The Nevada journal., 1858-06-25

passioned valediction of the Apostle.
The feelings of a Pastor towards the
church of his first love church the
growth and result of his first effort, the
ensealment of his ministry, when called
to bid it farewell, are not unlike those
of the Apostle in this instance. In bid
ding you farewell to-day my thoughts at
once turn to the days and scenes of my
first arrival and efforts. years, is not
long time, but in California, long
enough to make chapter in life, extra
ordinary in incident and interest, long
enough almost to make life of itself.
l first arrived here in April 14th, 1851.
Twas told before coming that the place
contained some thirty thousand inhabi-
tants. There could not have been less
than ten thousand, there might have
been as many as fifteen thousand. Ev-
cry house in town was then crowded, as
well as every cabin on the hills,
On the flats and in the ravines for one or
two miles around. The city had its
wards in Donkeyville, Gold Flat, Selby
Flat, while the ward in Cayoteville was
as ambitious and pretending, as the CEN
trail ward itself. 1t boasted then a
Mayor, Common Council, Marshal and
Police, City Attorney and Recorder, and
all other officers necessary for city
government and sufficient to plunge it
into debt which to this day remains
unpaid. Stirring times then and hard,
hard, because scores were just coming
from the famous Gold Lake expedition,
penniless and disgusted. 1t was from
one of those Gold Lake adventures l first
learned the meaning of the word "strap-
ped''--hard also, because many of the
diggings were not paying anything like
the fabulous rates of '49 and 80. Men
got angry and sold their claims because
they were not turning out more than an
ounce per day to the hand hard be-
cause the great fire of March 18th had
just swept over the city, causing an en-
ormous sacrifice of fortune, as we'll as of
property. There were no public build
ings except Hotels and Gambling estab-
lishments. Nearly opposite the Nccada
Hotel, where l stopped and was kept
for weeks without charge, a large, and
for the times splendid saloon, called
the Exchange was nearly completed. 1t
was built for a permanent institution.
The proprietors, Smith & Barker inten-
ded it to last as long as the city itself.
1t was place of Exchange truly-the
exchange of hard earned wages for the
poverties and curses of faro and monte,
the exchange of virtuous principles, bet
ter memories, good habits for the desper-
ate chances of the cut throat and the
gambler.
Opposite Barker's Exchange was the
Empire. Gamblers were Kings in those
days. Political and money Kings
California, was their Empire, their El
Dorado, their GOLDEN Gate, their Er-
change, their Bella Union, &c. They
were about the only ones that could
afford to wear polished boot and hat
and perhaps it was chiefly owing to my
black coat and hat that some of the mi
ners on Little Deer Greek, asked me if |
was not broken down monte dealer ?
when l applied to them for church SUBJ
scription. | remember how Ad. Smith
came to the Hotel and invited some of
the ladies, as a matter of special favor to
them, to go over and see and admire his
new saloon before he opened those fine
glass stained doors for the benefit of the
vul gar herd, and I remember how the
ladies went and admired it. Scott of the
Empire envied his rivals, but then he too
was respectable. DR.. Brown, was not
only very rich but reputed to be very
honorable gambler honorable 10 doubt,
as man once said to me with all gravity,
that Tom Bell was tie most honorable
robber he had ever seen or known in
the country. The names of such men
as Scott, Barker, Lowell, Sandy Brown,
such places as Exchange, Empire, Bella
Union-how they bring up the murder
Gus exercises and scenes of our first
years. Were it not for the reality of the
terrible havoc of character and morals
and life that must forever remain asso-
ciated with them it would seem like
dream that is past, like a sleep when
man awaketh.
In that same month religious socie-
ty was organized, chiefly for the pur-
pose of building church edifce. Hor-
ace Everett of Charlestown, Mass. was
President and Dir Deytar ClorL of