In this way a monstrous swindle was perpetrated upon the community, by

fraudulently appropriating the public money to the use and benefit of

private individuals. But the fraud could not be remedied; the city

officers had been elected as the representatives of the citizens, whose

rights and powers had been vested in them, and if they were so base as

to prove recreant to their trust, the penalty had to be paid by their

constituents. They consummated their corrupt bargain for the theatre,

the properties were removed, and, after the expenditure of much time,

labor, and money, in making alterations and additions, the building was

converted into what now stands before us--the City Hall of San

Francisco. The principals in this iniquitous transaction enriched

themselves and their accomplices at the expense of the city treasury,

suffering nothing except the denunciations and execrations of an abused

and outraged public. This is a fair sample of the disposition that is

made of the public funds throughout the State. Sheriffs, treasurers, and

tax-collectors, in the majority of cases, are expected to decamp with

all the money in their hands, or to embezzle a part of it; and it has

passed into a proverb, that no _honest_ man can be elected to a city,

county, or state office in California.

Were we to remain an hour or two in this vicinity, we should probably

see a police officer rolling “a perpetual hymn to the Deity” on a

wheelbarrow--for that, we believe, is Poe’s euphemism for a woman.

Intoxication is quite common among the ladies of this particular section

of San Francisco, and the wheelbarrow, or some other vehicle, must be

employed to convey them to the station-house, on account of the total

failure of their natural organs of locomotion.

On the north side of the Plaza are some of the best French

eating-houses in the State. One of them, the _Cafe du Commerce_, which,

translated into English, means Commercial Coffee-house, is quite famous

for its choice gastronomy. A better dinner can be procured here than in

an American house, because the French are better cooks, cleaner in their

culinary arrangements and preparations, more polite and attentive to

their guests, and less accustomed to adulterating their provisions.

Dinner, without wine, costs two dollars for each person; but with it,

from three to five dollars, according to quality and quantity consumed.

The stranger cannot promise himself any thing very sumptuous or

delicious in the way of eatables, even in the first-class hotels. He can

get good wines and liquors, prime cigars and tobacco, and other

accessory articles of superior quality; but the fare at best is very

indifferent.

All the more substantial articles of food, such as flour, meal, beef,

pork, and butter, are imported from Europe or brought from the Atlantic

States. As these provisions are sent around by Cape Horn, they must pass

twice through the tropics before they arrive in San Francisco;

consequently, most of them become more or less sour, musty, or rancid,

which, as we all know, renders them not only repugnant to the palate,

but also injurious to health. But, notwithstanding their transportation

of from seventeen to twenty thousand miles upon the Atlantic and

Pacific oceans, old or fresh, sound or unsound, they must be sold,

served up, cooked, eaten. They cannot be wasted or thrown away, for that

would be a losing business, and people did not come to California to

lose money, but to make it; nor does it matter to them whether they make

it by the sale of sweet flour or by the vending of putrid meats.

Sour flour is sold at reduced prices to the bakers, who mix it with a

larger quantity--say twice as much--of that which is sweet; then it is

manufactured into bread, delivered to the restaurants, and devoured by

the populace. The flour put up by the Gallego and Haxall mills, of

Richmond, Virginia, receives less damage in its transit through the

torrid zone than any other--at least, this is the reputation it enjoys

in California, those brands being more highly prized and more eagerly

sought after by bakers and consumers. Next to the Richmond, the

Fredericksburg and Georgetown flour is most in demand. How it is that

the flour manufactured in the localities just named, or in the vicinity

of those localities, retains its pure and primitive qualities better and

longer than that produced at the North, which, with few exceptions,

spoils on the way, I am unable to say--unless, perhaps, the latitude or

climate imparts to it a healthier condition or a preservative

principle.

Within the last one or two years, considerable quantities of the

cerealia have been cultivated in the low lands and valleys of this

State, and a few flouring mills have been erected, which are now in

operation; but the proprietors mix their grists so much with rye and

barley, that the flour is less marketable than it would be if it was

ground out of genuine wheat. To give character to their spurious

compound, they practice a double imposition, by packing it in empty

Gallego and Haxall barrels, which are clandestinely purchased and kept

in readiness for the purpose. Thus they steal the reputation of the

Virginia brands; and, by placing their falsely-labeled, inferior flour

in the hands of their rascally agents, they succeed in effecting large

sales of it to those who are not particular in their examinations.

Though the fraud is easily detected when the barrels are opened, there

is no chance of obtaining redress; for, in most cases, these deceptions

are carried out in such an indirect or complicated way, through factors

and agents, that it is too difficult a matter to trace them to their

source. If, however, the guilty parties are discovered, it amounts to

nothing; because here, where the laws are so loosely and imperfectly

administered, where all strong persons do as they please, and weak ones

must do as they can, it costs more to adjust a wrong than it does to

endure it.

This system of cheating and adulteration is carried out in all

ramifications of business; and if a man is not continually upon the

alert, he is sure to suffer the penalty of his negligence, by having a

worse thing than he bargained for thrust upon him, and that, too,

without redress.

To return from our digression: although the French are somewhat more

philosophic and scientific in their preparation of viands, we perceive

no material difference between their mode of living and our own. They

eat more slowly, are more graceful in their deportment at table, and

seem to enjoy their meals as a feast, rather than to devour them as a

necessary repast. Wine is their principal drink, morning, noon and

night; and dinner to them, without it, would be as insipid and

unpalatable as breakfast to our American grand-mothers without coffee.

After the main part of the meal is finished, it is customary with them

to sip a small cup of strong coffee, as a sort of accompaniment to their

dessert. This, however, they do not flavor with cream, as we do, but use

Cognac, burnt with sugar, instead. It is an unusual thing for them to

drink water at any time, except when mixed with wine. I have the

pleasure of the acquaintance of a very worthy and estimable French

gentleman, who assured me that he had taken but one drink of crude water

in four years, “and then,” he added, “it make me sick.”

CHAPTER VI.

SAN FRANCISCO--CONCLUDED.

After a night’s lodging in one of the human-stables of San Francisco,

called here, for politeness’ sake, hotels, we feel sufficiently

refreshed to continue our reconnoissance of the city. It will probably

be as well for us to retrace our steps to the south side of the Plaza,

where we re-enter Clay street, and ascend the long, high hill that forms

the western boundary of the city. Before proceeding far, we come to a

pistol gallery, on the left, owned and conducted by one Dr. Natchez, a

short, thick-set “son of thunder,” who keeps on hand the best assortment

of dueling apparatus that the world affords. The proprietor’s real

cognomen is, I think, Brown, Smith or Jones; but every body calls him

Natchez, because he came from the town of that name in Mississippi. He

knows all about guns, pistols, and ammunition; is an excellent shot--can

hit a bull’s eye or a man’s eye every time he pulls a trigger; and never

fails to vindicate his honor when it is assailed. In the opinion of the

duelist, he is emphatically an honor-saving man; and in matters of

personal difficulty and dispute, there is no one so capable of giving

suitable advice, or so well prepared to supply the necessary instruments

of polite slaughter, as Dr. Natchez.

Among the fiery spirits of this Western Metropolis, the slightest

affront, even though it may be purely accidental, is considered a wound

to dignity curable only by an application of Colt’s revolver to the

breast of the transgressor; and as Dr. Natchez enjoys the reputation of

preparing the best remedies for wounded honor, all those afflicted with

the disorder apply to him for relief. Laying before him their ailments

and grievances, he will at once say _the cause must be removed_; the

offending party is waited upon with a challenge, which is accepted; and

the Doctor, with commendable impartiality, superintends the preparation

of the weapons for both parties.

Passing on towards the summit of the hill before us, we soon arrive at

an elevation from which we have a clear and uninterrupted view of the

whole city, which contains, it is supposed, from forty-five to fifty

thousand inhabitants--about one-fifth of the entire population of the

State. The original water-boundary of the city, on the east, was in the

form of a crescent; but, the bay being shallow in this particular part,

its shape has been changed, by filling it in with sand from the adjacent

hills. Owing to the steep declivities of the original site of the city,

this encroachment was demanded and effected by those engaged in

commercial pursuits, who wanted level ground. The land thus made, being

the most eligibly situated and convenient to the wharves, is far more

valuable than that of natural formation. At first, however, heavy losses

were sustained, in consequence of the insecure foundations of most of

the buildings, some of which gave way entirely, and had to be

reconstructed. Now, however, they understand it better, and take special

care to pile and plank the foundation thoroughly before the

superstructure is erected.

The process of filling up these water-lots was very irregular; and, as

the work advanced, several ponds of water, which afterwards became

stagnant, were cut off by these means from the ocean. In other places,

the tide receded from the shallow parts of the bay, and from the surface

thus left bare, as well as from the ponds last mentioned, there arose

large quantities of highly offensive and almost suffocating gas, which

obliterated all the painted signs in the immediate vicinity. Strange to

say, the effluvium exhaled from these foul ponds and marshy places did

not produce disease. The wind blew it off or counteracted its

insalubrious effects.

Viewing the city from our present elevated position, we look in vain for

any verdure. Indeed, there is not a shade-tree in San Francisco. Nor,

if we search the outskirts of the city, can we find either trees,

coppice, vegetation, or any green thing whereon to feast the eyes. The

earth all around us is as sterile and unproductive as a public highway.

We feel a void, as though a friend were absent. Nature wears a repulsive

and haggard expression. Oh! how few there are amongst us who duly

appreciate trees, those noble earth-fingers that point to heaven and

uplift the mind to God! According to my judgment, there is a greater

combination of the beautiful and the useful in a forest oak or hickory,

than in all the gay exotics which are so carefully reared by the

florist. I entertain no doubt that a large, luxuriant elm would attract

more attention in San Francisco than a menagerie or circus; and it is a

wonder that some ingenious and speculative Yankee has not, ere this,

manufactured one out of soft pine and dyed muslin for public exhibition.

