The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1851-01-30
LETTER FROM CALIFORNIA.
SAN FRANCISCO, December

SAN Francisco, December IA, 1850.
To the Editor of the National Era:
| DEAR SIR The terrible disease which has
swept from the face of the earth 80 many of our
citizens came well nigh breaking the correspond
ence between us, and did in fact prevent me from
writing you by the last mail BY the goodness of
kind Providence escaped the fate which has fall
en- upon others and am now in the enjoyment of ro-
bust California health and hope to be able to note
the things that occur here for some time to come.
The scourge has nearly disappeared from amongst
us, but it still occasionally claims victim Lat
terly as is usual with this strange disease as it is
about leaving community, it has attacked and
carried to the world unknown several Of our most
prominent citizens Among them were Hardin
Bigelow, Esq, late mayor of Sacramento city,
VIM A. Woodruff, Henry Howison, and others,
merchants and capitalists of our city. The
stranger and the poor have, however, been the
greatest sufferers. Daily, the road to the city
cemetery has been thronged with carts, in which,
lain in a rough pine box, some poor fellow who
came to California with heart brimful of hope,
was going to his last resting place. Sometimes
one or two who knew the deceased followed him
to his grave, but oftener far the driver, horse,
cart, and coffin, composed the sad procession
The graveyard, opened only last July, at pres
ent contains over a thousand graves, and daily is
filling up. This is the sickly season of Cslifor-
mia, and always has been so.
The weather for the last month has been the
| ali; tf,1t hat haya in CQlifnr-
MIA. An occasional shower of rain, followed by
DAYS of mild air and sunshine, has entirely
changed the appearance of the surface of the
earth. The dry and parched-up soil is now
green, and smiling with blades Of new and tender
grass, interspersed with wild flowers of various
hues. Many who have settled upon land in the
vicinity of the city are now engaged in ploughing
and sowing a winter crop Of wheat, barley, pota-
toes, onions, and really every variety Of garden
vegetables, all of which viii grow here in the
winter months. The agricultural resources Of
California will be more fully developed during
the present season than ever before and the
croakers who have endeavored to deny the power
of production of our soil will probably be very
much disappointed have myself been engaged
during the last fortnight in turning up few
acres of mother earth, and must say that pref.
tier soil for the farmer l never saw. The soil
which is rich and black, extends nearly two feet
below the surface, and is plowed with the great.
est ease California can be made one Of the
greatest grain countries in the world, and should
her rich mineral resources ever fail her, she can
support fifty times her present population with
the products of her own soil. What we want
now is something misunderstanding upon
which we may depend in regard to the public
domain of our great State. Designing spectators
and capitalists have fraudulently possessed them.
selves, under cover of false titles of immense
tracts of the best lands in California, which pre-
vious to the discovery of gold here were never
trodden by the foot Of white man and those
who have come thousands of miles to settle in the
wild recess find that they can get no home unless
they first pay tribute to some naughty landholder
who happened to reach here before them Unless
our good Uncle Sam busies himself very soon to
seize what land actually belongs to him in Cali
fornia, he will find when he does arrive here that
there is not an inch Of soil belonging to him upon
which he may rest the sole of his foot. Agricul-
ture should be encouraged here and the hardy
Hoosier, whose feet have crossed the Rocky noun
tains and trodden through the SHOWS of our white
Sierra, should have home here 10 reward him
for his toll
or all the States in the Union, California most
needs provision similar to the one for which the
National Reformers have been 50 long struggling,
that Of giving the public lands only to actual set
| tiers. Our great city is daily growing greater,
| and buildings Of permanent nature are now be-
| ing erected. We bid fair at present to become q
| second Venice, as most of the building is now
| upon the water lots which extend to ship channel
Even now the greater part of tbs business in San
Francisco is done in the water part of the city,
| and it may not be many years ere the gondoliers
shall ply their oars through our busy streets 1t
| is amusing in this great Onnium gaihernm Of the
world TO stand on some fine sunny day upon the
Plaza, and watch the crowds as they pass compos-
ed as they are Of representatives Of every nation
on the globe. The Chinaman with his long tail,
the swsrthy Kanaka, the tattoed New Iealander,
the turbaned Turk, the shrunken Hindoo, and
the various inhabitants Of the South American
and Mexican States, jostle by the polished Euro
pean or American, all eagerly pursuing the gid.
ed butterfly of Fortune. The discovery Of gold
in California has done more toward the extension
Of free and enlightened principles throughout the
world than whole centuries Of labor devoted to
the same end would have effected From every
iunTecI VI tuC uuDtt6oIc KtoOc, MINUS WhVoo
Inhabitants have heretofore been prison-bound,
they have rushed, and here have centred. Here
have they learned of each other and Of u.s. and
here have they learned the language Of the Sax
ons, and when they shall return to their own
homes they will carry with them the principles
Of Christianity, Of freedom, and Of truth.
The miners are at present busly engaged in
washing out the earth which they have thrown
up during the summer months while waiting for
the rains, and In many portions Of the mines
are making money, while in others they are barely
living, at the high prices which traders immedi-
ately place upon provisions when winter COM
mences A new silver mine has just been discov-
cred In the vicinity Of Monterey, which promises
to equal " richness any Of those which are at
present wrought. As the country fills up, new
mineral resources are being developed, and we
hope one Of these days that some lucky fellow will
light upon coal mine, and another one upon an
extensive oyster bed, lacking a. We do both Of
these luxuYies
Our next Legislature meets on the LIST OF JAN
usry, at Pueblo de San joe The most import
ant portions Of their business will be the election
Of Senator and the location Of q State capital
Fremont since bis return has been very busy
electioneering, aud 10 quite sanguine OF success
The Wbigs however, who until within q few
months have never had any organization. say that