Southern Christian Advocate

General Intelligence.

Domestic.

From California.

The steamer Sierra Nevada has arrived at New York from Chagres, with two hundred and eighty-six passengers and $400,000 in gold dust. The steamers Winfield Scott, California, Tennessee, New Orleans, and Constitution were all at Panama at last advices, bound for San Francisco; also numerous sailing ships. The prices for passage to San Francisco were exceedingly low, and there were but few California passengers. The news from California by this arrival is to the 20th of March, but possesses little interest. The accounts from all parts of the country represent the waters as subsiding, and the roads are already becoming more passable. It will be some weeks, however, before they will be in good condition for travel. It is worthy of remark, that while at the East the season was unusually severe, in California they have suffered from an extraordinary elementary visitation in another shape. The floods have been higher than has been known for years, and not only in the northern mining countries, but in the agricultural counties at the south. The abundance of rain, however, will give an impetus to the mining operations, and the calamity, as far as loss of property is concerned, will, in the end, be more than counterbalanced by the advantages gained by a sufficient supply of water.

The California papers mention that there are symptoms of a serious difficulty occurring at Sonora, in relation to the French expedition which left San Francisco for that place a short time ago, for the professed purpose of making new gold discoveries, but which as it turned out was really bent upon revolutionizing that country, and establishing an independent Government, with no idea of being annexed to the United States. The Californians are much incensed at this movement, and talk of getting up an expedition composed of 1000 Americans to take possession of Sonora, and drive out the French. The people of the country are anxious to be independent.