The Hillsborough Recorder

MORE WONDERFUL GOLD NEWS.

The Boston Traveller publishes the following letter, which contains some very extravagant statements, transcending in anything, the marvellousness of former accounts from the Gold Regions. The letter is signed by George W. Norvill, and the Traveller thinks there is no room to doubt its authenticity:

San Francisco, Jan. 20, 1849.

Dear Uncle:—I have just set down to let you know that I am yet in the land of the living, and am enjoying tolerable good health; but while I was in the diggings my health was poor for a month or so, for there are no houses, and the most part of the diggers are obliged to sleep on the ground or under a rock, as they can get a place. You talk of the army: I never saw half of the hardships in the army that I have at the diggings, although if we could have houses or good tents, we would be comfortable. As for gold, I have got plenty—I have got about seven hundred and ninety-three pounds. It sells here from twelve to sixteen dollars the ounce. I was at the diggings three months and a half, and if I had had something to have washed out the dirt clean, I should have got as much again, for we cannot get near all of it out. I have a number of pretty large pieces, one of which weighs five pounds. I wish you to come out here—you can get as much gold as you want. I know where there is a ledge that is almost solid gold, but I shall not tell anybody, nor work it until some of my folks come out. I found it by an Indian chief, whose life I saved when he was to be killed.

There are a great many killed and nothing said about them, the excitement is so great. Everybody has been digging gold, and every one has found a plenty of it. Laboring is two dollars per day. The gold country is immense. I have been five hundred miles up the country, and the further we go, the thicker we find the gold. I think that on the river where I was, the fountain head is in the mountains, but it is awful travelling to get up in the region where the ledge is which I spoke of. I know where there is plenty of silver, in the mountains over which we travelled, when I was with the Indians. They took me prisoner, and I was with them nine months. At last I discovered one of the chiefs to be a Mason, and he set me free. I find that a great many of the chiefs are Masons. I was made a Mason by the recommendation of an aged friend previous to my leaving Michigan. I left there when the war first began, and went and joined Col. Fremont. I crossed the mountains, was taken by the Indians, and in this way got released by being a Mason. I would advise all that intend to come into this wild country to join the Masons, for by so doing they will find some friends among the Indians. They hold it sacred, which it is.

If you was here you could make money at your trade, as no one will work blacksmithing here, thinking they can get rich so much faster. You never saw such a set as there is in this place. There are all nations and all classes. If Congress don't make some laws, and them strict ones, I don't know what we shall do. This will soon be the hardest place in the world. They are getting to be awful bad here, and it is caused by that curse of the earth, rum. If they had kept that away there would never have been any trouble here. It is warm weather now, and there is no snow here. There was some snow at the diggings a few days since, but not much. If you come, bring a number out with you, for the more that comes together, the better they can do. I understand yesterday, news had come from Monterey, that they had found an inexhaustible gold mine, situate about twenty miles from there, and some silver mines; but we take no notice of the silver, which can be got at half the trouble of the gold. Quicksilver is here in abundance in all the hills. Don't delay in coming, and fetch a good company with you.