Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-10-16
CALIFORNIA.


Letter from gentleman se'o lately renoved from.
his cltg % California, addressed to has friend
IL Washington.
SAN Francisco, SEPT. ], 1852.
Although have made sacrifices to come out to this
country still look forward the realization of my hopes
as compensation for what have undergone and have
to endure There is not the least doubt Of this being
the best country for man to make money provided he
is frugal and Industrious Labor Of every kind is well
compensated whilst the idle and extravagant find it
difficult to obtain bread than perhaps they would in any
other country There here thousand temptations
in the way of gaming drinking and loose riotous living
and many there of the young from the East who
have either been scathed OF wholly ruined
Money commands three per cent per month the best
Of and city bonds and productive real
estate In the business part Of the city there is very
little improved property that does not pay eight per cent
per month. Rents therefore enormous oil build
ngs hired by the month, in instances with the
privilege Of year The landlords generally are
ing fortunes moderate-s .wo-story brick store rs
by u.s. worth in the market $12 600 or $4,000 rents
readily for 81 900 per MONTH and that payable monthly
in adcanee Dwellings scarce viz good ones; house
such you reside in at Washington would rent for about
$500 per month very large amount Of capital is
being invested in improvements builders estimate
that Sl0 600 900 is in this city for building
purposes alone Brick and lime are made in the greatest
abundance and of lumber and building materials there
is scarcity The State has within herself every re-
source, to extent surprising some of the old
States OF the Union Carpenters paid SO per day,
bricklayers 8 Sl0 and laborers 4 to So OF climate
there is nearly every variety From all that can see
and learn thus far cannot but conclude that il there ia
any one portion of Union blessed with the gs
OF nature than another it is the State Of California New
discoveries of gold especially in quartz are almost daily
being made, and great amount Of foreign capital is
employed and under negotiation work them Engines,
machinery, apparatus &C. are in of erection and
in operation throughout many of the mining districts
several ofwhch valued at from $3.50 900 to $500 000
For the ensuing year the product of the mines it is be-
lieved, will yield S8,0000O0 per month for portaon,
provided the mint for this State be not in operation within
the period map of the mining regions is now in prepa
ration here when completed win transmit you copy
The most wonderful subject in contemplation Of Cali
fornia is the absolute creation of nearly the whole of the
businesspart Of the city of San Francisco which
snatched as it from the very sea where sixteen
months ago, was twenty feet Of water and ships unload
ing their cargoes erected two and threestory
brick stores, with heavy stone foundations and with
walls generally twenty-five inches in thickness The
wharves five in number, project beyond these
1880 feet supported by thousands of redwood piles
costing $50 each pile and panked with the heaviest um
Der, at average cost Of 1920 per thousand am in
formed by very large andhoder here that eighty mil
lions does not the outlay for labor and materials in
the creation of this portion of San Francisco. send
you map of the city, which you trace the line
watermark between Rincon and Clarks points, and form
ing semi-circular curve to the southwest. !.
With small capital say eight ten thousand dollars,
business do better here in San Francisco than he
possibly could do elsewhere Should he feel disposed
avoid the risks attendant upon speculaons in merchan
Disc he could invest the money undoubted security
and receive 1900 per income simply from the
interest, and paid him monthly BY building tenemens
double the income might reasonably be expected for
probably tive years to come, when rents will fall the
ground will be covered The fluctuations in prices
of merchandise provisions &C. knows parallel in any
other place When arrived here -four held at So
in four weeks thereafter 1t commanded 800 and is at this
moment in demand at $26 per barrel Turpentine was
then SO per gallon lis 90 cents Porkisnow selling
S43 and coal at S55 Three months ago cargoes Of
coal could not be sold for Sc per ton.