Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1850-09-26

Extract OF letter to II. q. DANIEL
Esq, Of WilksvilIe, from w. P. RATH-
BURN, dated Nevada City, California,
July 18th, 1850:
We left San Francisco city on the
18th Of June, and arrived at Sacramen-
to city on the 18th. This city presents
splendid appearance. ! had no idea
Of its size and extent. ! there found a
letter to my address, from brother James,
which gave me his whereabouts. We
procured team to haul our baggage, at
the rate of Sl9 per cwt., and immedi-
ately started for the mines, and arrived
here on the 22d of June, distance of
80 miles from Sacramento City. This
town is situated on Deer Creek, and was
commenced last spring, it now contains
1000 inhabitants, and within the space
of one or two miles around il is sup
posed to contain six thousand miners;
every nook and corner is filed up, and
the only way to obtain claims is to buy
them. On the Esd of June | found
brother James, and can assure you that
his presence gave US pleasure. We inn
mediately put up our tent near the Rut-
land boys. We got here on Saturday,
and on the next Tuesday | started in
company with DIR. Earhart and G. Giles
prospecting on the Yuba. found some
unoccupied claims, which we have ta-
ken up, and consequently some of US
are required to be there in order 10 keep
them. Our claims are about 12 miles
from here. We cannot operate until
the river gets down, and then our pros
poets are considered good. Ihave seen
quite a number of my friends from
Meigs and Athens, and also Hoy and
Robinson from GalIia.
Now something about this gold dig
ging business. Well, have seen the
elephant, as some term it, and he is a
hard looking case. Gold digging will
compare with the lumbering business,
or the digging of 'oelLs. 1t is uncertain
business. Some men will be so fortu-
nate as to make three hundred dollars
in one day, while others will toll all day
and not make one dollar; for instance,
my brother, with four others in compa-
ny, recently took out seven thousand
dollars in one month. They were dig
ding in hill and struck a lead about
six inches thick, some ten feet under
ground-aH unexpectedly. am salts
fed that a majority of the miners do not
make 5 dollars per day; those persons
that have done we'll are all reported
and those that have done nothing oil
, made out poorly, nothing is said about
they are passed by in silence. Great
many come here and are so disappoint'
ed that they return Immediately. The
work is very hard. Provisions are
plenty here; -four is worth zoe per ID
bacon SOC; pork 25; potatoes 35; oni'
ons 81; butter so; cheese 1 so; su'
gar IS; molasses 5 90 per gall; beans
35c per lb.; corn meal 40; milk 0C
per quart; pies 90 apiece; cucumber'
8 90 per dozen, &c. You can infel
from the above figures that il costs u.
something to live here. Our living is
poor, yet il is much better than IT was, as
r reports say, last year. The days are
very warm and the nights very cold
tits necessary TO lay under two or three
blankets in order to keep warm. like
the climate in the mines much better
than at San Francisco. The water on
the Yuba is good, in fact | never drank
better water than | have here. Since
our arrival here some Of us have been
somewhat afflicted with the dy ysentery:
this disease is very hard to manage, and
prevails here more than any other, and
very frequently proves fatal. The mi.
ners generally are very intelligent, and
some of them good moral men, but the
general department of many much al
tered; quite number become dissipa.
ted and commence gambling. This
place contains four or FIVE regular gam.
bling houses. A few days ago one man
shot three different men, and killed one,
all caused by gambling; these are al.
most every day occurrences. Wehaye
preaching every Sabbath day, and on
last Saturday and Sunday we had quar-.
terly meeting in this place. Rev. Mr.
Owens, from Sacramento city, was pre-.
sent. Quite a number of the miners
attend meeting, although the Sabbath,
as a general thing, is not respected.
All business is conducted here in a
hurry; you cannot tell much about a
persons standing, or his ability TO pay
his contracts; one thing is certain, there
will be, ere long, quite a revulsion in
this country. Money now commands
from 5 to per cent. a month; this high
rate of interest cannot last long.
i SLAVERY PREFERREDT TO FREEDoM.-On
the first day Of the August term of the
county court of Fauquair, Peter Beason,
man of color, was, al his own instance,
sold into perpetual servitude. 1t ap-
pears that at the death of his mistress,
Mrs. FaTow, some years since, Peter
was emancipated, in accordance with
her last will and testament. The laws
Of the State forbade his remaining with
in its limits more than twelve months
from the date of his manumission; but
all the ties which rendered existence
doo,robla ruaro ;nf;,,o4oI,x