Eastern times. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1846-1857, 1851-02-06

But 4 .he sacramen,o IS so muddy, SO

crooked. SO uninviting, it is nevertheless a
busy stream, and the hum of active life is in
few places more constantly heard, or more
necessarily kept up. All this singular coun
Try, with its cities and towns which have
sprung up as if by magic, and its streams
and thoroughfares, is the wonder of the
world, the miracle Of The age in which we
live. From morning until night the shrll
whistle and sharp bell Of the numerous
steamers are heard upon this river, and a
constant tide of humsn lite is pouring along
upon its surface. The name of the boats is
legion, and as yet all have found enough to
employ them. The "Senator" and "New
World' are both large and elegant boats,
which, together with the "God Hunter"
and the propelors "Harttord" "McKim" and
"Mary Tompkins," run from San Francisco
TO Sacramento city. Then there are the
al. t. Clay built by J. Rideou,, Esq, OF
your city, and commanded by Capt. VIM. S.
Murray, of Brunswick, The California" a
stern wheel boat from the Kennebec, com.
manded by Capt. E. c. Boobar, Of your
place, The Fashion," the "Gov. DANA the
"Jack Hayes" the Georgia. and host of
others plying from Sacramento city, up and
down the river, so that there is no difficulty
in finding conveyance in this country pro.
vlded one has the "dusi' to give him accep<
tance at the "Captains office" The mos,
objectionable impositons are practised upon
travellers, with many Of these boats, and he
is lucky fellow, who, obliged 10 Patronize
any OF them, escapes with being moderately
feeced. The fare from San Francisco to
Sacramento is S20-the trip being performed
in about eight hours and when the trav-
eler has paid this sum, he is charged, in the
night boats, from two to five dollars extra,
for berth, and if he wishes to place his
"dust" or coin in the safe-each boat has
one-he is expected to pay one per cent. for
this privilege. This is not ALL not the worst
of the thing. In some of the boats, the Sem
ator, for instance, il is notorious that the
grossest cheat is practced at the office, in
weighing out dust TO pay fare. A large por-
ton of the passengers, especially those going
down river, will unsuspectngly pass over
their bag to the purser of the boat for him to
weigh out the fare, and not few would find
the contents diminished much more than an
OF. and a quarter, should they take the trou-
BILE to examine The matter closely. am
tnld th,t rho Docnla,,opS Of ,b;s dasc,;,,o,
on board the Senator, have been, in some
instances, at any rate, really outrageous, and
they have not failed 10 be marked and re-
buked on the spot. The purser with face
he carries on his game, IN such in.
stances, will bluff off the victim, and swear
himself out of the scrape without so much
as blush mounting 10 his face. Well, such
is one of the ways "we read Of in this world
of guls and suckers.
The river at Sacramento city is about one
eigIh of mile in width, and the shore on
each side is lined with vessels. many of
which give unmistakable signs of age and
hard usage, and afford presumptive evidence
al least, that they are destined to lay their
bones in this unsettled, western world. OF
the city Of Sacramento-its attractive and
repulsve powers-iis gaming-houses and
shave-slIops its gallows-birds and scape-
sraces, IFS spreading prairies and branching
oaks, lis regular streets und broad evee, its
fiat surface and swampy grounds its mum
dalons and stagnant waters, its sloughs and
gulches, lis bull-fghts and fandangoes, its
tents and cabins, its monopolists and squat
ters, its full theatres and thin churches =
of all these and even more, | may make def
inie mention in my next. Until then, re-
main, Yours, J.T.G.