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 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
\ 
 
 \ 
 
\ ' 
 
 KAMBLTNGS 
 
 IN 
 
 CALIl ORNI A 
 
u V 
 
 ( 
 
 c 
 
RAMBLINGS 
 
 IN 
 
 CALIFORNIA; 
 
 CONTAIMNU 
 
 A DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTRY, LIFE AT THE MINES, 
 STATE OF SOCIETY, &o. 
 
 INTERSPERSED WITH 
 
 CIIARAOTERISTIO ANECDOTES, 
 
 AND SKETCHES FROM LIFE, 
 
 BEING THK FIVK YEARS' EXPEIIIENCK OF A GOLD DKiOKll. 
 
 BY 
 
 PRINGLE SHAW 
 
 TORONTO: 
 
 JAMES BAIN, 37 KING STREET EAST. 
 
T U R o V T • 
 ''3 VO\OE .-^TRKKT. 
 
 ER, 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 In tlie goud old times, that is beforo a voyage round the 
 world was a mere trip of pleasure, the adventurous traveller 
 who then gave his experience of foreign lands, was a rarity, 
 and his work might well serve as good authority for half a 
 century to come ; and indeed, in such sleepy times, when 
 ^ a hundred years performed but little change on a country 
 or its people, the audacious scribbler who added another 
 V(»lume of travels, on the same ground, might well be 
 punished l)y neglect, fur his impertinent repetition of the 
 threadbare theme. But now, great portion of the world 
 are in a " fast" age, and in them more changes occur in 
 twelve months, than in others in twice the number of 
 years ; but in none that ever existed, has the hand of 
 civilised man performed so much, in as short a space of 
 time, as it has within the bounds of ibis mysterious land. 
 This must be my best excuse, for attempting to add 
 a new leaf to the many already published on California 
 
VI. 
 
 J'HKJ'ACK. 
 
 ''■'" ""•'■■'■• «'■« !'""« contain witl,i„ , „ 
 
 "'oi.- n,a„„o,s, eu»t„,„. ,„,, '*'." ■^''^''•''» "• "-^ people, 
 Jev.tod e..el„.,ivelv ,o ili„ ' ' '''" '"'' P"' '-^ 
 
 -> eounto- offers a better field. ' '' "'^''^' 
 
 ^b biisine,s.s i„ Califovr.ia w,. . i^ 
 
 -•''-'- ... ou^nL J ',: 1:;:": 77. --"^ -y 
 
 ''"■■«p-od :,, ilj;;j :'";'-"-'. '■.-«™u.. 
 
 
'c, coupled 
 
 for 
 
 pryin« 
 
 ' Produced 
 )r the in- 
 
 '•^pace, 1 
 eountrjr^ 
 •^ people, 
 ' part is 
 r which 
 
 n ; and 
 y other 
 tly my 
 
 and if 
 on, in 
 2t that 
 ?n did 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 PART J. 
 
 THE COUNTRY AND HER SOVEREIGNS ''"';, 
 
 TART 11. 
 
 THE MINES ,., 
 
 • •\^^ 
 
 TAKT ill. 
 
 FACE OF TIfE (dl-NTRY, AGRICTETURE. AM) LAI!0[; :;• 
 
 J AKT l\". 
 
 ANECDOTES AND SKETCHES FROM LIFE i;;i 
 
 How I Jl'MI'ki) a Claim 13 j 
 
 A FiKLi) Okfickr 23- 
 
 TiiK Si'K( ri.ATua 24., 
 
 A Ti;ii' TO Til]: SoniiiMiN Mi.\k> ]4(, 
 
 An Oi!at!0\ ,-., 
 
 Tm: SiaciEuN's Rihk ,-- 
 
 i. I ( 
 
 -^■^ 181 
 
 ThK AuCTIONKi:ii jg , 
 
 '^'^'"^ '...Z'.'ZZ. U.0 
 
 The VoYACib; Ij.,r, 
 
 TllK Saltei! .,j^. 
 
 SKIiASTlilM)!, IS TaKJ N 922 
 
 War IX China ,,0- 
 
 - w 1 
 
 THE CONCLCSIoN 
 

 # 
 
 I 
 
KAMBLINGS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 PART I. 
 
 
 THK COUNTI{V AND HER SOVEREIGNS. 
 
 It comes not, properly, witliin the limits of these 
 j^kotches, to dwell upon the wouders of that half-way land 
 — the Istlmuis of Panama — whose torrid scenes, so start- 
 ling, novel, and gorgeous, so utterly at variance with the 
 panorama of his native land, enchain at once the imagi- 
 nation of the fresh voyager from the temperate zone, and 
 leave an impression that after years can hardly erase. 
 These have long since been delineated by able and truth- 
 ful pens; though much still remains unsaid of Chngres. 
 its harbor, and its people, its densely wooded hills, and 
 dismal feverish vallies, the grim dismantled fortress of 
 San Lorenzo, rising in solemn, though burlesque majesty, 
 as the protector of the mongrel native population at its 
 base, — of the white man's shelly camp right opposite, sus- 
 tained in those by-gone days by the Californian emigra- 
 tion, and the indiscriminate abode or shelter of speculators, 
 blacklegs and boatmen,— of native beggars, with leprous 
 skins and jiggery feet,— of the long, tedious row, up the 
 
 B 
 
liiffti-'::: 
 
 JO 
 
 lUMBUNliS I.N- <ALI1-0P..MA. 
 
 <^l »n,l .I„..^„.h ,,tr.„„, j,„j,,„^j 
 
 -and .1., „n ciaWished «„o-vario<l o.,ly In- ut "fh 
 '«-<:,.._ when nnpojoj ia thoir „r„,re.s, by tl o rcT f 
 
 3 r'uiec.,soi.s-,.f parrots and parror.ucttes scrcm 
 
 . ^^^"'^"^ ^»^J tlic ehutterin- of 
 
 the «„,(!,, while no* ,, zophjr'.s ri„i„n stir, amidst th^ 
 gross , ,.o™ vo„ot.i„„ of the i,„„e„ot™ble t -o 
 
 coci , ; ''' '"'""'^ "f '■™'>ecile pre- 
 
 « -.Itl., t t lly „„ada,„o,i to thoi,. antoccdents, or tboir 
 present abtl.ty, aud indeed we ,„i.l„ safciv add 
 race w]^u.h ,% • ^ ^ »ai^iy aaa. tiieir 
 
 race Ml„ h ,. ,iu,st now a disagreeable medley of red 
 black, and dirty white —of n>o i . . "^ ' 
 
 boo huts of r.,. \ '^•^' '^''^' ^""^'^ ^^'^^ '-'^^J"- 
 
 hut.s of Gorgona, where a - five " eouhl .careely nrocur.. 
 
 a -eagre lunch of mould, biscuit and jerjte; 
 
 f'IiUiltl\o lll(tlint;Mn frir.l- ]r,., T . 1 
 
 -1.1. .Ill nacJv Jeadnii; to the wr^f^vi, 
 and it !'ivr fi, , ? , , , '^ \\c.'-tern ocean, 
 
 "-..... <-a;on'ba.;::,::r.r;^::::^jrr''" 
 
 and windows .re dispensed v-^f> ^ ' ;;^'e''^ <^'or.s 
 
 --™...v-.be. .Ls.;t :;:;;::;:;: ;::,j^; 
 
 *' "^^■"' '••^^ ^^'^ r-und.—where table.s are of 
 
 I 
 W 
 
ilAMBLlNGS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 11 
 
 tly by rcpub- 
 ■eaking ditty, 
 J^J uncouth 
 ' tJiG acres of 
 Clients of our 
 ttcs, scrcain- 
 n-ied by the 
 latterinir of 
 sun blaziuf 
 
 o 
 
 amidst the 
 
 forcst,—of 
 I' of inertia 
 ibecile prc- 
 c eoniniou- 
 s, or tlieir 
 athl; tiicir 
 ey of red, 
 i the baui- 
 'h procure 
 
 beef, — of 
 ck; on the 
 'I'll ocean, 
 
 I'anajjui, 
 niULio tiie 
 'Ore door.s 
 ion is a 
 (Hvded by 
 xodus, — 
 
 .sing all 
 ies staud 
 ailed by 
 3.S are of 
 
 
 M 
 
 stone and canoes of mahogany, and where clean water is 
 worth sixpence a glass. 
 
 These sights and sounds are even now fast fading before 
 another, I may not say a better era; and many an inter- 
 esting relic of Panama's acadian days must die unnoted 
 through the continued stream of strangers, and the unwel- 
 come innovation of the iron horse. I too must bid adieu 
 to it, and transport my reader at once through the peaceful 
 waves of the Pacific, and safely land him on the shores of 
 California, where a new panorama, unexampled in history, 
 soon obliterates all the minor incidents of the journey. 
 
 Perhaps no country, in her dawning efforts of existence, 
 ever moie suddenly or successfully leaped into life, or 
 started on a more propitious career, than California; pre- 
 destined, as she certainly seems to be, with her twin sister 
 Australia, to wake to life and develop the long slumber- 
 ing energies of a hemisphere, every way capable of sup- 
 porting tlu'ir millions of intelligent and taught beings. 
 The full blaze of the nineteenth century has shed its clear 
 light upon her priujary exertions ; the lustre of improved 
 science i.-^ able and willing to guide her every power of 
 invention or appropriation, while no antiquated prejudice 
 of political or religious bigotry, ur ancient animosity of 
 locai classes need be any obstacle in her onward course. 
 lOvery nation, not only of Christendoni, but we may say 
 the universo, has tendered its quota of youth, determina- 
 tion and talent ; her mineral, agricultural and commercial 
 attributes stand unri^alled, and her prominent position on 
 the map as an invincible operator for good or evil on the 
 Pacific's countless legions of barbaric tribes, gives her an 
 influence, which if riabtlv annroTtriated, nr.\y allow her 
 supremacy for centui'ies to come. All these have, of 
 
•vAMj:i.I.\(, 
 
 Ar.IFoRNj^ 
 
 themselves, contributed 
 
 state, suffi'3i 
 Jating philosoph 
 
 ><> iaj the loundation of 
 
 ont to realize the day-dream of 
 
 m 
 
 a model 
 
 ^ny a specu- 
 
 Tlc «>° i" "'"" "'■^" ''^ '''"^'> '» "'-rd with 
 
 to the ocfupatioii of (liose whn ,1 .li i . . 
 
 subtler ael.l „f ,„of,„h ti " '" ''''"' '" ""' 
 
 ":r t'::r '"t.^" r "-" '-- -^- ^ 
 
 '" loss <.>.,c ,!,»„ ,|,e proli,„i„ari,... w„ulr hrt" 
 
 ''"'^1 leai object, nnivorsailv: for monev i ) ' ' Y' . 
 arc of too esscMti.) v.Jn. i. 7,' ' '""^ ^"''''^ 
 
 of f..n , . "^' ^" ^'" ^-^-Pcnded for mevo freakB 
 
 ot tancy, or m pleas „.r the ev nf t1, • 
 
 Ti,; 1 X. . ^ ^"* '.^'- "t t!ie coririoissenr. 
 
 I 
 
UAMULINOS IN CALlFOilNIA 
 
 13 
 
 'on of a model 
 many a specu- 
 O'lmllj fulfill 
 
 y the iJiutlier'8 
 to accord with 
 
 solution, and 
 patience to 
 ee for inspec- 
 =0'^ and effect* 
 
 rove in the 
 ('ortain it ia 
 
 voliiptuariea 
 II the van of 
 ig pointed to 
 ignitude are 
 il operation, 
 
 have been 
 It hyperbole, 
 iHist be the 
 itered upon. 
 f' it a public 
 
 the irrand 
 1' .uid time 
 more froake 
 Jcur. 
 
 int for the 
 iivc sprung 
 I'nod aside 
 ads graded 
 he echoing 
 
 in 
 
 4 
 
 
 '1 
 
 Tlio .-tafo of ih'- Pro.-s may ?crve a?; a valuable eritiTiou 
 tu typifv the pro.-pority and uoiwral tastes of tlifi poople 
 in iiioi^t cuiintrics — wl!'.'rf such a thijig exists — an-i as th(! 
 ('alifoniia iicwsp;ipv;x. in nuineri'-al value, in (■oinparison 
 to tlu; population, arc far alioail of ail o'tlicr State.--, so are 
 thoy in .'Ml\';mce i.-f tlu'. ( liief |,ni-t in t;iste. diuiiitv and 
 jud^iDenl. Many, f'l be sure, ;ire jiuerile and linie-stTAinu' 
 tra.-li, niiide u;. of .-l-rii:;' and r!iildi.-b bravado, or v.-itli 
 profuse selci-iii)!!-; from the '•y;ill('r kivored " ]r.ol;s i.f tiie 
 Ned Huntline .-ehool. oriuimdly manufictiu'ed (u -uit the 
 t;!:-tcs and cjipjieities of the iaetoy girls, or tin:' ••;ibie t .• 
 read lolks" tliat i'nrin >ueh an iniportnnt item in the Xew 
 England census. Hut as niaiiy incubi of t!ic .--a.nie trenViS 
 liavc lon'r di.-^L-'ra.eed tiie older States — e^De^v room becom- 
 ini: :«i/aa-ee — sonic liuve no doubt, to the superlative deiiuht 
 of their more inteliiucnt readers, moved tlieir location t-> 
 the I'a.eiiie shore, and Inflicted the euvsc of their jiresonee 
 on t][o uiiibitunato gohl seekers. But it is a cross thcv are 
 bound to cndur". and ii will no dou1>t be mitiiratcd in TI<'a- 
 vcn's own ;;ood tiini\ San Francisco, at the jirescnt time, 
 issues nu>re than thirty; most of them ton, are conducted 
 by talent('<l iirMl disecrnip.ir men. and more than one. indeed, 
 rcsondjlc iii their editnrials. the calm diuaiityand unflinch- 
 ing imh^peiidence of such a pnpor as the London TlDia, 
 than could be (wpeeted in an Americiui journal, devoted, 
 as they te'o commonly are, to the vilest purposes of p^artv. 
 and buuiul in all thinus to the beck uf the liiu'lie.-t bidder. 
 But lierc, taste and education exist in a vcrv laru'e propor- 
 tion, and as often are the properly of inoleskin as of bruad- 
 clutli ; in consequence a proper reward has before been 
 
 2iven editors of a suuerior tone, who could thu« '!^-<^ b" 
 
 '■ ' 'J 
 
 the Ic'jitiniato proceed.^ of their intellectual labnr, witliout 
 
 i; J 
 
u 
 
 RAMIU.lMl.v iv t,ll.ll.',>.!.NIA. 
 
 dceeuJi,,,, to ,1,0 ,lo,-|,i.a.Ie .ricl.s of .o.,lji„, ,,„j .„ff 
 -ns ..uhv.cluuk, and lvi„„ ,„ „3e ,n,Ma. a. l.,.;. ^ 
 
 pi- 
 
 d 
 
 tlici 
 
 1^- lo"t oyo„ „,„o„. ,|,e „„,,, ,■„„,„,,„, .„„, ,,^^ ^ 
 '.c.r most ,e.,K.et.blo ...oln<.v,.,„oo,., i. ,„o ,l„„..oro,„ ,/ 
 
 «. bout th,, d,,.u.^„„g aniflcial Mi,„ul„s. It ,„.„. 
 '"<)«'l, a„ „u-«nt,ov.,rtil.l,. „..i„„i, with ,I,c,h: .atcr™ of 
 
 body pol,„.-like n„ auto^.d-oao d„ ,„ „r„„i • o .'hL 
 
 Wl. .1,.. couc-odc-l po,„t,, ,l,c ,„u,.l, ,.re,,„r .onvon e„c« 
 .ccap,ta„„„ a ..li,,,,,. ,„„„,,„, ,„ „„„ „,, ,^ J; 
 
 I'onnnoro Cooper, to ,vIh.,„ Atuori,..,,- ■„,. ,' 
 
 indebted for provi,,.- t., ,be„ n, \ '""■''' 
 
 eo.dd he r„. I n " '■■' """ •"' -\"'<^'if.->n book 
 
 '■ "■""""' "•"'"■"••''' ''•>"■•- -■'•ti^.an.i 
 
 eul .0 ,u„ a pertee, iitera.y ..auMtlet. be.ide. bein. 
 
 arr ,,,„„ ,„,„^, ,„^^^ ..„„„„„„,,„^^,^ ^^.,,^ ,_. ,^ « 
 
 uid aflord to l,e ,„.t to the ,„o,ives and aetion. of a 
 b 1= o„e,t,v, w,tbo,.. deteriorating. ,>„„ .1,0 bonor of hi., 
 
 ".Unc land „,„„en, at rare intervak«en:H,o .brow 
 
 ■^^'"'^'■'"''"'^'•■"'^■^■U:.,:...„U,,.,, Z 
 
 niiliviMble republie. 
 
 Thi. unsafe sy.K.n „,■ ,ia,t,,-in,u ^ell-enee,„. is, to bo 
 ^ ".-e, pronnncntly observable i„ ,bo IVifie IVe.ss, and i, 
 -Uo bo wondered at, ,vb<n.eb„o.,b«tthoele,„„: 
 
 t::: I ": ^"' ■"""*'''^- "-'-«' ""•■' '>'•• -oient 
 
 '" '" ^-'■- '^''''■'" '"''-'''^ '•' ncfoni.m'o with their 
 
 I 
 
 
liA\i;MN(J.S !\ (AI.IKOllMA. 
 
 If) 
 
 'ing ;u)J puff, 
 trgf. 
 
 '> I'i'iic'uluu.ily 
 •ind iinproju- 
 tlio lustre of 
 l;niocroii3 sya- 
 '<--i)i lonccordl, 
 ki-'loped quito 
 (' tatlicrland, 
 it seems, 
 ^e caterers of 
 .'piiblie, jKs a 
 g; ovcrlook- 
 (3' unhitppily 
 (.'OMvcnienco 
 .'I iimititude. 
 <■ '•«> luuob 
 icrlean book 
 • critics, and 
 f^i<Io8 being 
 b bis Jearn- 
 v'^ of fiction 
 '(.•tidnf- of a 
 lonor of hi^ 
 d (o tbrow 
 ''' "lit.' and 
 
 . is, to bo 
 ■es!<, and i« 
 « (doineote 
 bs^ ancient 
 With their 
 
 S 
 ■I 
 
 ;1 
 
 iVauclii.M' system, can mise ri barrier ugiiin.it tlvi f^ross 
 fnaids and outrage,-* openly professed and practiced by ber 
 tinic-r>crvin;;- and ini(juitou.s government, tbe I'ros.s will 
 \no>t as>!u\dly be prominent, provi(K-d it retain tbe su- 
 periority it biis ah'cndy obtained in advance of tbe sister 
 States. It bas not been witbuut a n..(Vt-crrul stru-julo. tbat 
 diuse pajicis ba\t: maintained tbeir iiuUipcndcnee and 
 iVeedoai. M«»re tbnn one lias paid bis life for liis princi- 
 ples, and soreral liave undergone tbe, unpleasant process 
 of being c<)\vbided in tlndr s:inctun!s for telling tbe trutb 
 unpolitely, and tbus lacerating tbe feelii;gsof certain tbin 
 skinned gentlemen, t<;o (diivalrous to trust tbe redress of 
 tbeir grievances to nn impartial jurv of tbeir (Mmntrvmen 
 Tbe total population of tbe State, bas been estimated to 
 range at tbe present time in tbe neigbl)orbood of .'iOO.OOO, 
 allowing for tbe average increase since tbo census of '52; 
 tbe incvea.se niostly accruing from tbe plains — as tbe dif- 
 ference between tlepartures and arrival, by tbo ocean 
 steamers is luit trifling, tbougb leaving a small balance- 
 mostly of tbe fair sex — in favor of tbe countrv. Tb<^ 
 ligures in tbe census, were, probably, as near tbe trutb a,4 
 could be expected ; but, bowever, no great dependence 
 can be placed in thy' official returns, wben we consider 
 tbe extremely fre*; .and easy manncf. in wV.ieb a lar'^o 
 portion oi" tin- p, ople fancy to exist. Tbousands arc 
 literally b.nneless. Largo bodies of miners keep in per- 
 j.ctual motinn from bar to guleb. and guleb to canon, in 
 pursuit of variety, or paying dirt. (.)tlicrs are out career- 
 ing on ilie boundle.-s prairies, in jmrsuit of game, leaving 
 no better luilf at borne, to provide tlie :i].},licant witb tbe 
 recjuisite information. Orlwv.M i,u^ a^^ c.-.,t.-,>f,, j ,... 
 ran^bes. fur ofT in secluded vdliey. tl 'ir wIi^reaboutH a 
 
ii; 
 
 llAMBLI\(;s IN CAI.il 
 
 OllNiA. 
 
 ■".v.«tor3. ,„ .„, ,„,, u,e,„,Hlvo., or . oha,,.-,. ,v...,,Wvr wi,„ 
 
 .-■--."....Ihlv „s„, ,„ „„„.. „„„, ,, ,^„. I „ ,■ 
 
 -^V- ;--m,, t,,i., ,h. pn:,v,.n,ial vn..,i,v .„,,k4 t^ 
 
 '•"^ •' tiiitvlv and ilK^'al l,ri).,. i.' ,. ■ . ' 
 
 ,-'^'<u.! ii,h iu tncron.-us. worearonunf...] r ,. ;, 
 
 1"^.. .1.1,0,1,; ,„,L , |,.|. ,.,,„|,| I . 
 <^^'^v „„o, „]„,„ it i, ,^, ., ■;" '•" *' '" 
 
 ■- "'^ "^ 1- .-^.l-cod iV„,„. Alk., ti,c. oi.i.e„., l,„li,,„ 
 
 -K g.n,,e,..,, or Ar,.u.,, o,.i,i,, ,,,,„„,„„, ^^..;, ; ; 
 
 -,«,.,.,. oo,.„„„,p.,U,B,,,v tho ex.,.e,„e ^ i; 
 
 '':~''''l' ''■-■"■ -'■■-10- «.. 1.0 1, ■,,o..,l.u-;.i,o„ti,...„-,,,, 
 
 plOXlOM. ''•■ 
 
 l"-'""'"iuato. Tl,o r',.o„ol,. „iso, to,-,, ,„ ."''^"'-" 
 |,„bi, I • ■'" '•'l'>.i"Jlu-r.. liiuol, lo ti,oir„w„ 
 
 I' b..lk ot tl,o,„, ,„ <.o„se,|„c.„oo, 01,00.0 Umn. for ,|.eir 
 <lwo ling plaoos, „horo ,,n oxi.tonoo ,„nv bo piokod „, b 
 
 ^■"""' ""■ """"''•' ''"'l totally „,or,opoli.o,i (1,0 
 
 -4 
 
 -». 
 
i!.^^ll^],l^^.> IN (A 1,1 KOI? N I A . 
 
 17 
 
 (•^' wajfaror who 
 '- "'Je the hoards 
 Jitary mountain 
 i'xeo],t in their 
 ^ui( of ".i'ruL," 
 ty ;ui(l oaroh'-.-- 
 offiei'tls. roniJcr 
 lii^'h to ,'pri)i a 
 ■'■'t L'Mvcnniicnt 
 JiH'iir, by means 
 •■^1 t'ormiii^i t];o 
 •I' in -,[ .separate 
 tlic'ir )-c5;t)oc- 
 'J tar fn.rn an 
 i'o<rineous olc- 
 i>'-^''is, .Indian^ 
 hccn honoroi] 
 ^'"omc facility 
 -hout iuiporti- 
 ■r(.'>< and <■:,)]]- 
 
 u'ui>. ("hinose, 
 '!t re- publics, 
 u important 
 t<' their <nvn 
 filled ao-;;iij.<|; 
 tion nf fJieni 
 ■'^ avocatidns 
 tvn.s fur their 
 ickod up, by 
 its of others. 
 'p'">li'/ed the 
 
 m 
 
 
 
 boot-black iiiii' plofessioii. but now it a[.jiears about ciiually 
 divided with the negroes, thoy are uenerallv found in 
 cvowd.s round the priticipal hotel-; in San Francisco, brush 
 in hand, asking eniploynient. They likewise cry all the 
 fish — manufacture liot de,u<dinuts, with a portable cookinr^ 
 apparatus, at the street corners — orind knives, aiul jteddle 
 cheap citrnrs. calces and frn.it. The mouicd classes uene- 
 rally invest their capital in restaurants, uand^ling saloons. 
 ;ind drinkiu';- shops, which are extensively patronised by 
 all nations, from their ;^reat sliill in culimiry affairs, and 
 the univ(Msal taste they manifest in adorning and "gettin'^ 
 up," eoui»!ed with a i:re;;t spirit of ])olit''ness. and inclina- 
 tion to e.\eel in the art oi' pleasing'. 
 
 The Spanish .\meric;ins are hold in soverciL'u contempt 
 by citizens, ami arc stigmatized with being filthy, ignorant, 
 lazy and vicious. But this report mu.st be received with 
 great caution on account of the antipathy between the 
 races, engendered by th. Anunican war, and constantly 
 fed by little acts of aggression by both parties, and. in 
 truth, it must be owned that the poor Spaniard has been 
 more sinned against than sinning. Hundreds have been 
 murdered, or ruthlessly driven from their homes, for acts 
 «>f dcjo'cdation committed by Americans. No s,u,,m>r is a 
 crime committed, than su.^picion falls immediately on some 
 unfortunate Mexican or (,'liileno, and as is often the case, 
 where the people bcconu' the executive, the accusers are 
 by no means expected to prove the victim guilty, but he i.s 
 commanded to establish liis innocence, and but little time 
 is allowed for the operation. They have, in nuuiy cases, 
 suffered more persecutions, even tlian the Chinaman, from 
 the simple cause that his natural liaiightiness leads him to 
 resent oppression, and his heart burn?^ for revenge, which 
 
18 
 
 KAMiiLINUS IN CALIi-'UKM A. 
 
 m 
 
 IS often fVarfully ubtairuMl. They huvc apparently come, 
 not for tlio imrposc of aocumulating woaltli, but to live 
 easily a.ul enjoy life. IJut when compelled to work, no 
 more skilful or industrious miner can be found than the 
 ffambnsino of .Sonora. When the cxehe.iuer is flourishing 
 they dress like hi.lal-os, and puff their n);,n'iioe,, iuter^ 
 minably, au.l are found with tastefully adjusted wanfo, 
 around their darling monte table, a uiatter of necessity to 
 them at such times ; as a people they are extremely qriu r- 
 ous nnd polite, thouo-h very reserved, and seem happy 
 and contented when supplied with melons and cards, with 
 something to play for, 
 
 The Germans, as is usual with tlu^m in other countries, 
 .-•re industrious, orderly and contented, and appear to be! 
 with the Anglo-Saxon, the only people well adapted to bo the 
 progcuitc rs of new nations. They are, in the main, very 
 unpopular with American and Irish laborers, because no 
 reduction of witges, will tempt them to pluck up a spirit 
 and strike for a higher remuneration. They .-seem satisfied 
 also, when in business for themselves, with slow, but 
 constant returns, which, together with the essential gift.s 
 of economy and sobriety— except, perhaps, a strong pen- 
 chant for %.v />;>>•— in most cases, even here, are surely 
 conducive to prosi)erity. The extreme facility with wh' ^h 
 they ac(juire the Knglisli to.iguc, and the habits of the 
 ruling people, conspire to hopeful success in localities, 
 where mendicancy would alone present itself to the thrift- 
 less minds of many others, who look with contempt upon 
 German thrift. 
 
 As for the Italians— who are fortunately not veiy 
 numerous, they are .-hiefly of tiie lowest ela.ss, and manage 
 to slide through, in the round of existence, as that classic 
 
 
 M: 
 
FiAMBLINC.S IN rA[,iri)nNl A. 
 
 19 
 
 i1 
 
 ntly come, 
 5ut to live 
 > work, no 
 I than the 
 flourish inpj 
 foes, inter- 
 L'd mantoA 
 ccessity to 
 elj gviif r- 
 em happy 
 ardri. with 
 
 t'Oiiritric.';!, 
 ear to be, 
 1 to be the 
 lain, very 
 'cause no 
 p a spirit 
 1 .satisfied 
 ^low, but 
 tiul giftji 
 on<,' pen- 
 re .«urely 
 th wli' ^h 
 ts of the 
 oealitics, 
 bo th)-it't- 
 npt upon 
 
 !0t 
 It] 
 
 it classi*; 
 
 very 
 
 
 
 
 f 
 
 people arc wont to do, in their own sunny land. That is, 
 tliey beL'. sleep, or grind Imrdy-gurdys. It has often been 
 a -juery with inquirutive persons, and those fond of the 
 marvellous, by what stroke of fortune the dark-eyed 
 sij^uors were eonveyod liither, and what could be their 
 object y The most reasonable soluti(ni to the problem, 
 seems to be, that they had some shadowy idea of lazzaroni, 
 wliite mice, and tambourines, being up in the market, 
 and essential to the well-being of (,'aliiuniia society. 
 
 r>ut the most sfciiking feature in all this varied crowd — 
 at least to a freshly arrived stranger — are the Chinese 
 residents. Evt!ry .spot where their presence is tolerated 
 >ecms oeeu}iied, and they appear particularly attached to 
 their own select society, for it is an extreme rarity when 
 a ,-ulitary .specimen is discovered straying from the fold of 
 iiis brrthrcii. The emigration was a perfect rush during 
 the years of T)] and '52 ; for the next two years, most 
 probably from the evil eye with which they w^ie regarded, 
 it sensibly declined, but has again commenced as briskly 
 as ever. The pictures on the tea-boxes, grotesque as they 
 may a])pcar, are in many rcsjtects good resemblances of 
 the (tri^inal. but it must be (.wned by their greatest 
 :.dmirc:-s tluit tlie fitney sketches have most wickedly 
 naiterrd the undt'\ iatiiig coarseness uf the celestial coun- 
 tenance. A dreary sameness exist.s throughov', both in 
 form and feature, and both experience and perspicacity are 
 rceuisite in (»rder to puint out onaJoJin from another, with 
 any degree of accuracy. They have all the same angular 
 features, almond shaped eyes, coiidcal cues and ridiculous 
 inexpressibles or petticoats ; the article in question having 
 about an equal claim to either the masculine or feminine 
 tegument. They don't wall:, but ( ontvivc to scuttle alontr 
 
20 
 
 UA.MIW.INCS IN fAUroilNIA, 
 
 orncwhat afto,- ,l,o fi.l,!,,,, ,„• ,,„ „|„,,„„, „„„,. ,„„,.,^,, 
 for wat,.,-, .In,,.,.;,,,- tl,c fcH al,.„. i„ ,|,c „,„., „,„„„,i; 
 ">""...■.■ ,v,H,.„t .aisinjr flKm, ; ,l„.ir .•!,n„.v, ,l,iol<.s„|o.l 
 ^Ime, hnwovor, ,„ay ..wiallj- u.,hI ,„ .!»• .1„.,„ „,i, 
 ruliculous nppcaniucc. 
 
 Miners and .,(1,.,. ,„„.,i,„ «.|,„ ,,„,, ,,|,,,||^.,| ,|^^,^^^ ^.^.^^^^^ 
 va™u.s places i.ave ,eeeive,l stro,,,- ceusure fV,,,,, some 
 pMlam „-„p,s,,s f,„. the oonto,.pe „„.l „fte„ worse usa,.o 
 
 TThu-h ".f„l,„ _„s tl,e Chinaman is li liaHy ter.nedl 
 
 .as recen,,, ,„ „,eir l,an,ls. Anih.mt a,.on,p,in. to 
 ,iu« .fy those par„os i„ ,l,eir unwarmntabh. pr.,eee,lL..s 
 Wll, ., «-e nnpartially ,la„ee at the suhjeet, >vc shall fin,! 
 ^ome cause for this apparently ernel anin,osity. |„ the 
 tot place, every thin, in connection wiH, then,, s„ en- 
 P .a .cally n,arb then, out as a ,,:.,,,,.. ,„,,,, ,, „^ ,, '. 
 
 .-an,,y fron, ,l,e Oe„r,iu,n Si.lns, had the p„w " 
 ioco,not,on already obtained access to that rcn.ote planet 
 rh,s e.rcumstanee is rp.ite sufficient to excite the prejudice 
 o many „. ,t ,s a reeo.ni.cd fact, the anta.onii, illnt: 
 
 ad a Ifo, ,,n ,n„ovat,ons. lin, „ ,„ore logical and seri: 
 
 ""^, "''•'.«"°"' »- "'■■^^'i h tlH.' opponen; to Asiatic 
 c-.u«ra,n,n. It .as publicly l.nown ti.at , ,y of the 
 
 r specs f,„ , ord.nary arrivals Iron, other countries, who 
 "0 to cn,.,cl. tl,e,.,selvcs individually, and very often to 
 
 powe. o the .state, a-ul in the end, perhaps, to becon,c 
 bench , ^ ^^ theVconteude 
 
 <o«ld never be hoped for from the Chinese. for-t„ .J 
 ™tn,„g of mutual scorn between the ,„o raecslfhc 
 
 .3 
 
•lAMlU.IN<iS IN TAT.IKOKNIA 
 
 'Zl 
 
 Lirdo n);ikin<r 
 •O'^t uncouth 
 ', tliit'k-solod 
 f llx'iii this 
 
 1 them from 
 iVoiii some 
 worse usajre 
 Ij termed — 
 empting to 
 >roeeccHngs, 
 e f^h.'tll find 
 tj. In the 
 lem^ so eni- 
 p, that they 
 ;)ecimens of 
 powers of 
 lote planet, 
 e projiidice 
 lism almost 
 ) parvenus, 
 il and sori- 
 to Asiatic; 
 y of these 
 t'd in all 
 tries, who 
 y often to 
 vealth and 
 to become 
 on tended, 
 
 )r til am7 
 
 "■ J 
 
 aces — the 
 
 priiuiji.il anivals in tho^.' days, cunsi»tcd of nomin.ii 
 freemen, but absolute jitona in reality, attended by keen- 
 witted masters, who krpt tlicm earefuil) alo<»f, and assidu- 
 ously endeavored to prevent ;til coiumunieatioii witb whiten, 
 (( la Ci no/ ill II So II //I. 
 
 It was a>>erted that th(y Were ori^iiutlly enuaiied in 
 their own ('(nuitiy for u eertain small sum pai<l in advaneo, 
 the said sum to be li(|uid:ited by a few dollars paid month- 
 !}•, which was barely suiheient to furnish their wardrobe 
 riu! proceeds of their labor meanwhile bein^- dej)osited in 
 the hand> uf the oHieer in ehar!;e. The disbursements 
 alsd were liiiht in tlie extreme, as a ear<;n of riee i:cnerally 
 aeeompanied thttii. -utheient for their consumption during; 
 theirsdjourn in the uiiconi;cnial land of the "outside bar- 
 barians." MS thev rat})er unpolitely designate all poor fel- 
 lows iHit natives of the celestial empire. This state of 
 affair- was not merely an evil, but an outrage of serious 
 import, eallini: haidly for redress, both fn.m it« inconsis- 
 tency with the institutions of a free country, and the 
 prohtlcss (Iraimige of treasure tu enrich the coffers of a 
 foreign and barbarous dcspotisjn. As this trade in Coolies 
 lias now ceased, together with importing for theniselven, 
 merchants arc now tlu.'ir best friends, and miners treat 
 them with much less active hostility than formerly— but 
 not less contemptuously — and John has learnt to take all 
 scurrilous jests on his anatomical structure, and all oppro- 
 ))rious epithets, with grinning affability, as the surest 
 method of preserving a sound Chinaman. Ju the town.s 
 their main occupation consists in washing for the public, 
 and trading with each other, and many of their merchants, 
 short as their residence h?s been, have already aceuiriu- 
 lated handaonu? fortunes. In r}i,- different uiiuiug se«!tion8, 
 
 (J 
 
* 
 
 22 
 
 RAIIHLINOSJ IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 -wlicrc thoy arc foiirul in the greatest numbers, they gene- 
 rally work earth which has been eonsidered unpayable by 
 white men, and seldom reject it, while it produces a daily 
 average of one dollar per man. Often, too, wh^n they 
 accidentally .stumble on a spot where the pro.spects are 
 favorable, they are summjuily ejected, by any lucky indi- 
 vidual who fancies to claim the ground, or else pay u 
 handsome price for the privilege of non-interference In 
 large camps where laws exist, a right of purchase is gene- 
 rally respected, but in ob.scure diggings, it is not so," and 
 too often the new-comers succeed each other so fast, that 
 the actual discoverer, is at last obliged to give up his 
 ground in despair. This is most likely a reason wliy a 
 contempt for veracity is imputed to them, for on ques- 
 tioning a Chinaman as to the paying properties of his 
 claim, the invariable reply is "No good, John— two pans, 
 hap cent— no hab got— no make licey,"— (Rice.) Thej 
 rarely attempt a legal action, even with each other, which 
 is no small sign of sagacity and prudence, for although 
 the law would very willingly go through the form "of 
 dealing the commodity out to them, it would, very aptly, 
 be the monkey system— and they generally excuse the 
 court the trouble of stripping them. 
 
 They have striven hard, at various intervals, to be 
 allowed the practice of jurisdiction among themselves; 
 but as bad precedent has occurred in Java, and other 
 places, where this privilege was conceded to them by the 
 Dutch, and afterwards retracted, from the abuse of the 
 power thus granted to them, it has been concluded, here, 
 to deal them out law, when required, after the ftishion of 
 barbarians. Expensive as the most frugal fare has always 
 x>eeu in tliis country, the Chinaman contrives to subsist 
 
 4 
 
 '* 
 ^ 
 
HAMULI N08 IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 23 
 
 r.i, they gene- 
 unpayable by 
 tluces a daily 
 h whin they 
 prospects are 
 y lucky iudi- 
 r cbe pay a 
 'fcronce. In 
 base is gene- 
 not so, and 
 so fast, that 
 give up his 
 3ason wliy a 
 for on fjues- 
 rties of hi.s 
 — two pans, 
 ice.) They 
 >ther, which 
 or although 
 he form of 
 very aptly, 
 excuse the 
 
 vals, to be 
 heniselves ; 
 
 and other 
 'lem by the 
 'Use of the 
 ided, here, 
 
 ftishion of 
 has always 
 
 to subsist 
 
 ■i 
 
 -'X 
 
 on a very trifling outlay of the circulating niediuiu. 
 Their diet chiefly consists of pig and vegetable!, the lat- 
 ter, with the e.\ception of rice, being greatly aided by the 
 spontaneous productions of the country, for they are 
 excellent herbalists. These they cook with great skill and 
 complexity, and handle their slender chop-sticks with 
 dexterity and despatch, keeping up a constant colloquy 
 with each other during the busiest and most interesting 
 periods of the feeding process. Every thing possibly 
 edible, however, is aceptable to the Oriental palate ; the 
 coarsest of ofTal and small fl.sh, lizards, rats, fat puppies, 
 and all such abominable contributions, are gratefully 
 accepted by John's capacious, and ostrich-like stomach. 
 But rough as the raw material may have been, there is 
 nothing disgusting in the appearance when served ; indeed, 
 nothing can exceed the neatness and cleanliness of their 
 cooking arrangements. But much as others may contemn, 
 there are doubtless many good points, worthy of imita- 
 tion, that act as a heavy counterbalance, to the more disa- 
 greeable phases of this extraordinary compound of civili- 
 zation and barbarism. They are, without exception, the 
 most law-abiding class in the community; it is a great 
 rarity when one of them cuts up a freak worthy of the 
 recorder's notice, and even then he is seldom the aggressor, 
 but merely acting in a becoming manner of self-defence. 
 Bu. ' V, ti rliis latter becomes a crime in the eyes of the 
 la's ■ • u Chinaman's evidence is worthless against a 
 citizen. They are temperate in the use of alcoholic 
 liquors, extremely economical, and industrious as bees. 
 Although well satisfied with a small compensation for their 
 labors, there is no injury to other ouerativts, on the score 
 of competition, as they mostly keep aloof, and live and 
 
 1 f 
 
 w 
 
24 
 
 W 
 
 fUMHLIA'.^s [X CAI. [FORMA. 
 
 trade with each other fn avocations nn<i localities that 
 would be utterly de.orte.l hut for their nntirin. patience 
 .'ind per,«everanee. 
 
 It is to be deeply r.-trictted that the ritrht hand of fel- 
 owsh.p and Christian charity ha. not been n.ore freely 
 -Klered to this .-tefuland deeply thinking peopled 
 ^\ho can tell the astounding effect such a course niiUt 
 bavc ultin.ately had on the destinies of the world, a^ul 
 the march of the only true civilizer, ti.e Christian relioion ^ 
 Let ,t be ren.embered that this inoeni.us race, end>ncino 
 a^ they do such a huge proportion of earth's inhabitants^ 
 ^■^>^ remam steeped in the darkest night of idolatry, and 
 notwuhstanding tho clou<l of nnssionaries who have'noblv 
 gwen their talents, fortunes and lives, fV>r thedod-like 
 motive of heathen conversion, their efforts have almost 
 Oten as naught, and treasure^ of worldly wealth, and, 
 What ,s worse still, treasures of human intellect and vir- 
 tue, uave been hopelessly s,|uandered as worthless thinos 
 t-ut.t would actually appear as if the Deity himself l^^d 
 blued h,s own good time, and h,>re, on the sho,os of the 
 once lonely J'acilic-where the oldest race n.ay e.nbraee 
 .M>u fratern.se with the newest-had placed his holy stand- 
 ■-^■^]^ ="Hl n.arked it ,mt as a grand rallyintr irround and 
 urnversity, to provide the whole heathen woHd with in- 
 Flructors, of potent and lasting infiuencc-preaehers of 
 ih, gospel a.ul men of their own language and kindred 
 ^^•S th.s ,s of all others the most effective field in the 
 world to make converts, whose future efforts mi-ht well 
 be crowned with sueeess on their return to the\nd of 
 then- nut.y.ty ; but, alas ! such a consummation ean scarcely 
 bo looked forbythemostenthusiustie. wher<^ brutal it- ind 
 c^ontetiipt are exercised, instead of Christian forbea'rance 
 aud brotherly love. 
 
 M 
 
 i 
 
 W 
 
m 
 
 KAMBLl.NOS IN CALITORMA. 
 
 25 
 
 loealiticf; fhat 
 'ir\n<y patioiici' 
 
 Iiaiid of fel- 
 moro freely 
 Ivin^' people, 
 course luioht 
 ? world, and 
 i.'Ki religion ^ 
 \, embracing 
 inhabitants, 
 idolatry, and 
 » bave nobly 
 be (Jod-like 
 bave almost 
 caltb, and, 
 • ct and vir- 
 iloss tilings, 
 liniself had 
 10)0^ of tlie 
 ay embrace 
 holy stand- 
 nvMind and 
 d with in- 
 ■eachers of 
 d kindred, 
 old in the 
 might well 
 Ke land of 
 n s-ijarcely 
 itaiity and 
 •rbea ranee 
 
 t 
 
 51 
 
 Of the hist, thougli not least, the famous Anglo-Saxon, 
 a title uuw monopolised by all who claim the English for 
 their nutivo tongue. lie is here, as be appears determined 
 to be in all places eventually, the head, heart, and tonguo 
 of all ; and if he has somewhat misapplied his genius, and 
 degenerated in the observance of the moral code, and in 
 some of the nobler applications of his intellectual nature — 
 by comparative estrangement from the society of virtuous 
 females — exertions for the accumulation of wealth liave 
 been proportionably stimulated, and his native daring and 
 iiiternal strength have been multiplied four-fold. 
 
 The most numerous and important of this section of 
 tlie (jenna homo, are, of course, the citizens of the United 
 States. The native American presents himself to the 
 foreigner visiting the Atlantic States, according to the 
 provincialism of his birth place, and some of the most 
 h-ublinie blunders have been perpetrated by European tra- 
 vellers, by setting down the peculiarities of an individual, 
 or even of a State, as a national sample of the whole, 
 seeming to overlook the fact that Connecticut, for example, 
 may not in all instances set the fashions to commonwealths 
 having the most trifling connection with her, scarcely an 
 idea in connnon, and more than a tliousand miles off ! 
 'i hey might, indeed, almost with the same show of reason, 
 exhibit a " broth of a boy" from the wilds c^ Connemnra, 
 for a staid citizen of Whiteehapel — or a Cossack of the 
 t'on, for a Baltic fisherman. 
 
 But here we may speculate on the characteristics of an 
 individual representative, from what portion we please, 
 and shall thus obtain a juster criterion of them, as a total, 
 than we could by the minutest inspeetion from Maine to 
 Texas. The genuine Yankee, from the land of "fixins," 
 
 C2 
 
"% 
 
 2C 
 
 RAMBL!N«;.s £N rAUFORNJA. 
 
 ^^^.^.I^ dctoaod by hi. bu.,li„g habit,, „a,ai intoua.iou, 
 ..d ecc.„„u-,. .,,„.uatio,.s: the, will often manufacture: 
 the „ea„s ,,, a hvehhoed, and hy even the foundation of 
 .. f^.rtune, rom the n.o.t ineou.prehen.ihie, unthoupht of 
 
 "'^ '"'.'"''"r """''' »"'" "l"'«"«l' their expemuents 
 
 woo,„,. ,he li,.l.!e ,..Jde,s. are frc,ue„t failiros like 
 • - < --1- spuler, the, return a,„in ,„ the har.e, un- 
 it"'' T, "' '^ ""'''""^ '' ""'^"^ "■"-'-' -"■ 
 success. Lhey are ,n u,o.«t eases the instiirators of every 
 
 -•■"*.■ permanent and ,o„d. Churches and Schools, Hos- 
 
 . ,a,s and Asjlnrns, and „,„„beriess institutions of benefit, 
 
 ..« oeeply .ndcbted to their exertions in the cause of hu 
 
 --.,,, wh,le the low .rogueries already n.anifest disgust 
 
 "d u„cas,„ess at their presence. Though e.vtre.nely p"." 
 
 sp,nted ,n their gifts, they are trcn.endously attld.ed 
 
 ^•tht^;, ° ^^'"»"--7f-w''ilc petty thefts are viewed 
 Will. upe,la ,ve contnn.ely, j;ig„„tio ,•,.„„,,, ,,, ,,„,^.^^, 
 
 too often w,th u„,,uali(ied approbation. 
 
 1 our b'hoy of New Vorl- i„ .. m- , . 
 
 h-iif „f .1, , , ' --"^ rollicking fellow— 
 
 fi.'it "t them arc dentists— drcssv if he ,•■„, . ff i •. 
 "-vch adicted ,0 heavv Viti , , ' "'"' 
 
 ;;;-;' •■-;^ many things W. „,„,/,,/,./>,,,.,,. ,,„,, 
 
 ■';■■"■'': ■■■''■l;;-'«-tlK- nia.erial, will i,,,,s, ,,,,., ,;,,,,,,,,„ 
 
 -™,.en.,ior,K„„.i.Qu:,t.e, the last ,„iarter .o'es ij 
 
 r;,'":'"'^ ■?'' >— trothcr.inhin:,,: 
 
 -;d physiognomy, bu, is I'ar in advaneeof bin, i., his ideCs 
 « -nifet destiny, bniggadoeia and filibusterism. 
 ;. .beral patronucr of the theatrical corps, spouts .< N ' v 
 .Mhe winter of our discontent." and „„,;,' .„ ,,;„"'^ 
 fouudest tnystery of the green room, ..uotes T I t, e 
 """ '^''' ' '*'"■ ••' "-"-■'-, and Calculates wh e 
 
 -:Ci 
 
 s 
 
 i 
 
 ■ t 
 
RAMBf,iN(iS IN rAIJFOHMA. 
 
 27 
 
 li intouatioii, 
 Uianufaoturo 
 oundatioQ of 
 iithought of, 
 experiments 
 itilures, like 
 
 •liarjie, un- 
 'wiicd with 
 n-H of every 
 hools, Hos- 
 '^ of benefit, 
 lu.se of hu- 
 t'est disoust 
 enieJy pub- 
 Ij attaclied 
 are viewed 
 
 looked on 
 
 1' fellow — 
 >i'd it, and 
 lers, lie 
 'i/i's. and 
 iiil\- sport 
 iioi's free 
 He h:is 
 laii»u;(iie 
 bis ideas 
 I Hois 
 ■, "Now 
 tlie pro- 
 ! I*aine, 
 ^ben be 
 
 hidf; adieu ttj this Jrublunary spliere, to a'o soiiiewbere, and 
 bill into the arms of Munroe, the grestt oriiiinator of liis 
 ' iilitieal opinions, and the most renitukablt' man the 
 world ever produced. 
 
 Tbc Kentuckians I'ennsvlvanians and lUu-k-<-ves, are 
 a tbrivinu prudent race, and a]iproaeb the Vankee mode! 
 much in tbeir ideas of thrift and persistence. But their 
 spheres of action differ widely; for whib; the latter 
 eschews bom; and sinew practict', and develops his per- 
 ceptive facidties to the most ample stretch, in the my.stc- 
 riou.s doctrine ot speculative chances, the former plod 
 industriously at e-tablished avocations, and are anionj'' the 
 mo.st industrious and well-doinij; of American citizens. 
 
 'J'he South and S. West — to judpe from that biriic nor- 
 tiorj here, amply displayed for perusal — are far — very far, 
 in tlio rcai'ward, in comparison with those ii; mod, in 
 almost all the essentials that constitute refinement and 
 enlightenment. The curse of slavery with both, and the 
 .semi-barbarous, unrestrained frontier life of the latter, 
 have left an indelible and unplea.sant mark upon tho 
 present ueneration of the workin-j' classes of whites, and 
 desj.ite thv bootless l)oast of free citizen.sbiji, and much as 
 ihcy \,it:\ vaunt their symiiathy for the (biwn trod(h-n 
 masses of Euro].e, the Kus^iaii peasant is fully their c<|Ual 
 in knowledL'e, and their superior i?i intciirity. 
 
 Tbc F. I'"s of the S(»utli. seem to po,<vess all the Jiauub- 
 lincss of (he little (Jernian Prince, minus urbanity ami 
 respect to the laws of tlieir c<nintry ; and it is a sad truth, 
 (bat oven in this countiy. most of tlu; trnoedios enacted 
 have taken their oriein in Southern principles, said prin- 
 ciplc'ir conHistin;^ in tlie higiiwayman's coat of arms, — 
 " mieht (^or money') ii,akes riiibt." 
 
 ii0 
 
28 
 
 KA.MBUNUS IN CALli'OKNIA. 
 
 tonstant commuuicatiou with .laves has done iucedible 
 CV.1 wuh the lab„m,g ela..s of .outher.ors; having it con- 
 M^ntlybdoro their cjes, that their on,plojn,ent i^pi-eoisely 
 HMular to that of an inferior race, and e.vtren,ely unre.nu 
 nerafve besides it can hardly, he supposed, in a country 
 where the moral rein i., held so loosely, that virtue and 
 mdastry can long hold out in the struggle-he resigns iu 
 Jespan. and the sole desire remaining is to calmly loaf hi., 
 clays away. '' 
 
 l-he most poverty-stricken, know-nothing gangs of the 
 bouth, I have n,et with, are the Georgian miners, and 
 dirt eaters rom Carolina. A large nu.nber of the Ueorgians 
 origmally found their way here on tlie Coolie system But 
 on one point they diftered materially from the Asiatics- 
 hat IS, they invariably repudiated all indebtedness on 
 the.r arrival, and after thus whitewashing then.selves 
 connneneed geulogie;,! excavations on their own hook 
 ■ndepcndent as the fourth of July, They are e..tremei; 
 dissipated, and slovenly in their apparel, but good-natured 
 and coninmnieative, while all of them seen, to have an 
 inveterate j„ „,../„„„ f„,. t^^less boots, and crownlcss hats. 
 i he Carolinians are only distinguished from the Georgians 
 by the great delight they manifest in ina..ticating earth 
 but as this i.. an article of consumption, free to all parties,' 
 I don t see that we have any particular right to interfere 
 rrovdcd the ground be not auriferous. From this odd 
 propcnsuy they have been nicknamed Wrteateis or 
 Dirtikins. 
 
 The Loui.ianians fro.u the Crescent City have ideas of 
 the largest dimensious, and boast that the banks of their 
 " Fatber of Waters." caves in more dirt, annually, than 
 wuuia manufacture a better island than Great Britain 
 
 I 
 
RAMP.LINGS IN <'A IJFOBNIA. 
 
 '2U 
 
 )ne iuercdibic 
 aving it con- 
 it is precisely 
 lely unreiuu- 
 iu a country 
 t virtue and 
 e resigns in 
 Ini ly loaf his 
 
 angs of the 
 miners, and 
 e Georgians 
 stem. But 
 ! Asiatics — 
 ' ted n ess on 
 themselves, 
 own hook, 
 extremely 
 od-natured 
 ■0 have an 
 nless hats. 
 Georgians, 
 iug earth, 
 ;ill i)arties, 
 interfere, 
 this odd 
 eaters or 
 
 e ideas of 
 s of their 
 illy, than 
 Britain. 
 
 They .'tr*' brimful of pity and contoiuiif for Nigueri*, 
 Northerners, and Abolitionists from everywhere, are full 
 of «trangc oaths, carry long knives, and patronize brandv- 
 hraa,4i and mintjuleps to any extent, toasting confusion, 
 with all the honors, to Sunday laws and Sons of Tempcr- 
 aneo. 
 
 The Sharp-shooters, ory///.Y>', from the mighty ^iissouri 
 and its tributaries, are often made the butts of their better 
 provided fellow-citizens, and they are, in sooth, commonly 
 speaking, rough and unpolished as their own westein land. 
 They have an instinctive antipathy to salt water, ;ind in 
 (•onse<|uence, the major portion of them wlut have refi-eshed 
 California bv their attendance, are iiilLirims bv I he land 
 vnutc. They are extremely lo([uacioas on the earliest 
 ac({uaintanceship, and woo betide the luckless "stranger" 
 upon wliom they inflict, with their barlmrous dialect, the 
 lights and shadows of life on the plains, for as this soli- 
 tary journey in the wilderness — which they term travel- 
 ling — has been the tirst from the paternal ro<if tree, their 
 memories arc most disagreeably green, ;ind tenacious of 
 the smallest circumstance of adventure. Durinu' the sum- 
 mer of 'oO, a. certain county — far aw;iy in the wilds (»f 
 Missouri — yclept Pike, was taken — without any premoni- 
 tory s)'mptoms whatever — with a wholesale e*netic, and 
 
 fairly inundated the desert — thick as Pharoah's frous 
 
 with shoals of youthful, long-legged, hungry Pikes. To 
 the common query of returners — who met them on their 
 march — of '' Whence come yc ?" the invariable counter- 
 sign was Pike county, and as they brought for their sole 
 heritage, a profounder shade of verdure even than their 
 predeees.sors frotu the same State, their brethren got 
 incongruously classed with them, and th«' biicf coi?non)en 
 
80 
 
 RAMBLINQS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 of Ftke IS now familiarly applied to all. They are a fine- 
 iooking, corn-fed, hardy set of varlets, straight as Indians, 
 and have the aboriginal distaste to aught that savors of 
 drudgery,, but when he snuffs the tainted gale, the puke 
 ;s thar, and ten cent dirt, pick and shovel are dropped 
 in disgust, when the track of a grizzly or antelope is near, 
 for they are all -lost monsters" that come within sight of 
 nis unerring rifle. 
 
 They are a whiskey-loving lot, adepts at the fashionable 
 games of poker and scen-xcp, but are otherwise intensely 
 Ignorant, and are easily directed in their votes by any 
 ^mall politician from their own state, for they are clannish 
 in the extreme, and faithfully attached to their own section 
 of the republic. 
 
 All these varieties are only to be found collected together 
 in tae wonderful menagerie of San Francisco, from whence 
 proceed the different streams of fortune hunters, big with 
 higli hope, and again receives them on their backward 
 route, with spirits exultant or crestfallen, as their varied 
 rates may be. 
 
 The city occupies the north-eastern extremity of the 
 pemnsula, formed by the bay bearing its name on the one 
 side, and by the Pacific on tlie other. The harbor has 
 been materially injured by what has been termed the ex'- 
 tcnsion policy, or sale of water lots by the .^overnn.ent to 
 private individuals, for the professed object of forminc. a 
 Mnkmg fund-an appropriate name, by the way-i„ order 
 to meet the liabilities of the State. But the real use of 
 t^iese ots has been to form palatable tit-bits from his obese 
 l^xcellency to his parasites. So well satisfied did the rulers 
 become with their former experiments in this nlan of 1..k1 
 making, that a fre.h Bill was formed for the^ purpose" of 
 
 9. 
 
