The Express.
London, England, 1851-02-01 00:00:00

Fintly,7—The native Indians, a num erons r

EVENING, FEBRUARY 1, 1851.

Wolves are occasionally met with but not in troops,
and no danger exists from them ; a small species of
wolf or wild dog, found in great numbers, are a
complete source of annoyance to the miners, coming
round the encampments and stealing anything within
reach; they howl too all night. Deer and quailabound
and afford excellent sport and feed.
The insect tribe is most beautiful and curious, but
not too many to incommode ore. I feel assured a
collection would well repay the labour of the natu-
ralist. The scorpions and tarantell4 spider exist, but
are not numerous. The greatest annoyance is expe-
rienced from the wasp (called here "yellow jacket"),
which abound in incredible quantities, and sting
severely ; they prefer fresh beef and sugar to anything
else.
I have counted no less than eight descriptions of
snakes, nearly the whole of which are venomous;
and, sleeping on the ground, as the miners do, care is
requisite to avoid them. I assisted in killing a rattle-
snake about six weeks age, from which we took no
less than 23 rattles. In general, however, the snakes
are small, but very numerous. There are thousands
and thousands of small liz ads, which every one seems
to have taken a liking for, and they are allowed to
run everywhere without molestation.
Birds, as in all North America, are very scarce, if
I except the woodpecker (two species), tho Turkey
buzzard, and the quail.
The mines are beateffally wooded, rendering the
scenery charming ; still, I do not recollect to have
seen anything much beyond the various descriptions
of pine and the black and white oak, and the timber
is of no great size. Some of the shrubs are pretty,
especially that called the " Blood-red Tree," on ac-
count of the colour of the bark.
Wild cherries, raspberries, and nuts are found in a
few localities.

Thus I have endeavoured to give to your readers
a slight sketch of this very curious and important
country ; and, with an anxious desire to benefit my
countrymen, I shall be glad indeed if it can be of ass
to any of them. Why it is that so few, comparatively,
are here direct from England still remains to me a
mystery. I know exaggerated accounts have long
prevailed at home with respect to California, and that
one's life was in danger, that it was unhealthy, Br,o.
On these subjects I have ;already touched, and must
leave you to form your own conclusions; but there
is one thing I would wish particularly to im-
press upon the minds of parties who intend to
come out here to dig for gold, and that is let them
be thoroughly satisfied, before leaving home, that
they are coming to a " hard" country ; and that they
will have to work u hard or harder than at home, and
they are not going to make their fortune in 6 mouths.
If men would only fix these ideas in their heads we
should not see half the disappointment and vexation
that is now experienced. People have come here
from every corner of the globe, misled by newspaper
accounts, thinking to pick up the gold with-
out labour, and to return home with a sufficiency
for life in a year or two. What a mistaken
idea ! and how sorry I have been to see men who
have left their homes, their families, and good busi-
nesses, to come to a wild country like this. I have
' known men to cry, sir, at the miseries they have thea
experienced. Why is it that so many hundreds are
weekly leaving the country? Why is it that es
many come up to the mines, and only remain a day
or two, preferring to do anything rather than dig ?
Because, as I said before, this is a hard country, and
above all, the annoyances, vexations, and disappoint-
meats attendant upon gold digging, are of ouch a
Curious nature as to require the exercise of the
greatest good temper, patience, and perseverance. The
best friends will quarrel in the " diggios," c weed from
the irritable temper the gold digger gets. lam rare
it will hardly be believed when I state that it is pos-
sible for a man to remain two years in the mines with-
out making enough to carry him home; and yet I
know of such instances, and I know of thousands is
the mines without one cent. in their pockets. lam
almost afraid to state such faces, fearing people may
be incredulous and begin to doubt that I hardly
know what I am writing about when I state in the
face of such truths that I consider this a good country
for a poor man to come to, and that he will make
more money in the mines than ho can do in any other
part of the globe.
I have seen common labouring men, who perhaps
could hardly get any living at all at home, grumble
in the mines because they could not make sore than
dole. a day. And why? Because they came with
the idea that they were going to make a fortune at
once—are disappointed, and cannot get the idea out of
their head., and the small sober reality of 11. per
day does not exactly suit the views of one who had
pictured thousands to himself. He sells his things
and leaves the mines for San Francisco. If he was
badly off in the mines with five dollars a day, he is
mach worse off in town. He finds work difficult to
be obtained. He is no longer his own master ; he
misses the fresh air and beautiful climate ; gets dis-
gusted ; returns again to the mires with more mode-
rate ideas, and wittr the intenticn of not leaving
them again until he does make some money, will
probably accumulate sufficient in a year or two to
enable him to commence business on his own ac-
count.
The first view of the mines is most disheartening,
and it requires a good deal of courage (as the French
say) to stand the shock one receives. You see a sort
of ditch or rivulet, with holes on each side the whole
way down; some places put one in mind of newly
opened graves in a cemetery. Yon approach and look
into them, discovering nothing but a lot of muddy
water; you go lower down, hoping to find some
grannd untouched. Vain delusion ! You determine
to go to other diggine, where no one else
has been—money is getting scarce' the whole
country seems overrun in every direction, as
with locusts; you get in derpeir and fear
you will starve ; fear compels you to begin. You
make perhaps le. the first day—perhaps 21. You
still go on—get wet and muddy—hear of other
people who are making 15 or 20 dollars a day, while
you are just paying expenses. You think you are
not working in the right way I your partner perhaps
gives one opinion, you entertain a different one; your
hands are sore and blistered • yon are angry and
' quarrel with your partner, and think you have been
a great fool to come 20,000 miles for such a purpose,
fcc. &c. All this is ao exaggeration Lit happens to
every party coming : great numbers, of course, want-
ing. sufficient fortitude, return immediately, but the
majority remain.

