The Portland daily press., 1873-01-25

- crowded to suffocation. Mr.. Harte had bee
travelling for two days and two nights, havin
s. come directly through from Detroit, so he wa
: not in the best condition for speaking; yet hi
# effort was noble one. His manner is singr
larly easy and pleasing. Though dealing bu
little In gesture, he throws great expression in
to his delivery. His voice is clear and wei
modulated but not strong In personal ap
pearance he presents the aspect OF man o
society rather than that of litteratear He j
OF slight ''build," keen, observant face, darl
hair and eyes, and wears meustache and bear'
something after the English fashion. Withal
he has most winning smile.
The lecturer said that he proposed to tell th
story of the Argonauts of '49, quaint and ty
pical episode, a crusade as strange as any tn,
world has seen. 1t is story of a life that ex
lists no longer. Vague ideas the world had al
ways had of California up to the discovery o.
gold in 40. The peaceful life of the inhab
tants, their simple character and pastoral pur
suits, were accounted for by the general infu
ence of the converts and missions. Even Jus
tice was administered with almost primitive
simplicity, for senior having been complained
OF by his wife for paying attentions, in the form
OF serenade, to another sonora, was acquitted
OF the offence charged, but held for disturbing
the peace with his execrable performance. The
inroads of the gold-seekers shocked the civil-
| cation of the country to its centre ana oyer
| threw the customs of centuries, and the finding
of the grains of gold by the laborers at Suit
| ters mills prefigured the downfall of the pc
culiarities of the country. To the youngest
and Oldest religions are due the credit of the
| acquisition of California for without the mis-
sions of the Catholics and the oasis in the de
sert of the Mormons emigration would have
been almost an impossibility. The Argonauts
were but little affected by either of these relie-
lous influences, however, and were sceptical in
their heliefs to an unusual degree. They had,
however, persstency and an easy application
OF means to ends. They were not fully assur-
ed of the existence of gold, one being ques-
toned as to the use he could make of his sup
ply Of sluice-boxes in the event of scarcity of
the precious metal is said to have answered that
they would make first rate cofins'' There
was in those early days scarcity of lumber to
build with, and but a few years ago there might
have been seen in San Francisco house built of
| tobacco boxes. A stranger landing from the
| first stroke oar of his own college class few
years before. AT my first breakfast, said the
| lecturer, was waited upon by man who re-
minded me OF one whom 1 always held in the
highest esteem. ! made no inquiries, for L
might have insulted him. as he wore Il revolver:
but upon inquiry of the landlord found my
suspicious were correct The landlord spoke
highly of his waiter, saying, che kinder made
the men forget that they were waitin' by his
mighty takin' way of talkin'" A lawyer on
landing, found himself without the necessary
$50 to pay for having his valise carried to the
hotel, and while trudging along with it on his
back earned his fee of $40 from client who,
saying that he ''had not half load,' thrust
his valise on top his shoulders and put the
money and direction in his hand.
1t may not be well to be too familiar with the
personal history of the Argonauts They had
left home, family, creditors, and even officers of
the law behind them, and some of their own
wives and even other mems wives, to go to this
wonderful land Some of the best had the
worst pedigree, and some of the worst had been
nurtured in the first families of the land The
peculiar view they took of things was illustrat-
ed by the remark of John Oakhnrst: "To think
that some folks thinks keerds waste of time"
he remarked after a sitting of an hour in which
he had won $4,000 There was no specal type
of adventure; character ruled, and the strong
est was not always the best.
The lecturer painted a description of San
Francisco in the winter of '52 The streets
were flooded from the heavy rains, flour was
$50 barrel, and times were hard. Men were
ready for anV nycitamapt opd found - -, A.
most singular ways, A carriage, one of the
SIX in the city stuck in the mre, was dug out
by them, aud they felt amply rewarded by
chance glimpse of its female occupant, painted
though she might be. The cry of baby at the
theatre was signal for universal applause
street row and man shot was hardly an ex-
citement at that time. The gambling saloons
were as quiet and orderly as could be wished
and men visited them at the close of their davis
iabor without any unusual excitement Any
noise of a cane falling OF a loud laugh disturb
ed the quiet of the place and caused remark
You met every one there, as matter of course,
and men who parted at the church door at home
in the East, met each other without reproach
A man slipped from his chair one evening dead,
from heart disease. Three physicians present
examined him; his left-hand neighbor, a coro-
ner, empanelled the rest of the PLAYERS at the
table as a jury, who laid dow N their cards a few
moments and found a verdict in accordance
with the facts, and resumed their play A man
having just come down from the mines, on his
way East, strolled into the saloon, won, lost all,
left, and, ashamed to write home, lived mis-
cradle life of want until his wife, hearing of
his whereabouts, came out to find him. The
man had all the time haunted the gambling
house, and ventured all he could in the vain
hope OF returning fortune. His wife arrived,
and met John Oalhurst as the first person, of
whom she inquired her way. He learned her
story, met her husband that evening, bought
his chance for the next play for $4,000, lost the
play, and drove the man to his wife in waiting
outside. Upon being consoled for his loss John
replied: 'Well, got tired of seeing that fei-
low round; SO You see, just fixed it; but it's the
| first time as ever played game as was not
| on the square,"
Social life was peculiar also Gentlemen
made calls in long boots and red flannel shirts.
Ladies went to balls and danced with a new
partner each change in the quadrille Ladies
apologized for holes in their chair seats from
the explosion of revolvers of awkward visitors
The best dressed men were gamblers, aid the
best dressed ladies had no right to the name.
Ladies were escorted home by platoon of ad-
mirers, and realized the full meaning of ''the
| pleasure OF your company" A change was
observable when fine clothes began to appear
and men swore less. Bolts began to be used,
and portable property was not left carelessly
about In the mountains, it seemed as if the
| people had come to occupy it thousand years
1 "
| character of the men was represented by the
| landscape; there was nothing soft or pastoral
| about it. The miners first fve, in tents and
| then in huts, but chimneys were rarely used as
they implied too settled character to the shell
ter to correspond with the ikings of the resi-
dents. The frying-pan was the usual cooking
utensil, and served all the purposes of the min
er, who travelled with it ashed to his back like
the guitar of the troubadour. Happily their
meals We're few and irregular, and they might
be tracked from camp to camp by the empty
cans, with labels specifying their contents to
be oysters, Boston crackers and other things
Although they had some variety, their chief re-
lance was beans. Their dreIs was peculiar,
and they were SO handy with their needles that
the amendments introduced to their clothing
frequently became the most prominent part of
their costume. Flour sacks were their principal
reliance, and two men lost their identity from
being named after their fayorite brands, "Gen-
eseee Mills and eagle Brand" The low
crowned, soft felt hat, wide-brimmed, and
known to this day as the California hat was
universally worn, and none but gamblers and
clergymen wore the tall hat.
They We're mainly young men, and hair cut
ting and shaving were alike unknown, conse-
quently the long love-locks and the full curly
beard were common. They were loyal in their
friendships and the absence of women made
the friendships of partners take the place of
that between man and wife, and these business