The Portland daily press., 1869-10-25
$500 per annuna, in adrance.
DAILY PRESS.
Monday Morning, October 25, 1869
MARK TWAIN.
HIS GREETING TO THE CALIFORNIA PIo-
NEERs OF 1S49
.

HIS GREETING TO THE cALIFoRNIA pIo-
NEERs OF 1849.
The California Pioneers of 1S49, who are
now on grand railway excurson to the East,
were entertained at Delmonico banquet in
new York Wednesday evening. Among the
ie'ters received and read upon the occasion
was the following characteristic episte sent
by Mark Twain:
FLMIRA, Oct. II, 1862
To the California Pioneers:
GENTLEMEN: Circums. .ances render IL ont
of my power to take advantage of the invita-
tion extended to me through Mr.. Slmonton,
and be present at your dinner in New YoIk.
regret this very much, tor there are several
among you whom would have a right to JOIN
hands with on the score of old friendship, aud
1 suppose would have sublime general
right to shake hands with the rest of you on
the score of kinship In California ups aud
downs IN search of fortune. If 1 were to tell
some OF my experenc s, you would recognize
California blood in me. / fancy. The old, o d
story would sound familiar, no doubt. | nave
the usual stock of reminiscenc IS. For i'll
stance: | went to Esmeralda early. / pur-
chased largely in the wide West" the "Win-
nemucca, and o.ber fine claims, and was We
ry wealthy. i fared sumptuously on bread
when -four was 500 barrel, and had beans
every Sunday when none but b DATED aristo-
Gratis could afford such granderr. But | fin-
ished By feeding batteries in quartz mill at
SIS week, and wishing l was battery
m, SELF and had some body 10 iced me. My
claims in Esmeralda are there yet. | suppose
could be persuaded to sell. | went to the
Humboldt District when it was new. became
largely Interested in the Alba Nueva, aud
other claims with gorgeous names. aud was
rich aeain-iD prospect. l owned a vast mining
property there. l would not have sold out for
less than 100000, at that time-bIt | will
now Finally walked bome-some 200 miles
partly for exercise, and partly because stage
fares were expensive Next 1 entered upon
an affluent C. reer in Virginia City, and by a
judicious investment of labor and the capital
OF friends, became the owner OF about all tie
worthless wild cat mines there were in that
part of the country. Assessments did the bu-
siness Tor me there. There we e lit assess
ments to one dividend, and the proportion
OF income to outlay was little agai st me.
My financial thermometer went uown to 80
degrees Farenbeit, and the subscriber was
frozen out. took up extension on the main
lead-extensions that reached to British Am
erica in one direction and to the lsthmu, of
Panama in the oher-and verify believe I
would have been rich man if had ever
found those Internal extensions But didn't
ian tunnels till tapped the Arctic Ocean,
and sunk shafts till broke through the roof
of perdition, but those extensions turned up
missing every time. 1 am wiling to sell all
that property, and throw in the improvements.
Perhaps you remember the celebrated North
Ophirp" bought that mine. 1t was ve'y
rich In pure silver. You could tahe it out IN
Jumps as big as filbeft But when it was
discovered tn It those Jumps were melted ha e
dollars, and hardly melted at that, painful
case OF t. saltin' was apparent, and the under
signed adjourned to the poor-bouse again. [
paid assessments on Haze & Norcross' till
they sold me out, and had to take in wash
ing for living-and the next month that in
famous stock went up to 81 900 loot. l own
millions and millions Of feet of afilueut silver
leads in Nevada-in fact own tue ent re un-
deicrust o: that country nearly, and IL Con-
gless would move that State Off my property
so that could get at 1t, would lie wealthy
yet, Blu no. there she squats-and here am
l. Failing health per uades me to sell. If
you know Of any one desiring a permanent
investment, can furnish him one that will
have the virtue oil being eternal.
l have been through the California mill,
with al its dips, spurs aud angles, variations
and sinuosities." l have worked there at all
the different trades and professions known to
the catalogue. have been everything, rom
newspaper editor to cowcatcher on a loco
uOtiNc, anu an tuCOutd1eu 10 neIeVe LldL
If there had been lew more occupation to
experiment upon, might have made taz-
cling success at last and found out What mys-
terious design Providence had in view In
creating me. fn'
But you perceive that although am not a pi-
oneer,I have had sufficiently varieeated time
OF it to enable me to talk pioneer like ma
tive, and feel like Forty Miner. Therefore,
cordially welcome you to your old remem-
bered hom.s and your long-Jeserted firesides,
and close this screed with tie sincere hope
that your visit here will be happy one, a. d
unembittered by the sorrowiul sur ,rises that
absence and lapse OF years are wont to pre-
pare for wanderers; surprises which come in
the form of old friends missed from their
places; silence where familiar voices should
be; the young grown cd; change and decay
everywhere; hUme a deIusion and a disap-
pointment; strangers at The bearth-stone;
sorrow where gladness was tears for laughter;
The melancholy pomp OF death where the
grace of life had been!
With all good wishes for the Returned
Prodisas, and regrets that cannot partake
OF small piece OF the fate ed calf (rsre and no
gravv,) am, yours cordially.
MARK TWAIN.