I Should men unaccustomed to manual labour visitthe
mines? This is a question which I know many
young men will ask themselves, and I shall enlighten
them to the best of my ability, leaving them to form
their own judgment. Every one is aware how many
there are all over England, bat more especially in
London, who have received a good education, and are
of respectable parentage, but are always most un-
happy, being willing to work as clerks, &e., for
nothing, and who can get nothing at all to do. Large
numbers emigrate to Australia, New Zealand,
&c., and there are compelled to accept employ-
ment in the police, as shepherds &c. ;—somehave come to San Francisco, and been forced
to the mines. Such young men, provided they pos-
sess good health, an ardent temperament, persever-
ance and patience, and will leave home with the in-
tention of remaining two or three years in the mines,
live economically and steady, and be satisfied with
an avenge of 12s. per diem, Els. of which they could
save with the determination so to do,'would, in my
opinion, do better than by going to our own colonies,
for they have always• the chance of striking a rich
place. Bat I would advise them well to *milder all
the hardships and disappointments they meat encoun-
ter. I have met with English alms, d
doctors, &c. &c., working is the mines. Oa=
will say, and that ia that there is no danger of stare-

infesting the whole country, and about as ugly and
dirty a people as can be imagined. Previously to
the disoovery of the gold mines their wont was to go
about in a state of nudity, and even now they can
hardly be said to wear any clothing; their food con-
sists almost entirely of acorns, but as the whole of
theme squaws and children and all, now occupy them-
akes in hunting after gold, they are enabled to buy
a lbw luxuries in the shape of float biscuits,
sugar, Alt, &c., and more especially fresh beef,
of which the 7 eat large quantities ; bat nearly the
lebda of butt earnings (and they are sot much), are
eineemml in whiskey, which, as well as all other
Irises, they love to excess, and frequently get
dna. On the tint entrance of the whites into the
country the Indians were in the habit of committing
numerous depredations and even murders, but in con.
sequence dooms serious examples having bees made,
may now be mid to be properly tamed and harmless,
A. tonna antooget all savage nations, the women or
squaws are compelled to do all the work, even to dig.

ging gold, while the lazy husband lies down and isg; any man in health can always keep himself with
looks on. I have often pitied these pool creatures. ease.
Next in importance is the grizzly bear, a very fierce Communication with San Francisco is easy and
and formidable gentleman, and about whose powers frequent, and to difficulty exists with regard to coin.
some almost incredible stories are related; certain it is municetion with home, regular expresses being es-
that he is of an enormous s'z.-, weighing up to as high tablished foe the receipt and delivery of letters. These
as 2,600 lbs. The boldest hunter will hardly attack, express men have made large fortunes.
hfm singly, and far my Pare, from what I have seen I shall now finish, and I think I have proved, as I
and heard, I should be very sorry to encounter him stated in my first letter, that though the life in the
unless with at least two well-armed companions. minas an adventurous one end fall of novelties, it is
These bears are numerous and dangerous, and a man still a hard one, but there is gold, and those who are
has no chance with them unless on a good horse or lucky can get it.
mule, their speed being great ; and, notwithstanding _
____ _ _
what has been stated to the oontrary, they can run
down hill as fast as any other way. Everybody
holds them in awe, and with reason, for the " grizzly "
is a fearful animal to look at.