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Ml. A Tight Race. The following is ah Alabama boy’s ac count of a famous horse-race that took ptaoe down Smtth. The riders were a pious old lady and a Methodist Parson, on their way to church. -Mam war tidin’ slowly along, thinkin’ ! how sorry she was, cos Chary Dolin, who : always led her off, had sich a bad cold, : -an’ wouldn’t be able to ’gist her singin’ to “ day. She war practisin’ the hymns, and ‘ had got as for as whar it says, T have a ' race to'rim,’ when the passon huv in sij;ht l an’ in TsOOt the dodgin’ of diedapper, she 'fooad tkar war truth ia the words, for tl ie heatin’ the boss cornin’ up behind, ‘began‘to show symptoms of runnin’; 1 jut be beard the passun holler ‘wo! vvo!’ Ho lids boss, he thought it war mam shoutin’ the got up even; so it war a fair face. Whoop! git out, bat it war egsitin’; the dost flew, and the rail-fence appcered Utrate as a rifle. Thar war the passun,‘his legs fast to the critter’s flanx, arms lockt round his neck, face as pale as a rabbit’s belly, and the white flag streernin’ far be hind—and thar war Mam, fust on one side, then on t’other, her new caliker swelled up round her like a bear with the dropsy, the old lady so much surprized she cuddent ride steddy, an’ tryin’ to stop her colt, bat he war too well trained to stop while he heard ‘go!’ Mam got ’sited at last, and her eyes ’gan to glimmer like she seen her daddy’s ghost axin’ ‘if he ever trained up a child or a race-hoss to be ’fraid of a small brush on a Sunday,’she commenced ridin’ beautiful; she braced herself up in the saddle, and began to make calkerlations how she war to win the race, for it war nose and nose, and she saw the passun spurrin’ his critter every jump. She tuk off her shoe, and the way a number ten go-to-meetin’ brogan commenced givin’ a boss particular Moses, were a caution to hoss-flesh—but still it kept nose and nose. She found she war carrvin’ too much weight for Colt, so she ’~an to throw off plunder, till nuthin’ war left bat her' close > and the s P urs tamtuaw’dai ? he old woman com ’ menced stripjaMf to lighten, an ’ eil v,hen ehe found it war no use while s P urs | lasted, she got cantankerous, •f'essun, eaifl ahe, ‘l’ll be cost if it’s fair or gentle manly far you, WT preacher of the gospel, jto advantage of au old woman this x way, usin’ spurs when you know she can’t Wear ’em —’taint Christian-like niither,’ £nd she burst into cryiu’. ‘Wo! Miss ! VP? Stop ! Madam! Wo! Tour app!’ — to say, when the old woman .tide him po the back of the head, fillin’ his mouth with right smart of a and stoppin’ the talk, as far as hisjßhare went for the present. “By! this time they’d got nigh pa to the meetinghouse, and the folks were harkin’ away on ‘Old Hundred,’ and wonderin’ what could have become of the passun and mtLm Hibbs. One sister in a long bsard' art another brethren in church, if hhe’ii heered anything ’bout that New -ftnfk preecher .runnin’ way with a wo old enough to be his muther. The ’feiethreoa gin a long sigh an’ groaned ‘it pin’f possible! jnarciful heavens 1 yon don’t ’spicion ?’ wen the sound of the bosses cornin’, roused them np like a touch of the agw, an’ broke off their parpent-talk.— pafrTun out to see what wap to pay, but whan he seed the houses so close together, flu passon spurrin’, and mam ridin’ like plose war Phase whar she cum, he knew her fix in a second, and ’tarmioed to help her; go sUnohin’ a aaplin’, he hid ’hind a stamp 'bout ten Steps off, and held on for |be bosses. Op they went in beautiful ptyle, the: passon’s spurs telliu’ terrible, . pad mam’s shoe operatin’ ‘no small pile ot punkins’-*—passun stretched out the length oftffo homes, while mam sot as stiff and fctrate as a bull yearling in his fust fight, jiittin’ her nag, fast on one side, next on t’other, and the third for passun, who had thawed the hom till little of the saddle, and less of his teeth war left, and his voice sounded as holler as a jackass-nicker in an old saw-mill. But J tell you, ole bog. Mam won the race, though she lost e’tn amost everything else, to speak of.” Down East they have got to solo ing shoes with cedar shingles, veneering the wood with a sheepskin.— Union. Dowuieville, Sierra County, California, Saturday, February 8,1855. Brophy’s Pass. Being desirous of giving all the infor mation possible, in relation to Brophy’s Pass, we copy from the Marysville Ex press the following extracts from Mr. D. B. Scott’s description of the route. Mr. Scott is well known as one of the ablest surveyors and civil engineers in the state, and his opinion maybe relied on, and his statements at once set down for truth. “During a residence of four years in this country, the past three of which, in my offi cial capacity as County Surveyor, and as a Civil Engineer, I have frequently been engaged high up in the mountains, in the locating and surveying of roads and canals for mining purposes. As the most of those surveys were made in the section of country contiguous to, and over the summit of the Sierra, by Brophy’s Pass, I am enabled