RAMIJLINGS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 31 
 
 ey are a fine- 
 it as Indians, 
 at savors of 
 lie, ihe puke 
 are dropped 
 lope is near, 
 iliin sight of 
 
 fashionable 
 se intensely 
 )tes by any 
 ire clannish 
 own section 
 
 ed together 
 t'oni whence 
 's, big with 
 ' backward 
 leir varied 
 
 ity of the 
 on the one 
 Jarbor has 
 ed the ex- 
 rninent to 
 forming a 
 —in order 
 3al use of 
 I his obese 
 the rulers 
 n of land 
 Lirpose of 
 
 ■I 
 
 rescuing another mile from the clutches ef old Neptune. 
 But the former recipients of the bread and fishes being 
 rather impulitically excluded from the next meal, were in- 
 dignant that their rivals should obtain peaceful possession 
 of the city front, while their own wharves and warehouses 
 already existent were contemptuously thrown in the rear — 
 they became in consequence horribly patriotic, denounced 
 the schemers and their nefarious machinations, and openly 
 acknowledged their own delin(iuencies in times gone by ; 
 the press also joined in the crusade against the proceedings, 
 and the city delegation resigned their seats, but were im- 
 mediately re-elected — a democratic principle said to test 
 the will of the majority. The plan was therefore reluc- 
 tantly abandoned for a season, but will doubtless be again 
 agitated on the first propitious opportunity. The poor 
 expectants had to weep over departed hopes, and seek for 
 drier diggings, after making the disagreeable discovery 
 that si'overnment patronaLre and water lots arc both fleeting 
 and unstable things. 
 
 Much uiischief has been already done, for the great 
 business portion is, even now, outside the high water mark, 
 and nearly fills up the crescent which originally existed 
 between the protecting points of the harbor. In a south- 
 fast gale, the position of the residents in many places is 
 much more romantic than comfortable, for the houses un- 
 dulate gracefully to the howl of the tempest, and the 
 surging billows down in the cellar, and form no bad emblem 
 of republican " institutions" in general. 
 
 Many a reverend old tub of a ship, that has been crowded 
 oflf to make way for the splendid race of clippers that now 
 sw.arm upon the ocean, is here laid up Ijig]', and dry, with 
 a mile of street between her and her native element. — 
 
 4 
 
•••> 
 
 KA.MMLI\(;.s IS <:AIJK()H\/a. 
 
 ■l«''li."K house. :.„,! ,.>•,.„ cliua-hcs; a,„| cu-ollem tcno 
 
 -, w„l. ,|„„. ,„„„.|„,i„„, ^^^, 
 
 ''"" """""«-".V"l'afli,„>j,vo,„l..„l„„.|,, 
 
 " •'" '•• -. ..il I.Mf:„,,,e,s, „„d.n colors, JMSlIc .u-l, o,l,or 
 
 "" '.'" "'!"■ ,"»■" "'"■'■-' i»"-i, -Hi i,„cdio». of ,iu.i; 
 
 » ankee, wi h stare lod c.II n- -., i i . * 
 
 ■ -von,., u, ,,,. I,. ..,,„,, p,, ,„,,^^_^,,, ^,H 
 
 A u, c „„.,x ,„„,, .s,„, a„. ,.,i.,i,i„, i„ ,^^,..|,., ^^^^.^^^ ^^ 
 ^' m,s „■„„,„ ,,„,, „,„j ,,,„,., ,„^,^,^,,,._^|^,^ ^^ ^. ^1^^ _^^^ ... 
 
 vcnaho..„u,,,e,,«.«on,is..,,,,.o,,,,,.. Si,,, ■,,.,„,,,,„,,„. 
 ; -1 Jun„, ,l,„ Chun d,„,,s,,, „,„„..,„,,. of v..„ „..,. 
 n,eo,,t|,„.,,„.,l,v.Mo.i. lH.,Ibo„„l i„ l,i.|, ,„,,„,;.j 
 
 <•"'<■> 1" •■ vnlk i„ .•„,(| ..|„,c ,0 t„„t,| 
 IllOtI 
 
 I'.-l.-..-. I..du,„.s, l,.i,|„„„„, l,,|„„,j,„, ^. 
 
 « .tlc.,„e,. ,,i eol,,,.. lit.,,,,),, ev.,., „.,i„„ „„J„ ,„,,,,„_ 
 
 ■ ^-,1-. .i.vuM h.acujors :uui ou.stou.s iuaiutaia their due 
 
 !•" Oil moves the 
 1 
 i 
 
 
RAMl.I-INGiJ IN rA'TFOHNlA. 
 
 as 
 
 'Xfollent tone- 
 ''•>*>. >triiL-turos 
 •<■»' the finest 
 hy .spots, two 
 1 shelter funii- 
 '■iiJti III) iidur 
 '.•stiiiH on tho 
 
 'i«><' ])lankcMi 
 iit't". Crowds 
 'c eacli otJier, 
 !Ies.s of their 
 I tnidolovifia 
 I'vc-pipe. en- 
 tile .solemn 
 <'t .stockin,f>i!, 
 fiithoiii.s. A 
 '. who fliiur- 
 
 t' \\dlH nirn. 
 
 li^h culorecl. 
 hiippily ual- 
 
 Here, too, 
 1. lifting up 
 -in .^ulicita 
 moves tho 
 ►rituiid jijul 
 'iiiaiis. an,i 
 " heaven — 
 » their du«? 
 
 preponderance, and others must gradually adopt them, 
 even tor the motives of !-elf-defcnee and cumtbrtuble exist- 
 once. 
 
 Whole cargoes, of two ur three thou.sun(i tons, are dis- 
 charged and placed upon the wharf with a celerity and 
 punctuality elsewhere incomprehen.sible. Drays loaded 
 with rich freight from every climate, and pulled by sleek 
 and powerful horses, freijucntly blockade the ill-conditioned 
 street.^, to tlut Ji.smay and choler of hurried pedestrians, 
 notwithstanding the prai.seworthy exertion.s of their pro- 
 fane (Iriver.s, every epithet, holy and unholy, often failing 
 to extricate them. One good reason for this every-day 
 chaos in the wholesale streets, is the common liberty 
 enjoyed by the merchants of depositing their wares where 
 they may think best, and as all arc, of course, emulous of 
 exhibiting their stock in the most alluring position to the 
 public (^ye, it i.^' not unusual to di.'-cover a respectable 
 stock-in-trade, nearly midway of the street, while the 
 capacious lirick store to which it appertains, is merely 
 garnished with a beggarly account of empty boxes. 
 
 When we have tired our eyes with the teeming streets 
 and wharves, and evening compels reluctant trader.s to 
 adjourn, we may step aside and survey at a respectful dis- 
 tance, the worshippers at the shrine of chance — at least 
 as it was a year since, for, alas I its palmiest days are over. 
 In 'r)2, a broken down old roue — who had won and lost 
 within a week $50,000 — in lamenting the degeneracy of 
 the present times, informed me, with tears in his eyes, 
 that the then doings were but childish tricks in comparison 
 with the dashing days of old. It might be so, but faith 
 
 tn A lITAl*!?' en nip 0(i ^^ Cff\ ni*** vnliT r\if\ c* + i!l nr»/« t¥ n \tt H fi»»-fc\ri*^ ^ 
 
 might be hazarded, from the immenfic numbers who nightly 
 
34 
 
 HA.Mn,,rN,;s ,.v v^uronsl^. 
 
 ''■■'"'■"■'"I i'-i..«,, .,.,, , , """"•; ■■'w'"^<' '■"•■ 'i,i., „„- 
 
 ""Pl'lii'd f,„,„ n„, , ,,. I'"^''' ^y <lio way, ,ra» 
 
 T'-i-...-.flun.n,:, ,;V''''•''''^^^•'''''-"%• 
 
 '<"^'M,.,l, „n,i„ b„„ r„, , ■': "■"■"' '" «»ec-t sounds 
 
 l^uiWin,, b,,,,,„ , , j ""I" '-«<!. of the „„,i,,o 
 ^^'-c,l„-...s., „„, ,,:„■,.•!,. 1;':,; f ;'■%-"' ""'-s of ,,!,„ 
 
 seo.notl. best „„,„ ,„■„, fll'l ^f *'>'^"'Cvo,,,so whiel, 
 
 lent of two bit, „ ,„,, ' "'f . '^"'- "><•' ""iforu, orjuiva- 
 
 bcauty-all of H,e Ae ^h ,1b T? ""'■'"'•" "^ '■-""'<' 
 "«'o «ti„ ,i,.hf,v,„„„ , , "'"^ "'°^"^- i'«loli«.t.>~ 
 
 roul... and ,„.„,;, .^'^^ ,.f '"'^ --^'b' fn>pe,y, .be 
 
 consirtent with the ,„„, „,„„,/ """''" '" •''" '«l.".t. 
 Order i, ,,„id t„ fc, „^,, ^ 
 
 q^cnoe, „,a„-, „eee.s,ity • ,„d ,1 , ' '" " "'"'•''-■■ 
 
 ■'ol'i Rood initsapplie,/' '^J"^" '<""=" will ,eo,„ to 
 
 ^- they too havot :' : ;, r;; r ,t:;^."'^«''^'-'"".v-- 
 
 the sun. .■,,„!„ , '^ ' "" "" things else nnde- 
 
 ■—■""'■«"<■»-'* oveu bore the name of 
 
SIAVIILINUS IN CAM FORMA 
 
 35 
 
 f 
 
 -tin conductod 
 ^^ find painted 
 y to ni;iK-o the 
 ' ^'o'" thin nn- 
 llod in fjplen. 
 'lit'eiit nfrair,s. 
 "' (-'i'ch, day- 
 
 ■ Ji<^ way, was 
 "1 nmncrous 
 leii- radiance 
 
 1 noon day. 
 tt'cot sounds 
 ■'1 wa.s tliero 
 vino. TJie 
 
 tlie aniplo 
 'Jai.s of the 
 
 ^iistidioiiH 
 i'<'ge which 
 ' straight" 
 'HI equiva- 
 of female 
 lolieate- — 
 
 ■ niirrorw, 
 stay'cs of 
 ciy, the 
 
 J'OS])(H:ts 
 
 'I conse- 
 seein to 
 liquity : 
 * under 
 lanie of 
 
 ft 
 
 '&■ 
 
 »' 
 
 witness on the niurdevor's trial, who pronounced tbo 
 prisoner respectable, for tlio very satisfactory reason that 
 he kept a ^iii;. The gamblin^L^ houses demonstrated as 
 Huch, UHc only the time-honored and substantial ,Lnvnu:!fl of 
 iMonte, U'uijrc et Noir, Faro, c"s:c. ; but in the lower regiona, 
 whore the spicy pasliuics of .Uoulettc, iM'om-h Monte, and 
 the LiltU' Ji»ker (lourislud, not a shadow of a chance ex- 
 ibtcd in favMi- of the deluded pilgarlit- who dared to te.st 
 the JKizanls of the ;:aiM<'. Kaeh tabl;; had its ad<Mpuitc 
 nuinb.'i' ^A' r(ij,i>n\-: — a nuMiiicel nu-c of bankrupt _u;aniblcra 
 and pI^kiM.ckuts. Thesf bank einpli»yces would win or 
 lu-e lai'-c >ums ni.iihtly, trimnilnLi- th''ir <ails to suit the 
 tastes of tlie uninitiated — more (-specially the fresh youthfl 
 wlio v.ert' ciiiuh.us of :iuiassing a little pile on the spot, 
 from the b'llance of the home supply, minus the di.-anrcc- 
 ble eoiieuuiitants ..f ihc i)iek and shovel. So gku'ing, 
 even at that time, did the legali/,(Ml robbti'lrs and outn'.gea 
 be(<i:iie, that the patirnal law makers t-ondescended to 
 fi;'.uic ami cUM-t a bill fir the suppression eif the smadler 
 specie.-; of swindlini;- ; Imt as .saving appearance was its only 
 object, it was easily evaded, ;iiiu the light amusements 
 were abiKist immt-diaiely renewed^ with a trifling elmngo 
 in externals, but in all resp.eets eoineiding in substance. 
 As an iliu.-ii-ation of bureau gullability, 1 will endeavor to 
 describe one trick which was played in the houstvs on the 
 most itublie streets, night after night, for thwu} or four 
 years. 
 
 A fi'esh importation from the -\tlautie :-Uates, or a suc- 
 cessful miner di termiuedly bfuiiid for Inj^^linj, irf inuuc- 
 diately detected by tht^se e\p(#ieneed physiognoraiats, the 
 moment he crosses tlie threshold. As soon a.s pricked, tho 
 tyro is gradually trustlod up to the ten^pting precincts of 
 
.']6 
 
 i^AMni.lMis IN ('AMKonNlA. 
 
 Ix'in;:; rr,prrf„hfr, thdugli this word it is now well known 
 may be adnii.s,s;iblo to much f|ualificatiou, illustnited by tho 
 the A n r tabh tho name of the oimie— where the 
 banker, in an easy ehair, reposes in all the majesty of 
 wealth, in rear of a table on which is a ^^reat displny of 
 mi-i,'ets, slu-s. and dollars. The table has an ornamental 
 eovcrin- — :i spaeo in front of which, enclosed by :i 
 crescent, is marked by the famous introduction t<. all book 
 learninu'. 
 
 An animate.] scene now c(.iiimences between the jolly- 
 banker and his auxiliaries, who occupy his ri-ht and loft 
 wina, with a rcscrye in front for emergencies. He of tho 
 slu-s and specimens has, to all appearance, liijuored oyer- 
 mueh— his fine shinino hat has received a dingo, and 
 topples grofXi;iIy from his brows— he bra-s of his bank, 
 and uuich witty repartee passes between him and his amia- 
 ble eollea-ues, who with shirts of fanciful patterns, pistols, 
 and beard, are excellent fac-similes of miners, well to do, 
 <Mi a visit to the nu-tropolis. They are sharp-looking 
 miners too. exeeedinoly wide-awake, and apparently re- 
 scdved on stripping the inebriated gan»bler of his entire 
 capital. After much amusing dialogue, the banker in a 
 bungling .sort of .style, rattles the die and inverts his box 
 oil the table, he then reHU)ves his hand from it and solicits 
 bets— at the same time, the troublesome miner on his left 
 apparently endeavors to divert his attention, by handing 
 him some awkward coin toexeliange. While the bankcr'n 
 eye is turned off, the deed is aceompli.shed. The confede- 
 rate on the right perceives his advantage, and, with a eat- 
 like motion, slightly raisesThc box, which plainly discloses 
 the winning letter to all the spectators, his associate thou 
 eeases his aim()y:inc(\ ;ind d( 
 bags on t;ie siini|;ir tnlij.' let 
 
 own th(>y plumj) tlieii- lieuvj 
 
 th 
 
 I, 
 
 ter 
 
llAMHMNtls IN fAllFOllNIA. 
 
 0( 
 
 *11 kn!)wn 
 ted by tho 
 ^hcro tho 
 lajcsty of 
 ilispliiy of 
 'nainontui 
 od hy -,i 
 > all book 
 
 tho jolly 
 and loft 
 le of tho 
 rod over- 
 igo, and 
 is bank, 
 liis amia- 
 S piHtols, 
 .'11 to do, 
 i-looking 
 ■ntly re- 
 is entire 
 ker in a 
 iiis box 
 1 solicits 
 his left 
 liaiidinp: 
 )ankor*H 
 xmfede- 
 h a cut- 
 lisolosos 
 t*' thoa 
 lieuvj 
 
 Now. 
 
 ill 
 
 this little hy-i.lay has l-oou acted exi-n-s 
 
 Iv to 
 
 .ly 
 
 a 
 
 arouse Hostin^'s ac.iuisitivoness, and has been attentively 
 watched, both by that verdant one and the other by-stander> 
 —the "reatev portion of whom are aware of its object, but 
 rvcn iahey werr so inclined, they dare not utter a syllable 
 <,f warnin- to the dupe, for summary and unpleasant ejec- 
 tion from'the pren.ises surely follows such an ollenee.- 
 As this is most probably IJostin-'s iirst introductn.n tu 
 such a scene, he has naturally enou-h some conscientious 
 scruples, touchino. the propriety of thus defraudm- the 
 .M,od-natured i:and)ler. Uut lie a.-ues to hiniselt, that 
 others will do it, and wliy should not he have his share; 
 besides to double his linances in a moment is a splciu.id 
 idea, so he concludes to repent at leisure, and with a ner- 
 vous jerk he stakes the buckskin ba- which contains his 
 all, exelaimino- in a voice shakey with the excitement, 
 '' The Mines or Bostin-." The die is instantly exposed 
 to the view of all present, when lo 1 his favorite letter has 
 inconceivably disappeared from the top, havin- indee.l 
 been dexterously capsized, previous to uncovcrin-. 
 
 If the pluckc-d keep frigid, he is kindly permitted tu 
 depart in peace, and perhaps invited to imbibe ; but if he 
 exhibit intractability to his fate, he instantaneously dis- 
 covers himself bewildered in the -utter, from whence he 
 is seen slowly to emerge on a prospecting tour to " mur- 
 derer's bar" or '' Sears's diggings," as the case may be, 
 while the old formula begins anew as a fresh g.josc is le.l 
 
 to the table. 
 
 Contemptible as these resorts may seem, large sums were 
 daily realized by these authorized rogues, and the l.ankers 
 were far from being thought lightly o^', even among the 
 highest society the city could aflbrd, for many of the tables 
 
IIAMIMJNCS rx I'AlJFdUMA. 
 
 W'vvc uun.'d hy .lu-lovs and (u'iior;i!>. wIk. thus prnfitably 
 li,i,lit(MK'<l the liibors of law and warfart — and one victim 
 f'olI()W(Mlaiiotlieriii(inicksucce>.si()ii, carniiio^ his experience 
 dearly to he .nire, hut in tlie end perliaps safer to hiin 
 tlum wonhl be a tenip(»r:iry sueeess, whieh. niio-ht delude 
 him on to a life of infamy and perhaps a disuracefnl death ; 
 but llie.se unfortunates, smartinu' ui- ler a first severe eas- 
 ti.u-ation, are apt to look with continued horror on u-aniblint;, 
 and mentally determine to abjure it forever. 
 
 Public f>]>inion lias however turned against the knavc.«. 
 .Sunday play was first prohibited, and finally all were de- 
 clared unlawful ; and althou-h niucdi of it is still ea.rried 
 on, they are at least prohibited from exiiibitinu' their 
 enormitie.^ to the public ua/.e. which saves inany from 
 falling:' into tlieir clutches. 
 
 Many other callings were, and are even now, followed 
 m the r>ay ("ity, not a whit more honest than those above- 
 mentioned ; such as mock auctions, watch stuf!inos, and 
 
 other swindling' tricks, incidental to a much larger city. 
 
 One reason may be that operative labor is here certain 
 'V'calth, and money is comparatively speaking-, easily earned, 
 and in most cases is apt to be valued in proportion. This 
 circumstance, in conjunction with the miserable police 
 department, liolds out a stroma: inducement toblack-lecrs of 
 every jirade, t-. say nothiuo- of the political dislionesty of 
 those to whom has been entrusted the protection of life 
 and property. It has herjtofore been an inviolable rule — 
 cheat on the grandest scale, cow hide the servant of God 
 at the altar, or pistol your opponent for injured honor; tlie 
 invincible dollar will vindicate you, and carry you scathe- 
 
 l0S< tbl'''11'>l' t1inMV/ln<i] .i.v.iin^* -i ''l/^ii<l r-^--U-> i- 1 -1^ » 
 
 IV... S.I.. .., ..,.,.,, I .j^anj.-i i( vioUu Oi \-. it iU'.-^.--Cr^, iKicKcii 
 
 hy all e.xislin- statutes. As a proof we may cite in ac- 
 
 9 
 
AMIil.lNt.S IN (-AT.U'CUNIA. 
 
 •>n 
 
 ii'iifitably 
 
 victinj 
 :pcricnce 
 ' to hiin 
 t delude 
 il tloJttHi ; 
 vcrc cji?- 
 ambliiit;, 
 
 knavo.«f. 
 ivcro <\o- 
 
 1 cjirricd 
 lu' tlioir 
 II V from 
 
 rbllowod 
 
 above- 
 
 <i,'S, and 
 
 city.— 
 
 certain 
 
 earned, 
 
 . This 
 
 ' police 
 
 :-]c^9 of 
 
 esty of 
 
 of life 
 
 rule — 
 
 of Ood 
 
 )r ; tlie 
 
 seathe- 
 1 1, 1 
 
 UJifKCli 
 
 ' in a(r- 
 
 iS:S 
 
 1 
 
 i 
 
 count, the hundreds of murders connnitted within tho 
 ,.ity. and how nuiny un.lerwc^nt the last penalty of the 
 law ? Just tliree, one of whom was an unfortunate insant^ 
 Spaniard, and the other two were poor, unknown, penniless 
 vaurants. IJut no other result could possibly accrue, 
 where beardless boys, and unprincipled shoulder-strikers 
 sat in hi-h ].laces, owin- their elevation whi(di was but 
 temporary, and therefore the nn.rc abused, not to their 
 r.Ttitudc'ur tu their -cuius, but to tlic insaue cry of party 
 ;,nd the -rossest humbu.ti-ing of the -reat unwashed demo- 
 
 iracy. 
 
 Hut there are many si-hts and sounds both pleasin- 
 and instructive t.) the lover of his kind, which are already 
 takin- deep root in this -reat mart of heterogeneous and 
 conflictinu items. The Sabbath bells calling to the house 
 of praver, the work iu most instances of the pcvsevcnng 
 sons of New Kngland ; the happy, noisy urchins, loosed 
 from school restraint ; the lu.sts of news-boys vending the 
 latest papers from the east; the tearing, ranting red 
 republican steam paddy, scooping a ton of sand at each 
 inspiration of its mighty lungs, he is your true and im- 
 partial leveller, a.ul gives to the valleys the superfluity of 
 the hills -, already have its efforts graded dozens of streets, 
 and performed of itself the labor of an army of spadesmen. 
 IJut tlu' great mafuifaeturing district of the city, occupie.^ 
 the soutirern portion, which bears the pleasing chimerical 
 name of " Happy A'allcy." 
 
 Hut few branches of mechanical industry are now, or 
 are ever likely to be of e<iual importance with iron manu- 
 facturers, in this State. The inconvenience of importing 
 ^,],,^5,oy 5,^f,,.i,;ij(M'v. wl'.ich was Until recentlv a matter Ot 
 necessity, was undoubtedly a dead wei-ht to such m- 
 
 ^ II 
 
40 
 
 U AMBLINGS IN CALII'OUNIA. 
 
 vestments u.s re(iiiireJ them fur their thurouirli develop- 
 ment. In many cases a slight misunderstanding on the 
 part of the manufacturer, witli regard to the proportion of 
 the article, or injury received in the long voyage, has cost 
 thousands of dollars, besides the immense loss of time 
 resulting from such a casualty. Practical men shortly 
 perceived this imperfection, and an early encouragement 
 was in conse<|uence given to the pioneer foundries in 
 Happy A^alley, their numbers have under this fostering 
 influence vastly increased, and at the present time, the 
 tall chimneys, pufling off bellows, and discordant dang of 
 hammers, make up a pandemonium worthy of Brummagem^ 
 herself, and constant employment is thus given to num- 
 bers of skilful w^orkmen, at wages unprecedented perhaps 
 in the world. 
 
 The trade to be sure is yet in its infancy, but the brat is 
 a lusty one, and a glorious manhood is before it. Many 
 ocean steamers of vast nuignitude already di:;turb the 
 peaceful bosom of the Pacific. Every lonely bay will ere 
 long be ruffled by the restless paddle, which will recjuire 
 existence or at least constant aid from the busy cyclops. 
 Commerce also will most si.rely pry into each navigable 
 stream, but San Francisco must still be as she is now, the 
 great force-pump. Her commercial advantages must still 
 continue imperative, both from her central position, and 
 fror; the fact, that it is almost the only harbor worthy of 
 the name on the Western coast of habitable North 
 America. Already indeed there is an export of 
 machinery to the home ports, the islands and western 
 Mexico, the quartz, grist and saw mills, are also supplied 
 with tlioir c'car, with more convenience, and in tlie orvl 
 much cheaper, than they possibly could by the best system 
 
 of i 
 ine 
 asp 
 the 
 be 
 
 i 
 
 ■'"<iy 
 

 
 
 
 MV.Mlil.lNliS IN ( AlilFORM.V- 
 
 41 
 
 dcvolop- 
 L^ oil the 
 )ortioii of 
 , has cost 
 
 of time 
 I shortly 
 'agement 
 dries ia 
 fostering 
 me, the 
 ehing of 
 111 m age m^ 
 to nuni- 
 
 perhaps 
 
 ofimportntiun. A uniform increase and success is the 
 inevitable result, and despite the bleak and uncomtortablo 
 aspect of the region apportioned to the sous of Yulean, 
 the adjective of Happy, is not so nml apropos as might 
 be superficially imagined. 
 
 le brat is 
 
 . IMany 
 
 ;iirb the 
 
 will ere 
 
 reciuire 
 
 Cyclops. 
 
 avigable 
 
 low, the 
 
 lust still 
 
 ion, and 
 
 'orthy of 
 
 ! North 
 
 port of 
 
 western 
 
 supplii'd 
 
 the end 
 
 t system 
 
 is 
 
 I 
 
 ■ -n f r-i-" -iinaiiTiMMriBrini 
 
^/-vr^i'-W:, r^'n-rip/--^- -r-^ -%.\i^- 
 
 **A**«£ill . ■ 
 
 \k k' 
 

 rART li. 
 
 T HE MINES. 
 
 f 
 'M 
 
 Foil the reason that the mines were the great acquisitive 
 principle that led to the permanent occupation of (*aii- 
 fornia, they are too apt to be considered by the new 
 comers, as well as the "old folks at home/' the leading 
 feature, and, indeed, only powerful point of attraction 
 worthy of a separate notice. Without pretending to deny 
 that their influence is now, and long will be the most 
 potent of any one, in directing the destinies of the state, 
 it must .'^till be acknowledged that their material impor- 
 tance has been much overrated, and all must allow that 
 every ounce exported tends to exhaust their s'^ oriority 
 over other less pretentious, but more solid and lasting 
 6elds of investment and labor. 
 
 It is somewhat surprising too, that the richest Placers, 
 as well here as in Australia, were the earliest discoveries ; 
 in fact, what at the present day would be trumpeted forth 
 
 flo v«lnahl«' rlirrrrivic-o wmild sn!irr^f>lv liaVG Sufficcd tO dcfraV 
 
 running expenses, during the never-to-be-forgotten years 
 
;Tf;-7 :;""?t:c:^"7r-~""«~""''"^'r^^T3Bi^S^.r 
 
 
 KAMT'-LINCS IN ('AMKinMA. 
 
 4:; 
 
 (tf '4S fvml '41'. Milling liiis ihav settled down in the old 
 loc'uli'.irs — not ^ct exliau.stcd — to a regular and Ic^itiinutc 
 (inploynicnt, r{M|nirin^ skill and <\\]icrionco !is well as 
 strcni^th ; and a froh hand, CNeii ae'(.'ii>tonied to lahoriuus 
 empluynient. ranmit ox]»("ct w;iuc'S with the t'xporicnecd 
 drifter, tiny more than to >hip as an abh; seaman, ignorant 
 of the stern or stem <tf ji sliip. Althouuh proverbially nn 
 unecrtain employment, gold is still disscminatt:d in the 
 soil with a strange system of regularity: and while we 
 admit it to be more fluetuating than most honorable <'m- 
 ployments, the priee of labor is mostly aft'eeted by the 
 average suecess at the mines. 
 
 To give a synopsis or history of every mining eamp 
 would prove neither useful nor interesting to the general 
 reader, ev^•n if it were possible, whieh it is not, both from 
 the vast territory to be explored, and tli(> difficulty of pro- 
 curing eorieet ,-talistics. tVoiu the lM):i<ting propensities <)f 
 the over stuiguine, and the doleful complaints of the des- 
 pondent and lionicsick. Ncitlier can we place absulute 
 dependence on the editor's '' Facts of the day," or their 
 correspondents lengthy epistles containing the latest 
 " News from the JMoun tains." Such stuff is mostly treated 
 with sovereign contempt by the \eteraus, and well may it 
 be so, for it is often a mere ruse oi' stagt; or steamboat 
 proprietors as an indueement for tyros to patronize their 
 favorite line ; but as caniors on other rivers and roads 
 are well posted on these tricks of the trade, their covert 
 advertisements arc e'lually stuffed with " astounding dis- 
 coveries " and "big lumps," so much so, that a balance of 
 attraction is perfectly establibhed, and the would-be nabob 
 i« onU' '^uz'h'd — Uko tbn d'^'ukev botween the bundles of 
 provender — as to whieh of the*EI Dorados he had best 
 
4:; 
 
 RAMBLINCS IN CALUOllN lA. 
 
 45 
 
 1 
 
 patronize. Nor eun we trust much to the hoards ut un- 
 successful ,^eoh:.psts, always to he found in the larger 
 cities Their views are most likely to be tinged with the 
 bleak retrospect of their disappointment, stupidity, or 
 shameful prodigality, and the thoughts of their varied 
 afflictions, induce them to look on the mining districts 
 with other than rose-colored spectacles, and fervently to 
 dispatch them with all their ct cctcras to his Satanic 
 majesty, forgetting that whatever their occupation may be, 
 its essential support originates in the stalwart arms of the 
 .old-hunter. The truth is-the adventurer's wisest plan 
 is to jump in, haphazard, wherever fortune may p^^ease to 
 ouide his footsteps, and should his acciuirements fall below 
 Lr, he may watch the flight of birds like the soothsayers 
 of old, and pitch his tent by the guidance of their wing. 
 Such a proceeding may prove cjually propitious, as the 
 best directed scheme derived from the wisdom of his pre- 
 decessors. He may rest assured, however, that in every 
 undeserted mining locality, capable of supporting a store 
 or liquor shop, gold is still in the soil, and if all c aims 
 be not already occupied, his prospects are probably 
 ,,^ ..ood as any other, that is, in surface diggings, 
 whJi-e a short probation is suffi(nent to acquire the requi- 
 site skill ; for experience has proved, in spite of modern 
 geology, that no amount of skill or sagacity can at all 
 times point out a gold lead, be its hue, consistency, or 
 
 position as it may. 
 
 Mining at the present time may bo classed under four 
 great heads, each differing from the other in many im- 
 portant features. They are, the surfoce diggings, deep 
 diggings, river and quartz mining. The surface diggings, 
 
 1 T — „ io^r»n ar«^ '^f nmirse nearlv 
 
 where the aeposiia nave wccn la.^^, ar.. — 
 
 f 'i 
 

 4<; 
 
 KAMlUJNr.S IN CAMKORMA. 
 
 exiiau-tcfl, ;iiu! cvfii tlio.-o that have ]):ii(l ;iii»i!rrato wac;0H, 
 aro liccdiMinu' cvf^rv ilav innn- dilVn'ult td find, in those 
 places where wafcM' has heeii preeurahh" \)\ natural or arti- 
 ficial means. There are vast tracks still, however, that 
 have unlv heen di.-covci'e'l (liirini!' the dry seasons past, 
 that w.iulii -iipjnirt — ww-X most jirohalily will vet — (luiusands 
 u\ miners, v.lien wr.tei can he eonve_\ 'd to iheni at reason- 
 a'ole rail's; this cannot |,o>sihly he until the value oi' labor 
 is depreciated, and a nii>n> moderat*^ income expt-eted c»n 
 oriu'inal oulhiv, or until ri<du'r uronnd eoiumanded hy a 
 ditch already existing' is inipo\ crished, when the Avater not 
 (lem;\nded el-ewheri' may he turned, rather than wasted, 
 into a more umderatcly jiayinii- (diannel. Thci'o are many 
 district-; too, whero it will always lie .".n im])ossihility to 
 convey watei- on account of their altitude, that iia\e been 
 v,'orked durinu' several \ear>. wdnnu'ver there is rain water 
 sidhcii'Ut for tlu' purpose. It is ni'edless to say such a.rc 
 not vi ry desirable, for they cannot be worked except in a 
 rain storm, and of coursi> must — under common circiim- 
 ^t.^,^.^,^ — [lo idh> nine-tenths of the year. Diii'ii-ino-s of 
 this descri])tion to l)e luld or valued at any thin;;' must, 
 when in operation, pay exceedin<i^ly well. 
 
 W here th.e >tra;a is ri(di and the field extensive, water 
 can generally be tonveyi'd, from some of tiie mountain 
 streams or rivers, by means of a dit(di or flume, and in 
 such cases, an amph' sujiply may be provided for the greater 
 part of the year. l>ut as water i.s very expensive when 
 delivered by those means, the inferior places as be- 
 fore said, must lie fallow, until the winter rains supply 
 the necessary fluid without money, but m^t without price. 
 Indispensable it is, as the existence of the ore itself within 
 the soil, to prosecute the business of mining, for there is 
 
 I ■? 
 
 11 
 
IlAMBLlN(ii4 IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 47 
 
 ■5 
 a 
 
 i 
 
 « 
 
 nb««lnt,.I,v, !-■ .-'th.l .1 wash,,,,, by «ln, , u, 
 
 f.w ^l.im..'^ s,K:..ks ,.,„ Ik. ox.nu.fa, Iruu, tho v.. pr, ■ 
 
 portion or s I ...,t ,,-av,,.l .Uh wh-u-l, U .s onvo ,h^^ 
 
 L-,e h>o„«< to 1,0 .u,-c a, ■.o,M-l<.;'l"I'.;'"'lt" - 
 
 ,„„; old .li../n„s «l,o.v ,„uvi, 1...S boon lound bj p.ck- 
 
 i„..sbtob..l3-,a.ol.lo|ioo.i;,,. oHtho oyo, bul .-uob |U-e 
 
 I- ,■ il.,.v -no ,li""in-s of tho oiost llo^u■!l- 
 
 |,lo kin.l, wlo.ro tho :..oM oau bo .blo.toj „. ihr ..,/ ..Itor 
 
 tin; !ti(i.-t- tiiiiiute ocular lost. • ,i 
 
 ,,„, ,,,.,,, ,li,,h„s, whiob MV now last bocotn.n, tb 
 „„|o ,lo|,on,U.ooo or tho toioo,., ;,,-o ^voAod >n two atllovon 
 
 i. iviou. tb.t tlo. only w.,y to lo-o.,oot Ibo Wgo o,- boa- 
 
 „r , i|,„, is by .b,ki,o, . ,-baa in tho Tirst .o.t.o.o and 
 ir,.voblo,torno„.totbo„-on„ar,o,otbo.b.t..ond,ng 
 
 ..v'i^thio^ .0 Ibo su,i;oo or Ibo oaab in tubs, oxooj.t 
 v.loJv t'no .voHol is not of n -o-.t doioh, ov ot n vory 
 
 1 :odo.on,,tion,ibutv.onldno,koitnH.,ro.ounJ,.vo,,no 
 
 ,;,,,„„„, „r,his n.tnro is ,„l ot, n.o.vly, by t:uan,, the 
 «.o.Vnloss l.n...,ion oil- .nd byin;. tbo p.y dirt too, wblon 
 i. 0,00 piokod up and ...look Tbis i,. denon.no.tca 
 ,„.,;,,,„•„,/, bat it is r.roly tbot ..round w.ll 1-y l" >^"¥ 
 inoro tlooi rnin, twooly to thirty foot. ^ 
 
 .|V ,,,,u,,ndo . bill it is o.ot :.onov.lly ro.,uis,to to s.nk 
 ., lo,lo nt .11. it is usUid to cooUK'noe ut a lio.nt supposed 
 'to bo at loast snllioiontly low to drain olV all tho water, and 
 opon a tnnnol. Sotootirnos it is essoutial to out tbvo.ugh 
 ^vbat is tovnrorl tho nm lodoo, and follow tbrougb wl h 
 just suBioiont i-iso to drain olV t.ny springs tbat may be 
 stvuck-. b-or it is orton tho case that tbc bod-vock wtl 
 rise up, ctuiiciding vviiu me ma im =uu.c ..... va -_, 
 
 ■-■'--■""-ii(teA^T>ffl-inif'g''«^«f-'tf*Mfii^ 
 
48 
 
 RAMin,I.N(i.S IN CAl.lKOllNIA. 
 
 s . 
 
 again dooliiio or jn'fch tow.'irds its centre. The ledge most 
 conunonly lies in such a .shape in the best tunnels. .Some- 
 times the tunnels liave been eommeneed at a point too 
 high for drainage, as it i.s found on cro.ssing tlie rim ledge 
 that it still continues descending ; and no resource re- 
 main.s but to retreat and commence anew at a point suffi- 
 ciently low. ]Jut when the tunnel lias been started and 
 followed too low for the paying gravel in tlie liill, it can 
 be obviated by penetrating upwards to the proper distance, 
 and going on with another one above, the old one still 
 answering the purpose of a drain and as a means of entrance 
 and exit. When the excavation is made through the 
 solid rock or very compact ground, it is not neces.sary to 
 protect the top or sides, but when unsafely loose, it is in- 
 di.spcnsable to line both with timber to prevent them 
 tumbling in. Many lives and immense labor have been 
 sacrificed from carelessness in this particular. "When the 
 distance is much, it is fr<Miuently necessary to sink a shaft 
 in the interior to cause a current of air ; but when this is 
 impracticable from the rapid rise of the hill or the com- 
 position of the soil, it can be ventilated by means of fans. 
 Even after auriferous earth is found, the tunnel is con- 
 tinued straight ahead until the lead is crossed or dis- 
 continues suflficicntly paying. A series of cross drifts 
 then commenced at right angles with the main one, the 
 breadth of the claim, or if not claimed, a In ilUcretion. 
 All the empty space behind is then filled up with stones 
 or waste dirt to keep the roof solid, and cross drifts cut 
 parallel to the others, and as close as safety will warrant. 
 In this w^uy an expert drifter will strip almost every inch 
 of the ledge, and work himself gradually backwards until 
 the lead is exhausted, leaving the ground above as solid 
 as when he first commenced operations. 
 
 If 
 
UAM15LIN(iS IN CALli'OUNlA. 
 
 49 
 
 Nut th. most ai>tant nppvoximatiun can be maac to tlic 
 >vcalth of the hills in ('aliloruia, fur every month teems 
 with fresh (liscuv.ries in this system of n.ining, but it is 
 it that will .vadually brin,^ the eallin.u^ eompletely under 
 the enntrol uf eaint:di.ts, or at least of lav,e euiupames; 
 
 both from the heavy risk that atUuds pn.l,eet,n, and the 
 o.pen.e of workin, after the .old is founu ; the thousands 
 
 of prosneet holes and deserted tunnels scattered through- 
 out the len.th and breadth of th. land, tell a sad tale ot 
 
 ,.any a small Ibrtune's wreck, and may well act as beacons 
 to deter others iVom venturing their little all m an adveu- 
 
 ture so ha/.ardous. . 
 
 Tl,c vivor oiMv.t di,;/.n;.rs oceury the cl,u«,.cl.s ul nvov., 
 ,,„1 thusc r»rtio„s c-.lkHl Uu-., ^vh•K■l. have und.mbtcdly 
 bcon fovMK.a bv the eavtl, «ush«l from the n.ounU.ms by 
 ,vi„tov tVcslu-t;. At tbose b.vs the riv.v often .ppoa,-s to 
 U,vo been tuvned IVom its orighud course, by the aee„.,,«- 
 ,„tion or aeiK.u,iu its bed, and fonns a spee.es of flat 
 peninsub., and s„n,etb,,es even a„ island that d.v.des tl« 
 river into two eluumels. The goUl on tl^ese plaees i, 
 .nostly fnu, wldeb eireun>stanee .ill aid to verdy the theu.y 
 fit. bein..- a de,H,sit-tbe .rowtb of eentnnes It ts 
 
 L ,lwou:U-i-i-'''^';-"r'':.;"tr 
 
 n,ountains, or in rrofessional parlance less si»tt d f 
 it «ill n>ostly pay a per eenta.e fron. tlje su.*>ce to tbc 
 bed rock, a deptl, varying in difterent places iron, a bun- 
 d ed feet downwards. When the bod rock as found ba c, 
 - it is n,ostly worthless, utdess perhaps it U. oc.n.ptcd the 
 bod of a s rean, where large deposits have often been found 
 secreted in the crevices or " pockets," after the water ha. 
 
 l>ni>n +!i1:on off. , ■. 
 
 "■ yooTaft<:r the first discoveries of the precious metal, tlie 
 

 if' 
 
 60 
 
 RAMBMNOH IN CAI.IKORNIA. 
 
 mountain rivers were suspectod to contain the hirgcst 
 quantities, and some of tho earliest fornied conipaniw 
 ^ero organized, for the grand object of giving another 
 direction to the river, and to lay its unknown and long 
 concealed trea.^ures open to the light of day. The very 
 formation of the bars tlieniselves, offers a powerful induce- 
 ment to such a project, and renders the undortakin- com- 
 paratively an easy one. Where the river i.s .su.spectcd to 
 have swerved, a "sink" mostly exists near the neck of 
 tlie peninsula, where the ancient stream took its course 
 centuries ago, before it was blocked up and compelled to 
 sock another outlet. This sink is deepened sufficiently to 
 form a race— and often the earth taken from the race has 
 proved much richer, than that afterwards ac(]uircd from 
 the actual river bed. At its upper end a dam is thrown 
 across the stream, wliich is thus drawn through the artifi- 
 cial channel, leaving its bed completely dry for a distance 
 often of two or three miles, or whatever iength the race 
 may be. River mining is always a costly work, and the 
 risk a heavy one. Some, indeed, after an outlay of more 
 than a million of dollars, have not paid wages even after- 
 wards, and even where the prospects were favorable, one 
 night in an early winter has suddenly swept away dam and 
 all. Many of them have however paid their enterprising 
 companies a thousand times over, and those who once 
 engage in it seem to prefer it to all other mining. 
 
 This wholesale drainage is likewise of vast benefit to 
 those who hold what are termed bar or bank claims, that 
 is from tlie low water mark back to the hills, and varying 
 in breadth in different districts, but thirty or forty feet 
 may be a general average. By the removal of t];o water, 
 they are enabled to sinkj their shafts below what before 
 
RAMRLiNOS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 51 
 
 constituted the water level. Thiw could not be managed 
 formerly, with any degree of success unless the pay was 
 exceedingly good; from the great labor rcfjuired in 
 pumping out the water, that constantly filtered through 
 the gravelly banks of the river. 
 
 The quartz leads form an entirely independent feature 
 in the art of mining, totally distinct from the others. They 
 can only be worked advantageously by monied men, from 
 the great (quantities of machinery reciuisite to separate the 
 gold from the rock. This can only be accomplished 
 thoroughly, by crushing it to a powder, although very rich 
 (juarti! has repaid individual effort, sometimes very hand- 
 somely, merely by burning and then pounding it with a 
 pestle and mort^ir. The greater part of the ([uartz com- 
 panies for so far, have been failures, arising in part from 
 want of thorough prospecting in the lirst instance, and in 
 the second from inexperience, imperfect management, and 
 irresponsible defaulters. IJut no doubt can exist of its 
 ultimately becoming a permanent and profitable branch of 
 mining, when expectations are moderated, and when men 
 of integrity and skill are permitted to guide their manage- 
 ment. 
 
 The existence of these (quartz leads is very singular ; 
 and their contiguity to almost all hill diggings, and the 
 immensity of gold actually contained in many of them, 
 hold out confirmation strong to many, that quartz is the 
 original mother of the precious metal. And that flats and 
 bans are freqiiently found rich, at great distances from any 
 quartz lead, but contain quantities of quartz gravel, only 
 shows that these places have been formed by the passage 
 of water from the hills, and even the trold in the rivers is 
 frequently found with small particles of that rock attached 
 to it. 
 
 >■ .1 
 
 ' ?! 
 
 t 
 
52 
 
 UAMHLINOS IN CALIFOIIMA. 
 
 .Main ([uartz leads <2;euoralIy run parallel to each other, 
 althi>.,uii (hey hnve spurs or braiiehes in every dircetion. 
 The lead ean often be traced for many miles, ihrou|i;h hill 
 and valley, and oven across laroje rivers. Sometime it to- 
 tally disappears from (he surface and auain emerges clear 
 and distinetas ever, lookimr at a distance like flocks of 
 snow white sheej), and adds on-at variety and interest to 
 many an other\vis(> monotonous landscape. 
 
 iMininu; maidiiiiery has undernone ureat chanjzes and 
 im]»n»vements since (he early days, and just in i)roportiou 
 as tlu' uold beca'iic more dillicult to procure, so have the 
 means for fai-ilitadiiLT its extraction increased. Duriii"- 
 the j)eri(id of the early discoveries — a knife to scrape the 
 crevices and a tin cup to receive tlie pnteeeds, were con- 
 sidered sullicient implements ; wlu'ii it beuan to be found 
 mixed with the earth, a tlarim;- tin or iron })an bepin to 
 be used, and is used still for prospectinu' and cleansimr 
 purposes by the whites, and even as a means of livelihood 
 by (Jreasors and Indians; many a snui,^ fortune, too, has 
 been made by the simple ])rocess of *-i)annini!: out." The 
 operation is performed by insertin;; the pan (wluLdi con- 
 tains aliout a common ])ail-l'ull of earth,) in the water and 
 keepinti; it constantly ia motion, at the same time pickini^- 
 out the laru-e stones. As the pan flaps backward.s and 
 torwards, the liuht sand uradually works off, and the u'old 
 naturaVy settles to the bottom and by continuinii' the pro- 
 cess the jiold is left completely by itself; the fiftieth part 
 of a cent can thus be saved, and is })erfectly visible. A 
 Mexican ean ])an from fifty to a liuiulred pans per dav, 
 and make small waires out of earth paying; two or three 
 CvHic 10 III!.- ifiKKeiiUi. ,\iLLr iiic [laii came rue rocKcr, 
 and finally the long torn, sluice and hvdraulie, together 
 
J'.AMHLlNdS IN I'ALlfOHNlA. 
 
 '}0 
 
 I 
 
 with tlie process of -round sluicing and tl.e nooessary 
 •accompiiniiiifiits of ditches luid Humes. 
 
 The rocker us its name implies, consists of a box some- 
 what in the form of a child's cradhs with the rockers at- 
 tached, but shallower, and sometimes without a footboard. 
 At the upper end, when in operation, is a piece of canvas 
 on a slight wooden frame, moveable at pleasure. This is 
 inserted, angularly from the top nearly midway to the 
 bottom at the head of the rocker. Over this rests a box 
 about two feet square and four inches deep, with an iron 
 bottom punched with holes a (juarter of an i.ich in diame- 
 ter, it too is moveable as well as the canvas or " apron." 
 When a bucket of " pay-dirt " is deposited in this box, 
 the machine is set in motion backwards and forwards by 
 means of a handle attached to the body, and water poured 
 on by a dipper holding about half a gallon. This carries 
 througli all substances of less diameter than the holes, 
 and wlien this is accomplished, the box is lifted or swung 
 off on a kind of hinge, to dispose of the gravel that re- 
 mains. In the meantime all the light earth, gravel and 
 sand, have washed completely through the rocker— which 
 is so phued as to have a small declination from head to 
 foot— leaving the gold and heavy sand on the canvas. 
 The apr.)!! is not removed until what is called a run has 
 gone through, which consists of 25, 50, or 100 buckets, 
 according to the richness of the earth or the judgment of 
 the operator. When this is done, the apron is carefully 
 scraped into the head and taken out, while water is again 
 applied and the rocker shaken smartly. The gold, from 
 its superior specific gravity, is thus left behind, mixed 
 most commonly with heavy black sand, which is separated 
 by panning or blowing, if tolerably coarse, but the very 
 
 ;» 
 
54 
 
 IlAMBLINdS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 %^ 
 
 U' 
 J.1 
 
 
 fine can only bt' thorouglilj saved by uiixing witli quick- 
 silver, which aiiKil,nu;uates soon with the guld by rolliiit; 
 the pan round. The sand is then easily washed vn\ and 
 the quicksilver containing the gold is deposited on a piece 
 of buckskin, and tightly s(juezeed s.j as to let the <|uick- 
 silvcr run through. The volatile metal is driven off in 
 fumes, by exposing (he aniaigau to a strong heat ; when the 
 quantity is large it can be s ived fbi- future use by means 
 of: >tort, which condenses the fumes like tlie worm of a 
 suii. In light samly soil, two good hands may sometimes 
 wash six liundn'd buckets per day, when close to the 
 water; but generally speaking, three or four hundred is a 
 good days work. 
 
 The long t^-m was a great improvement on the rocker, 
 nnd altliough diil'ering j-mch in appearance, acts jn-ecisely 
 on ihc ^ame principle, b;it with jnucli greater des])alch and 
 eco!iomy,and tlie reason it has not completely M!i)frsL'ded 
 the rocker, is, tiiat itrc(p' <'s a smart running stream of 
 at least >ix cubic iticlus, and a fall of one fo(»t in twenty 
 to work successl'ully. Its principal advantage is, tliat the 
 running water performs the work of rocking itself, and 
 whde two hands keep busy in feeding the machine, o'lc 
 can, by working industriously^ keep it clear of tlie refuse 
 gravel, simjily by sliovelHng it out, aiid no inte'rruption is 
 requisite in the matter of cleaning up, before the conclu- 
 sion of the days' work ; when one or two thousand buckets 
 of earth is found in the " riffle box," concentrated into 
 one panful. 
 
 The sluice was the uext improvement in the art of 
 kbor-saving, but it is ofteu impossible to apjdy it, in ground 
 where either the rocker or torn may be advantageously 
 used. It wants a much heavier stream than the torn, 
 
 i) 
 
RAMBLINGS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 55 
 
 'g 
 
 requiring the same fall for a much longer (Vi>:tancc. A 
 ''string;" of sluices, frcuerally consist of a sueecssiun of 
 boxes, like a trough twelve feet in lengtii, having two 
 sides and a bottom, and tapering at one end so as to tit 
 snugly into each other. The length of the '' string" 
 vaiies, act;;'-ding to the tenacity of the wa^h-dirt, fr<»u> hfty 
 fjet to a thou.-and. The gold is saved in these boxes 
 after the earth is shovelled in, in a variety of ways. As 
 the water rushes through, it carries all the light earth off, 
 and also the gold for a short di.-tanee, until it meets with 
 a " riPiie,"' which is some sort of an obstruction in the 
 boxes belov/, where the precious metal may have the means 
 of settling down to the bottom. 
 
 Sometimes, the riifle consists of light slats of wood or 
 iron, running crosswise or longitudinally, and sometimes 
 of a board fnll of auger holes. But tlio varit'ties arc 
 lc"ion, for there is not on(; essential in the whole n.ining 
 craft, upon which exists so much diversity or o])iiuon ; and 
 indeed it is a favorite method among the uiiscliievous boys, 
 who wish to set a pair of cranky old fellows by the ears, 
 to introduce and compare the resiiective favorite of each. 
 It is, no doubt, from this that the California proverb is 
 derived, wiierein we illustrate^ a man's success in some fa- 
 vorite project, by saying " He has inade the riflle." 
 
 The hydraulic h.ose is perhaps the most wlu^^esale sys- 
 tem of all, but so many natural advantages reciuire to be 
 united for its prolitable use, that many n;ay be resident in 
 the mines for years, without ever having the opportunity 
 of seeing it tested. It re(juires, in the first instance, a 
 very steep bank of earth, either to be strippedoff for a sub- 
 Strata, or to be auriferous in itself. This field must also be 
 of considerable extent, for the various items used become 
 
 # 
 

 
 li 
 
 56 
 
 RAMIUJNOS [N fALlKORNMA. 
 
 very expeii.sivo, :md unles,'^ the claim holds out for Ji lon<i- 
 time, it would not be prudent to attempt the operation. 
 
 The work is })erfonned ])y turninu the water on the face 
 of the bank, throufj^h a nozzle attached to very strong hose 
 — srenerally No. 1 canvas doubled — similar to the way 
 water is forced from a fire engine, only, thiit instead of 
 being forced out by hand, it is done by the pressure or 
 weight of the water itself, which is of course powerful in 
 proportion to the height it falls. With a fall of forty or 
 d^ fifty feet the effect on a bank is tremendous, for no strata 
 of earth is so compact as to resist it. It will even tear up 
 the common sand: tone ledge, and lava melts before it, like 
 snow. I have seen dogs intentionally killed by it, in a 
 few seconds, and accidents have occurred, where men have 
 lost their lives in a similar way. I knew of an instance 
 where a drifter — in close contiguity to a hydraulic — was 
 accidentally buried, by a cave of more than forty tons of 
 earth, and before his three companions could return from 
 a distance of three hundi-ed yards, whither they had gone 
 in pursuit of shovellers, the hydraulic had released him, 
 and although he looked quite damp and uncomfortable at 
 first, he returned to his labor <|uite philosophically in a 
 few minutes. 
 
 (j round sluicing is never a finishing work of itself. It 
 simply rethices the ([uantity of dirt, to be afterwards 
 sluiced by the u.'-ual mc;.ns. Jtis done by allowing a very 
 heavy stream to rush over the ground, which requires to 
 be very steep in consequence, and thus carries off a very 
 large per centage of the refuse soil without any shoA elling 
 at all, but the constant application of the pick tends ma- 
 t.priallv to fxncdito thp niattor. more esneeiallv if the 
 quantity of gravel is material. 
 
KAMTUJNOS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 57 
 
 Tlie capital invostocl in ditches would appear almost 
 fabulous. More than one has cost a million of dollars, and 
 some of tham in their various ramifications are over a hun- 
 dred miles in length. In many places a single mile has 
 cost twenty thousand dollars, and there is now scarcely a 
 camp of any importance in all the northern or southern 
 mines, where water is not procurable by artificial means, 
 for a greater or less portion of the year. Although em- 
 bracing such an enormous portion of the capital of the 
 country, there is not probably a more uncertain invest- 
 ment in the whole range of this uncertain country. Tt is 
 next to impossible to put a valuation on your stock even 
 after a year's experience. And instances are not rare 
 where a dividend of a hundred per cent has been paid at 
 the end of si k months, and at the very same time the 
 stock a drug in the nuirket at fifty per cent below par.— 
 Instances of this kind occur where the strata has been 
 completely superficial, and paying well while they lasted, 
 were of course soon exhausted. But again the stock 
 may take an upward tendency— after being almost aban- 
 doned—from the discovery of deep diggings commanded 
 
 by its waters. 
 ' The speedy exhaustion of the mines was early foretold, 
 and even so lately as '52, the erector of a brick building 
 in a mining town, was generally ridculed as a visionary. 
 But at the present day there is not a town worthy of the 
 name, that has not several substantial fire-proof buildings 
 of brick or stone, and notwithstanding that the diggings- 
 in the immediate vicinity are for the most part worked 
 out, new habitations are constantly in the course of erec- 
 tion for concentration is now more fashionable than of 
 
 yore— and the large camps have chiefly swallowed up the 
 
 F 
 
68 
 
 RAMHLrNOS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 ^uirH ones. And the practical miner in spite of the cou- 
 etant improvements, has actually to go farther for supplies, 
 than ho had in the earlier times. 
 
 What a contrast do these funny little villages present, 
 io the eye of one habituated to the sleepy agricultural 
 towns of other countries ; built of all kinds of possible 
 materials, shapes and sizes, and in any spot, no matter 
 how inconvenient, where the first store-keeper choose to 
 pitcli himself. Sometimes they are found on a ])road flat 
 with no suburb visible, squeezed together as though the 
 and had originally been purchased by the inch, the little 
 Btreets «o crooked and confined, a wheelbarrow could 
 scarcely be made to go through them ; sonjetimes again, 
 they aro made up of detached buildings, forming an ex- 
 tended village two or three miles long, a great inconveni- 
 ence to every one, and to politicians and gossipers in par- 
 ticular. Some, too, are quite invisible until you discover 
 them at your feet buried in a deep chasm, and unap- 
 proachable, unless you be pleased to make your mfrec 
 like an otter. Many of them placed on an apparently 
 sheer hill side, resemble in the distance some native ex- 
 crescence, and on a nearer approach, appear to ha\ e been 
 thrown proniisenou.sly from some gigantic lumd, and 
 stuck — like bird lime to the naked rock — forever beyond 
 all reach of humanity in general. 
 
 But for all the forlorn appearance that many uf them 
 present, they are to all intentvS and purposes " towns as 
 are towns" — real go-a-head marts for trafiic, living on 
 tjade, and the constant turmoil of demand and supply. 
 They were never intended by their founders for aught 
 else, and business men, not pleasure seekers are the 
 owners. Independent citi'ions enjoying life on patrimo- 
 
 i 
 
UAMHLlNaS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 59 
 
 nics, or annuities arc not to be scon, and but rarely, old 
 men, women, or children. The chief ingredient is vigor- 
 ous and sturdy manhood, brimfull of life and expectation, 
 always excepting the eternal lounger of the hotels and 
 billiard saloons, that indigenous plant of American soil. 
 
