, 1869-11-27

-atA IVAN ~ an noutAI Miner
The following Characteristic letteI
from Mark Twain was read at F,
banquet given to the California Pi,
oneers 10 New York on tho 18th 81
October;
ELNfRA, Oct. IL, 1869.
TO The California Pioneers Gentlemen
--Crcalnstaocss reader IL out Of 10y
power, TO take edvAntage OF the invita-.
ton extended 10 me, through Nj. ST.
monten, and, be present Al your dinner
at New York. I regret this very mach
for thereare seserai among you whom
would have . right 70 join hands With
90 the score OF old ffieodship, aud I
suppose I would hare sablime reoersl
right TO shake hsuds Win The rest of
you on the score OF kinship 10 Califor.
nia ups aud downs 10 search Of tor.
'tnue. If I were to tell some Of my er>
perience, you would recognize Cslifor.
MIA blood 10 me fancy the old, old
story would sound familiar, no doubt
| have the usual stock Of remiuiscences;
for instance: went TO Esmeralda
early | purchased largely 10 the "Wide
West, "Winnemucca," and other 6ne
claims, and was very wealthy. l Jared
sumptuonsly on bread when -four was
S20osa barrel, and had Deans for dinner
every Sunday, when none but bIoated
aristocrats could afford such grandeur.
But finished by feeding batteries 10 a
quartz mill at $l5 a week, and wishing
was battery myself and had some>
body TO feed me. Ny claims 10 Esme ..
ralda are Shere yet. Il suppose could
be persuaded 10 sell. / went to Hun.
boldt District when it was new, bes
came largely interested 10 the "Alba
Nueya, and other claims With gorgeous
names, and was rich agsin--in prospect.
| owned vast mining properly there
/ would not have sold ont for less than
100000 at that time. But will now.
Finally l walked home-200 miles
partly for exercise, aud partly because
stage fare was expensive. Next | en-
tered upon an af1uent career 10 Yir-
giniA City, and by judicious invests
ment of labor and the capital Of friends,
became the owner Of about all the
worthless wildcat mines there were in
that part Of the country. Assessments
did the business for me there. There
were a hundred aud seventeen assess.
ments to one dividend, and the propor-
tion of income to the outlay was lit.
tie against me. Ny financial barometer
went down to 80 Fahrenheit, and the
subscriber was frozen out. 1 took up
extensions on the main lead-extension
that reached to British America in one
direction, and to the Isthmus Of Pana-
ma in the other-and | verify believe |
would have been rich man if | bad
ever found those Internal extensions.
But ! didn't. ran tunnels until tapp>
ed the Arctic ocean, and sunk shafts
till l broke through the roof OF perdi-
dition; but those extensions turned up
missing every time. l am willing to
sell all that property and throw 10 the
improvements. Perhaps you remember
that celebrated "North 0phir2" |
bought that mine. 1t was very rich in
pure silver. You could take it out in
Jumps as large as fbert. But when
it was discovered that those lamps were
melted half dollars, aud hardly melted
at that, palsful case of "saltiug" was
apparent, and the undersigned adjourn
ed to the poor house again. paid as.
sessmeuts on Hale l. Norcross until they
sold me ont, and had to take 10 wash
lug for a liVing-and the next month
that Infamous stock went up to 81, 900
a foot. own millions and millions of
feet of afluent silver leads 10 Nevada
in fact own the entire uudercrust of
that country nearly, and if Congress
would move that State off my property
so could get at it, would be wealthy
yet. But no, there she squats-aud
here am /. Failing health persuades
me to sell, If you know of any one de-
string permanent investment, eau
furnish him Que that will have the vir-
tue of being eternal,
have been through the California
mill, with all its "dips, spurs aud an.
giles, variations and sinposities." |
have worked there at all the different
trades and professions koown to the
catalogue, | have been everything,
from a newspaper editor dowa to q
cowcatcher on a locomotive, and am
encouraged to believe that if there had
been few more occupations to expert.
ment on, might have made dazzling
success at last, and found out what
mysterious design Providence had 10
creating me.
But YOU perceive that although [ am
not Pioueer, | have had sufficiently
yariegated time of il to enable me to
talk Pioneer like native, aud feellike
a Forty Miner. Therefore [ cordially
welcome you to your old remembered
homes and your long deserted 6resides,
aud close this screen with the sincere
hope that your visit here will be hap-
py one, and not embittered by the sor-
rowful surprises that absence aud lapse
Of years are wont to prepare for vans
derers, surprises which come 10 the
form of old friends missed from their
places; silence where familiar voices
should be; the ypqag grown old;
change aud decay everywhere; home
delusion aud disappointment; strangers
at the hearthstobe; tears for laughter;
the melancholy pomp OF death where
! the grace of life had heen. b.
With all good wishes for the. returned
Prodigals, aud regrets that cannot par.
take Of small piece Of the fatted calf
{rare and no graTy,)
am yours cordially,
MARK TWAIN.
~->@o~---~--
Secretary Boutwell, sustains the
dacis,ou of Commissioner Delano on
rs,,o.t;on uhiah eava