from intimate knowledge of the general character, and topographical features of the country along the western slope of the mountains leading to it, to speak with a degree of confidence not acquired by a mere cursory or superficial reconuoisance. “Brophy’s Pass is situated about in Lat. itude 39° 30' N., Longitude 120°, being near the eastern boundary of California, and near due east from this place. This point in the summit range of the Sierra Nevada separates the waters of the Middle Yuba river, flowing west to the Sacramen to, from those of the North Branch of Truckee, flowing east to the Desert. Al though no instrumental observations were taken by me directly to ascertain the abso lute altitude at the summit, yet from a se ries of levels taken, and by referring to other known elevations and comparing with this, I am enabled to appoximate to the true altitude of the summit range at this point. From those observations I in fer that the altitude of this Pass will not exceed 5,500 feet above tide water.” As the route from Marysville to Gallo ways, or to Downieville, is known to be practicable, we will omit his description of that. “From Galloway’s Ranch the emigration road continues up the general course of the divide in an easterly direction for about 17 miles. From there it abrubtly descends to a very low depression, (about 500 feet above the water in the river,) and from thence, leaving the divide to the north, again descends to the Lower Crossing of the Middle Yuba. “By leaving the principal divide abbflt 10 miles above Galloway’s, jtmd following up the southerly side,inclining towards the Middle Yuba, a good scarped road can be made with very light grades to the Lower Crossing. From this crossing the road con tinues up in a south-easterly direction thro’ numerous small valleys, crossing and re crossing the river several times, to avoid jutting spurs from the ridges on either side, 4 miles to Jackson’s Ranch. Leaving the river at Jackson’s, following up in an east direction, and on the north side of Pass Creek, an affluent to the Mid dle Yuba, the road gains the summit the pass, in the distance of 5 miles* The intermediate section of country traversed between those points, on the north side of Pass Creek, presents a uniform surface, with a very gradual rise, and entirely un obstructed by outlying ranges. The spurs putting out from the divide to the north subside into low ridges and table lands, producing a good growth of grass, and densely covered with the different descrip tion of trees peculiar to the country and altitude, the Danzic pine predominating. This mountain plateau,, expanded as you leave the river, becomes more circumscri bed as you ascend, and finally terminates in small valleys, connected by a flat and open ravipe, leading to the summit. Passage from a kew Nqvel —One of her soft hands rested in mine, and ever and anon she met my ardent gaze with one of pure confiding love. Suddenly a change came over her soft features, her fall, red lip trembled, as if with suppressed emotion a tear-drop rested on her long, drooping lashes, the muscles around her faultless mouth became convulsed, she gasped for breath—and snatched her hand from the warn pressure of my own, die turned sud cenly away, buried her face in her white fine cambric handkerchief, and—succeed.— Shasta Courier. An Act To define the method of acquiring rights to divert water from Mining or other purposes in the Mineral Districts of this State. Introduced in the Assembly, January 20, by Hon. D. 0. Adkison, of Yuba. The People of the State of California, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows: Section 1. It shall not be lawful for any person or persons to divert the water running in any stream, creek or ravine, within the meneral districts of this State from its original bed to any distant point therefrom, for mining or milling purposes, or agricultural purposes save in the manner hereafter provided. Sec. 2. Every person or persons mak ing a claim to any water running in any stream, creek or ravine, within the mineral districts, for the purpose of diverting such water from its original bed to any point distant therefrom by dam and ditch or flume, for raining, milling or agricultural purposes, shall immediately on making his or their claim, cause a notice to be posted in three public places in the township where such ditch or flume shall commence, setting forth the point of commencement of such ditch or flume, its termination and the use to which such water shall be ap plied, and shall tile with a justice of the peace of the township, a correct copy of such notice with a plat of the survey of the said ditch, its intended length, size and grade. And shall within ten days thereafter, file with the Recorder of the country wherein such ditch or flume is lo cated, a statement under oath of the time and place of location of the said ditch or flume, and the said place to which the said water is intended to be diverted, and for what purpose, and whether there are any prior locations upon the said stream, and the Recorder