Eastern times. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1846-1857, 1851-03-06
oregon Correspondence of the Eastern Times.
A Wanderers Notes.

A Wanderers Notes.
Sacramento City Ertent-8rects- mascu-
Inc &ate-Woman's influence Gambling
* hoases-Obscene paintings-Squatters and
their troublcs-Ths "FooG'-Hs conreni-
ence m balancing dccounts-An operation-
The Lcree - FsHhiness - Urhealthiness -
Cholera-Scape-g races, dc.
PORTLAND. OREGON, Dec. Is. 1850.
DEAR TINES My last closed, sans ceremo-
me, at the landing Of Sacramento City. Upon
the spacious and truly beautiful leyce, then,
commence our perambulations through this
infant city. consisting of a conglomeration of
houses, shanties, cloth tents, trees, bushes,
stumps, gridiron bridges, sloughs, quagmires,
rats, fcas, mules, asses-some with four legs,
and not few with but gamblers, liber-
tines, scape- goats, honest men and rogues, and
other quadrupeds and bipeds too numerous to
mention. Say what you will of San Francis
CO, Benicia, San Jose and Vallejo. yet Sacrament
to is the city of California, inasmuch as in itself
OaiiioiHid, us q WnOlCy Is UStlCi represented
than in any other single city in the State. A
person may visit the other places mentioned
and knows but little of California; but Sacra-
mento is California all over. True, it has
rival-the city of "sand hills as its editors
term San Francisco it has not the govern
ment patronage and naval show of Benicia
the fertile appearance and cultivated aspect of
San Jose, nor the Merampied interests of Va
lejo-a city that is to be-but still it is Sacra-
mento, and nothing else" As the chief por-
ton of my time while in the State, was spent
in this place, and as had ample opportunity
to study its character, and to become acquaint-
ed with "the lay of the land am disposed
to detain the reader here for little while ere
l advance upon that subject of chief interest
the MINES. Sacramento is situated OH the east
bank of the river from which it takes its name,
and on the south side of the American Fork"
The two rivers meet at nearly right angles,
and vessels of large size pass entirely above the
city and enter the American river. When
left there on the Sd of August, the bark Amer
lea, of your city, was lying in the very throat
of the American river; the brig Ruth, of Port
land, was some forty rods higher up, and the
Prison ship was still higher up the "Fork. q"
There were also other vessels in the same
neighborhood, some occupied as boarding
houses, and one at least, as the office and hos
pital of Botanical physician. On the bank
of the main river, the whole length of the city,
is liberal reserve for public Levee, on which
no buildings can be erected, and which is con-
trolled by the corporation. Should California
escape failure, this levee is destined to be-
come beautiful place, and to be the pride of
the city, as the city itself must become the
pride of the State. Your people at home have
imperfect ideas of the extent of this place.
They are scarcely prepared to believe that it is
more extensive than San Francisco, vet such is
the fact; and am not sure but it contains
quite as large population. The city is per-
fcctly level, and extends from the river off to
the eastward over a mile, and up snd down
the river bank it is of about the same extent
Indeed, on paper, it is really one of the finest
and most magnificent cities in the world, COM
mencing on the north at the American river
with A street, and going southwark at regular
distances with b. c, and so on through the
whole alphabet, down to z street. Then along
the Sacramento, adjoining the levee, we have
First street, and going easterly from the river,
at the same regular distances as before, we
L., - II
street, and how many more l never troubled
myself to ascertain. Very likely the streets
designated by numerals, are quite as numerous
as those designated by letters. This much l
know, tina, the Methods, chapcl-a small, one
story building-is situated on the corner of
SerenM and NJ streets; and you are aware that
it IS not usual to place such buildings out Of
torn. From The river to said chapel, is thick
ly, although not very compactly settled. At
ter all, Sacramento is considerable for its size,
if not more l street-as straight as an arrow,
presents as lively an appearance as Broadway,
in New York, batting the almost entire absence
of silks and satins such articles being COM
paratively uncalled for in this country. Cali
fornia is a masculine State, in the most literal
sense; altogether too exclusively masculine to
suit my taste, and meet the inherent wants of
ed, and won,an, the light of whose smile is the
safety lamp of society, assumes her proper
rank and influence here, but small advance
need be looked for in all that tends to the hon
or and glory Of State. There arc few women
here. There are not a few who wear petticoats,
but creatures who will stand behind the bars
and refreshment stands of gambling houses
who will seat themselves at Monte tables, can
not be ,con,en. Of such it is said there are
many in this country, imported from Australia
and other parts of the world, the very scum of
hel's great cauldron, boiled over upon this
distant shore to poison and inhct lasting curses
upon growing infant State. Let California
receive a full compliment of virtuous women
wives, sisters and daughters: let her
borders, her streets and her natural parks re-
sound with The joyous mirth of rejoicing,
laughing childhood; let her cities, towns, and
villages become the seats of united families
anu Hdppy HoheS, anu H. Wolu loT II, ueSpite
her gamblers, her prostitutes, her brothels and
her other sinks of iniquity nay, despite even
her COLA mines, with all their demoralzing ten
denotes, she will be a great, glorious, happy
State-an honor to our wide spread country
a virgin in the midst of a family of virgins.
But this is of the track, and so 1 will dis
miss moralizing and attend to the business lc-