 I do verily believe if the whole catalogue of the free 
 institutions—from independence day down to stuffing a 
 ballot box— were exposed to the inspection of an un- 
 prejudiced judge, with the view of obtaining his opinion 
 as to what constitutes the most original native invention— 
 the pure unadulterated ' dead-head ' would most assuredly 
 bear the palm. Yes! Envious foreigners may strive, 
 and that successfully, to snatch the honors of steamboats 
 and forced servitude, telegraphs, piracy and mint juleps— 
 but the loafer is incomparably- an established United 
 States fixture— in short, an iiistitution. He has no sec- 
 tionalism about him. lie is a federalist, a part and par- 
 cel of Uncle Sam himself. Kansas may be gained by 
 Shavpe's rifles, or ruffian guns— foreign citizens may be 
 stripped of their franchise— chewing tobacco may be- 
 come unpopular— but the loafer is a permanence. As he 
 is at the Astor House, so is he in Kl Dorada, his means of 
 livelihood the queerest problem of the day. But there 
 he is, in lank dyspeptic flesh and blood— day after day, 
 and year after year ; in salubrious weather on the piazza 
 of the best hotel— or in bad, at the box stove, picking his 
 teeth or lazily puffing a fragrant Havana, his heels up- 
 lifted, his upper lip negligently curled, and the very cut 
 of his hat betraying a languid contempt for the whole raoo 
 of the uninitiated. He has no fellowship with the P^uro- 
 pean sot of o, gin slion nr wine cellar — no synipathy with 
 such, for a gulf is between them. The}j are humility'* 
 
 ■ 1! 
 
60 
 
 RA.Mj;i-l\(i.> IN CALIFOHNIA. 
 
 self in pursuit oi' an invitation— he drinks at your rtrjuest 
 with the solenm dignity of a Pacha. They arc dirty— 
 his linen is faultless. They get drunk when they can- 
 he is never incbrintcd— liis appreciation of the glorious 
 cxhdaration of alcohols is much too profound, to be rashly 
 sacrificed for the unpleasant consequences of over indul- 
 gence. Once a year, however, they awake from their 
 torpor, and durin«;- the whole turmoil of an election, ap- 
 pear gifted with astonishing powers of ubiquity, as well 
 as ability and inclination to treat their fellow-townsmen 
 indiscriminately, on the smallest pretext. But after the 
 excitement, their unwonted exertion and munificence in- 
 stantly collapse like the baseless fabric of a vision, and 
 they calmly betake themselves to the natural and orderly 
 functions of a dead-head, until again resuscitated by the 
 cries of their country. 
 
 ^ Too many tyros get discouraged on their first introduc- 
 tion to hard knocks and indifferent placers, ar d desert at 
 at once, indignant and disgusted. Such persons, if possi- 
 ble, return home by the first steamer, and of course relate 
 to sympathizing friends, the doleful catalogue of their 
 wrongs and misfortunes while in the mines, interspersed 
 with shrewd guesses, as to the ultimate fate of the unfor- 
 tunates who remain ; and all this elaborate knowledge has 
 perhaps been acquired in the experience of twenty-four 
 hours. The unfortunates whose finances will not permit 
 an immediate exodus from the country, must seek employ- 
 ment in cities for bread, and a reconstruction of their 
 wardrobe, they will tlierefore be obliged to labor for a 
 trifling remuneration — often, indeed, merely for their 
 board. Such has been the fate of thousands, who with 
 the diseased fancy of becoming immediate nabobs, have 
 
IlAMBLIXdS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 (51 
 
 in the Iir.<t rovulsion of fueling, boeu liurriud into the 
 uppo.sitc extreme, and tlieir crushed spirits have submitted, 
 and bowed to the lowest depths of degradation and vice, 
 where a moderate independence might have been acquired, 
 in three or four years, by the use of a moderate share of 
 industry and thrift. 
 
 There is another class worthy of mention, from their 
 great numbers and the powerful influence they wield. — 
 These good natured people take things as they come with 
 the stoicism of a Turk, but are not in the end in any 
 more affluent circumstances than those just mentioned. — 
 They are, nevertheless, as independent and perhaps to 
 the full as happy as lords. As they erect their own 
 shanties— rent, fuel, and water are free — and their only 
 remaining difficulty is to li([uidate the weekly store-bill, 
 which they manage by working their ground one, two, or 
 more days, according to its productive powers. Those 
 who are not fortunate enough to be proprietors, perform 
 the same object by working for others. Another half 
 day, or day — according to the individual's imbibing (quali- 
 ties — will pay the tavern bill, and the "balance" of the 
 seven days is at the gentleman's own disposal. Thia is 
 expended according to varied tastes, the free and easies in 
 drinking, sleeping, and eucre, while those of a literary 
 turn spend theirs in the questionable improvement of their 
 minds, to be derived from translations of obscene French 
 books, and the odd novels that chance throws in their 
 
 way. 
 
 It must not be supposed that the hard laborer — even in 
 the mines — is always the most successful, although it 
 certainly is the place, of all others, where tiie prudent 
 exercise of bone and muscle meets with its surest and 
 
 F2 
 

 i'f^ 
 
 l{.VMI!LI\<iS IN rAurOHNIA, 
 
 Diost :i«l((juatc rewanl. Tlicr.' :u-c mu.ibcrs of porson.s, 
 liowevcr, who niaua-o by vaiiuus inireiiious plans, and 
 adroit niann.uenient, to elude labor, while at the same time 
 they eontrive to serape the ('iisl tooether in a wonderful 
 nianner. Besides tlie leo-itiniate ofiiees of stores and board- 
 in.U' houses, there are many whose sole occupation consists 
 injmnjn-u;/ or locatin- claims, and tlien diKjiosin- of tlicm 
 in the most advantageous way possible by sale or barter. 
 As a body their respectability is more tlian doubtful.— 
 They are obliged to prevaricate and double in every con- 
 ceivable way, to carry out their plans with success, which 
 are, for the most part, executed on fresh arrivals from the 
 agricultural districts, and foreigners, more especially the 
 Chinaman, who is commonly considered lawful game, even 
 by the wild but cunning aborigines, who have actually 
 had the aptiiess, to palm themselves on the unsuspecting 
 Asiatics as foreign tax collectors, and thus swindle them 
 out of their dear bought earninu.s. One of the most suc- 
 cessful tricks heretofore in vogue among the mining spec- 
 ulators, was happily denominated salfin;/. This consisted 
 in shooting small portions of gold dust into a bank from 
 a. shot gun, where it was likely to pass through the ordeal of 
 prospecting in the pan of the intending purchaser, who 
 discovers when too late the rluin^r to be liis sole remu- 
 neration. 
 
 From the vast influx of foreigners into the mines, they 
 were early deemed by the lords of the soil, as excellent 
 sources for revenue, and a law was soon in operation, enti- 
 tied " An Act for the protection of foreigners," but '' An 
 Act for the spoilation of foreigners" would have been a 
 much more applicable title to its spirit and intention.— 
 From many causes, it has not worked so glibly as hoped 
 
UAMJtM.NdS 1\ < ALIFORMA. 
 
 03 
 
 tor, not the lo;ist of which is the unjust principk' of nia- 
 kinu; tho tttxes themselves ;i reality, while the so-ealleil 
 proteetii»n. in the way of eompensatioii, is(|uite ina(le(|uat(i 
 and visionary. Uesidcs, the law was a copious bungle of 
 itself, and althouirh a larue sum was, and still is raised 
 monthly, it docs little more than enrich the persons em- 
 ployed in its collection. A ureat animosity prevails 
 against it by all foreigners, and in diggings where they 
 are the prevailing poi)ulation, it is a dangerous and often 
 impracticable feat, to raise a dollar. As the oidy alterna- 
 tive in ease of non-compliance, is to take the body, as tho 
 law enacts, the tax at the present day is rarely enforced, 
 except on the inexhaustible Celestials. 
 
 Even so late as '51, when the fiats of the legislature 
 were more respected than they have ever been since, the 
 collector could often make a per ccntage, even from 
 speakers of the English language. But from that date it 
 has got gradually into disuse — principally from the risk of 
 collection — although the attempt is sometimes made, even 
 at the present day. 
 
 In the Summer of 1853, there was a eom^jauy consisting 
 of three persons, on a bar of the main Vubea, called 
 Ousley's, of which 1 was a member in reputable standing. 
 Like all diggings in the foot-hills, the gold was extremely 
 fine and very sparingly sown besides, and for more than a 
 month, our industry had barely sufficed to extort civility 
 from the dirty little Dutch storekeeper, who for some time 
 previous had stuck up in his den some badly executed and 
 worse spelt placards, purporting that " Trust has just 
 vamosed the ranch, to look for new diggings," or perhaps 
 containing a pleasant little fiction — that if we paid to-day 
 we would be quite welcome to trust to-morrow — the un- 
 
 n 
 
 
01 
 
 ILVMDLINdS IN (AUroUNIA. 
 
 kiinlest cut (it the jest being in the snrpvisiuf,' tact, that 
 to-morrow never conies. IJut us we never pretended to 
 sec the prints tit all, things liad not yet reached a climax, 
 and pork and slap-jacks still continued to smoke upon our 
 liospitable board. 
 
 I was one noontide endeavourini- to doze in the hot 
 blast beneath a spreading live oak, after an unsuccessful 
 morning's hard labor, and in a humor quite the reverse to 
 agreeable, with no safety valve by which to expend it, for 
 my companions were at the same time — if possible — more 
 disagreeable than myself. I was suddenly startled by the 
 api)arition of a little sallow Mississippian, with a bald head 
 and two revolvers and a rifle as long as himself. 
 
 " Friend," said he (juietly, " jidgin from your overall.*?, 
 your a nnncr I reckon." 
 
 " Yes," I exclaimed iiercely, in spite of the formidable 
 array (»f my <iucstioncr. " Poverty must bear its uniform, 
 I suppose, but I have yet to learn that we must endure the 
 gibes of bummers and blacklegs in conse([Ucnce." 
 
 " Darn your overalls," he replied, in so bland a tone 1 
 could not for the life of me penetrate whether it was a 
 malediction, or sage advice, touching a very unseemly rent 
 that existed in my garment. However, as his remark 
 called for no direct reply, I merely cocked the tatteied 
 rim of my hat more proudly than before, and relapsed into 
 as di' nified a silence as I could possibly assume. 
 
 " Stranger," he resumed at length, " can't you disciver 
 who I be ?" 
 
 " I have no curiosity sir, to penetrate into your private 
 affairs." 
 
 '' Wal I've jest got you now whar 1 want you. I ain't 
 private you see, nor never was private, nor none of our 
 
 I 
 
l!A.Mi;i.l.\<l.S IN CALIFOHMA. 
 
 ()5 
 
 
 tolk.s, since the time my uncle sijot tlie schuulmaster in old 
 Kentuck, we couldn't .sweat in private, we was allers boun 
 to do somethino; for this free country of ourn. My brother 
 Bob, he's a judge, and the youngest — that's (.'aractacus — 
 he's his constable, we all go snucks, and I'm for'n tax 
 c'lector at your sarvice. And now, whose your pardners ? 
 for I won't insult you by axin if yuu be a citizen, you 
 talk too good Amer'kin for that. IJut whose your pard- 
 ners ? Air they Amer'kins or air they for'ncrs ?" 
 
 As I felt at the moment in a misanthropical mood, I 
 was seized with the idea of annoying my companions, and 
 knowing well that there was not a grain of dust, or the 
 President's face in the cabin, I promptly informed him 
 where he could tind two, one Irishman and one Canadian. 
 The little man pondered the subject for a few minutes, 
 patting his head with a flaming bandana, and then ob- 
 served with the aspect of a Solon, 
 
 ''I reckon I'll put down to the Chinese can»p, I kin 
 'elect thar, any how, and it mightned be much keount to 
 try that thar cabin of yourn, for I've found in my expe- 
 rience, an Frishman is allers a citizen and a good democrat, 
 and as for the Canuc — why the unfortunite critters, they 
 want to be bad enough, and mayhap bymby when they 
 larn something, we'll allow 'em to annex — so I'll jest 
 travel do ami whar it will pay on the ledge." 
 
 For miles down the Western slope, below the highest 
 peai.s of the Sierra Nevada, gold is rarely to be found. 
 About one-third of the whole disttiuce down, the first 
 placers begin to make themselves \ isible. Loose pieces of 
 quartz interspersed with slate, and a loose red loamy soil, 
 are the first sure indications, and there are but few ravines 
 — containing compact gravel in their beds — in which the 
 
<56 
 
 HAM BUNGS IN" CALIPORMA. 
 
 colour of gold may not be detected, by the use of the pan. 
 The pmspect gradually improves for another third, and 
 then they decrease proportionably, until finally lost in the 
 great valleys of the Sacramento in the Northern, and the 
 San Joaquin in the Southern mines. 
 
 A few placers have been discovered in the coast range 
 but so meagre, tlu.t in few localities have they defrayed 
 the expense of collection, although, in the very important 
 article of quicksilver, portions of this range have proved 
 exceedingly productive; and where it exists, the ground is 
 valued at immense sums, but from the great outlay re- 
 quired in the commencement, the mines are only worked 
 by chartered companies. 
 
 The main lead of the gold fields appears to run midway 
 on the Western slope, and parallel with the ran-e, froi 
 the interior of Oregon to the State of Sonora in Mexico ; 
 although vast tracts intervene of small value, and for the 
 remainder of the mountains, south of the river MariposH 
 —although containing small leads— few of the placers are 
 of sufficient importance, to induce parties to form any im- 
 portant settlements. 
 
 A great excitement was raised a few years back, by the 
 announcement, that an extensive mining country was dis- 
 covered in those regions, at a place called Kern liivor, 
 and some thousand miners deserted the Northern dis- 
 trict in the pursuit. But after incredible fatigue ard 
 expense, in a journey of four or five hundred miles, thej 
 made the withering discovery, that the river was nearly 
 dry, and the diggings, except in a few spots, already oc- 
 cupied by the first adventurers— of the most inferior 
 description. Many died of inanition and exhaustion, and 
 ^ ' ' ^^---rv luuiid tiu-niselves bankrupt; jo 
 
RAMRr.lNOS IN CALiyuKXH, 
 
 67 
 
 pocket w,th „„ ,,r„«poot of renewal. ludiRnnnt at their 
 delusion, enq-.„ries were set on foot, with the view of fer- 
 ret, „p „,.t the deeeiver, and it „.« fi,,^,,^, ,,jj,,,j ^„ ^,_^ 
 pr.ne,pa »torelieeper of the di.triet, who had alreadv 
 absorbed the entire funds of tl,e eonnnunitv, by «.lli„; 
 «hem provision., at an exorbitant rate, and wils just then 
 on the eve .,f taldnn; his final leave. 
 
 An indignation meeting was the result of this enouiry 
 wh.eh ended .„ the arraignn.ent of the aecusod before the 
 bar of tho .njured j.rospeeters, and after an i„,partial trial 
 the unfortunate merehant was eondenu.ed to the gallows, 
 »d h,s ,ll-g„t,on gaiu eonfiseated fertile purpose of assist- 
 mg the people to return. Justiee was pron.ptly e.eeuted 
 0" the dehn,,uent, and the ea.np becun.e almost deserted ■ 
 -d f^n that date to the present, no explorations of 1 
 importanee have ever been n.ade south „f the so-ealled 
 f?outheni Mines. 
 
 Rven in that wide auriferous region eontaining the l.-re- 
 -ont patent, in the Maripo,SH district, mining is very far 
 from being a prosperous oceupation, owing in part to the 
 ^eare.ty of water, beeause the ehief part of the river 
 
 -out of u, Tuolumne are dry at uJt half of the yr 
 »nd their is,,ia,„„, ,„al<es it a eo..t!y and proOtless journo; 
 ■ Ko oil anJ return during the ,hy sea.son , and all persons 
 ■» all intimate wiM, the mines, the manners, h.' it,, and 
 ae.|U,red propensities of .ho.sc who follow the ,voeatioii. 
 w; own that a permanent settlement in some plaee that 
 will alloru constant if even slow returns, is the only way 
 -with isolated exeeptions-by which the work can he 
 advantageously prosecuted and money eventually saved 
 IJut the majority of gold-hunters are either men of gfon.^ 
 sanguine temperaments or reeHcss advulur.-rs, and many 
 
68 
 
 RAMBLINOS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 of the former class will toil in the i.K.st industrious way 
 for a yoAiv at a ti.nc, sustaining life on the coarsest edibles 
 and at the end be as far fron, the consumation of their 
 dearest hopes, as they were at the commencement ; the 
 cause of tliis is easily explained. 
 
 Two men probably locate a claim in a ravine that will 
 produce three or four dollars per day to the hand ; they 
 then erect their cabin, work a few days to lay up a stock 
 of provisions, and then commence prospectina^ by dicrgin- 
 holes in the hills contiguous, with the view of discovering 
 a richer lead. Shaft after shaft is sunk without success', 
 until beans and tlie usual savory accompaniment have dis- 
 appeared from their habitation. Necessity again compels 
 them to apply themselves in their despised gulch. They 
 are again resuscitated, and the prospecting commences 
 afresh, until the year expires and finds them head and 
 ears m the ledger of the merchant, and their despised 
 claim confiscated to liquidate the debt. But had they used 
 the same amount of industry in working their gulch, as 
 they did in excavating the hills in fruitless searclies 4 a 
 fortune, they would both have acquired a thousand dollars 
 each. 
 
 This mode of working makes tlie average amount an- 
 nually earned— to the ma)i— but trifling,' although the 
 semi-monthly exports by the steamer, make the aggregate 
 appear large. ]Jut the truth is— between this speculative 
 system of applying their labor, and travelling from place 
 to place, together with much idleness, intemperance, and 
 reckless waste— at least two-thirds of the mining operatives 
 live in a state of constant poverty, although a hope of final 
 success supports the one class, and a firm resolve to amend 
 
 
 lOrae indefinite period, the otl 
 
 le 
 
 r. And so they drudge 
 
RAMBLINGS IN CALIFORNIA 
 
 69 
 
 
 along, much happier than might be imagined, under such 
 disastrous circumstances. 
 
 Many persons in reading over the various casualties to 
 life and limb — to be found in California newspapers — and 
 observing that the people, in the majority of cases, revenge 
 their own wrongs in open defiance of the legal tribunals, 
 are apt to imagine the country in a position of complete 
 disorganization and lawlessness ; but essentially bad, as the 
 state of society undoubtedly is, in no other country within 
 the universe, could the rights of property and human life 
 be equally respected under a system of government nomi- 
 nally invincible — but in reality incapable of executing its 
 smallest mandate without an extreme physical majority. 
 Republicanism, here, may be literally said tu have run 
 mad, so ridiculously incapable is it of exercising control 
 over the masses ; for even among the most enthusiastic 
 admirers of the so called popular principles of govern- 
 ment — the law, its makers, and all its complicated ma- 
 chinery are laughed at, and treated, not only with derision 
 but often with marked hostility. 
 
 It is undoubtedly the good sense and natural love of 
 order and of justice, inherent in the Anglo-Saxon and 
 his descendants, that makes the country habitable at all, 
 and safer than many that have their laws respected and 
 enforced; and the popular outbreaks that in France or 
 Italy would lead to wholesale murder, debauchery and 
 robbery, merely repair the social fabric, and are in truth 
 but the enforcement of the law itself, which in the letter 
 at least is founded on just principles, and respect for the 
 rights of all. 
 
 The San Francisco Vigilance Committee in 1856, may 
 serve as a striking illustration of this. For although 
 
 Q 
 
70 
 
 RAMBLINOS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 nearly ten thouBund able-bodied men (a force that in an 
 old country would represent u population of a quarter of 
 a million), were in arms against the government itself— 
 and that of their own creation— the rights of good citi- 
 zens were uniformly respected ; and their worst^ enemies 
 mast own, that the whole turmoil had the desired effect of 
 purging the State of a nest of desperadoes, who levied 
 blackmail on all outside their clique, with the keys of 
 office and the treasury under their control. It was not 
 the existence of the thing itself, merely, that created for it 
 such a great amount of local attention and world-wide 
 notoriety, for such risings had been long foiniliar not only 
 in the metropolis, but were, and still are, matters of daily 
 occurrence throughout the length and breadth of the 
 land, and rarely excited more than , momentary attention 
 It was simply the e .tent of the rising, its monied influence, 
 together with its grand conceptions, vitality, and political 
 bearing that won it notice, not only from the local au- 
 thority but even from the general government, although 
 the latter even, would have bee» perfectly imbecile in quell- 
 ing the outbreak, with the whole of the standing army ; 
 for noble-looking and effective as the volunteer companies 
 of the ITnited .States undoubtedly are, when pleased to act 
 on the outside eueiuies of their country, it would take 
 much patriotism indeed, to imagine the shadow of o,,llant- 
 ry or bravery, t.. hover around the scrubby looking blue- 
 coated gentry, who promenade with the U. «. upon their 
 knapsacks. The greenest company of supes, in a provin- 
 cial theatre, acting as "guards," look like veterans in com- 
 parison with these parodies of soldici-s. Many of them 
 walk literally wide between the legs like Falstaff's— "a,s if 
 they had gyves onf and there is little doubt but they 
 
WMmmmi^. 
 
 
 RAMBLINGS IN CALIFORNIA- 
 
 71 
 
 have been mostly intimate with such appendages. So diffi- 
 cult is it to find professional food for powder, in every part 
 of the Republic, that neither physical nor moral blemishes, 
 need be any damper to the ambition of the military can- 
 didate. The truth must be told, however, that the na- 
 tive Americans to be found amono; this motley rabble, are 
 extremely few, and the "repjlars" are here held in as sove- 
 reign scorn, as in despotic eountrios they are looked on 
 with hatred and dread. 
 
 The authority given to a mii)er's meeting, looks like a 
 tacit understanding between the government and people, 
 that while the former is allowed to swallow the revenues 
 without question, the latter may govern themselves, in 
 their own small cornmunities, as they may think best, with- 
 out fear or favor from the higher powers. Without grant- 
 ing the philosophy of paying for nothing, still the miners 
 themselves have shown themselves much more capable than 
 their repre.-^entativcs. They are authorized as a corpora- 
 ration, with the power of forming their own bye laws, but 
 so much is tlie commission stretched, that in many camps 
 the whole code — from stealing a shovel to a premeditated 
 murder, is administered promptly, without consulting other 
 courts than their own ; and so simple is their method, that 
 the variation of punishment between the two erinies, is of 
 small moment, when characters are both bad, for a high 
 gallows and short shrift are the usual satisfaction of the 
 law. Their proper power, however, does not extend beyond 
 making laws to govern the tenure of property, and they 
 are n allowed any power of administration ; but a decision 
 from a miner's meeting is rar«,'ly appealed from, and would 
 nearly always be nsejess, for the verdict of a iury from 
 the county town would be little respected when the physi- 
 
 Sfl 
 
72 
 
 RAMBLINviS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 cal power of tlie comrnii.iity would bo in direct opposition. 
 In the summer of 185G, wliile residing on the Stanislaus 
 River, in tlic Southern mines, a new ditch— which com- 
 manded the ditrgings and provided a good supply of water- 
 caused a great influx of strangers, hardy laborers, gamblers, 
 salters and Chinamen. So large did the community become, 
 that our old laws became incapable of managing us, and a 
 new code— the work of an eminent member of the bar, 
 from Philadelphia— was passed fur cur future good beha- 
 vior. According to the provisoes of the document, a stand- 
 ing committee and recorder were the only officers, and the 
 recorder the only allowed recipient of a fee. I was the 
 fortunate candidate for the latter office, and really, the 
 pocket money came in very pleasantly for a good little 
 time, and so li-ht were the duties, that they did'i^ot mate- 
 rially encroacli upon my other occupations. They con- 
 sisted merely in making a record of each site, occupation, 
 or tra.nsfer of claims, at a fee of one dollar, and none 
 were considered legal without this formula, which had 
 the clfoct of making the occupiers of the ground all 
 known, and vacant ground could thus always be^ found, by 
 consulting the books of the recorder. 
 
 In many camps Chinese and Spaniards are excluded, 
 but as our bar liad many from tlie free states and many 
 foreign citizens, charity for color triumphed, and a Hot- 
 tentot was admitted to e(iual rights with a born citizen of 
 Washington itself. 
 
 Shortly after the recognition of the new laws, one of 
 the miners disposed of his claim to a Chinese company, and 
 a bill of sale was given, and the whole formula of the laws 
 rigidly complied with. The Chinese went diligently to 
 work, and all went smoothly until the forenoon of the 
 
RAMBLINGS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 73 
 
 next day, wlien I was disturbed at my work by a sound 
 like the roaring of many waters, and looking up, I per- 
 ceived on the bank about lifty pigtails streaming in the 
 wind, and fifty gutteral accents, and a hundred tawny arms 
 in violent motion. I waited patiently until weariness 
 caused a dead silence, and tlie interpreter stepped forth 
 and commenced an explanation. 
 
 "Some 3Ielican men good — some no uood, some bad — 
 Chinaman likey good Melican — likey licey, n likey tighty 
 — Chinaman buy claim — he pay money — he go workey — 
 by and by, tree bad Melican men come and say to China- 
 man, vamos I clear I or trow in river. All oe go work 
 China claim; Chinaman no likey, he come see you. You 
 go fighty tree bad Melican men. Chinaman likey you vcly 
 much, good I You go fightey — he pay you ten dollar." 
 
 There was a death-like stillness during the interpreta- 
 tion, out of which I picked sufficient to inform, me that 
 three men had taken possession of the claim which had 
 been sold the previous day, and had won a bloodless vic- 
 tory by routing the fifty rightful owners. 
 
 Feeling it my duty to interfere, I posted down to the 
 disputed territory, the Chinamen following in Indian file, 
 but at a most respectful distance. 1 found three gaunt 
 long-haired fellows, each with a pistol in his belt and 
 shovelling away in the most commendable style. They 
 paid no attention as I approached, and I was obliged to 
 open the business myself, by informing the lankest of the 
 party that he had committed a blunder, by going to work 
 on ground, the property of another party. He stopped 
 his shovel slowly, and measured me leisurely from head 
 to foot for a full minute before he condescended to reply. 
 
 " Whar's the party ?" said he 
 
 m 
 
 2 
 

 
 74 
 
 HAMniJ.VOs !N CALIFOIINIA. 
 
 J replied by pointing towards tlie distant Oolestiuls. He 
 looked attcQtivoiy where I pointed for a moment, and 
 turned his gay.u on me more in(|uirinoly tlian before, then 
 with a faee of tlie bhmkest surprise, he loudly addressed 
 his nearosl partner, — 
 
 " Oh, Andrew J. Pearns, como here, will you ; here's a 
 Yankee says them dratted little yallerehap.s is a party, but 
 et J ever hcarn any thing 'ccpt a corn-huskin go by that 
 name afore, mny I never be lost in the streets of Littleroek 
 agin, and that's in blessed Arkansaw." 
 
 As Andrew J., found just the same difficulty in ex- 
 plaining, T was obliged to make them understand as well 
 as I was able, the necessity of their giving possession 
 again, immediately, to the expelled ..ties. IJut when my 
 object was really made known to their muddy intellects, 
 their indignation arose to its heiglit, and I almost quailed 
 at my own temerity, in venturing aIo)ie among such savages. 
 They berated me soundly for '- Irmging up with colored 
 fellers agin white folks," and concluded by telling me,— 
 "We'll skin you like a 'possum, and fat our liar with 
 your taller, ef you don't clar in a bee line whar you 
 b'long." 
 
 Not having any peculiar desire to experience the sylvan 
 sport of Arkansas, performed upon my delicate frame, I 
 withdrew a little faster perhaps thau was commensurate 
 with dignity, but not half so fast as my copper-colored 
 friends. As I had now undertaken the affair and had 
 received much insult, I was determined to push the case 
 to the utmost limit, and with this resolve proceeded to the 
 chairman of the committee, who sent round a messenf'er 
 and at noon the whole white population were mot in 
 solemn conclave— except the filibusters. 
 
RAMBLINOS fN OALIFORNTA 
 
 75 
 
 A committoc of throe was then dispatched, bearing 
 orders from the meeting for the jumpers to withdraw, but 
 they returned also at a rate if possibk^ more accelerated 
 than the recorder, bearing a refusal, coupled with an im- 
 pertinent challenge to any Freemonter, to go down if they 
 pleased, and have a free tight at rough and tumble. This 
 was the signal for a general turmoil, and in twenty 
 minutes upwards of a hundred men were armed and 
 equipped, and proceeded in regular military array to the 
 scene of coiifiict. 
 
 The men of Arkansas received them with eool <iisdain, 
 and it was not until they were summoned twice by the 
 burly voice of the cliairman, that they condescended to 
 cease their labor. He commenced by reading the article 
 from tiie code, having a direct bearing on their case, and 
 informed them of the resolution passed at the meeting. 
 He then pulled out liis watch, and told them, that if one of 
 their party remained on the claim at the conclusion of 
 live minutes, he would assuredly be shot down, and ad- 
 vised them to collect their traps at once, and leave in 
 peace. Minute after minute was called out by the chair- 
 .uan as they expired, and still the desperate fellows con- 
 tinued to stand their ground, without an eye (juailing, 
 amidst a profound and deathlike stillness, only broken at 
 intervals by the loud voice of the leader as he called out 
 the minutes of life. My heart ))eat wildly as the fourth 
 was solemnly called out, without a motion on the part of 
 tlie victims — fur I knew as surely as that powder would 
 blaze — they were dead men at the conclusion of the call, 
 if they still retained their stubborn position. A part of 
 the last Uiinute liad passed, when my iirst antagonist 
 coolly addressed his compeers, thus : •' Tottenham Pearch 
 
76 
 
 RAMBLINOS II* CALIFORNIA. 
 
 and ycou, Andrew .1. Pearns, we have stud our ground 
 like free Auierkins, but fortin's agin us— three timog six 
 IS eigliteen shots, in our shootin irons, anii t^n rr' . ten 
 times ten of the sneakin nigger-worshippers ; we can't 
 conic it respectable, let's travel I" and uracefully hoistin- 
 their picks and shovels, they left the ground just as the 
 last moment expired, with the air of men that had achieved 
 a victory rather than a defeat. The Ciiinamen were thea 
 put into possession, and held and worked their ground 
 without interruption. 
 
 A theft rarely occurs in the mines themselves. The 
 great numbers that usually occur throughout the wliole 
 State, are perpetrated in the larger cities, and on travel- 
 lers in unsettled districts. A lock is seldom used at all on 
 a miner's cabin, for a burglar could penetrate the chief 
 part of them as easily as a carpet bag. Petty larceny is 
 commited by squaws, who trusting on the great privilege al- 
 ways allowed to the wearers of the petticoats in this country, 
 sometimes take extreme liberties with flour, sugar, and pro- 
 visions in the owner's absence. Their husbands are very 
 cautious about such things, for the same indulgence is rarely 
 accorded to them as to their wives, and indeed did not fear 
 prevent them from such a venture, laziness would of itself, 
 be every way sufficient to keep them passably honest! 
 Many philosophers contend, that the reason for the superior 
 energy of people in Xorthern climes, over those of the 
 tropics lies in the circumstance,that spontaneous productions 
 engender indolence, and that the very necessity for indus- 
 try, in an unproductive soil, for the simple requirements of 
 existence, stimulates to increased exertion and taste for the 
 superfluities of life. But the theory is at fault, sadly, 
 among the natives uf California, both with the aborigines 
 
RAMBLINOS !?} CALIFOllNIA. 
 
 77 
 
 11 
 
 themselves, find the superior descendant of the Don. The 
 natural irrowths of the country fur man's food — in the 
 mining countries in particular — are extremely limited, al- 
 though in almost all places where irrigation is practicable, 
 the soil will yield moderately, nearly every variety of pro- 
 duction. The sustenance of the Indians appears to be 
 now, as it always has been, principally grasshoppers, clover, 
 ncgrns and the nut of the sugar pine, varied with fish 
 when in season. Wild animals have, of cours(!, been plen- 
 tier before mining commenced, but their miserably con- 
 structed bows and arrows, plainly show, that they could 
 never have materially depended on the chase for support. 
 
 Their method of trapping and cooking grasshoppers at 
 the same time, shows much ingenuity; and is, to them at 
 least, a pleasing and exciting pastime, and very amusing 
 for an outsider to look at. Half a dozen holes are dug in 
 a clover flat — where the game abound — as close to each 
 other as possible, and about the shape and size of an inverted 
 beehive. They then place closely around the holes, a ring of 
 dried brush, which they set fire to, and then commences the 
 ]i^xnt — the oldest patriarch of the tribe, condescending to 
 v.'ork witli the squav/s, and ^'fights his battles o'er again" 
 with rdl the oithusiasm of sixteen. They commence 
 by forming a circle round the fire, at a distance of some 
 hundred feet. Each is armed with a bush, with which 
 they drive their victims before them, as they gradually 
 contract the circle and approach the fire. One hop through 
 the fire, and the wings, horns and claws, are stripped off, 
 and they drop into the holes, unable to escape from their 
 pursuers, who then clear away the circle of flame and have 
 a luscious banquet on the crispy crickets. In the thick of 
 the season, they dry the superabundance for winter use 
 
 i- t.'i 
 
7M 
 
 RAMBLINOS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 and the«c, to;:,.ther with flour ananufacturcd from ncorna 
 — poimdod in a huge mortar .scooped out of a solid granite 
 Icdgc-are the staple articles of the lodge, during the un- 
 productive seasons of the year. 
 
 The squaws are often despatched with their pans, and a 
 large horn spoon, c.jled a cuchara, to find gold dust; but 
 the proceeds of their success in this empk.yment are never 
 w.sted-except on feast days-for eatables, but are ex- 
 pended in adorning the persons of their lor.ls, and 
 moistening their interior, with tlie rankest description of 
 cheap whiskey. It is not considered safe generally, to 
 leave much gold in the sluices at night, in the district 
 where Indians are plenty, for it is said that the ladies prefer 
 prospecting in a riffle box, to trying their chances on a 
 natural bank; but they are often blamed for such little 
 tricks, when, if the truth were known, the real perpetrator 
 resides at the best hotel, wears kid gloves, and carries a 
 six ounce gold chain on his vest of French velvet. 
 
rART III. 
 
 FACP] OF THE COUNTRY, AGRICUL- 
 TURE AND LABOR. 
 
 The history of California has of late years become 
 familiar to most readers, through the American newspapers, 
 and it would be in exceeding bad taste, for nie to make a 
 repetition of the infliction upon my patient readers, by 
 giving them State extracts, from narratives founded on fact 
 at best, after deluding the gentle creatures with the idea 
 of hearing an interesting retrospect of wanderings, through 
 the longth and breadth of this romantic land. Deeming, 
 nevertheless, that a little statistical and descriptive infor- 
 mation, concerning the principal localities ;.i;d towns, 
 individually — places heretofore unknown almost, except in 
 name — may prove interesting and probably more instructive 
 than a general topographical sketch ol" the whole — always, 
 and necessarily, vague and contradictory; I will endeavor 
 to do so v/ith as little prolixity as possible, and those who 
 deem the subject dry or unprofitable, may either skip 
 .l*art the Third, or devoutly ask for patience. 
 
-:' ■■■„■ ■^■*i'|^*--.A*"r-.., 
 
 ?2p8r- 
 
 
 
 80 
 
 HAMBLlNciS IN CALIF(»KMA. 
 
 It will be (.bserved by any one who takes tlie trouble of 
 consultinii; a iiki|i, ainl comparing the statistics of a,t:rieul- 
 tiire, 111 th.- various counties north and south, toirother 
 with the nuniber(.f inhabitants in eaeh— that the southern 
 portion of Alta California, possesses an overwhelniino- ad- 
 vantaire, in the production of every description of vegeta- 
 bles and domestic animals, as well as, in the important 
 item of females and children. This criterion, though, of 
 Itself, will not be sufficient to form a solid judgment upon 
 their respective merits— for the reason that the people 
 of the south, with fe- r exceptions, are employed in farm- 
 ing occupations, the o her resources being but of seeondary 
 consequence, while the vilages are wide apart and unim- 
 portant in .size. In the north— on the contrary— at least 
 one half arc residents of towns, and the chief portion of 
 the other lialf are i.iiners; so Itiat the proportion eni-- 
 ployed on farms— or ranches as they are termed— is but 
 trifling, and the proportion of productions to the indi- 
 vidual, with its high value, will show an exceedingly satis- 
 factory reward to the tiller of the soil. It would thus 
 seem, that the upper portion of the State was thrice 
 blessed, with a fruitful soi|^ mineral and commercial ad- 
 vantage ^ together with an ample supply of timber, botli 
 . )r home consumption and foreign supply. 
 
 But, if we examine more minutely into detail, we shall' 
 become fully convinced, that the North can never rival the 
 South as an agricultural producer, and that the latier 
 is especially , and providentially intended, to become the 
 feeder of the former. It may appear a matter of no im- 
 portance in a genera] sense, as to which portion has the 
 advantage in this respect, the whole territory being con- 
 ■olidated under one government. But I have been thus 
 

 
 RAMTU.INOS [N CALIFORNIA. 
 
 81 
 
 induced to toucli upon the relative powers of the two 
 portions, on account of the dissatisfaction and angry dis- 
 cussion formerly raised between them, and sure to be re- 
 sumed on every possible occasion, pending the policy of 
 a separation. And when it is considered, the different— 
 not to say contradictory — legislation required for each 
 and the great territory, separated so much by wastes, there 
 is but little doubt that such a course will finally be adopted 
 and become mutually advantageous in the end; at least it 
 will be much mon^ satisfoctory to the population south of 
 a line running east of San Francisco. For as the majority 
 are emigrants from the Slave States, thei. great desire 
 could then be accomplished, of introducing slavery into 
 the new State, a desideratum, which, however devoutly 
 wished for by them, at the present time is a moral impos- 
 sibility, on account of the enormous number of opponents 
 to the ''peculiar institution," to be found in the mines 
 and cities of the north. 
 
 The mining counties are never likely, indeed, to sup- 
 port themselves with their present inhabitants, because 
 that, in the aggregate, the amount of arable land is very 
 scarce— and the consumers bear a very disproportionate 
 majority to the producers— and as the farming land is 
 principally confined to river flats, whore the air is rank 
 with miasma, and liable to flood each winter, the process 
 of settling goes on but slowly, and it is not considered by 
 the wise ones, as a very safe or profitable investment for 
 capital or labor. Vast tracts of land still remain available 
 to operative farmers, and the market is mostly a fair one, 
 while but little difficulty is likely to exist on the score of 
 title, for the Spanish grants are but few, and present pos- 
 session is almost certain to secure an undisturbed title 
 
 u 
 

 82 
 
 RAMIJL!N'(iS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 wlic.i the land is in tlic market— by the occupant takinj? 
 it at government valuation. 
 
 But on the whole, however, the lower portion of tlie 
 State offers by far the ojreatcr inducements to families 
 intendin- to settle, when the Mexican irrants are con- 
 firmed, or rejected; for good land is abundant still, at 
 nominal prices, and although produce ranges much lower 
 in value than in the mineral country, the market is gone- 
 rally good, and the labor of tilling the rich virgin vaFleys, 
 is comparatively light. On account of the large compact 
 tracts, settlements and society are fast improving, and 
 communication by rapid means of transport, will grow 
 apace on tliese rich level plains. 
 
 The climate of the main portion of California, may be 
 reckoned, at least, as among the most delightful on the 
 globe. For, except on a few overflowed grounds— where 
 bilious diseases are prevalent— consumptions, rheumatism, 
 fevers, and every sort of epidemic, are almost unknown' 
 except through undue exposure. Bright suushijie in a 
 sky like Italy's, and healthy breezes, are sureties for three- 
 fourths of the year. The remainder of the season is 
 variable, but since the heavy freshets of '52, it has never 
 rained in one winter, more than sufficient to nioderately 
 moisten the soil and supply the minoi's with water for 
 sluicing. Early in March, the bleak summits of the hills 
 begin to clothe themselves with the richest verdure, and 
 the cattle hie to their tops, where the first fresh grass 
 begins to spring. They then gradually descend towards 
 the plains, as the sun makes hay on the high grounds, 
 and at last are driven to the swails and tules. But they 
 in their turn scorch and wither, buueath the uninterrupted 
 glare of the sun, and the t jntinued months of unmoistened 
 

 liAMlJLlNMiS IN CAIJFORNIA. 
 
 83 
 
 winds. For a (juartcr of a year this natural liay is the 
 only provender to be found ; but crisp, dry, and tasteless 
 as it appears, it is, in reality, nourishing- and palatable, 
 for flocks of all kinds cat it with much apparent relish, 
 and keep nearly in C((ual condition as when it is fresh, for 
 it still retains niucli of its juices, inconsequence of never 
 being wet by a single shower of rain. 
 
 A large party of us once arrived at a lonely valley, in 
 the county of Los Angeles, at which we intended to remain 
 some days. Tiie horses were tired and hungry ; so, after 
 watering them, we made each fast to a picket, stuck in the 
 ground — with a rope twelve feet in length — and supplied 
 them with a small quantity of barley, for the ground 
 looked bare, and black as a freshly ploughed field — offering 
 I thought one of the most discouraging prospects imagin- 
 able to a famished horse. In the morning, I proceeded to 
 my steed, with his breakfast, but was extremely surprised 
 at the manner in which he kicked up his heels, and the 
 ineffable scorn with which he treated my hospitable ad- 
 vances. The ground was covered witli something that 
 looked iike coarse black dust, and as I watched the incli- 
 nation of my companion's nose, I saw him move his lips, 
 as though he was going through the form of eating, in ac- 
 tual mockery. Surprised at his actions, I seized a handful 
 of the dust, and after an examination of its nature, found it 
 to be a very superior description of clover seed, and for 
 many miles in every direction, the ground . literally 
 covered — to the .^epth of nearly an inch — with this excel- 
 lent provender, the straw having completely crumbled into 
 powder, under the influence of the \r < . 
 
 summer. 
 
 herd of Spanish cattle, that I saw immediately after, proved 
 their good cheer, by their sleek hides and rumiuationH, 
 
84 
 
 RAMBMNGS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 an.] we found it unnecessary to remove the pickets but 
 twice during the week of our stay. I saw the same valley 
 in the ensuing spring, and so rank and tall was the clover 
 --all then m blossom-that it was a matter of extreme 
 difliculty to pass through it on foot. 
 
 There is great similarity in the regular variations of the 
 seasons throughout the State, and the great apparent dif- 
 tcrcnces to be found, owe their origin much more to local 
 causes than to latitude. The southern valleys have of 
 course the least changes in temperature, and preserve an 
 extraordinary degree of iiiildness the major portion of the 
 year. The coldest season i. in March, about the first 
 cessation of the rains. 
 
 The^ lands lying west of the coast range, and those 
 bordering on the extensive bay of San Francisco, are 
 greatly subjected to cold N. W. winds throughout the 
 summer season, and strangely enough, the winter is gene- 
 rally pleasanter throughout. Many portions of the north 
 have great extremes of heat and cold, occasioned by the 
 great and sudden elevation of the hills ; and it is not un- 
 common, to see the herbage springing up in the valleys, 
 green and fresh, while twenty miles up in the mountains, 
 ditches are frozen, and all mining operations brought to a 
 stand, with snow ten feet deep. 
 
 I append to these short remarks— touching the climate 
 —a few meteorological observations I made at San Luis 
 Obispo, during part of the months of January and Febru- 
 ary, 1^54 ; and as this place is nearly midway of the State, 
 the table may give some idea of a California winter-^ 
 although, as a general thing, the climate inland is more 
 Jiable ^o sudden changes, and greater extremes of heat and 
 cold. 
 
r 
 
 RA>U$L[NGS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 85 
 
 are 
 
 DATl'; 
 
 Jan. 
 
 20.M 
 
 21." 
 '22.011 
 23.0t> 
 24.011 
 2y.M 
 2f).0H 
 27. M 
 28.08 
 29.0 K 
 30.M 
 31.0i^ 
 Feb, 
 I.OR 
 2.M 
 ;j.os 
 
 4.0U 
 
 r),M 
 
 7. OS 
 8.0 K 
 9.M 
 
 WINDS. : 
 
 1 
 
 nAiii 
 
 >M. 
 
 TltlillMOM. 
 
 Direc. 
 
 Force. 
 
 Inch. 
 
 Dec. 
 
 27 
 
 Air. 
 40 
 
 Uiit 
 45 
 
 Wet 
 
 39 
 
 .SK 
 
 1 
 
 30 
 
 N W 
 
 4 
 
 li 
 
 14 
 
 41 
 
 45 
 
 39 
 
 N 
 
 .( 
 
 ii 
 
 2S 
 
 47 
 
 51 
 
 45 
 
 S K 
 
 .) 
 
 
 02 
 
 r^■2 
 
 53 
 
 51 
 
 U 
 
 1 
 
 u 
 
 03 
 
 'A 
 
 52 
 
 51 
 
 >■ \v 
 
 t> 
 
 
 14 
 
 :,H 
 
 53 
 
 i' ( 
 
 ii 
 
 ;! 
 
 ii 
 
 24 
 
 4S 
 
 51 
 
 41 
 
 a 
 
 1 
 
 ■> 
 
 3t) 
 
 70 
 
 54 
 
 50 
 
 NE 
 
 1 
 
 ;( 
 
 19 
 
 6S 
 
 34 
 
 54 
 
 ii 
 
 ;j 
 
 '• 
 
 19 
 
 05 
 
 53 
 
 511 
 
 N ^y 
 
 1 
 
 •• 
 
 20 
 
 M 
 
 54 
 
 53 
 
 a 
 
 1 
 
 2',t 
 
 9S 
 
 59 
 
 50 
 
 50 
 
 ., 
 
 1 
 
 .1 
 
 70 
 
 50 
 
 53 
 
 49 
 
 SK 
 
 1 
 
 30 
 
 00 
 
 i 50 
 
 50 
 
 51 
 
 N \V 
 
 3 
 
 .( 
 
 04 
 
 55 
 
 .Ji 
 
 23 
 
 i< 
 
 2 
 
 ii 
 
 05 
 
 1 53 
 
 •JO 
 
 52 
 
 8 K 
 
 1 
 
 U 
 
 OS 
 
 ; 60 
 
 50 
 
 58 
 
 
 t> 
 
 •; 
 
 12 
 
 ! 0.3 
 
 50 
 
 50 
 
 a 
 
 1 
 
 ti 
 
 11 
 
 i 55 
 
 54 
 
 51 
 
 i. 
 
 o 
 
 u 
 
 0.") 
 
 I 05 
 
 56 
 
 54 
 
 CLOUD". 
 
 WEATHER. 
 
 ■;triit. 
 
 Cir. 
 C. S. 
 Kur: 
 
 From.' 
 
 K.C. 
 uont' 
 
 Cir. 
 
 Ivuni 
 
 Cir. 
 
 S F. :!'■< ■v.t.-t t'cntlts 
 S '■' .>.,iii.lly& tliroal'ng 
 .V ,( Drizzly rain. 
 
 •• ;Slln'Vfry. 
 
 " iMmp iiiul fuggy. 
 SE Mild and I'lcasant 
 Clear and bracing 
 Very tiuo. 
 
 '■^ky n.Ml it low.-riii^ 
 I'leasant. 
 
 Foggy. 
 Liiworin^;- 
 Small rain. 
 Very iiut. 
 
 Rnin. 
 
 As to the ([uantity and <juality of horticultural pro- 
 duction.s to the aero, they arc seldom equalled, and 
 probably never excelled elsewhere ; and most descriptions 
 of fruit — where a trial has lieen made — grow with all the 
 luxuriance of a tropical climate ; amongst the vegetables 
 that grow with peculiar excellence, may be mentioned 
 particularly — barley, potatoes, onions, cabbage, melons, 
 cucumbers, tomatoes, <S:c., and indeed, almost every de- 
 scription of garden vegetables. But a regular and com- 
 plete system of irrigation, is imperatively required to 
 conduct horticulture with success, except on the low un- 
 healthy intervals of the vSacraniento river. 
 
 Santa Clara is perhaps the most important agricultural 
 county in the country, for great progress had already been 
 made, under the surveillance of the old Mexican priests, 
 prior to its annexation to the American Republic. Its 
 productions are already extensive, but a serious drawback 
 to its prosperity exists in the large Mexican grants that 
 
 a 2 
 

 
 86 
 
 RAMHL1NGS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 cover much of its surface. These wide ranches-oftea 
 covcnng many leagues-will continue to be no man's 
 land, until a final decision has been made by the U. S. 
 Court. For even among those confirmed by the board of 
 commissioners, the chief part have been appealed from by 
 tnc squatters ; and when the final decision is made, the 
 next job will be the act of dispossession. This will be 
 the most difficult feat of all ; for, assuredly they will not 
 move an inch for the Sheriff— they are the militia 
 themselves,— and as for the regular troops, why, if they 
 unite— and they certainly would— they are better soldiers, 
 and more numerous, than the whole standing army ex- 
 isting in the State. Some of the shrewdest of the Mexi- 
 cans are gradually granting deeds to the residents at low 
 prices, and this is the only plan, possible, for them to 
 escape complete robbery, for they have already discovered 
 in more ways than one, the inefficiency of the govern- 
 ment to protect the weak against the encroachments of 
 the strong. 
 
 It must be acknowledged, though, that many of the peo- 
 ple have conscientious scruples touching the propriety of 
 taking possession of that which is not theirs, and in con- 
 sequence, great tracts of the richest alluvial deposit, con- 
 tinue to be a wilderness, except at intervals where some 
 hardy Ishmael has dared to pitch his tent, and shelter his 
 household gods, in defiance of all prohibition, with his 
 stout heart and brawny arms his only title. 
 
 lu those portions where the titles arc indisputable, by 
 coming into the possession of Americans, whether by pur- 
 chase or matrimony— the latter seems in most favor— the 
 amount of improvement is wondrous and beautiful. The 
 tillable land— like most in the State- consists of a val- 
 
mm^. 
 
 RAMBLING^ IN CALli'ORNIA. 
 
 87 
 
 ley, sometimes gently undulutiug, but in general, level 
 almost as a billiard table, between two ranges of moun- 
 tains, and studded with oak trees, like an English park. 
 The valley varies in breadth^ from twenty miles to a few 
 yards, where the two chains contract, and again expand 
 it; and these valleys of variable breadth, running in length 
 nearly north and south, and extending to the Mexican 
 line, constitute nearly the whole of the farming land of 
 the country. 
 
 A mission was early made in Santa Clara by the tirst 
 settlers, and as whites as well as Indians began to occupy 
 the attention of the worthy fathers, two chapels of ease 
 were soon erected for the accommodation of distant wor- 
 shippers, during the severities of the winter season. There 
 are now two bustling little towns at these chapels, and the 
 chief part of the settlements are in their immediate neigh- 
 borhood. The road from the little town of Santa Clara, 
 to the city — or Paella of San Jose, a distance of four 
 miles — is one of the most delightful imaginable. The 
 ground is hard and smooth, and shaded through its 
 whole extent by large trees on each side. They have 
 been planted at regular intervals of five or six feet, and 
 meeting above, they totally exclude the sun. The planters 
 of these veterans, have long since mouldered into dust, for 
 these kindly monuments of their benevolent labor, already 
 bend to the march of time, and have the full appearance 
 and bulk of centenarians. 
 
 There are many vineyards in this county producing 
 grapes of delicious flavor ; pears and peaches, too, are 
 plentiful, but there are other places much excelling it in 
 this branch of agriculture. Its population exceeds 10,000, 
 and its greatest productions in 1855, were the follow- 
 
88 
 
 ilAMBLlNGS IN CALIFORxNIA. 
 
 ing:— onions in pounds, 800,000; eabbarre, (100,000; 
 grape vines, 2r),000; barley in buslicls, 700,000; wheat' 
 100,000; potatoes, 500,000. \ have seen melons from 
 this place, Aveighing over GO pounds, and cabbages 30 
 pounds. 
 
 Santa Cruz county i.s divided from Santa Olara, by a 
 long spur of the coast range, about ten miles in breadth. 
 This ridge provides excellent pasture, and supplies in 
 profusion, building and fencing material for both counties. 
 The principal timber consists of pine, and a giL'antic 
 species of cedar, called red wood. It is extremely light 
 when dry, takes a very smooth finish, and scarcely shrinks 
 at all, but it is rather soft, and too easily split, to make 
 very good floors or furniture. 
 
 Santa Cruz has probably the most uniform climate in 
 the State, and although in close proximity to San Fran- 
 cisco, might almost seem in another State. It is very 
 small, and consists merely of a narrow strip upon the 
 coast, from three to ten miles wide, and above 30 in length, 
 but contains more arable ground than others of ten times 
 its extent, [t has been styled by all admirers of California 
 scenery, the garden of the world, and it really does appear 
 to bear upon its youthful face, the world's first fresh fra- 
 grance, as it came from its creator's hand. Flowers, blue 
 sky, and sunshine, continue almost in an endless cycle, 
 and th. :uild breezes of the Pacific, temper the harshness 
 of every season. 
 
 This circumstance gives it a great pre-eminence over all 
 the other great agr-uiiural valleys, the principal of which 
 are— Suisun, Napa, ^un Juse, Los Angeles, and the long 
 reaching flats of the Sacramento -nd San Joaquin. A 
 frost is rarely seen at any season, and snow is unknown, 
 
RAMBLINGS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 89 
 
 except when seen on the distant hills of the coast range, 
 at rare periods. Thousands of acres in this valley are 
 covered with luxuriant crops of wild oats, and large herds 
 of half wild cattle are to be seen revelling on the luxury. 
 Although owned and branded with the name of their 
 proprietor, they are wild as deer, and frequently danger- 
 ous to solitary footmen, who have often been gored to 
 death by them, when without arms, or a tree in reach to 
 escape to. Nearly every plant that is good for the food 
 of man, the earth appears to bring forth kindly, and with 
 the most trifling degree of cultivation, and things that in 
 other less fortunate lands, would seem in the strongest 
 contrast with each other, here grow amicably side by 
 side, like a happy family ; grapes, and potatoes, currants, 
 strawberries, and raspberries, with peaches, apricots and 
 oranges, all flourishing as though indigenous to the soil. 
 Art has done but little yet for this lovely valley, but na- 
 ture has prepared it for much, and few who have labored 
 in its generous soil, would willingly leave it for the sterile 
 and harsher climate of the Atlantic seaboard. Santa Cruz, 
 the county town, was a populous mission, but the coarsely 
 built old church is now almost in ruins, and a great por- 
 portion of the simple inhabitants, scattered or destroyed, 
 through the unceasing persecutions of the American 
 squatters. 
 
 The county of San Joaquin, occupies a portion of the 
 great valley of the same name, which lies between the 
 mountains of the Sierra Nevada, and the Cast Range 
 proper, running in length nearly N.W. and S.E., and 
 averaging in breadth, aboul 40 miles. The soil for a mile 
 or two back from the rivers, is extremely fertile, but the 
 intermediate spaces are gravelly, and chiefly untit for 
 
00 
 
 HAMHIJ.NdS LV I'.V UFORM A. 
 
 cultivation. Dry Cvok, a s.null l.rnnch of the Mcxju- 
 Iunni<«, divides this valley from that of the Saeramot.to, 
 and tli(> important San Joaquin river runs for a loni^ dis- 
 tance nearly in the centre of the valley, after its efflux 
 from the mountains. The eonti-uity of the auricultural 
 lands to the richest portion of the Calaveras and Tuolumne, 
 .secures an unfailino- niarlcct to every spocicH of its varied 
 productions ; all articles bcarin- nearly double the price 
 that they would in Santa Cruz, or Santa Clara; but the pre- 
 valence of fever and a-ue on the best land.s, deteriorates 
 much from their value. The carrying, trade to the main 
 portion of the southern mines, is of vast importance to 
 this county, and the roads and bridges are the best in the 
 State, the oravclly nature of the soil being a great ad- 
 vantage in tlie lieavy rains of winter. Teaming is carried 
 on in the grandest system, some of the waggons will hold 
 upwards of eight tons, and are drawn by twenty mules, 
 and the proprietor of even one team and waggon requires 
 to be a man of some capital, for large team mules are 
 worth 300 dollars each, and a waggon, about 81,500. The 
 mules used arc of a very superior breed, and are much 
 preferred to horses, from the fact that they require less 
 attention to their wiints, and their powers of endurance 
 beneath a hot sun. 
 
 Earley, for feed, is the staple production on the river 
 flats, and eiglity bushels to the acre is by no means an un- 
 common crop. Potatoes weighing 81b, floury and sound, 
 are plentiful; and cabbages and onions are grown in 
 profusion, and sold at moderate prices, but the teamsters' 
 and retailers' profits more than treble their value before 
 they come into the hands of the consumers in the mines. 
 Salmon and other fish arc caught in abundance in all the 
 
 I 
 
RA.MlJLlNdS IN CALIFOKMA. 
 
 01 
 
 rivcTB, an<l tlio i»lains aro covered with wild liorses, elk, 
 door, antelope, and ninnberles.s varieties of feathered jrauie. 
 And although hunters are numerous, they have not mate- 
 rially doereased their numbers ; hut so wild are they, that 
 it rccjuires threat skill and ex[»eri(!ne(! to prosoeute the 
 callin<^ with success. Many native Californians and 
 Mexicans, employ themselves in eatel.ing wild horses, or 
 Muataiujs, by driving them into traps or corrals — a sort of 
 pound — where they lasw them, and then dispose of them 
 to farmers and others, for S40 or §50 each. They can be 
 broken to harness in u few weeks, but they are generally 
 light, and apt to be treacherous for the whole their 
 existence. 
 