shall record the said state ment in a book to be kept for that pur pose. Sec. 3. Every person locating a claim to any stream of running water aforesaid, shall proceed without unnecessary delay to dig or cause to be dug, or erect or cause to be erected, the flume by which the said water is to be diverted, and any person or persons claiming water under the provis ions of section second of this act, who shall not commence work upon their ditch or flume, within six months from the date of the notice of such claim, or shall neglect or refuse to finish their said ditch or flume within a reasonable time after its com mencement, shall be deemed to have lost all right to the water so claimed. Sec. 4. In all cases where the unclaimed water of a ravine or creek shall be in use by mining parties in the bed of such ra vine or creek, the rights of the parties so working such bed shall be respected by those persons claiming to divert said water. Rut this section shall not be con strued as giving any right to parties what soever to claim the said water for the pur pose of working the bed of the stream, after such water has been claimed in the manner provided for in section four of this act. Sec. 5. In all cases where there shall be more than one ditch or flume running to any distant point from any stream, creek or ravine, the priority of claim shall al ways prevail, but this shall not prevent any person from diverting such water above the commencement of any other ditch or flume of the prior claimant with out necessary loss or dimunition. Sec. 6. In all cases where any person or persons shall have located p-pd claimed any water .privileges as hereip before pro vided for, such persons shall be restricted in extent and size of their ditch or flume to that set forth in their sworn statement as recorded, and the surplus of water, if any there be remaining in the said stream or from the termination of their ditch or flume, shall be subject to be claimed and located in the same manner as the original stream. Sec. 7. In all cases where disputes may arise as to the priorty of the claim to any waters of any stream, creek or ravine, a certified copy of the notice filed with the justice, or or the statements recorded in the Recorder’s oflSce shall be evidence of such priority. Sec. 8. It shall be the duty of the jus tices of the peace in their respective townships to record in a book to be kept by them for that purpose, the time of filing of all such notices as may be filed with them under this act, with the date of such claim and the name or names of the claim* ant or claimants, and such justice shall re ceive for recording apd filing each notice the sum of one dollar. Sec. 9. This act shall take effect from and after its passage. SACttAjfBNTo Theatricals—A corres pondent of the Union gives some of the company fits. From his account they have been taking improper liberties with the works of Mr. William Shakspeare, and in some instances knocked the whole plot into “eternal smash.” Standing Subject—The Backus Min strels, for the critics of the Bay. Moscow. It is a long time since you heard a syl lable from me, and you have perhaps come to the conclusion that my correspondence has ceased altogether. But you are mis taken. The long expected working time has at length arrived, and although its ad vent was heralded with the cheerless blast of winter, there is no mining district in the State, where it is hailed with, a hcArtier welcome than here. The roads are almost impassable for wagons, but as far as we are concerned, it is a matter*pf little im portance, as our town is amply supplied with provisions and stores at all kinds. Unquestionably the miners were never so well prepared for operations as now. Many companies have tfceir timber cut and corded up at the entrance to their tun nels, intending to devote all their time to mining while the water lasts. At French Ravine they are making pre parations for washing. They have not water enough to work to advantage; how ever, they will have abundance as soon as the snow melts. You will remember that a number of 30 and 40 pound chuhcks have been taken out every season since ’SO. I wonder who will be the fortunate one this year ? At Wet Ravine the miners are doing well, I have just been informed by Mr. J. Robinson that claims are paying from §lO to an ounce a day. At Spring Hill little or no change has taken place. They are all tunneling in the hill. Probably there is not a safer place for investments in mining than there. The hill has been prospected enough to prove that a regular “lead” is located there. A large amount of fruitless labor has been done, in consequence of starting too high- The Red Star, Blue Star, All Nations, and Black Ball, are now at work on their second and third tunnels. It will probab ly take another year to complete the work- The Middle Yuba has not paid very well this summer; I speak more from re port, than observation. Many companies deserted their flumes before the season half expired. It is indeed strange that so ma ny well informed men, and even our most