Republican vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1857, 1850-03-25

LIZ ~ vi tlhiO .
SAN FRANCISCO, California,
Jan. Is, 1850.
My DEAR BRorHEN-
Ir is with pleasure that I avail myself of the
present opportunity OF responding to your letter
written last June, and which reached me on the
18th of October. the day of my arrival in this
city. l have enquired at the Post Office for let
teas several times since my arrival. and although
three steamers bringing the U. s.. mail have ar
rived since | have been here, as yet | have re-
ceiyed nothing later from home than the letter
alluded to. | am, consequently, becoming i'm
patient to hear from you all again. cannot
believe that some of you have not written since
last June, although | am aware of the fact that
none of YOU are particularly fond of writing let
tiers. There are many others in this country.
disappointed like myself, in getting letters from
thsir friends, aud attribute the cause to miscar-
Rage or mislnauagement OF the mails-,hus, I
presume, ii has been with my letters.
In consequence Of the difficulty and uncer-
tainty Of receiving letters here, | trus, you will,
for the future, write o%tteler, at least once a
month, and | shall endeavor to do the same. A.
bout the lst Of November | addressed a letter to
father which [ suppose he has received before
now. 1t contained q slight sketch of my VOYAGE
round "the Horn" together with some items OF
California news, and asl expect to fill thH re
mainder eli this sheet with matters and things
| pertaining 10 California, | hope yol will excuse
me if should BE- guilty Of sons little ~recapitu-
lation Of things contained in that letter.
1t is scarcely necessary for me to say that the
reports Of the abundance Of the precious metal
which induced me to come to this tar-distant
land have turned out to be- substantially true:
for | suppose there is scarcely any one now in
the old States who is so skeplical or incredulous
as to doubt the reality of the existence of any
quantity Of gold in California. | think there is
little doubt that the gold mines Of this country
are richer than any ever before known.
Golo dust Is the circulating medium Of the
country | handle it every day, and every bust
ness man i'll the city considers a pair Of gold
scales as necessary to the transacting of his bu-
siness as a dry goods merchant wonld consider
Il counter, or a grocer a pair of scales for weigh
ing sugar and coffee. This, however, cannot be
the case very long, for Congress will assuredly
establish a mint here before long. Gold dust is
given and taken in business transactions at Sic
Per or. This California is enphatically a great
country. The results Of the gold discovery have
put TO flight all tho fables of romance. They
furnish a striking and forcible illustration of the
power of gold and Yankee enterprise.
Ayear ago and California was known only to
those acquainted with Geography, as a strip Of
country lying beyond the Rocky mountairls, on
the coast OF the Pacific, belonging to Mexico.
But a few struggling Americans find their way
into it and discover gold, and about the same
time it is csIed BY Mexico to the United States
to deiray the expenses of the late war with that
power, The gold mania spreads and the rush
commences, and see by late papers, still con
tinnes as great as ever from every part of the
United States. Nor is The emigration confined
to the United States alone; England, France,
Spain, Germany, Russia, China. the South A
merican Republics, Mexico, and Sandwich Is
lands are all represented here. The consequence
of all this is obvious. California has emerged
from her obscurity and become a grqat, a popu-
lous and wealthy country. She furnishes facili.
ties for the acquisition Of wealth unsurpassed by
any country. She is not dependent by. any
means upon her mineral resources. The gold
wasfings may be drained of the dust-the spec
~alators may be ruiued-the mass of diagers may
dispsrse-but the steady prosperity Of The new
State cannot be arrested. Aud why 7 Because
her Agricultural resources are very great her
climate is healthy, her commercial facilities are
unsurpassed, and indeed, she possesses all the
advantages, all the elements Of q great and pros
porous State. Ihe present condition of Califor.
MIA ia rather a peculiar one. There never was.
perhaps, a country where the disparity between
the male and female population is SO great. Il
may almost be said that we are a community of
males. | was at Church q short time since and
the house was crowded, containing, | should
think, some 400 persons, and in that congrega-
ton there were four ladies To be entirely
within the bounds of truth, l would say the ra-
ito between the males and females is 20 to /.
You may well suppose that we are destitute of
many OF the comforts, many of the delicacies,
nh.e Indy associations, and much Of the refine
mont ucmlnon to old communities. There must
necessarily DO a Great vacuum where the gentle
and ameliorating ii .aut.ce Of woman is want
ing. A young man has no pace to go for a few
hours OF rational or agreeable entertainment. If
he sannter round the streets on the Sabbath, he
comes III contact with a gambling table OF Suns
sort at almost every turn. If he Join some crowd
IN the bar-rooms or on the street, he will find
the conversation generally turn on some specu-
latlon or other. Gold gold. is the all-absorb-
ing and never-ending sub ect.
Tbs present state of things I am inclined to
think will not last a great while. The great ex-
element which now subsisis will gradually sub
side. Men will bring their families here, and
the condition OF society will assimilate itself to
that Of the older States. l have noticed a very
material difference in the moral and social con.
dition OF the people since | have been here.
Three months ago there was one Church here
and no school, now there are four or FIVE Church.
es and two schools-yet there is a great deal of
vice In the form of gambling and drinking. A
young man whose neral habits are not well SET
tied could not come to a worse place. Hundreds
OF persons who made two, three and foRr thou
sand dollars daring the last season in the mines,
and came down here to spend the winter, are
now IN this city, penniless, having lost their hard
earnings at the monte or faro bank. Notwith.
standing the vast amount of gambling, things
are not so bad as you might imagine. There is
not much drunkenness and very little stealing.
Life liberty and property are secure. Courts Of
Justice are established and the population is a
la~w-ab.dirg one. Wherever the American peo.
pie have the ascendancy you may rest assured
that law and order will prevail. The manner of
doing business in the Courts here is a decided
improvement upon that of the old States. The
Court in this city is consLantly in session, so that
cases are tried and despatched at once. Thus
Justice is coupled with despatch. I%suppose you
have seen the Constitution adopted by the Con-
YentiGa which met at Mnnteray !, La4 .;Aa