"The foreigners resorted principally to the southern mines, which gave them a great superiority in numerical force over the Americans, and enabled them to take possession of some of the richest in that part of the country. In the early part of the season, the Americans were mostly employed on the forks of the American, and on Bear, Uba, and Feather Rivers. As their numbers increased, they spread themselves over the southern mines, and collisions were threatened between them and the foreigners. The latter, however, for some cause, either fear, or having satisfied their cupidity, or both, began to leave the mines late in August, and by the end of September many of them were out of the country.
"It is not probable that, during the first part of the season, there were more than five or six thousand Americans in the mines. This would swell the whole number, including foreigners, to about twenty thousand the beginning of September. This period embraced about half the season, during which gold may be successfully collected in the rivers.
"Very particular and extensive inquiries respecting the daily earnings and acquisitions of the miners lead to the opinion that they averaged an ounce per day. This is believed by many to be a low estimate; but, from the best information I was able to procure, I am of opinion it approaches very near actual results. The half of the season, up to the 1st of September, would give sixty-five working days, and to each laborer, at $16 per ounce, $1,040. If, therefore we assume $1,000 as the average collected by each laborer, we shall probably not go beyond the mark.
"This would give an aggregate of $20,000,000 for the first half of the season--$15,000,000 of which was probably collected by foreigners. During the last half of the season, the number of foreigners was very much diminished, and, perhaps, did not exceed five thousand. At this time, the American immigration had come in by land and sea, and the number of our fellow-citizens in the mines had, as was estimated, increased to between forty and fifty thousand. They were most of them inexperienced in mining, and it is probable the results of their labors were not so great as has been estimated for the first part of the season, and experienced miners. Assuming that the average of half an ounce per day ought to be considered as reasonable, it would give an aggregate of about $20,000,000. If from this we deduct one-fourth on account of the early commencement of the wet season, we have an estimate of $15,000,000; at least five of which was collected by foreigners, who possessed many advantages from their experience in mining and knowledge of the country.