is that the metalliferous products will be similar, and of nearly the like amount. Deep mining for gold has ever been a fruitless adventure, however promising the appearances at the beginning ; and such, there is good reason to believe, would be the result in California if it were attempted. The law laid down by Sir Roderick Murchison is, that gold in situ, or the solid rock, dwindles away down to zero ; and un- less the geological backbone of California form an exception to the other great vertebral columns of the American continent, and to all auriferous rocks in the Old World, the new diggings must have their limit when the trough of locally rich debris of former rocks is exhausted. Gold seems to be only spread on the surface, as if it had been erupted from some deeply-seated lake of the molten metal, and thence sprinkled by Pluto over the earth to lure men to his domains.
The opinion of the limited store of Californian gold so confidently advanced by Sir Roderick Murchison, and founded on broadly- diffused and well-ascertained physical data, is confirmed by a coni-
munication subsequently received from an old miner who is resi- dent at the " diggings," and who arrives at the same conclusion from practical experience. His views of the state and prospects of California are thus set forth.
4, In 1848. • The population consisted of about 15,000 souls
at the mines; the average profits about 10 dollars per day-3N working days 45 millions. 1849. Population about 40,000 ; whose earnings will average five dollars per day, at 300 working days 60 millions. 1850. Population probably about 60,000; earning about four dollars per day 72 millions. 1851. Population probably about 100,000 souls, earnings probably averaging two dollars per day 60 millions. 1852. Population probably reduced to 50,000 souls; earning two dollars per day 30 millions 1853. There will probably be straggling parties working at the mines already worked before, not earning more than two dollars per day ; the whole population
being probably reduced to 30,000 souls 18 millions. Lastly—The diggings will be exhausted by dec-ro ees, and fall into the same condition as the South American mines; although for eight years longer at least they will yield annually about six millions of dollars.',
According to this aspect of the state and prospects of California, the supply will be exhausted even sooner than Sir Roderick Mur- chison seems to anticipate. But whilst thousands are rushing to the banks of the Sacramento to exhaust the gold and die, another source of the precious metal promises to be opened in one of our own colonies. Six years ago, Sir Roderick Murchison predicted,
from the in characteristics of Australia, that gold would be found m eer'fain portions of that great continent. This predic- tion has now been realized ; and specimens of the golden produce, mixed with the same quartzose detritus which accompanies the metal in other auriferous districts, have been recently received in this country .* A good practical geologist, writing from Sydney, in October last, uses these remarkable words- " This colony. (New South Wales) is becoming a mining country, as well as South Australia. Copper, lead, and gold, are in considerable abundance in the schists and quartzites of the Cordillera. (Blue Mountains, &c.) Vast numbers of the population are daily going to California ; but some day, I think, we shall have to recall them.'
Thus, geological science has gained another triumph. The cha- racter and succession of the rocks which constitute the crust of the globe having been well established, when one specimen is seen, the associated rocks and their metalliferous contents may be predicted with tolerable certainty : even the mere description of the geo- logical features of Australia by Count Strzlecki was sufficient for Sir Roderick Murchison to found the opinion of the presence of gold which has now been confirmed.
The law which Sir Roderick endeavours to establish as to the distribution of gold, does not apply to the other precious metal. According to his views, the silver vein is a milch-cow that will stand tugging at for countless years, whilst gold is superficial and can only be detected in hitherto untrodden countries. This opi- nion, founded on induction from known geological data, seems to have been entertained so far back as the days of the patriarch Job—" There is a rein for the silver, the earth hath dust of gold." Verily there is nothing new under the sun.
Though the pleasing dreams of a returning golden age are dis- pelled by the hght of geological science, it at the same time dissi- pates the nightmare dread of nervous annuitants, threatened to be rained by the expected golden shower. They need not be alarmed. Let California give up her diggings ; let the yet untouched stores of Australia be brought to light ; gold—the British standard of value—will still be gold.
• Sir Roderick Murchison not only predicted the discovery of gold in Aus- tralia, but urged the Colonial Minister to allow legal facilities for rendering the discovery beneficial. This appears to have been at last conceded : the Government, we are informed, have agreed to give up the royalty on the precious ores.
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