As an instance of the feeling that exists here on account of the lack of

trees, I may cite the exclamation of a distinguished gentleman with whom

I once had the honor to dine. Said he, (his wife at the time being in

North Carolina,) “I long for the society of trees almost as much as I do

for that of my wife; and if she and a big oak could now be placed side

by side within my reach, I scarcely know which of the two I should

embrace first!”

Many other natural and artificial deficiencies and peculiarities, for

which San Francisco is famous, might, with propriety, be considered

before we quit our high retreat; but we will now conclude our panoramic

sketch, and descend into the more densely settled part of the city.

CHAPTER VII.

THE CHINESE IN CALIFORNIA.

The national habits and traits of Chinese character, to which they cling

with uncompromising tenacity in this country, are strikingly anomalous

and distinct from those of all other nations. There is a marked identity

about their features, person, manners and costume, so unmistakable that

it betrays their nationality in a moment. So stereotyped are even the

features and form of this singular people, that we cannot fail in their

identity in the rudest cut that pretends to represent them. Particular

fashions and modes of dress give them no concern whatever. One common

rule seems to guide them in all their personal decorations. All their

garments look as if they were made after the same pattern, out of the

same material, and from the same piece of cloth. In short, the

similarity in their garb, features, physical proportions and deportment

is so great that one Chinaman looks almost exactly like another, but

very unlike anybody else.

Let us now place ourselves in front of one of these xanthous children of

the flowery land, and survey him somewhat minutely. Every one is

acquainted with his method of dressing his head, which is closely

shaven, except a small spot on the crown, about the size of the palm of

the hand. Into this slender lock of hair thus permitted to grow upon the

apex of his cranium, he interweaves long strands of sable silk, which

form a cue that nearly reaches the ground. His hat, which possesses a

brim of enormous width, is manufactured out of ratan or bamboo splints,

and has an indentation made in the top expressly for the accommodation

of his cue. He very seldom, however, wears this appendage tucked up in

his hat, but generally allows it to trail about his back and legs, as

young girls sometimes do ribbons. This pig-tail he loves as he does his

life; and he would as willingly have his right arm amputated as part

with it. Notwithstanding he carries it behind him, it is his

character--the badge of his respectability; and Boodh or Josh alone

could prevail upon him to cut it off. His coat, which is fashioned very

much like a pea-jacket, is made of crow-colored cotton cloth, of flimsy

texture, and buttons loosely around him as low down as convenience will

permit. His pantaloons, the legs of which are a trifle smaller than a

medium-sized meal-bag, are composed of the same stuff as his coat, and

terminate at about the middle of his shins. His shoes or sandals--minus

socks, for he never wears any--are hewn out of solid wood, and taper

towards the toe nearly to a sharp point. As he moves along before us in

these uncouth habiliments--his feet inclosed in rude wooden shoes, his

legs bare, his breeches loosely flapping against his knees, his

skirtless, long-sleeved, big-bodied pea-jacket, hanging in large folds

around his waist, his broad-brimmed chapeau rocking carelessly on his

head, and his cue suspended and gently sweeping about his back--I can

compare him to nothing so appropriately as to a tadpole walking upon

stilts! Ludicrous and absurd as this comparison may appear to some, no

one who has seen him will say that it is incorrectly applied. Such,

then, is something of the outline of the Chinaman; and, with but few

exceptions, may be considered as illustrative of the entire race as seen

in California. The few exceptions are the mandarins, who robe themselves

in long figured gowns, and some of the wealthier classes, who wear silk

and satin goods, instead of cotton fabrics. But the description given

above will suit at least nine out of every ten.

According to the most reliable estimates, there are at the present time

about forty thousand Chinese in California; and every vessel that

arrives from the Celestial Empire brings additional immigrants. From a

fourth to a fifth of these reside in San Francisco; the balance are

scattered about over various parts of the State--mostly in the mines. A

few females--say one to every twelve or fifteen males--are among the

number; among these good morals are unknown, they have no regard

whatever for chastity or virtue. You would be puzzled to distinguish the

women from the men, so inconsiderable are the differences in dress and

figure. The only apparent difference is, that they are of smaller

stature and have smoother features. They are not generally neat in their

outward habit; but on certain occasions, particularly on holidays, the

_elite_ doff their every-day costume, equip themselves in clean attire,

and braid their hair into a kind of crest, which, as it is worn upon the

head, bears a strong resemblance to the tuft of feathers upon the noddle

of a peacock. Those who are from the extreme northern parts of the

Chinese empire, are the ugliest and most rugged featured human beings I

ever saw.

What the majority of them do for a livelihood is more than I can tell,

as they have but few visible occupations. The laundry business affords

those who live in San Francisco, and other cities, the most steady and

lucrative employment; and in passing their premises, the eye is often

attracted to such “Celestial” signs as the following: “Kum Kee. Washer.”

“Ahi Fe. Launder.” “Wong Cho. Washing and Ironing--$3 per Doz.” Catching

and drying fish is another business in which they engage, but do not

carry it on extensively; others are engaged in mercantile pursuits; and

here and there you will find one in a public house, filling the place of

a cook or a waiter. But, though most of them are held as mere slaves by

their wealthier countrymen, it goes desperately against the grain with

them to take the situation of servants among white people, as they are

constitutionally haughty and conceited, and believe themselves to be

superior to us in all respects. So exalted an opinion have they of

themselves that they think they are the most central, civilized and

enlightened people on earth, and that they are the especial favorites of

heaven--hence they are sometimes called “Celestials.” They look upon us

and all other white-skinned nations as “outside barbarians,” and think

we are unduly presumptuous if we do not pay them homage! Out of the

cities, more of them are engaged in mining than in any other occupation;

but, as I intimated before, the majority of them lead a very inactive

and unproductive life. Much physical exertion, however, is not required

to secure them a maintenance; for their aliment, if possible, costs them

less than their dress, which is by no means expensive. Indeed, so

sparing are they in their meals, that it is seldom they eat any thing

but boiled rice; and even this, which they bring with them from China,

is very inferior to that raised in the Carolinas. It is an amusing

spectacle to see one of them feeding on this grain. Holding a bowl of

the rice in such a manner that the nearer edge of it almost touches his

chin, and grasping two chopsticks, about the shape and size of

penholders, between his fingers and thumb, he feeds himself with a

lively and dexterous motion of the hand, not very unlike a musician

playing upon a jewsharp, and continues the feat without intermission

until he has finished. He seems to cram the food down his throat with

these chopsticks, rather than let it undergo the usual process of

mastication. The ardor and haste with which he executes the performance,

remind one of a provident farmer when he pitches new-made sheaves of

provender into a hay-mow, just previous to a thunder-storm.

The Americans salute them all indiscriminately by the easy and

euphonious appellation of “John,” to which they reply as readily as if

they were addressed by their true names; and they return the compliment

by applying the same term to us, equally indiscriminately. A great

number of them think “John” is the only name white people have; and if

they have occasion to speak to an American or European woman, they call

her “John,” too! But their own vernacular cognomens, like their language

and habits, sound certainly very odd to occidental ears. The following

may be taken as fair specimens: Kak Chow, Chum Fi, Yah Wah, Si Ta, Hom

Fong, Dack Mung, Gee Foo. They are deplorably addicted to wasting time

in games of chance; and there are a dozen and a half gambling houses in

San Francisco under their especial control and direction. But neither

Americans nor Europeans participate in the sports or fortunes of their

tables; they themselves are the exclusive gamblers in these eighteen

dens of rascality. Their money is chiefly composed of brass and copper

coins, stamped with the characters of their alphabet. Hardened rice and

stamped slices of pasteboard are also current among them as mediums of

exchange.

Is this Chinese immigration desirable? I think not; and, contrary to the

expressed opinions of many of the public prints throughout the country,

contend that it ought not to be encouraged. It is not desirable, because

it is not useful; or, if useful at all, it is so only to themselves--not

to us. No reciprocal or mutual benefits are conferred. In what capacity

do they contribute to the advancement of American interests? Are they

engaged in any thing that adds to the general wealth and importance of

the country? Will they discard their clannish prepossessions, assimilate

with us, buy of us, and respect us? Are they not so full of duplicity,

prevarication and pagan prejudices, and so enervated and lazy, that it

is impossible for them to make true or estimable citizens? I wish their

advocates would answer me these questions; if they will do it

satisfactorily, I will interrogate them no further. Under the existing

laws of our government, they, as well as all other foreigners, are

permitted to work the mines in California as long as they please, and as

much as they please, without paying any thing for the privilege, except

a small tax to the State. Even this has but recently been imposed, and

half the time is either evaded or neglected. The general government,

though it has sacrificed so much blood and treasure in acquiring

California, is now so liberal that it refuses to enact a law imposing a

tax upon foreign miners; and, as a matter of course, it receives no

revenue whatever from this source. But the Chinese are more

objectionable than other foreigners, because they refuse to have dealing

or intercourse with us; consequently, there is no chance of making any

thing of them, either in the way of trade or labor. They are ready to

take all they can get from us, but are not willing to give any thing in

return. They did not aid in the acquisition or settlement of California,

and they do not intend to make it their future home. They will not

become permanent citizens, nor identify their lives and interests with

the country. They neither build nor buy, nor invest capital in any way

that conduces to the advantage of any one but themselves. They have

thousands of good-for-nothing gewgaws and worthless articles of _virtu_

for sale, and our people are foolish enough to buy them; but their

knowledge of the laws of reciprocity is so limited, that they never feel

in any need of American commodities.

Though they hold themselves aloof from us, contemn and disdain us, they

have guaranteed to them the same privileges that we enjoy; and are

allowed to exhaust the mines that should be reserved for us and our

posterity--that is, if they are worth reserving at all. Their places

could and should be filled with worthier immigrants--Europeans, who

would take the oath of allegiance to the country, work both for

themselves and for the commonwealth, fraternize with us, and, finally,

become a part of us. All things considered, I cannot perceive what more

right or business these semi-barbarians have in California than flocks

of blackbirds have in a wheatfield; for, as the birds carry off the

wheat without leaving any thing of value behind, so do the Confucians

gather the gold, and take it away with them to China, without

compensation to us who opened the way to it.

