Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1864-08-06
THE EVENING NEWS.
Our San Francisco Correspondents.
sax FRANCISCO, August 4, 1854.

SAN FRANCISCO, August 4. 1864.
EDITORS GOLD HILL NBws-Gmtlese's
AS ike to be "consistent" and therefore
always on the popular side of things, let me
say word or two in favor of the most fash
ionAble word of the day, viz:
SHORT.
hear it on all sides, and l ike it. Short
is my style. In the days Of my youth liked
short lessons, and short sermons, Especially
the latter,) short tasks, short winters and
short skies; when last cut birch rods for
the schoolmaster / cut 'em short, and l
am inclined to lay the slight stoop in my
shoulders t. the habit which I early acquir-
ed and still adhere TO of kissing short girls.
| am, therefore, in my element IN San Fran
cisco ~ present, my creditors are all short,
and say they want money terribly. l am In
the same fix and they have my sincere SYM
patty, it is all they can get from me at pre-
sent. Short credit, is the rule on Front and
Battery streets, as Your merchants doubtless
are aware BY this time. The mining Secre-
taries are all short, so are the remittanees
from the country merchants, so are the stock
brokers. The latter are so short that they
have cut down the meetings Of their Board
TO one per day, and yesterday they not only
had \ short list Of sales but printed it in blue
ink. Oh, ominous change I looked in the
faces Of the brokers on Montgomery street,
and thought saw the same cerulean hue
reflected there, nay, l may as well say it
Fright out" I did see it, their faces were
deeply, darby, beautifully blue. The last
and best short thing which observe on the
street is the short dress, which is now Il e
rage. No more bedraggled skirts, yards in
length, trailing through the dust and saliva
on The sidewalks, but short neat dresses, of
plain eolors, rule the day. Those who wear
long dresses wear them looped up when on
the street, and ankles, now's your time It
is lust possible that you may bring the short
idea into play on me and suggest another
innovation, viz: "short stories" and there
fore TO save your feelings and my own, I
change the subject here and at once.
DRAFT or NO DRAFT.
A general impression seems now to pre-
vail in San Francisco, that we are to have
draft in California and the Pacific States and
Territories within the next three months.
This impression grows out Of the fact that
the term of enlistment of most OF the Cali
fornia troops expire next month, and that
their places nllSSt be filed Immediately, IN
order 70 provide for our own protection on
the Pacific Coast, and furthermore that the
last call for ten regiments nom the racine
States is as vet unreSponded TO. have 10
day conversed with an army or1eer who
ought TO know about this matter, II anybody
does, and he assures me that the chances
for the draft are slight for this reason. The
ten new regiments will hardly be required on
this coast, II our affairs are managed with
any degree of frmneSs and discretion by the
new Commander of the Department Of the
Pacific. or the members Of the old
regiments, whose ranks must be kept
filed at any rate, one quarter to one
half will re-enhst, and the places Of
the balance viii be at least partially
filed by enliStmentS now going on. II is
true that enliStments are not rapid at present,
but still some recruits are obtained daily, and
the aggregate enlistmentS for the past year,
all for three years or the war, will foot up
at quite a respectable figure in the aggregate.
There may be a necessity for draft for 2, 600
to 1000, or even 5000 men, in these States
and Territories, but if It should come to that
there is no reason TO doubt that the different
City, County and State Governments could
arrange for the payment Of bounties sufficient
to provide substitutes for all who are drafted,
and could not or would not serve. The num-
Der Of substitutes required would be so small
that the price for each would not be ruinously
high. The tickets are all printed and the
wheels all ready for rolling in California at
moments notice, but / still hope that they
may not be required. We have plenty Of
howlers here who say that they go in for
vigorous policy, no terms with traitors,
and all this sort of thing, but if il comes to a
draft am greatly afraid that We shall see
few Of them shouldering musket. So far
at least they have kept out Of the way of pow
oSr, and ] am afraid that II any fighting has
TO Gs done on this coast, we must look to
very different element in our population for
the cartridge biters- For myself, l am free
10 admit that the idea Of leaving my family
to starye on a soldiers Sl4 in greenbacks per
month, as they must do if ] am drafted, would
be terrible TO me, but am confident that l
would do more even under such eircumStan-
ees to uphold the honor of our dear old dag,
than a whole regiment of men who do moth
ing but alternate between whisky shops and
newspaper Offices, boasting Of their intense
patriotism and casting doubt on the loyalty
Of every man in the community who happens
20 differ with them even on the currency
question. Thus far we have done nothing on
this coast worth mentioning, aside from our
contributions TO the Sanitary Fund, and II
we are called upon to submit to draft, or to
use greater exertions TO raise troops for our
own protection, we shall have no reason TO
grumble in the slightest.
ExcIrEMENTs NO LONGER.
The steamboat war is war Of races no
longer; the WGshoe is steadily patronized by
the better class of the public, carries full
loads, and makes good time each way, but
starts behind the Chrysopolis at Sacramento
and makes all the immediate landings. Her
captain being wisely content with the Popu-
larity he has Justly earned, and abstainlng
from risking life and property by insane rae
ing, now that he has demonstrated his aoli-
ity 10 run past anything on the river, when
he is so disposed. The c. 5. y. Co., ruined
BY the storm, ruined by the Yosemite out
rage, keep clear of him, and the public at
large is satisfied with the present condition
of affairs, as the whole benefit Of It goes to
the masses. The school CIR debauchery az
fair is already almost forgoSen, the stage
robbery has nearly ceased to belalked about,
and the apprehension OF civil wa. In Calitor-
MIA which was felt in all circles week since,
is now dying out. God grant that there may
be no necessity for its revival! There was
one excitement this week which / hoped
would last longer than it did, viz, that, over
our reported successes in Virginia, but we
live in the steadfast faith that our time Is
coming and crnnot long be delayed.
ARIrHM1cAL PROGRESSION.
witnessed yesterday the payment of an
instaIlment on a novel bet; such a bet IN
fact as I should barely expect school boy Of
average intelligence and u years Of age, to
have entered into in the latter half of the 18th
century. Twelve months since, young mer-
chant Of this city, made bet with a neighbor
that Richmond would be taken within 80
DAYS. Ifnot taken within that time, he was
to paw one apple. and il not within 60 days,
two apples, and so 90 on, doubling the forfeit
every 80 days. Yesterday he paid the eley-
enth installment and what do yon think 1t
amounted To-. Just 1924 apples, the entire
contents Of i've full boxes. Another month
and the bill viii be fearful one to eontem-
plate, and should the accursed hot bed of Sc
cession and capitol Of secessiondom, hold
out a year longer, no man in town, has an
income half sufficient TO meet the monthly
demand. while two more years would bank