Eastern times. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1846-1857, 1851-01-23
From a Halloween Californian.

We copy the following extracts from letter
from Capt: Sheppard Davis, familiarity known
on the Kennebec, from the Hallowell Gazette.
Capt, Davis went to California little more
than year ago.
-= RoueH AND READY, Nov 10, 1850.
"Here | am, where the labor of man pro-
duces crop of gold if he is in good health and
is industrious and prudent. agreed to work
at baking in this place during the winter, but
they found it would not pay, so | agreed TO
quit. am now at work mining two miles from
this place, comfortably situated in log-cabin,
with Mr. Sylvester of Hallowel, James Beals
of Arson, c. n. and Thos. Reed Of Bath, all
of whom came out in the John Davis. | am
about seventv-five miles from Sacramento City.
| have Just received letter from Warren, da-
ted at Sacramento City, stating that he should
probably 90 to the mines this winter. l shall
now write for him 10 come TO this place, we
have room enough in our house in the noun
tain, and plenty of room 10 dig the yellow
rocks, which we believe are here, as we daily
see strong indications, III the shape of Jumps
weighing from one TO ten dollars. We have
just laid down the shovel and the pi"k-axe, on
account of rain, and hope we shall have enough
TO wash ont some large piles of dirt we have
thrown up for winter washing. As we are on
dry ravlne we cannot wash out the gold until
we can get a small stream of water.
| shall stay In California until get my poe
kets full of rocks, if my life and health are
spared. As to my health it is as good and has
been constantly since | left home, although
there has been great deal of sickness in Cali
tornia since have been here. The cholera
has been raging at Sacramento City to an
alarming extent, sweeping off its hundreds of
victims daily. Surely it has been pestilence
that walketh in darkness, and a destruction that
wasteth at MONDAY, but it is now on the de-
crease. | thought that God had lorsaken the
people in this country, but was mistaken, for
he has visited us in Judgment, fearfuly Men
In good health have dropped down and expired
IN few minutes, by scores and huudreds.-
They have died so fast it is impossible TO bury
them. | was informed by gentleman that
there were twenty-nine bodies laid on the ground
one night at Sacramento for the reason that the
graves could not be dug.
KENTUCKY VALLEY, Nov. %.
Here l am in our log cabin well ard hearty,
II still continues TO rain, so think we shall get
water enough TO wash out the gold. Provis-
ions are quite plenty in this vicinity, but rath-
er high. Flour is worth from 30 to % cents
per ID. Pork 80 to So. Vegetables are out of
the question We get no butter at any price,
but still we get along very comfortably
You can still continue to direct your letters
10 Sacramento, as the post office here is only a
temporary concern The rain has washed some
dirt so that the Jumps of gold begin to show
themselves. One man has Just picked up
lump weighing S96; another man one weigh
ing S31. One of our company accidentally
stumbled on 10 on still smaller, which we have
not yet weighed.
p. 5. This evening the weather has clear
ed off Tomorrow we intend To - Rock the
Cradle, Lucy,N and she'll out the yellow
boys"