Still they are received with a flattering welcome. They are taken by the

hand with an obsequious grasp, as if their favor was earnestly desired;

and the impression is at once made upon their minds, that not only their

own presence, but also that of as many more of their kindred as can be

persuaded to come, is coveted by us. Their mining implements and boots

(the only articles of merchandise they purchase from us) are sold to

them at even less rates than to our own countrymen, more from curiosity

than from any other cause. For some unaccountable reason, they are

treated with a degree of deference and civility which is really

surprising. To humor their arrogance and presumption, I have frequently

seen Americans, in crowded places, relinquish the side-walk to them, and

betake themselves to the middle of a rough and muddy street. Moreover,

they are petted as if they were really what they preposterously fancy

themselves--the most elevated and exalted of the human race.

But I am inclined to look upon them as an inauspicious element of

society--a seed of political dissensions. They have neither the strength

of body nor the power of mind to cope with us in the common affairs of

life; and as it seems to be a universal law that the stronger shall rule

the weaker, it will be required of them, ere long, to do one of two

things, namely--either to succumb, to serve us, or to quit the country.

Which will they do? Our people will not always treat them with undue

complaisance. Their real merits and demerits will be developed, and such

stations as their natural endowments qualify them to fill will be

assigned them. They must work for themselves, or we will make them work

for us. No inferior race of men can exist in these United States

without becoming subordinate to the will of the Anglo-Americans, or

foregoing many of the necessaries and comforts of life. They must either

be our equals or our dependents. It is so with the negroes in the South;

it is so with the Irish in the North; it was so with the Indians in New

England; and it will be so with the Chinese in California. The Indians,

it is true, would not submit to be enslaved; but they had to suffer

exile, hunger and death as a consequence of their intractability.

Certain it is, that the greater the diversity of colors and qualities of

men, the greater will be the strife and conflict of feeling. One party

will gain the ascendency, and dominate over the other. Our population

was already too heterogeneous before the Chinese came; but now another

adventitious ingredient has been added; and I should not wonder at all,

if the copper of the Pacific yet becomes as great a subject of discord

and dissension as the ebony of the Atlantic. However, the discussion and

consideration of these matters more properly devolve upon our public

functionaries, who, I presume, if loyal to their constituents and their

country, will not lightly regard them.

CHAPTER VIII.

CURSORY VIEWS.

California has features as distinct and peculiar as the Alps or the

Andes. It cannot be mistaken for any other country; it is like no other

region on the face of the earth. Being new, and in some respects

untried, the most various conjectures, and the most opposite opinions

have been expressed as to its future fortunes and ultimate destiny. A

few who have been successful in their schemes and undertakings, and

whose interests and existence are now blended with it, flatter

themselves that it is destined to become a great and flourishing state;

while, on the other hand, the great majority, who have been disappointed

in all their expectations, and thwarted in every attempt, pronounce it

an unmitigated cheat, and curse it bitterly as the cause of their ruin.

My own opinions are, I imagine, by this time pretty well understood. I

speak of the country as I have seen it, not as a mere passing traveler,

but as an attentive observer. I emigrated to it as much in search of

adventure as of profit; and, during the three years of my residence

within its borders, have had ample opportunities to explore and

scrutinize it as I desired. I am fully satisfied with my information

upon this subject. I have seen all of it that is worth seeing, and a

great deal besides. I crave no further knowledge of it than I now

possess.

While there is any unoccupied land between the British boundaries of

Maine and the Mexican limits of Texas, between the Florida Reefs and the

Falls of St. Anthony, I would not advise any person to emigrate to

California for the purpose of bettering his worldly condition. I have,

indeed, no personal knowledge of the other divisions of land west of the

Rocky Mountains; yet an acquaintance with gentlemen of character and

veracity who have visited those sections, justifies the opinion that

none of them abound in those elements of exuberant and permanent

greatness so characteristic of the States east of the Rio Grande and the

Mississippi. Oregon and Washington territories, Utah and New Mexico are

tolerable countries, and, in some respects, superior to California; but

owing to the general inferiority of their natural advantages, they can

never become as powerful or important States as Louisiana or New York,

Georgia or Illinois. The Pacific side of the continent is, as a general

thing, far inferior to the Atlantic slope.

In my judgment, the present condition and future prospects of

California, so far from offering inducements for additional immigration,

actually portend much poverty and suffering. The very fact that

thousands of men, some of whom have been in the country from three to

four years, are working for nothing but their board, is of itself

justifiable ground for this apprehension. More than a dozen stout,

sober, able-bodied men, who asked nothing in compensation for their

services but food, have applied to me for employment in a single day. I

have elsewhere remarked that many of the most menial and humiliating

situations about hotels, stores and private residences are filled by

these ill-fated men, who, if they had the means, would be glad to shake

off the dust of California from their feet, and return to the homes of

their youth, where peace, plenty and happiness are attainable by all.

Misery and despair go to bed with them at night, rise with them in the

morning and accompany them throughout the day; they have been grossly

deceived; “hope told them a flattering tale,” and broke her lying

promise; their hearts are sick with unrelenting and consuming sorrows.

Strangers among strangers, they have no friend to soothe or assist them

in the hour of misfortune; if they hunger, they must fast; if sickness

overtake them, death is their remedy. Depressed in spirits, and driven

to desperation by bitter and repeated calamities, they betake themselves

to the bottle for solace, become insane from extreme anxiety or

over-activity of the mind, or else, with bullet, knife, or poison, put

a summary end to their wretched lives. Such is the history of many a man

who has perished in that land of gold.

They left their homes flushed with hope; those near and dear to them

imprinted the last kiss upon their cheeks, and bade them adieu with

heavy hearts and tearful eyes, but found consolation in the hope that

they would soon return. Those who escaped the many dangers of the

various routes and reached their destination, wrote back to their

friends immediately upon their arrival that all was well. The news was

received with ecstasy; heaven was thanked for their deliverance from the

perils of the trip; the neighbors were informed of the health and safety

of the adventurers; and for a few weeks all things promised well. In a

month or so another letter was anxiously looked for, but did not make

its appearance; then fears began to be entertained, and the unwelcome

thought would occasionally flash through the mind that all was not well.

Nor was it. Month after month slowly and gloomily passed away, without

bringing any tidings of the poor deluded wanderers; and it has now been

so long since they were heard from, that it is easier to reckon the time

by years than by months. Still their fate is wrapt in mystery which is

no more likely to be unraveled than is the fate of the President and her

crew. All that can be concluded is, that they lie some where within the

confines of California, with no monument to reveal the place of their

final slumber.

The immigration to California has been too much like the rush of an

excited and impatient audience into a theatre, when it is known that a

favorite actor is about to perform. There has been too much scrambling,

too much crowding and pushing. Every body has heard that gold is

scattered over her hills and mountains; thousands covet it, and are

foolish enough to suppose that any body can get it. Without taking a

calm and deliberate view of the subject--without balancing both sides,

or counting the cost, they have suddenly abandoned their homes, and

rushed in disorder to the land over which hovered their visions of

wealth. They imagined that they had discovered the secret of fortune,

and, in their enthusiasm, immediately set out to realize their dreams.

They discovered, alas! too late, that their emigration was ill-timed and

unprofitable, that they had exchanged a good situation for a bad one,

and that immense sacrifices must be made before they could replace

themselves in their former position.

No country can ever become truly great, unless it possesses abundant

agricultural resources; and as California is deficient in this as well

as in other respects, it is absurd to suppose that she will attract

attention longer than her mines pay for working. The banks of the

rivers, and the localities in the San Jose, Sacramento, and San Joaquin

valleys, form exceptions to this general sterility. There the ground is

low and moist, or easily irrigated, the soil is extremely fertile, and

produces vegetables, which, for size and powers of multiplication, have

probably never been equaled. These spots, however, are little more, in

comparison with the area of the State, than are the roads of a county to

the county itself; and they cannot, therefore, be depended upon to

supply the wants and necessities of the whole country, should it ever be

thickly settled throughout--an event which, for the very reason I have

mentioned above, I do not believe will ever take place. These valleys

and the banks of the rivers seem to have become the receptacle of nearly

all the virtue of the surrounding surface of the country. As a few

specimens of the vegetable monstrosities, the productions of these

fertile spots, that have come under my notice, I may mention a beet that

weighed forty-seven pounds; a cabbage, thirty-two pounds; a turnip,

twenty-six pounds; an Irish potato, seven pounds; and a water-melon,

sixty-four pounds. Onions, lettuce, radishes, and other horticultural

productions, also grow to an enormous size. Irish potatoes, however, I

believe, are the most prolific crop that can be planted. Indian corn is

cultivated to but little if any advantage. All of the arable parts of

the State are now settled; and farmers who go thither hereafter will

either have to return, or abandon altogether the idea of cultivating the

soil; for it will be impossible for them to make a subsistence out of

the sterile hills of the upland.

That millions of dollars worth of gold have been taken from the mines,

and that there is a vast amount still remaining, no one pretends to

deny; but then it does not exist in the quantity that is generally

supposed. There is nothing more uncertain, as a business, than gold

mining in California. It is, indeed, like a lottery--more blanks than

prizes; and as every man has to take his chances, he must not feel too

much disappointed if his luck leaves him with the majority. A few make

themselves independently rich, and go home with flying colors; but where

one does it, there are forty or fifty, at least, who, though equally

sober, industrious and deserving, do not make more than their support,

and very frequently not even that.