 The principal streams arc the San Joa<iuin, xMofjuelumne, 
 Calaveras, and Stanislaus. The San Joaquin is navigable 
 to Stockton, and much higher, during freshets, and is the 
 grand trunk that receives nearly all the rivers of the coun- 
 try, south of San Francisco bay. The Stanislaus, which 
 separates this county from Tuolumne, has been very rich 
 in its upper portion, and contains much profitable mining, 
 even ten miles from its mouth; paying regularly in fine 
 gold, so low as the foot hills, from %'l to $4 per day, to the 
 hand. 
 
 Stockton, Ca.storia, and Knight's Ferry are the only 
 towns. Stockton was at one time the third in the State, 
 but now contains only abcmt 400U inhabitants. It was at 
 one time a depot of a fur company, and then occupied by 
 a Mr. Webber, but was not permanently settled until the 
 first your of the gold discoveries. It has been a great 
 sufferer from fires and freshets, and it is most likely from 
 this cause that few importing merchants reside in it ; and 
 goods from the interior pass through from Sau Francisco, 
 
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 RAMBLINGS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 without profit to any except the carriers. It is situated 
 one mile from the San Joaquin, on a sluggish but deep 
 stream, called Stockton Slough, and possesses the public 
 Lunatic Asylum, which is one of the finest buildings in 
 the State. 
 
 Castoria— sometimes called French Camp— is also on a 
 slough, and was an old post of the Hudson Bay Company. 
 It is small but very lively town, particularly during the 
 rainy season, from the great superiority of its roads. The 
 whole population of this county is about 8000. 
 
 The County of Napa is convenient to San Francisco, and 
 contains the most beautiful and healthy valleys of the 
 northern counties. It is fast settling up, though the In- 
 dians as yet fdrm the greater moiety of the population.— 
 They are, however, principally domesticated, by employing 
 them on ranches, and very useful they prove as herds.— 
 Their remuneration is not very much, for as none of them 
 are troubled with the luxuriant ideas of their brethren in 
 the gold fields, they have never had the opportunity of 
 making themselves useful at other employments. 
 
 Napa supplies the markets in San Francisco bay, with 
 large quantities of produce— barley, wheat, and beef are 
 the most important About $40,000 are invested in 
 quicksilver mining, but the gold placers are not very pro- 
 fitable. There is a mountain of very strange appearance 
 near the coast, standing quite aloof from any range— it is 
 visible more than 50 miles off. There are great numbers 
 of hot sulphur springs in Napa, many of which are said to 
 possess extraordinary medicinal powers, and are much re- 
 sorted to, by invalids, from all parts of the country. 
 
 The Napa river, after running in a southerly course 
 through the centre of the valley beari)ig its name, empties 
 
RAMBIJNGS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 93 
 
 into Pablo bay. It is navigable nearly 12 miles. Putas 
 takes its source in the North, and after watering the de- 
 lightful little valley Berryesa, courses its way rapidly 
 through a narrow mountain gorge, all trace of it is finally 
 lost in the vast tule marshes of the Sacramento. There 
 are great numbers of romantic looking caverns ; but the 
 most interesting curiosities, by far, are the geysers, or hot 
 sulphur springs, situated a few miles north of Napa city, 
 in the interior of the mountains. Their diameter varies 
 from nine inches to twelve feet. They are perpetually 
 boiling, and the water frequently spouts upwards more 
 than twenty-five feet. Powerful streams of burning gas 
 issue from great fissures in the rocks, and the sound it 
 makes in its exit, is louder than the escape of steam from 
 the largest boiler. The water is all strongly impregnated 
 with sulphur, and the smell of the gas is extremely pun- 
 gent. Napa city and Suscol are the chief towns, and the 
 whole population, ranges near 3000 — 1600 of whom are 
 Indians. 
 
 Sacramento, which contains the second city in the 
 State, is bounded on its Western side by the river of the 
 same name, which is second in importance to but one on 
 the entire western coast' of North or South America 
 Its resources are completely agricultural^ for there are no 
 mines within its boundaries that will defray the cost of 
 working. It has 10,000 head of horned cattle, and 5000 
 mules. Horticulture is carried on much more extensively 
 than elsewhere, and its productions of onions, cabbage, 
 carrots, parsnips and turnips, are nearly equal to all the 
 rest of the State. Even so early as 1854, there were 307 
 acres in melons alone, and their value, together with the 
 other productions in the market, amounted to more than 
 
 I 
 
94 
 
 RAMBLINGS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 half a million of dollars. The arable land is low and rich, 
 requiring no irrigation ; but the air is extremely un- 
 wholesome. The city of Sacramento, to which the river 
 is navigable for large ships, is intended for a perfect 
 checkerboard, as the streets have been surveyed, but in 
 consequence of the dilatoriness of the people in building, 
 when compared with the expertness of the engineers, the 
 whole board was completed before the former had filled 
 up a decent double corner. The city as now existing 
 forms a T ; a few streets parallel with the river and levee, 
 forming the top, and these, bissected by two main streets 
 of great length, complete the figure. The streets are all 
 numbered eastwardly from the levee, 1, 2, 3, &c., but 
 although laid out to nearly a hundred, they exist only in a 
 fertile imagination after 12th street, which consists of a 
 pig-sty and hay stack placed tete-a-tete. North and South 
 they are named alphabetically, and although they are all 
 particularly short, they already nearly consume the twenty- 
 six letters. J, is a noble street, a mile and a half long; 
 both it and the levee, or 1st street, were at one time de- 
 corated with live oak trees through their whole extent, 
 but during the universal license enjoyed about the periods of 
 flood and fire, 8onie of the free a»d enlightened ones took 
 the liberty of appropriating them all for culinary purposes. 
 There was something very refreshing in their appearance, 
 particularly in Hummer, ai- they dotted and cooled the 
 surface of the thirsty prairie. Greenly, and luxuriantly, 
 they spread their gnarled and scraggy branches over the 
 fevered citizens that hurried past. Each whispering 
 zephyr that faintly winged its flight along the thirsty soil, 
 seemed revivified and rustled once more into life by the 
 hardy old veterans, The city seems to have almost owed 
 
RAMBLINGS IN CALIFORNIA- 
 
 95 
 
 its existence to these trees.. The weary pioneer from the 
 far off banks of the Mississippi, rested and refreshed him- 
 self, his family, and his cattle, beneath their kindly shel- 
 ter. A sense of home grew up in his bosom, and an 
 attachment to the spot was engendered. He pitched his 
 tent on the flower-covered banks of the noble river, and 
 other rough but sympathizing hearts, that clung instinc- 
 tively to nature's loveliness, followed in his train, and 
 soon, each tree sheltered a canvas hut, and smiling faces. 
 Trade gradually pushed itself in, and during the first year 
 of the gold mania, the fairy city arose like a fungus. It 
 is still progressing in spite of its disasters ; and the num- 
 ber of its fire-proof buildings, is only equalled by the 
 neighboring city on the bay. 
 
 The original Contra Costa, lies immediately opposite 
 the city of San Francisco, on the north side of the bay. 
 It has more than doubled its population in the last three 
 years. It has been lately divided into three counties, and 
 their fruitful soil, together with their admirable position 
 to a good market, hold out great expectations for its future 
 advancement. The arable land all lies on the slope, be- 
 tween the coast range and the bay, and is of a very supe- 
 rior description. Settlers keep pouring in, probably faster 
 than in any other of the agricultural counties, and villages 
 are springing up on every point of advantage on the bay 
 open to steam navigation. The hills on the background 
 are filled with redwood, where shingle makers and rail 
 splitters have heretofore found lucrative employment, but 
 they are now thinning it out very fast. The land, although 
 good, is not adapted to fruit, or the more delicate species 
 of vegetables, on account of the harsh winds that blow 
 constantly from the bay during the summer. The prin- 
 
96 
 
 RAMBLINQS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 cipal Streams are the Jacento, San Ramon, San Pablo, and 
 San Leandro, but they are all unimportant. The towns 
 are Martinez—the seat of justice— Squatter Town, and 
 Oakland. Oakland is delightfully situated en a little 
 harbor of the bay, and in hourly communication by steam, 
 with the metropolis, a dwelling and watering place for the 
 wealthier citizens, as Brooklyn is to New York. It is by 
 no means uncommon to see several hundred acres in one 
 potatoe-patch, and forty or fifty men employed in ex- 
 tracting from the soil the dry, and bulky excrescences. 
 
 Monterey, which joins San ,a Clara on the South, is 
 altogether agricultural and pastoral, but it is much cov- 
 ered by old Spanish grants. It has about 4000 inhabi- 
 tants, two thirds of whom are white, and its surface 
 covers about 400 square miles. It is naturally divided 
 into three districts — separated from each other by ridges 
 of mountains, but they all communicate by passes, and 
 constitute portions of the main valley, that extends the 
 whole length of the State. Salinas and Carmel extend to 
 the coast, San Juan is in the interior. Each of these 
 contained a mission for many years, orchards of pear trees 
 were planted, and much land brought into a state of culti- 
 vation by domesticated Indians. The towns are San Juan 
 and Monterey. The former is a very sleepy little place 
 in the midst of plenty. Monterey, 80 miles south of San 
 Francisco, was at one time the capital of both the Cali- 
 fornias, and the largest town, but has made very little 
 progresj since annexation ; and its adobe houses and 
 muffled nuns, seem not yet fully aware of the fact, that 
 they have the supreme felicity of being an actual portion 
 of the free and universal nation. 
 
 The bay and scenery of Monterey is the prettiest on 
 
RAMBLINOS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 97 
 
 the coast. The harbor, though small, has tolerable shel- 
 ter, and is a port of entry. But the grass grows in the 
 bonded stores of the custom house ; the collector's time is 
 consumed amidst the click of billiard balls ; the doctor's, 
 in prescribing cogniac — to himself; the Nantucket har- 
 bor-master's in watching the sjyarm spout in the offing ; 
 the lawyer's, in creating dog fights ; and the commander 
 of the fort sits on a rotten gun-carriage, watching with a 
 placid and gratified eye, the process of incubation per- 
 formed in the rusty bombs, by his Shanghai liens. 
 
 San Louis Obispo, lies south of the county of Monterey, 
 and borders on the Pacific ; it has no mines, and agricul- 
 ture is in a very backward state. Of a surface of nearly 
 600,000 acres, only 50,000 are unclaimed, and the white 
 inhabitants number but 400. The ground is held in 37 
 Ranches under Mexican titles, and is fit for little except 
 pasturage, to which it is best adapted. It is so inconve- 
 nient to market, that the rightful owners have not been 
 much annoyed by squatters, and the name of American 
 is much less detested by the native Californians, than in 
 other counties, where they have experienced a greater 
 share of persecution. It contains 50,000 head of cattle 
 and horses, and has a port or rather a roadstead on the 
 coast, but no harbor. The heavy sea that continually 
 thunders in from the wide reach of the ocean, even in the 
 calmest weather, makes the calls of the steamer rare, on 
 account of the extreme danger of landing freight through 
 the rolling surf. There was a mission formed here at an 
 early period, nine miles from the coast in a very pretty 
 locality. The lands pertaining thereto, have, of course, 
 been confiscated, but a small village — the only one in the 
 county — has sprung up around the ruins of the ancient 
 chapel. 1 2 
 
98 
 
 RAMBLINQS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 Santa Barbara-containing, chiefly, portions of the 
 coast range-extends to the coast, and is extremely 
 mountainous. It has a pretty little town bearing its 
 name, on a small roadstead, at which steamers touch in 
 their weekly trips between San Francisco and San l>ie<.o 
 The soil IS not generally well suited to cultivation, nor 
 even susceptible of irrigation, from its extremely rough 
 and uneven surface. It is called, however, one of the 
 best grazing counties, and supports enormous herds of 
 cattle, but it is capable of feeding, naturally, five times 
 IS present amount. It ha« several streams emptying into 
 the ocean from the mountains, but so near does the range 
 run to the coast, that none of them has length or volume, 
 sufficient to dignify it by the name of river. The Santa 
 Barbara is the largest, which, after running a length of 
 fovty-hve miles from its source, discharges itself into the 
 ocean. San Buenaventura has a course of thirty-two 
 miles, and enters the Sea, not far from the ancient mis- 
 sion of San Buenaventura. Santa Inez is upwards of 
 sixty miles in length, its mouth is within a few miles of 
 1 oint Concepcion, the principal land mark and light house 
 on the whole coast. The mountains in this county, frc 
 quently attain the height of 4500 feet, and one of them 
 contains a small volcano, which smokes at long interval. 
 Ihe sea in this neighborhood abounds with many varie- 
 ties of excellent fish, among which may be enumerated 
 corvinas, blackfish, mackarel, crawfish, sardines, clams, 
 and oysters. 
 
 But little improvement can be hoped for in this region. 
 Ihe Spanish grants cover a great surface, and their old 
 habits and customs predominate over all others. Even 
 the settlers from the land of enlightenment have retro- 
 
RAMULINGS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 99 
 
 m 
 
 graded in their ideas of morality, and descended to the 
 
 barbarous amusements of bull baiting and cock fightinc 
 
 a favorite Sunday recreation— whore whiskey, profanity, 
 and fipjhtinr^ abound, as a natural result. 
 
 It is really astonishing to witness the extreme interest 
 taken by every class in the community, and the money 
 that changes purses, on the result of au engagement be- 
 tween two mean looking speckled fowls. From the richest 
 Kanchcro to the humblest peon— the priest, and his 
 hearers, all throng to the soul exciting combat. The 
 padre has most commonly a notorious sporting taste, and 
 great celebrity for his judgment, in the cut of a comb, or 
 the curve of a spur; and on those sweet 8abb:ith even- 
 ings Ms rusty cassock may invariably be seen, surrounded 
 by a knot of sporting men, whose dark eyes gleam with 
 fierce delight as he details his experience and opinions of 
 the gentle craft of cock fighting. The inhabitants of this 
 county number 4000, more than one half being native 
 Californians. 
 
 San J)iego, although of small mineral or agricultural 
 value, is nevertheless possessed of many interesting and 
 important points of attraction. Embracing, as it does, 
 within its boundaries, the southern extremity of the 
 
 State, and in absolute contact with the lower peninsula 
 
 it is therefore the most thoroughly Mexican, of all the 
 counties in Alta California. 
 
 The face of the country may be set down as three- 
 fourths barren, sandhills in the front, reaching to the coast, 
 interspersed with some fertile valleys of no great extent; 
 and in the rear of a great sandy desert, many miles in 
 length, reaching to the river Colorado, which empties 
 itself into the Gulf of California, at its extreme northern 
 
 I !l 
 
100 
 
 RAMBLINOS Iff CALIFORNIA. 
 
 terminus. The bleak hills in the front, have not a single 
 tree upon their slopes to give variety or breAk the uni- 
 versal sameness of the landscape. The only appearance 
 of vegeiAblc life, are two or three varieties of dwarf bushes, 
 or chajypnrel, that grow around their bases, forming in 
 some places an impassable thicket, and make very desirable 
 covers for Grizzlys and California lions. There are only 
 about 500 acres of land in cultivation, and yet it supports 
 quite a respectable number of beeves and other domestic 
 animals. 
 
 The town of San Diego ontemptible as it now appears, 
 
 was at one time the second in importance, and although 
 possessing a fine little harbor for the reception of small 
 craft, it has deceived less accession by emigration, than any 
 other of the small towns on the coast, between it and San 
 Francisco, a distance of 600 milec. 
 
 On examining the town, the increase makes itself plainly 
 visible, the light airy Yankee style of architecture, con- 
 trasting strongly with the heavy jail-like adobes of the 
 natives. An air of primitive simplicity still hovers around 
 the old town, and the good folks of the place still seem 
 to retain, that easy comfortable way of letting the morrow 
 look out for itself, so refreshing for a lazy person to con- 
 template, and so strongly characteristic of the Spaniard, 
 be it in the old world or the new. 
 
 By the way— although in possession of all the less pre- 
 possessing attributes of their ancestors, as far as haughti- 
 ness, idleness, and bigotry, are concerned— they possess 
 but little of the heroic disposition and fine features of the 
 old Castilian. And, indeed, they approach so much 
 nearer, in manners, features, and complexion, to the 
 aborigines themselves, as will lead to the conclusion that 
 
 
 i 
 
RAMBLINOS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 101 
 
 
 but little of the unadulterated Spanish stock remains 
 among them, and the same may be "aid of nearly all the 
 Spanish settlements, both in North and South America, 
 particularly among the lower classes ; and this hypothesis 
 may serve as a very excellent a.id sufficient reason for the 
 semi-barbarism, into which the chief part of all the 
 Spanish Americas have fallen, since their separation from 
 the mother country. 
 
 The old town of San Diego, with a population of not 
 more than 1500, can still boast of its plaza, &nd its priest. 
 The latter, when I saw him, was a fine looking old 
 specimen of a race now nearly extinct. His broad, bow- 
 window figure, showed a strong partiality for the good 
 things of this life; but the kindly and reverend expres- 
 sion of his handsome countenance, bespoke the man with 
 conscience unsullied, and mind at peace with his maker 
 and fellow men. It was quite a pleasing and interesting 
 sight, when the padre chose the great square of the town 
 for his lecture room, and gathered around him his bare- 
 legged and youthful disciples. Wild, and uncouth, as they 
 were, his gentle, though perhaps superstitious teachings, 
 seeined to exercise a strong and humanizing influence 
 over their half savage natures, no way improved, I must 
 say, by their recent intercourse with the pink of progress, 
 in the person of Uncle Sam ; for bad and false as their 
 tenets may be, which enthral them, they are infinitely to 
 be preferred, to the broad Atheism, openly acknowledged 
 by the chief part of the intelligent strangers who have 
 cast their lot in the midst of this simple people. 
 
 San Diego is a favorite resort for horse stealers and 
 suspicious looking rprasers, or half-breeds, chiefly from 
 its remoteness and the uncertain communication with the 
 
 r^., 
 

 102 
 
 RAMBLINOS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 more civilized districts, besides its convenience to the 
 wilds of the neighboring republic. It is also a depot for 
 cattle and sheep, wliich are purchased in small droves in 
 Mexico, and collected here to be driven or taken by steam 
 to San Francisco or the mines. The climate is delightful 
 and regular, and bears a strong and favorable resemblance 
 to the balmiest portions of Italy, or Sicily, but it is even 
 less oppressive and much more uniform, the thermometer 
 ranging at summer-heat with little variation through tho 
 entire season. In '54 but one physician existed in the 
 place, and he died of a broken-heart, occasioned, it waa 
 said, by a want of practice. He complained to me in the 
 most affecting way, of the citizens' obstinacy in adhering 
 to robust health. 
 
 " And," said he, " old age itself, will not procure me a 
 solitary patient ; for in place of expiring in a christian- 
 like manner, in the respectable bosom of pills and phials, 
 I believe the unconscionable heathens gradually contract 
 themselves into a dry rattle box, and take wing on a south- 
 easter." 
 
 There are plenty of shrivelled up Indians to be seen 
 tottering along, who have forgotten their age, but who 
 were men and women, and took instruction under the 
 Mission priests, more than seventy years ago, and look 
 like the dried corpses, from the Capuchinf- of Palermo, 
 revivified to rebuke and warn the people of this wicked 
 little town. 
 
 But emigrants — however delighted at the salubrity of 
 the climate — are mostly in search of something more, even 
 though the Heavens were laughing gas ; and as there is 
 little else to offer here, the mushroom settlement, made 
 during the '49 excitement, has remained with little in- 
 
 
 I 
 \ 
 1 
 f 
 a 
 
 ^J 
 
RAMBLINdS IN CALIFORNIA 
 
 103 
 
 '1 
 
 crease, and a dullncHs that lasts the whole year is rarely 
 or never disturbed. The main prop of the pliice lias been 
 the quarter-master's station, which maintains a lar^^e num- 
 ber of people and mules. They are constantly employed 
 in transporting provisions and military stores across the 
 desert, to the fort on the Colorado— a distance of more than 
 200 miles. This, together with the Texian emigration, 
 through New Mexico, and the trade of Los Angeles and 
 Monterey, is sufficient to support two large-sized steamers, 
 that call here weekly and proceed North to San Francisco. 
 The whole population of the county is about 4000 — only 
 one-fifth of whom, under the most liberal construction, 
 may be called white. 
 
 Los Angeles— .inf/^ice. The Angels— is about the oldest 
 settled mission in California, and possesses ground in the 
 highest state of cultivation of any in the State. Still, the 
 amount of American improvement has been but trivial, for 
 the same cause which has been such a bug-bear in nearly 
 all the southern counties, viz : the Spanish grants, which 
 cover more than three-fourths of the whole surface ; and 
 as the leagues of land have been doled out with no un- 
 sparing hand, by the Mexican government, the number of 
 proprietors is comparatively small— except in the imme- 
 diate neighboriiood of the city of Los Angeles, where land 
 is laid out in the .smalle*it possible lots, like a patchwork 
 quilt, for the purpose of forming vineyards. 
 
 It is fully expected that land will soon be purchased at 
 moderate rates ; for to effect this object, the legislature 
 will— it is thought— lay on a heavy tax. This will most 
 likely compel the Bancheros to dispose of their property, 
 from their inability to pay liigh rates, on vast tracts which 
 are used only for pasture. It is generally the extremity 
 
 ri 
 
f) 
 
 104 
 
 RA.MBLINGS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 of foolishness for people to place any dependence, or make 
 any cal' ilations, founded on the good intentions of the 
 people's representatives, in California. But men of expe- 
 rience believe this, from the nature of the obligation itself 
 — arguing from precedent — that the government had never 
 been known, since its formation, to shirk the promise of a 
 tax, and indeed, in some instances graciously doubled it — 
 without even receiving a vote of thanks from the favored 
 people. 
 
 Nearly the whole of the country is applicable to agri- 
 cultu^-' ad much of it is extremely rich, and it will 
 doul ( become in time, of great iuiportaoce as a producer. 
 At int present time, vast herds of stock roam at large over 
 the great treeless and undulating plains. The soil is deep, 
 and free from stone, and produces an excellent and un- 
 limited supply of wild clover of an exceedingly nutritious 
 nature. But the vineyards and orchards in and around 
 the city, are the main support, and their productions are 
 the staple exports of the region. The city of Los Angeles 
 contains a population in the neighborhood of 6000 — more 
 than half the people of the county — and is at the present 
 time, the most respectable and flourishing of all the Spanish 
 towns in tlie State. It has — like all the rest — a large 
 plaza or sfjuare, from whence runs the main street, which 
 finally forks and becomes two — leaving a block of build- 
 Jnj^s between, ending in a point like the delta of a river. 
 The remainder of the streets look as though they followed 
 the sinuosities of cattle tracks, and are often concluded by 
 a dead wall, or the impenetrable leafy screens of a vine- 
 yard. 
 
 The houses are, with few exceptions, built of mud-brick, 
 roofed with asphaltum, and are extremely oool and com- 
 
RAMBLINGS IS CALIFORNIA. 
 
 105 
 
 fortable during the lioats of summer. There is a small 
 mount in rear of the town, a few hundred feet high, and 
 as there is no other elevation to interrupt the view to 
 the coast — a distance of twenty-seven miles — the prospect 
 is extraordinary, and possesses much both of interest and 
 beauty. 
 
 Far away to the west may be seen the distant ocean, con- 
 stantly covered in the dry season by a thin white haze, that 
 gives distant objects an indistinct and spectral appearance. 
 The broad open plain between, is dotted with countless cattle 
 but no habitation of man is visible for miles on miles, save 
 a small mound like a molehill, from whence issues a thin 
 column of smoke, near a fringe of wood that borders on 
 the far off river. A long "bull team" guided by ome 
 strapping hoosier, flounders along, with freight from the 
 port of San Pedro, half hid at intervals by the clouds of 
 dust raised by the hoofs of his wearied cattle. The 
 smart stage passes him like a whirlwind, rattles through 
 the town in slashing style and deposits its occupants at 
 the door of the hotel ; the miserable wretches unrecog- 
 nizable by their nearest and dearest, beneath the thick 
 coating of red dust they have acquired in their transit 
 which seitles impartially on every thread, and fills each 
 pore of their tender cuticles. 
 
 But the change from the shrivelled country to the fresh 
 greenness and sparkling brooks of the vineyards con- 
 tiguous to the city, is like the spell of an enchanter. 
 Every sylvan scene of rural felicity would appear realized^ 
 when first entering the green and shady lanes, that com- 
 merce to show themselves within a radius of four miles. 
 These lanes intersect each other in every possible direc- 
 tion, like a llosumond's bower, and experience is essential 
 
 K 
 
lOG 
 
 RAMBLINGS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 I': II 
 
 to thread their mazes with success. They are delightfully 
 shaded by the close willow fences on each side, so thickly 
 matted that a bird could scarcely find ingress, and the 
 sight over the gate, after fifty dogs are pacified, is a per- 
 fect wilderness of every description of luscious fruit- 
 grapes of every variety, figs, peaches of mammoth dimen- 
 sions and downy softness, apricots, pineapples and oranges, 
 and great bell-like pears show themselves by thousands in 
 ever corner. Little streams glide through and lave the 
 sides of enormous melons, that topple with their weight 
 and crush the defenceless pomegranate; while birds of 
 pretty plumage and musical throats, keep flitting from 
 branch to branch. And this is not one scene, but a sam- 
 ple of hundreds, nor hardly of a season, for it may be 
 found nine months in succession; and even in the bleakest 
 of the winter season, the hardier vegetables of a northern 
 latitude flourish in the greatest luxuriance. 
 
 The number of vines in Los Angeles and its suburbs is 
 750,000, and the average yield is 51bs. of grapes to each 
 vine. About two million pounds are annually shipped to 
 San Francisco, from the port of San Pedro. The remain- 
 der are partly consumed in the neighborhood, and partly 
 in the manufacture of wine and brandy ; large quantities 
 of which arc made annually, but are as yet principally 
 kept in store to acfjuire age. The Champagne is famous 
 for its eff'ervescence, fruity flavor, v'\d elevating properties. 
 
 Beef cattle are worth from 320 to $80 per head, and 
 pay well for driving in large droves to the northern mar- 
 kets. Hemp and tobacco were formerly raised to some 
 extent, and shipped to Mazatlan and San Bias in Mexico; 
 but of late years their chief attention has been turned to 
 articles of home consumption. There is a very extraor- 
 
 
 I 
 
RAMBLINGS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 107 
 
 
 I 
 
 dinary sprinir of Asphaltum within a few miles of the 
 city, where the pitch boils up incessantly, the whole 
 covering two acres of land. It is much used for raaking 
 roofs for the houses. The roof is flat and excludes the 
 rain sufficiently well, but has a very dirty and slovenly 
 appearance, during the hot weather of July and August j 
 for it runs down during the warm portion of the day, and 
 congealing at night, each house is adorned with black 
 icicles hanging from the eaves, more than three feet long. 
 There are many salt and sulphur mines; the latter chiefly 
 exist on a tract of country owned and occupied by a Mor- 
 mon settlement. It is called San Bernardino, and has 
 hteiy been set apart to form another county. Monte and 
 San GabAvi'i are two thriving little towns in fertile dis- 
 tricts, and arc fast filling up with emigrants from the old 
 western States. 
 
 There is a little island twenty miles from the coast, in a 
 south-westerly direction from San Pedro, named Cata- 
 lina. It is very barren except in a few scattered valleys, 
 and its productions little more than a coarse stunted 
 grass, {Mid its general uninviting surface would seem 
 to mark it out as afflicted with perpetual sterility. 
 Yet some experimentalist unknown, but supposed to 
 be Captain Cook, lauded a, few goats on the stony and 
 inhospitable island. For many a long year they existed 
 and increased their numbers, free and uuharrassed by 
 dogs, and the knives of butchers. But, alas, for them ! 
 A speculating son of Esculapius, finding time hang 
 heavily on his hands, took a trip from the neighboring 
 coast to see if something would " turn up," and as his eye 
 fell upon the bearded fathers of the flock, the desire of 
 dominion grew up in his breast, and he at once constituted 
 
108 
 
 RAMBLINOS IN CAMFORNIA. 
 
 ii 
 
 himself sole " monarch of ;tll he surveyed." He resided 
 sufficiently long to establish some color of a claim, though 
 his friends regarded the project with ridicule, as the evi- 
 dent proof of deranged intellect. But subsequently, events 
 in the shape of a comfortable independence, proved the 
 adventurer's sanity, as well as sealed the fate of the whole 
 goat fraternity ; for, in a few months he made a transfer of 
 his interest in them, to a San Francisco house, at the rate 
 of $4 per head, and as they numbered 20,000, he was soon 
 enabled to abdicate his throne, and retire to the calm en- 
 joyment ol private life. 
 
 Tulare is a large territory in the south, extending from 
 the coast counties to the eastern limits of the State. It 
 is, generally speaking, a vast and dreary wilderness, cov- 
 ered with a thick coarse rush called Tv^r, from whence 
 the county derived its name. It is the grand rendezvous 
 for wild horses, cattle, and game in every variety ; anS 
 the white inhabitants--wlio only number about 300 — prin- 
 cipally occupy themselves in the chase. Grrizzlies have 
 been caught alive in this region weighing 2,600 lbs. ; and 
 wild cats, lions, and cayotas, abcand. Tulare lake is the 
 largest in the State, and receives the tribute of many 
 mountain streams, but has no apparent exit. 
 
 The county of 31arin is agricultural, and contains about 
 1500 persons, 1000 of whom are white. The amount of 
 its productions and invested capital, will compare favor- 
 ably with many containing a much greater population. 
 The amount of capital invested in brick-making and lum- 
 ber alone, may be estimated at $300,000. About 3000 
 acres are in cultivation, and the climate proves very kind 
 to yams and various species of fruit, of which latter it 
 will soon be an extensive producer. There are no minerals, 
 
RAMBLIIS'GS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 109 
 
 but more than two thirds of the soil may be cultivated, 
 and immense quantities of wild oats are cut for hay, and 
 exported. 
 
 San Francisco county, although of medium extent, con- 
 sists mainly of the Metropolis itself, there being but 
 2000 inhabitants in the county, outside the city limits. 
 It is but proper to observe though, that the fathers have 
 had no cramped idea concerning the future dimensions of 
 the infant city. The map to be found in the various land 
 agent's offices, may well challenge comparison with the 
 proudest of anti(|uity. It might not, however, eventually 
 be injurious to the interests of a purchaser, to take a look 
 at the premises in question, before he ratify the bargain — 
 that is, if he can find it — for lots at moderate rates, are, 
 not improbably, outside the anchorage ground, or perhaps 
 three or four miles back in the sand hills of the interior. 
 
 Mission Ward, which consists of the old Mission Dolores, 
 contains 70 or 80 houses, with the usual quantum of 
 hotels. It is a neat little village and is mainly supported 
 by the rich gardens in the neighborhood. In reality, it 
 is nearly thee miles from the city, although contained 
 within the corporation limits ; and its old church, green 
 glades, flowery hedges, and prattling brooks, form an 
 enchanting contrast to the dusty jammed up streets of the 
 city, and the bleak sand hills that intervene. With these 
 advantages, and an excellent plank road, it is, of course 
 a great resort of pleasure seekers; and on Sunday, in 
 particular, the road is a perfect stream of omnibvsses, 
 gigs and horsemen. The latter are chiefly supplied by 
 livery stables ; and the gallant greys are taxed to their 
 utmost, in order to v.u\\:o. the conscience of the rider per- 
 fectly clear that good value has been received for his cash. 
 
110 
 
 RAMBLINOS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 It is the only leading road into the country, and is on the 
 direct line to San Jose and the southern counties. The 
 bridging and filling tu San Francisquita creek on the 
 county line — a distance of 80 miles — cost more than 
 $50,000, but three-fourths of it was swallowed by the 
 managers. 
 
 The range of mountains, commonly called the coast 
 range, runs lengthways of this county. The Mexicans 
 gave it the more poetical name of Sierra Morino, or 
 Brown Mountains. The highest portion of this range 
 commences at a point about twelve miles to the southward 
 of San Francisco, and they retain their ide itity to the very 
 southern exttcmity of the State. In mi;ny places they 
 rise upwards of 2000 feet above the level of the ocean, 
 and form a noble shield to ward oif the raw N. W. winds 
 from the rich farming lands that line their eastern slope, 
 on the great bay of San Francisco. There have been 
 large quantities of redwood in different parts of this 
 county, but it is now much used up for rails and shingles. 
 There arc about 3000 acres employed in cultivation, and 
 the taxable property has been estimated at thirty millions 
 of dollars ; but value of real estate fluctuates so strangely, 
 it is very difficult to form a correct standard. 
 
 Solano is a noble agricultural county 5 and its conve- 
 nience to the bay gives it advantages of no mean impor- 
 tance, in the matter of shipping to the most advantageous 
 markets, with good despatch. More than 10,000 acres 
 arc in cultivation, and farming pays well ; stock of various 
 kinds is plentiful, and more than $50,000 are employed 
 in (juartz and placer mining, in the coast range. The 
 principal towns are Yallejo and Bcnicia. Tb.e former was 
 at one time the capital of the State. The legislature first 
 
 
UAMBLINGS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 Ill 
 
 sold their presence to the lord of the soil, for a large sum ; 
 but the lord not finding their honorable presence so lucra- 
 tive as he had fondly anticipated, bogged to be released 
 from his engagement, and his prayer was humanely 
 granted by them, as soon as they became fully aware that 
 the miserable village lots comprised the chief of the 
 (reneral's possessions; and had they been brought into the 
 market, under the happiest circumstances, would not have 
 produced one-tenth of the stipulated sum. Benicia was 
 then made head-({uarters, and finally Sacramento, where 
 a good State House is built, which will most probably have 
 the effect of making it the permanent seat of government. 
 Benicia is a half dead little town at the mouth of the 
 Sacramento, where there are dry docks ; and the large 
 ocean steamships coaling, and refitting, aid materially in 
 keeping it in existence. There are four very rich valleys 
 in this county, that contain the chief portion of the arable 
 land, viz : — Suscol, Sulphur Springs, Green, and Suisun. 
 Suscol lies west of a range of hills, bearing the same 
 name, and extends to the northern boundary of t'.e 
 county; from Vallcjo it is rich, and contains more than 
 thirty square miles ; it is washed by Napa bay, and wild 
 oats at present cover a great reach of its surface. Sulphur 
 Spring, running from Suisun bay through the Suscol hills, 
 is both well watered and fertile. Green Valley, as its 
 name implies, is covered much of the year with verdure ; 
 it contains ten square miles, and is a rich clover pasture. 
 Suisun, the richest and most extensive, contains forty 
 square miles, but is completely covered by a Spanish 
 It opens out on the cast into the Sacramento 
 
 grant. 
 
 valley, and hi\-- the most salubrious climate on that un- 
 wholesome river. 
 
112 
 
 RAMBLINGS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 ^' 
 
 Mariposa covers au immense extent of territory, coutain- 
 inp; within its boundaries tho present limit of the southern 
 mines, as well as a great surface of tillable land. Its re- 
 sources as yet, however, have been but sparingly developed, 
 principally because its streams are small, and are quite dry 
 for a large portion of the year. And besides, its mines 
 are not of so rich a description as to counterbalance the 
 expense and loss of time incurred by travelling from place 
 to place. It probably contains the greatest number of 
 quartz leads of any other county, and great numbers of 
 wealthy companies, have lately engaged in the enterprise, 
 which to all appearance is very flattering. Mariposa is 
 the county tcJvn. 
 
 Siskiyou is both an agricultural and mining county, but 
 neither are of any great importance. It is awkwardly 
 situated, and its resources but little known. Its popula- 
 tion may be estimated at 3000. 
 
 Mendochino has a population of 500, but only 300 are 
 white. It has little good land unoccupied, but has great 
 resources in lumbering, and possesses many excellent saw 
 mills. 
 
 Yolo is separated from Sacramento county, by the river 
 Sacramento, and extends along its banks a distance of 
 forty miles. Its northern boundary extends to ten miles 
 above its junction with the Feather Iliver. It consists 
 mostly of tule land back from the river, and very difficult 
 of being reclaimed. The land along the river bank con- 
 sists of intervales, and is a very rich deposit. It has great 
 advantages for raising stock ; but the large freshets that 
 occur annually, anii sweep away houses, cattle, and all 
 descriptions of property, liinder greatly the dcvclopnicr.t 
 of its resources. But the baneful misama which pervades 
 
RAMBLINflS IN CAl.lFORNIA. 
 
 113 
 
 every portion of its surface, during'- -the summer, is its 
 worst enemy A great portion of the people are con- 
 stantly prostrated with fever and ague, and the residents 
 of a year or two, have a very enervated and dejected ap- 
 pearance. And what spell enchains the large population 
 to this noxious region, it is difficult to conceive j for what- 
 ever the wealth may be that is concealed in the soil, a 
 lusty arm can alone develop it ; but these poor ghosts 
 can barely crawl, and the luxuriance of the vegetation 
 only conduces to distil for them a rank and loathsome 
 poison. 
 
 Several little towns have been laid out, but they have 
 all fallen short of the projectors' ideas ; the only one hav- 
 ing the least appearance of prosperity, is Washington, 
 immediately opposite to Sacramento city, to which it 
 communicates by a steam ferry. Cache Creek, in the 
 north, is on a small river of the same name. Fremont, 
 Cottonwood, Merrit, and Putah, never were of any impor- 
 tance, and are now almost deserted : and the great barn- 
 like hotel, with which each is graced, calls up no romantic 
 sympathy for its decay, for these horrid little towns are 
 withered before they ripened, and antiquity aloue can give 
 sublimity to a ruin. 
 
 The population of this county is mostly native Ameri- 
 can, from the Western States — a class, that are, perhaps, 
 the best adapted of any, to endure the trials and vexations 
 of a dismal swamp. The population was three years ago 
 1500, but will now scarcely number 1000, ten per cent of 
 whom are females. About 5000 acres of land are culti- 
 vated, and the capital employed in gardening, boating, 
 and other purposes, exceed $100,000. The mountains 
 are the coast range ; and there are three romantic little 
 
114 
 
 RAMBLINOS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 Ai 
 
 lakes, named Washington, Clear, and Tule Lakes; Clear 
 Lake»has a surface of thirteen square miles. 
 
 Calaveras, in the heart of the southern mines, has not 
 more than 320,000 invested in agriculture; but is so well 
 timbered, the saw mills alone have cost $100,000. On 
 account of the large mining population which it contains, 
 coupled with its own non-productive powers, merchandize is 
 a heavy and lucrative business ; no less a sum than one mil- 
 lion and a quarter of dollars being invested in this channel. 
 About half a million is employed in quartz ; and the money 
 invested in other descriptions of mining is veiy great, for it 
 possesses within its boundaries, perhaps the richest portion 
 of what are called the southern mines. Moquelumne Hill 
 is the county town, and issues a rabid little democratic 
 newspaper, that has been the means of inspiring the people 
 morr than once, to destroy water ditches and flumes, when 
 rates were not sufficiently moderate to meet their views. 
 
 The town lies one mile south of the river, whose name 
 it bears, and divides it from the neighboring county of 
 Amador. It is built on a hill, at the head of a ravine, 
 which extends to the south many miles, and has proved 
 very rich. But the most important diggings, have been 
 the bed of the river, and the hills in the immediate neigh- 
 borhood. On one in particular — overhanging the town — 
 the shafts have been sunk so close to each other, it strongly 
 resembles an enormous grave yard; and is completely 
 drifted out on the ledge, a depth in many places of more 
 than a hundred feet. Ten miles south of Moquelumne 
 Hill, is the pretty village of San x\ndreas, on the main 
 road leading past the Big Tree, to Utah and the Mormons. 
 The diggings in the immediate vicinity of this place, have 
 been worked out chiefly, as they were originally shallow ; 
 
RAMBLINGS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 115 
 
 but its central locality, between the branches of the Cala- 
 veras, helps to support the town, which contains 20 stores, 
 42 liquor shops, and 3 places of worship, together with a 
 little blue journal of Conservative principles, named the 
 Indcjyendcnt. A deadly feud of course exists between it 
 and its rival of the hill, touching the County Seat ; but 
 the democrat has the advantage of present possession, and 
 belabors the other with the all prevailing argument, that 
 its tendencies are nionarchial. 
 
 The town consists of a triangle, formed by its three 
 streets ; one is occupied by French, Spanish, and other 
 natives of Continental Europe — one by the Chinese — and 
 the main one by Americans, Jews, and Britishers ; and 
 the stores and saloons in each, are chiefly patronized by 
 their own people. 
 
 Vallecito, south of San Andreas, is well supplied with 
 water, and produces much gold during the summer season. 
 Murphy's Camp is a thriving business little place, and is 
 situated nine miles north of Vallecito. Angel's Camp has 
 taken a great start lately, on account of tremendous quartz 
 discoveries^ which have been the means of drawing in 
 much capital from other places, and it bids fair, from pre- 
 sent ajtpearauces, to totally eclipse all the other camps in 
 the county. Want of water has been a great drawback 
 to the resources of this county, but the ditch', are now 
 numerous and good. The principal one is named the 
 Table Mountain Ditch, which commands all the camps 
 just mentioned, and gives a plentiful supply for eight months 
 in the year, at the rate of $6 per day to the sluice stream. 
 As the diggings are now principally quartz and tunnels, 
 the miners can employ themselves advantageously in 
 piling up earth, in readiness ^ur the rising of tho stream. 
 
116 
 
 RAMBLIiNU8 IN CAMFOEINIA. 
 
 a 
 
 I 
 
 There are many i^ood ditches around Mo<iuelumne hill, 
 but tlieir njost profitable days are over. 
 
 There is another large ditch which takes its source from 
 the Stanislaus, and gives a plentiful stream for the whole 
 year. It supplies all the miners on the lower portion of 
 the river, and is calculated to irrigate the plains of the 
 San Joaquin, as soon as the mines along its course are ex- 
 hausted ; but this cannot occur for many years to come. 
 
 The principal bars on this river are, Byrne's Ferry, Six 
 Mile Bar, Two Mile Bar, and Knights' Ferry, and indeed 
 the banks of this stream pay small wages, the whole way 
 through the foot hills, and even far into the plains. 
 
 Some of the trees in this country are supposed to be the 
 largest in the world. A ba'-k section of one veteran was 
 packed and despatched to the Now York Crystal Palace. 
 Its dimensions are as follows : — circumference at the 
 tiTound 9G feet — 4 feet above the ground, 84 feet — 14 feet 
 above the ground, 64 feet — height 307 feet, and the bark 
 13 inches thick, and its age estimated by the number of 
 rings, 3000 years. 
 
 The county of Amador on the north, originally a portion 
 of Calaveras, contains some excellent farming valleys, as 
 well as good mines, but as yet they have not been much 
 worked, from the extreme scarcity of water. Jackson, 
 Dry town, ^'oleano, and Butte — situated at the foot of a 
 remarkable conical hill — arc <|uite lively places, during 
 the rush of the winter season. 
 
 Tuolumne county, lying south of Calaveras, is divided 
 from it by the large river Stanislaus, and is bounded on 
 the south by the Tuolumne river, which rivals the Stanis- 
 laus in size and richness. It is next to Calaveras in 
 ininortanee and contains the two largest towns in the 
 
HAMllLINfl.s r.\ CAIJi-'ORMA. 
 
 117 
 
 southern niinos. It lias a poimlation vei-ning on .10,000, 
 and 2000 acres in cultivation, l)ut aoriculturo is of very 
 secondary importance, and nevci likely to be very profita- 
 bio: The annual value of its auricultural productions do 
 not exceed 3100,000, while the money invested in mining, 
 cannot be less than three millions. The principal towns 
 arc Sonora— the county town— Columbia, Springfield, 
 Jamestown, Shaw's Flat, and Chinese Camp— all of^them 
 included within a radius of five miles. Sonora is a large, 
 straggling, ugly place, on the bank of Wood's creek, whi'^ch 
 was, at an early period, very rich, but it is now exhausted, 
 and the chief of the ravines are too high in the mountains 
 to pay well. It is, nevertheless, rather a flourishing place, 
 earning its success partly by being the seat of justice, and 
 partly by its convenience to numerous groves of excellent 
 timber ; and the saw ujills of Sonora and its neighborhood, 
 supply the chief portion of the people throughout the 
 country. (.\)lumbia, four miles from Sonora, is a large, 
 well built, flourishing place, and the deep diggings in Its 
 district will make it important for years to come. "" Spring- 
 field, two miles from Columbia, is a small but very prosperous 
 village. Shaw's Flat is an extended village, nearly two 
 miles long— all deep diggings, and pay welL Jamestown, 
 on Wood's creek, was at one time of some importance, but 
 h^ rather retrograded in the last three years. Chinese 
 Cimp is tlio head quarters for natives of the Celestial 
 Empire, but has also many white inhabitants. The mining 
 laws of this camp, are the most peculiar in the State and 
 are the glory of all monopolists. The paying ground con- 
 sists of surface diggings of many hundred acres, varying 
 in depth from one foot to ten, and the size of a claim is 
 only 20 feet square, or 400 square feet-a space that in 
 
118 
 
 RAMBLINOS IN f'ALIFORNIA. 
 
 many cases could be worked out in a day. IJut the beauty 
 of the law lies in the proviso, that you are not necessarily 
 confined to the diuiensions of one claim, but may locate 
 as many as you please, simply by diguing a small trench 
 round each, and this duty performed, your title is recoo^- 
 nizablo to all eternity. !>y this moans, there arc several 
 holding more than a tiiousand claims each, which they let 
 lie, fi-om year to year, either for the purpose of speculation, 
 or to work them at some future time, when the price of 
 labor will be more moderate. 
 
 The table mountain is the greatest natural curiosity in 
 this country, and has excited much attention for the two 
 last years, both from miners and scientific men, from some 
 rich discoveries of placers in its interior. 
 
 It first commences to show itself at a point above 
 Columbia, and retains its name and natural characteristics, 
 clearly and distinctly, to its termination, in a steep bluff 
 at the foot hills wliieh border the valley cf the San Joaquin. 
 The length of the mountain is about 40 miles, runnin«» 
 nearly due east and west, and it varies in breadth from 
 five miles to a hundred yards. Its surface is a perfect 
 plain, chiefly elevated above the surrounding hills, through 
 which it takes its course, meandering like a river. The 
 top is strewed over with loose rock, extremely hard, and 
 strongly resembling sea coal cinder, and the strata or crust 
 surface is a solid mass of the same material, more than fifty 
 feet thick, at many points. In many places it crosses tlie 
 river, and again returns, leaving great chasms many hun- 
 dred feet deep, through which the river hurries in its fury. 
 Its face, whether to the river on the north, or the low hills 
 on the south, presents a perpendicular wall, often from 
 five to seven liundred feet high, excepting at u few well 
 
RAMnLINCS IN CALli'UllMA. 
 
 119 
 
 known points, where its surface is sufficiently inclined for 
 the passage of an empty wauo-ou. Every conceivable form 
 of architecture may be traced in imagination on it^j sheer 
 sides— high tower, balcony, and pillar, and turned with all 
 the regularity and precision of a structure, formed on the 
 nicest rules of geometry, yet varied in its excellence to 
 every conceivable form of a crystal, and its agreeable trans- 
 formations throw at defiance the faintest idea of monotony. 
 It is most particularly its contrasts that stamp it so with 
 wonder and sublimity — so tame upon its green top — so wild 
 upon its grim sides — its surface flat as a lake — and its 
 pitch the sternest of precipices, destitute of one kindly 
 branch or b(mgh, to break the fall on the relentless bould- 
 ers of the distant current. 
 
 ]>ut our interest in Table Mountain, ends not here — a 
 theme of greater wonder lies buiied in the donjons deep of 
 this 'mighty tumulus — what imagination could have eon- 
 ceived, that at the foundation of this tremendous mass, 
 there rolls a silent yet rapid river — cool and clear, unmo- 
 lested by aught that breathes ? No fishes glide amid its 
 pearl;y depths, nor on its ripi)le docs wild bird dip its 
 wing, nor look its food. For ages has the still stream 
 pursued its course, hundreds of feet beneath the ken of 
 living thing, and fed the ocean secretly from its uTdvnown 
 source. But a p'-ospecting miner broke the spell by making 
 rich discoveries in a tunnel. Great excitement followed • 
 and in a short time many hundred tunnels were in opera- 
 tion, and large sums were expended; but as yet, little 
 has been achieved, though tiie chief portion of them con- 
 tinue sanguine, and claims are valued at large sums. 
 
 Stanislaus county, south of Tuclumne, is small and un- 
 important, but some new ditches hitely introduced, have 
 
120 
 
 HA.MHL[N<JS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 'fit ji 
 
 gTDatly added to it.s coijsc'(juciico, Tlic most important 
 camp is low in tlio foot liills, and boars tlic name of La 
 (^'.'((Nf/e, or French Bar, on the Tuolumne river. It is 
 now the seat of justice, which was originally fixed at 
 Empire City, and was, two years ago, a portion of Tuolumne. 
 It is situated on the south fork, and has a population of 
 loOO, m a distance of one mile. The upper or new town, 
 the smallest but now most prosperous portion, has two 
 respectable hotels, twenty stores, and a shoal of lawyers 
 and <loctors, who appear a mild and subdued race, and 
 easily approachable, oven by the vulgar, through the 
 prevailing medium of a fancy drink. The town is built 
 on a broad level shelf that projects into the river, and 
 altogertier presents a most eligible position. There are 
 very rich diggings on the s.;cond table from the river; in 
 some j.laces it actually has paid 25 cents to the pan, from 
 the surface to the bedrock, a distance of 50 feet. A man 
 with a hydraulic power and sluices properly placed, could 
 in such gnmnd, wash out 82000 per day; but diggings so 
 rich, rarely hold out for any length of time. Tunneling 
 is going Oil very extensively. The </irf is procured from 
 a lead more than two hundred feet in the interior of the 
 hill. It is all a river gravel, mixed with white cement, 
 and contains lieavy deposits. 
 
 There is a petrified tree at La Grange, with a trunk 14 
 feet in diameter. It makes its appearance in the mouth 
 of a tunnel, and grain, growth, and outlines, are unmis- 
 takeably and distinctly visible. The remainder of this 
 county is only adapted for farming and grazing, and much 
 good soil borticrs on the main river, 
 
 Mercedes is the county south of Stanislaus, and contain- 
 ing some placers, but they are not generally considered val- 
 
RA^ I>Ll\(;s JN CALIFOUNIA. 
 
 121 
 
 uable. The priiiL-i|i,iI river i« the Mercedes, which empties 
 into the San Jo;u|uIn, iuul the point of their confluence is 
 called the best ►"^alnion lisiiing' in California. Indian Gulch 
 and Mercedes Falls, are the principal camps. The latter 
 place is remarkable for its sublimity and beauty, lle- 
 moteness from market makes agriculture rather an un- 
 • profitable business, for the miners are mostly poor and 
 sparse. 
 
 Sutter county, on tlie Feather river, is all a plain ; 
 much of it is unreclaimablc tule, but the banks of the 
 river are a rich botto/n, and pioduccs a larac return; I 
 have seen peaches brought from Hock farm, wei"'hin«' 
 half a po\ind, grown on trees oidy three years old. The 
 population is only about 700; more than half of whom 
 arc Indians, in a state of semi-civilization, that is, they 
 wear white men's old breeches, and driidv firewater when- 
 over it comes in their way. 
 
 Placer county, in the nortiiern mines, has a population 
 of more than 20,000, and contains some of the oldest 
 mining camps in the country. Although some have of 
 late years "caved in." fresh discoveries have been made, 
 even faster than the old ones have become exhausted. 
 Illinois Towi\ and Michigan Bluffs, are the most important 
 new towns. They are constantly increasing, and the 
 deep diggings v»'ill support a further increase for numy 
 years. Coon Creek, Auburn, Ophirville, and Kattlesnakc, 
 have been among the richest camps in all the mines ; but 
 they are now like dozens of the old towns, gradually dyinir 
 a natural death. The county lies on the American river, 
 which joins the Sacramento ; some attempt at farmiuL' 
 has boon made, but it is extremely trifling, -iud U'-vcr can 
 be of any material importance 
 
 r si 
 
122 
 
 RAMBLINOS IS CALIFORNIA. 
 
 »■ I 
 
 I I f 
 
 
 \ uha i.s anotlior iiorthorii county, and po.vscs.scd at one 
 time, tlic ureatest amount of bar digirinos of any in the 
 State. It is watered tlirougliout ])\ the river Yuba, 
 cniptyino- into the Feather. Tlie red soil of the former 
 river, for its wliok; extent tlirougli tlie mountains, contains 
 gokl, and the river is ydlow as tlu; classic Tiber itself. 
 Many too, like (';\3sar have crossed its waters, and achieved 
 the object of their search in plenty; but too many, alas! 
 have closed their eyes forever, in the hardships of the 
 early seasons ; and many a breaking heart at home, still 
 weeps and watches in solitude, for those who will ever 
 sleep soundly, to the rude river's requiem. 1'here is 
 little attcnipt at agriculture, except some barley and 
 melons, but the good prices — from the expense of pack- 
 ing — make the most indifferent crops, tolerably remuner- 
 ative. The ri\er in its upper portion is formed by num- 
 berless small tributaries, but the three principal ones are 
 termed; the north, south, and middle forks ; they all 
 contain gold, and the very minutest of them, at one period 
 sw'armcd with busy miners. 
 
 The most important districts are Mill Creek, Hampshire 
 Creek, Deadwood Creek, Slate Creek, Canon Creek, 
 Ousley's ]?ar, Long's and l^irk's Bar. The gold on Mill 
 Creek is fine and in moderate (juantitics, the lumber is 
 excellent. Hampshire Creek abounds with excellent 
 lumber, and supplies a large country with boards for 
 sluices. The soil of headwood Creek, was at one time 
 thickly impregnated with gold, and still contains good 
 diggings; there is plenty of good pine and an excellent 
 saw mill. 81ate Creek approaches close to the Sierra 
 Nev.'ida ningt^, and fontains imicli coarse gold, but it lies 
 very deep, and the labor of extracting it is very great, a« 
 
KA.MIJM.VO.S IX CAJJFOKNJA. 
 
 ]23 
 
 
 it is mostly doposited in deep fissures of tlie bed ruck, 
 riuion Creek luis very coarse gold and has been consid- 
 ered at one time, the most profitable diggings in the 
 northern mines, the best portion of it liowever, extends 
 into Sierra county. Ousley's Bar is quite an extensive 
 village, and Ims a pictures(|ue appearance; as the walls of 
 all tlie cabins are constructed of logs or boards, with white 
 cotton roofs, it appears from the summits of the adjoinintr 
 mountains, like a flock of sheep in a poor pasture field, 
 while the busy miners, burrowing in the banks, might well 
 be mistaken for industrious moles. The gold on this bar 
 IS so very fine, that (juicksilver is always required in its 
 perfect preservation, and great (juantities have been ex- 
 tracted, paying witli extraordinary regularity. Tt lies on 
 the main Yuba, ];] miles from the city of jlarysville, and 
 has about 750 inhabitants. Park's Bar is the next in 
 .size, and there are upwards of fifty more of a similar size, 
 vvhich are still more or less worked. • 
 
 The City of Marysville is in a very flourishing condition, 
 and its central position for convenience to the mines, and 
 being the head of navigation, unite to increase its impor- 
 tance. It is built on the Yuba, one mile above its influx 
 with the Feather River, and although a good business 
 locality, the climate is weakening and unwholesome. 
 
 The smaller streams are Bear Biver, which is the 
 county line on the south, and empties into the Feather 
 Uiver 81 miles below Marysville. Dry Creek, No. 2, 
 empties into the same river, G miles above the mouth of 
 Bear. There are ex( client fanning and grazing lands on 
 both of these rivers, with fine grass at ail seasons. Dry 
 Creek No. 3 empties into the Yuba, and receives many 
 small streams of itself, it is 40 miles lung, has nine saw 
 
124 
 
 HAMHLlXdS I.\ CALII-ORMA 
 
 mills upon it, and -(.Id in small (numtities. Indian Creek 
 empties into it 22 miles tVoni its mouth ; has a o-uod steam 
 saw mill, and -old in payino' (|uantities. (lark's Pain 
 emi.ties into the Vuba, 20 miles al.oNv .Marysville and 
 omj.loys upwards of 700 miners. The hi-hest point of 
 the middle Vuha to the mountains, has hoeti estimated at 
 about oOOO i'eut. 
 
 Sierra eounty, joining:' Vuba, is a small minin-- eounty. 
 It has a population of ()000, and nearly a million dollars 
 invested in various ways, of which placer minin- takes 
 one half. It contains live bustlino' little towns, Downieville, 
 rineorove, Windsor, Coxe's Bin- and (ioodyear's ]Jar.' 
 Downieville on the Vuba is the laruest, containinu- 1500 
 inhabitants, and the mines in the vi dnity are deep and 
 pay lumdsomely. 
 
 Nevada is a larp' and populous county, containing' about 
 25,000 inhabitants, one-third of whom are citizens, one- 
 third (Jldnese, and the renuiinder specimens from almost 
 every race. .Mining and grazing are tlie chief occupation 
 of the people, and it contains 700,000 liead of horses and 
 horned cattle. The amount employed in mining amounts 
 to five million of dollars, and in merchandize half a million. 
 Nevada is t!ie principal city. 
 
