Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1848-12-28
Letter from a Cold Digger 10 his Uncle,
TRANSCRIBED ACCURATELY.
CdHfrney, II Augt., l84e


Dear Uncle-T write this to 90 hum to you by
a vessel that sails when the folks on board arc
win to 20; but at present they are al! gone gold
diggin, and if they amt no better off than be
in the way of keepin gold after it is dug out,
don't know when she will sail.
Every body quits work now and goes for gold
The whaeman drops the harpoon-the soldier
drops the gun and bayonet, and the missionary
drops the Bible, and -as for tracks-the only tracks
he makes or uses is right off to the gold region.
work'd there myself about month, and got
as much gold as thought would last me all my
life, but it is nigh upon all gone already |
wore out my shoes anil trousers and Jacket and
hhen come to buy new ones, l found they were
worth more than their weight in gold. l wish
COL Benton was here; ] reckon he'd larn some-
thing new about gold; and other folks too, who
cay there is nothing valuable but gold, say what
! now know is an everlastn and etarna humbug.
There amt no prices i'll all these diggins; the
question is when you ask the price of any thing,
@@How much gold have you got!" And then the
measure is handful | do rally believe, if
things go on as they have begun and Californy
gifts TO be state of the Uunion and issues state
bonds no body will take any of them unless ii
is stipulated in the bond that it never shall be
paid of in gold no how and no way in the world.
Tell aunt Nancy and cousin Betsey to sell off at
once their gold beads and gold rings they set SO
much store by, for they amt Of no more valy
than so much pewter My notion is now that
there is a great chance for trade by agreeing to
buy anything i'll creation Except gold) and To
pay in gold at so much per ounce at its present
legal vay, which believe is about sixteen dol.
lars per ounce and the fellow who sells property
for SIGH pay will be about as bad off as if he lent
ice in August and agreed to take as much ice in
January for pay.
have heard much said about ga golden age"
well, | think we huve got it now, and will find
after all it amt halt SO good as good corn and
potato and pork age. am considerable bewl-
dered by this state of things, for find that the
mCre gold one digs the more gold he has got to
pay for what he wants, and he amt bit better
eff in the eend. always thought we sot too
much store by gold, aud if a man had not gold,
he was nobody, no matter how much elsc he
had; now a change is coming, and gold has got
to 90 down hill Jest as it has made other things
20 down HILL ! begin to think we have found
here the head source oil gold, and the all the
other gold diggins are but small streams and
washings from this. There amt no stock Job
bing here and 10 companies chartered-every
man does his own diggn. There are some
speckelaters here who try to make some folks
think thatthe gold is what they call Unlikely,
but though you once told me not to believe that
all was gold because it glttered, guess know
the difference twixt gold and mikey as well as
know the difference twixt broad daylight an(
uloonshne-so no more at present.
Your loven nephew,
EZEKIEL BARNES.
late Corporal, Company B., N. Y. Volunteer
for Callforny.
Ne,c York Commercial Advertiser.