Washington telegraph., 1849-12-19
..,-.. Impressions of San Francisco.

UmDrGSSlOnS Oh Sdu + oASASOos
The Boston Post publishes from its
,.-;vate correspondence, the following
p.nhic accounts of this tcity, dated
60, Il on the 81 October, l849:
f'o Here we are, all right, well and hearty
arrived on the 18th, 168 days from
boston But first we had to pass through
. multitude of shipping, all laying here
aoserted by all but the masters or mates,
w the number of some 200 SAIL Landed
W muddy, rocky and dusty sort of land
:"o and ascended sort of small HILL and
there [ was, with San Francisco csty be-
fore me. What scene-l shall never
sorget it-such a crowd of humanity,
d;rfv souallid, lazy, drunk, lounging,
raaoed, well dressed, all together-mer-
chants, speculators, blacklegs. sailors,
u;ooers. Indians-people from all parts
nf The world all perfectly at home in each
otber's company-all distinctions leveled
NV eold-Jack and the cook as good as
their master-so democratic about it, too
without being actually insulting. I think
can correct one or two erroneous ideas
which, perhaps, you as we'll as all others
entertain. One is with regard to the
almost magica. creation of city, giving
,,ou perhaps, the idea of a new place,
Town or city, such as is built in the
limited States, in no time. This is an
--o. T~s.nah of neat white wooden
houses, cleanliness, &c, here You see the
greatest collection of pig-sty looking
sbauties ever behed. A little shanty
aboht the size of your aunt S old hen
house would be esteemed good property
would be dignified with sign over it
of SO and so "generaI merchants"
Your bath house would oe fortune
here: it would rent for $3.50 per month.
Common laborers get 81 per hour, and
mechanics S12 to $50 per day; SO you see
people can't afford, or else can't stop, to
build anything very handsome. A large
hote!, partly OF two stories, the basement
divided off into small doctor and exchange
Offices bar-rooms, gambling tables, &C.,
the whole about as large as the Eastern
Railroad depot, and pretty much such a
building, when you imagine that divided
as above mentioned and called the Park
er House, rents for $4,000 per year.
There are some few good looking houses
and buildings, all of wood of course but
the general appearance is Shanty looking,
and no more American in its character
than the town of Lynn Is like all ancient
walled city. Here in one place you see
a tent piled up outside with goods of all
descriptions Ior sale-the inside a sort of
eating house and sailor bar-room; a cook
ing stove outside and canvass sign over
head with "ReStOratOr" on it, any guam
tity of tents all over the hills about the
city neighborhood, some wooden frames
with canvass covers, all mingled together,
(Which only wants spark of fire 10 set
the whole a going) and you have San
Francisco. Add to this a dry clayey
powder for soil, something like South
Boston of windy day. ancle deep, and
IT there Is wind, suiiocating you with
dust, and this completes the picture
Aud yet all seems quiet, little or no quar-
rellIng and not much drunkenness. A
great proportion are Americans, and
though poor are doubtless respectable,
and are compelled to stop here and work
to earn money Immediately after their
arrival i'll order to pay their way co the
diggins; and this brings me to another
error which has possibly misIed thousands.
The country up to the Giggings cannot
be crossed as easy as the country at
home it's laborous operation here,
and men find it out too late-mere travel
here, whether by water or land, will cost
at least 81 per mile. All other accounts
/ am Inclined to think you may believe.
There is all Immense amount OF shipping
here, all apparently doomed to rot. Vast
quantities of merchandise of all descrip-
tons, not worth half the cost. Ships
sell out at most ruinous prlces-ship a
crew for Sl5O per month and clear out
ii they can, if not they are doomed.
| really can't mention an article that |
would advise any one at home 10 specu-
late in for this market, so impossible is it
to calculate eight months ahead.