 Butte, so called from the mountains of the same name 
 has a population of 15,000, and possesses extensive 
 resources, botli in agriculture and mines. Although farm- 
 ing has not been much attended to, there arc upwards of 
 5000 acres iu cultivation, but the systcni is bad in the 
 extreme, and the productions, as a consequence, form but 
 a poor criterion of the land's capabilities. Half a million 
 dollars are employed in ouartz ininiuL!'. but for so far tli^ •• 
 have not been very remunerative. Tlicre is mucii placer 
 
iiaii ('reck 
 :()()d steam 
 ik"s Piun 
 'Villc and 
 t pitiiit of 
 imate<l at 
 
 'j: county, 
 ill dollars 
 ing takes 
 .vuievillc, 
 ar'.s ])ar. 
 ii.ti- 1500 
 deep ami 
 
 ng about 
 en.?, one- 
 II alnio.'>;t 
 cupation 
 irses and 
 aiLiount.-s 
 million. 
 
 ic r.ame, 
 xtcnsive 
 :h farni- 
 t'ards of 
 1 in the 
 3rni but 
 million 
 
 '■■■' ^'"-7 
 1 placer 
 
 RA.MLLl.XC.-i IN (".\I.IFOK.M.\. 
 
 125 
 
 mining, and the returns arc very satisfactory, (ircat 
 quantities of lumber of an excellent description are pro- 
 duced — the united work of tifteen powerful saw mills. 
 The mines arc of goKl, ,silv(>r, lead, phitina and -luicksilver, 
 but gold and (-juicksilvcr are by far the most abundant. 
 There is much sublime and beautiful sciuiery in the Butte 
 mountains. Table Mountain near the Feather Kivcr— or 
 Jiio </(' /»s j,/,r/iios, ;is the Spaniards beautifully term it — 
 strongly resembles a work of art, and a close ins})cction 
 will alone convince one that it is not a counterpart of some 
 ancient llhenish Castle. Mount Hood, with its head cov- 
 ered over with ]KM]Mjtual snov/, towers far above its surround- 
 ing fellows, and is visible in clear weather more than a 
 liundred miles. Between the mountains are many exten- 
 ,*!ive valleys of surpassing loveliness, as yet no more than 
 casually looked at by the eyes of civilized men. The 
 principal camps are Oroville, the county seat—Bidwcll's 
 Bar, and Forbes Town, l^idwcll's Bar on the Feather 
 Ixiver, vras at one time the county town, and a very flourish- 
 ing place, but after the exhaustion of the riverbed, judge, 
 ardiivcs. lawyer,^ and new.^paper, all removed to the younger 
 and more thriving to'.vn, and the Cayotas will soon play 
 hide and seek, through the streets of this deserted villao'c. 
 (Vilusi has no mines, and has oidy about lUOO inhabi- 
 tants, the chief portion of whom are congregratcd in, and 
 ai'ound the litth^ towns of Oolusi and 31unroevil!e. Colusi 
 IS at the head of summer navigation on the Sacramento, 
 and forn.is a depot for goods, from whence they are packed 
 on mules to Shasta, I'itt Biver and other mines in the 
 north. Teliama bluffs, higher up, answers a similar pur- 
 pose during' the freshets. Munronvillc is th.c couK-ty seat. 
 Very little is known of this region yet, for the interior ia 
 
12fi 
 
 JtAMJJMNGS I\ CALrFORNIA. 
 
 C'oinc a 
 
 ' i 
 
 almost n pathless wilderness, but it is likely to Leco... « 
 ^'ood country, liavinj,^ more late and earl/rains than the 
 counties farther south. 
 
 Hunibolt, encdosing the bay of the same name, lies on 
 the Pacific coast, ,iorth of San Francisco Bay. It supplies 
 a M'roat part of the country with lumber, and is slowly but 
 surely pro^jressint^. 
 
 Khmiath, north of Ilumbolt, is a small county, with 
 about loOU of a population. It lias but little land under 
 eultiyat.on, and the anjount of capital employed i. nat 
 lai;^'0. It all consists of a narrow strip on the coast iiye 
 inilcs wide and twenty long, which is of a yery superior 
 description. The riyers are, the Klamath, Trinity and 
 Salmon, all of them contain gold in payin-M^uantities, and 
 are extensiyely worked. The Klamath empties into tlie 
 1 acihc and is next to the Sacramento in size. The prin 
 cipal mountains are called Salmon and Prospect, they are 
 of great height, and are crowned with snow more than 
 eight months in the year. Timber is plentiful and of 
 magnihcent growth, plenty of redwood measurimr upwards 
 of 20 feet in diameter. 
 
 Trinity in the extreme north, has a population, supposed, 
 oi oUUO whites and Indians. Its mines and other resources 
 are but little known, they are extensiye and rich, at least 
 on the riyer bearing its name. The natiye Indians are 
 the most fierce and warlike of any in the State, and haye 
 given great trouble and expense to the general goyernmeut. 
 El Dorado was the great theatre of operations durin- the 
 first gold excitement, and although still possessing a lam-e 
 population, its palmiest days are oyer. The surface has 
 been all exhausted, where payable, and the deep dio-dn-s 
 -which are all nearly clalmed-are now the only'^^nes 
 
RA.MBMNCJS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 127 
 
 become a 
 IS than the 
 
 ne, lies on 
 Tt supplies 
 slowly but 
 
 lit J, v/itli 
 iHid under 
 ed is not 
 
 coast five 
 ^ superior 
 ■inity and 
 :ities, and 
 
 into the 
 riio prin- 
 . they are 
 lore than 
 d and of 
 
 upwards 
 
 apposed, 
 resources 
 , at least 
 lians are 
 ind have 
 )rnnieut. 
 ring the 
 : a laro-e 
 "ace has 
 liairinffs 
 ilv ones 
 
 worked. The principal camps are Placerville, El Dorado, 
 Auburn, Coloma, Fiddletown, (Jrizzly Flat, and Indian 
 IHirgings. Placerville is an old town, and «ne of the 
 largest in all the mines. 
 
 Sliasta, the last of tiio list, is far north, and attained 
 much notoriety for some time, on account of tlu; Indian 
 hostilities. They were, indeed, almost the only red men 
 who showed a martial spirit, in opposition to the march of 
 t\iii invaders, though their pigmy resistance was much 
 overrated and magnified, by the hireling press, in the ser- 
 vice of the self-dubbed heroes; who won gold and even a 
 species of glory, fur the feat of driving a few Imif starved 
 breechless savages, from their hunting and fishing grounds, 
 to perish among the snowy hills of the interior. The cli- 
 mate is the severest in the State, and much destitution 
 has occurred, during the first three winters after its first 
 occupation, from the extreme difficulty of convevin.-- -pro- 
 visions at that season. Large deposits of gold were found 
 in the region around the town ; but of latu years the(iuan- 
 tity has greatly decreased. Mining in summer is much 
 retarded by scarcity of water, and in winter froin a super- 
 fluity of snow, but for so far, little has been done to ob- 
 viate the inc(invenience, by ditches or flumes. 
 
 Shasta is much too higli in the mountains to make farmino- 
 very successful; only about loUO acres are under cultiva- 
 tion, and the proceeds are veiy small. Shasta City has a 
 population rising near 3000, and the whole population of 
 the county may be estimated in the neighborhood of 5000. 
 The principal live stock consists in mules, of which 
 there are upwards of 1200. They are chiefly employed in 
 packing provisions through the mines, and conveying 
 freight to Oregon for passengers ; for the great northern 
 
 i !i 
 
I i 
 
 •i r 
 
 1l'8 
 
 'lAMIi|.I.V.is l.v ( Al.lKuRN.A. 
 
 ^s :,:,;;'■ ::;!:-v""'-^'"" ^''■^■-^'.•'^'■ 
 
 abound in „ ' .""^' ""l"'-™'-'l wi.l, .„,,,,„„, 
 
 cho,llic,l«. Til,. .„,h .,,,,1 1, . V.U-lnlls „t|i,,,- 
 
 .1,.« i.,,lu, '• " '"''"'■'""^' "- "-''"l" StiUc with 
 
 their first oeciinatiuii TIu. f ii • . "^ ''"^"'"".i.' 
 
 'ant:.,.e,,e,.^,,,XM ' ; ';":;:::^;-;-;"■'""^- 
 wn..<e, (.... o,,o n„,,e To.,,:::!,: :',^ ;/.;::;;' 
 
 ..',;,.,'""*""''"''■•""■" •■ »f tl.O ,l00p- 
 '- HU I,..-,, 1111,1 ,,„,„ „„, |„.„|.^ ^^^_ ^,^^^ ^^^ I^ 
 
 It has been beiausc 1 b-,v,. I , ""■'"""ant, 
 
 d voi-silied surf.,r.o I. , '-"'ines, ot its wide ;ind 
 
 . .or c.o„,U,.v of t„o .a,ne population, the,? '. '. 1" ^ 
 "t or people, to whou, seating the biw i, ,„o disl ^ 
 
 " ''• -^'^^' ^'^«« t^ whom the oric^inal ex- 
 
'»i>^ district. 
 'W'leapifal 
 'ill-', about 
 » .^nlpliur, 
 'ions other 
 iibuiidaiit, 
 i^hite with 
 • portation. 
 'J nniquG, 
 •ittcndin^ 
 »st impor- 
 •>'■ Canon, 
 iKi Town, 
 cry grout 
 i»c golden 
 the deep- 
 en iiieant, 
 ortunitj^ 
 11 others, 
 skeleton 
 iliarfea- 
 ide and 
 •re eon- 
 u'lt iiiaj 
 iplato a 
 
 ter pro- 
 lan any 
 aps no 
 istaste- 
 volved 
 lal ex- 
 
 nA.MBLI.\(;8 IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 129 
 
 
 travagant visions of the gold tields, would naturally hold 
 out the strongest inducements, were the highly sanguine, 
 the despiser of drudgery, the lover of danger and adventure' 
 together with the gambler, the bully, and the professional 
 prig. Such a class exists in the smallest numbers, among 
 the hard working, plodding community; and to them, as 
 a whole, California presents herself, in preference to any 
 •1 other, as their proper and sure field, to acquire within the 
 
 ! shortest time, the means of independence and a comfortable 
 
 home. 
 
 ^ Among the first eniigrants, this uncongenial elen.ent 
 
 most abounded ; for, besides natural inclination, they po.s- 
 sessed the most money, and were best able to overcome the 
 great expense incidental to such a voyage, when *he means 
 of transport were so meagre and imperfect. The most 
 respectable class consisted of patientless doctors, briefless 
 barristers, book-keepers, superior mechanics, and the 
 whole host of the shabby genteel ; runaway soldiers and 
 sailors, formed another large portion ; and the rascals 
 filled up the rear. Very soon the pick and shovel handles, 
 irritated the tender palm of the eler/ante, and he sighed 
 for his lighter and more familiar occupation. The bfack- 
 legs, too, got disgusted with the degradation, and sought 
 the more congenial occupations of office holders or ga'in- 
 blers. In consequence, every possible channel that de- 
 manded skill, education or light labor, was rapidly filled 
 to overflowing, and were soon depreciated far below the 
 calling they despised ; while the community was burthened 
 with a host of non-producers, who fattened on the exer- 
 tions of the industrious miner. Resources for mechanical 
 
 skill. havA nf InfA tmovo a/^n^^_i.„x j.„ i i .. 
 
 — j..,_^.:^ „.^.i„„„^jjj^ ucveiopea iiieuiselyes 
 
 w well as fields for the professional and literary, and the 
 
180 
 
 RAMnLINOS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 present settlers are better adapted to their occupations, 
 than the forty-niner ; but the self same forty-niner still re- 
 mains, more abhorrent to toil than ever, and willing to 
 give his services to any easy occupation, at the most nonii- 
 nal value, provided that he can escape the. infliction of 
 labor. 
 
 Such being the case, the robust and persevering, can 
 alone make a visit to California, a profitable one ; for to 
 all others it is most miserably adapted to their condition, 
 whether as a temporary or permanent home. The crowds 
 of lawyers, small tradesmen, mechanics, and others, who 
 swarm in every little camp, even of the most humble de- 
 scription, soliciting the patronage of the public — of whom 
 they often form at least one half — is truly astonishing, 
 when every one of them can, if he choose, find plenty and 
 independent employment for himself, and thus earn three 
 or four dollars per day. But they prefer to waste their 
 existence, in useless and hopeless competition, almost de- 
 prived of the necessaries of life, despised by each other, 
 and even by those whom they dare to consider inferiors — 
 for the paltry privilege of idleness, and a white shirt. 
 
 1 
 
 
 ■ 
 
iipiitions, 
 !r still re- 
 rilling to 
 Dst nomi- 
 liction of 
 
 ling, can 
 e ; for to 
 ondition, 
 e crowds 
 ers, who 
 mble de- 
 of whom 
 )nishing, 
 enty and 
 irn three 
 ste their 
 most de- 
 ill other, 
 feriors — 
 ihirt. 
 
 1 
 
 PART IV. 
 
 ANECDOTES AND SKETCHES 
 FROM LIFE. 
 
 HOW I JUMPED A CLAIM. 
 
 Never .shall I forget my introduction to the mysterious 
 and exciting occupation of a gold-seeker. With what 
 lofty aspirations did I don the red shirt and inexpressibles 
 of dongaree I The glorious scheme of my childish years ; 
 those fruitless, untold hopes of rivalling Aladin, or that 
 experienced mariner 8iubad ; all those fleeting, and 
 ridiculous, but not less blissful thoughts, that brightened 
 my onvvard path to the world of life and action — thoughts, 
 alas I long since smothered by unpleasant contact with a 
 rough and jostling world, and the deep gulf of manhood's 
 dull decay — all those lovely chimeras of my boyhood's 
 verdant fancy, when I religiously believed in Santa Claus, 
 and the vegetation of penny pieces, were again revivified 
 in my mind's eye — not as fleeting goblins of the past, 
 
132 
 
 RAMBLINGS IN TAUFORMA. 
 
 11 
 
 raised to lacerate n.y l.eart with the remc.nbranoo of dis- 
 appointed hopes and .sorrows, long since mellowed to a 
 pleasing sadness-but as tnie tangible facts of bright-eyed 
 promise, leading through a flowery trail, and even now on 
 the eve of fruition. 
 
 The r^lorious panorama of flood, field and mountain, that 
 greeted our every step on that bright summer morning 
 might a n.ost awake a glimmer of romance, in the bosom 
 of a radroad director; for even my stalwart, matter of 
 fact fnend, Buckeye, who marshalled my presence to the 
 promised feesame, seemed moved by its influence, to the 
 spirit of song, and made the very old hills rejoice in their 
 echo to '' Californy, that's the land for me." But, hum- 
 hly do I confess, that much as I felt and appreciated the 
 influence the beauteous scene, I can only now repeat, 
 hat beautiful it was; for, not a hill, nor rock, no. water' 
 fa , nor tree-not one of nature's innocent devices, to 
 lull the heart from care to peace, retains a definite position 
 10 my memory-all remains merely as a bright hued chaos 
 of views, but seldom seen, and hard to be forgotten. But 
 my thoughts and conceptions were other than for landscapes 
 -They were grovelling in the dust, aye, in the very gr.!v^el 
 that lay wet and closely packed in the crevices of the 
 bedrock; for on that never ^o be forgotten mornin..- I 
 was to be ushered at once, without apprenticeship, i^to 
 the full mysteries of the mining art, and all its respon- 
 sibilities. Buckeye, my bosom friend, of two days ac- 
 quaintanceship, volunteered his assistance in the act of 
 initiation ; and sturdily we proceeded with shovel, pick, 
 and pan, to .y.m^., or take possession of the claim of the 
 redoubtable Cincinnatus Baggs. Baggs, we knew to be 
 "~ "- '^''^ -r^'-'Aiud—a great desideratum, by tb.e way. 
 
00 of dis- 
 'wed to a 
 •iglit-ejed 
 n now on 
 
 tain, that 
 morning, 
 he bosom 
 natter of 
 3e to the 
 ), to the 
 ! in their 
 Lit, hum- 
 iated the 
 V repeat, 
 )i* water- 
 nces, to 
 position 
 sd chaos 
 n. But 
 dscapes. 
 y gr,'ivel 
 
 of the 
 ningj I 
 p, into 
 i'e.spon- 
 lys ao 
 
 aet of 
 , pick, 
 
 of the 
 ■ to be 
 '.0 way, 
 
 RAMBLINCs IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 133 
 
 m such cases, for possession is generally a knock down 
 argument— and as he was well known to hold three or four 
 claims in the same district, we had great hopes of estab- 
 lishing a right; for miners and mining laws, are in most 
 instances in radical opposition to all monopoly. 
 
 The task was one requiring a due proportion of nerve ; 
 for Cincinnatus was a reputed buffer of six feet three, a 
 Pike county man besides, and of course an adept in all 
 the innocent recreations, of biting, gouging, and playing 
 horse, so much delighted in by the primitive people of 
 the '' Setting Sun." We picked and shovelled faithfully 
 for two or three hours, until we had removed all the light 
 depoists of the surface, on a space six feet square, and on 
 this made a smaller hole in the compact sand and gravel, 
 as low as the iTuba river would permit us, without bailing. 
 A pan was then filled with the deepest earth we cou°d 
 procure, and placed in the hands of my skillful and ex- 
 perienced companion, to " prospect" or test the value of 
 the ground underneath, from the sample already in our 
 possession. We descended to the river which was close 
 at hand, and peeping over the shoulder of the operator, I 
 watched his manipulations with impatient but intense 
 interest. Slowly did he move the pan, and gradually the 
 lighter portions wore away in the tiny waves made by the 
 agitation of the pan. He then carefully picked out the 
 coarser gravel with his fingers, and commenced the motion 
 afresh, the heavier particles slowly descending, and the 
 lighter going off, until at last the filthy lucre was plainly 
 discernible in shining specks, mixed with a small quantity 
 of fine black sand. 
 
 ''Well," said 1 endeavoring to look wise, and to spoak 
 professionally, "what's the prospect ?" 
 
 M 
 
131 
 
 RAMBLINOs IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 ■) It 
 
 1 
 
 I 
 
 
 He vvhirlci it munrl the pan for a .uinuto, without nay- 
 ing any rej^ard to n.y keen inquiry, and after euTuin^ to 
 an apparent conclusion he observed,— 
 
 '' Jf this prospect was on the north fork of the Feather 
 or even in the Colund.y digging-s, I would reckon on 
 twenty-two cents; but this gold ain't ri.-ht familiar to mo 
 0^'ct, and 1 kind o' think it looks thin and Haky, and if so 
 be, there ain't more than from eighteen to twenty cents • 
 but It is easy dirt to get out, and we can n.ake two ounee.s 
 a piece, to the day, like sn.oke, if the streak only holds 
 out." "^ 
 
 Here was a windfall for a penniless purse .' Thirty-five 
 dollars a day, in regular payj wh; It was an independent 
 fortune, ;in inexhaustible bank, of which I was cashier 
 and director. To be su.. the money was locked up in the 
 vaults, and there was no key, but tlien I possessed the 
 means of pick ni^f the lock; and again we commenced 
 with renewed vigor to throw up the earth, and bail out 
 water. Pleasantly the work went on, for another half hour, 
 when I was suddenly aroused from my day dream of bliss', 
 by the low deep voice of Buckeye, as he rolled out the short 
 but emphatic sentence : — 
 
 'MIe'sH eomin', the puke; mind your eye; vou b^ 
 spokesman, he knows I've got a claim ; show' your .-law.i 
 and bluft'him off." 
 
 And before I could thoroughly comprehend the tenor of 
 this hurried advice, [ found myself face to face with the 
 notorious puke. I am free to confess, that T almost 
 wished myself comfortably away " in some lone cot among 
 the distant hills," for his appearance fully verified the 
 reports I had received of his powerful well knit frame. 
 lie h:u\ certainly been well described as a " roarer," and 
 
RAMr.MNMiS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 135 
 
 ithont pay- 
 coming to 
 
 do Feather, 
 reckon on 
 liliar to nie 
 , and if so 
 n\ty cents ; 
 ;wo ounee.s 
 only holds 
 
 riiirty-five 
 dependent 
 IS cashier 
 
 up in the 
 messed the 
 inmencod 
 d bail out 
 tialf hour, 
 1 of bliss, 
 
 the short 
 
 ; you bt? 
 Dur f'law.i 
 
 ) tenor of 
 with the 
 T almost 
 >t among 
 ilied the 
 it franit\ 
 i?r," and 
 
 sadly did n.y mind misgive me, while 1 mentally conned 
 over the results of a hand to hand struggle with this her- 
 culean produetio.i of the mighty west. But the time for 
 repentance had expired ; 1 thought scorn to beat a cow- 
 ardly retreat, and an honorable one had now become im- 
 possible. I therefore, agreeably to previous advice, 
 shovelled away with more diligence than ever, apparently 
 fiuite unconscious of the new comer's gigantic presence. 
 But as the old song says, " My eye was upon him," and 
 I have little doubt that the beat of my pulse betokened 
 excitement, and no little fever. Our visitor soon seated 
 himself on a boulder, and after an awful pause of a few 
 seconds, he gave a snort to attract attention, and then 
 opened his mouth and spoke. 
 
 " iStranger," said he in a voice of great solemnity, '• is 
 A soger a man o' war, or is he not V 
 
 The pulse beat faster still, on hearing such a belligerent 
 interrogative, and I feebly observed : 
 
 " War, my dear sir, does certainly strike me, of all 
 others, as being the occupation best adapted to the wants 
 and natural propensities of a military man, and the one 
 too, in which he could have the opportunity of spreading 
 himself to the greatest advantage." 
 
 " Wal, stranger, 1 knowed it all the time myself, but 1 
 kind o' wanted a uuijority in my favor, like a huU-souled 
 ilopublican, as 1 be, for you see, the way of it was this," 
 (pulse on the decline)—" You see, Dick the Whaler, and 
 Whiskey Tom and nie, had been playin' a civil game of 
 poker, and I lost the whiskies, and jest as I began to box 
 the cards, for Td won the deal, you know-some newspaper 
 man in stud-horse clothes, from VFris.o, cum in and begun 
 to read the news— and he could read like thunder— and 
 
 i ft 
 
 'Hi J 
 
 <r?^ 
 
 J 
 
 - !*?*'- J 
 

 186 
 
 RAMHLINGS IN OAUfORMA. 
 
 y 
 
 I 
 
 2^ the new.,, .ez it, -The ,nH„-„-.„a,- fi„<l »ix shou at 
 the mcrehnnt.nan without injurin' him,' „ud soz I_. The 
 »0K.,- must have a darned poo.- mael.ine of a revolver, or 
 el»e the pedlar handled his pin.- ri.lu .mart, anyhow.' 
 And that l.ttle fiste of a whaliu' Oi„k up,, an' ,ez he- 
 Reckon, P,ke you never ,ee a ,nan-o'-war.' Now, stran- 
 ger, I m a modest feller ; 'taint easy to raise my eomba. 
 but th,« was a rubbin' it i„ too strong, for I have travelled 
 »ome, myself, /l,„ve; / have been to St. Louis; I have 
 erossed the plains; I should judge I know a painter from 
 a parrary heu, or a becgum from a horned toad. Did'nt I 
 Bee droves of men-o'-war in Missury, when we lieked the 
 eussed njens and Mexieans ? Didn't they axe me to be 
 a man-o war, and hadn't I half a mine to jine 'em, only 
 hat dodger in them parts was skeeree, and another youn' 
 Baggs was shortly expected. So I ups and pounds Diek 
 
 a smart ehanee, and before I'd eoneluded, thinks I, ■ there 
 mayb o„ i ,^,,_,__^, j^^^^^ ^,^^^ ^^^^ ^^^ 
 
 i II tote myself back now, and finish the job-f ,r he', t,M 
 used up to travel '." ... a. 
 
 Having thus soothed ,ny nerves, our unpleasant visitor 
 posted off raptdly for a few paces ; he then stopped short, 
 and turning on his heel, again hailed me : 
 
 " Oh, mi.,ter l-you've told me suthin', and now I'll 
 tell you suthin'-M.,„, M„,u,,. ,-, ,„,!, ,/,-^,,-„,., ,,„„'« 
 '", '-y <■«. I tried it myself last winter, and thev 
 prospected at first mor'n considerable, but they gin out so 
 <imck they made my head swim ; but try your chance for 
 a turn-up-Jack, and when you can't, come to me and I'll 
 trade you a howler for eash-gi„oi„e five cent stuff-a hi- 
 bank, and no water to n.ake you swear. If vou hunt for n.^ 
 when the weather', n.odcrate, t ,„.,,, be „t work, and a-.in I 
 

 RAMr,!J.\(KS IN CAMFOHMA 
 
 187 
 
 six shots at 
 *ez I—' The 
 revolver, or 
 t, anyhow. ' 
 i' sez he — 
 N^ow, stran- 
 iny combat, 
 ve travelled 
 is; I have 
 linter from 
 Did'nt I 
 licked the 
 e me to be 
 'em, only 
 ;her young 
 unda Dick 
 3 1, ' there 
 you ; but 
 )r he's too 
 
 mt visitor 
 ped .short, 
 
 now I'll 
 ^A' yoxC re 
 :ind they 
 ;ia out so 
 bance for 
 ; and I'll 
 ff — a bi-' 
 nt for me 
 d :i,i?in, f 
 
 mayn- be at the orocery ; but fur a gin'ral rule, when itn 
 warm, look in the shade, for I'm allers binmd to be thar!" 
 When he had concluded his harangue, I hypocritically 
 tendered my acknowledonients, muttering at the same 
 time something about sour grapes, which Cincinnatus 
 heard or regarded not, for with an unwieldy motion of 
 his big hand, he departed on his mission, singing '< Barbara 
 Allan," with a voice like a Stentor. But if the illustrious 
 traveller judged not wisely in the first instance, he did but 
 too well in the second. The thin strata would not defray 
 the expense of stripping, and we were forced to abandon 
 the chum, as our predecessor had done. And thus 
 ended my first jump. 
 
 A FIELD OFFICER. 
 
 His name was Breeze, and if true, what some persistently 
 affirn, is the case, that names were originally o-iven to 
 point out some peculiar characteristic of the individual 
 then was my general a worthy descendant ■ for he inherited 
 "» all punty the gifts of his ancestor in one respect nt least • 
 tor a more "gassy" individual-as the Americans term \i 
 -It never was my lot to be put in communication with 
 He was one of the great men of the country in '5'^ at 
 which period he had probably risen to the high'est pinnacle 
 ot his fame, for from that time to the present, his star 
 has been on the decline, chiefly from the h.no- cessation of 
 hostilities, with the dark nations of the north. But mv 
 connection with Imn was a peaceful one. No proud pran- 
 cors insidted the slain, nor ghastly wounds upbraided us 
 in cmr labor. The weapon wielded was the pen-the blood 
 shed was the ink-and the tield, a neatly bound volume 
 
 
 J 
 
l:5S 
 
 RAMKLINOK IS TALIFORNIA. 
 
 Mr 
 
 of foolscap-ancl the subject, the hard founht battles of liis 
 j^oneralship. 
 
 I frankly avow, that it was a feeliu^^^ nearly akin to awe, 
 whieh I experienced, when I heard my name announced 
 and was ushered into the presence of this august person- 
 a,ge. I had often read and heard about generals; nay I 
 had often seen them at a distance, while reviewing troops 
 seated on splendid chargers ; their aids-de-camp gallopino^ 
 towards them like the wind, and spattering the mud in 
 spectators' faces. But 1 had never even seen one afoot, much 
 less in a room eight by twelve, with a large bed in it ; and 
 —although I knew it to be impossible-like the ancient 
 1 oruvians, I could scarcely divest myself of the idea, that 
 a general and a horse were inseparable. There was a deep 
 solemnity, I inu.gined, attendant on my introduction a 
 corporeal reality extremely trying to a nervous, bashful 
 nature. Had it been a major, or even a colonel, my trepi- 
 dation would have been much less, but a real live general 
 of brigade was astounding; for the very name itselt>alled 
 up pictures of Boney and hi>^ generals— feathers dancing- 
 spurs jingling, and all the pomp and circumstance of do- 
 rious war. But my military patron Aras quiet and courteou.s 
 as I could wish, and— to use a homely phra.se— I soon 
 found myself as easy as an old shoe. 
 
 The general had three friends with him in his study— 
 I might say bedroom and parlor too, for it answered all 
 three purposes. The first was only a judge, and the second 
 a major, but as neither had seen more than twenty sum- 
 mers yet, they bid very fair, if they kept on proffressin<^ 
 in proportion, to the age of three score and ten, of attaining 
 quite dignified titles. The third was the county surveyor" 
 ■■ '•!'<^-'v-^:U ma.i wiio enierea wiin me, and whom 
 
battles of Ilia 
 
 akin to awe, 
 announced, 
 i;ust person- 
 'als; nay, I 
 wing troops, 
 ip galloping 
 he mud in 
 afoot, much 
 Hn it; and 
 the ancient 
 
 idea, that 
 
 1 was a deep 
 oduction, a 
 IS, bashful 
 , my trepi- 
 ve general 
 ;self, called 
 dancinji* — 
 nee of glo- 
 
 [ courteous 
 e — I soon 
 
 s study — 
 swered all 
 the second 
 enty suni- 
 rogressiny 
 attainine: 
 surveyor ; 
 nd whom 
 
 RAMBLlNtiS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 139 
 
 they saluted as '' colonel/' was the surveyor's assistant. 
 
 This was the wav of it— Mr. A , a merchant doing a 
 
 flourishing inland trade, was elected to the ollice of county 
 surveyor, un the regular democratic ticket. ]^ut, unfor- 
 tunately, the successful candidate, if he attended to the 
 duties of his office, would have been obliged to neglect his 
 own private business, in a way most detrimental to his in- 
 terests. And besides, although he received the enthusiastic 
 voices of his constituents, it unluckily happened, that 
 matheuwitics had been (juite overlooked, in the extreme 
 haste with which Mr. A had been educated for the drama 
 of life. But such little casualties will occur sometimes, 
 where every office is in the hands of the rabble ; and he 
 appointed a deputy in his stead— the youth above men- 
 tioned—receiving half the fees, as a sleeping partner with 
 his nephew. ]3ut the nephew, although in possession of a 
 superfluity of time, didn't know a mjuare from a triaiigle, 
 and was obliged to farm his office out again to the colonel, on 
 the halves, who was making a fortune then, though per- 
 forming the whole duties, and receiving but twenty-five 
 per cent, on the original fees charged to the dear people. 
 Next day 1 entered on my duties— which consisted in 
 recording in a good plain hand, the incidents of flood and 
 field, in which the brigadier and his allies were engaged, 
 during the memorable battles of '50 and '51. with the 
 iJigger Indians. Part of the copy from which I formed 
 my records, were in the general's own hand, and the various 
 officers under his command ; part were editorials, clipped 
 from newspapers favorable to the prosecution of the war; 
 bat by far the largest ingredient, was the oral narrative of 
 the fight, from the lips of the general himself The-e re- 
 cords were all to be depoaited in the archives of the Stete, 
 
 H 
 
 
140 
 
 HAMBLiXf.s IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 Mf1 
 
 li 
 
 
 1 il :'^ 
 
 I: 
 
 and (u,u.c V,,,,,,,- A,.,ericas will „„ ,lo„bt be iospircd to 
 *ed. 0, vaW, bv ,-«,di,„ U„.o heroics of their „Ct«rr 
 
 i .oy ...ust h„ve h„d . t,e,„e ,„„ ti.ne of it, such „,„r t 
 
 and c.,untcr.,„arc.h,n,., ehargi,,,, a„d fallin,. back-thore 
 -.s „„ re.roati„,_bl„wi„,. up of ,„ine.,, „„d who e o 
 uiassaores of rod skins If l,.,lf t- •. '" "noiosale 
 
 of i,„t„.i;t "* " "'"•'' "••"-•' ">« battle 
 
 of Au.terl,tz was but a bar-roon. row in con,pari.,on 
 Orders rou, the .-encral, tra„s,oitted by his aids seeded 
 o % hko crackers o,. the fourth of Jul,' and wer I'd 
 as .f they were the wand of a magician, and thirteen con'e 
 cut.ve vetones were achieved, in as n.any days 
 
 There was none of that nnlitary brevity, nevertheles, 
 
 n,uch adn.ired in the hook-nosed fellow of Role atu^ 
 
 they were al volununous docuu.ente, not a tittle of etl 
 ("otte or t,tle was forgotten, and notwithstanding a vat 
 -nounto. bad pen.nanship and orthography, and ILll 
 
 made „ the n 'T ' " ^^" P^"-'" -ntion waa 
 made ■» the plunder account, of the acorns and crickets 
 
 Zrart" V -r " ''' '""■' ''""^ '-""- "« g 't 
 
 m-iai:::; "zz'triXr '^^"-' ^^ '^» 
 
 would „„» T " ' '"'' '*"'^^''* ">« "ticks 
 
 thetv 1 ' " '""''"'' """ '" ""' ™"-. -J-ing 
 
 i-ne severest season. '^ 
 
 1 have n,y old en,ployer now, in my „,i„d-,, ,,ye as he 
 deposued h,s burly person on a low camp stool, hs' a" bi 
 t.o«s heels resting on the balcony; calmly sur ey n! the 
 passing crowds on the street. There he «. I 
 
 Ms war stories, ruminating the ' W' L^TZ 
 
 His little pig's eyee. half hiH Jn f.Uo .r ..__i. , 
 
 - ••• •-'^ V2 iiuwuoiesonie fat 
 
 ■ 4 
 
IlAMRLINfiS IN CALIFORNIA 
 
 e iospirod to 
 3ir ancestors, 
 ch luarching 
 back — there 
 i(i wholesale 
 e, the battle 
 comparison, 
 litis, seemed 
 were obeyed 
 rteen conse- 
 
 5. 
 
 2vertheless, 
 ^ome, about 
 3 contrary, 
 ttle of eti- 
 iing a vast 
 i magnani- 
 u-^t at least 
 ntion was 
 d crickets 
 being the 
 't by the 
 e articles 
 -s, durins: 
 
 ye, as he 
 his ambi- 
 ying the 
 icoursiog 
 eed, and 
 beneath, 
 onie fat, 
 
 141 
 
 and h.s flabby hands, .supported by his thumbs in the 
 arm holes of liis waistcoat. His heavy blue cloak was al- 
 ways attached to his laruc nock, by massive clasps of brass, 
 on winch was developed in large letters " Excelsior '' 
 Whether this clasp was the gift of a grateful country, or 
 a purchase from his own privy purse, T am sorry T cannot 
 state, but I am certain at least, that it had some mytho- 
 logical bearing on the connection of the land with its 
 gallant defender. 
 
 For hours have I listened to his dull monotonous drawl 
 —spiced at intervals, during periods of excitement—with 
 huge south-westorn oaths, which, however, he bashfully 
 commanded me to suppress in the copy. I followed him 
 m his details, sometimes thrice over, and copied much of 
 his manuscript besides, but the subject to mo is still 
 wrapped in the deepest obscurity. T merely know that 
 Brigadier (Jeueral Breeze saved the country, and to use his 
 own literal words, "gave the diggers particular, and infer- 
 nal fitf." The situation at ten dollars per day, and a free 
 lunch, was a good one; and I was visibly affected and 
 grieved, that illness compelled me to resign, but I have 
 no doubt, he had not long to wait, to find a candidate for 
 my vacant chair. 
 
 How much these victories have cost the public, has 
 never yet been fully made known, but the aggregate must 
 be enormous; and the wily field officer, despite his thirst 
 for military renown, has been by no means forgetful of 
 indirect "spulzie;" but has feathered his military couch 
 so warmly, that he can calmly recline, in a green old a^e 
 and expound to his loving femily, how fields and feather^ 
 were won in the early good old days of Califorriiu 
 
 N 
 
142 
 
 RAMBLINCiS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 THE SPECULATOR. 
 
 V 
 
 ii il: 
 
 .1: 
 
 Seth Brown was a born speculator, he could not exist 
 without it. Though he professed to be a member of the 
 Baptist (niurcli, yot the church was but secondary to 
 him, for trade was his religion and his life. He was a 
 thin, wiry, little red haired man, extremely nervous and 
 bustling, with a sharp, kindly grey eye, and a person al- 
 ways punctiliously neat and clean. He had three little 
 sandy haired children, and a wife who was a regular tar- 
 tar; for although burthened continually, with a compli- 
 cated out of door business, the unfortunate Seth had to 
 perform three-fourths of the domestic duties, legitimately 
 attached to woman's sphere ; and when he failed to per- 
 form the smallest trifle of his allotted task, the pointed 
 method in which that injured gentlewoman would enlarge 
 upon her wrongs, must have made him believe himself 
 the most wicked and black-hearted monster in the uni- 
 verse. 
 
 In his usual routine, he was out of bed at daylight to 
 prepare the morning meal, (for $100 per month, for a 
 hired girl, was more than his circumstances could afford,) 
 and when this was accomplished, and the children washed 
 and dressed, he arou.^ed his better half, who came out look- 
 ing bilious and cross enough, but at the same time prepared 
 to do ample justice to the excellent cookery of her husband. 
 When he had arranged the crockery, and made all things 
 tidy, ho posted down town to his oflice, and his lady to 
 her gossiping acquaintances; and when he returned to 
 dinner it was sometimes cooked for him, but these were 
 exceptions, for he had orpnomllv fV>of /^»^^«„i.: j. ^_- 
 
 I 
 
RAMBLING8 IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 143 
 
 \ not exist 
 iber of the 
 condary to 
 
 He was a 
 srvous and 
 
 person al- 
 :bree little 
 Bgular tar- 
 
 a compli- 
 ith had to 
 Jgitiniately 
 ed to per- 
 le pointed 
 lid enlarge 
 fe himself 
 the uui- 
 
 aylight to 
 itli, for a 
 Id afford,) 
 3n washed 
 i out look- 
 3 prepared 
 ■ husband, 
 all things 
 s lady to 
 turned to 
 hese were 
 perform 
 
 himself, and also the conclusion of the household arrange- 
 ments for the day. 
 
 ^ Yet did not his heart become discouraged, nor his am- 
 bition flag, for although burthened with the whole care of 
 such a family, still as prop after prop gave way, of his 
 airy castles in the city, his inventive genius soon erected 
 another; and if he could not manage to lay up funds, he 
 still contrived to keep his head above water, and his wife 
 and little ones respectable and decent. He had commi.nd 
 of a small down-east schooner, in '49, and during that 
 year had conveyed his family hither, and left off the sea, 
 for the purpose of pursuing his favorite inclinations in 
 the city of San Francisco. His acquirements in litera- 
 ture were but meagre, and yet his first attempt was the 
 management of a newspaper; how he got through with it 
 Heaven knows, for he never read a book, and his language 
 was the concentrated essence of provincial Yankee ; but 
 most likely he received assistance from some of the shoals 
 of unemployed lawyers who then infested the city. But 
 people would not read his paper, und so he published 
 a book for them— a Directory for the city— which contained 
 a large amount of useful Statistical information, correctly 
 and neatly drawn up. This was well patronized, and he 
 made well by it at ^5 per copy, exclusive of advertisements. 
 But when his edition was disposed of, he was again at 
 leisure, and started an advertising agency, that is, he kept 
 up a correspondence with all the principal journals, and 
 procured the insertion of advertisements by canvassing, 
 charging a per centage upon each. This at length bccan^e 
 his fixed occupation, for he adhered to it for several 
 years, and kept it always as a stand-by when other re- 
 sources failed. 
 
14 ( 
 
 HAMULI. VMS IN fALIFOIlNIA. 
 
 1 
 
 if: 
 
 i 'i 
 
 
 His next operation was to take a contract from the cor- 
 poration, to niunber each door within the city liniitH, at 
 which ho made UO per day until tlie work was completed; 
 but he was obliged to collect it himself from the tax-payors, 
 and when he went round for that purpose, the tax-payers 
 refused to comply, alleging that the edict was unconstitu- 
 tional, and against their consent; for they all knew their 
 own houses well enough, and some were no way solicitous 
 for the public to know their whereabouts. Brown, justly 
 indignant at such treatment, attempted to reason on the 
 matter with them, saying that it was a great injustice for 
 them to receive the benefit of his labor, without any remu- 
 neration for him; but they ingeniously combatted this 
 argument by granting him the privilege of rubbing the 
 numbers out again, if he pleased ; such reasoning as that, 
 was of course conclusive, so he calmly put the speculation 
 down to profit and loss, and forthwith entered the ham- 
 washing business. Previous to the year '54, California 
 imported all her salted provisions, and the amount of bacon 
 and hams, annually landed in San Francisco was very large. 
 In the long voyage round Cape Horn— some six months— 
 many of the hams lost much of their pristine freshness of 
 appearance, wliich much deteriorated from their value in 
 the )aarkct, when placed in competition with handsome 
 ones, even if equally sound, f.,r good looks are objects of 
 importance even to hams as well as to young ladies. The 
 observant Seth soon perceived what was required ; so he 
 collected his cash and built him a tall smoke-house, and 
 took contracts from the merchants to repair the damaged 
 articles at three cents per pound. He first stripped off and 
 threw away the greasy cover ; he then scraped them with 
 a knife, and Kcrubbed them thoroughly with soda and hot 
 
 
 i 
 
Ill the cor- 
 liniitH, at 
 ompleted ; 
 ax-payors, 
 tax-payers 
 inconstitu- 
 new their 
 solicitous 
 5vn, justly 
 on on the 
 ustice for 
 any reinu- 
 atted this 
 bbing the 
 g as that, 
 peculation 
 the ham- 
 California 
 t of bacon 
 ery large, 
 nonths — 
 shness of 
 value in 
 landsome 
 bjects of 
 es. The 
 d ', so he 
 use, and 
 damaged 
 \ off" and 
 lem with 
 I and hot 
 
 RAMBLINGS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 i4r> 
 
 ■ i 
 
 water ; they were then smoked, inserted in new bags, and 
 packed in barrels with fresh salt, the barrel was then 
 headed up and sent oif to the storehouse, where they 
 became A No. 1, and brought 50 cents per pound. "Ah," 
 said he, in recording the transaction, " that ham-washing 
 was a sweet business, and 1 cleared to^ a day at it, for 
 four months in a streak ; but there was too many neighbors 
 from my own 8tate for any good, and for all I had a board 
 wall all round the yard, and a locked door with "No Admit- 
 tance" on it besides, the 'tarnal critters found me out; for 
 in two weeks after they suw what I was at, the business 
 wasn't worth a rotten gasperaux, and vulgar at that ; for 
 there was no less than thirteen smoke-houses all in a 
 bunch, and I cleared out, for you could'nt see the sun 
 once a week for smoke." 
 
 His next vocations were to invent a machine for catchino- 
 craw-fish, and to plant a bed of oysters, both of which 
 failed, and then he tried the tin business in roofing 
 houses; raising chickens; making tomato catsup, and 
 other callings too numerous for detail, with various de<^rees 
 of success; and when I last saw him he was busily at 
 work on an iron riffle for sluices, which he intended to get 
 patented, though he never had visited the minos in his 
 life. 
 
 Although so much addicted to trading and quaint 
 speculations, which rarely succeeded, poor Brown had a 
 hand "open as day to melting charity," and that, too 
 often, most indiscreetly expended; so much so, that I was 
 at last obliged to take him severely to task for his im- 
 provident conduct, urging that, although it was a very 
 commendable virtue in its place, it was scarcely just, or 
 even generou —in his then precarious circumstances— to 
 himself or hi:, family. ^v 2 
 
146 
 
 RAMBLINOS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 ^^ell, said he, you've maybe hit it, for all my own 
 townsmen here, hint that way, though their 'pinions don't 
 hurt mc bad, for I guess I know ^/..v. pretty well. They're 
 Quampiackers I" J "= 
 
 '' Quampiackers ! What is that y" 
 -as it possible you never heard of Quampiac ^ Well 
 p raps you ha'nt, and if not, you needn't want to, for it 
 has, and no mistake, a lectle the meanest location, and 
 has some on the closest fisted folks, on this side the herrin' 
 pond. It's away down East so far, they can never make 
 a raise, and they will freeze to a copper cent till their 
 joints are stiff. Indeed, it's a slim chance to get alon^, 
 anyway, and mayhap it's the natur' of the poor fellers' 
 J3ut, strange enough, father was as free and open handed 
 a chap-m his riper years-as you could scare up in a 
 prospec-ting tower from Maine to the Colorado; and signs 
 ou It, the Brown family were allers poor as No. 8 mackerel 
 And the strangest of it was, he got turned to that way of 
 thinking m one night. You see. Dad, till he succeeded 
 at last, was the most inveterate office-«eeker known in them 
 parts. He cared nothin' about politics-it was the office 
 he wanted; and he always contrived to get a nomination 
 on some ticket or 'nother. Sometimes on the hard-shell 
 sometimes on the soft, or the locofoco, or the independent; 
 and often on no ticket but his own. At it he went, tooth 
 and nail, year after year, till his head grew fro.ty in the 
 unsuccessful battle. I Idnd of wonder, too, someLes, at 
 his bad luck, for a smart man was Dad, and his views were 
 not onreasonably aspirin' nuther, for he gen'rally run for 
 constable, or hogreeve, or something of that natur', that 
 he was competent enough to fill. 
 
 _-., -n... .,...^, , uxcary-eyed, fiypocritical old deacon 
 
RAMBLINGS I\ CALIFORNIA. 
 
 147 
 
 II my own 
 lions don't 
 I. They're 
 
 3? Well, 
 to, for it 
 iition, and 
 le herrin* 
 ver make 
 till their 
 ?et along 
 )r fellers ! 
 1 handed 
 up in a 
 lud signs 
 aackerel. 
 It way of 
 -icceeded 
 I in them 
 he office 
 ni nation 
 rd-shelL 
 )endent, 
 It, tooth 
 f in the 
 imes, at 
 WK were 
 run for 
 ir', that 
 
 deacon 
 
 there, by the name of Zeb Skinkcr, that allers held the 
 office of cordwood inspector, for he suited the citizens to a 
 hair, on account of his skinflint dealins. feo this precious 
 «on of the church keeled over dead one day, and by some 
 mistake or onforseen accident, the revered author of my 
 bein' got 'pinted in his stead; and if ever there was a 
 middle-aged gentleman sprouted two inches higher, straight 
 off the reel, that man was Dad ! There was quite a con- 
 siderable jollification to hum that night, and next mornin' 
 the old man was up, bright and airly, to attend to his 
 dooties, While he was a drawin' on his boots, a neighbor 
 came in to borrow fire—for they don't even buy matches 
 there— and the neighbor asked him how does he do? ob- 
 serving at the same time, that he looked a kind of scaly 
 about the gills. And says Dad, '^ I estimate you'd do the 
 same if you'd had such an allfired dream as I had last 
 night :•' '^ Du tell !" says the neighbor. Says Dad—'' Yes, 
 I do, and what's more, I'll never disremember it, nor the 
 moril it has learnt me, nuther !" It appears that the clam- 
 bake the night before was orful nice, and the old gentle- 
 man, as was by no means oucommon, had rather a'leetle 
 overfed himself, and in consequence, feelin' drowsy, turned 
 into bed putty quick arter supper, and the first thing he 
 knew he made the disagreeable discov'ry that he was in 
 the infarnal regions of Beelzebub I 
 
 " There was a promiscus monotony of areat roaring 
 brimstone fires, and all sorts and any quantity'of in-eniou^ 
 fixins for tortur'. There was lots of folks from our way, 
 and some of 'em communicants at that, all a workin' and 
 industrious as their boss in a gale of wind, and among the 
 rest, who should be there, appcricntiy quite at hum, but 
 the seed,/ vong cordwood inspector, Zeb SHnkcr, follerin' 
 
 4 
 
148 
 
 RAMBLINGS I\ CALIFORNIA. 
 
 I 
 
 jest the 'dentieal same calling as on airth, only it was 
 brijnstone 'stead of rock maple. 
 
 "So, wliile Dad was obsevvin' minootly the varieties in 
 this onpleasant landscape, a feller comes in a drivin' a 
 whalin' big bull team, and Skinker he goes at it, as usual, 
 with his nieasunn' rod, and says to the feller he won't 
 p.-^ss it on account of its bein' two inches short. And the 
 other fcllei-, who appeared to be from Pike, commenced a 
 cussin, quite leisurely, but rather boisterous, and Skinner 
 follerin' suit, cussed too, and they swore away at each 
 other duri'.i' several hours in a most onchristian manner, 
 until they were interrupted in their pastime by the old sin- 
 ner of all sinners himself, who was rigged out in a Shanghai 
 coat and a great pair of sideboards, with a pen stuck 
 behind his ear; and, great king! his tail loomed out 
 astarn like the Cape Cod sea sarpent. His face was on- 
 visible to Pad fi ui his position, but he could hear him 
 plain enough, when he axed, quite mild like, what they 
 meant by disturbin' him when he was a settlin' his 'counts 'i 
 And Skinker ups and explains about the short measure, 
 and says the teamster — ' Look here boss I I've been a 
 haulin' brimstone to you nigh on a thousand year, and 
 was allers allowed for a hull cord, more or less, and now 
 the fust day this chap's in office he commences chaffin' and 
 iindin' fault I' Well, with that, Satan turns slap round, 
 and .u'cs the inspector full in the face, so mad that his 
 tail bristled out jest like a cat's when she's got her Ebe- 
 nezer up, and he roars out, in a voice like a thousand 
 airthquakes — ' Skinker I pay the man for a cord ! Xone 
 of your Quampiac tricks in this place!' 
 
 "The noise 'woke fatlier up, but he believed in that 
 dream, and his last word to mo, on the joyful occasion 
 
RAMHLINOS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 149 
 
 nly it was 
 
 arieties in 
 drivin' a 
 ;, as usual, 
 ■ he won't 
 And the 
 imcneed a 
 d Skinner 
 y at each 
 1 manner, 
 he old sin- 
 Shan ffhai 
 )en stuck 
 omed out 
 e was on- 
 hcar him 
 what they 
 s 'counts ? 
 measure, 
 c been a 
 year, and 
 , and now 
 affin' and 
 ap round, 
 I that his 
 her Ebe- 
 thousand 
 •d! None 
 
 I in that 
 occasion 
 
 of my leaving them parts forever, was — ' Seth, don't be 
 
 mean 
 
 t' " 
 
 A TRIP TO THE SOUTHERN MINES. 
 
 Some years ago T collected all the funds at my disposal, 
 with the intention of making an investment in fruit, and 
 hearing from those persons most experienced in the trade, 
 that the city of Los Angeles, in the southern country, 
 was the most desirable mart for purchasers ; I forthwith 
 determined to patronize the city of the Angels. But as 
 I had often heard it repeated, that " It is a poor rule that 
 won't work both ways," I concluded to make a little ven- 
 ture downwards also. After pondering the matter over, 
 carefully, for some time, my disturbed mind gradually 
 concentrated itself upon fish, and, by my friend Seth 
 Brown's advice, I bought from him, a good many barrels 
 of smoked salmon ; and shrewdly guessing that the ab- 
 sorption of so much salt in the system, would cause a 
 longing for effervescent drinks, I procured an antidote in 
 the shape of many bottles of champagne cider, manu- 
 factured on a now system, without apples, by a famous 
 chemist of Sun Franeisco. 
 
 Every thing being pi-epared, 1 and jny precious cargo 
 were shortly on board of the coasting steamer, that, ac- 
 c ording to advertisement, made a weekly trip to the port 
 of my destination. During the rushing, crowding and 
 general excitement, always incidental on the departure of 
 the steamer, I observed two sporting chips of the law, 
 whom 1 had known slightly, a year previous, in the 
 Northern mines ; but fortune not being so propitious as 
 they desired, were southward bound, as I was afterwards 
 

 150 
 
 KAMBUNOS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 
 il i 
 
 ill 
 
 t {' 
 
 given to iiiulcrstniid, with the intention of inflicting a 
 new.^paper on the benighted native ('alifornians. Both 
 were in an exceedingly lively humor, and had, to all ap- 
 pearances, been dining out, for they were amusing tliem- 
 selves at the expense of their fellow creatures, wherever 
 chance favored their designs. When hausers were being 
 cast loose, the fuss became ten times more fast and furious, 
 oranges were flying thick as hail, and good-byes were 
 shouted in every imaginable civilized language. '' Adieu, 
 >lon(Vn';" " Cxood-bye, Jake ;" ''Frank, my boy, take 
 care of yourself," were all mingled in discord with the 
 wicked curses of the captain, and the roaring of the im- 
 prisoned monster in the hold. One of the observant edi- 
 tors elect, at this time, sneered at his companion, and 
 threw out some caustic insinuation, touching the other's 
 apparently friendless condition; and the accused in- 
 dignantly placed himself in the most prominent position, 
 for the purpose of proving to his opponent, his large pos- 
 session of tlutt much coveted article, and bawled at the 
 top of his lungs—'' Good luck to you, II. Smith, my dear 
 fellow," but an attenuated shabby man, with a cotton 
 umbrella for a parasol, was the sole response to this chris- 
 tian wisli, and the discomfited friendless Juan, retired 
 from the charge in disgrace. The other now mounted in 
 ]iis stead, and taking his hat gracefully in his hand, ex- 
 claimed-" Allons (ieneral-Iiye-bye, Judge," when in- 
 stantly, at least a dozen shining stovepipes were raised 
 aloft, dazzling the speaker with the reflection from their 
 polished surface. IIu then retired in calm dignity from 
 the scene, and rejoined his humiliated companion, who 
 adjourned with him to the bar, and stood the juleps in 
 token of defeat. 
 

 RAMBLINflS IN CALIFORNJA. 
 
 151 
 
 iflicting a 
 Qs. Both 
 to all ap- 
 ing them- 
 
 wherever 
 rere being 
 d furious, 
 >jes were 
 
 " Adieu, 
 boy, take 
 
 with the 
 f the im- 
 rvant edi- 
 lion, and 
 e other's 
 ;used in- 
 
 position, 
 arge pos- 
 d at the 
 
 my dear 
 a cotton 
 lis cliris- 
 , retired 
 unted in 
 aiid, cx- 
 vlicn in- 
 e raised 
 iUi their 
 ty from 
 i>n, who 
 uleps in 
 
 My cider was all stowed on the forward deck, on account 
 of its airy situation, for I was fearful that the closeness of 
 the hold, might have an injurious eft'ect on its exploding 
 powers. Hut, alas 1 I never committed a more fatal error, 
 for next moriiing we were clear from the fresli breezes of 
 the bay, and the sun cast his rays tiercely down on the 
 windless waves of the Pacihc. Towards noun the first 
 gun was fired from tlie central hamper, and from that time 
 until the sun fell behind the waves of the Pacific, pop, 
 pop, went the bottles, every half minute, as loud as re- 
 volvers. If over there was a literal ap])licatioii of the 
 term "paying the shot," it certainly was then, and I was 
 the victim, for every report cost a dollar, and I was forced 
 to endure the lieartless jests of the passengers, on the 
 unknown proprietor, with that "infernal fire" still ring- 
 ing in my ears. 
 
 Well, the champagne was a dead loss ; and perliaps 
 the constitutions of the Los Angelites, might be grateful 
 for the misliap ; but the fish were a failure also, for in hot 
 weather, people do not hanker much after smoked Salmon, 
 salt as brine; and so I was obliged to force them on the 
 market at a very depreciated value. With the wreck of 
 my fortune, I purchased an assortment of fruit, consistinu- 
 of pears, figs, peaches, and apricots, convoyed them to the 
 coast in barrels, and had them just ready for shipv:ent on 
 the day of the steamer's expected arrival— a very impor- 
 tant point, for despatch is peremptorily re(iuired to make 
 the fruit trade profitable at all. But— begging Miss 
 Edgeworth's pardon— there is such a thing as bad luck; 
 for what human forethought could tell, that precisely on 
 that eventful occasion, when my whole life's earnings 
 were at stake, the refractory steamer would break down, 
 
 I 
 
152 
 
 RAMBLIN(JS IN CALIFOHNl A. 
 
 m- 
 
 m s 
 
 I 
 
 II 
 
 ;n^ 
 
 and (lolny me for another ten days ? Let us (Iraw a veil 
 over the mehmolioly conclusion, for the ren.cn.hrancc har- 
 rows n,y feelino-s, ovon to this h.te day. Suffice it to say, 
 that my whole car-o was vui.uMl, and I f,mnd myself onco 
 more on the streets of San Francisco, almost i,/that posi- 
 tion so fashionable in California, and aptly denominated 
 '* strapped." 
 
