Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1859-03-25
Ten Years Experience of a Califor-
MAN.

Ten Years Experience of CalifOr-
MAN.
Ten years ago, upon bitterly cold
winters afternoon, the writer of this ar
ticle started from the shores of an Allan
tic State to the promised land of Califor-
mia. lie had no doubts, and but few mis-
givings, An important official of that
newl y-acquired American territory had
stated that the hoofs of his horse had
kicked up the gold in clouds in that far
distant land, and what an officer said
must be true. The hopeful emigrant
might indeed doubt whether he could
make his way to the land of gold and
get back again before the value of that
mineral was ruinously decreased, but as
to doubling the quantity that he would
obtain it never occurred to him. He
had heard lecturers who told vast gold
stories. To be sure they had never
been outside of San Francisco; but they
were from California, and of course knew
all about the matter. In common with
all other adventurers Of the kind the
writer's company went to church on the
Sunday evening previous to starting,
were lectured upon and prayed over. -
They promised not to dig gold on Sun
day, nor to swear, nor to drink whiskey
no matter how artfully concocted. They
each ships company of one hundred
and fifty or Observation-Disclosures to stick
to each other and work the same dig
gings. They were loaded with presents,
and departed amid the shouts of the
multitudes upon the wharves to that
bourne from which no traveller was ex-
pected to return without q reasonable
show Of the yellow article.
The remembrance of the discomforts
of sea, the glories of the South Ameri-
can ports, the island of Robinson Cru
soc, (Juan Fernandez the arrival at
the tumultuous city of San Francisco is
yet vivid We shall not forget in a
hurry seeing a professor of the universe
ty in our neighborhood assisting to load
a dray, of our first job of rolling bar
rel of pork across Montgomery street for
a dollar, of going to the mines and find
ing no golden sands, but many excess
lively heavy rocks, of being greatly as
tonished at the insignificant appearance
of the gold, which we had supposed vas
to dazzle our eyes. And then comes up
before our view the terrible storms and
foods of the winter Of forty-nine and
fifty; the travel to the height of the ST.
ezra Nevada in the latter year to find the
particular mountain from whence all the
gold came the solemn assurances of the
Indians that in consideration Of bread
meat, and blankets for months they would
tell us all about it. We have also a
painful remembrance of rivers which we
aided in turning where they objected to
going, and finding not enough of what
we sought to pay for our beans in the
vacated bed after we had done so. We
can also remember the brilliant dreams
concerning quartz, from the proceeds of
which we expected to run strong oppo-
sition to John j. Astor, and should have
done so only the figures would not come
out right, and the lucky owners of the
quartz leads found themselves by some
mysterious process in debt.
The experience in cities, the rise to
supposed wealth, the descent to actual
poverty, is as a dream that is passed !;
the sober reality Of the present succeeds
it. What changes have been wrought
in those ten years Cities and towns in
this State have risen and fallen-child-
hood has grown to manhood and woman
hood. The man in his prime has been
touched with old age. The experience
Of the past ten years Of a Californian is
perhaps more eventful than that Of al
most any other decade that car be pro-
duced for the past century. 1t is a sad
though an interesting retrospect. San
Jooquia Repb.