New York and her sister cities will
be the centre of all those revolutionary movements which are certain to
spring from the gold productions of California, on the commerce of the
whole civilized world. Ship-building will increase in value,
steam-boats will be wanted, the railroads projected across the Isthmus
in various places, in Mexico and Central America will be pushed to
completion, and we should not be surprised to see an active attempt
made, under the auspices of the Federal Government, to construct a
railroad across the continent, through the South Pass, from St. Louis,
or some other point on the Mississippi, to San Francisco. The discovery
of these great gold mines will no doubt form the agent of the greatest
revolution in the commercial centres of the world and on the
civilisation of the human race that has ever taken place since the
first dawn of history. New York will henceforth, from its position to
the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, probably in less than a quarter of a
century, present a population greater than that of Paris, and display
evidences of wealth, grandeur, magnificence, and industry, in an equal
if not greater degree than what we see in London at this day.
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