Half the stories afloat concerning “wealthy returned Californians” are

exaggerated beyond the power of tongue to describe. A case or two in

point:--A young man from the West, who had been mining between two and

three years, and with whom I had become acquainted, started home on a

certain occasion, with about one hundred and sixty dollars over and

above his expenses. In speaking of his friends, I asked him what he was

going to tell them when he got home. “Oh!” says he, “I shall not admit

that I have made so little; for, if I do, they’ll accuse me of having

been indolent, of gambling, of drinking, or some other disreputable

thing that I have never been guilty of; so I’ll give out that I have

made twelve or fifteen thousand dollars; and about the time I shall have

got them all in a good humor, I’ll take an excursion down to New

Orleans, and thence to South America, where I am determined hereafter to

seek my fortune.” Thus, although he was honorable, and not addicted to

habits of dissipation, he had not the nerve to tell the real truth of

his own success. This shows how easily these exaggerated rumors are set

agoing, and public ignorance imposed upon. The further people live from

California, the more credulous are they of golden legends; and I am

persuaded that the young man above alluded to had no difficulty in

making his neighbors in the West believe he was worth whatever amount he

chose to tell them he had made. Extravagant as this story may sound, it

is not without a parallel. A man, who had accumulated from three to four

thousand dollars, returned on a visit to his friends in the East; and,

to test the credulity of the people, he put out the report that he had

made five hundred thousand dollars. His story was received by the

gaping neighbors without a doubt; and all at once our adventurer found

himself the invited guest of nabobs who never knew him before he went to

California, though they had seen him hundreds of times. I cannot close

these remarks without offering a word of advice to the marriageable

ladies. If you seek a rich husband, do not form a matrimonial alliance

with an El Dorado Crœsus; for, in nine cases out of ten, a “wealthy

Californian” is a poor man.

Admitting all that is claimed for California in regard to her mineral

wealth, it affords no reason why every body should rush thither; nor is

it any argument that it will ever become the land of promise which an

enthusiastic imagination may picture. It is already a pandemonium; and

it does not clearly appear how it can become an elysium.

The benefit of mines of the precious metals to the country in which they

are found, is still an open question. The weight of authority is against

them. The history of Mexico and Peru, in this hemisphere, as well as the

new chapter which California is opening, cannot be quoted in their

favor. It seems to be decreed that, the more oblique the route by which

gold is reached, the greater is its value; while the more directly it is

acquired, the more mischievous is it to the morals and the material

wealth of a nation. If, as Joseph Bonaparte so happily remarked, “gold,

in its last analysis, is the sweat of the poor and the blood of the

brave,” the more of these ingredients contribute to produce it, the

richer is the result. The concurrent testimony of all ages proves that

those nations who obtain their wealth by the indirect methods of

agriculture, manufactures and commerce, are more happy and more

prosperous than those who dig their treasures directly from the earth.

This result is partly brought about by the great diversity of

occupations which spring up in such a state of society, and give

employment to all classes of the community: whereas, in a mining region,

rich only in the precious metals, the resources of labor are fewer, and

its tasks less diversified. The moral effect of sudden riches must also

be taken into consideration. Few men can gaze undazzled at the splendor

of a large fortune: and the more rapidly they acquire it, the more

likely are they to grow dizzy in its contemplation. It seems to require

time for a man to become habituated to the sight of wealth, in order to

enable him to enjoy it with ease or dignity.

We cannot, therefore, conclude that the mere presence of gold is

sufficient to advance California to a high position among her sister

commonwealths. She produces the circulating medium of the country, it is

true: and the intrinsic value of that medium causes the world to

overlook the cost of its acquisition. We have endeavored, however, to

set people right on that subject in the chapter entitled “The

Balance-Sheet,” and shall not repeat what was there said.

We will not urge any complaint against the climate; for, in this

respect, all classes and conditions of men can be suited, whether from

the burning regions of Central Africa, or from the snow-capped mountains

of Russian America. Along the southern line of the State it is

oppressively hot, and, as a matter of course, is somewhat enervating;

but in the north and north-east, among the mountains, it is extremely

cold; and snow, to the depth of from two to ten feet, is found there as

late as August. Large quantities of this snow are brought down to the

cities, a distance of more than two hundred miles, by teamsters, and

sold as a substitute for ice. The northern and southern sections of the

State are, as yet, but little inhabited or known, except by the natives,

who, like all other North American Indians, are ignorant of any thing

beyond the limits of their own hunting-ground. In the middle or central

parts of the State, the climate, as a general thing, is delightful, and,

withal, highly invigorating and salubrious. Around San Francisco,

particularly, during the winter season, when it does not rain, the

weather is unusually mild and pleasant; and I have often heard it

compared to the climate of Italy. It is not so agreeable in summer,

because the dust and winds prevail to such a decree, throughout the dry

season, as to become a source of extreme discomfort. The main objection

I have to the California climate, as stated in a previous chapter, is

the division of the seasons into six months of dry weather, which burns

and scorches the earth so severely that nothing will vegetate; and six

months of wet weather, during which time the rain falls so hard and so

fast, that it is quite impossible to perform out-door labor. These two

seasons are general--that is, they affect the entire State; but the

temperature of the atmosphere varies very much, according to locality.

In and about the latitude of San Francisco, it is rarely ever too cold

or too hot: though the weather frequently changes, three or four times

in a single day, from calm and warm to boisterous and cool, and from

boisterous and cool to calm and warm again. In other places, where the

days are intolerably close and sultry, it is necessary to have one or

two blankets to sleep under at night. The remarkable aridity and

unfruitfulness of the country at large, may be ascribed to the

protracted drought of the summer, which begins in April, and lasts until

about the middle of November.

CHAPTER IX.

SUNDAY IN CALIFORNIA.

The Sabbath in California is kept, when kept at all, as a day of

hilarity and bacchanalian sports, rather than as a season of holy

meditation or religious devotion. Horse-racing, cock-fighting,

cony-hunting, card-playing, theatrical performances, and other elegant

amusements are freely engaged in on this day. If I remember correctly,

it was about two months after my arrival in the land of gold and misery,

that I had the misfortune to become acquainted with a renegade down-east

Congregationalist preacher, who invited me to accompany him, on the

following Sunday, in a deer-chase. Throughout the country, and in the

mines, shooting-matches and bear-hunting afford pleasant pastimes;

gambling is also practiced to a considerable extent, though not so much

as on other days. But we shall probably learn more of the manner in

which Sunday is spent, if we confine our attention to one of the larger

cities, San Francisco, for example. Here regattas, duels and

prize-fights are favorite diversions; and the Lord’s day seldom passes

without witnessing one or the other, or both. Here, too, for a long

time, gaming was licensed on Sundays, as it is yet on week days; but

recently the city fathers have passed an ordinance prohibiting the

desecration, and I believe their example has been followed by three or

four of the other cities. There is no State law upon the subject.

Connected with a tippling-house, on the corner of Washington and

Montgomery streets, there is one of the finest billiard-saloons in the

United States. It is very large, and magnificently decorated, has twelve

tables, and is furnished, I am informed, at a cost of twenty-five

thousand dollars. To this place hundreds of infatuated men betake

themselves every Sunday; and it is an unusual thing, at any time, to

find one of the tables unoccupied. Every day of the week, from breakfast

time in the morning till twelve o’clock at night, this saloon, like many

others of a like kind, is thronged; but the crowds are particularly

large on Sunday, because people have more leisure on that day. Though,

in this particular place, they are not allowed to gamble publicly on the

Sabbath, they lose and win as much money in the way of secret wagers as

they do openly on any other day.

What can we expect but an abuse of the Sabbath, when we take into

account the contrariety of characters, tastes, dispositions and

religions here huddled together? When we scrutinize society, we find

that some of its members, the Chinese and other pagans for instance,

know nothing at all of our system or division of time, and that they

are, therefore, absolutely ignorant of the meaning of the word Sunday.

There is no unity of thought, feeling or sentiment here; no oneness of

purpose, policy or action. There is no common interest; every man is for

himself, and himself alone. Society is composed of elements too varied

and dissimilar;--it is a heterogeneous assemblage of rivals and

competitors, who know no sympathy, and recognize no principle, save that

of personal profit and individual emolument. Nearly all colors and

qualities of mankind are congregated here. The great human family is, as

it were, sampled and its specimens formed into one society, each

communicating to the other his own peculiar habits, and each contending

for the same object--the acquisition of gold. It is manifest, therefore,

that there can be but little concert or harmony of action. Masquerade

balls, cotillion parties and jig dances fill up the list of Sunday

diversions. On Pacific street alone, the most notoriously profligate

thoroughfare in the city, there are from twelve to fifteen dance-houses,

in which the terpsichorean art is practiced every night during the week,

but usually with greater zest and animation on Sunday nights. These

fandangoes are principally under the superintendence or management of

Mexican girls, of whom there is no small number in San Francisco and

other cities of the State. Before I ever saw any of the Mexican ladies,

I had heard the most glowing descriptions of their ravishing beauty; but

I must either discredit the accounts, or else conclude that my ideas of

female beauty are very imperfect, for I have never yet beheld one of

them who, according to my standard of good looks, was really beautiful.

Their pumpkin hues and slovenly deportment could never awaken any

admiration in me, even in California.

Bonnets among them are quite unknown. Half the time they go bare-headed

through the streets and to church, just as they do about their premises;

but most of them have a long, narrow shawl, which is sometimes worn over

the head, as well as the shoulders. This shawl is, in fact, an almost

indispensable article of apparel, especially with the better classes,

who never appear in a public place, whether in winter or summer, without

it. They wrap it around their face, head and shoulders so ingeniously

that spectators can not obtain a glimpse of any part of their features,

save the forehead, eyes and nose; the mouth, chin and cheeks are

cautiously concealed. There is a gross lack of consistency among these

women. Notwithstanding they engage in the lowest debaucheries throughout

the week, they are strict attendants of the Catholic church; and dozens

of them may be seen any Sunday on their way to matins, mass or vespers,

clad in habiliments of the greatest possible variety. If they can only

get one fine, fashionable garment they think it makes amends for the bad

material and ill shape of all the others. Nor are they particular to

have their whole person clothed at the same time. I don’t think I have

ever seen one of them fully attired in my life; something was always

wanting. Sometimes they may be seen promenading the streets, robed in

the richest silks that were ever woven in Chinese looms, but when you

gaze down at their lower extremities you discover them stockingless,

their feet thrust into a pair of coarse slippers, which expose to view a

pair of rusty heels that look as if no ablution had been performed upon

them for at least three moons. The Mexicans, however, in most cases, are

fond of aquatic exercises; and they have several bathing establishments

in San Francisco, for the accommodation of the public, (at one dollar

per head for each bath,) as well as for their own convenience and

gratification. Unless I have been misinformed, it is a custom with the

proprietors, when a gentleman retires to take his bath, to dispatch a

female servant to his room to scour and scrub him off! As I resided near

an American bath-house, I always patronized it in preference, and did

not acquaint myself with Mexican usages in this respect.