experienced miners, will make such large investments in these bubbles, which must eventually involve them in ruin. “Expe rience,” so the proverb says, “teaches a dear school,” admitting this I can assure you I have diligently pursued the course of study laid down, and can pass creditable examination. The gold washed out by the different companies last "week, amounted to 3*90 ounces. The Hook and Bull compa ny, took out 60 ozs., lam unable to give the exact amount of the companies, sepa rately, for last week, as I am unable to as certain the fact from the foremen. I will however do the best I can, in giving as correct statements as possible e ,T ery week. J. A. B. Moscow, Jan. 1855. Ancient Inhabitants of Nebraska. Oo the Upper Missouri there exists a tract of country known by the name of Mauvaises Terres, or bad lands; at one time, probably tue bottom of an immense lake, in which per;shed thousands of ani mals having now iio representatives on earth. It appears that the waters of this immense pond were removed by some con vulsion of nature or other, and the sedi ment at the bottom became indurated. The portion of the valley thus excavated forms a surface of ninety miies in length and thirty in breadth. The remains of animals which have lived and breathed long before the advent of man on earth, are here found in such abundance as to form of this tract an immense cemetary of vertebrata. The bones are said to be com pletely petrified, and their cavities filled with silicioos matter. They are preserved in various degrees of integrity, some most beautifully perfect, and others broken. Two remarkable species of rhinoceros— the first ever found in America—were dis covered here, and also a sort of panther, smaller than the present variety, and like wise a number of strange animals with long manes, unlike anything which man ever saw alive. We know, then, that there were once individuals in Nebraska as carious, and as strangely shaped, and as pugnacious as any squatter whom the present great rush of immigration will car ry thither —Perry {Pa.) Freeman. The Japanese. Capt. Silas E. Burrows, who, with the ship Lady Pierce, recently visited Japan, met with a very friendly reception from that exclusive nation. His ostensible ob ject was to return to his people a ship wrecked Japanese. The subjoined is from their address to Capt. Burrows; we find it in the S. F. Herald. “It has given the Emperor, and all the Japanese, great pleasure that yon have returned to Japan our countryman. Dee ze-no-skee, who was shipwrecked and' has been residing for some time in your coun try, where he states he has been* treated’ with the greatest kindness, and particular ly so on board your ship, the Lady Pierce. That you should hare made a voyage to- Japan to restore him to his friends and* home, without any other inducement, as you say, except to see Japan, and to forim a friendship with us, merits andi will ever receive our most friendly feelings; and be assured if any cfl your countrymen, or other people, are shipwrecked on our shores, we will extend to* them the same kindness that you have extended to our countryman, and place them aA Simoda or Hakadada, and then open to the world that our religion, which is so different from yours, governs the Japanese in all their dealings, by as correct principles ae yours governs you. We understand what ships of war are, also- what whaling ships and merchant ships are;, but we never be fore heard, till you came here, of such a ship as yours—a private gentleman’s pleaure ship—coming so for as you have, without any money malting business of trade, and only to see Japan—to become acquainted with us, ami bring home ono of our shipwrecked people, the first that has returned to his- country from America* or foreign lands.” • [Communicated.] Cub-bit-nary. Died suddenly, Monday last, our dog Cub, from the-effectsof strike 9, adminis tered internally, by some person or persons unknown. Sic transit, Cubum - *n- articulo mortis, et stomachics sursum ; which freely translated,, means, “Cub’s gone in—turned stomach up!” Mr. Editor, when the great and good* die, their virtues are remembered, and their sins forgotten; when scoundrels peg out it requires genius to write a fitting epitaph- I mean a genius for embellishment. Be lieving that a biographer with a bad mem ory and some invention, is very much need ed in California, I take advantage of the late melancholy occurrence, to do justice to the dead, and at the same time write an obituary that with very little alteration, may hereafter answer a good purpose; for I am sorry to say the deceased was a most respectable scoundrel. But as I remarked before, sic transit! The deceased was a native of Yuba Coun ty, where he has a number of relatives still living. He emigrated to Downievillc about a year ago with the intention of going in to the beef business. He applied himself assiduously to the profession, until his sus picions were aroused by an extraordinary link of sausage, which he had reason to believe savored of his ancestors. Immeas nrably shocked at the idea