Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1850-04-09
E%AIfroRNfA LEVIeRs.

we lay before our readers. We also receiseoa
letter from ]. IT. HUNPaREYs dated Pacific Ocean
March 20, 1850, in which he an1ouneesth the death
Of E. A. Dausherty, on his passage TO Panama
John Allen was in company with him and has
we learn, arrived safely in New York. Mr.
Humphreys stopped in New Orleans on bus mess:
WEBox CkEEx, California,
February 10, 1850:
As.one Of our mess starts for Sacramento City
to-morrow, thoughtit a favorable moment to send
a letter to that point. There is nothing stirring,
however, of sufficient Importance TO write you,
and | write only to say that Fam in the enjoy
ment Of good health, and have been ever since my
arrival. ThoseWho were stoutest,& most athletic
in the States,seem TO fare the hardest here
Many who never knew a days sickness are con.
fined 10 their beds by someeof the diseases OF
this climate, Those mostpreralent are the typ
hold fever, scurvy and diarrhdh. Since my last
letter Joseph Engle, of Striders mess, has died.
lie died about the 2Oth of January, of typhoid
fever, having an attack also Of scurvy and dlarr-
hca. a very large proportion OF those VINO
| have but little if any Thing 81, i, but. have been
using spruce pine tea, which is ain excellent an
tiIote. | believe that | have sent you regularly
the deaths that haveftaken' place from among our
number. Burwell, Frank Secvers;Eand several
of that mess had the scurvy but are entirely well
at tniS Time. N AISQuIlU Is as u US d OtlAIey uSuE.
Glenn Davis and all Ofhis mess are in good heath
at this time. john Moore's mess are al. stirring
about in the mines. There is but little doing in
the mines at this time, No one is making any
thing like good wages, The rainy season~I be-
lieve is now over, Ms we have not had any for two
weeks. The fact oft is, there is not half as
much rain here as lhero is in the States. We
had three months, November, Dec. and Jan, in
which but little was done in the mines. For the
last two weeks l have worked hard and have not
averaged over So per, tay.. The place | have
been working is nearly. worked cut, so that l
shall stop soon. G~oIddigglhg is a perfect lotte-
ry, some make lucky striEes, and others make
scarcely enough TO pa their grub. As an in.
stance of the price Of eating here, | bought six
lbs. of Potatoes to-day for which | paid Sc. Mess
Pork has been selling at 81 per ID, and until
within n few weeks past, flour commended the
same price. Onions are scarce at 81 80 per ID.
| suppose that we shall leave our comfortable ca
bin in the course of.1Q days. Probably we shall
GO to tho Middle Fork'ofthe American River, not
more than 80 or 80 miles from here. Twas with.
in 4 or 5 miles Of that, point during Christmas
week, and wa almost iatigncd to death. The
hills are SO high, and the ravines or canons (pro-
KaHyoD) are SO deep that they are only
accessible with pack Mules. We sllalfbe com
PEELED to pack, if, indeed, we ever obtain our
stock. We placed them alta rancho last Fall and
since learned that the'Chap who had the m
III CIldISS w III III IOlIII3 81 lIlal we
greatly fear losing our mules. Males are worth
from $50 ID $500 in Sacramento City. The
great increase in price is owing to the fact that
a great deal of stock was drowned during the re.
c4I.t rainy season. Out of600 head ofOxen, only
were saved. This took place at a rancho on
The Sacramento River. The corporate auibori.
are nbont taking measures for icvying Sacra-
mento City. II they succeed that City will soon
be the largest in California. Last year the first
build no was erected, and now il has a population
at least 10000. In a Jew months it will duu-
bic that.
1 understand that not less than 10000 persons
are on their way to this land of gold. The lar.
yest proportion of them will rue The dayi when
;hsy lq p6 ssaT5 g0 81 al h0R Riau ~ severed severed fond o. ties to
in most cases they VII 1iud themselves Sc
vcrely I" Bit The fact Of Il is bat few of those
come out have any idea ofthe labor requisite
10 procure gold. Those who generally como out
are not stout and athletic, rot those who have
been used to ditching and breaking stone, but
those who have stood behind the counter, or serv-
cd their apprenticeship in a Law Office or Doc.
tors Study. such characters are sure 10 suffer
from the fatigue incident 10 mining, even though
they pass flee of disease,
LeanderI Lnlher Rye, of the Shcpherdstown
Company died Ut typluidfever, on The 9Th ofthis
month. He was formerly of SEarpsburg, Md
He was aged abont 81 years. Robert Anderson,
formerly OF Shenandoa cali ,4lied early in The month
of February. There were seven deaths in Hang
town CD tile 5th of typhoid fever. The sickIy
season may now be considered as over. and | trust
that we may all have good health during the
summer. Five ofthe Fredericksburg Company,
out OF a mess of fifteen, died on the Yuba River
last fall.
AS an instance Of digging, I give you this
One of our mess set in digging at a point where
| bad ditcled the stream, and in one day took out
$50. The next day ] worked at the same point,
and have done so for a week, and scarcely aver
aged S.. There have been several large hauIs
within a few weeks-one fellow at Georgetown,
(25 miles from here) took out eight pounds in one
day! There are thousands engaged and it is not
at all strange that one should be thus fortunate.
[ know of instances where men have been en-
gagged, making attleast from one to two hundred
dollars per day, and within two yards, others have
not beer able to make their board.
The mails are abused by all hands engaged in
the mines, and Mr.. Postmaster General ColIamer
must do a little b~etter-lor the CaIifornians, if the
Administration even retains what friends il once
had in California. There is gross mismanage-
ment in some quarter, and those in office are
alone responsible. l have not had a single word
OF intelligence, since the first month after my ar
rival, and there are hundreds and thousands who
have never heard at all. You would be amused
to see with what interest, | peruse u paper two or
three months old. The last saw was a Picayune
of the 18th Dec. No election bad taken place for
a Speaker, and of course no message published.
| believe i read eYerye article in that paper, for
reading matter is as scarce as hens teeth here.
NewsPsper hrs are YortLt5l per copy in the mines!
1 find that most of The emigration Of last year
intend returning to fbe States'during the present
year-but few, very lev have accumulated any
thing, but all hope and expect to realize ssome-
thing during the present summer.
hope that you receive my letters regularly,
but you must not be disappointed, if, daring the
g IN nm Enn hnar from mo hnf soIlan may
be so high up in the mountain as to find it impos.
sible 10 send a letter to the city. Twill have no
fixed habitation daring the summer, but will 90
wherever | think may be the best location, The
Middle Fork will be the principal point of my
range, and |. trustsI maybe able TO make a few
of the ''shiners's; before. the next rainy season.
Send me the..sSpirit'' and write as often as you
can find it convenient. l do not wish to press
you o%nsthis point. for4IkRow your duties are ar.
dlnns. enclnh. in the wau Of writing. I find Thai