The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1853-03-16
LETTER FROM CALIfoRNiA.
sesieis. California, January as,s nsa

W. II. MERRirT, ESQ., ss.-
Dear sir-You being .erevhas acqusin,e.
with californis and its .cenes Of forty nine s>t
6ty, dough, i would not BE- uniss-res,ioe /,
you, TO know snneshng sbou, shat Of afsyssi.ee
But 10 give you so,rect idea Of THE. wos4d ..
beyond the power Of my fHaginaaion, but to sr
pr"ximaic il, will simply refer you 10 fnr::,
nine. Multiply the depth Of snow Of tha, v ,u,
ter by three; the inundated acres by two; ., 4
suffering humanity by ten, and yos will have Z
glimpse Of fiiftyth The rains commenceA
'Lia year in November. and continued hard 70,
l"nHs week Il 'hspfsinsd hs.der fpr two weeks,
ana hatdcst for three weeke, ending Sth Janu~
ary- You are aware that when it rains in the
valley. il snqws On the anuntans. The suffer
ing IN cnnae Gacnce Of al communication with
the valley teng cut off. has been terrible in the
ex'remei and what renders u,e case still worse,
there was great rise in the price Of prov sions
In the fall consequently the merchants failed
tolay in US full supplies a. usual, thinking the
prices would fall but instead thereof the rains
ff-ll, and the foods came, sweeping In Their
course houses, bridges. stock Of every descrip-
| f N osSe'"!"S "o"y hVcs =
Sacrament. City has been twice, flooded ,l,i:
season, Notwithstanding a vast su,n Sf n,opei
had been expended in building Levee wiz
here mention, that on the 81 day of November,
that day which stands brigh,es, in the history
Of all our elections. Sacrament, City presepssS
the greatest Illumination ever witnessed upoSs
the shores e the Pacific; about ssven-eiQhth,
Of the city was laid in ashes. All that part sit.
unted between l. an n streets and extending
back to ninth street, leaving but the few scat,
tering houses north of l., south Of NJ, and eas-
of ninth streets. mthree weeka from the time
Of the conhagration, the city was sgan rebuilt.
and business aourishing again a. ever; hut
m"ss Of the buildings were Of but one story,
and very temporarily built. put up for The time
being only, and then came the foods, driving
people from their homes and their business,
forcing them TO seek shelter in high localities,
those who had upper rooms were considered
F" some puHpkins.'
It tny opinion that the great destruclior
(by fire and the aeods.) Of rats. will or~aae G
grea, famine among the Celes,ials, whose num-
bers have increased very rapidly, and now con-
s'i'u,e onc-eighth the population Of the city
poor moon-eyed creatures, to fare thus among
the outside Bafbarians. Every day brings to us
an alarming account of suffering IN tbs miness
Flour in many places is worth from 81 90 to
81, so per pound; at Downyvills, provisions
If every description are very high, particularly
ne price ol a,ur, so heavy the bakers cans
RAISE pound, and beef wnuld commond high
price if there was any to be had. Men have
been compelled to carry hour on their backs
from Fosters bar, distance Of thirty miles, to
keep the f-w females and others, who could not
get out, from starving; this is the condition Of
one town only, of along catalogue lcould mem
ton. ,t.4
The miners, as general thing, have no. done
very well during the last two years; there has
not been water sufficient 10 work what 10 called
the dry diggings,, and this year, there la too
much; thus fares the poor digsers ~,
/ think there was as much gold taken out, Of
the mines during the psst year ending 3lst DE =
cember,ns there has been any year since the
discovery of the gold; this 10 owning: to the
great number Of men engaged in tie business;
the general average however. has been .Hcry
small Farmers are generally doing we'll: at
all events, they are laying foundations for a
good living, and many of them will become
wealthy. Mechanical labor has been in good
demand, but for the present, every thing Of tha:
kind is over done.
1ho 81 ,f Co. F.ar,;.oo T., r.,uin,, .. o;d
ly, and is destined to become the greatest CON-
mercial depot on the coast Of the Pacific Ocean,
and second to none on the Atlantic side of the
you may think me exaggerat;rg, but
time will prove the correctness Of my prophecy.
Marysville is also growing very fast. Likewise
Stockton. A. rail road is now being surveyed
from Marysville to Benicia, cndthe work will
doubtless be commenced in early spring; the
stock is already taken, and charter obtained;
when this rosd is completed, it will bring Ma
rysville within five hours travel Of San Francis;
CO, where now i, takes twenty hours this will
make Benicia what her position has long enti-
tied her to bean important point. Our Lee.
yislature commenced its session the LIST
Monday Of this month the subject Of the Cap
itol is engrossing considerable attention at the
present time, and the probability is, that before
the cloce of tie ses-ioni, will Re locatcd per-
manently at Benicia.
Before close, must say to all who are look
ing Caiifornawards, my advice is to stay in
Iowa, and be content, this say in all sinceri-
ty.
1 am still prisoner Of h.pc in California,
with"u. any positive knowledge Of when the
time will come for my emancipation but as the
mariner constantly watches the north star, a.
with his majestic barque he ploughs the mighty
wave, so keep in constant view the glimering
rays Of that star of hope, which points to the
Mississippi's shore, where allsmy affections lie.
You may talk of lndia's wealth Of Caiifor.s
MAS sunny fountains rolling down her golden
sands ; of her mountains Of glttcring ore, or
of her greatness, yet in prospect; bu. give me
again my lovely cot, with its cheerful winter
fire, surrounded by that small family circle, ~
in the days Of yore, then would be willing to.
have the curtain fall and cloGe forever the stcnee-
Of the past.
My friends, do now and then send a wish or
thought after me Oh tell me, have yet q
friend' Then send me a paper My respects
to all without reserve.
Respectfully, Yours,
J.P EVANS.
How TO KEEP PooR.-B Buytwo glasses of ale
each day, at 5 cents each, amounting in one year
to $36 90; smoke three cigars, one after each
meal, counting up in the course Of the ysar to
$54 IS; keep big dog, which will consume
in year at least SIS worth of provision, sand a
cat $5 more. Altogether this amounts t1 the