Lately, however, women of pure and lofty characters have emigrated to

California, and, since their arrival, there has been a gradual and

steady improvement of morals among the people, and the Sabbath is now

much better observed than it used to be. Soon after their arrival,

schools and churches began to spring up, and social circles were formed;

refinement dawned upon a debauched and reckless community, decorum took

the place of obscenity; kind and gentle words were heard to fall from

the lips of those who before had been accustomed to taint every phrase

with an oath; and smiles displayed themselves upon countenances to which

they had long been strangers. Woman accomplished all this, and we should

be ungrateful reprobates indeed if we did not honor, esteem and love her

for it. Had I received no other benefit from my trip to California than

the knowledge I have gained, inadequate as it may be, of woman’s many

virtues and perfections, I should account myself well repaid; and I

thank heaven that I was induced to embark in an enterprise which

resulted in such a collateral remuneration. This I am constrained to

say, because I fear I should never have had a full appreciation of her

merits, had I not witnessed her happy influence in this benighted land.

It was only after leaving a home where her constant presence, her

soothing and animating society, appeared as a matter of course, and

removing to a sphere where she had a better opportunity of displaying

her power, that I could estimate her real worth.

“From woman’s eyes this doctrine I derive:

They sparkle still the right Promethean fire;

They are the books, the arts, the academies,

That show, contain, and nourish all the world.

O, then,

For wisdom’s sake, a word that all men love;

Or for love’s sake, a word that loves all men;

Or for men’s sake, the authors of these women;

Or for women’s sake, by whom we men are men,

Let us love women, and ourselves be true,

Or else we harm ourselves, and wrong them too.”

With the generous assistance and co-operation of the gentler sex, the

various religious denominations have succeeded in establishing for

themselves suitable places of worship in most of the cities and larger

towns throughout the State. San Francisco now contains fourteen

churches, two of which are Presbyterian, two Congregational, one

Unitarian, three Methodist, two Baptist, two Episcopal, and two Roman

Catholic. The Swedenborgians, Universalists, Mormons, and sundry minor

sects occasionally hold service in public halls; and, if I recollect

aright, the Jews have two synagogues. There is also a pagan temple,

where the Chinese pay their adorations to Boodh, or to some other

imaginary deity, whenever they experience a religious emotion.

CHAPTER X.

BEAR AND BULL FIGHT.

It was a beautiful Sabbath morning in November, when the bells aroused

me from a dreamy sleep; but before arising from my couch, being lazy and

inclined to muse, I allowed my fancy to recall my departure from

Carolina with all its attendant circumstances. The hour alone would have

suggested such meditations, for it was on a dewy morning that I bade

farewell to the loved ones of my far-off home. I recalled the yellow

lustre of the sun pouring his floods of golden light over the glistening

tree-tops; the tender adieus, the streaming eyes, the murmured blessing.

I remembered the sadness of my heart as I thought of the distance that

would soon separate me from the friends and companions of my youth, and

the high hopes which soothed my pain.

As I was thus pondering I heard the sound of drum, fife and clarionet;

and stepping to the window to ascertain what was the meaning of this

Sunday music echoing through the streets of San Francisco, I saw a

tremendous grizzly bear, caged, and drawn by four spirited horses

through the various streets. Tacked to each side of the cage were large

posters, which read as follows:--

FUN BREWING--GREAT ATTRACTION!

HARD FIGHTING TO BE DONE!

TWO BULLS AND ONE BEAR!

The citizens of San Francisco and vicinity are respectfully

informed that at _four o’clock this afternoon, Sunday, Nov. 14th_,

at _Mission Dolores_, a _rich treat_ will be prepared for them, and

that they will have an opportunity of enjoying a fund of the

_raciest sport_ of the season. TWO LARGE BULLS AND A BEAR, all _in

prime condition for fighting_, and under the management of

_experienced Mexicans_, will contribute to the _amusement of the

audience_.

Programme--In two Acts.

ACT I.

BULL AND BEAR--“HERCULES” AND “TROJAN,”

Will be conducted into the arena, and there _chained together_,

where they will fight _until one kills the other_.

JOSE IGNACIO, }

PICO GOMEZ, } Managers.

ACT II.

The great bull, “BEHEMOTH,” will be _let loose in the arena_, where

he will be _attacked by two of the most celebrated and expert

picadors of Mexico_, and finally _dispatched after the true Spanish

method_.

Admittance $3--Tickets for sale at the door.

JOAQUIN VATRETO, }

JESUS ALVAREZ, } Managers.

Mission Dolores, the place where these cruel sports were held, is a

small village about two miles south-west of San Francisco, which was

first settled by a couple of Roman Catholic priests during the American

Revolution. It is contended by some that this was the first settlement

effected by white persons in Upper California. The buildings are but one

story in height, covered with tiles, and are constructed of _adobe_ or

sun-dried clay. With regard to the general aspect of the place, it is

distressingly shabby and gloomy. For scores of years, the inhabitants,

who are a queer compound of Spanish and Indian blood, have lived here in

poverty, ignorance and inactivity. But I am digressing. What was I to do

about the bull-fight? I had never witnessed such an exhibition, and

consequently had a great desire to see it. It was Sunday, however, and

how could I reconcile the instructions of a pious mother with an

inclination so much at variance with the divine command? Well, without

entering into any thing like a defence of my determination, suffice it

to say that I made up my mind to go, and went. Anxious, however, to

moderate or diminish the sin as much as possible, I determined to hear a

sermon first, and go to the bull-fight afterwards. For the sake of

somewhat condensing the events of the day, I concluded to leave the city

immediately, and repair to the Mission, there to attend an antique

Catholic church, which has been built nearly three-quarters of a

century.

Starting off with this view, I arrived within hearing of the priests’

voices about the time they began to chant the service, and on entering

the rickety old church, much to my gratification, I learned that it was

an extraordinary occasion with them, and that a deal of unusual display

might be expected. The rite or ceremony of high mass was to be

performed. Monks and friars from the monasteries of Mexico were in

attendance; and the church was thronged with a large and heterogeneous

crowd.

Four o’clock, the hour appointed for the fight between the bear and the

bull, having arrived, a few taps by the drummer, and some popular airs

played by the other musicians, announced that the amphitheatre, which

fronted the church and stood but a few yards from it, was open for the

reception of those who desired admission. I made my way to the

ticket-office, and handed three dollars to the collector, who placed in

my hand a voucher, which gained me access to an eligible seat within the

inclosure. I found myself among the first who entered; and as it was

some time before the whole audience assembled, I had ample opportunities

to scan the characters who composed it, and to examine the arrangement

and disposition of things around me.

The seats were very properly elevated so high above the arena that no

danger was likely to result from the furious animals; and I suppose five

thousand persons could have been conveniently accommodated, though only

about three-fourths of that number were present. Among the auditory, I

noticed many Spanish maids and matrons, who manifested as much

enthusiasm and delight in anticipation of what was to follow as the most

enthusiastic sportsman on the ground. Crying children, too, in the arms

of self-satisfied and admiring mothers, were there, full of noise and

mischief, and a nuisance, as they always are, in theatres and churches,

to all sober-minded people. Of men, there were all sizes, colors and

classes, such as California, and California alone, can bring together.

There was but one, however, who attracted my particular attention on

this occasion. I had no recollection of having ever seen him before that

day. He sat a few feet from me on my left. There was nothing uncommon

about his form or features. The expression of his countenance was

neither intellectual nor amiable. His acquirements and attainments were

doubtless limited, for he demeaned himself rudely, and exhibited but

little dignity of manner. It was the strange metamorphosis he had

undergone since the morning which won for him my special observation.

Only four hours had elapsed since I saw him officiating at the altar and

feasting upon a substance which he believed to be the actual flesh and

blood of Jesus Christ, who died more than eighteen hundred years ago! In

the forenoon of the Lord’s day, he took upon himself the character of

God’s vicegerent, invested himself with sacerdotal robes, assumed a

sanctified visage, and discharged the sacred duties of his office. In

the afternoon of the same Sabbath, he doffed his holy orders, sanctioned

merciless diversions, mingled on terms of equality with gamblers and

desperados, and held himself in readiness to exclaim Bravo! at the

finale of a bull-fight.

By this time the whooping, shouting and stamping of the spectators

attested that they were eager and restless to behold the brutal combat;

and an overture by a full brass band, which had been chartered for the

occasion, gave them assurance that their wishes would soon be complied

with. The music ceased; the trap-door of the bull’s cage was raised, and

“Hercules,” huge, brawny and wild, leaped into the centre of the

inclosed arena, shaking his head, switching his tail, and surveying the

audience with a savage stare that would have intimidated the stoutest

hearts, had he not been strongly barred below them. His eyes glistened

with defiance, and he seemed to crave nothing so much as an enemy upon

which he might wreak his vengeance. He contorted his body, lashed his

back, snuffed, snorted, pawed, bellowed, and otherwise behaved so

frantically, that I was fearful he could not contain himself until his

antagonist was prepared. Just then, two picadors--Mexicans on

horseback--entered the arena, with lassos in hand. Taurus welcomed them

with an attitude of attack, and was about to rush upon one of their

horses with the force of a battering-ram, when, with most commendable

dexterity, the picador who was farthest off lassoed him by the horns,

and foiled him in his mad design. As quick as thought, the horseman from

whom the bull’s attention had been diverted, threw his lasso around his

horns also; and in this way they brought him to a stand midway between

them. A third person, a footman, now ran in, and seizing his tail,

twisted it until he fell flat on his side; when, by the help of an

additional assistant, the end of a long log-chain was fastened to his

right hind-leg. In this prostrated condition he was kept until the other

end of the chain was secured to the left fore-leg of the bear, as we

shall now describe.