 So much did n,y loss prey upon my spirits, that I 
 prescribed chan.n;o of scene for Tnyself, and bavin.- a 
 friend resident in tlio valh^y of Santa (>u/, from whon, 
 I had been Ion- divided; J came to the conclusion to 
 pay bun a visit, and try the experiment of rustication 
 for a few weeks, to soothe my shattered nerve.s I 
 therefore proceeded to the place, paid my visit, i^ot tired 
 of my own idleness, and the Iloosiers besides, and attain 
 my ambition was stimulated with the desire of ^' niakin- 
 a raise." So, without having any very definite idea, with 
 regard to my future proceedings; I shouldered my pack 
 and journeyed eastward. A long spur of the coast ran-e' 
 nine miles in width, divides this valley from the neighbor- 
 ing one of Santa Clara, and towards evening I had "made 
 the transit, and was entering on the broad plains of that 
 fertile valley. 
 
 Santa (^lara is at present one of the most productive 
 counties in the State, but much of it was, at the tinu) I 
 8p<'Hk of. an alnuwt unbroken wilderness, more especMally, 
 in the central portion where 1 now was. Trudging along 
 in the bright moonlight, my eye was already scanning the 
 plain, in search of the softest couch, when the loud clear 
 notes of a bugle almost close at hand, startled mo ex- 
 ceedingly. When my first intense surprise had partially 
 subsided, at hearing such unwonted sounds in that vast 
 
aw a veil 
 a nee Iiur- 
 
 it to say, 
 ■^olf on CO 
 tluit ])osi- 
 ouiiiiated 
 
 S that I 
 laviui:; ;i 
 11 whom 
 usion to 
 Htication 
 ves. I 
 cot tired 
 lid again 
 ' making 
 ea, with 
 ly pack, 
 t rangOy 
 jighbor- 
 d made 
 of til at 
 
 'liuctive 
 time I 
 oeially, 
 g ah)ng 
 ing the 
 d clear 
 me ex- 
 artialljr 
 at vast 
 
 HAMUr,IN<;s IN (ALiroRNiA. 
 
 1 5:^ 
 
 Holituch', I turiKMl oft" Hharpjo the riglit, with tlie inten- 
 tion of alhiying my curiosity uix.n the suhjeet. A small 
 mound (•outaining a level surface of lu.arly j,n acre, and 
 apparently of volcanic; origin, lay between me and the 
 Hounds, and on gaining the summit, my surprise was yet 
 intensified .-.t the strange sights exjxised to view. The 
 place was one of the little oak groves, so peculiar to the 
 region, made bright as day by numbers of torches, and 
 eongregate,! in .me mass, within the space, there could not 
 be less than live or six hundred persons, who instantane- 
 ously dispelled all snpernatural illnsions I may have 
 formed, by all uniting in cd.orus, to the good (,ld hymn 
 entitled " I am going to the land of {'anaan." This con- 
 vinced me at once, of my pr(.pin.,uity to a camp meeting, 
 most probably held in this lonely spot, both fron. its ro- 
 mantic beauty, and its central position with regard to the 
 three large settlements of .San dose, San duan, and Pajaro. 
 Nothing c.udd be more perfect and tasteful, than' the 
 arrangements for comfort and convenience, under the cir- 
 cumstances. Seats an.l slu-ds were formed of slats, brou-dit 
 fro.n the neighboring redwoods,-vNhile the central place'^of 
 worsh.p was sh.Mlcd by an in.m,M,se sail, which had been 
 procured tor the pur,)ose, by s..me industrious Christian 
 iron, the wreck of a clipper ship, on the neighboring, 
 coast. The sle<.pi„g apartments surrounded this, and in 
 the rear, the long tables of redwood, together with the 
 smoking stoves, and savory stean.of beef, pc.rk, venison, 
 and game, plainly inforn.ed the nose, of the extensive 
 refectory. At the conclusion of the benediction, all re- 
 tired to the well overed tables, where the hospitality was 
 unbounded ; visitors were invited to partake of the good 
 cheer, not only for the present, but to remain and recc-ivo 
 
 
 
.:;.«iiE;.i^il;Ci:4:j 
 
 I 't! 
 
 154 
 
 HAMBL1N(5S IN CAUFOHNIA. 
 
 1 |U. 
 
 
 a continuation of the same favors for the whole week 
 during; which the meeting was expected to continue. 
 
 As my readers — from the confession of my circumstances 
 — are no doubt aware, that I had no peculiarly pressing 
 enf'ao-ement iust at that time, I was induced to remain for 
 a few days ; and although [ have witnessed many meetings 
 of this description, and in various places, I can positively 
 aver, that for order and decorum I have never seen this 
 exceeded. The affair was carried out at the sole expense 
 of about a dozen individuals, and if obtaining converts 
 was their object, they were most certainly amply remu- 
 nerated for their trouble and expense, for more than a 
 hundred persons, were induced to enroll themselves on the 
 books of the church. 
 
 The society was the Methodist Chur.-h South, completely 
 divided from, and in direct hostility to the Church North, 
 on that one grand subject of surpassing interest, over all 
 others — the slavery question — a subject that bids fair, not 
 only to separate the people on religious grounds, but 
 eventually, to break up, politically, the whole confedera- 
 tion of the States. The Northern church has an express 
 article in its discipline against slavery, while the other, 
 not only expun^-cs the offensive article, but allows slavery 
 both to preacher and jxM.ple, and even openly recommends 
 it from the pulpit. 
 
 That the people of this 8tute, however, which is nomi- 
 nally free, should so strenuously harp upon the patriarrhal 
 institution— as they call it— may appear strange ; but one 
 reason is, the continuation of their old habits, and the 
 other, the hope of forming a new State, of sound Southern 
 principles. Indeed, the preacher, although to appearances, 
 a conscientious and sincere man, could not even iu his 
 
 
RAMBLIN08 IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 155 
 
 olc week 
 
 lUC. 
 
 Linstances 
 ■ pressing 
 emain for 
 meetings 
 positively 
 
 seen this 
 e expense 
 
 converts 
 )ly remu- 
 e than a 
 ^'es on the 
 
 onipletely 
 ch North, 
 , over all 
 » fair, not 
 inds, but 
 ^onfedera- 
 n express 
 ho other, 
 ivs slaver}- 
 ;ommeu(Jy 
 
 I is nonii- 
 itriarrhal 
 ; but one 
 and the 
 Southern 
 pearances, 
 ^en iu his 
 
 homilieH, control himself from expressing his opinion on 
 the all-absorbing topic. He was one afternoon calling on 
 the people loudly, to repentance, with the energy and 
 fervor of a Jonah, and to illustrate the horror of death in 
 sin, more especially, he described the last moments of a 
 victim to the fury of a mob, in one of the wild South- 
 western States. 
 
 "My dear hearers," he exclaimed, "my right arm 
 would have been freely given, to rescue that wretched 
 victim to the power of the evil one, froni the fearful judg- 
 ment of an abused and insulted people. He was not tit 
 to grapple with death, or to face his God, and with the 
 sin that bears an express curse upon the perpetrator, by 
 the Deity Himself, he dies, accepting not of any ministry, 
 hard and impenitent to the fearful crime, yet with the 
 consoling words of the blessed Savicmr upon his polluted 
 lips. Ah: n)y friends, there is a devilish fortitude, 
 as well as there is a Godly fortitude, and the evil one 
 sometimes deserts not his ablest supporters, even to the 
 last; for that worse than murderer— that violator of the 
 express command (.f (lod, and our ever-to-be remembered 
 constitution, that man-stealer, in short— that deadliest 
 foe to the dear rights of a free people— that veriest enemy 
 to heathen conversion, died with a front of brass, and an 
 eye that quaikid not before the insulted majesty of his 
 fellow-creatures— he died as he had lived, cursed by God 
 and man — u deluded, hardened abolitionist !" 
 ^ These prophetic remarks were received with much unc- 
 tion and many groans by the sympathizing congregation, 
 and I was mentally conning over its matter, together— I 
 confess— with some quite irrelevant thoughts, 'rerr^rding 
 my own position and future movements, when a heavy 
 
lo(i 
 
 RAMBI.INUS I\ (^ALIFOUSIA. 
 
 !i' 
 
 slap upon the sliouldcr, brou^lit nic to my feet, and face 
 to face with mine ancient chum, the prince of all good 
 fcllowx, and companion in many a previous .scene — the 
 stalwart Mac. 
 
 Times had flourished with my frie*id, durin«; the early 
 part of the year of our separation, lie had become the 
 proprietor of a store, and did a Nourishing trade, until 
 collection day came round, when there being no a.ssets in 
 the hands of his customers, and his stock thoroughly ex- 
 hausted, he had made up his mind to try his fate once 
 more in the mines, with his head clerk and junior partner. 
 And as our circumstances bore a striking similarity to each 
 other, to ,say nothing of former friendship, I was easily in- 
 duced to form one of the party, which was to commence 
 its journey — by the land route — on the succeeding day. 
 And now, I trust, 1 have made it sufficiently clear to my 
 readers, the various causes which induced me to take this 
 trip. So I shall proceed and relate, as they occ-urred, the 
 most exciting sights and adventures, on this — to me at 
 least — interesting "trip to the southern mines." 
 
 The same evening I was introduced in due form to 
 the third individual of our triumvirate. 
 
 My first impressions — and they continued for some 
 tiiiie — ^vere uf a confused assemblage, and undue propor- 
 tion of legs and arms, with no body or face, worth speak- 
 in..; of. lie hailed from the land of Boone, and the long 
 rifle which he affectionately claspcvl, at once attested the 
 votary of Nimrod. A brief consultation was now held 
 upon the spot, as touching our several resources, and the 
 various reciuisites for the long tramp— a distance of 200 
 miles. We found ourselves amply able to provide the 
 simple necessaries, with a balance in the exchequer 
 
 I 
 
RA.VnLINGS IN PALIfOUMA. 
 
 157 
 
 and face 
 all good 
 )ne — the 
 
 the early 
 come the 
 tie, until 
 assets in 
 ighly ex- 
 fate once 
 • partner, 
 ty to each 
 easily in- 
 ommence 
 (ling (lay. 
 ear to my 
 take this 
 irred, the 
 -to me at 
 
 I form to 
 
 fov some 
 le propor- 
 th speak- 
 I the long 
 tested the 
 now hold 
 , and the 
 ice of 200 
 •ovide the 
 ixchequer 
 
 together with a good supply of camp cooking utensils, 
 blankets, and an aged California horse, that would pro- 
 bably go his tAvcnty-five miles a day, carrying our traps 
 and provisions. IJoone (contributed nothing to the general 
 fund, barring his elaborate limbs and his riile, conteudinf^ 
 however, on the right to all the privileges of a full part- 
 nership, from the vast utility he was to be of, in providing 
 the larder, through the great game country we had to 
 cross. 
 
 AVith regard to the victualling department, a sack of 
 wheat flour was passed ncm. con. I then modestly pro- 
 posed bacon, as an agreeable accompaniment to farinaceous 
 food, but was indignantly frowned down by the hunter ; 
 who proposed that the words powder and shot be inserted 
 in lieu of the swine flesh, which was passed, I being in 
 the negative. Our negociations were then brought to a 
 close; and the next morning shone brightly and cheerfully 
 upon us, as wc took a bird's flight course across the plain, 
 for the Pacheco pass, in the main coast range. The blue 
 hills, shrouded in a thin vapor, stretclicd along our front, 
 and the pindc of Pacheco soaring far above the rest, at u 
 distance of twelve or fourteen miles, formed an excellent 
 landmark to lind the entrance to the pass. 
 
 A more beautiful reality of a farming country, docs not 
 exist, than the valley we crossed to attain the pass. 
 Level as a board, and with a rich loamy soil, on which 
 not a drop of rain had pattered for six months at least : it 
 was still covered with rich clover, other grasses, and wild 
 oats in profusion, and although dry as powder, was siill 
 Hweet and nutritive in the highest degree, as the laro-e 
 herds of Spanish cattle we passed, fully attested by their 
 shining coats. Thou.sands of geese, sandblll cranes, 
 
 02 
 
 .1 
 
r 
 
 lo« 
 
 RAMBLINOH IN CALIFOllNIA. 
 
 ill ■! 
 
 I'm'-' 
 Ill-It 
 
 plover, and curlew darkened the air at intervals, and the 
 sharp report of the rifle far a-head, told that our pioneer 
 was busily stocking the game bag, preparatory to our 
 meridian bivouac. 
 
 Noon found us all at the entrance of the pass ; our horse 
 was released from his burden, and we set to work, with i\\\ 
 the skill, bought by hmg expeiience, to prepare the noon- 
 tide meal. A turnover was soon crisping in the frying 
 pan, and I made a desperate onslaught at once upon the 
 game bag, beside which the long slight figure of the 
 owner was listlessly extended. I .shook out the contents 
 with all the energy of appetite, and out dropped the most 
 attenuated specimen of a woodpecker, I ever beheld I 
 Comment was unneccs.sary, for although the wretch had 
 the impertinence, to correct me in the name I gave the 
 thing, by blandly terming it a " Peckerwood," if he had 
 called it a goose it would not have made it one, so we had 
 to dispense with animal food, and poor Boone received 
 nothing but vinegar looks, as seasonin^^ to his dry cake. 
 
 Having despatched our frugal meal, we were soon once 
 more upon the road, audslowly pursued our course through 
 this wild and sublime region. The range at this point 
 averages about twenty-five miles in latitude, and com- 
 pletely severs this valley from the neighboring one of the 
 San Joaquin. The pass is a singular freak of nature. For 
 the first five or six miles, the ascent is impciceptible, and 
 it varies in breadth, from a hundred feet to a quarter of a 
 mile, the soil rich and the vegetation luxuriant ; in fiict, 
 in all respects, a perfect spur of the valley — if we may 
 use the expression — flanked by hills of great height, and 
 most forbiddiuo- exterior. The very genius of want, seems 
 to rei^-n supreme upon their surface ; some consisting of 
 
and the 
 
 pioneer 
 
 to our 
 
 iir horse 
 with Jill 
 je noon- 
 B frying 
 ipon the 
 3 of the 
 contents 
 ;he most 
 
 beheld '. 
 itch had 
 ;ave the 
 ' he had 
 ) we had 
 received 
 
 cnko. 
 oon once 
 
 through 
 his point 
 nd com- 
 ic of the 
 uro. For 
 iblc, and 
 rter of a 
 in fact, 
 
 we may 
 gilt, and 
 tit, seems 
 listing of 
 
 KAMJir.lNUS IN CAMFOHNIA. 
 
 1;-)!) 
 
 mere revolving sand, and some of naked Mand.stone, that 
 form frightful precipices, hundreds of feet in depth, and 
 some straggling dwarf oaks, that cling tenaciously in the 
 moist nooks, are in many places the only appearance of 
 vegetation. 
 
 From the beginning of the first rise, the road be- 
 comes irksome, and tiresome in the extreme, though 
 the hills are depressed, in comparison with those that flank 
 it; so much so, that even an empty waggon, has with 
 great care and constant attention been conveyed through, 
 but it is an operation requiring great skill and considerable 
 risk. On we toiled, until the shades of evening began to 
 throw a gloom over surrounding objects, when we bef'an 
 to look around for a spring of water, for ourselves jis well 
 as the horse, and by which we intended to encamp for the 
 night. At last we arrived at a point where two trails 
 united — both equally distinct — and we settled it that I 
 should take one which slightly diverged to the left, and 
 lead the tired beast, who now moved at a snail's pace — my 
 companions to take the other, for we judged by the ap- 
 parently small angle at which the paths closed, th;it they 
 would again meet at a short distance ahead. 
 
 I acknowledge that as 1 partf:d from my associates, my 
 feelings were none of the most pleasurable nature ; and 
 retrospect, calling up scenes of distant home and pleasino- 
 rccollecti(msof the past, in no respect gave me consolation, 
 in the unpleasant predicament I now found myself. I was 
 alone and almost unarmed ia the heart of a dreary wilder- 
 ness, said to be full of grizzly bears, tired, hungry, and 
 parched with thirst. This was sufficient to induce de- 
 spondency, but had I had a foresight of the niirht of 
 terror I was doomed to endure, my unpleasant feelings 
 would have been niuch more acute. 
 
^ 
 
 \ 
 
 
 hi 
 
 'ill 
 •I 
 
 
 ■ 
 
 IGO 
 
 RAMRLINGS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 I judged I had accomplished Homewliat more than a 
 mile on my solitary courBe^ when darkness completely 
 enveloped me. According to our compact I halloed until 
 1 was completely huarse, without receiving any answering 
 signal, and the path had for the last half mile, become so 
 very indistinct, 1 became much of the opinion that it only 
 existed in imagination. To increase my difficulties, I 
 soon knew that I was skirting the side of a remarkably 
 abrupt hill, so very great indeed, w;»s the inclination, that 
 the weary beast, though an old packer, could only be per- 
 suaded to proceed, by constant tugging at the halter, and 
 often I was brought to my knees, to prevent myself from 
 rolling down the hill, which from its resemblance to those 
 I had passed in the afternoon, 1 rightly guessed terminated 
 in a precipice. 1 was Jievertheless peremptorily obliged 
 to proceed forward, for the slope effectually prevented the 
 possibility of turning the horse, with the object of re- 
 treating. 
 
 After a wearisoiue half-hour, spent in this way, I struck 
 into a small blind ravine, where the winter rains had 
 scooped out a little basin, in the sandstone ledge, about 
 ten feet s(iuarc, the rock to the right and front rising up 
 in a perfect dead wall, while away to the left the prospect 
 was completely lost in a yawning gulf of darkness. As 
 no alternative remained, I formed the prui nt resolve of 
 remain':.; all night on that .solitary spot, and forthwith 
 proceeded to unpack the tired animal. A scrubby little 
 oak contrived to eke out an existence on each side of the 
 channel, to one of which 1 fastened the liorse, and with 
 the dry sticks that lay plentifully strewed in the ravine, I 
 soon had a roaring lire, for the night was chilly and dark 
 as pitch, i spread my blanket before the cheerful blnzc — 
 
UA.MHLINCiS IN rALI]-Y)RM A. 
 
 161 
 
 for I Wiis too thirsty to cure for food — and as tlic graceful 
 wreathes of smoke, softly arose from my fragrant pipe, the 
 soothing influence of the weed was gradually imparted to 
 my mental vision, and I soon began to moralize and consi- 
 der of the number of earth's inhabitants, who at that mo- 
 ment would gladly barter their fates for mine. 
 
 I was slightly aroused from my reverie, by perceiving a 
 little animal crawl forth from the decayed end of the back 
 log, and run directly under the blankets upon which I was 
 seated. I sprang up at once, and despatched it, and exa- 
 mination proved it to be a very vicious species of scorpion, 
 the sting of which fre(|uently proves fatal. Tn hunting for 
 the scorpion, 1 also caught a tarantula, a gigantic species 
 of poisonous spider, about the size and form of a common 
 door knob. Here was a delightful locality for a bedroom 
 — in the midst of a den of scorpions, and without the pos- 
 sibility of changing it for a better before daylight, which 
 was nine hours ofl", at least 1 
 
 So nervous did this circumstance make me — for 1 had 
 always an instinctive horror of vermin — that 1 kept my 
 feet for two or three hours, at least, walking three paces 
 forward and three back, such being the utmost stretch of 
 my prison. Tired nature by this time, could endure it no 
 longer, and after throwing a large quantity of fre-^h wood 
 upon the fire, lay down to rest, but with the firm resolve 
 not to sleep ; and so much were my hearing powers 
 stretched, for the smallest rustle in the dry leaves, the 
 feeling became absolutely painful. At last, in spite of my 
 resolve, 1 fell asleep. How long 1 slumbered, it is difficult 
 to say, but at length I awoke, with a cold chill and horri- 
 ble shuddering sensations. I opened my eyes, but without 
 the smallest movement of mv nerson. nnd the first obj( 
 
 y person, a 
 
 lect 
 

 162 
 
 RAMBLINGS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 my glance fell upon— within about nine inches of mj 
 face— were the glittering eyes, flattened jaws, and arched 
 neck of the largest rattlesnake I ever beheld. The fire 
 blazed up clearly and brightly at the time, enabling me to 
 see, with the greatest distinctness, eveiy shining scale and 
 each particular fold of the motionless venomous monster. 
 3Iy eyes gazed into his, with a species of stupid fascina- 
 tion, and although I realized my imminent peril to its 
 utmost extent, instinctive fear prevented me from moving 
 a single muscle. 
 
 I was fully aware, that should the reptile strike me, in 
 tlie position I then was, my case was utterly without hope, 
 and a few hours of excruciating agony would leave me a 
 lifeless clod, on that desolate hillside, without one kind 
 hand to minister, or one ear to receive my last sigh. IIow 
 long tins fearful stare continued, it is impossible to say, 
 for T took no note of time. It seemed like hours, but most 
 probably it did not extend to many minutes, when I could 
 perceive an almost imperceptible retrograde motion of the 
 head, and uiy ear detected a faint whirring of the rattle. 
 This token, which T knew foreboded an immediate attack, 
 appeared instantaneously to endow me with all my hereto- 
 fore powers of self-preservation. 
 
 With all the energy of despair, [ threw myself vigor- 
 ously backward — the snake striking the next instant — ray 
 first spring was plump into the fire; from thence I made 
 a complete summersc^t over the recumbent horse, and then I 
 rolled away down the hill at an angle of forty-five degrees, 
 but was fortunately saved from utter annihilation, by 
 clinging fast to a small bush within a few feet of the 
 precipice, experiencing no greater loss than the skin of my 
 hands, and ;i largo parr, of my pantaloons. With great 
 
RAMBLINGS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 1C3 
 
 labor I again ascended to the scene of conflict, and having 
 armed myself with a club, met my antagonist in nearly 
 the same position as when L took niy departure, lie had 
 followed me into the fire, and was now writhing in agony 
 on the blankets, but I soon put an end to his suftbrin^s by 
 some well directed blows on the head. His lengtl^was 
 five feet two inches, and he had thirteen rattlers and a 
 button suspended to his tail. 
 
 It now becanje necessary for me to hold another consul- 
 tation with myself, as to the manner in which 1 should 
 pass the remainder of the night, for I judged that it still 
 wanted some hours of day dawn, and some kind augcl in- 
 spired me witli a simple idea, that afterwards caused me 
 to reprove myself severely, for not sooner taking advantage 
 of. 1 was in possession of several fathoms of rope, with 
 which the pack had been lashed ; this I apportioned into 
 what sailors call clews and lanyards, to which I attached 
 the head and foot of the coverlet respectively, and fasten- 
 ing the end of each rope to the little oaks, I had an excel- 
 lent hammock at once, suspended four feet from the ground. 
 I turned in gratefully, to my swinging bed, and although 
 my head and feet were a trifle n)orc elevated than a nautical 
 man would consider quite ship «hape, 1 was, two minutes* 
 utter, utterly unconscious of all sublunary things. 
 
 At daylight, 1 was aroused from my deep tv.^ice, by the 
 «ound of a human voice, within a few feet of me, which 1 
 soon decided to be the Kciituckian. He was in a gloomv 
 soliloquy, every syllable of wliich 1 could clearly distinguish' 
 but so close was n.y hanging bed to the side of the steep 
 blufi, that he was quite unaware of my contiguity 
 
 " Wal," said he, - of this here aint a a prettv eon..i.^.ra- 
 ble mesa of hot homminy, J aint Jeems Peitibone, nor 
 
 '>:t* 
 
164 
 
 RAMBLTNOS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 Ij 
 
 'if 
 1 
 
 nobody else I Here am T at last, coino to years of destruc- 
 tion — and six foot three in my mocassins at that — with 
 ne'er a bit of hoecake. fomarty, or dodger to stick in my 
 blessed head, this Chuesday mornin', AJ). one thousinp^, 
 eight liundred, aiid fifty odd. Dirty water for supper, 
 repeat for breakfast, and a white frost for a bed kiver. 
 Wough I 1 could chaw this minute a chunk of a dead 
 nigger; and there's that punkin-hcaded Mac, a snoarin' 
 away, like Sent Antn'y's falls, and has no feelinx for a 
 young growin' feller. An that other darned ignor'nt 
 for'ner, must ampcrsan hisself an' his crow meat boss, clean 
 over the bluff, jest to spite a feller, I du believe. Wal I 
 we mought have spared him and the boss, wall enough, 
 but what did the mean cuss take the grub over with him 
 for ? He wont want that whar he's gone, sure, the nin- 
 compoop I iSarvc hill) riglit. what business had he to be 
 snickerin' at a free Auier'kin's legs, or a pokin' fun at his 
 nosey (\\S3 em ! I'm a know-northin' from this day out, 
 if I onlv get rid of this snarl." 
 
 During the outpourings of this troubled spirit, I was 
 busily engaged in arranging the traps, and when my well- 
 wisher had relieved himself of the burthen on his mind, I 
 apprised him of my existence and propinquity. I then 
 proceeded to retrace the fanciful path I had taken on the 
 preceding evening ; and if it seemed bad at night, it was 
 absolutely fearful by daylight, running as it did, along by 
 the brow of the precipice, to which we had unwittingly 
 approached, nearer than six feet, several times, and one 
 false step would have sent us thundering down the horrible 
 gulf at our feet. 
 
 When I rounded the hill, I met Jeems, who greeted me 
 with every evidence of pleasure, that gradually heightened 
 
 
destruc- 
 t— with 
 
 in my 
 
 iousin<^, 
 
 supper, 
 
 1 kiver. 
 
 a dead 
 snoariii' 
 IX for a 
 ignor'nt 
 ss, clean 
 
 Wai : 
 
 enough, 
 ith him 
 the niu- 
 h(^ to be 
 m at his 
 day out, 
 
 t, I was 
 my well- 
 mind, 1 
 I then 
 n on the 
 t, it was 
 along by 
 yittingly 
 and one 
 horrible 
 
 2eted me 
 ightened 
 
 RAMIILTNUS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 165 
 
 into a broad grin of exultation, as his longing eye felf 
 upon the mess bag, safe and sound. We aroused Mac,, 
 who was sleeping comfortably by a rather indifferent 
 spring, and after partaking of some hot coifee and bread, 
 we supplied our faithful Jim with some water and barley, 
 and proceeded onward, inspirited and refreshed. This 
 day was a momentous and wearisome one. It was up 
 one hill and down another, constantly, in the early part 
 of the day; and in the afternoon we found ourselves in 
 the level pcn-tion of the pass, which extends into the 
 mountains from the San Joaquin valley, somewhat resem- 
 bling the opposite side, but shorter and wider. At dark 
 we arrived at the western side of the valley, and finding a 
 good spring, we took up our (juarters and spent a very 
 comfortable night. 
 
 It must not be imagined that Jeems was idle all this 
 time, far from it, for although he had provided nothing 
 for so far, excepting that ghost of a woodpecker, he had 
 already blazed away the chief portion of the powder, and 
 I verily believe, that he considered himself a very useful 
 personage, and that we could make but a very indifferent 
 fist without him. On the first day's walk in the plains of 
 the San Joaquin, he, as was usual with him, preceded us 
 a mile or two on the path, with the design, no doubt, of 
 intercepting hares or antelopes, that might otherwise be 
 ilarmed at the presence of so large a partv. 
 
 The land, for this whole day's march, was slightly un- 
 dulating, like a rolling prairie, and too light and gravelly,, 
 fc iuceessful cultivation. No human habitation was risi- 
 ble ; and in the distance could be seen immense herds of 
 antelopes and wild horses ; the latter chiefly led on by some 
 patriarchal stallion, would sometimes approach within a 
 
 p 
 
 mi 
 
,1 
 
 : 4 
 
 
 I 
 
 166 
 
 RAMBLINGS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 few hundred yards of us to reconnoitre, and then, evi- 
 dently not relishing our appearance, would dash away to- 
 wards the wide tules, with a pace like a whirlwind. Seventy 
 miles off in our front, and at right angles to our course, 
 rose the dim blue mountains of the Sierra Nevada ; and a 
 long fringe of oaks halfway between, marked the serpen- 
 tine course of the San Joaquin. The remainder of the 
 plain was treeless, and destitute of grass, except in some 
 low spots, few and far between, like an oasis in the desert. 
 The wild things, though, seemed to enjoy it much, and 
 our steed cropped the fragrant bushes that chiefly covered 
 the surface, with every appearance of satisfaction. 
 
 We had; been moving on very quietly for two or three 
 hours, and had seen, nor heard any thing of our pioneer; 
 we were getting slightly uneasy in consequence, when on 
 gaining the summit of a small swell in the land, we per- 
 ceived almost close to the road, the illustrious Pettibone 
 himself, up to his elbows in blood and grease, disembowel- 
 ling a fat antelope — a regular " heart of grease." 
 
 " Ah, ha I" he crowed, '' I don't savy plugging ante- 
 lopes, don't I ? Oh, no I I ain't a dead shot, nother, ain't 
 I ? No, sir-r I I waste powder, too, do I '/ Tn course I 
 do. Fetch along that frame of a boss, will you ^ right 
 smart, and tote off this here venison." 
 
 ''Look at that," he continued, pointing to a bullet hole 
 in the hide, " thar's a wownd for you ; I sighted right for 
 that white spot, onder the fore shoulder, and plumped him 
 clean, whar he lived — aighty rod by Jackson — never 
 
 kicked." 
 
 " Be off, now ;" he concluded, with the air of a monarch, 
 '' nack off vour meat, while I load sweet Nancy agin." 
 
 A. V 
 
 We started once more, taking wivb. us some of the 
 
 I 
 
evi- 
 
 R AMBLINGS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 167 
 
 choicest pieces, and left the remnant for the cayotas or 
 prairie wolves, and made as many calculations about our 
 prospective dinner, as ever did poor Oliver Goldsmith, 
 over his famous hauiich. We had not proceeded more 
 than two hundred yards in the van, when we perceived a 
 horseman to our left, riding at a full lope, and approach- 
 ing us at an angle, evidently with the intention of cutting 
 us ofi". He closed on us rapidly, and ])is first salutation 
 was a brusque in(|uiry, as to what might be our particular 
 business with his meat. Surprised at the question, we 
 indignantly informed him that it was our own property, 
 and was shot by our other partner, who was now appr-oacl^ 
 ing us with his rifle reloaded. When he arrived, the 
 stranger firmly persisted in his demands ; affirming, that he 
 had shot the animal out of a large herd; an hour previous, 
 and he had merely alighted to cut his throat, as he wished 
 another shot at the herd. lie also described to an inch, 
 the locality where it lay, and added, that the bullet entered 
 a white spot immediately beneath the left fore shoulder. 
 This was proof positive to me, and I forthwith advised 
 Jeems, to deliver up, with as good a grace as possible. He 
 seemed no way inclined to comply with this advice— most 
 probably from shame — but as he evidently feared the de- 
 determined front of the stranger, he reluctantly complied, 
 exclaimina,' : — 
 
 " Wal, stranger, I reckon you can have it, but as sure 
 as Old Hickory's in Heaven, I thought 1 shot it, squar in 
 its tracks." 
 
 This little incident, however, ended the hunter's occu- 
 pation ; his title became for the remainder of the way 
 merely honorary, and the honor consisted in luggino- along 
 his clumsy twenty pound rifle, himself. 
 
 I 
 

 168 
 
 RAMBLINUS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 This night we remained on the phiins, and arrived the 
 succeeding day on the banks of the river, close to the influx 
 of the Mercedes. It was very low at this time, yet still a 
 noble stream, and seemed fairly alive with small fish, 
 principally bass, perch, and suckers. There was a hog and 
 cattle ranch at the place, to which was attached a small 
 store, for i.hc accommodation of the few farmers scattered 
 along the intcval of the river. The land, for a mile or 
 two on each side of the river, is very fertile, and not very 
 inconvenient to market — but fever and ague are very pre- 
 valent, in August and September. 
 
 While hunting up some drift wood, for the purpose of 
 cooking coffee, I observed an old superannuated seine, 
 lying on the bank, that most probably had been thrown 
 aside by some fishermen, during the preceding summer, 
 as unscaworthy ; and proposed that we should borrow the 
 punt, belonging to the ranch, and try our own fortune for 
 a dinner. With the assistance of two travellers, whom 
 we met at the ferry, we acted on the hint. Leaving two of 
 the party with one line, we vowed out towards the mouth 
 of the tributary ; we then paid out the net, made a sweep, 
 and commenced hauling in. As the net gradually col- 
 lapsed by our united efforts, the stiv in the water increased, 
 until it actually seemed to boil, and it was only by dint of 
 great exertion, that wc succeeded in hauling to land. Tie 
 little fishes swarmed in thousands, but chiefly managed to 
 escape, through the large meshes and rents. 13ut the 
 larger fry were not so fortunate, for we contrived to cap- 
 ture eighty-two splendid salmon, many of them more than 
 thirty-five pounds in weight, and none less than ten. We 
 threw them up on the bank behind us, which was probably 
 five feet in height, perpendicular from the water's edge. 
 
ivcd the 
 he influx 
 fdi still a 
 lull fish, 
 I hog and 
 1 a small 
 scattered 
 a mile or 
 not very 
 very pre- 
 
 urpose of 
 ed seine, 
 1 thrown 
 summer, 
 urrow the 
 »rtune for 
 I's, whom 
 
 Qg two of 
 
 le mouth 
 3 a sweep, 
 daily col- 
 ncreased, 
 )y dint of 
 nd. Tie 
 in aged to 
 liut the 
 d to cap- 
 II ore than 
 :en. We 
 I probably 
 ir's edge. 
 
 HA.MBLINUS IN CALIfUKMA. 
 
 1G9 
 
 And after the fatiguing exercise— that had only occupied 
 about twenty minutes liowevcr — we sat down on the beach 
 to rest, and congratulated each other on our good fortune. 
 
 The Kentuckian i)roposcd that we should go into the 
 curing business at once, by drying the lish in the sun, and 
 then sending them to the mines in Tuolumne or Stanislaus ; 
 and the aole way that he looted the sum total up, reckon- 
 ing 240 per hour— 12 hours to the day, and 25 cents per 
 pound — showed that he knew something of the primary 
 rules of arithmetic at least. J3ut we were suddenly inter- 
 rupted, in the midst of our castle building, by the mangled 
 remains of a fish, that tumbled over the bank, on our heads, 
 accompanied by a squeak, and the sound of a scuffle. 
 
 We were soon on the bank, and such a scene of carnaoe. 
 it never was my fortune to witness. More than three 
 hundred hogs had scented their prey, from afar, and 
 pounced on the salmon like a hurricane. Hungry as 
 death, they tore the lish asunder, while still wriggling in 
 their jaws, and bit and mangled each other savagely, in 
 the madness of their excitement. All attempts to drive 
 them off, were ridiculous and unavailing, and it was only 
 by much exertion and strong fighting, that we succeeded 
 in rescuing four from their clutches, for our own consump- 
 tion ; these we cleaned and hung up in the sun, for future 
 use, reserving one for present purposes, and with the as- 
 sistance of some butter and potatoes, that we procured at 
 the ranch, we made a most appetising meal. 
 
 Next day, we struck out for the Tuolumne river, which 
 still lay between us and the mountains. This is a Uiuch 
 more fertile country, than that we pa.sscd through on the 
 preceding day; the interval or bottom land as it is 
 termed in the West, extends to a much greater width on 
 
 P2 
 
f 
 
 170 
 
 RAMBLINGS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 1^1 
 
 r 
 
 I 
 
 • \. 
 
 tho banks of the streams, and the intermediate portion, 
 has a heavier soil, and produces spoutarn (-u is in srreater 
 abundance. We reached the river 1 >ioic' n!},hlfall, en- 
 countering nothing worthy of record ; and the succeeding 
 afternoon, commenced the ascent of the foot hills of the 
 Sierra Nevada; the increased number of roads and trails 
 in every direction, plainly informing us of our neiirhbor- 
 hood to the land, " Out of whose hills, thou mayst dig 
 brass." 
 
 This evening, wc were much puzzled at one point, 
 to find the right road leading to the place we had intended 
 for our destination ; and we consequently diverged slightly 
 towards a ranch house we saw, for the purpose of making 
 the necessary inquiries. The building itself, attested the 
 nationality of its owner. Two substantial log houses 
 under one roof, with the intermediate space, floored, but 
 not closed in at the sides ; with a more unpretending 
 structure, about twenty paces ofi*, proclaimed the dwelling 
 house of the Texian, together with the pen for his " ser- 
 vants." A very corpulent negro wench, of matronly 
 appearance, sat at the door plucking a goose ; and beside 
 her — with his hands stuck firmly in his pockets — was her 
 wooly patcd son, I presume, aged probably eighteen years. 
 He was watching, at the moment, with a very enthusiastic 
 eye, a cat fight ; the animals being attached to each other 
 by the tails, and then thrown over a clothes line, suspended 
 a few feet from the ground. He was making a violent 
 effort to appear unconcerned, by striving to pucker his 
 thick lips into a whistle, but it would not do, for the young 
 Sambo's eyes exhibited unequivocal signs of satisfaction, 
 despite his demure face ; although he had only been the 
 instrument in getting up this pretty pastime, for the ex- 
 
 »M 
 
 J 
 
'g 
 
 RAMBLINC.S IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 171 
 
 press Himisemeiit of young massa— a red haired, freckle 
 faced imp of eight or ten— whose happiness appeared com- 
 plete. 
 
 I propounded the necessary interrogatories to the young 
 negroj respecting our dilemma, and while he was endeav- 
 oring to enligliten me, making confusion more confounded, 
 with one saucer eye on me, and one on the feline combat, a 
 huge burly personage, some fifty years old— with his short 
 .sandy hair combed straight over his eye brows, making 
 his forehead villainously low— emerged from the middle 
 porch, and strutting right up to where I stood, opened the 
 conversation himself. 
 
 ''Oh, stranger .' yeour from the east, I reckon." 
 
 I made him a polite negative to this iniiuiry — though I 
 knew well what he meant— by informing him, that I was 
 last from Santa Cruz. 
 
 '' Oh ! blast Santa Cruz !" said he, " I s'pose yeou was 
 raised somewhar, warn't you ?" 
 
 " Yes," I replied, " born to the eastward of this, most 
 certainly." 
 
 "Wal," he exclaimed, "yeou have, mayhap, heern 
 tell, that Scriptur' says, the wise men conie from tharaway, 
 and ef so be, the folks raised thar, air so darned wise, why 
 they've got gumption tu, an. ef they've got gumption, 
 they mought, sartin, be coaxed to take a hint ; an' ef they 
 will take a hint, yeou'll oblege me, by tellin all the blue 
 bellies yeou can skear up, not to meddle no how with a 
 free Texian, or say one sylahle to his property, anyhows 
 or anywhere's ; for by ./ce-hosaphat, I'd a leetie raither 
 let daylight into a whinin, cantin, paper-faced abolitionist, 
 than kick a cussed, lazy, wooly-headcd ni2<jer!" 
 
 And suiting the action to the word, ho applied his 
 
172 
 
 RA.MHLIiNOS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 if 
 I - 
 
 ample cowhide boot to the property in que.stion, a poste- 
 riori, and hmdctl him most suddenly and unexpectedly, 
 on the tub of teatliers, which his mammy had just care- 
 fully lille<l, this he inverted aloD<^with his maternal parent, 
 and amidst the bellowing of boMi, the curses of the incensed 
 owner, and the cloud of down scattered by the wind, I 
 made my escape, without ac(|uiring the information I 
 sought. 
 
 We found the road ourselves, without much difficulty, 
 and in two days more, were busy in prospecting a bar on 
 the Stanislaus ; but as that opens new scenes and associa- 
 tions, not properly belonging to the objects of this sketch, 
 I shall here conclude my " Trip to the Southern xMines.'' 
 
 AN OIIATION. 
 
 :i*' 
 
 For a few mouths prior to the election of President 
 Pierce, the sole occupation of a large portion of the peo- 
 ple was electioneering. 3Ioncy and time were squandered 
 in profusion by both parties ; and no stone was left un- 
 turned to encourage the vacillating, or to intimidate them 
 as the case might be. Paid, and unpaid orators, har- 
 rungn.-d each night in the streets of the cities, and even 
 in the smallest villages, to attentive crowds. Transpa- 
 rencies, with patriotic sentiments, paraded every thorough- 
 faro. Ephemeral newspapers, of Lilliputian dimensions 
 but high sounding tithes, such as " The Banner of Liberty," 
 " The Jkilwark of the J3rave,'' " Freedom's Saviour," &c., 
 rained over the country, and were perhaps paid for by 
 some one; and the established press, thundeied out (ie- 
 
KA.MBLINGS IN CALIFORNIA 
 
 173 
 
 n postc- 
 pectedly, 
 just eare- 
 il parent, 
 incenyed 
 
 wind, I 
 ination I 
 
 lifHcuIty, 
 a bar on 
 I as.socia- 
 s sketch, 
 Mines.'' 
 
 'resident 
 the peo- 
 uinderod 
 left un- 
 ite them 
 )rs, har- 
 md even 
 iVanspa- 
 loroujrh- 
 tensions 
 /iberty," 
 IV," &e., 
 I for by 
 out (ic- 
 
 nunciations ajjainst the one, and proportionate euhigi. .^ on 
 the other. 
 
 Every trifling action in the life of eithc p^' 'ate or 
 public, from the cradle to their present pL t ,.i, was 
 animadverted upon, in the strongest of ter;:is; .vid if one 
 tenth part of what was printed of either, wa. co.ruct, they 
 were both better fitted for the tender mercies of Jack 
 Ketch, than to grace the most exalted position, within the 
 gift of a powerful nation. It was certainly a great puzzle, 
 to penetrate the caui*e, which induced people to neglect 
 their private affairs so much, for the election of the Presi- 
 dent, particularly in California, The idea of them all 
 being office-seekers, was simply ridiculous, for independent 
 of their great numbers, some of the most enthusiastic 
 busy-bodies in the campaign were men to whom office was 
 worthless and inconvenient. Patriotism might perhaps 
 serve for a reason, but the hottest of these same politicians 
 would openly acknowledge, the inefficiency and uselessness 
 of their State government, as well as the general, to con- 
 trol the people of this State, either in punishing the guilty, 
 or protecting the innocent. But perhaps they acted on 
 the maxim of " Try, try again,'' and it may be, a shadowy 
 outline of some responsible system, already glared before 
 their excited fancies. 
 
 But be the cause as it may, all fought like heroes in the 
 service ; and it was really interesting to observe, that, in 
 spite of the lengthened apprenticeship to republicanism, 
 the ancient veneration for hereditary honors, has yet far 
 from become extinct, even here. Scott's ancestors, had 
 each a little biography of his own, for two hundred years 
 back, as giving him a sort of venerable right on the suf- 
 frages of the worthy people, who were earnestly implored 
 
174 
 
 RAMBLINGS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 
 to " throw up their greasy caps/' fur this illustrious scion of 
 a Ion- line of glorious ancestors. But the Scottites slightly 
 overreached thems.ilves in this point, for the Piercites, fol- 
 lowing in their train, showed themselves more skilled in 
 genealogy, and carried us rearward to the days of the 
 wizard (Jlendowen, tracing back from son to sire, until 
 concentrated at last, in that mirror of ancient English 
 chivalry, the ill-fated, gallant Hotspur. 
 ^ There was a great gathering of the Scott clans, held in 
 Sacramento one evening, outside a fancy saloon, gilded 
 like a parrot's ca re, and bearing the Spanish cognomen of 
 the Adobe; frou, the fact of its being built on the remains 
 of an old mud euitice, supposed to be the oldest in the 
 city. It has long since evaporated, with hundreds of its 
 neighbors, in the groat fires to which the place has been 
 so subject; but was, at the time I speak of, in all its 
 pristine freshness and glory. When I approached, an 
 orator was already on his legs, vexing the placid air of 
 night, witli a voice like a pair of bagpipes, his auditors 
 lining up the street on either side, within hearing of his 
 nasal pliillipics. I knew he must have been a remarka- 
 ble man, for the crowd applauded vastly, when he came 
 ti such words as— -Lone Star," "Our Flag," ''American 
 Ivigle," (.Ve. ^ but 1 liad lost much of tlio addre.ss by my 
 late arrival, and in fact, only arrived in good time for the 
 pororalioii, and hero it is, — 
 
 •■ And now, to conclude, felow citizens, [ want yeou 
 nothen more nor less, but to come up like what yeou are. 
 and what yeou'r knowed, and feered to be, over the whole 
 'varsal creation—///.^ ."^prycst, fhc cutest, and far mo<t 
 peowerful, and iVcest people on this everlastin almidity 
 globe; I want yeou, [ say, to come up like what I've pic- 
 
 [1 
 
RAMBLINGS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 175 
 
 tur'd yeou to be, and vote for tlie great presarver of this 
 blessed union — the hero of Churubusco, the con(juer()r of 
 Chihuahua, the keeper of the keys of Montezuma, the 
 great, the mighty General Scott. Of heroes, my friends, 
 he is the lone star of all, in fact the very top notch, and 
 ef yeou blind yeour eyes, and won't know it, why the 
 Europeans will, for they know it well, and kalkilate thar 
 motions by yeour'n. Don't yeou know that the nurses in 
 Rooshay, try to still thar squiillin brats, with repeatin his 
 name in full'/ Doesn't Boney even, found his hopes of 
 enslavin the French people, on yeour rejection of your 
 great general ? And doesn't the Britishers have no interest 
 in this all-powerful o'er-masterin subject ? Think yeou 
 gentlemen, that they have not thar eye on this great 
 country, now 't Aye ! and her emissaries are even 
 now in our midst. They envy us ; they hate us, but 
 most perticerly they fear us; for she already begins 
 tu know that we are the phwiiix that are to soar 
 aloft upon her ashes ; she begins tu feel, that her 
 ineasure of iniquity is full, and that our great Scott, if 
 elected— and most sartin he will— will be the means of 
 dashin' the pisened chalice from her polluted hands, so 
 that in the eiuphatie words of Holy Writ — <sheshant rule 
 over tlio nations no more.' 
 
 " Yes; even th;,t small, but proud female. Victory, is a 
 watchin' operations, is a watchin' the times from iier teower 
 m London, an' a shakin' in her white satin shoes, for fear 
 that you will not vote for Pierce, and why, i ask, should 
 she not ? Was it not Scott that humbled the proud Lion 
 in a hundred conflicts ? AVas it not him that stopped their 
 encroachments, in Mexico, and gained to the Union this 
 country, whose sands are gold. And was it not Scott that 
 
176 
 
 HAMHMN(iS IN ('AI.IFOllNIA. 
 
 \J' 
 
 lit 
 
 (if 
 
 i 
 
 •ii! 
 
 *'f 
 
 ■sent tlie British Lull Lack a rourin, with his tail atwixt 
 his lo.irs. iVoiii the bloody hattlc fields of New York ^ Let 
 niK-ient and lundern history ho hauled over, a)id Avhat will 
 it present y )Vhy, it will tell ye.,u of a (!esar. a Alexander, 
 and a Honey, that would have thrashed Wellinofon like a 
 sack, only for JJlueher an<l his Prooshians— })ut where will 
 you lind a .^cott r Whar's hin o.juals anion- the slaves of 
 earth's despots y Nor, turnin' to the l..n,o' eataloouo of 
 heroes, that font, and bled, and die<l, in a buildin' up the 
 fabric of this tremendous confederation, can we lind a lit 
 companion to tiiis, our present nation's pride and -lory. 
 To the rally, and the rescue then, Wliius ! and suj)port, to 
 a man, this greatest of the gieat, who alone of all the 
 proud names ycou can muster, is able, durin' oiu; tarni of 
 office, to bring the hull might of com})incd JOuropu, a. 
 crouchin' at your indignant feet. 
 
 " //r never got sick upon the lield ..f battle, and keeled 
 over from his horse, wiien 8anty Anny was a coinin' down 
 upon him, with his murderin' niggers, IJut it u-ns him, 
 that sent them and their paper cigars a flyin', like corn- 
 stalks and undjrellars in a lively hurricane. And I'll tell 
 yeou wliat, my friends, a namin' no names, but hewnHiiof. 
 the man that presented the boy with a cent, to purchase a 
 stick of 'lasses candy. T say (.net; uiore to yeou, shove up 
 the man that will make the haughty, antifjuated aristocrats 
 of Kurope, cut thar very jug'Iars for spite, wheti they see 
 the sun (.f liberty a mountin' in the west, and a spreadin' 
 his alkilliu' rays over thar benighted lands. For the time 
 is a sure comin', when, if we have this great con(]ueror at 
 our head, the broad folds of the stars and stripes shall float 
 gracefully over the Kramlin of Moscow, and an Amer'kin 
 army shall march in good order over London bridge, to 
 the Soul inspirin' notes of Yankee Doodle." 
 
Ill atwixt 
 
 Let 
 
 .- V 
 
 Avliat will 
 lexaiulcr, 
 oil like a 
 vliero will 
 slaves of 
 iiloiiuo of 
 i' U}) the 
 liiul a lit 
 id -lory. 
 ij)port, to 
 )f all the 
 ! tarin of 
 lurope, a. 
 
 d keeled 
 ill' down 
 ('({s hi in, 
 ke corn- 
 1 I'll tell 
 was no/ 
 rchase a 
 diove up 
 is too rats 
 they see 
 prcadin' 
 the time 
 ueror at 
 hall float 
 iner'kin 
 idge, to 
 
 
 RAMT{MN<]S IN CALIFORNFA 
 
 177 
 
 Justus this delij^htful vision vras pictured so graeefully 
 to the admiring patriots, the fire-bells clanf^od from every 
 engine-house, and scattered them pell-mell, eacli to his 
 own location, or, 1 do verily believe, he would soon have 
 had the meek-eyed moon herself, branded with the [J. H. 
 It afterwards transpired, that tlie alarm was merely a rase, 
 got up by the loco focos for tlie purpose, who dreaded the 
 sledge-hammer effects of the orator's ek)quenee, on the 
 sympathising hearts of the people. 
 
 THE surgeon's ride. 
 
 He was a prominent member of our company (which 
 was denominated the " Eureka," jnir ixaJhrnce, although 
 we rarely found aught but good appetites and lame backs 
 about sundown.) His name was unknown, but we called 
 him Sawbones; for he was an M. I)., and held a paper 
 which he often showed, and called a diploma. He was 
 one of those vast shoals of doctors, annually manufactured 
 in some of tlie States, and then thrown helplessly upon 
 an unpitying world; half educated, but tho.'oughly licensed 
 to kill or be kilhMl. Althougli a tender fledgling, he was 
 constitutionally fond of his ease, and heavy potations were 
 his weakness. The latter he gave as hi v<>nson for rarely 
 volunteering his services to ])rocure provisl. is from the 
 nearest grocery, which was six or seven miles from our 
 camp; and as this road was a part", '"V dreary walk, being 
 unfortunately neitlur planked Jiui macadamized, a foot 
 journey was eciually distasteful to all of the party. The 
 purchase of a stalwart horse was, therefore, the result of 
 
 'I 
 
178 
 
 RAMBLIN(iS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 . Si 
 
 our cogitations on this important subject, who was hir<;c 
 cnougli, to be sure, although Jiis prici; appeared very sus- 
 piciously small. Ilis name was '' IJoneyj" but whether 
 this title was an a])breviati()n, commemorative of the little 
 corporal of Marengo, or from its bearing a direct allusion 
 to llic (juantity of ossified matter contained in his system, 
 must forever remain a mystery. Certain it is, that bones 
 might correctly be said to represent his leading feature, so 
 prominent they were, and so gigantic. This framework 
 was tightly covered with an uncomfortable looking hide 
 and the capacious regions enca-^ed by it had been the 
 bourne of innumerable barley-lields, at ten cents per pound. 
 But no doubt existing about his being " all horse," and 
 as he was not procured for the sake of beauty, or for any 
 particular benevolent designs cherished for him by his 
 buyers, his capacity as a bearer of our burthens was shortly 
 tested, without ceremony or respect for his gray hairs. 
 
 Mr. Sawbones discovered immediately, by intuition, that 
 some tom-iron was indispen.sably requisite, in order to 
 develop more fully the resources of the Eureka company, 
 and he handsomely tendered his services to procure it from 
 tiie aforesaid grocery, with the assistance of Bon(>y. liis 
 gracious ofier was vi' course accepted, and a great many 
 other important comniissions w«!re entrusted to his charo-e. 
 Among the heterogeneous items to he jtrocured were the 
 following, to wit : one cwt. of flour, a (juantity of red paint 
 molasses, butter, colfee, itc, with six pounds of nails, and 
 a tea kettle; the whole of vrliich would comprise a heav} 
 pack of itself, and the courier departed ainid,-t general 
 good wishes, with a clcnin sliirt and a smiling countenance. 
 
 Alas ! mucli may be comprised in the journey of a day. 
 The sun — as he always does — luounttHl to the meridian. 
 
 • f 
 
IIAMKLINOS IN TALIFORNIA. 
 
 179 
 
 was largo 
 very sus- 
 ; whotlicr 
 tlic little 
 t allusion 
 is system, 
 hat bones 
 eature, so 
 raniework 
 nn<;' hide 
 been the 
 er pound. 
 fse," and 
 r for any 
 in by his 
 as sliortly 
 hairs, 
 tion, that 
 order to 
 company, 
 le it from 
 ey. His 
 oat many 
 s charfice. 
 were the 
 red paint 
 lails, and 
 .' a hoav} 
 : j^enoral 
 itenanee. 
 uf a day, 
 meridian, 
 
 and his declining rays lit the weary miners to their lowly 
 cots. ]3ut a gap was in the circle— Sawbones, where was 
 he 'i' Echo iK.r anything else made reply, vhio darkness, 
 coupled with a heavy rain storm, do -d over flood and 
 field. In our disn)al, lealcy cabi ,, \irk forebodings br-an 
 to beha/.anled— not only concon ..:,■ on,- own fate, but of 
 the unfortunate nie.-senger, an<l the ugly beast that bore 
 him company; and I shanu> to say it, ami bl.ish wImIc [ 
 J write, nearly all .mr sympathy was expcmled on the 
 
 latter, 
 
 dust at dawn the ri.lerless steed was foun.l at tlie door 
 in a very unenviable pickle. Xature, J had lliou-ht in 
 one of her <,uaintest freaks, had done her worst for him 
 long since, but the illustriou.< mare of (,)uixotte might as 
 well ape IJueepJiMlus, as the present shajM'less thing attempt 
 to vie with the sprightly animal that eoeked his tail .so 
 jocundly on the j.revious morning. Still, it was he; there 
 was no forgetting that Roman nose, ami those great'anatu- 
 mieal eorners for whieh he was ,so f.mous. Ifis limj.ing 
 legs wer.> encrusted with mud, and the ensanuuined si-n 
 of despair was on his bridle; his whole body was parti- 
 coIohmI as the map of Hurope, an<l he hung his classical 
 head and droo])ed his tail with slianic aiul agoiiv. After 
 a earefu! analysis „f ih,; various rainbow tints with wliieh 
 ho was adorned, the groundwork was decided to eoiisivf ,,f 
 -^uperfine flour, at ninety cents per pound, ami (he remain- 
 der a nuMlhy compound of unknown proportions .,f red 
 paint, molasses, butter, gnmn.l <,,f]'ee, Sec, (he whole 
 formin;.; .piire an expensive pieture, though a very eoarsa 
 daub. The lidless amd pipdess kettle, whieh eont-.ined a 
 tew nails, still <-lnng to the saddle's apolouv, its battened 
 -^ides mutely elo,^uent of the fearful ordeaJ it liad },a-ed • 
 
9 
 
 180 
 
 RAMBLINffS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 
 '■'f 
 
 but, worthless as it was, it formed the silken clow by which 
 we hoped to track the courser's flijj^ht, and trusted to find 
 at least the last sad relics of the luckless practitioner. 
 Nail following; nail, as they had bounded from their recep- 
 tacle, guided our search, and fragments of the wreck 
 strewed along, gradually prepared us for the horrible 
 tragedy ; and on entering an abrupt defile, about three 
 miles from camp, we were at once put in possession of all 
 the circumstances relative to the disaster. Sawbones was 
 discovered in a recumbent position, and still breathed j 
 indeed, after a hearty shake, he slowly arose, when wc 
 discovered to our amazement that he was (juite sound, and 
 on being begged to explain, he ingenuously unbosomed 
 himself. 
 
 On his arrival at the store, he met with many congenial 
 spirits — for members of the faculty Avere at that time 
 much plentier than patients — and had, as was usual with 
 him, imbibed an unlimited number of whiskey cocktails, 
 and then proceeded to got his order filled, w^hich was 
 promptly done. It then occurred to his frugal mind that 
 wood was also required in the construction of a tom, and 
 he procured one hundred feet of bonrds, whieh he lashed 
 on the back of the alrcadv loaded beast, and then com- 
 menccd his homeward journey. But the Monongahela 
 sadly bothered hiui, and the road was soon lost ; he then 
 determined, as a (hr)iirr rc^m-f, to nn»unt IJoney, trusting 
 to his sagacity and propensity for ])arley as tlie surest 
 method of finding his mountain home. Now, be it known, 
 that Honey's appearance was a precise index to ))is char- 
 acter, which had always been as wormwood, from colthood; 
 and old age, joined to the vicissitudes of a mining career, 
 had by no means tended to sweeten his temper. Me had 
 
RAMBLINGS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 181 
 
 by which 
 cd to find 
 ictitiouer. 
 eir recep- 
 he wreck 
 horrible 
 out three 
 don of all 
 bones was 
 breathed j 
 when we 
 oimd, and 
 nbosomed 
 
 congenial 
 that time 
 isual with 
 cocktails, 
 'hich was 
 mind that 
 torn, and 
 he lashed 
 then coin- 
 nongahela 
 ; he then 
 ', trusting 
 lie surest 
 it known, 
 > 1)is char- 
 colthood ; 
 ng career, 
 He had 
 
 already manifested his disgust to the general proceedings 
 by sundry kicks and attempted bites, but this climax of 
 injury was unendurable, and the ''Little Corporal" at 
 once proceeded to resist the Allies. The last reminiscence 
 of the disciple of Oaicn were: in the first place an ex- 
 tremely elevated position, succeeded by the reverse, and a 
 sound nap, from which we were the lir.-^t to arouse him. 
 
