The weekly ledger., 1857-07-18

I J
board and cnt all connection with labor, for
which they readily trump up an excuse; but
let them shn6ae as they may and beg
when they arc high or low, Old Time will
"wrng in a cold deck on them" and they
will be losers in the end The ID is the
only one that really wins. Notwithstanding
all which, the amusement is very "plaisont,"
as the Frenchman said, and / like to take
hand myself occasionally
/ Hearing music in house, the door of
which was wide open, | walked in and OBJ
served crowd at one side playing at rondo.
Negroes, greasers, Indians and whites were
all mixed in, aud fraternized most harmo-
niousIy If want makes strange bed-fellows,
gambling makes as strange associates; aud, if
the truth was known, that is the cause of the
sympathy so often shown by California office
holders to the cut-throats of the land In
the same room were two or three couples
watzing to the cadences of harp, (not the
one of a thousand strings) l really felt sor-
ry for the ladies'; poor things, they had
whrled around amid the smoke of tobacco
and fumes of liquor till they were quite black
in the face. am surprised that their friends
permit them to visit such low, disagreeable
places.
Night as it was, / discovered that this
place has its grades of inhabitants, commenc-
ing at the whites and ending with the Celes-
tials; these latter occupying one entire end Of
the town, where everything pertaining to
them can be seen, with the exception of a
Chinese baby, which is said to be real curl
osity, born with the " taiP' on,already braided
aud tipped with silk cord. Never having
seen one | cannot vouch for the truth of
what they say"
A couple of Apothecary shops are quite
conspicuous here. In the window of one are
several corpulent bottles performing aero
batic feats, standing upon each other, ami
gaily colored, Ike the Lee family in the circus.
| have not found any one yet to explain to
me why such bottles are used by vendors of
drugs. They contain nothing of use, are sug-
gestive of no idea connected with medicine; ;
unless it is that most nostrums are more for
appearance than utility Large bottles of
nothing highly colored; such is medicine
and-such is life.
Another thing | can't see into in regard
to these shops is, why they keep books and
stationery to sell. A promising young man
(in the "promse to pay" lne) at my elbow
suggests that the books are to prepare the
mind for eternity, the paper to write wills
on, and the medicine to do the rest If such
is the case it is beautiful union of aids to
elnigrants" to Paradise.
But Somnus invites me to his embrace, and
Morpheus promises pleasant entertainment,
so close for the night.
BY daylight jackson is a thriving, business
place; although, like most mining towns it
is built in the worst possible local ty for
beauty. 1t fringes three small streams that
here unite and form jackson creek, one of
the tributaries of Dry creek The town
having grown too large for the valleys it has
spread to some of the hills. A portion Of
the space has rather ragged appearance, as
though it had been left out, (like an old shirt
OH clothes line. )and the C lttle hnl chewed it
while the rest looks well, particularly those
cottage reside lces Oh Broadway with their
gardens, and the vicinity Of the soda factory,
which, by the way, is most enticng place
with its grove of shade trees There, that
soda man owes me a round dozen Of soda for
chat compliment.
NV rambles brought me in the neigh
borhood of several acres of melon vines, the
melons were not ripe but they were flourish
ing nicely; as the Frcnchmen who own them
cannot read English this notice is entirely
disinterested. Orcharding has not been neg
Iected around here, as the beautiful grounds
of MIR. III. Kilham can evidence, as well as
the trees in many of the gardens in town.
Folks here seem to be somewhat snpcrst
tious-believers in signs. Scarce a house
that has not several OH it; many of them are
tasteful Had | time | would write full
chapter on signs The shape and style of the
letters are very suggestive. An Il in one
that noticed reminded me Of the "Child of
the Regiment with one arm u kimbo and n