The weekly Columbian. [volume] (Columbia, Tuolumne Co., Cal.) 1856-1???, 1856-08-23
A Trim tn the Mines and the Big Trees.
BIZ BESSIE.

The following interesting letter published in
Hutchinr's Magazine, is from the graceful and
prolific pen of a lady, whose sojourn among
them few weeks ago, contributed to the en-
ioyment of many happy hour. Her depar-
ture from us was day ofregret; it is therefore
with pleasure we publish a letter that again
calls to life the incidents of those pleasant
hours
Rest.-Recreation. Welcome change, from
thc arduous duties of school room life. and the
turmoil of the city, with its gay occupants and
resembling streets "God made the country,
men made the town." and it needs nc. far-fetched
theology. or wide stretch of the fancy to define
the superiority of the one over the other. Twas
not two minutes in determining whether would
90 with gay party to San francisco and
Mana. or accept the invitation OF my Kind friends
at Columbia to spend the two weeks vacation
with them.
Those who have never visited the mountains
have little or no idea of their beauty and gran
deur or the amount of travelling and business.
of various kinds. done in them. Villages OF
considerable growth are sprinkled along the
steep green hills. with background of lofty
and rugged mountain peaks; and sometimes
nesting quietly at the foot of range OF lofty
hills. half concealed in a grove OF immortal
green are clusters of miners cottages and CAB
ms. having quite a rural and town-llke appear
ance It is difficult for the imagination to con-
ceve more rough (-and picturesque because
rough-) yet more beautiful country, than that
between Sacramento and Columbia 1t COM
bines the widest scenes. Hills piled upon hills,
raising their gigantic heads heavenward, as if in
alteration of the Being who called them forth
Here and there are deep gloomy caverns, SEEM
ingly fit lair for beasts of prey-but, save
rabbit which now and then ventured abroad.
we saw no wild animals. much to my regret
An adventure with grizzly would have been
the heighth depth length and breadth of my
ambition-at suitable distance! but none ia
vored us with ''cal.'
Columbia is BY no means the little, unimpor-
tant and secluded mining town had supposed
it to be- but pretty ''smart place'-if a vast
aggregation of brick and mortar, dust and sand.
a crowded population, intellectual men. and
beautiful women, and constant tide of vehicu-
lar and human movement are necessary to make
one.-It is a city of two years growth, for with
in that period it has been nearly destroyed by
fire. 1t now contains goodly number of fine
fire proof buildings, two or three churches.
theatre, public and private schools. two print
ing offices and many handsome private residen-
ces-aud, by the way. the miners are making
inroads into the business part of the town, and
working underneath the buildings. The people
will soon have 10 adopt the custom at Placer
vlle--of setting their houses on stits and
whenever they want pan of gold descend to
| the cellar and bring it up! Here met old
friends from home, who just petted me the whole
! time was with them. Never shall | forget
their hospitality, their kindly greetings and
the pains they took to make the stay pleasant
one appreciated. was surprised at the bill
of fare which mine host of Birds Hotelf' laid
before me. with which the most fastideous
could not but be pleased. feel much indebted
to him aud his amiable lady for their kind at
| tentions during my stay at their pleasant and
| well kept house; and for the acquaintance of
some whose friendship | shall ever esteem as
among the choicest and most delightful of
earth's blessings.
l had very great anxiety to visit the mines,
having never seen much of mining operations,
and my friend. Miss H.. having invited me to a
morning stroll. we found our way to the dig
| gings' of q friend who kindly assisted us in
washing out small fortune! and, now | have
got it. there arises great query in my mind
what shall do with it. Whether | shall invest
it in bank or railroad stock, town lots at Gran
lite, water lots on the levee. or get it made up
into spoons or jewelry | was quite as success
full in one Of my morning rambles at ---
and thought if / could but get the hundreth
part of grain, to send home to my friends, tel
ling them that dug it myself, / should be sat
isfed Accordingly, l prevailed upon some
young ladies to accompany me-assurng them
if struck a lead | would divide. We had the
good fortune of falling in with company of
Hibernans and Chinese, of whom we craved the
use of their pans. They politely offered them,
together with their assistance; which latter we
declined-saying it was only for the pleasure
of getting few grains ourselves that we came.
Having Invested myself of bonnet shawl and
gloves, aud rolled up my sleeves, bend over
my task with fortune in prospect. Fifteen
minutes of shaking and scraping, aud twirlng
and tipping, and wash down pretty near to
the old-bearing sand. on the bottom of the
pan, and with eyes well strained in their sock
cts, and visions of future magnificence dancing
through my head | pour off the water and
what do you think find mot the first "colorn'
| am encouraged by my companions. who have
taken possession of the rocker, and are enliven-
ing their toll as happily as two young chatter
boxes can, by building '.ar castles" and fur
nshing them with the products of their cradles !!
insist this time on filling my own pan, and in
passing around the long tom," where the min
ers were at work, step upon what suppose
to be terra firma,'' but before l have time to
! think l find myself two feet deep in bed of
quicksand, with dozen voices shouting "dont
go there % and their manly owners springing to
extricate me. Nothing disconnected, for | am
assured it will all rub off when it gets dry,) 1
tug up another forty pounds of mud, and labor
with the same success. A third-and 10 two
ght specks the size of a pin head, appear at
the bottom of the pan.
| shout! rockers are deserted; picks and
shovels are dropped; and general '.hilarifca-
| ton" succeeds. With much the same success
| spend couple of hours when l am made
painfully sensible of a dizziness in the head, and
WEAKNESS of the body generally, and con-
clude that my fortune is to be made in some
other way than mining. My companions share,
when they came to divide, far exceeded mine;
but ! have such an inherent antipathy to rock