 This was thc/i,ia/r' to our medical friend's gold seeking 
 career. No persuasions could induce him to return, and 
 he be(|ueathed his claim to the company, as an e(|uivalent 
 for §200 consumed by his '' little spree." 
 
 I have not since heard of him, unless my suspicions be 
 correct, that I encountered him lately on the wharf in 
 San Francisco, in the capacity of a hotel runner. He was 
 at the moment employed in enlarging on the delicacies of 
 his employer's larder, and depreciating that of his rival 
 by dark insinuations of cold dry-hash being served up 
 twenty-one times per week. 
 
 JOE. 
 
 And shall I banish thee from the recollection of those 
 memorable days, my honest, gentle, little Joe ? Should I 
 so far do injustice to thy memory, well might my nights 
 of slumber in after years, be disturbed by a reproachful 
 vision of thy (juaint four-feet-uine ligure, snugly appareled 
 in butternut-dyed garments, from the loom of the thrifty 
 helpmate, on the banks of the distant Ohio; and thy half 
 sad, half comical features, anxious and energetic, would 
 recall nw to a portion uf my duty yet utifuldlled. 
 
|i 
 
 ls2 
 
 HAMBLIN<}S IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 My lirst ao<(a;iiiitancc with liiiii, occurred in a small 
 mining; camp in tlio county Tuolumiu!, of which locality 
 he had been a resident fur more than nine months, prior 
 to my own arrival. He had not yet attained liis majority, 
 but was already the protector of a wife and son, in one of 
 the wc.^^tern states; and his features displayed that sub- 
 dued and care worn expression, so often set down by the 
 enemies of the sex, as ilic unfailinii' tjpe of heiipeckinti' ; 
 and, to say the truth, a dauuerreotype which Ik' much 
 treasured, displaying the ample bust and eommanding fea- 
 tures of his buxom better half, served in no way to disprove 
 the repcjrts, of his submission to a protracted system of 
 petticoat li-ovennnent. Ik this as it niiji,ht, his search for 
 i^old — lik(i tliousands of others — had been a vain oiu', and 
 his bad luck, united to his eccentric system of labor, was 
 a standinj^ jest to each lazy lounger of the grocery ; and 
 harsh witticisms, touching his mortgaged corn patch at 
 home, and the iron rule of his gigantic partner, were bro- 
 ken unfeelingly, in the presence of the inoflensivc little 
 man. 
 
 doe, hov/ever, appeared to pay no attention to their im- 
 pertinent inuendoes; he persevered industriously in his 
 avocation as a diggei', injured no one, and calmly sank his 
 shafts. His plan of labor, which he had strictly attached 
 himself to, during his whole residence in the camp, was 
 the most exciting, yet riskey, of any to which a miner can 
 possibly apply himself. Ho could always, by working in 
 the ravines, make small but constant wages, and thus, by 
 frugality and ^ dustry, eventually save money — but he 
 had niuch ambition, and he \vell knew, that the deep dig- 
 irinss, although on the average presenting a dangerous 
 lottery, were the ones in which the largest strikes were 
 
a small 
 L locality 
 -lis, prior 
 uajority, 
 n one of 
 hat sub- 
 11 by the 
 [tcckiiiu' ; 
 K' much 
 diug-fea- 
 tlisprovo 
 y.stcm of 
 earcli for 
 one, and 
 ibor, was 
 ;vy; and 
 patch at 
 ivcre bro- 
 ive little 
 
 their im- 
 y in his 
 sank his 
 attached 
 imp, wavS 
 liner can 
 )rking in 
 thus, by 
 —but he 
 leep dig- 
 angerous 
 ves we re 
 
 RA.MBLI\(i8 IN CALlFuHMA. 
 
 1S3 
 
 chiefly made; and he had, roasoning therefrom, come to 
 the determination, of consecrating a year to the speculative 
 fortunes of a prospecter. 
 
 i':ach d:!y, regularly, ;is the sun lirst gilded the massive 
 eastern brow of the Ta])le mountain, might his unobtrusive 
 form be seen, treading his way amid the huge holders 
 of scoria, that lay thickly over the wliuje district, ;is thev 
 had rolled down in the marcli of time, I'rum tlie mountain 
 summit— stooping beneath the weight of his pick and 
 shovel on one shoulder, and his pan supported beneath the 
 opposite arm ; his meek eyes bent upon the p;ith, beaten 
 by his own constant footsteps, :ind his mind no doubt re- 
 calling past scenes of his distant home. At the time I 
 saw him, more tlian thirty holes had been sunk to the 
 ledge, but as yet the proceeds had barely sufficed, to pur- 
 chase for him life's necessaries. Hut still he toiled, through 
 wind and rain, or scorching sun, as the seasons rolled on 
 in their relentless course, and gradually the well worn 
 butternuts exhibited unequivocal symptoms of decay ; for 
 dark patches of a foreign color and material, already de- 
 faced the original well-grounded dye. 
 
 The last shovelful of the forty-fifth shaft, left him some 
 dollars in arrears at the store, on a Saturday evening, and 
 another three weeks would complete his term of probation. 
 With astonishing pertinacity, he commenced a new one on 
 the succeeding Monday, and on the same day at noon was 
 master of 8500. The long wished for lead had been at 
 length found, jind in four weeks )nore he departed for 
 his home, with a purse of 812,000~leaving, with charac- 
 teristic generosity, -S50 with a surgeon, to set the broken 
 leg of a good-for-n. .thing scamp, who had unceasinulv made 
 h-m the subject of his carse wit. Fiire thee well. Joseph \ 
 
18+ 
 
 UAMBLINCJS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 And may thy bulky .spouse deal kindly by thee, and have 
 charity to all thy failinfrs, for much did you endure and 
 much accomplish, that you might give the lips you loved, 
 unborrowed bread. 
 
 • Vf 
 
 THE ALCTIONKKiJ. 
 
 8ix Hundred and Forty Hod Bar, on the lower portion of 
 a worn out river, had an evil reputation ; the place was, 
 besides, very unprepossessing in exterior, and not a whit 
 better than its looks would seem to imply. The gold was 
 so very fine, that it was scarcely perceptible, and its 
 proudest boast — for every camp has certain private annals 
 of its own — was of a famous individual yclept ilardbrcad, 
 who had, on one solitary occasion, according to tradition, 
 fallen foul of a pocket on the ledge, and had he not been 
 attacked with an unnatural fantasy to wash his shirt while 
 in the very spring-tide of good fortune, would actually 
 have acquired five dollars, between sun and sun. But 
 the story is wrapped in much myth, for, though I shame 
 to write it, the Six Hundred and Forty Rod Barrites were 
 much given to lying. 
 
 A generally unerring guide to judge the prosperity of a 
 milling camp is the store, and probably few scurvier depots 
 for merchandize ever existed, than the one that graced the 
 most commanding position on our bar. For a hundred 
 feet of a radius it was completely blocked up by a pcr^.ct 
 chevaux defrizc of empty boxes and barrels, superannuated 
 mining tools, and the leavings' of every broken minor who 
 had shaken of!' the dust of his foot airainst the ])lai'>j, 
 
 I 
 
 
RAMHLINGS IN CALrFORNfA. 
 
 ISf) 
 
 ind have 
 Jure and 
 uu loved, 
 
 Portion of 
 laco was, 
 )t a whit 
 gold was 
 
 and its 
 te annals 
 irdbrcad, 
 tradition, 
 not been 
 lirt while 
 
 actually 
 
 \u. But 
 
 I shame 
 
 •ites were 
 
 crity of a 
 er depots 
 raced the 
 hundred 
 a pcr*^,ct 
 annuated 
 incr who 
 he ]>la<'0, 
 
 besides dirty hogs and dirtier, squalling, half naked 
 children, with bleached hair and projecting eyes. Now, 
 as all these trifling fixings were the reverse of nice, no 
 visitor in his rational senses, would be prepared to find a 
 boudoir in the main edifice itself, but here it was worse, if 
 possible. The hole was about twelve feet S(|uare and 
 accommodated the patriarch himself, his lean freckled-faced 
 wife, and the aforesaid pledges of their mutual affection. 
 It contained also a full supply of diggi.ig utensils, sour 
 flour, beechnut pork and new whiskey, all jumbled together 
 on the most methodical system of filthy confusion. 
 
 When I first met the lord and master of all this delec- 
 table property, I made an effort to rouse myself, feeling 
 almost persuaded that I labored under a hideous attack of 
 nightmare. I thought it might be a vision of Elshender 
 the recluse, or maybe the old man of the sea, but it was 
 actual bone and muscle, and that of the most substantial 
 description, as I was often convinced of afterwards, by 
 witnessing its effect, in chastising various delinquent 
 debtors. He had followed the occupation of mining for 
 nearly half a century, yet were his great square proportions 
 still well developed, and his gigantic strength unimpaired. 
 The bow-like form of his nether extremities, was occa- 
 sioned by four or five breaks, both arms had becm disjointed 
 and permitted to set themselves, and finally, a blow-up of 
 gunpowder had disarranged his features— if 1 may use tlie 
 term — promiscuously. 
 
 But all these personal defects did not appear to disturb 
 old Tom an atom ; he was remarkably industrious himself 
 and strange as it may appear, he was the means of inducing 
 others to follow his example, often under a penalty of 
 personal punishment. The reasons were obvious, we all 
 
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 WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 
 
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 RAMBLTNGS l.V CAJJFORNIA. 
 
 
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 owed him money nearly, for hardly one in a dozen could 
 more than settle his weekly dues. Tom's usual course of 
 proceeding was this— when an unlucky wretch fell much 
 into debt, he was apt to be attacked with bashfulness, and 
 a disinclination to show himself at the store ; and in such 
 cases, the freckled faced fair one was despatched with the 
 bill and orders to tlie victim, eitlier to settle up on the 
 spot or to come and labor for his creditor. Non-compliance 
 with this ultimatum was surely followed by summary ejection 
 from the camp, while Tom coolly possessed himself of 
 tent, tools, claim and all things appertaining thereto, 
 without the smallest consultation of either Blackstone or 
 Lynch. 
 
 For some 'weeks' time had gone on with me in mono- 
 tonous poverty, and gradually the dreaded ultimatum 
 lowered blacker and blacker in the horizon. One evening 
 about sundown, while plodding homeward tired and dis" 
 consolate, carrying the proceeds of a day's labour, 
 comprised in the space of a spoonful of sand, I was attracted 
 by a crowd in the grand plaza of our town and the tones 
 of a .speaker, who with eloquent gesticulation and bell-like 
 lungs, appeared — in his own opinion at least— t(j be pound- 
 ing upon some subject of overwhelming import, to his 
 whole clay-covered audience, if not to the entire family of 
 man. Now I had often heard of conventions and caucuses, 
 and indignation meetings, and squatter riots, and all such 
 little ebullitions of popular feeling, characteristic of liberty 
 and this free country in particular; but as yet, I was only 
 one of the benighted, though burning with laudable 
 thirst for knowledge, so I also approached, and aided to 
 enlarge the number of attentive listeners. 
 
 Ife was an Eastern man, Connecticut was on his tongue 
 
en could 
 course of 
 3II much 
 ricss, and 
 1 in such 
 with the 
 ) on the 
 inpliance 
 ■ ejection 
 inself of 
 thereto, 
 :stonc or 
 
 n mono- 
 tiniatuni 
 evening 
 and dis- 
 labour, 
 ittractod 
 he tones 
 bell-like 
 3 pound- 
 l, to his 
 aniily of 
 lucuses, 
 all such 
 'liberty 
 was only 
 audable 
 lided to 
 
 ! tunnuo 
 
 RAMBLJNGS IN CALIFORNIA. ]87 
 
 and in every twinkle of his sharp g.ey eye; he was 
 crinkled, attenuated and dyspeptic, and to judge from his 
 exteriors, the world had gone hard with Jonathan. His 
 coat and nether garments of a snuff color, were ancient 
 and tender, his shoes were razee'd boots of an old pattern 
 and the breezes whispered lovingly through various aper^ 
 tures in his venerable castor, which looked like a fossil 
 reminiscence of some pious pilgrim forefather. I thou^^ht 
 at hrst, as I approached, that he was some devoted street 
 preacher, and feared much for his apostolical success, but 
 on a closer survey of his intense shabbiness I partly settled 
 It in my mind, that he was exposing his wretched person 
 and seedy attire that he might attract the charity of the 
 weak. But all my surmises were at fault, he was an 
 Auctioneer ! The agent and representative of a powerful 
 company, that only required-as he expressed it-- the 
 sinners of war," to be launched wich, that they might be- 
 come Croesuses themselves, and the manufacturers of any 
 desired number of Ilothschilds; provided the candidates 
 for the company's tavor, only received his disinterested 
 advice, and hand out ungrudgingly. 
 
 He had, literally, a pocket full of rocks, that he ex 
 tracted so delicately from their capacious receptacle, they 
 nnght have been eggs, but we knew better for nich an 
 edible had never yet made its appearance on the bar. They 
 were all bonajide pieces of quartz rock, brought from the 
 ground for samples, and labelled to distinguish the repre- 
 sentative of each particular lead. The chairman-as he 
 called hin.self-of - The Grand Ophir Quartz Minino- 
 Company, ' then arranged these tastefully on the head of a 
 flour barrel, and with the aid of a cracked eye glass, that 
 had long since done service on the plains, in igniting 
 
188 
 
 RAMBLINGS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 '■ . IM 
 
 ii i 
 
 I 
 
 pipes — he commenced a keen scrutiny on their respective 
 merits, that always concluded with an unlimited panegyric 
 on the untold wealth, contained in the rock bound bosom, 
 from whence they had been taken. 
 
 "And," said he, "only for these sinners, which we 
 must iraper'tively procure, sich a sacrifice would be even 
 beyond the philanthropy of the Grand Ophir Quartz 
 Mining Company. Now, gentlemen, I will expose to your 
 inspection, this here most lovely individual of the quartz 
 family ; it is number nineteen, from the Franklin Purse 
 lead ; and if ever there was r ginooine no mistake article, 
 kalkilated tu replenish the purse, and tu rejoice the bosoms 
 of our free people, it is here. You can't but observe, 
 gentlemen, by the assistance of this magnifying glass, how 
 deeply it is coated, encrusted and thoroughly impregnated,, 
 with the precious stuff. Du look, and jidge for yourselves ; 
 and how much du you bid, fur the sale is a parmtory one, 
 by express bye-law." 
 
 There being no response to his most earnest solicitations, 
 even after three-fourths of the poverty-stricken crowd, 
 had vainly examined the geological specimen, he offered 
 another, which he said had been a peculiar pet to the 
 company, and been dedicated on its first discovery to a 
 famous California character. 
 
 " It is called the Long Mary Lead, and long will the 
 lead endure to the spirited purchaser — who will find in 
 its deep recesses, a plentiful supply of that which we all 
 came here for." 
 
 This failing also to receive any bids, he tried others. 
 He had them in profusion, named from all the great men 
 in the country, from Washington to Walker, but still his 
 toil was useless, and his lungs began to fail him. 
 
RAMBLINGS IX CALIFORNIA. 
 
 189 
 
 respective 
 
 panegyric 
 
 iud bosoni;. 
 
 which we 
 Id be even 
 ir Quartz 
 )se to jour 
 the quartz 
 :Iin Purse 
 ke article^ 
 'he bosoms 
 t observe, 
 glass, how 
 pregnated,, 
 ourselves ; 
 itory one, 
 
 icitatious, 
 3u crowd, 
 lie offered 
 )et to the 
 )very to a 
 
 ; will the 
 11 find in 
 ich we alt 
 
 ;d others, 
 ^reat men 
 it still his 
 
 , 
 
 \ 
 
 Just at this time, a voice in the rear of the crowd ex-- 
 claimed-" Hallo ! old Hardbread !" And the nam'e of 
 Hardbread was resounded from fifty different throats, for 
 he had become w. II known as an absconder, in the former 
 yeai, from the clutches of the relentless storekeeper. The 
 extreme diffidence and restraint of the recoonized auc- 
 tioneer, was summarily relieved, by the powerful grasp of 
 the injured Thomas himself, who approached and seized 
 him in his grasp of iron, the victini'.s coat partino. like a 
 cobweb in the first rough salute. 
 
 ^^\h!ha!" said he, with the cliuckle of a Quilp, 
 '' How's your health Mist.r Hardbread? You've oau.bled 
 off your pocket on the ledge, have you ? And after 
 swindling me, you come back to suck in ; ,, customers, do 
 you, with stones you have picked up on the road, eh ? I've 
 a notion to hang them round y.mr neck, when I put you 
 in the dam. V'e atomy ! ye abortion ! Where's n,y beau- 
 tiful flr.ur, and my pork, my overalls, my picks, and my 
 pans? Oh! If ye were worth your beans, wouldn't I 
 strap a hundred pound boulder to your leg, and work you 
 like a mule for a year ? But it wouldn't "pay, for there's 
 nothing of ye, so I'll just chastise ye, and let ye go. 
 
 A handsaw was produced at his command, and applied 
 vigorously and relentlessly, with it flat side, on the stoop- 
 ing person of the culprit, on the system so much in vogue 
 among mariners, as a punishment to slovenly cooks. When 
 the cobbing process was through with, Tom twisted him 
 as though it was a kitten, on his shoulders, and waddled 
 off to the river, where he plunged him, hissing hot as he 
 was, with the advice, to make for the opposite shore direct 
 on pain of another application of the Shefiield manufacture' 
 "And,- concluded Tom, adding wanton insult to injury^ 
 
 R 
 
 % 
 
190 
 
 R\MBLINGS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 << ye noedii't ptivticularly hurry yerself in crossing the riffle^ 
 for there isn't the water in the ocean that could drown ye." 
 He was right this time, for the old proprietor of the pocket 
 on the ledge crossed in safety, after which he breathed out 
 a few vain threats, and disappeared down the ravine, for 
 parts unknown. Next day I was relieved from all present 
 inconvenience, and Six hundred and forty rod bar besides, 
 by the fortunate arrival of Hong Kong emigrants, Avho 
 purchased my right for a small sum, and thus enabled me 
 to square ac ;ounts, and proceed in the search of more 
 profitable diggings. 
 
 TOBIN. 
 
 ''■f 
 
 Tobin was a fat lymphatic young man of twenty sum- 
 mers, with a large head, very unruly hair, and gifted with 
 an extraordinary appetite. He was a judge when I first 
 made his acquaintance, and practised law in the city of 
 San Francisco. As the manner in which he originally 
 obtained this high sounding title, was the same as th;' by 
 which numbers of others obtained it, and as it may periiaps 
 prove useful to those who thirst for the bubble honor, at a 
 moderate outlay of capital. I will recount it, for their 
 benefit, as I received it froni the lips of the lucky aspirant 
 
 himself. 
 
 For all that this county contains the largest amount of 
 wealth and population, of any in the State, the settle- 
 ments in the townships, outside the limits of the city, are, 
 in general, extremely limited, containing neither gold 
 nor a fruitful soil. A few days prior to the election of 
 
the I'ifflcy 
 rown ye.'^ 
 be pocket 
 jathed out 
 aviue, for 
 ill present 
 .r besides, 
 ants, Avho 
 labled me 
 I of more 
 
 ■enty sum- 
 ;ifted with 
 len I first 
 he city of 
 originally 
 as th; ' by 
 ay per naps 
 lioiior, at a 
 , for their 
 ky aspirant 
 
 amount of 
 the settle- 
 (i city, are, 
 (ither gold 
 election of 
 
 RAMBLINOS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 191 
 
 county officers, the candidate proceeds to one of these wild 
 townships, where a few Crusoes vegetate precariously, on 
 the sale of lirewood and shingles ; but being allowed by 
 the Constitution, the privilege of electing a magistrate, 
 the gentleman makes himself gracious, and by his per- 
 suasive elo(|uence, combined with a few gallons of liquor, 
 80 wins upon the hearts and sympathies of the free and 
 independent electors, that he is appointed unanimously to 
 the vacant post. He then ungratefully deserts his shingle- 
 weaving constituents, returns to his chamber in the city, 
 and ever after is respectfully addressed as Judge So-and- 
 so. Formerly indeed, they stretched their commission so 
 much, as to try cases on their return from this species of 
 wildcat election ; but the plan has been discontinued for 
 some time, chiefly through the envy of the magistrates 
 within the bounds of the corporation, so that at the present 
 time, the only advantage accruing from the outlay of so 
 much spirits, merely consists in a lasting title, par courtesy. 
 Tobin, it appeared, eventually got disgusted with red 
 tape, and when I next met him, he was, with myself, em- 
 ploying his talents in surveying the California coast, in the 
 service of government. This suiTey has occupied the 
 attention of the United States, ever since the acquisition 
 of the territory; and surveyors, under the direction of 
 officers from the engineer corps, have been constantly 
 placed at the most important points ; but what they have 
 achieved, as an equivalent for their heavy demands on the 
 public treasury, I have never yet been able to find out. 
 Our governor was amply provided with all the requisite 
 means and appliances. Provisions, wines, mathematical 
 and scientific instruments enough to pry into the most 
 hidden recesses of nature, tents, tools, teems, assistants, 
 
 
m 
 
 ^0 
 
 si 
 f 
 
 192 
 
 RAMBLINOS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 and ready mouoy ; all of which comprised the cargo of a 
 small government vessel, employed for the purpose of 
 ministering to the necessities of our commander and his 
 followers. 
 
 The captain belonged to that time-honored class, known 
 throughout the length and breadth of the Union, and ir- 
 reverently denominated Old Fogeys, in contradistinction 
 to the spryer party, called Young America, and however 
 much they may be admired, by those under their imme- 
 diate control, it must still be allowed that they are rather 
 unprofitable nephews, to their illustrious uncle. He had 
 achieved laurels in Mexico by some means, but how they 
 pitched on him, for this present duty, it would be hard to 
 say ; for although sufficiently slow in discharge of his 
 duty, he failed much in the proverbial accompaniment of 
 sureness. All opinions with regard to his age, amounted 
 to mere conjecture, for his funny little black eyes, and 
 turn up nose, were alone visible of his features ; all else 
 was a mystery, a dreary wilderness of coarse black hair, 
 indignantly defying all impertinent interrogation. He 
 was short in stature, very ignorant and self opinionated, 
 and without more than the elenieiits of mathematical 
 kiiowledge, his headstrong conceit, and unscientific ma- 
 noeuvcring, eftectually precluded the least glimmering of 
 light, to shine through the impenetrable fog of his reports, 
 even with the hopeless exertions of his assistants. 
 
 ]Jut, in sooth, the time wore on pleasantly enough, for 
 the cooks and California wages, were good; and in dry 
 weather, we mostly waited for rain to clear the atmosphere; 
 and when wet, we had to postpone our work until it dried. 
 So that the time was generally filled up both ways in 
 shooting, fishing, and an inordinate quantity of sleep. A 
 
 >f 
 
 I 
 
RAMBLINOS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 103 
 
 cargo of a 
 lurposc of 
 r and his 
 
 9S, known 
 n, and ir- 
 listlaction 
 1 however 
 eir imme- 
 ire rather 
 He had 
 how they 
 )c hard to 
 ge of his 
 niment of 
 amounted 
 eyes, and 
 :i ; all else 
 lack hair, 
 on. He 
 inionated, 
 hematical 
 itific ma- 
 niering of 
 is reports, 
 s. 
 
 uiigh, for 
 d in dry 
 uosphere; 
 I it dried. 
 I ways in 
 ?lecp. A 
 
 peculiar characteristic of our fogey captain, was the tena- 
 city with which he contended for his own views, oven 
 after nature herself, had unmistakeably proved his hobby 
 to be a glaring absurdity. We had an excellent whale boat 
 for our use, in which we made various aciuatic excursions 
 around the beautifully sheltered, but shallow bay, upon 
 whose smiling banks, our la/y canvas village reposed; and 
 many a comical accident occurred from our soldier officer's 
 innocence, not only of nautical tactics, but of the simplest 
 natural results, familiar to most people from childhood. 
 For instance, one fine breezy morning, our boat close 
 hauled, and without ballast, we were dashing along in 
 magnificent style, our lee gunwale slightly dipping in^he 
 water, receiving it at intervals in bucketfuls. and giving a 
 bailer sufficient exercise to keep her free; the captain 
 beginning to feel rather nervous, and doubtless imagining 
 some nautical expedient requisite, in what he considered a 
 serious emergency, yet, too self-satisfied in his own 
 resources, to solicit advice, he proceeded to act in con- 
 sonance with his peculiar ideas in relation to ..latter and 
 motion. 
 
 I, at this crisis, was snugly ensconced in the weather 
 stern shoets, and in that dreamy forgetful mood, which 
 the monotonous pipe of the sea breeze is so apt to engen- 
 der ; when I was aroused, by a polite request from him, 
 to remove my person to the lee side, in order, as he said, 
 to adjust the specific gravity of the boat. One glance at 
 his eyes informed me that Ye was serious, and another to 
 leeward told me Avhat would be the inevitable result ; but 
 a clear pebbly bottom four or five feet deep, on a summer 
 morning was no way distasteful to me, particularly when 
 fun was attached to it, so I promptly obeyed, with aa 
 
 
 R: 
 
fill 
 
 1^ 
 
 
 i! 
 
 > 1 
 
 194 
 
 RA.MBLINOS IN CALIFOHNIA. 
 
 heavy a sway as possible. Ah I expected, the bout tilled 
 at once, and wo soon found ourselves nearly to the neck in 
 the little billows. Our hero bellowed most lustily for help, 
 as his short stature <i^uve the briny element rather un- 
 pleasant access to his stomach. The assistance was given, 
 and we safely landed him, after an hour's thorouj^h soak- 
 ing ; yet, strange enough, on the very next day, he gave 
 a still more ridiculous order; for having discovered, when 
 about a league from land, some water remaining in the 
 bottom of the boat, he solemnly commanded one of the 
 rowers to withdraw the bottom plug, for the purpose of 
 draining her I The man's refusal to comply, nearly caused 
 a mutiny, but we were all obliged to side with him, for 
 this would most probably liave been attended with more 
 disastrous consequences, than the former proceeding. 
 
 What a higglety pigglety mess of triaiKjulation, did wc 
 make upou that coast? Bluffs substituted for sand spits, 
 and pretty little islands witli trees on them, placed in 
 suitable positions, in order to fill up the landscape agreea- 
 bly. But then the cliaiate is not subject to tempests, and 
 should a vessel get ashore — as she surely must, if she de- 
 pend upon our charts— she may, with some expense, be 
 extricated, without having her brains knocked out, but a 
 little premium on insurance, would undoubtedly be a safe 
 investment to traders in these waters. 
 
 Tobiii and I shortly united ourselves to another^ party 
 further up the coast, where wc employed ourselves in the 
 k'zy occupation of watching the tides rise and fall, by a 
 graded staff. Many an hour wc passed in the little build- 
 in", like a sentry box, which was erected on two strong 
 sticks of timber, that projected from the steep rock, eter- 
 nally beat by the long rollers of the ocean. The staff 
 
UA.Vni.INOS JN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 195 
 
 bout tilled 
 le neck in 
 V for help, 
 •ather un- 
 *va.s given, 
 )ugh soak- 
 ', he gave 
 red, when 
 ng in the 
 ne of the 
 )urpose of 
 rly caused 
 I hi 111, for 
 with more 
 ding. 
 
 ■jn^ did we 
 <and spits, 
 placed io 
 pe agreea- 
 pests, and 
 if she de- 
 ;pense, be 
 out, but a 
 ' be a safe 
 
 :her party 
 ^es in the 
 fall, by a 
 ittle build- 
 ;wo strong 
 rock, eter- 
 The staff 
 
 was attached to a float, and enclosed in a long box, like a 
 spout, with a small hole in the bottom, that admitted the 
 tide as it rose, without being aftected by the rush of the 
 sea; and our duty was to note in a small book, hourly, the 
 height of the water as delineated on the stall". Tobin 
 was extremely awkward and incorrect in his observations; 
 and, only that no substitute could be procured within two 
 hundred miles, the commanding ofHcer would undoubtedly 
 have dispensed with his services at short notice. He 
 would take to his retreat a Spanish grammar, and when 
 deep in the mysteries of the verbs, would altogether for- 
 get his present duty, and allow the period for noting the 
 figures to pass, thus bringing confusion on the whole table. 
 But it was found better to allow him his book, for when 
 deprived of it, he comfortably betook himself to slumber, 
 during the whole six hours of his watch. 
 
 A few days previous to our departure for another dis- 
 trict, we had all our tents removed to a point on the 
 beach, about two miles from the staff, where it was acces- 
 sible by the boats of the steamer, that made transient 
 calls, at rare intervals ; and the watching proce.s.j was a 
 particularly dreary affair, particularly at night time, for 
 there was no habitation nearer than ten miles off, except- 
 ing our one little camp upon the beach. I arrived one 
 morning about six o'clock, from the camp, for the purpose 
 of relieving my co-worker, who had kept the watch from 
 the previous midnight, and who generally at this time 
 was quite ready for his breakfast ; for eating was the only 
 occupation he preferred to studying Castilian. A small 
 platform of plank, had been placed among the rocks in 
 front of the sentry box, for the purpose of a promenade, 
 when our cramped limbs required relief, and upon placing 
 
100 
 
 UAMItlJNOS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 my foot upon it this morniriir, I was horrified to nr tico it 
 «mcaro(l from oiid to end, with ^'oiits of hlood and hraiu.s, 
 the door closed, and the stillness of (h'ath on everything, 
 breathless with the fear of some dreadful eatastroplie, 1 
 cautiously pushed tlu; door ajar, and perceived To))in 
 squatted in the corner, his face, arms, and chest, crusted 
 over with blood, and perfectly naked from the waist up- 
 ward. To my first hurried (|uesti()ris lu; mcndy replied, 
 by pointini;- with his flnj^or to the ttpposite corner, where, 
 stark and still' lay the massive proportions of a California 
 lion, with its head completely beaten to a jelly, and n(>arly 
 filliu->- up the half of the house. Tobiu was unable to 
 move, and hardly able to speak ; I was therefore obliged 
 to return to camp fur assistance, and we soon had him 
 home, his W(mnds examined — which were all superficial — 
 and the story of his prowess related, as soon as ho was 
 capable of speaking v/ith fluency. 
 
 About an hour previous to my arrival, and whih; day 
 had just dawned, he was sitting on the bench reading by 
 a lamplight, when he thought he heard a 8tep upon the 
 platform. Surprised at such an early visit, he incautiously 
 opened the door, and found himself close, and face to face 
 with the lion. Now, Tobin, although as arrant a coward 
 as ever breathed, was remarkably gifted with clum.sy 
 strength ; and like many others of his calibre, would fight 
 !ike H hero, when retreat was impossible, as in the present 
 instance. The savage beast bounded on him as soon as it 
 perceived him, and he had just sufficient time to drop his 
 grammar, and grapple it by the throat in the first embrace. 
 For a quarter of an hour the deadly fight continued, and 
 for all the agile body of the wild animal, threw him round 
 in every pos.sible direction, breaking the staff to pieces, a 
 
 1 
 
tif tico it 
 III (I l>raiii,s, 
 vorything. 
 •stroplio, 1 
 'cd Tobin 
 Mt, cruHtcd 
 
 wuiHt up- 
 \y replied, 
 or, whoro, 
 Ciilif'ortiia 
 ind ri(!arly 
 unable to 
 "c obliged 
 
 hiid him 
 )erficiul — 
 !iK he waH 
 
 vhil(! day 
 jading by 
 
 upon the 
 cautiously 
 uo to face 
 
 a coward 
 
 1 cluniHy 
 )uld fight 
 e prcHcnt 
 ;oon a,s it 
 
 drop his 
 embrace, 
 ued, and 
 im round 
 piecos, a 
 
 KAMHMNUS IN CAMKOHNIA. 
 
 107 
 
 barometer, and variou.s other meteorological inntrumentu, 
 bcHidoH dragging him more than once to the very brow of 
 tho cliff, and ripping his flesh with itH long nharj) claws; 
 ho still contrived to maintain his desperate grip(! upon its 
 windpipe, and fairly managi'd to strangle it, eventually, 
 with no other arms than tlus extn'injdy awkward mms, that 
 nature had gifted him with. N«.t contented with his 
 vict((ry, when it lay a corpse at his feet, and wishing, 
 probably, to make assurance doubly sure, he proceeded to 
 uniko it (/xn/i r, by pounding th(> head to a mummy with 
 a larg<> ro(;k ; for which ne(!(|le,%s labor Ik; refH'ivcd some 
 <.'ensur((, to s(':is(MI the great praise his proW(^s,s had calhid 
 forth ; for the nnitilation (ilfcetually pr(!vent(;d tlu! stuffing 
 of the skin, and its exportation to the Smithsonian Insti- 
 tute at Washington. 
 
 A few months after this badle he was caslii(!r(M| (or 
 incompetentM;. The eommandid" olliccr in <'ivii!<f lijn, 
 advice for his future guidance, told him ho could not 
 think of ntainiiig hiin in n s(!rvic(" totiijjy uiisniird to 
 his talents. 
 
 " •''""'," >-iid he, " I am a faitlifu! believer in bumps, 
 ;in(l the doctrine that ' lutthing is made in vain,' and 
 many a mglit have I lost my golden sleep, in vain .'pecu- 
 lations as to the caii.sc of your creation ; but,, /'Jinr/.a .' I 
 have got it, at last, (lo my l>oy, with iuy blessing, exer- 
 eise your gifts in that calling, l\,y which nature has 
 -;mphatically marked you out. Vou are a lion-slayer 1 go 
 on, and prosper in your carccir— and you will, doubtlcHh, 
 yet attain an honorable corner in tin; nielu! of fame." 
 
 'i'obm bade us a melancholy adieu, carrying his ward- 
 robe uiuler his arm, which consisted of his grammar and a 
 tooth brush, rolled carefully up in a seedy shooting jacket. 
 
 Si . 
 
 I 
 
108 
 
 RAMBLINGS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 Fill 
 
 
 \\' 
 
 %y 
 
 .V# 
 
 and notwithstanding the confidence with whirh the cap- 
 tain had expressed himself touching his sure success as a 
 hunter, I had much fear that he would yet encounter dis- 
 tress ; for like the Italian beggar, laziness was a chronic 
 disease with him, and his clumsy unbusiness-like exterior, 
 was extremely detrimental to his probable success, in any 
 mercantile or literary employment. 
 
 Just one year from this, I again encountered my old 
 friend, in the cabin of a coasting steamer^ and if ever a 
 man might be said to have shed the old hair, in the com- 
 pletest style, tltat man was Tobin 1 lie was attired in 
 faultless black, his thick fingers clogged with precious 
 rings, and his front adorned with gold chains and brooches 
 innumerable. Hanging affectionately upon his arm, was 
 the loveliest little pet of a Spanish woman imaginable, to 
 whom with a proud and well satisfied air, he introduced 
 mo. She was his v/ife, aye, actually Mrs. Tobin, was 
 that sweet little Signora. In a country like this, where 
 the coarsest of Eve's daughters, may make her choice 
 among tlie gveatest in the land, ai)d superciliously reject 
 the very flower of the lords of the creation, this hump- 
 backed, useless creature, had won one of thu fairest and 
 richest liciresses, among the landed proprietors of the 
 State. 
 
 He had (juietly marked out the beautifid Isabella long 
 before, during a temporary halt at a rich ranchero's cam, 
 in one of our surveying excursions, and mentally resolved 
 to ac((uire her musical language, that he might woo and 
 win her, and it was for this object alone that he had con- 
 sumed so much midnight oil in the lonely tide-house. 
 "But," concluded he, "my knowledge of the language 
 would have been insufficient of itself, to bring matters to 
 
K the cap- 
 iiccess as a 
 ounter dis- 
 ! a chronic 
 cc exterior, 
 ess, in any 
 
 ed my old 
 
 I if ever a 
 
 II the com- 
 attircd in 
 
 h precious 
 id brooches 
 s arm, was 
 i^itiablc, to 
 introduced 
 robin, was 
 his, wliere 
 her choice 
 lusly reject 
 :his hump- 
 fairest and 
 )rs of the 
 
 il)elUi loni; 
 
 IlAMiJLTNOS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 109 
 
 ero s ca)ia 
 
 ly resolved 
 it woo and 
 e had con- 
 tido-housc. 
 [1 language 
 matters to 
 
 a successful issue, had I not gently intimated by reputa- 
 ble witnesses, that 1 was a judge ; for, one of the greatest 
 weaknesses of this people is their respect for titles ; and 
 besides the worthy pafbr of the young lady, no doubt 
 calculated on my connection with his family, i!s a sure 
 preventative to the encroachments of ' El squatteros dcs 
 los An-ericanos,' which I guess will be the case. It only 
 now remained to convert me to the true faith, and this 
 was happily accomplished in a twelve hour's sitting, with 
 a very good-natured, and accommodating priest. 8o, that, 
 I am now the sole proprietor of an excellent wife, nine 
 square leagues of a fat soil, and some thousand he:uls of 
 cattle and horses, branded with a ca -tal T." 
 
 THE VOVAGE. 
 
 Six or seven years ago, a trip to California, was a very 
 different affair in expense, consumption of time, and risk 
 of life and limb, to what the performance of the same feat 
 is at the present time. Of the three great routes, viz : — 
 the overland, directly across the continent, the long ocean 
 voyage around Cape Horn, and the way by the isthmus of 
 Darien or Panama; the latter, although ori'Jiially the 
 most dangerous of the three, has gradually gained ground 
 in the coniidence of the public, and is just now immeasur- 
 ably in advance of any, for speed, comfort, econcmiy, and 
 safety. The way across the plains at first, and even now, 
 presents itself in the brightest colors, to the settlers along 
 the banks of the Mississippi, and the vast regions watered 
 
 ic river. They possessed 
 
 !:i 
 
 by the tributaries of that gigant 
 
'IJ 
 
 200 
 
 llAMBLINGS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 ^' I 
 
 -i J 
 
 ! - 
 
 I;' 
 
 
 «\| 
 
 the advantage oi' more tlian one-third of the continent in 
 the first instance over the eastern eniiarant, and besides u 
 land journey would bo hy no moans so distasteful to 
 people ac(iuaintod with no other moans of transport, and 
 possessing' by tradition a chronic horror of salt water. 
 
 The western, and more especially, the south-western, 
 farmer, collected toi;ether his flocks and his herds, his wag- 
 gons, his wife, liis little ones, and even his slaves, if he 
 possessed any, and calmly commenced a journey princi- 
 pally throut;'li a barren wilderness, peopled by hostile tribes 
 of savages, warlike and cruel. Month after month, would 
 he pursue his way, often until six or eight had e:::pircd ; 
 his weary oattle worn to skin and bone, and perhaps the 
 whole of his family fallen victims to tlie relentless hate of 
 the aborigines, or the deadlier effects of fatigue and dis- 
 ease. Numbers of such instances have occurred annually, 
 yet still it is preferred by many tn the visionary terrors of 
 a sea voyage ; but it is not much patronized now, except 
 by the proprietors of cattle and horses, who often make 
 the trade lucrative, and many indeed follow it, as a regu- 
 lar employment, making annual trips, to purchase stock in 
 the cheap markets of Missouri, Arkansas, and Texas, and 
 finally dispose of them in the higher marts of California 
 and Oregon. 
 
 This is the only course upon which no improvement has 
 been made ; fc. excepting at a few scattering posts, where 
 bad provisions are sold almost for their Avoight in gold, 
 the road is a natural one, and the main portion of the 
 country still in the possession of the wild Camanchcs, 
 Pawnees, and Sioux, Yet for all it has received so little 
 improvement by the great trade between the iVtlantic and 
 the Pacific, it is destined, eventually, — far above the 
 
 i 
 
IlAMHLlXtiS TN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 201 
 
 )ntiucnt in 
 I besides u 
 tasteful to 
 isp(»rt, and 
 water, 
 h-western, 
 s, his wag- 
 aves, if he 
 cy princi- 
 stile tribes 
 itli, would 
 I e::;pired ; 
 erhaps the 
 ess hate of 
 }■ and dis- 
 l annually. 
 
 terrors of 
 DW, except 
 ften make 
 
 as a regu- 
 «e stock in 
 Fexas, and. 
 
 California 
 
 'cment has 
 ists, w^here 
 t in gold, 
 ion of the 
 [imanchcs, 
 )d so little 
 lantic and 
 ibove the 
 
 others — to receive tlie most; both from its directness, 
 and its forming a portion of the common territory. Tt i.s 
 highly probable that even during the late democratic ad- 
 ministration — antagonistic as the platform usually is to 
 internal improvement — assistance would have been granted 
 from the federal government, for the construction of a 
 railroad through this region, had not local jealousies be- 
 tween the different rival states, in expectation of benefits 
 to be derived therefrom, effectually prevented such a 
 desirable consummation. Tt can hardly be expected 
 though, that such a proverbially energetic people as the 
 Americans, will long permit party politics, and the thun- 
 derings of office-seeking demagogues, to divert the rich 
 traffic — still yearly on the increase — from their own native, 
 through a foreign soil, and three times the distance, in- 
 cluding a transfer of passengers and merchandise, from 
 ship to ship. 
 
 The great labor and expen.se of stowing and discharging 
 a cargo twice over, has, despite the desirable acquisition 
 of the Panama railroad, made the ocean way around the 
 southern extremity of the American continent, the fa- 
 vorite one still, to the shippers of heavy merchandise; 
 and the great improvement.':' in naval architecture, as 
 exemplified in the graceful and light proportions of the 
 new style of clipper .ships, aid niaterially in continuing it 
 as the most practical means of transport. And notwith- 
 standing that the distance is in the close neighborhood 
 of 15,000 miles, from New York to San Francisco, the 
 passage has been made in a less period than ninety days, 
 little more than one third of the average time consumed 
 in the transit by way of the desert and the territory of 
 Utah. Six or seven years ago a large portion of the Cali- 
 
 8 
 
 t.l 
 
 in 
 
11 
 
 lis 
 
 ,9' 
 
 202 
 
 KAMBLINCiS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 # 
 
 •!.# 
 
 fornia emigrants were conveyed in clippers, and they 
 principally arrived in the country safe, and in good liealth, 
 but the quicker passage by the Isthmus, though more ex- 
 posed to danger and sickness, has gradually monopolized 
 the entire passenger trade. 
 
 At the time I formed the determination of adding 
 myself to the countless and motley crowd of gold-seekera 
 who were pouring in, not only from civilized and enlight- 
 ened, but also from the barbarous nations of the earth, 
 the Chagres river was the main thoroughfare to the 
 Pacific, and on my arrival in New York, I found that the 
 berths in the expected steamors were monopolized for 
 at least two mouths to come. Now, as backing out of 
 a project ou the first rebuff, is not precisely my nature, I 
 hunted diligently around the wharves for some days, with 
 the hope of finding among the forest of masts some means 
 of conveyance to the promised land, and at length suc- 
 ceeded in making an arrangement with the master of 
 a fine little Yankee bark, who was bound on a voyage to 
 the port of Chagres, to convey our company — faur in all — 
 to the port jf his destination. We were soon comfortably 
 domiciled in the cabin of the vessel, and after a pleasant 
 run of a month, through the sunny Carribbean, and ob- 
 taining a splendid view of the black empire of Saint 
 Domingo, and the much coveted " gem of the Antilles," 
 we hove in sight of the bamboo houses of Chagres. 
 
 A New York steamer had just arrived with passengers, 
 and the rush for the river boats wa3 tremendous ; but we, 
 along with some twenty others fortunately succeeded in 
 securing a boat to convey us as far as the river was navi- 
 gable, by paying a very exorbitant price. The first night 
 we encamped upon the beach, some fifteen miles up, where 
 
, and they 
 ^ood liealth, 
 :^li more ex- 
 nonopolizod 
 
 I of addin<^ 
 c^old-scekera 
 uid cnliglit- 
 f the earth, 
 fare to the 
 ind that the 
 Dpolized for 
 king out of 
 ly nature, I 
 E3 days, with 
 some means 
 length suc- 
 ! master of 
 a voyage to 
 'our in all — 
 comfortably 
 r a pleasant 
 !an, and ob- 
 re of 8uint 
 c Antilles," 
 grcs. 
 
 1 passengers, 
 us ; but wc, 
 uccecded in 
 er was uavi- 
 le first night 
 23 up, where 
 
 RAMHLINOS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 203 
 
 wc spent a rather sleepless night annoyed by the fear of 
 snakes and centipedes, and the heavy splashing of the 
 crocodiles in the river, hard by. The next day we accom- 
 plished another twenty miles, walking the entire way 
 through thick brambles, for so shallow was the river, that 
 our luggage alone was sufiicicnt cargo for the boat; and 
 at the conclusion of the third day, arrived at the terminus 
 (jf our river travel. The next day we made our cniree 
 into Panama, and although New York ajid Chagres were 
 sufficiently crowded with anxious en(juirers for a par.-age, 
 the excitement here was ten times more intense. Thou- 
 sands like ourselves failing in their object of obtaining 
 through tickets originally, had ventured thus far in 
 the vain hope that a vacancy would occur somewhere, and 
 that, perhaps, fortune might be more propitious to 
 them than to their neighbors, but instead of any such 
 means of progress presenting itself, thousands even of 
 those who actually covenanted for the through trip, were 
 obliged by scarcity of room, to remain for more than two 
 months, giving precedence to the early purchasers. More 
 than ten thousand strangers it was supposed were congre- 
 gated at this period, within the walls of this small and 
 unwholesome city, crowds of them too, were sick and 
 utterly penniless, foolishly depending on the chances of 
 workintjf their passauics, when hundreds of men familiar to 
 the sea from childhood were begging in the stret'ts. »Some 
 wild and adventurous sailors after laying in a small stock 
 of necessaries, proceeded on this long voyage through the 
 pathless ocean in open whale boats, and some of them 
 actually reached California by this fragile means of con- 
 veyance, but the greater number of those who attempted 
 it, either perished or were forced on the Mexican coast, 
 

 204 
 
 RA.MIJLINd.S IN' CALIFORNIA. 
 
 tliuugli the latter jilternative would be iiiuch preferable to 
 any, than a lengthened sojourn in this den of horrors, with 
 food only obtainable at famine prices, and pestilential as 
 the black hole at Calcutta. ,just at this time an extremely 
 bold trick was executed by a piratical craft, and the only 
 sailing vessel in the harbor. She was advertised to take 
 passengers to San Francisco, and soon had engaged more than 
 three hundred at a high rate. ]3ut the night previous to 
 her expected departure, the anchor was weighed and next 
 morning the dim tracery of her proportions was just visible 
 in the distant horizon as she took her course seaward 
 without a solitary pre-p ;id passenger on board. At last a 
 schooner arrived from "Valparaiso, bearing the high soun- 
 ding title of a Baltimore clipper. She was called " The 
 Imhdia Ilcrmosa;' anglicc. Beautiful Isabella, but except 
 in the name itself, it must have been a sharper eye than 
 mine to perceive the least particle of beauty about the 
 graceless little hulk. At what period the lovely Isabel 
 left the stocks might have been a query worthy the atten- 
 tion of an antiquary, for the form of her hull had the 
 peculiarity of no precise age, nor did her present rig cor- 
 respond to any recognized system of the present. She 
 was nearly tlat-bottomed, registering about ninety tons and 
 a small poop at one extremity, was the best guide by 
 which to discriminate the stem from the stern. She was 
 owned, manned and commanded by Italians, and a more 
 awkward boat, managed by a clumsier crew, I trust never 
 attempted to make an ocean passage. If she had been a 
 New Zealander's war canoe, however, she could have 
 no difficulty therein filling up with twice the passengers to 
 which she was legally authorized, and in just three days from 
 the time of her arrival she was ready for sea, with a com- 
 
 I 
 
ferablo to 
 rors, with 
 ilcntial as 
 3xtrenicly 
 
 the only 
 d to take 
 more than 
 rcvious to 
 and next 
 ist visible 
 ! seaward 
 At last a 
 igh soun- 
 3d " The 
 lit except 
 eye than 
 bout the 
 ly Isabel 
 he atten- 
 
 had the 
 : rig cor- 
 nt. She 
 tons and 
 >uide by 
 She was 
 l1 a more 
 ist never 
 i been a 
 i!d have 
 3ngers to 
 lays from 
 h a com- 
 
 RAMBLINGS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 205 
 
 plemcntin precisely that ratio, viz : 130 men and 7 women. 
 Great delay and confusion were experienced in convey- 
 ing us on board the vessel which lay about two miles away 
 in the offing, for the small boats with native rowers were 
 the only means, and the heavy breakers from the bay made 
 it a hazardous undertakincr. We had made an arrangement 
 with one boatman, but on our arrival at the beach we 
 found ourselves superseded by a party bound for the 
 steamer, which was also with ourselves just on the point 
 of sailing. Chafing with the disappointment our only 
 resource was patiently to await her return, but alas ! we 
 had to wait in vain. A spit of sand extending beneath 
 the water from a point had to be crossed with the object 
 of shortening the distance, and as the water was extremely 
 shallow, three heavy swells in succession broke over it at 
 intervals with extreme violence. Whether by neglect or 
 wrong calculation the boat passed the point precisely at 
 the most dangerous time. She lifted her stern gallantly 
 to the two first breakers, but the third, and by far the 
 heaviest one, made a complete pall for the boat and her 
 ill-fated passengers, every one of whom were swept into 
 eternity. What made the scene appear with additional 
 horror — at least in my eyes — was the cold-blooded indif- 
 ference shown by the surrounding crowds to the catastro- 
 phe, for although two boats were within at least one 
 hundred yards of the spot where the disaster occurred, 
 scarcely a look was cast in the direction of the drowning 
 men, and not the smallest effort at assistance, attempted 
 by any one. The waves rolled on relentlessly as before, 
 the other rowers continued at their occupations, and a few 
 scattered hats that floated on the disturbed water were 
 the last mementos of that lifc-freidited boat. 
 
 S 2 
 
206 
 
 RAMBLINGS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 f 
 
 I 
 
 She was ({uito a Republican .ship, was the JuaU/ Her- 
 mosa, every one did nearly as he pleased on board, and 
 privilege was at a discount, but the worst feature in this 
 system was^ that one "gentleman's pleasure did not in all 
 instances correspond with his neighbor's precisely, and as 
 a consequence, several little lights occurred each day, cither 
 with fire arms or nature's arms. And unfortunately for the 
 cessation of hostilities, the principal weapons on board 
 were the Allan revolver, or pepper box; this instrument 
 was then comparatively a new invention, and few people 
 were aware of the dreadful power it possessed of continuing 
 a row for a month at a time, for although it would some- 
 times go ofi, sounding rcvolverish enough, I never yet 
 knew of an accident to occur from its use, even when the 
 shot was flying about like peas. It was most likely this 
 peculiar feature in the weapon that made our adventurers 
 so partial to sharp practice, no doubt wishing to habituate 
 themselves to stand fire, preparatory to the more serious 
 business with Colt's pistol, on their arrival in the El Do- 
 rado ] few were unprovided with two or three of these 
 articles, with a bowie knife in reserve, but the latter was 
 rarely applied to, except when the engagement became 
 really serious. 
 
 Our 130 men were divided into ten e((ual portions, 
 each forming precisely a baker's dozen, the odd man holding 
 the office of captain of tlic mess, and was elected daily. 
 Each individual was provided with a plate and a half pint 
 cup, made of tin, together with an iron spoon ; but as 
 many lost these useful utensils, through carelessness, and 
 had no delicacy in helping themselves from their neigh- 
 bors, whenever opportunity occurred for the perpetration 
 of the theft, great numbers had very shortly to perform 
 
 I 
 
ibel Hcr- 
 3ard. and 
 e in this 
 lot in all 
 y, and as 
 ay, cither 
 ily for the 
 on board 
 istrunicnt 
 w people 
 >utinuiug 
 lid some- 
 icver yet 
 kvhcn the 
 ikcly this 
 venturers 
 habituate 
 c serious 
 e El Do- 
 of these 
 atter was 
 / became 
 
 portions, 
 1 holdint^ 
 xl daily, 
 half pint 
 ; but as 
 less, and 
 r ncigh- 
 petration 
 perform 
 
 UAMBMNGS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 207 
 
 the nourishing,' process by the natural use of teeth and 
 claws. The eatables were of the simplest kind, and I must 
 do the chief manager the justice to say, that although he 
 was a native of Paris, and mvred with all the volubility of 
 a Frenchman, the cookery was by no moans complicated, 
 for, to the best of my knowledge, he never iiiflieted a 
 ragout or a kickshaw upon us, during the entire passage. 
 Our staple food consisted of yams and jerked beef, pro- 
 cured at Panama. The yam is a root, somewhat resembling 
 a coarse grained potato, and is familiar to most persons — 
 at least by repute— but the ''jerky," as we contemptuously 
 termed it at first, may rcciuire some little explanation. 
 The Spanish cattle are remarkably lank, raw}>oncd crea- 
 tures, wild as deer. They are invariably captured for the 
 butcher, by la^mimj^ and the calling of a vaquero^ as the 
 cowhuntcr is termed, re((uires great skill and experience 
 both in horsemanship and the use of ^the rictta or rope. 
 He proceeds upon a horse trained for the purpose, and 
 after selecting his animal from the herd, he commences to 
 run it down. After being exhausted by the chase, the 
 ereature at length stands at bay, and the vaquero cautiously 
 approaching, throws a noose with great precision over its 
 ample horns, often at a distance of twenty yards. The end 
 of the rietta is attached to the high horn of the saddle, 
 and the fatigued beast is submissively led to the shambles, 
 where it is soon butchered in the coarsest fashion, blood 
 rarely flowing to any extent, from the extreme heat of its 
 system engendered by its arduous hunt. 
 
 The flesh is cut from the bones, in tliin narrow strips ; 
 it is then thrown over a pale to dry in the sun, and finally 
 packed away in its own hide with some salt sprinkled 
 among it, the whole carcase thus forming a moderate load 
 
 t 
 
 
^SBH^SMS^E^^aBti 
 
 208 
 
 RAMBLINQS TN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 r 
 
 for one man. In all the Spanish American towns, this is 
 the only description of cured meat manufactured, and a 
 yard stick is used in the retailers' shops, for precisely the 
 same purpose as we use scales and weights. 
 
 Now, I have no prejudice against the Spaniards. In 
 fact, I rather admire theni; for their politeness, their hos- 
 pitality, and their enjoyment of the luxury of ease, but 
 candor compels me to admit, that the institution of jerked 
 beef adds little to their favor in my eyes, for the recollec- 
 tion of its mastication gives me the toothache to the present 
 hour. It is not at all too palatable when taken fresh from 
 the pole, but sweltering in its leather case, beneath a 
 tropical sun, for months, sadly deteriorates from the original 
 flavor, even without the usual accompaniment of worms. 
 However, as we had nothing else particularly to occupy 
 our attention, we had plenty of time to chew, and the 
 exercise was perhaps rather salutary than otherwise, taking 
 up such an important portion of the day ; for the interme- 
 diate time was chiefly spent in quarreling with each other 
 in word!3, or the eternal exercise of the patent pistol. 
 
 Water and provisions had been laid in, on the estimate 
 that the passage would be performed in six weeks, but at 
 the end of a month we found ourselves just four hundred 
 miles on our course^ which left the remaining twenty-eight 
 hundred miles to be performed in two weeks. It had been 
 almost a dead calm for the whole period, and and we knew 
 not how long it might continue, yet at a council called by 
 the master, for the purpose of learning our wish, it was 
 agreed by tlie majority, that we should persevere in the 
 attempt to reach California without putting back, and 
 lengthen our time by reducing our rations one half. Then 
 was the time to try men's stomachs 1 The black putrid 
 

 RAMULINCS IN CALIFOHMA 
 
 209 
 
 s, this is 
 !d, aiul a 
 isely the 
 
 rds. In 
 heir hos- 
 sase, but 
 3f jerked 
 reeollec- 
 present 
 esh from 
 3neath a 
 ; original 
 ' worms. 
 ) occupy 
 and the 
 e, taking 
 intcrme- 
 ch other 
 tol. 
 
 estimate 
 i, but at 
 hundred 
 ity-eight 
 had been 
 we knew 
 jailed by 
 3, it was 
 in the 
 ,ck, and 
 '. Then 
 c putrid 
 
 water which had previously l)een despised, was now sought 
 alter with avidity, and became sweet and palatable, while 
 even the formerly despised >/•%, rose vastly in public esti- 
 mation, and its unsightly tripelike appearance gazed on 
 with admiration and respect. But thescarcity of water was 
 the greatest discomfort; even whiskey was at a discount with 
 the topers, when unaccompanied with the simpler element 
 and numy a quart of Otard's best brandy was reluctantly 
 spilled overboard, accompanied by many a sigh at the un- 
 congenial dilution, for the purpose of securing the bottle 
 to hold the daily pint ration of water. 
 
