ecember, addressed to Commodore Jones. "This letter (according to the
_Union_) presents a desperate state of affairs as existing in
California. Everything is getting worse as regards order and
government. Murders and robberies were not only daily events, but
occurring hourly. Within six days more than twenty murders had been
perpetrated. The people were preparing to organise a provisional
government in order to put a stop to these outrages. Within five days
three men have been hung by Lynch Law. The United States revenue laws
are now in force, and will yield 400,000 dollars the first year. The
inhabitants are opposed to paying taxes."

LATEST ACCOUNTS (_from the New York Press_.)--The desperate state of
affairs in California is fully confirmed. Murders and robberies were
occurring daily. The following are particulars supplied by Lieutenant
Lanman, of the United States navy, who had returned to New York, after
having acted for a year past as collector at Monterey:--

"Only about an hour before he left, he saw a man on board the
flag-ship, just arrived from the mines, who confirmed the previous
reports in regard to the discoveries on the river Staneslow, where he
had seen a single lump of gold weighing nine pounds, and heard of one
that weighed twenty pounds. The gold excitement in Monterey had
entirely abated, the immense mineral wealth of the country being looked
upon as an established fact. There was no disposition (except among the
landholders) to exaggerate. For a year past Lieutenant Lanman has been
performing the duties of collector at the port of Monterey; and, having
seen every man who had returned from a visit to the mines, his
opportunities for obtaining authentic information were better than if
he had visited the mines in person. He informs us that no large
amounts of gold dust or ore were selling at a sacrifice; he does not
believe that one hundred ounces of the gold dust could have been
purchased at the reported rate of eight dollars, the ordinary prices
ranging from ten to twelve dollars per ounce. The weekly receipts of
gold at San Francisco were estimated at from thirty to fifty thousand
dollars, and Lieutenant Lanman knew of one individual who had in his
possession thirty thousand dollars' worth of pure ore and dust. The
current value of gold in trade was sixteen dollars per ounce. There was
a scarcity of coin throughout the country; but when Lieutenant Lanman
arrived at Panama, he was informed that 6