Running a pair of large clasping-tongs under Bruin’s trap-door, which

was lifted just enough for the purpose, they grasped his foot, pulled it

out, and held it firmly, while one of the party bound the opposite end

of the chain fast to his leg with thongs. This done, they hoisted the

trap-door sufficiently high to admit of his egress, when out stalked

“Trojan,” apparently too proud and disdainful to vouchsafe a glance upon

surrounding objects. He was a stalwart, lusty-looking animal, the

largest grizzly bear I had ever seen, weighing full fourteen hundred

pounds. It was said that he was an adept in conflicts of this nature,

as he then enjoyed the honorable reputation of having delivered three

bulls from the vicissitudes of this life. It is probable, however, that

his previous victories had flushed and inspired him with an

unwarrantable degree of confidence; for he seemed to regard the bull

more as a thing to be despised than as an equal or dangerous rival.

Though he gave vent to a few ferocious growls, it was evident that he

felt more inclination to resist an attack than to make one. With the

bull, the case was very different; he was of a pugnacious disposition,

and had become feverish for a foe. Now he had one. An adversary of

gigantic proportions and great prowess stood before him; and as soon as

he spied him, he moved backward, the entire length of the chain, which

jerked the bear’s foot and made him rend the air with a most fearful

howl, that served but the more to incense the bull. Shaking his head

maliciously, casting it down, and throwing up his tail, he plunged at

the bear with a force and fury that were irresistible. The collision was

terrible, completely overthrowing his ponderous enemy and laying him

flat on his back. Both were injured, but neither was conquered; both

mutually recoiled to prepare again to strike for victory. With eyes

gleaming with fire, and full of resolution, the bull strode proudly over

his prostrate enemy, and placed himself in position to make a second

attack. But now the bear was prepared to receive him; he had recovered

his feet wild with rage, and he then appeared to beckon to the bull to

meet him without delay. The bull needed no challenge; he was, if

possible, more impetuous than the bear, and did not lose any more time

than it required to measure the length of the chain. Again, with

unabated fierceness, he darted at the bear, and, as before, struck him

with an impetus that seemed to have been borrowed from Jove’s own

thunderbolt; as he came in contact with the bear, that amiable animal

grappled him by the neck, and squeezed him so hard that he could

scarcely save himself from suffocation. The bull now found himself in a

decidedly uncomfortable situation; the bear had him as he wanted him.

Powerful as he was, he could not break loose from Bruin. A vice could

not have held him more firmly. The strong arms of the bear hugged him in

a ruthless and desperate embrace. It was a stirring sight to see these

infuriated and muscular antagonists struggling to take each other’s

life. It was enough to make a heathen generalissimo shudder to look at

them. How ought it to have been, then, with enlightened civilians? This

question I shall not answer; it was easy enough to see how it was with

the Spanish ladies--they laughed, cheered, encored, clapped their hands,

waved their handkerchiefs, and made every other sign which was

characteristic of pleasure and delight. The contending brutes still

strove together. Hercules quaked under the torturing hugs of Trojan.

Trojan howled under the violent and painful perforations of Hercules.

But the bear did not rely alone upon the efficacy of his arms; his

massive jaws and formidable teeth were brought into service, and with

them he inflicted deep wounds in his rival’s flesh. He seized the bull

between the ears and nostrils, and crushed the bones with such force

that we could distinctly hear them crack! Nor were the stunning butts of

the bull his only means of defence; his horns had been sharpened

expressly for the occasion, and with these he lacerated the bear most

frightfully. It was a mighty contest--a desperate struggle for victory!

Finally, however, fatigued, exhausted, writhing with pain and weltering

in sweat and gore, they waived the quarrel and separated, as if by

mutual consent. Neither was subdued; yet both felt a desire to suspend,

for a time at least, all further hostilities. The bull, now exhausted

and panting, cast a pacific glance towards the bear, and seemed to sue

for an armistice; the bear, bleeding and languid after his furious

contest, raised his eyes to the bull, and seemed to assent to the

proposition. But, alas! man, cruel man, more brutal than the brutes

themselves, would not permit them to carry out their pacific

intentions. The two attendants or managers, Ignacio and Gomez, stepped

up behind them, goading them with spears till they again rushed upon

each other, and fought with renewed desperation. During this scuffle,

the bull shattered the lower jaw of the bear, and we could see the

shivered bones dangling from their bloody recesses! Oh, heaven! what a

horrible sight. How the blood curdled in my veins. Pish! what a timid

fellow I am, to allow myself to be agitated by such a trifle as this!

Shall I tremble at what the ladies applaud? Forbid it, Mars! I’ll be as

spirited as they. But, to wind up this part of our story, neither the

bear nor the bull could stand any longer--their limbs refused to support

their bodies; they had worried and lacerated each other so much that

their strength had completely failed, and they dropped upon the earth,

gasping as if in the last agony. While in this helpless condition the

chain was removed from their feet, horses were hitched to them, and they

were dragged without the arena, there to end their miseries in death.

The second act of the afternoon’s entertainment was now to be performed.

It would be unnecessary, and painful to the feelings of sensitive

readers, to dwell long upon this murderous sport. It was a mere

repetition, in another form, of the disgusting horrors of that which

preceded it. Fully satiated with the barbarities I had already

witnessed, I am not sure that I should have staid to see any more, had

it not been for the peculiar sensations which the cognomen of one of the

actors awakened within me. By reference to the advertisement, it will be

perceived that the two managers of this part of the proceedings were

Joaquin Vatreto and Jesus Alvarez. The latter name sounded strangely in

my ears. It occurred to me that it was peculiarly out of place in its

present connection. What! Jesus at a bull-fight on Sunday, and not only

at it, but one of the prime movers and abettors in it!

But now to the fight. All things being ready, the great bull, Behemoth,

was freed from restraint, and sprang with frantic bounds into the midst

of the arena. He bore a suitable appellation, for he was a monster in

size and formidable in courage. Two picadors, Joaquin Vatreto and Jesus

Alvarez, mounted on fiery steeds, with swords in hand, now entered and

confronted him. Behemoth looked upon this sudden invasion as an

intolerable insult. His territory was already too limited for so

powerful a monarch as he considered himself, and he could not think of

dividing it with others. The sight of these unceremonious intruders

inflamed him with such rancor that he could no longer restrain himself;

but lowering his head and tossing his tail aloft, he rushed furiously at

them. They evaded his charge. The horses were well trained, and seemed

to enjoy the sport, and to pride themselves upon their adroit manœuvres.

But both they and their riders had enough to do to evade the fury of the

enraged brute. Each successive bout became more animated and fierce. The

foiling of the bull’s purposes only exasperated him the more. There was

not room enough in his capacious body to contain his effervescing wrath.

The foam which he spurted from his mouth and nose fell upon the earth

like enormous flakes of snow. Faster and faster, and with truer aim, he

charged his foes. At last one of the horses, in attempting to wheel or

turn suddenly round, stumbled, and the bull, taking advantage of the

event, gored him so desperately in the abdomen that a part of his

entrails protruded from the wounds and trailed almost upon the ground!

This was truly a distressing scene. I could have wept for the poor,

innocent charger, but in this case tears were of no avail.

One of the picadors now alighted, and engaged the attention of the bull,

while the other led the two horses outside the inclosure. When this was

done, a man on foot, called a matador, dressed in close-fitting,

fantastic garments, with a heavy sword in his right hand, and a small

red flag in his left, entered the arena and bowed first to the bull and

then to the audience. It was now a matter of life and death between the

bull and the matador. One or the other, or both, must die. If the bull

did not kill the man, the man would kill the bull; if the man killed the

bull, the man was to live, but if the bull killed the man, the bull was

to die; so that death was sure to overtake the bull in any event. The

action commenced, and waxed hotter and hotter every moment, and it was

only by uncommon skill and agility that the matador could shun the

frenzied charges of the bull. Had it not been for the flag which he

carried in his hand, and which enabled him to deceive his antagonist by

seeming to hold it directly before him, when in reality he inclined it

to the right or to the left, as his safety dictated, the bull would

unquestionably have dashed his brains out, thrown him over his head, or

gored him to death. Nothing could have irritated or vexed the bull more

than did the sight of this red flag, and he made all his assaults upon

it, supposing, no doubt, that he would strike the mischief behind it,

but the agile matador always took special care to spring aside and save

himself from the deadly stroke. After tormenting, teasing and chafing

him for about a quarter of an hour in this way, six keen javelins or

darts, with miniature flags attached, were handed to the matador, who

ventured to face the bull, and never quit him until he had planted them

all in his shoulders, three in each. Stung to madness, the animal

reared, rolled and plunged in the most frightful manner. Soon, however,

he was on his feet again, pursuing his persecutor with renewed zeal.

The fates, however, were against him. He could not comprehend, and

consequently could not foil the crafty designs of his adversary, who

completely deceived him with the flag. Night was now coming on, and it

being time to close the performance, the matador, placing himself in a

pompous attitude near the south side of the arena, challenged Behemoth

to the last and decisive engagement by waving the flag briskly before

him. The bull, exasperated beyond description, needed no additional

incentive to urge him to meet the enemy. With a force apparently equal

to that of a rhinoceros, and with the celerity of a reindeer, he rushed

at the matador, who, stepping just sufficiently to the left to avoid

him, thrust the sword into his breast up to the hilt. The matador,

leaving this sword buried in the bull’s body, now laid hold of another,

which was on hand for the purpose, and stabbed him three times in a more

vital part, when down he fell at his victor’s feet, dead. Then jumping

upon the carcass of his slain rival, the matador brandished his sword,

doffed his hat, bowed his compliments, and retired, amid the deafening

plaudits of a wolfish audience.