 The bottle was suspended around the neck of each, by a 
 cord, and remained there night and day, for should it be 
 left a moment in any other position, unwatched by the 
 proprietor, the contents would be unscrupulously swallowed 
 by the first thirsty soul who got his eye upon the treasure. 
 Our tempers, none of the sweetest previous to the scarcity, 
 became if possible more crabbed than ever, and a spirit of 
 contradiction and combativeness appeared to be nourished 
 in every breast. The hold was so very shallow and close, 
 that no one attempted to rest below, and in consequence, 
 the entire deck fore and aft, was covered with sleepers 
 each night, and so predominant is habit in the nature of 
 man, under any circumstances, that each one was to the 
 full as persistent in retaining his usual position on the dirty 
 deck, as ho would formerly have been with regard to his 
 chair at the family table. The right of first discovery was 
 chiefly allowed, although many a bloody nose was the effect 
 of a struggle for a coil of rope, or the greasy bilge of a 
 pork barrel ; for from the contumaciousness of some, who 
 persisted in lying in what form thoy pleased, many were 
 obliged to take their nightly slumbers in a sitting posture, 
 
210 
 
 R.VMMLINC.S l\ ("ALlI-'OriNIA. 
 
 ■ 
 
 thcro not bcinf^ room for all to recline, unless >villin^c,' to 
 do tlio agreeable, by trying it spoon fashion. Oh, they 
 were a sweet set of savages, the Ilennosaitea ! And T have 
 often thought since, that the rotten old boat was only 
 saved from the winds and waves, on account of the number 
 on board, who were certainly born to be hanged. 
 
 For more than a week after the allowance system had 
 been established, we had fair fresh breezes from the south, 
 and made good progress during that time, fcjr even a hay 
 stack would sail before the wind, and our vcs.«-el was fully 
 a match for that. But as we ncared the gulf of California, 
 the raw north-west breeze so peculiar to that latitude, 
 forced us to ^ail on a wind for another week, beating back- 
 wards and forwards, without gaining an inch, until finally 
 the dissatisfaction became so great, it was determined to 
 bear up and make a fair wind for the harbor of xVeapulco 
 in Mexico, twelve hundred miles north-west from Panama, 
 at which place we arrived in fifty-two days from the time 
 of our departure. 
 
 Aeapulco is a beautiful, well sheltered liti^e harbor, easy 
 of entrance, and in an excellent position for a flourishing 
 trade, but the indolent inhabitants make but little use of 
 the advantages they possess. Its intermediate position on 
 the California route, together with its convenience to a rich 
 iidaud country for supplies, have made it a great coal n-.- 
 pot for all the steamers on the coast, that call reg,:\u'j- 
 both ways. When we arrived in port, wc found three 
 more vessels, precisely in a similar position to our own, 
 filled with passengers, half starved, and nearly destitute. 
 To our amazement and concern, we were here given to 
 understand by these unfortunates, that the vessels were 
 to proceed no further, the captains declaring, they had no 
 
RAMHLIXaS IN rAMFORNlA. 
 
 211 
 
 illinc; to 
 )h, they 
 d I have 
 ras only 
 number 
 
 [cm had 
 le south, 
 n a hay 
 ivas fully 
 ilifornia, 
 latitude, 
 in"- back- 
 il finally 
 mined to 
 tVcapulco 
 Panama, 
 the time 
 
 bor, easy 
 )urishing 
 :le use of 
 isition on 
 ! to a rieh 
 coal d';- 
 
 rejTMlir'r 
 
 nd three 
 3ur own, 
 JcE^titute. 
 given to 
 sels were 
 y had no 
 
 fundfj to lay in frc^h .supplies fur the remainder of the pas- 
 sago, and that the passengers mu^t shift fur themselves as 
 they best could. Our American friends laughed long and 
 loudly, at the idea of the Ilermosu's captain attempting 
 such a trick under the very nose, as they said, of the stars 
 and stripes, as they floated broadly from the United States 
 consul's window. But the impartial Itah'an captain treated 
 the free Americans as though they were no better clay 
 than Britishers or Dutchmen, for the first night he spirited 
 himself off, with all his valuables, and next morning we 
 received a note, implying his intention, with the other cap- 
 tains, of repudiating all indebtedness; granting his permis- 
 sion, if we pleased, to sit out the last of the jerked beef, 
 but accompanied by the significant hint, that if we at- 
 tempted the capture of the vessel, or to injure her in any 
 shape during our stay on board, we would be fired at by 
 the guns of the fort, which commanded our position beau- 
 tifully. 
 
 The indignant citizens of the great republic posted at 
 once to their Consul with the story of their wrongs, and 
 when they were at last brouglit face to face with that 
 official, after he had dodged them successfully until late in 
 the afternoon, they received a flat refusal of any assistance 
 from him, accuiiipanied with an insulting command to 
 leave his presence. And this I have found to be the 
 general character of these gentlemen in all unimportant 
 ports, for their salary from government being quite insuf- 
 ficient for their support, men of talent and respectability 
 rarely accept of the office, and those who do, are only 
 approachable by a bribe, which is their real wages. 
 
 There was a poor young lad on board of the vessel a 
 native of Indiana, lying very sick with the Chagres 
 
 I 
 
212 
 
 RAMliLIN(;s IN CALIFORXIA. 
 
 \ 
 
 I 
 
 §>' 
 
 If 
 
 is 
 
 "k* 
 
 fever, which he liad contracted on tlic rstlinius, and a 
 friend of miie who took a great interest in his case, 
 endeavoured to persuade some of tlie Americans to inter- 
 cede witli tlieir Consul for his removal to the hospital, for 
 he was at the time dying by inches from unwholesome 
 food and impure air, but they were much too irritated at 
 their rebuff to attempt facing his highness once more. He 
 then proposed to me that we should make the attempt of 
 softening the heart of the United States representative, 
 for the sake of the dying youth, to which I con- 
 sented, and we proceeded at once to the great man's 
 door. A smart negro wench responded to our summons, 
 who left us to apprize her lord, of our request to see him, 
 saying — "Law Massa, ef here aint two more starved 
 Yankees a-wantingsummat." The inside door was then 
 opened with a bang, and the fiery Consul strode into the 
 hall to meet us, looking red as a steamboat light, from the 
 combined effects of a(/ua dentr and indignation. " Hallo" 
 said he, " more on you ? Didn't I tell the others to show 
 their ugly faces no more, or I'd put them on board a man- 
 of-war, as sure as there's niggers in Baton Rouge '^ Why 
 don't you speak?" continued he in a voice like thunder, 
 *' What do you want? Air you citizens?" The fervent 
 "No tha!ik (»od," in reply, appeared to mollify our fierce 
 questioner so much, that he heard our simple request 
 patiently without interruption, and then replied, much 
 cahucr — " Now ain't you a pretty considerable pair of 
 green gawneys, I mought have known you were none of 
 our folks. Du you know what you are, sure ? I'll tell you 
 and no offence," then fixing his hand up to resemble an 
 ear trumpet he applied it to his mouth, saying in a loud 
 confidential whisper, " Yer f-fools ! AVhat on airth is it 
 
RAMBLINGS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 213 
 
 US, and a 
 1 his case, 
 lis to intev- 
 ospital, for 
 iwliolesome 
 irritated at 
 more. He 
 attempt of 
 eseutativc, 
 ich I con- 
 reat man's 
 • summons, 
 io see him, 
 re starved 
 
 was then 
 c into the 
 t, from the 
 
 " Hallo" 
 *s to show 
 ard a man- 
 -e y Why 
 e thunder, 
 he fervent 
 our fierce 
 le request 
 ied, much 
 le pair of 
 e none of 
 .'11 tell you 
 semble an 
 ■ in a loud 
 lirth is it 
 
 your business if all our folks dies '( Uncle Sam is able to 
 get them a coffin T guess, without applyin' to onnateralized 
 forniers. Ciood day," and saying which, he presented a 
 wooden wall between us, by slamnnng the door ii. our 
 faces, just as my companion was doubling his fist up in a 
 very significant manner. 
 
 An iron hook on each side of the Consul's door inspired 
 my partner with a bright idea, and our resolution was 
 formed upon the instant. We proceeded back to our 
 dirty craft and after informing the invalid of our intention 
 we conveyed him ashoi'c, hammock and all, as gently as 
 possible to the house whose door had been shut in our 
 faces. We then suspended each end of it to the iron 
 hooks leaving the body to hang directly across the door, at 
 a height of three feet. The poor boy was visibly improved 
 by the change of quarters, for the air was pure and 
 refreshing to his emaciated frame, and the flaunting flag 
 of his native laud, as it waved proudly over him, served 
 one very useful purpose at least, by sheltering his person 
 from the fierce rays of the sun. 
 
 A crowd soon collected in the street opposite to the 
 mansion, all gazing in wonder at the novel spectacle, and 
 his Excellency, as he watched from the window, opened 
 the door to find the cause of so many enquiring looks. One 
 glance at the obstruction informed him of the cause, and 
 our presence in the front ranks confirmed it. In speechless 
 rage at the disgrace we put him to, he shook his clenched 
 claws savagely, and fiercely shut out the horrible vision. 
 A few minutes after, however, the wench was seen dodging 
 beneath the hammock and posting rapidly towards the 
 hospital, from whence she was soon followed by two stout 
 men bearing a litter, who shortly after conveyed the invalid 
 to comfortable quarters. x 
 
 ■I' 
 
if 
 
 \ 
 
 WH 
 
 i! 
 
 211 
 
 HAMRLIN«iS IN ( AMFORNIA. 
 
 We then luiido our application to tlie IJriti.sh (\)nsul, 
 who receivcMl us kindly, and advised us to retain our hold 
 on the vessel for the present, promising to use his best 
 endeavours to nial:e the Captain forward us to the desired 
 port. The Captain had already sent us a supply of such 
 provisions as the market alh rded, enough for a few days, 
 and living partly on board and partly ashore, wcs contrived 
 to pass a week or two in anxious expectation. The time 
 though passed pleasantly enougli, for the novelty of every- 
 thinir surrounding us possessed deep interest to those having 
 a particle of observation or curiosity. The sombre piercing 
 eyed natives, their sultry brows shaded by their broad grass 
 hats, every niovemcnt rife with natural grace, even to the 
 set of the tattered blanket on their slioulders — the sylphlike 
 forms of the females poising great baskets of fruit on their 
 heads, tripping to the nuirket, laughing and talking to 
 each other in their own musical tongue — the broad fringe 
 of cocoa nut and orange trees in perpetual verdure skirting 
 the bases of the bleak rocky hills, that surround the haven 
 — the never-exhausted cock and bull tights, and the ever- 
 changing interest called fortli in the features of the looker 
 on — the waters of the bay sparking in the sun.shine clear as 
 crystal, filled witli strange and uncouth formed fislies — and 
 tiny children of six years old, floating in luxurious ease 
 upon its surface close to the ves.sels, watching the descent 
 of a picayune from some kind hand, and ready to seize it 
 o'er its descent to the flashing coral beneath. 
 
 But the craving desire of reaching the land of gold, 
 soon overwhelmed every other in my eyes, and tired of 
 tiring out our Italian commander, I again took passage in 
 an upward bound steamer, with a complement of 1500. 
 The crowd was equally oppressive with the smaller vessel 
 
I our hold 
 e Ins best 
 lie desired 
 y of such 
 few days, 
 contrived 
 The time 
 \f of cvery- 
 osc having 
 'c piercing 
 >road grass 
 ven to the 
 ?. sylphlikc 
 it on their 
 talking to 
 oad fringe 
 re skirting 
 the haven 
 1 the ever- 
 tlie looker 
 ne clear as 
 slies — and 
 irious ease 
 he descent 
 to seize it 
 
 d of gold, 
 d tired of 
 passage in 
 t of 1500. 
 lUer vessel 
 
 UAMBLIN(;8 IN' nALIFORNlA. 
 
 215 
 
 I had just left, the few berths were of course all occupied, 
 and as before I had to take my rest on the open deck. It 
 of course oifered great attractions to an astronomer, to 
 study the wonders of the starry Heavens, in the deep blue 
 sky of the racific, or even to the lover who wished to 
 make sonnets to his mistress' eye-brows; but I blush 
 to own, a crib of straw in the dark hold hud much 
 more attraction for me, and had I been able to procure it, 
 I will venture to say that my projecting bones would have 
 been no way injured by the exchange. The time consumed 
 on board of this boat was only a week, but to me it seemed 
 an age of horrors, Panama fever and cholera were raging 
 on board, and every hour found a victim. The obsequies 
 were of the simplest nature — the valuables of the deceased 
 and the name were deposited with the Captain, and the 
 body committed to the deep, live minutes after dissolution, 
 and the shoals of sharks that followed in our wake told 
 significantly their unerring fate; more than once I was 
 aroused in the night by the grumbling sailors as they 
 dragged corpses over my recumbent person, on their road 
 to the gangway, and many a man on rousing himself found 
 his bedfellow of the proceeding night to be a stiffened 
 corpse. 
 
 JJut Cape St. Jiucas and the long low sandhills of the 
 lower peninsula are passed, the lung looked for Farallone 
 Islands, and the deep fissure of the golden gate present them- 
 selves to our hanging eyes, the cannon belches forth its 
 flame as we round Clark's Point, and the (lueen city of the 
 Western world shines brightly on the slopes of Ycrbu 
 Buena. In two weeks more all the British and French 
 subjects of the wretched huhel ILrmom — at least the 
 living portion — arrived in San Francisco, for more than 
 
\ 
 
 ii: 
 
 
 216 
 
 RAMBLIN<1S IN OALIFORNIA. 
 
 one half fell victims to the pestilence. What became of 
 the unfortunate Americans and others destitute of funds, 
 whose governments were unable or uuwillinc: to protect 
 them, I never learnt. Some inp^cnious fellows no doubt, 
 contrived to make uood their through trip, but undoubtedly 
 the greater portion of them met with miserable deaths in 
 a foreign and unhospitablc land. 
 
 THE SALTER. 
 
 P,4 
 
 I have alluded once to the process termed "' salting," 
 and the usual method by which it is performed by a shot 
 gun, but various other ingenious plans are resorted to for 
 the perpetration, all tending to the same object, viz: the 
 change of funds, from the pockets of the green to those of 
 tlie '' smart." But a great degree of acutcness is necessary 
 at tlie present day, to cheat ajiy the least suspicious and 
 possessing a moderate degree of experience. 
 
 Alifk Ross, a tall raw-boned North Briton, had long 
 Ix'on in the service of the Hudson's Bay Company, and 
 was a vcsidoiit of (^\lifovnia for several xoars prior to the 
 discoveries at Sutter's Mill. He had constantly adhered 
 to mining, and being iiatnrally a slirewd fellow, had of 
 course ;ie(juired much skill, as well as a correct judgment 
 of the (jualityof ground from its consistence -iiid the value 
 of gold in various districts, particularly as he bad tried his 
 hand iti nearly every camp of the entire region. Our camp, 
 which was on a branch of the Calaveras, contained very 
 spotted digginus, und as a eonse(|Uenee, large strikes had 
 been made at various times, that had the elVect of obtaining 
 
RAMHLIN'its IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 217 
 
 became of 
 of funds, 
 to protect 
 no doubt, 
 doubtodly 
 deaths in 
 
 " salting/' 
 1 by a shot 
 fted to for 
 :, viz : the 
 to those of 
 ^ necessary 
 )ici()us and 
 
 liad lonii' 
 ipany, and 
 \vv to the 
 ly lidhorod 
 iw, had of 
 
 judgment 
 1 the v:duc 
 id tried liis 
 Our camp, 
 lined very 
 
 , I ii\ v~ Jia'a 
 
 ;' ol>t;unini»; 
 
 for it isome favorable notoriety in the eyes of the public. 
 We had some very skilful salters, who had plied their 
 trade profitably for some time, resting on the reputation of 
 the diggings, and so ably did they manage it, that they 
 were not obliged even to abscond, the bad luck of the 
 purchaser being always attributed to the irregularity of the 
 deposits. 
 
 Alick arrived one day, and soon had it gossiped round, 
 that he was in search of a good claim to purchase, but as 
 we afterwards discovered, he had not one week's board 
 ahead, for although he had made money, he took care, like 
 many cautious ones, to dispatch it home as fast as he ac- 
 (luired it. \ le put up at the hotel, however, " showed out" 
 handsomely at the bar, and in an extremely short space of 
 time, had many tenders of great bargains. The fraternity 
 tried him with several, but none prospected sufficiently 
 well to meet his views until he was at last handed over to 
 the guardianship of the most famous Salter in the whole 
 neighborhood, that he might try his experience upen him. 
 This man was well acquainted with all the principal leads, 
 and at this time was the owner of the best claim in the 
 camp, but he only performed sufficient labor upon it, as 
 maintained his right according to the mining laws, trusting 
 rather to his aptitude for swindling, than the exercise of 
 his animal strength. It happened, unfortunately for him, 
 that this really good claim was the only one over which he 
 had control at that period, having just disposed of a worth- 
 less one a few days before, at a high price ; but his cupidity 
 could not withstand the temptation of plundering the re- 
 putedly wealthy Scotchman, and he formed the resolution 
 of makin"- it in the end a wor.so purchase than h' had 
 previously sold. He seeded it down very thick, with the 
 
 ■ 1 
 
 1 
 
21 H 
 
 RAMI51,1N(}S IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 \ 
 
 11 
 
 gold dust which had been given to him for his other claim, 
 and then introduced the wily .Mick to the ground. A 
 pick, pan, and shovel were presented to him, that he might 
 try for himself, and he commenced to prospect in every 
 spot where the proprietor recommended him to test. 
 Nothing could be more satisfactory than the returns. The 
 pay dirt was a strata six leet deep, lying on the ledge, over 
 which was a sand bank of twice the thickness. I'art of 
 this had been stripped ott', and the whole presented a face 
 in an excellent position and good order for successful 
 working. 
 
 Every pan that was tried, produced four or five dollars, 
 and in the course of three hours he had extracted more 
 than a hundred dollars, which he deposited in a tin tobacco 
 box of his own. 
 
 "Well," said the impatient seller, at last, " I guess 
 you've given it a pretty good sifting now. How d'ye like 
 it V 
 
 " Vera weel, vera weel," answered Alick, rolling his quid 
 around leisurely, and examining with the eye of a connoi- 
 seur, the sample in the tin box, '* An' what may be your 
 price now, clear cash in your lif '/" 
 
 "Six thousand scads, ne'er a red less," said the hopeful 
 Salter. 
 
 " It's a purty penny, a vera purty penny, but I'll nn 
 gainsay't, the prospect's guid, though ane wee bit o' a 
 phenomenon T canna get through my auld pate, and that's 
 tins — Tfow in the name o' Auld Keekie, did Tuolumne 
 gold get stuck in here ':"' 
 
 The operator perceived at once that he was sold, and 
 that instead of a victim, lie liau fallen in wilii a shark. 
 
 All hope of a sale died away at <Hice, and he indignantly 
 
llAMr.MNdS IN CAI.IFORNIA. 
 
 219 
 
 ^hel• claim, 
 ound. A 
 it lie might 
 , in every 
 11 to test, 
 irns. The 
 ledge, over 
 . I'nrt of 
 ited a face 
 successful 
 
 ve dollars, 
 cted more 
 ;in tobacco 
 
 " I guess 
 { d'ye like 
 
 ig his quid 
 f a connoi- 
 y be your 
 
 lie hopeful 
 
 ut I'll n.. 
 e bit o" a 
 and tliat's 
 Tuolumne 
 
 Sold, and 
 11 a shark, 
 idignantly 
 
 demanded the contents of the tobacco box, but was foiled 
 even in this. 
 
 " Dinna try tliat, dinna try that," exclaimed Alick, 
 " you will never handle a pi(;kle of it, and what's more, 
 I'll advise you as a freen, to pick up your duds and tramp, 
 for in twa hours iVom now, the boys will all kiiow't, and 
 you'll have a hempen cravat on your scrag of a n(!ck before 
 sundown, if they can lay their cloots on you." 
 
 The foiled scoundrel knew this Avell, ami left on the in- 
 stant, before liis last attempt became public, and Alick at 
 once installed himself (jn the d(;serted premises, wheTe by 
 hard labor and frugality, he soon accumulated a handsome 
 
 sum. 
 
 TV 
 
 There was another deep old tactician in our immediate 
 vicinity, who was familiarly named the " mariner." lie 
 spake little to any one, and appeared so little cognizant of 
 surrounding affairs, that it was said, his long aquatic ex- 
 perience had caused his very brains to be encrusted with 
 barnacles. To another old man of the sea, was he alone at 
 all communicative, and from him v/erc afterwards gleaned 
 facts, to prove the mariner rather a smart man than the 
 reverse. He had worked long in solitude, and a very large 
 hole was the result of niany months of uninterrupted labor. 
 It was known that little had resulted yet from it, not even 
 expenses, for he was slightly in debt at two or three ])laces. 
 
 One morning, confused rumors were afloat, that the 
 mariner had found a rich lead. It was said that he had 
 washed out on the preceding evening, fifteen ounces of 
 gold, from dirt he had thrown up on the banl:. Some 
 showed joy, and some envy, at his success, and next 
 Uiorniiig a iiTuaL ei'uwd of iiH(uIsili\ u pui'sons, Idlci's, ;Uiii 
 creditors surnnuided him, as he plied his rocker assiiluously. 
 
'2-li) 
 
 IIAMHLINUS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 \ 
 
 'I 
 
 ii 
 
 His exprcssioiik'ss parcliiucnt euuntenancc betrayed no 
 symptoms of triumph or tliankfulness at his sueccss. It 
 seemed indeed, as thouiih fortune's gifts were fairly squan- 
 dered on sucdi an unimaginative senseless lump of clay, 
 and I dare say many of the lookers on thought within 
 themselves, that had fate siiowcred ^ueh a blessing upon 
 their shoulders, the boon would have been more worthily 
 appreciated. A large quantity of pay dirt had already 
 been thrown out on the bank on the previous evening, and 
 the smooth small gravel of a blue color, mixed with a ten- 
 acio\f^ lava, somewhat resembling gritty pipeclay, had a 
 very flattering appearance. But a trifling casualty had 
 occurred during the preceding night, from an embankment 
 breaking in, which had the effect of filling the hole with 
 water, though the disaster could be remedied by the use 
 of a rotary pump, and the consumption of three or four 
 days' labor. ]Jut it had the effect of preventing any one 
 from trying the ground, till the water was removed. Still 
 the old sailor plied his rocker, fast diminishing his pile of 
 earth, and averaged three or four dollars at every bucket- 
 ful. His merchant creditor was there with the rest, who 
 handed him a letter which had just arrived by the mail, 
 for he was also postmaster of the district. 
 
 The old man stopped his labor, and after looking va- 
 cantly at the superscription of the epistle, requested the 
 storekeeper to decipher the contents for him, rs he was 
 unable to perform that object for himself, having no ac- 
 quaintance with book learning. The merchant complied, 
 and they retired a few feet to one side, where he read the 
 letter in a loud whisper, perfectly audible to a large por- 
 sion of the bystanders. It was a sliort one, but it wa.s full 
 of bitter words to the tempest tossed veteran. It purported 
 
RAMIlLlMiS IN rAI.IKORNIA 
 
 
 rayed no 
 Bcess. It 
 I'ly s(|uan- 
 P of clay, 
 ht within 
 ling upon 
 i worthily 
 (1 already 
 ;ning, and 
 dth a ten- 
 ay, had a 
 ualty had 
 ban km en t 
 hole with 
 y the use 
 !e or four 
 o- any one 
 ed. Still 
 lis pile of 
 •y bucket- 
 rest, who 
 the mail, 
 
 oking va- 
 csted the 
 s he was 
 ng no uc- 
 complied, 
 ! read the 
 large por- 
 
 li •.■V8.-5 Ian 
 
 purported 
 
 to be from a clergyman in San Francisco, who impl()re<l 
 his immediate presence there, on matters of life and death. 
 His wife and child, that he had long expected, had at last 
 arrived — as too many did at that period — destitute, and 
 prostrated with Panama fever. The hospital was the only 
 resource, to which place they had been removed, and there 
 in three days the child had expired. His wife was on her 
 deathbed, and urgently desired him to come with speed, 
 and cheer her dying hours The unfortunate man stood 
 as if turned to stone for an instant, then suddenly striking 
 his forehead with his clenched hand, ho fell heavily to 
 the earth. Iinniediate assistance was rendered by the 
 compassionate crowd, and he soon recovered, looking calm 
 and collected, but with a deep conviction of his hopeless 
 bereavement. He told those present that he must depart 
 for the bay that very afternoon, and his only resource 
 under present circumstances, was to dispos»> of his claim 
 to the highest bidder, reserving a share to himself. By 
 this means, he could thus retain a hold on tlie ground, 
 but should he leave it entire, it would of course be jumped 
 at the end of tliree days, according to the niining laws. 
 
 Hiddors W(>vo numerous and co.upetition strong, for 
 evei'vtliinL;' hiokt-d pn.pitiuns. A cniupany ])id SlOdO for it, 
 and were dcclavcd tlio purchasers, after a very animated 
 sale. Tlu' old man left for the city tliat very aftunm-jii with 
 the cash in his pocket, to comfort her whom in his youth- 
 ful days he had sworn lo protect and ehcrisli, and the 
 pump was busily at work ne.\t morning in omptying the 
 shaft, it took more than two days to perform this, and 
 get rid of the waste earth tliat had caved in, but when 
 this wa.s accon.H.'lisiied their lal'or was at an end, for a cent 
 prospect was the l^est they could procure. The mystery as 
 
 ,■ : 
 
 I 
 
 :ji'^4:^i-^s:^m!^vs-m^''^^'''-^^''^i^:''?- 
 
 ', ■^^^gsassJi&^^H-asis-.t 
 
•>■>•> 
 
 HAMI{MN(;S IN CAMFOKMA. 
 
 1^ 
 
 to how ho itroeiircd the dust to salt the pile on the bank 
 wa*) also shortly ex])lained to the dissatisfaction of his 
 cabin mate, who on niakinfii; search found that the contents 
 of his buckskin bag had taken wiufi;s, like the albatros with 
 the ancient mariner. A deputation went in pursuit, but 
 were just in season to be too late, for the steamer had 
 already sailed, and on making enquiries for the reverend 
 gentleman who had written so pathetically of the sick 
 wonum, he was found to be a mere allegory got up for the 
 occasion in the brain of the Salter. 
 
 SEBASTOPOL IS TAKEN. 
 
 Ine old proverb which says " Extremes in nature equal 
 ends produce" never appeared more fully exemplified than 
 in the sympathy shown, particularly by the democratic 
 press and people, for Russia in its late struggle with the 
 Allies, and in no portion of the world not directly inter- 
 rested in the engagement, was the news more eagerly read 
 and commented upon. The British and French residents 
 of San Francisco are a very important item in the wealth 
 and population of the place, and unlike the same people 
 in other States but few of them calculate on a life residence 
 in the country, and in consequence rarely ac(iuire the 
 rights of citizens, but retain still a due affection for the 
 land of their nativity, where they eventually intend to 
 make their permanent homes. Now the native citizens 
 can't understand how it is possible for people who have 
 once tasted the sweets of libertv in such a hannv land, to 
 sigh foi- nionarcliy. They will at first mildly expostulate 
 
HA.MIUil-Nd.S IN CAMIOHNIA. 
 
 '2'i:i 
 
 1 the bank 
 on of his 
 ic coutents 
 jiitroH with 
 Lirsuit, but 
 3auici' had 
 ; reverend 
 f the sick 
 up for the 
 
 iture equal 
 )lified than 
 leniocratie 
 witli the 
 ctly inter- 
 igcrly read 
 1 residents 
 the wealth 
 lue people 
 3 residence 
 (juire the 
 on for the 
 iuteiid to 
 'c citizens 
 who have 
 y land, to 
 xpoHtulate 
 
 upon the subject, and tell from the depths of their srliool- 
 boy lore, of how badly Henry VIII. treated his wives, of 
 the iniquity of the Starchaniber, but their greatest fields 
 are the enormities of that dreadful old tyrant (Joor^e III., 
 with which they are most familiar, for the lir.st lesson in 
 the school primer most likely contains a map of the spot 
 where so many thousand " scarlet minions of despotism" uot 
 cut into mince-nu'at by a handful of revolutionary heroes, 
 or a review of the characters of Newton and Franklin, 
 wherein, althon<;h much credit is p.ivcn to the talents of 
 the former, it is nevertheless nnide sufficiently evident to 
 any, having- a spark of patriotism, that the pedlar was a 
 little ahead of anything ever produced in the olden world. 
 
 But this hatred to anything savoring of a crown, will 
 hardly be sufficient to account for the morbid fancy 
 felt by the people, to see England thoroughly smashed 
 by the Russians, and France also, like dog Tray, for being 
 in such questionable company, for llu.^sia was unfortunate 
 enough to possess the same hateful emblem. Undoubtedly 
 the dislike to anything British, so grounded in their 
 first school lessons, would account for the side taken, even 
 by a portion of the conservatives, but a far deeper vein 
 even than this, won the sympathies of the l^oco Focos for 
 the Panslavist. It was the well defined similarity that 
 existed between the worst features of llu.ssian policy and 
 the present prominent essence of democracy, namely 
 slavery and filibusterism, and the movement of mighty 
 power uncontrolled by conscientious judgment. 
 
 The feeling so prevalent in the metropolis, was equally 
 rife in the little mountain towns, and many an ounce of 
 dust and bottle of brandy exchanged owners, when thefall 
 of the Malakoff became known in the mountains, and many 
 
224 
 
 UAMllMNOS IN (AI.IFOKMA. 
 
 \ 
 
 1 
 
 ¥ 
 
 '1 
 
 K' 
 
 a |)inm(U»f jtdWticr \v;is l.ivislily Idazcd iiway, )>y (Mitliusias- 
 tic Fvt'iicli .-iikI I'liiLrlisli. fn (•iiiiiimMiKnati! tlic cNcnt, to 
 the t'xdciiic (lisLiUst of Aiiiriicaiis in iiciicral. To say 
 tlio truth, lioWt'ViT, oroiioiiiy was consulted even iu the 
 ebullitions of joy at l!u' triumph, for the salutes were in 
 our cam]), chielly perfornu'd hy blasfinu; lariro ro(d<8 tiuit 
 lYMjuired removal from the diij;u;iuL!;s anyway, and many had 
 as nuudi as thirty liole-^ drilled a month ahead, in anticipa- 
 tion of the event. 
 
 Nathan Suu^s was a fat <^()od-nature(l old Southerner, 
 roasoiiabh" in most lhin<;s. excepting; slaveiy and thi; 
 UusHJan war, with their collat(M-als. He owned a u,()od 
 claim, and his nearest noiuhbor who held the adjoiiunj^ 
 ground, was his diroctantipodos both iu body and iu politics, 
 Ilia iiauiG was Louis, and his nation Canada East ; he was a 
 mass of })onennd muscle, clumsily jiut to;j;ether, but posses- 
 sing iu his constitution the eleuHMits of uucouuuoii ai^ility 
 and endurance, althouii:;h slightly beyond the nnddle term 
 of life. Louis's feelings were doubly enlisted in the great 
 struggle that was convulsing Europe, he was both a clear 
 descendant of one of the illustrious allies, and a subject of 
 the other, yet his chief pride was iu the latter, for once a 
 person while toasting Napoleon, with a view of pleasing 
 the supi)osed J^'renchnian, was rudely int(!rrupted by the 
 Canadian exclaiming, " l*eesh for Napolyaw ! me no care 
 for France, me Anglicehomme." 
 
 Each evening after work did the excited Canadian and 
 Southerner light their windy battle, without a hope of 
 mutual agreement, until they finally made a bet of six 
 gallons of vhiskey, the Canadian affirming that the City 
 of Sebastopol would be stormed -within a month, which 
 Nathan Suggs persistently denied. A cessation of hostilities 
 
llAMIHilNdS IN rAMFKllMA. 
 
 2iir) 
 
 iMitliUHias- 
 
 I'VCllt, to 
 
 lu say 
 'II in the 
 s wi'ic ill 
 (icks that 
 many had 
 anticipa- 
 
 luthfiiirr, 
 and tlic 
 (1 a l;()()(1 
 adjuiniii}^ 
 11 politics, 
 ho Mas :i 
 ut pnssos- 
 t)ii ability 
 Jdlc tcnu 
 the ^reat 
 Lh a clear 
 iubject of 
 or once a 
 pleasing 
 hI by tlie 
 e 110 care 
 
 idiaii and 
 ho])e of 
 
 !t of six 
 the City 
 
 h, which 
 
 lOHtilities 
 
 foUowed the six <h»llar l)et, hut <;rcat anxiety was evinced 
 for the arrival of the next mail, and one mornin<i', houis, 
 who had his eyen constantly (tpeii for the arrival of news, 
 Haw a courier with a Imndle of newspapers on tin; road 
 approaidiiipj the camp, lie; met him hidore he arrived, 
 and on learnint; the eonsiiinniation of his dearest hopes, 
 jrallaiitly purchased the whole stuck, and sent tlu^ news- 
 vender back rejoieinu, to i.nuure a fresh supply. His 
 firHt visit was to his old oi.j)onent, to whom makiiiji; a low 
 bow, h(i handed a paper, saying, [' Sar Monsieur Su<r}j;s, 
 allow im- d(! extreme felicity of beinu; ue tirst to present 
 you with de lati^st and de greatest news from tiie Crimea, 
 l)e walls you said were inveenci))le liave crumbled into 
 do Icetle <irains, by de powd(;r of <le -^reat allieH, and 
 the Tri-oolour and Union .Jack tly from the Malakoff and 
 
 Rodan." 
 
 Nathan took the paj)er very sulkily from him and very 
 smni convinced himself of the loss of his whiskey, and at 
 once proposed to adjourn to his cabin for the purjxjse of 
 cxtractint;' tin; precious fluid from the barrel, but Fiouis 
 iuana<.^ed to commute it for a promise from Suggs, tliat he 
 would treat the crowd at the bar of the hotel in the even- 
 in"- when^ a miiuM-'s meeting was to be held for tlie 
 adjustment of a claim. AVhen the business of the evening 
 was concluded, Louis who had retained all the papers and 
 thus prevented the circulation of the news, solemnly arose 
 and informed the meeting — which numbered more than a 
 hundred— of the great victory achieved, in a confused 
 speech of French, Spanish and Knglish, " And now Men- 
 sieurs," said he, "as this is the greatest achievement of 
 modern times, my mooch respected amigo, Monfrere Signor 
 Suggs, has kindly consented to treat all de gentlemen here 
 
 u 
 
tSBBSSasimi 
 
 226 
 
 RAMBLINOS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 ;n 
 
 h 
 
 to celebrate dc great prosperity of de grand nations of 
 John Bull and La Belle France. So let us all now adjourn 
 to de bar and liquor up." 
 
 For all that, the news stunk in the nostrils of many and a 
 hiss had been with great difficulty suppressed, thirst finally 
 triumphed, and the conclusion of the Canadian's address 
 was received with three times three and a tiger. The dis- 
 comfitted Nathan had no opportunity of denying the 
 sentiments imputed to him by his political antagonist, but 
 his honour being pledged, he was obliged to disburse for 
 the refreshment of the whole, to the unpleasant little sum 
 
 of S2o. 
 
 But the joy of the allies in San Francisco was to be 
 celebrated in a more substantial manner. A banquet on a 
 truly magnificent scale was prepared at their expense, to 
 which not only the corporation was invited, but also all 
 the principal Americans in the place, and iixleed so large 
 were the supplies and so general the welcome, that the 
 whole city was privileged to partake of the repast, which 
 consisted of all the delicacies the bounteous market aflforded. 
 A level space in a new park was chosen for the scene, and 
 the day was ushered in by cannon, music and flags, in 
 gorgeous profusion. The English and French vessels in 
 the harbor were adorned with the flags of their respective 
 nations blended together, but no American flag was visible 
 except on the banquet ground, where it floated at an equal 
 height with the others. All went on smoothly until the 
 dinner was half concluded, when the suppressed feelings 
 of the sons of liberty could no longer endure the desecra- 
 tion. The allied flags were first depressed a few feet lower 
 than the stars and stripes, but, even this failing to Boothe 
 their feelings, they finally hauled France and England 
 

 RAMBLINOS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 227 
 
 nations of 
 >w adjourn 
 
 lauy and a 
 irst finally 
 's address 
 The dis- 
 lying the 
 ;onist, but 
 sburse for 
 little sum 
 
 was to be 
 nquet on a 
 cpense, to 
 it also all 
 (d so large 
 , that the 
 ast, which 
 it aflforded. 
 scene, and 
 1 Hags, in 
 
 vessels in 
 respective 
 NHS visible 
 it an equal 
 
 until the 
 id feelings 
 10 desecra- 
 
 fcct lower 
 y to goothe 
 1 England 
 
 down by the run. Some foolish policeman, who attempted 
 to dispute the will of the people by arresting the perpe- 
 trators, was knocked down for his presumption and a 
 general row was the result. The patriots won the day for 
 they were prepared previously, and they made short work 
 of the crockery and glass. The full bottles were spared 
 however, and as soon as the ground was thoroughly cleared 
 of the impertinent foreigners, they sat down and enjoyed 
 themselves in the camp of the foe, singing Hail Columbia 
 and the Star Spangled Banner, until daylight coming in 
 with empty bottles, compelled them to adjourn. The law 
 never even dared to notice the affair, and foreigners have 
 no doubt learnt the lesson, that although Fourth of July 
 may be celebrated in other countries and responded to by 
 their authorities, the rule won't work both ways, as it is 
 now a maxim that America is only for the Americans. 
 
 WAR IN CHINA. 
 
 In the same district where I held the office of Recorder 
 of Claims, the rights of the Asiatics were well respected ; 
 for as the new ditch did not make fortrncs for people, 
 quite so fast as it was originally supposed, it w;is found 
 particularly haudy to dispose of their claims for a con- 
 sideration ; and as the Chinese are the easiest satisfied, 
 with regard to paying ground, they were always the l^ost 
 customers for these indifferent claims, and by these means 
 rose vastly in public estimation. As is customary with 
 them in all the other places, they arc perfectly submissive 
 to white authority, and scarcely over attempt to resist even 
 
'■>•■> S( 
 
 UAMHLINOS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 \ 
 
 ft. 
 
 I 
 
 
 s 
 
 oppression^ except in expostulation, and their eUxiuence 
 is sometimes very touchint^ and effectual in this line of 
 oratory. IJut for all so submissive to the " red haired 
 barbarians," the ease is ((uitc the reverse with each other, 
 for people from different sections of their own wide spread 
 empire, sometimes keep up an eternal feud with each other. 
 
 Two rival districts were the candidates for public favor 
 in this camp ; one party was from Canton, the other from 
 Hong Kong, and really their undying rancour towards each 
 other, could hardly find a parallel, unless perhaps between 
 the Far-downs and Oorkonians, or the Yankees and Border 
 RulRans in the Kansas Territory. Although they originally 
 kept as far divided as possible, so fast did they pu chase, 
 that the} ;uched at last on each other, and then com- 
 menced that bickering between them that finally led to 
 most disastrous consequences on the whole. Their nuiii- 
 bcrs were about 150 in each^ ;md generally once or twice 
 a week they hod a turn out to fight. When the fortunes 
 of the day had turned, a runner from the defeated party 
 would invariably proceed to me, and implore my assistance 
 to <iuell the riot, with a five dollar piece in his hand. As 
 this operation rarely consumed more than five minutes, I 
 usually complied, unless very particularly engaged, as I 
 seldom fell in with a more profitable and safe investment 
 of time, for so afraid were they of general expulsion on 
 account of their pugnacious spirit, that a truce invariably 
 followed my presence on the battle field. 
 
 There was a sort of mandarin on the weaker side, whom 
 we called cajyfdin, on account of the power he seemed to 
 wield. He was rather a gentlemanly good looking fellow, 
 for one of his race, and did little besides ssnokc opium , 
 which luxury cost him, he said, three dollars per day. 
 
HAMIJL1\(?S IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 
 eliMiuonce 
 is line of 
 ed haired 
 acli other, 
 ide spread 
 ach other, 
 ibllc favor 
 )thcr from 
 nn'ds each 
 IS between 
 ad Border 
 oriojinally 
 pu 1 chase, 
 ihen cora- 
 illy led to 
 leir nuiii- 
 3 or twice 
 c fortunes 
 ited party 
 assistance 
 and. As 
 iiinutcs, I 
 igcd, as I 
 ivcstment 
 )ulsion on 
 invariably 
 
 ide, whom 
 iicemed to 
 u<^ fellow, 
 ic opiuin , 
 I per day. 
 
 The captain lived by advancing money to his countrymen, 
 on interest, for the purchase of claims, and was, as all cap- 
 italists generally are, a man of peace, and much opposed 
 to anarchy. Seeing the troubled spirit of his people, he 
 consulted mc upon the subject, fur he spoke English pretty 
 well, and wanted to know if a policcusan could be supplied 
 to them, as they were .luitc willing to pay fifteen dollars 
 a day for the use of such a functionary, armed with all the 
 terrors of the law to the violators of the public peace. 
 Pondering upon the subject, I recollected that our nearest 
 magistrate, who lived ten miles off, had just resigned, and 
 wa^ preparing to turn his attention to piracy in Nicaragua. 
 I informed a' youthful friend of mine from the Eastern 
 States, of the Chinaman's proposal, together of the vacancy 
 requiring to be filled, for I knew Zaddock Green abhorred 
 labor, most religiously, and a well timed application to the 
 Board of Supervisors at the county town, would in all 
 probability secure him an appointment to the vacant ofhco, 
 for the unexpired time of his predecessor. 
 
 A week bad expired, and I had almost forgotten the 
 circumstance, wbcn one morning 1 was handed a billet by 
 Zaddock, bearing an official look, which on opening, I 
 found to my extreme surprise and humiliation, contained 
 an appointment for mc to the judgeship. Shades of my 
 ancestors, blush for your unworthy descendant 1 I who 
 had always valued a good reputation, and conducted my- 
 self ' dcrly and peacefully, to be thus disgraced. In what 
 unguarded moment had I left myself open to such an in- 
 sult, I could not recall. But I determined to decline, and 
 returned an answer to that effect to the board, urging in 
 palliation, that I was not qualified for the office, there 
 beinti' no prospect that I should ever aequire the lionors 
 citizenship. uj 
 
 i 
 
 t# 
 
 0[ 
 
230 
 
 RAMBLINGS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 Ifr 
 
 SI !t! 
 f i ■ 
 
 Poor Zaddock was luucli ufieiided at my resolve, for he 
 haVl taken the trouble, unknown to me, of carrying round 
 the petition that finally led to the appointment, and he 
 built his hopes on being made a speeial con>stablc; for as 
 the judge and constable ;tre invariably partners, it would 
 have been a good speculation, between the daily allowance 
 of the mandarin, together with absorption of all fines and 
 the profits resulting from transient business. I left this 
 place a few days after, and did not return again for more 
 than five months, but great doings had occurred during 
 the first month of my absence. 
 
 The Hong Kong and Canton riots burned with exceeding 
 fury at first,, and so deadly did the animosity finally be- 
 come, that a challenge to mortal combat was given and 
 accepted. Couriers were dispatched to all adjacent camps 
 for the respective friends of the belligerents, to make their 
 appearance on a certain day oi a certain moon, ''armed 
 and equipped as the law directs," and some thousands 
 were shortly in motion carrying their rations of boiled rice 
 to the Chinese stamping ground. The following is some- 
 thing near a literal translation of the challenge from the 
 one Chieftain to the other. 
 
 " The high and mighty man of power, Sam Yap, con- 
 descends to speak to the woman-hearted spotted dog, Ah 
 Whop, to tell him that his people are nothing but as dung 
 beneath the feet of Sam Yap's men of war; you think 
 you can light us, and you are welcome to try. We will 
 use our weapons to punish you, but we will not load all 
 our muskets, for our bare hands would be quite enough if 
 we liked, to chase such yelping curs. Your puny efforts 
 will no more affect us than the ocean waves do a rock 
 bound coast. You will smash as an egg, thrown from the 
 
 n s' 
 
IlAMBLINtiS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 231 
 
 hand of a strong man against the walls of a fortress. 
 You may tight us if you please, but we will exterminate 
 you ; and, if like cowards as you are, you will not tight us, 
 we will cut off your hair and make you work tor us; we 
 will also take your claims, and your tools, and your large 
 footed women, and feed you on snakes and the refuse of 
 our tahles,— so you see we are generous, for we give you 
 a choice, hut we would rather destroy you, for you consume 
 meat that should be applied for the nourishment of better 
 men, and we want to be benefactors to the world." 
 
 Such a billet as that, was enough to irritate the people 
 of Ques, to whom it was dispatched, and soon the rival 
 armies met in desperate combat with all the panoply and 
 imposing sound peculiar to eastern warfare. During the 
 height of the preparations, an observant citizen got himself 
 quietly installed into the magistracy, but bided his time 
 to make it profitable. He made no attempt to interfere 
 with the coming struggle, but along with some neighbour- 
 ing brethren of the bench, secretly encouraged it ; and 
 then with a few mounted constables, he and the others soon 
 divided the armies and commenced to capture. This oc- 
 casioned the most serious riot of the day, for, although 
 the Chinese attempted no resistance, the different magis- 
 trates fell out about the prisoners, one imagining the 
 other had more than his rightful share; but as they had 
 several hundreds each, they shortly came to an under- 
 standing after a few pistol shots and a broken arm or two. 
 Each conqueror then led his prisoners to his own home 
 for trial, and fined them from $100 down to a dollar, 
 according to their several resources, keeping the whole 
 amount to themselves, and my honorable successor made 
 the comfortable little thing of ^15,000 for his services in 
 preserving the public peace. 
 
 i 
 
:\ 
 
 I. 
 
 !i 
 
 S 
 
CONCLUSION. 
 
 Gentle Reader, who has followed me thus far in my 
 wanderings, I will now release you, for my pleasant task 
 is ended. No more shall we breathe together the life-giving 
 atmosphere of El Dorado's shores, or pry into the deep 
 mines, where the coarse gold lies imbedded in the cool 
 crevices of the slaty bed-rock. No more shall we tread 
 with each other o'er the far reaching flower covered 
 prairies, and smile at national characteristics or quaint 
 individual peculiarities. You will soon forget both these 
 and me. The grim mountain, the water-fall and the 
 brawlins river, with the careless lives of the generally 
 happy gold hunters, which I have endeavoured to picture 
 for our mutual amusement, will soon fade from your mind 
 like an artificial panorama. More courtly drawings will 
 -.soon obliterate the coarse daub from your recollection; but 
 long must be my life before the scenes that called forth 
 these Ramblings will be forgotten. But in truth, much 
 as there is of the romantic in the wild vagaries of nature, 
 I acknowledge that with me, the recollections of the lu- 
 dicrous will loncv outlive the sublime, and the eccentric 
 motions of animated nature, chiefly overshadow the 
 

 IIAMI{MN(JS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 \ 
 
 4 
 •..J 
 
 beautiful thuugli scjloiun scenes of the iiiaiiimatc. 1 must 
 
 still laugh when I think of the way my poor friend D 
 
 sprained his ancle, and was lame for a month in conse- 
 quence. He was a boarder with a fanner in Santa Cruz, 
 who had a ranch close to the foothills of the Coast Ilanire, 
 which at this point was a great resort of grizzly bears. 
 The house was built near the brow of an elevated flat, from 
 whence the ground gently descended to a broad bottom 
 land; the wheat had just been taken off, and the cattle 
 were feeding in j)leuty on the rich refuse of the stubble 
 field, close to the fence of the garden which occupied a 
 portion of the slope. One evening after the whole house- 
 hold had for some time retired to rest, the family were 
 aroused by the agonized bellowing of an unfortunate 
 "critter" in the flat. So constant and severe were the 
 sounds, that all were soon convinced a grizzly had made 
 the milky mother Kate, liis prey, who was last seen quietly 
 chewing the cud and surveying the good things within the 
 garden fence. The farmer not being a sporting character, 
 handed 1) — . the venerable flint-lock musket, which had 
 been loaded but not discharged for three mouths previous, 
 and accompanied him to tlie field to dispute possession with 
 Bruin, who by the weaker complaints still growing fainter 
 through tha pitcliy darkness, was evidently coming to the 
 tender steaks. I.) — . cautiously approached the bloody 
 ground, stealing along by the fence, his companion (jacking 
 him, but a good way off, and on seeing the outlines of the 
 struggling animals he boldly presented and blazed away at 
 the centre of the lieap. The chief mischief was probably 
 done by the rebound, for it knocked the musketeer flat, 
 who on uaininu' his feet saw his backer makino- aroat nro- 
 gress up the hill towards the bosom of his family, D — . 
 
RA RULINGS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 2n5 
 
 emulatca his example as well as he was able, still elin-ing 
 tenaciously to the clumsy weapon, and the muscles of his 
 legs were further strained to.their utmost capability by the 
 sound of feet in pursuit. At length he reached the house 
 and tumbled in through the doorway, just in time to shut 
 out his grim follower, who fairly roared with the disap- 
 pointment, and kept his head close to the door, as they 
 could see through u chink in the temporary walls of the 
 building. The farmer's nerves were so shaken, he was 
 utterly unable to make the smallest exertion, and D— . de- 
 termined in spite of his disjointed ancle to try another 
 shot at the bloodthirsty beast. He took as accurate aim as 
 the outward gloom would permit, and this time a loud 
 roar, falling to a gurgling, sound, told that the last shot 
 was more successful than the first. Another bullet was 
 fired at the body to make all sure, and then he ventured 
 along with his nervous companion, to limp out and examine 
 the proportions of their spoil. At this ^ment the pain 
 was unfelt, and the state of his feelings might be envied 
 by the proudest monarch, for the objects of many a heart- 
 felt wish was gratified on that eventful night, and he 
 might now take his place among his fellows, to boast that 
 he'too had slain a grizzly. Keenly did he approach and 
 turn the lamp upon the prostrate monster to gloat upon the 
 conquest, but alas ! the light but revealed a meek graniv- 
 orous beast, being neither more nor less than the sucking 
 calf of the murdered Kate, that had fled for protection to 
 the very hand that slew her at the threshold. The cow and 
 calf made fair veal and beef, the grizzly still roams in his 
 native hills, and the wounded limb recovered, but the 
 adventures of that night form an unpleasant theme for 
 conversation to the would-be bear slayer, even unto this day. 
 
230 
 
 RAMHLIN<;S IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 [ 
 
 i'h s 
 
 1^. 
 
 Nor can I fusily forLTc't tliat Sunday uiorniiif;', that wo 
 lost all our rockers and tools, on tlic banks of Littlo John 
 Creek, by the rapid risintr of this mountain torrent. The 
 lari;e creek had declined to a rivulet during' a loii^' dry 
 spell, and although a heavy rain had fallen on Saturday 
 night, the rise was so imperceptible in the morning, we 
 did not deem it e.'^scntial to remove Our implements any 
 further from the waters ediie, than we had left them the 
 night before. It had been noised around for a few day&, 
 that a young lady had made her appearance at a neigh- 
 bouring ranch, and as such commodities were rare in our 
 parts, the greatest ladies' man in our company made up his 
 mind to pay her a visit. He consumed four dollars in 
 the purchase of a complete new suit at the store, consist- 
 ing of a pair of cow-hide shoes and cotton pants, a shirt 
 and a fifty cent stra\v hat, and being rather a good looking 
 fellow when his hair and beard were oiled with some pork 
 dripj)ings, it was generally supposed that the sucker girl's 
 heart would be carried by storm. While the gallant was 
 away, time hung rather heavy upon our hands, particularly 
 as there were no shirts worth mending, and Uncle Ben — 
 a funny little fisherman from some region contiguous to 
 Cape Cod — was deputed to cross the river on horseback, 
 in pursuit of a bottle containing something to cheer the 
 drooping spirits of the party. 
 
 The bed of the river, although so nearly dry, was up- 
 wards of a hundred yards across, and Uncle Ben — who 
 was rather deaf, by the way — had just entered it, success- 
 ful in his mission, and on his return. While watching 
 his progress, I detected the roaring of waters, and looking 
 hin-lier un, saw a body of water lookincr nioro than five feet 
 deep, rushing furiously down towards the old man, and 
 
IVAMUL[N(JS IN CALIFOUNIA. 
 
 •J37 
 
 ;ilmidy within (ifty yards uf him. i haUued to him as 
 loud as I was able, but idthDiigh my voice was drowuod by 
 the rushing of the cataract, his inlirmity prevented him 
 from hearin- either, and horse and rider were soon bat- 
 tlin- with tiie iiercc clement. P»en nobly retained his seat 
 for some time, but was iinally uidiorscd, and we feared his 
 career was ended, f/ittle dohn was uui to master him, 
 however, who, he said, had been once within the jaws of 
 H living whale, and he reached land safe and sound, not 
 only with his own little person, but the bottle of whiskey 
 also, .luitc uninjured. The horse escaped, by grounding 
 oil a high sandbar, but our implements, which embraced 
 nearly all the capital we po.sscssed, were caught by the 
 current, and were soon rapidly journeying on their road 
 to Han Francisco bay. 
 
 The whiskey sufi'ered severely by the disaster, but failed 
 
 to comfort, and the luver who returned at night with a 
 
 very sour visage, contributed but little to restore the usual 
 
 eheerfulness of the party. "It was a most confounded bad 
 
 road," said he, " for it t(;oi; me above the ancles several 
 
 times, and llile<l my shoes with mud, and as the pants 
 
 were short, and 1 had no socks, it sadly deteriorated from 
 
 my general good appearance, but I stuck to it till 1 reached 
 
 the cabin, which was nothing but an old patched mainsail 
 
 of a fore and after, with the reef points still fast to it, 
 
 thrown over a line attached to a couple of trees. As the 
 
 place had no door, L rattled my stick on an old ^cracker 
 
 tin, and a sharp voice sung out— ' Stop that, you V So I 
 
 stopped, lifted up the rotten duck, and exposed myself and 
 
 the occupant to each other at the same time. She was all 
 
 alone, and rigged nut in the ye'^owest fui'iiituie eottuu 
 
 dress you ever set \nur eyes on, which hung lMo>e on her 
 
\ 
 
 'S.iH 
 
 HAMHI-irj(».S IN CAI.irOKNlA. 
 
 liir^c porson, like, [ii Mcxic^an's scnippa, bat not half so 
 i^rAooful. I [or hair was dono up a la Impt^raisc, I tliink 
 they call it, which exposed lior piinpled rorcheiid, and a 
 j)air of iiveat brass earbobs that liuiiu; down below her chin 
 njost uid)eeoniin<ily. Slie was s(>ated on an old li(juor 
 barrel, with two feet like brieks restinji on a tall oak 
 .stunjp in the very nnddle of the tent. In her left hand 
 .she held a little live cent circular shavinp;-^lass, and in hor 
 right was a bowie knife, a good fourteen inches long, with 
 whi(di she was pieking her delicate teeth. I bowed and 
 bid her good day, but she would'nt look me in the face, 
 my dirty feet had alone attraction for her, for she stared 
 at them for a c(»uple of minutes before! she w<mld speak a 
 word, then .siys ,she "(Marl We haint got nothin' for 
 ourselves, and ef you don't dar right smart, I'll loose Tag 
 on yon." So 1 " elared " as the angel commanded me, 
 and I'm right sorry now (hi.t ! laid out so much money on 
 dress, for it was only wasted on the meal-fed baggage, and 
 besides it will all be wanted now to help in ju'ocuring a 
 new lot, oi' tools. 
 
 Hut it is too late to become locjuacious iu>w, for 1 am, 
 as I said, at the eonclusion of these my recollections. I 
 drop the pen with regret ; but 1 fear to weary in recount- 
 inti' scenes, that Imwevcr amusing in their origin, with 
 loeal circumstances attached, may fail to interest in the 
 repetition, with no such accompaniments to give /est. 
 
 My talc is t(tl(l, of California and the vicissitudes of its 
 people, and much as 1 have endured of the \inpleasant in 
 my experience, L lan truthfully say, that pleasing remem- 
 brances most pvedomimite ; and whatever my after fate 
 may be, in the great game of life at whit>i we arc all 
 playing — some staking golden nuggets, and son»o copper 
 
RA.M1U<1N(JS IN CAMFUllNlA. 
 
 'SM 
 
 pfiicc, aiul suiiic iiuTo I'iippiM-s, buckiiij,' fur show at the 
 Olid of tlu! tabic — 1 fur one, shall hok not, hack with 
 reirrct, on my voyauc to the healthy shores of the Nt»rth 
 Pacific. 
 
 THK KNl). 
 
 TOUONT'):