The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1850-02-14
LETTER FROM CALIFORNIA.
We are indebted 10 Mrs. Gro. W. LAM
nERr for the follow ing extracts from a let
Tar receivcd from her husband:

nrpr far The follow ing extracts from let
Ter received from her husband:
SACRAMENTO CRY,
California, Nov. s5h, l849. }
wrote 10 YOU Oct. 5;h. when we hrs, got IN
the valley, at that time expected to get letter
fran, Won very soon. have sent to San Francis
CO five or six times, but can getnoiotter lncfe
are said to be lots OF letters there that have mol
been assorted, but that the Postmaster has no
time 10 assert them. Il is thought that govern
ment will furnish some Clerks soon TO assist MN
I am almost sick to hear from home, but still!
hope 10 hear from YOU soon. Give my best res
poets to all my friends and neighbors, whom
value SO highly, md tell them that hope 70 see
them all again in lowe; but tell them Tor me as
friend and brother never 10 leave their wives,
children and homes, and everything that - near
and dear TO them. to come to California to get
gold For in the first place they must endure
all the hardships that man can endure on Tue
Journey across the plains, then they must suffer
as men are now suffering and are bound to suit
Ter here before spring. Il too much to endure
for little gold.
II has been very scky here this summer and
fall, thousands have died, and others are dying
all around us. But no better can be expected
from the way in which they have TO 1--we IN THIS
country. The rainy season has now commence
ed, it has been raining nearly every DAY ior two
weeks past, and there are thousands Of people
here who have no house to shelter then, from the
heavy rains that fall in this country. They are
camped out in tents of muslin and cloth, OF any
kind that can be obtained, sleeping on the cold,
VIC, ground with nothing but a blanket Tor their
bed and bedding. La view Off all this, gay, what
can YOU expec, but sickness and death. Tnis
is not the case with all in this country, some
have good houses to live in, bu. not cnein 'wen-
" has any thing better than tent, and some
there are who have not evena tent.
This City is built principally OF clo'h, on ae-
count OF the scarcity Of lumber. Lumber sells
acre readily at from 80 to y cts. per foot. Flour
10 dollars per barrel; pork 60 TO so dollars per
barrel; fresh beef SO cts. per h.; butteFs 80 per
b.; cheese S.O0 per b.; Potatoes 10 cts per h.;
onions so cts. per h. The above are the prices
here in the City, a, the head OF ship navigation,
but in the mines those articles are at this time
four times as high. The miners are leaving the
mines daily. on account the scarcity OF provis-
ions. There is plenty of geld in the mines but
il takes hard Il, Dor TO get il cut. The miners
make from 5 10 90 dollars per day-owing to i
luck, but the high prices they have to pay for
living and for every thing else that they want,
reduce their big wages very much. have clear
ed abou, two hundred dollars since have been
here and have been about half sick half Of the /
time have been in the country, but feel well
and hearty now and able 10 80 into hard work
md make small fortune soon.
Thick heavy, coarse boots are selling here a.
o dollars per pair; boarding from Is TO 30 dol
ais per week. I commence work Tomorrow at
for l2 dollars per pay, but it rains
our DAYS ont of every week, SO you see it is bur
mall wages at last. In the spring l shall Try
ny luck again in the mines.
: David Rogers has been sick with the fever ever
ince We H.ye been in the country, but he is
low getting better, bur is yet very weak and
ear will not be able to go TO hard work as long
S he. stays in this country. DR.: Brown has ia
zen the best Of care Of hin; If he had not teen
With the Doctor he would long before this have
,een 10 his grave, il is enough 10 say he has treat
d him as his own son. He was taken sick when
We were going up to the mines about weeks
&c; We brought him down 10 the Doctor and
e has been under his care ever since. Doctor
'rown has been very successful with all his pa
tents and his name stands very high as phvsi-
ian. G. w. LAMBERT.