of unwittingly becoming a fratricide, he determined to kill no more for Keyser, and to confine him self strictly to vegetable diet. This reso lution be religiously kept for about six hours. It was bis custom to visit regularly eve ry butcher-shop in town, and to carefully examine the commodities for sale there; this he considered bb duty, particularly in fly time, and h is due to his character, as a dog of honor, to observe that he never di vulged the secret of making sausages, or how veal was manufactured from a defunct Spanish ox. But Cub was doomed to be cut off in the prime of his doghood. He stood in the way of certain loafers who were indisposed (to work), and were going round to see if they could n’t pick up a little—the same individuals, it is thought, who poisoned the watchman’s little dog, because they had n’t courage to knock his master on the head, and sun his moccasins by moon light. And here endeth Cub’s eventful history. Josh. B&* Mrs. Brown has been taken down. New Books. “Kern Hall, A Thmstvw Talk.” Ur Fanny F«bw, 1 vol., -fot* pp., 8 vo.— DwrjwETrtßjr Bookstww. A story of a poor airthorest, writing for bread; surrounded by Kttle; Hungry footing faces, with curious- Bfac eyes r . watching every trace of the mother's pen. “•And so she most plod' wearily on, and 1 poor - Katy must still be in exile,, for she hod not enough to feed her, her landlady having raised! die rent to two* shillings.” What a story of wasted hopes; and iron* banded poverty, and 1 tears' dtneeft up/ i«r told! there! “Months passed! away, while Ruth hoped* and! toiled! There was room-rent to pay, little shocs-and’ l stockings to buy, oil, paper, pens and ink to find; and now autumn had come, she could not writo wiiliistiffenedifingers, and Katy still away I She must work Imrtifer—harefer I Uoodt brawe little- Katy;: she teof.wos- bearing and! hoping on; and! Katy prayed to* God every night, with childish trusty to- help* her mother to earn money, that she mighs soon go home again;” “And still ‘Floy’ scribbled on, thinking* only of bread for her children, laughing* and; crying behind her mask—laughing, all the more when her hearti was heaviest:-, but of this, her readers knew little, and* would have cared less. Still her bark* breasted the billows; now rising high on. the topmost wave,, now merged in the sbadows* but still steering with straining sides* and. a heart of oak, for the nearing port of Independence.” But after a while the darkness broke round “Ploy’s” house,, and “daylight did appear.” Poverty ceased to rattle his half-frozen.fingers on her door, and then, bow friends- trod her threshold! Father, brothers—all came bock to witness the re-appearing oi the star that had, as they thought, gone down, into a sunless sea. Who does’nt recognize Fanny’s own, history in the story. »£ Ruth Hall, and. who does not feel like caning the mongrel, esquisite cur, who forgot his sister in the vale of poverty ? n. California and Missouri Stage Route. It is a matter of extreme gratification, V> learn that the people of Missouri arc as much alive to the importance of a stage route, between-their State and ours, as we are in California*. On the 23d of Decem ber, a meeting was held at St, Louis, in the office of. the North Missouri Railroad, to consider the practicability of establish ing a line of. stage coaches &om the fron tier line of Missouri to Sacrameuto. Tho meeting, after a free and fall consultation upon the subject, and hearing and weigh ing the opinions of intelligent gentlemen,, well acquainted with, the various routes across the plains, unanimously adopted resolutions in favor ef the proposed meas ures, and that application be made at once to the State Legislature for a charter, and that a committee be appointed to draft at charter, and also a committee to correspond with parties in California who are reported to have already taken steps towards a similar coach line from tho western end. The meeting then adjourned, to meet an call of the President, when the charter will be presented and considered.— Marysville Herald . A Hopeful Child— The Pioneer tells, ©f a young “mackerel catcher,” who waa~ watching his mother knitting stockings, and listening to the marvelleus deeds of his father, the Captain. Breaking off the thread from the ball, he attached thereto a table fork, and spreading himself “hav” it into- thfr cat. harpoon fashion. Puss went through the window, fork, stocking and knitting needles, while the young whaleman jumped and swore like an old skipper; “why the devil did'nt you f*y out, mam, I had only one iron in her ?” Gouging —An Ohio girj lately had *<♦ fight with a pet deer. She took the crit ter by the ho’ns, and “fit” about an hour, but finding that was no go, the fair wrest ler insinuated her thumb into one of the animal’s eyes, and gouged with sn.ch energy that the brute gin in. Nevada Theatricals — The Jourdal says there was a perfect jam at the Jve vada*Theatre, on- the arrival of Mr and Mrs. Barney Williams. The citizens have tendered the lady a complimentary bemfit. This way. Barney! No. a