Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1860-07-28
He dIed january p. lsaa, aged .irlv.

The Chinaman and the California Census.
A correspondent of the Sacramento Union,
who is engaged in taking the census in
Calaveras County, gives, under date of June
l6, the following amusing sketch of the
manner of doing it and the difficulties under
which an official labors in this particular
Your readers may think that taking the
census is an easy task but all those who
enumerate the "dear people in the mining
districts will bear testimony to this fact that
it is a mighty difficult job to take the de-
cennial account of our country's inhabitants
and wealth, in California. 1t is almost i'm
possible to go over the mountains, down
gulches, along the banks of rivers, and up
the ravines, on horseback, and so we travel
on foot, under a broiling sun, from cabin to
cabin, finding here and there a solitary miner
or group of Chinese, hard at work, trying
to find the oro. The greatest difficulty is to
get along with the furriners." Most of the
Americans and the better class of Germans,
French and Italians, readily understand,
what our business is, but the "Grcasers
and "Celestias" are suspicious that we are
tax collectors in disguise, and are Immediately
oblivious to any thing that sounds like the
value of f"real estate or personal property"
Very few of them, however, seem to be
burdened with any of this worlds goods and
chattels. A man might take a hundred
Chinese and yet find not over a half dozen
different names in the whole lot They are
all All Tis," or All Tongs," which would
lead one to imagine that among the countless
millions in the Flowery Kingdom there
were not over dozen patronymes. Their
names may be perfectly comprehensive to the
initiated, but are Greek to us.
will give you a specimen of the manner
we have to deal with them. On approaching
a group, with census portfolio under the
arm, we are looked upon with undisguised
suspicion and alarm. Being requested in
our instructions to be polite and affable to
all, we bow very humbly, and make our
salutation by saying, with winning smile,
" How de do, John Very fine day John"
Whereupon All Chang replies: 'Two men,
no more; what you want, John?" .a
"No want taxee-no want TO catchee
money; all same 'Merican man Frenchman,
woman. One President wantee know how
many men in California, New York-all the
States
"You no want to catchee license?" says
John, "me have got license
"What you name, John?"
"Me no sabee name; and so on, until we
find some one who can speak more English.
After they become convinced we are not
after money, which they love as well as any
Shylock, they will give in their names, ages,
and we give guess at their place of birth.
If you take their word for it, none of them
have any property when asked if they have
any real estate-which question is ahead of
their time--they shake their head and look
dubious. Have you got any money John ?"
"No have got money. Me very poor; no
good claim, john"
By diligent inquiry we generally find a
dozen or more, when we saw only few on
our approach, for on the appearance Of any
official-looking parsonage, the most of them
hide away, so as to escape paying for licenses
They are constantly moving about the
country, and the chances are, that not hall
the Cinnamon in the State will be enumerated
on the census list.