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Show TRENCH GIIAXA. Xewi- from Che UoUl Biin;4. Every one in these par la is supposed suppos-ed to know, or to have heard of, Mr. Win. B. Smith, the former superintendent superin-tendent ot tho Davenport mine in Littlo Cottonwood. Ho wrote, to a friciid in Pioche, under date of November No-vember 3, lS73,and the Tiochc Record published the letter, which we give below. Mr. Smith is not too sanguine: and we advise all who have thought of going to that strange and far-ofY country, coun-try, to await results and certain information infor-mation berore they spend so nuiuh money to tit out. In a word, I'Lah has a good climate and some good mines, and the same industry and money spent here will pay better in tlic end than in French Ciuinna. I have delayed writing for two reasons reas-ons first, because I have been nick. since the 28th of August; and, secondly, sec-ondly, because I wanted to Bee the country before writing. Even now I cannot Bay anything about the mines except those on one river, the Hina-mary. Hina-mary. The others I have not had time to visit. The mines upon theSinamary are good, if worked well a.-! good an any on the Pacific coast; at leabtsome of them are, and I venture to say that the mines now being worked in different dif-ferent parts of the country are .good. 1 Aa son as a man gets a good m;no here he is fixed, lor they are easily worked, not being over seven feet deep, and many not more than four or hve feet. Where I prospected the gravel pays from ten cents to $6 to the pan. Ground paying from $2 to S3 to the pan is very common in the four claims I examined, and if this country coun-try was in American hands it would beat everything I ever heard of, that is if the unknown country is half as good as that which has already been explored. But the mines are new and good, and this it all I can say on the bright side of the question. Per Contra: I cannot advise you to come hero, for .several reasons. First, the climate is like all others in tho tropics, though perhaps belter than any other so near the equator lat. 4 deg. ;0 ruin, north. Still the climate is bad, and one may expect to be sick two or three months after ar- riving here. In the next place the j land is taken up for miles around the ' mines. The laws allow a man or company to lake all the land he wants, if it takes half the country. There are parties owning from 2,000 to U0,-000 U0,-000 hacters, a little over two acres to the hneter. Again, on arriving here you will find a strange people, speaking speak-ing a strange iaugu ige, and it is very doubtful whether you can find one who can understand enough to get you a drink of water, much less something some-thing to cat. There is no motle of transportation, Ittakes Irom fourteen to twenty days to go InO miles the best that can be done. It takes twen-! twen-! ty or twenty-live clays to carry provisions provis-ions from Cayenne to the mines on the Sinamary. You cannot prospect until you are acclimated, and you must bavo men to nypiftt you. Pro-' Pro-' visions, tools and everything you neil ! must be carried by negroes, and eu your way through. There ara no houses at tho mines, and if there were they would soon famish for food. The government is strictly military, and ail laws come from Franco. The mining land is sold by tno hacter, or leased the first year at two cents per hacter. To retain it after the first year it will cost ten cents .or ever liacter annually an long an' you want to keep it. The people hen-are hen-are French negroes, with a Jew real French people; but France, if she had any respect for her honor, would disown dis-own them all outside of the olrieers, for they are the most dishonest, ignorant, ignor-ant, lying set that uver disgraced God's earth. They are your friends only to rob you. One coming here wants at letist $,-000 $,-000 on arriving at Cayenne. This is little enough. If he should get broke, he would be in a perfect hell, fur wages are sixty cents a day anil board, and these people would nut pull ynu out of the gutter if you were dying, tinlfss they thought you hjuj money. As I said hefore, if there arc mines outside of those already discovered, this will bp a good country in about two years. But about this no one can tell. There are five Americans here; none doing anything. But we will be at work on our mine next month with about twenty negroes. How it will pay 1 cannot Bay. We bought the mine for $l,li00. Since I left New York I have spent over o,-000, o,-000, and have nothing positive yet. I will not send this for a few days, and may finish it at the mine. tjiNAiM ary, November 13. I am now about half way to the mine. There is nothing new. I cannot, advise ad-vise you to coiuo here now, but iu tho Spring, after I see more, I may ad vise you to conic, in me meanum-:, I wdl keep you posted. iJon't get excited; ex-cited; J will let you know when to come. The rainy season iB about beginning be-ginning here. by Boutwell, and signed by him in person, but does not appear on the report. Not only the officers but the U. S. courts were loaned to Sanborn to aid him in making collections. He med the revenue books to discover what taxes wero due, and he used the courts to compel obstinate delinquents delin-quents to settle up. The report contains con-tains two tetters from solicitor Ban-lield, Ban-lield, to attorney Bliss of N. Y., and Wm, McMichacl, of Philadelphia, directing them to bring suit against any persons Sanborn might name as delinquents and to notify all collectors collec-tors not to collect taxes of persons named on Sanborn's contracts. Thus it will bo seen, that Sanborn could inspect the books of any assessor or pick out the largest claims against persona or corporations, prevent the collector in that district from taking the money if the tax payer ofiered to pay it, ami that whenever anybody any-body offered to pay Sanborn the district dis-trict attorney applied the squeezing process as the suits were called. The statement alleges that the amount involved in-volved on Sanborn's contract is not less than $10,000,000 and that con-eeqneutly con-eeqneutly if the contract1? are hot rescinded re-scinded the share of Smbori and partners will not bo less than $5,000, 000. |