CHAPTER XI.

SACRAMENTO.

Sacramento is situated on the river and in the heart of the valley of

the same name, about one hundred miles north-east of San Francisco. It

is the second city in the State in size, population and commerce, and

contains from eight to ten thousand inhabitants--being nearly one fourth

as large as San Francisco. It bears to San Francisco much the same

relation that Columbia does to Charleston, or Albany to New York. From

two to six steamboats daily ply between the two cities, conveying

passengers and merchandise; and a vast deal of heavy freight is shipped

in sailing vessels, which usually make the outward and return trip in a

little over a week. The banks of the river are very low, and the current

moves sluggishly towards the ocean. Flood-tide ascends almost as high as

this place. The country, for twenty-five miles on either side of the

river, is an unbroken plain, level as a floor, and would be invaluable

for agricultural purposes were it not for the great freshets of the

winter and spring, and the incessant drought of the summer and fall--two

serious disadvantages to the farmer. Sometimes the whole valley is

completely overflowed and remains under water for two or three

consecutive months, on which occasions it presents the appearance of a

vast lake. Many new immigrants, who are ignorant of the freaks of

California seasons, arriving here in the summer, settle in this valley,

and thank their stars that they were guided to an unclaimed plat of so

much promise. But when winter comes and the windows of heaven are

opened, and the river rises, and the cattle are drowned and the houses

swept off, and they themselves compelled to fly to the upland to save

their lives, they begin to discover the gloomy fact that they have been

caught in a snare.

The site of the city, so smooth and flat, would be one of the most

beautiful in the world, but for the lack of sufficient elevation. For

the first two or three years after its settlement the inhabitants did

nothing to protect it from the floods, but afterwards, becoming tired of

navigating the streets in scows and skiffs, and willing to retain some

of their goods and chattels about their premises, they built a temporary

levee, which has since kept them tolerably dry. It is laid out with the

most perfect regularity; its blocks and streets being as uniform and

methodical as the squares of a chess-board. Those streets which run from

north to south have alphabetical names, beginning with A, and ending

with Z. Only four of them, I, J, K and L, are popular; the others

command no business whatever, and but very few dwellings are situated on

them. The cross-streets, or those which run from east to west, are

designated arithmetically, commencing with 1st and continuing on in

regular succession. Beyond 7th street, however, there are no buildings

of any importance.

At present the legislature meets in this place; but as that august body

is possessed of a remarkably roving disposition, having held its

sessions at four different places within the last four years, at an

extra expense to the State of nearly two hundred thousand dollars, it is

yet uncertain whether this will be determined upon as the permanent

capital. There is no capitol or state-house, nor is it likely that

California will ever be able to build one while its finances are so

recklessly managed. The receipts and expenditures of the State have,

from the organization of its government to the present time, been

intrusted to men who, to say nothing of their dishonesty, were as

ignorant of the uses of money as a prodigal minor. Consequently they

have entailed a public debt upon the people of more than three millions

of dollars without effecting any general improvements excepting a marine

hospital. This distinguished body, which now holds its deliberations in

the court-house, contains some of the most precious scamps that ever

paid devotion to the god of pelf; and, were it not that I have no wish

to deal in personalities, I could here mention names which are

notoriously infamous all over the Atlantic States. Are such men capable

of devising measures for the public weal, or fit to enact laws for the

commonwealth? Whether fit or unfit, they are about the only class of

persons who are intrusted with the functions of legislation in this

abominable land of concentrated rascality. The people of California, as

a general thing, would as soon elect an honest, upright man to office,

as Italian banditti would choose a moralist for their captain. No one

here can be successful unless he assimilates himself to the people; he

must carouse with villains, attend Sunday horse-races and bull-fights,

and adapt himself to every species of depravity and dissipation.

Thus must a man discipline himself before he can receive the support and

patronage of the public. It matters not what his occupation may be,

whether merchant, mechanic, lawyer or doctor, he is sure to be

ostracized, if he stands aloof from the vices and follies of the

populace. Of course there are a few exceptions. Some men, thank heaven,

have an innate abhorrence of every thing that savors of meanness or

vulgarity, and they have nerve enough to cling to their principles at

all times and in all places. No earthly power, even if backed by

reinforcements from the infernal regions, could make them swerve from

their fidelity to truth and justice. They have clearly defined ideas of

right and wrong, and regulate their lives and conduct accordingly. They

understand their duty, and endeavor to perform it. They see the evils of

society, condemn and eschew them. There are a few such men in

California, but they are discountenanced, neglected, sneered at, and

flouted with opprobrious epithets. They are in bad odor; the majority is

against them. The scoundrels are in power, and they have wrecked the

country. To-day the State is lawless, penniless and powerless. Such is

the effect of the union of two bad things--a bad people and a bad

country. It was necessary in the first place, to give even a passable

character to the State, that the administration of affairs should have

been committed to men of pre-eminent sagacity; but instead of pursuing

this policy, the common interests have been confided to political

charlatans, whose actions in every instance have been detrimental to the

interests of the country. As a poor client suffers in the hands of a

pettifogger, or as a patient laboring under an obscure and dangerous

disease, sinks under the treatment of a quack, so has this poor, sick

California suffered and sunk through the agency of her knavish managers.

Leaving these wire-pulling senators and hireling assemblymen, let us

take a short stroll through one or two of the principal streets. We

shall not observe any thing either curious or commendable in the styles

of architecture. The houses are low, rarely exceeding two stories in

height, and are built mostly of wood in the very cheapest manner. All

the lumber used in their construction was brought from Oregon, first to

San Francisco, and thence reshipped to this place. Here and there stands

a plain but uncommonly stout and substantial brick store. I have never

seen any buildings in the Atlantic States equal, in durability and

security against fire, to the brick structures in California. They must

build them so, for reasons heretofore given. Stone is not used at all;

there is none in the vicinity.

As we wend our way through the town, we pass dozens of miserable, filthy

little hotels, in any of which we can procure a bad meal for a dollar. A

palatable dinner in one of the more respectable hotels will cost us

twice that amount. We shall be considerably amused at the queer and

unique canvas signs nailed over the doors of some of the dirty little

huts and shanties around us. One of the taverns announces that it has

“Tip-top Accommodations for Man and Beast;” at another we can find “Good

Fare, and Plenty of it;” a third promises “Rest for the Weary and

Storage for Trunks;” a fourth invites us to “Come in the Inn, and take a

Bite;” a fifth informs us that “Eating is done here;” a sixth assures

us that “We have Rich Viands and Mellow Drinks;” while a seventh

admonishes us to “Replenish the Stomach in our House.” A bar, at which

all kinds of liquors, raw and mixed, pure and sophisticated, are dealt

out, is attached to each of these establishments; and it is generally a

greater source of profit to the proprietor than the table. Small straw

cots, with coarse blankets, which have never been submitted to any

cleansing process, are provided for the guests to sleep on; and when

they retire, they seldom remove any of their clothes, except their

coats, and sometimes not even those. In the morning, when they rise to

perform their ablutions, a single wash-pan answers for all, and one

towel, redolent of a week’s wiping, serves every guest.

More than two-thirds of the population of the northern part of the State

lay in their supplies of provisions, clothing and mining implements at

this place; and we shall notice several teams and pack-trains in the

streets, loading and preparing to start on their journey. Mules and oxen

are chiefly used, though for hauling short distances over good roads

horses are employed. Some of the more remote mining districts, say two

hundred miles from this place, are so rugged and mountainous that it is

impossible to reach them with wagons or other vehicles, and the only

means of transporting merchandise is upon the backs of mules. These

hybrids, unamiable as is their appearance, are truly valuable for this

purpose; they carry ponderous burdens, walk with ease upon the brink of

a precipice, and can be kept in good serviceable condition by provender

on which a horse would starve. After making a few trips they become very

tractable, and it requires only four or five men to manage fifty or

sixty of them. The packers have but little trouble with them, after

strapping the loads on their backs and starting them off. They do not go

abreast, but each follows closely behind another, Indian fashion; and

they will travel patiently in this way from morning till night, rarely

ever attempting a stampede.

Between the petty merchants who sell goods to those teamsters and

muleteers, there is great rivalry and competition. I call them petty

merchants because there are so many more of them than the business

justifies or demands, that each one secures but a small share of the

custom; and they have to resort to the most contemptible devices to pay

current expenses. Indeed I do not believe half of them earn their

support. The reader may think this strange, and wonder why men continue

in an occupation which does not yield them a maintenance. They do not

continue in it; their losses soon compel them to leave; but the

departure of one victim only opens the way for the arrival of another.

Their stands are immediately occupied by novices who, after the lapse of

a few months, sink under the same fate that overwhelmed their luckless

predecessors. Such is the routine of affairs all over the State. I have

never known the time here when business was not clogged with double the

number of traders it required. Ever since San Francisco and Sacramento

were founded they have been overwhelmed with merchants, and this has

been the case with every other city and town of any note throughout the

State. In commercial circles you hear continual complaints of the

dullness of the times. The merchants are always grumbling because they

have nothing to do, and wondering when their business will improve. They

live on the airy diet of hope; their good time is ever dancing before

them, but never waits for them. It entices them on and then eludes

them,--they reach after gold and find dross.

