The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1849-07-07
A Ycrmonlcr in California.


SAN FRAScnco, April 10, 1919,
/ The following letter wo find IN the Bos-
ton Atlas. The writer h FRrprRrcK But.
IsGs Esq, formerly Of Woodstock, who len
home for California sone months dnco.l
The steamer Oregon IN which Fwaa pas
sruPer, made The passage from Panunu here
ln nineteen days aud seven hours, having
been delayed sixty hours ~ san Bias ia cunl
and water, and al Sau Diego nud Monterey
long enough 10 leAyo tho mails. Cousider.
mg hat tho distance 10 prohnbl, 1880 milgs
aud that the prevailing winds Hiong the cdBs,
are from the North aud North weal, this Is a
remarkably fine rup. II l. a. be said, how
ever, Tint the Pacific, true 10 her nnuo, was
ns qdlci as peaceful lake. aud seemed do
lighted to make The work ior or engine ~
easy NJ pr-stle We arrived here un sun
dny, the lsl day of April and found the sich-
mcT California, which had reached here ufcr
u months passage from pHuhmn. on iho first
day ~ March, sull NJ anchor, waiting for q
supply of cont. Capt Pearson, Of lhu Oc-
guiTwiih tLr rHur energy vi ich has flurk cd
him since leaving y. lnrk--Hnd viii make
hin llIc crack captain for dui,k Passages IN
this line Of sicnmrrs--wHs ready To return az.
ter ten days delay, aud went out of port IN,
itUrGday afternoon. Tho California Is still
'Nft NfAN " NilNfiAiHftl 10 NANl on ~ NNNtH NV
suppose that the same steamer on The 9TH
cr side ofiho lalhnus would lniyG tho npnils
Of the Oregon aud California, mad therefore
concluded "a write YOU Ly the latter The la
lesl intelligence, not tho most valuable, Is 81
least. the uinat eplnble.
Il would seem 10 ho m easy matter Tor one
WHO had been m san FRANCISCAN over n fort
night. 10 write n letter about CNhloruin, ihut
should hn satisfactory 10 hiuaclEand drrGnt-
w intelligent To those for whom it Is written.
But confess never was more puzzled In
p,y life. Me- lsi ssiat / San st,aai, with coz.
lniplb and safety, ~ general wny, ct the
country, ~ people, H. morals, iis mines, 4 c.,
but there ~ ~ much excitement. ronlsiou
mud contradiction, that The moment enter
upon particulars, know not which way to
iufu am oncnumcs forced to adopt the
old mnNim Of bclir, ieg nothing thAt hunr.
aud ouiy \alf of what's trc, For instance, it
is very easy for nie 10 say that gold hns been
found tn spots iu region coo miles iu length
nud from 80 a. 60 iH wtluUtl,ai tli0 reports
an tie States relative 10 the extent aud rich.
ness oithe mining region have. IN the main,
not been oAaFrcralDd. iiuI IL n not casy for
me In say where's the richest deposits are
what IL tho health Of Tire miners "r whit is
their net daily average acquisition. Ten
thousand different interests are aEwork about
you to pcrvct the ruth. Onr mnu has store
IN this place, another IN tlat one man car
ries passengers this way. another in lint; one
n,nu has this town To- build up, another That;
aud so on to the end of the OlpiinbeI. | have
taken no little pains, however, TO make ms
near approaches to facts ns possible; aud
such ms have give unto YOU.
And first, M to the great attraction, GoldlI
II here, From tho upper branches Of tho'Sd2.
cramento to the upper branches of HE san
joaquin, these rivers run IN opposite dlrcc-
tons md empty into the same pnrt Of san
Francisco Bay, il has been found In 'CoTtnin
localities mud in such manner MS TO Justify
the conclusion that more on less Of It's seat
tered throughout the whole region, aud on
both sides ofthc Sierra Nevada. The dig
gers nave bgcu vHrtJuTty Surrrssttti7 --A%t'+s'.'
have made 500 per day, some $50, some
500, and some hava no more than paid their
expenses. My own npuion IL That tho IrosS
daily average ofnll tho dggcrs together, dur
ing the last season. WINS not less than nm
ounce. Those who have lately come down
from the mines would make The amouni,now
found yield n greater nverage,nnd most ofthe
late personal instances Of digging that know
OF, would argue that they were correct.
gentleman who arrived here few days ngo
from the American Fork, Informed me, that
since hst christmas the labor of his own
MINUS mn pTvvU INN IN urrrfSt.-''f sStnIlAs
three dollars per day. lie had however con-
siderable mining experience. Another gem
tlcman, who reached here about ten days n
20 from n branch ofthe San Joaquin, brought
down forty three pounds oflhc raw material,
the result Of four months labor. He snid he
was obliged TO leave on account Of i'll health,
but it was very nggrnyaling, for he had J'is'
struck that ho knew was good for 10 days nj
n hundred dollars or more day! These m
stances nrc probably not ordinary ones. sue
cesslu lhhurers blow their irumpcis much
louder than those who nre unsuccessful. The
cases, however, are quite numerous at Two
or three thousand dollars being brought down
after an absence Of three or four months.
The life Of tile miner is a hard one, expos
ed TO sickness 1 am told by those who have
been in the mining region, that,in the warm
est weather the thermometer ruhgcs from 10
ia 100 With such sun over him, with his
feet generally in Water,witiT ITUUr totfti ~ 4+se
upon,i with no bed but blanket. he ought
not to expect IL 10 be otherwise, lie who has
not constitution TO endure such rough treat
nient, should think OF getting gold IN some
Other way than by tho picknXe and wnAi-
howl. Mnny Of those who golup to the mines
during the present sersun will probably new
or get hnek agnin.