The Mississippi Creole. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1841-1851, 1849-01-19
Extract!frOm a Letter Of Captain ). 1,
Folsom to General Jessup, dated
SAN FRAsclsco, CALiFoRSiA,
fola4 'e.a October Q, i048.

SAN FRAscIsco, CALiFoRSiA,
o'oa 'a October 0, lO4a.
Ny D1ar Sir-The prices Of labor here will
create surprise in the United States. kan.
nakas, or Sandwich Islanders, the wOrs, Of
labOrsrs, are now employed constantly about
town ii storing and landing merchandise al
the dollar an hour each! and the most indif-
ferent laborers are hired BY the week together
al six or eight dollars per day, Mechanics
obtain, when employed BY the day, eight dol
lars per day, and by the month abOu, six. In
a few days, as the sickly season is over, | pre-
sumo wages will advance, for mos, Of tho la
boring classes are returning to the mines.
/ have just completed the repairs upon a
Government lighter, preparatory 10 dischur-
ging the cargo Of the transport ship GIuntress
| attempted to hire a lighter to effect this, but
could not get one capable Of containing one
hundred and twenty barrels, manned BY two
men short Of fifty dollars per day. have had
the master Of the government lighter employ
ed for several days in getting a crew for her;
and when he offers 500 pei month for %sailOrs,
he is laughed at, and told that man can get
that amountin tho minesin one day. A few days
since, 1sent a waggon-master 10 employ some
men 10 handle stores in the public warehouse il.
After searching about the town, in vain, for
several hours, he saw a man on the dock whom
he felt sure Of getting, for the individual in
question did not seem to be blessed with a
redundancy Of this worlds gear. He was
wearing d slouched hat, without a crown, a
dilapiduted buckskin hunting shirt or frock
a very uncleanly red wooden shirt, with pam
falcons hanging in tOtters and his feet had an
apology for a covering in one old shoe, and one
buckskin mocsAin, sadly the worse for age
When asked IL he wanted employment, he re-
piled in the affirmative and as the young man
was proceeding to tell him what he wished to
have him do, he was interrupted with, " Il 10
NOT that kind Of work, sir, that want, Cat the
same time taking a bag containing about two
quarts Of gold dust from his buckskin shirtD
want to work in the mines, sir. Look here.
stranger, do you see this? This bag contains
gold dItt; and do you suppose am to make
d id niger Of myself, handling boxes and
barrels for eight or ten dollars per day! !
should think not, stranger" And our friend
left in a most contcmptuOus manner. Nor
was this a solitary instance Of like conduct;
they occur daily and hourly in the village.
All sorts Of labor is got at enormous ratios
Of compensation. Common clerks and sales
men in the stores about town often receive,
as high as $4,000 and their board. The clerk
now in my Office is a young boy, who until .
few weeks since, was private Of volunteers
aud am now paying him $l,5OO per annum.
This will not appear high when | tell you that
have just seen upon his table a wash bill
made out and paid at the rate Of eight dol
lars per dozen; and that almost everything else
is at corresponding prices. The principal
waiter in the hotel where board is paid 81
700 per year, and several Others from $1,000
to 81 1900! l fortunately have an Indianlboy
or should be forcedtO clean my v bootsi
for l could not employ a good boy servant for
the full amount Of my salary as a Govern
ment officer. II will be impossible for any ar
my officer 10 i've here upon bis pay without
becoming radidly impoverished, for his time
is not his own to enter upon business; and
although he might have money, HE OppOrtu-
mites iOt making it Useful to himare few, I'M
less he invests il in real estate. Unless sOme-
thing is done, l am unable to see how it u
possible for officers, living upon the salaries
granted BY law to military men, to support
themselves in this country. l believe every
as1ny officer. in Gallo ma with one or two
exceptions, would have resigned last summer
eould4hey have done It and been free at once
10 commence for themselves. Bat tho wal
wins not then terminated, and no one could
hope 10 communicate with Washington CORES
pondehts, to get an aanswSrin less than ok
and perhaps ten months. For some time las'
summer, (August and JulyO the officers al
Monterey were entirely without servants, and
the Governor, (COl, MasOH) actually took hii
turn in cDOhing for his mess. Unless sons
prompt action 10 taken 40 pay both OhiceHI
and men serving in this country In PROPORTION
to the unavoidable expenses 70 be incurred
the former will resign and the latter viii de-
sert, and il will be impossible TO maintain q
military force in California.
.Istl look upon California 40 perhaps the rich
est mineral country on the globe. have
written to you at great length as to the gold
and since the, date Of that letter, other and
richer mines have been discovered, Ken s'l'
yer mines are known 10 exist IN various Parti
Of the country, but they are not worked =
Quicksilver mines are found at innumerabl'
places, and many Q thsm afford the richest ore
The New Almadin mines at s.. Clara give
the richest ore Q fwhich we have any accounts
With very imperfect machinery, il yields up
wards Of fifty per cent; and The proprietor
ere now working ii, and ere preparing TO quao
II E-.l esnLanI