One reason why there is such an excess of business men, is, because

American and European strangers, who have been led into the mistaken

opinion that trading is profitable in California, are continually

arriving with heavy stocks of goods, and opening new shops or going into

the old ones, just vacated by those who could no longer sustain

themselves under the pressure of the times. In this way the humbug is

eternally nourished. As soon as one simpleton sacrifices his effects

and retires, “a sadder and a wiser man,” another fool steps in and takes

his place. Question the New York, Baltimore and Boston shippers

concerning the result of their ventures, and they will tell a doleful

story. Ask the Liverpool, Bordeaux and Hamburg consignors to show the

account sales of their factors, and they will anathematize the inquirer

and California in the same breath. Now and then, it is true, when the

markets are low, as they sometimes are, a shipment turns out lucrative

beyond anticipation; but when such a thing occurs it is a mere matter of

chance, and one gainful shipment occasions scores of unprofitable ones.

Dependent as the State is upon importations for all that she consumes or

requires for use, it must be expected that the markets will be very

fluctuating and changeable,--at any rate, it is so. The price of any

article does not remain the same two weeks at a time. There is almost

always a superfluity of merchandise in market; the supply is generally

double the demand, and many things are sold at less than prime cost.

Yet, by the time this merchandise falls into the hands of the actual

consumer, it usually costs him from one to four hundred per cent. more

than he would have to pay for it in the Atlantic States. The consignee

will probably sell it to a speculator--the speculator to a wholesale

merchant--the wholesale merchant to a jobber--the jobber to a

retailer--the retailer to a muleteer, and the muleteer to the final

purchaser or consumer. Or the importer may sell it to the city grocer,

whose onerous rent makes it necessary for him to re-sell at an

extraordinary advance on invoice rates to defray expenses. Thus the

charges accruing on it, after its arrival, render it very costly.

I might cite instances of the perfidy and dishonesty of California

merchants; but it would be like taking an inventory of the exact number

of blades of grass in a meadow in order to get at the weeds by

subtraction,--it would be easier to reverse the task. It would require

less time to tell of those who have been true to their trusts. I know

one man in San Francisco who received a consignment of nearly twelve

thousand dollars worth of merchandise from his brother in New York. He

placed it in an auction house--had it sold for what it would

bring--appropriated the proceeds to his own use, and wrote back to his

brother that all the goods had been destroyed by fire. His brother heard

of his unfaithfulness, came on to San Francisco and reasoned with him;

but could neither bring him to terms nor find law that would compel the

performance of a common obligation. The defrauded brother returned home

without recovering a cent of his dues. Another New Yorker consigned

twenty thousand dollars worth of merchandise to two different commission

houses (ten thousand to each,) with limited instructions--that is, not

to sell for less than a certain sum. The factors received the goods,

hurried them through the market, put the funds in their pockets, and

wrote to the consignor, informing him that his ventures had been

consumed by fire, and sympathizing with him in his losses! Before long,

however, the shipper was made acquainted with the villainy of his

agents, and applied to the courts for redress; but this was only

employing a rogue to catch a rouge. After a deal of expense and delay,

the case was dismissed. A whole cargo of wares and merchandise, valued

at a trifle less than three hundred thousand dollars, was intrusted to

another man, who disposed of it and absconded with the money.

But why detail these swindling transactions? Volumes upon volumes might

be filled with accounts of the crimes and short-comings of this wretched

country; but their perusal would only be productive of abhorrence and

disgust. If, reader, you would know California, you must go live there.

It is impossible for me to give, or for you to receive a correct

impression of it on paper,--like Thomas, the unbelieving disciple, you

must _see_ and _feel_ before you can be convinced.

On the night of the 2d of November, 1852, Sacramento was almost entirely

destroyed by fire. Twenty-two hundred buildings, with other property,

valued at ten millions of dollars, were completely reduced to ashes.

The wind was blowing very hard at the time the fire commenced, and the

roaring of the flames, the rapidity with which they spread, the

explosions of gunpowder, as house after house was blown up, formed a

scene rarely excelled in terrific grandeur. Men, women and children ran

to and fro in the greatest confusion, excited almost to frenzy, in the

effort to save their lives and effects. Within six hours after the fire

first broke out, more than nine-tenths of the city were swept into

oblivion, and the people were left to sleep on the naked earth without

any shelter but the clothing they had on. Happening, too, just at the

commencement of the rainy season, this conflagration was peculiarly

disastrous, as thousands were deprived not only of shelter, but also of

the means of securing a comfortable living. Provisions at the time were

scarcer than I ever knew them before, or have known them since; and the

extraordinarily high prices which they commanded almost precluded the

poorer classes from buying or using them at all. Flour sold at forty-two

dollars per barrel, pork at fifty-five, and other eatables in about the

same ratio. Farther in the interior the times were still harder. In some

of the distant mining localities flour and pork sold as high as three

dollars per pound--equal to five hundred and eighty-eight dollars per

barrel; and could not be had in sufficient quantities even at these

rates. Many then suffered the pangs of insatiable hunger; and I have

seen children crying to their parents for bread, when there was none to

give them.

A California conflagration is a scene of the most awful grandeur that

the mind is capable of conceiving. When fire is once communicated to the

buildings, especially if it be in the dry season, when the winds rage

and every thing is crisped by the sun, it does not smoulder, but blazing

high in the air, and spreading far and wide, it consumes every thing

within its reach, and leaves nothing behind but cinders and desolation.

No one of the present day, out of California, has ever seen such

pyramids of flame. One of the most beautiful sights I ever beheld was

during a large fire in San Francisco. It was a moonless night, and there

was nothing visible in the dark concave of heaven, save a few twinkling

stars. Others were concealed by the detached masses of floating vapor

which obscured them. Soon after the conflagration commenced, the

brilliant illumination attracted large flocks of brant from the

neighboring marshes; and as they flew hither and thither, high over the

flaming element, they shone and glistened as if they had been winged

balls of fire darting through the air. Had their plumage been burnished

gold, they could not have been more radiant.

Before taking our final leave of Sacramento, we must not fail to get a

glimpse of the Three Cent Philosopher, a Mormon polygamist, who figures

conspicuously in this city as an extortionate usurer. He was born in the

State of New York, near the hallowed spot where Jo Smith received his

apostolic diploma. The Three Cent Philosopher does not carry so small a

purse as his common appellation might seem to indicate; he is the

wealthiest man in the place, and is as tenacious of his property as of

his life. It is supposed that he is worth very near half a million of

dollars. Though he believes in polygamy, and practices it, yet he never

lives with more than one spouse at a time; to have them all around him

at once would be too expensive.

When his wife goes out shopping he gives her fifty cents, and if she

happens to bring back one-tenth of the amount, he takes it from her and

locks it up in his safe. When he travels on a steamboat he always takes

deck passage, and carries food in his pockets to avoid the extra expense

of dining at the table. While passing through the streets he keeps a

vigilant lookout for stray nails, old horse-shoes, pieces of bagging and

other refuse, which he picks up, lugs home and deposits in his

repository of odds and ends. Instead of chairs, he sits on stools and

boxes of his own make; and, in place of coffee, he drinks parched barley

tea or watered milk. His disposition is quite as sweet as wormwood, and

his household is usually a scene of as much calm and domestic bliss as

a family of tomcats. He is in the habit of bickering with his family at

least once every day, and when he does so he rouses the whole

neighborhood with the noise of his oaths and imprecations. In all

probability he is a lineal descendant of Ishmael, the son of Hagar, for

his hand is against every man and every man’s hand is against him. He is

at enmity with all the world and is despised by every body. If his

neighbor looks at him, he curses him, and if an acquaintance says

good-morning to him, he tells him to go to h--ll. He has never been

known to entertain a charitable thought towards his fellow-men, nor to

speak a good word concerning his nearest relations. To sum up all, he is

the extract of ill-breeding, the essence of vulgarity, and the

quintessence of meanness.

CHAPTER XII.

YUBA--THE MINER’S TENT.

My first experience in mining was obtained on the banks of the Yuba

river, a small tributary of the Feather, which is itself a branch of the

Sacramento. Our party, in a stage-coach, left Sacramento city early in

the morning; we traveled due north until late in the afternoon, when we

arrived at Marysville, a city containing eight or nine thousand

inhabitants, and situated at the confluence of the Yuba and Feather

rivers. It was in July, and the roads were four to six inches deep in

dust, which seemed to be as fine as bolted flour, and was so volatile

that it rose in a dense cloud as we passed through it. The heat of the

sun was oppressive in the extreme, and by the time we got to the place

mentioned above, our persons were so besmeared with dust and

perspiration that it was no easy matter for a stranger to determine our

natural color.

I could have made the trip by water, as there is steamboat communication

between Sacramento and Marysville daily; but having sailed up the river

as high as this place once before on a pleasure excursion, I preferred

the land route for the sake of seeing the country. I was disappointed,

however; for, as the distance between the two cities is a mere

continuation of the Sacramento valley, I saw nothing materially

different from the purlieus of the city I had left. The surface of the

valley is remarkably level, and is sparsely timbered with scrubby oaks

and other gnarled trees of uncommon form. Nor is there any thing of

unusual interest to be seen in Marysville. Sacramento is its prototype,

and it has been modeled after that city with scrupulous exactness. I

never saw two places more alike.

By means of the same conveyance that carried us to Marysville, we

resumed our northern journey early in the morning of the succeeding day,

and by twelve o’clock we reached the place of our destination. We were

now on Long Bar, a popular mining place, divided and watered by the

Yuba. Two miles beyond is Park’s Bar, which I had visited on a previous

occasion; but this was the first time I had ever entered the mines for

the purpose of digging gold. Now, however, I had come to try my luck,

and to see what the gnomes and fairies would do for me.

Once fairly started in a miner’s life, I could not completely steel

myself against the extravagant hopes which seemed to float in the very

atmosphere of the mines. Wild and extravagant fancies would in spite of

me obtrude themselves upon what I thought a well-balanced mind. Nor

were these reveries by any means unnatural, unreasonable though they

might be. Thousands of miners have, from time to time, indulged hopes

equally impalpable and transitory. I was standing over deposits of gold,

and who could tell how large they were, or how easily they might be

found? Who knew but that I should dig from these hills more wealth than

was ever locked up in the vaults of the Rothschilds?