Year: 1866

Montana is the favored excitement this Spring.
The old order Of things is reversed, and East
ward the tide Of emigration takes its way. The
papers printed along the various routes of trav-
| ell announce the going of thousands from the Pa
CHIC States and Territories, while the routes lead
ing west from the Missouri river are lined with
emgrant wagons bound Montanaward. That
vast, and perhaps rich in gold, territory of coun-
try will be uumerously populated in two months
more, and six months hence there will be thous-
ands of disappointed and disheartened ones in
quiring the way out of Montana, whittier they
will little care. California is sending her quota
Of men Injured to toll and hardships-just the
men to develop the new country if it is rich in
mineral resources. Many, perhaps, expect to find
second California, in which hope we conclude
they are doomed to disappointment. Unrest ana
love of adventure is the ruling spirit in Calitor
MIA, consequently it would be strange and not at
all in keeping, if her people should remain qul-
ct while new Territory hardly thousand miles
away was being populated from the other SIDE
1t is worse than useless to advise them not to go.





never return themselves, it is more than possible
that when they find that their condition has not
been bettered by the change, they will advise the
less experienced corners from the East that Call
fornia is ~ Gods country" after all. The Pa
cifc slope will eventually be permanently bene-
fitted by the very causes which are now depop-
ulatng it. But the time is not yet.


Below we give some portions of a letter writ
ten by VIM H. Smith, an old Weaverville miner,
to Chas. W. Gordon. As we have before taken
occasion to state, those who are best acquainted
with the writer place the utmost reliance in his
statements. The letter is dated


BLAcKFoor CRY, April 81, 1866.


FRIEND CHARLEY.-Receved your letter last
week Have nothing of Importance or interest
to write, having been locked up in this snow
prison since last November, and may so remain
until the middle of May or the first of June
The snow is yet from to three feet deep, and
the oath of this month will be six months since
the first snow fell, which was eighteen inches
deep. 1t is still winter here, and how long it
will last Heaven only knows. ! went to my
claims last week in hopes of being able to COM
mence operations, but found the snow so deep
and the ground frozen so hard that gave it up
IN disgust. mere mas Deen llltle WOTh OF any
kind done here this winter. Drifts were run in
some claims, but they did not pay.


great number of persons have been badly
frozen during the winter, although | have heard
of but three who died in consequence. Many,
however, have had feet and hands frozen, and
will be MANNED for life.


By the Sacramento Union which you sent no.
ticc that there is quite excitement in Califor-
mia in regard to this country. | should be glad
to see the traders bring a good supply of neces-
sares of life here, it might result in reducing
prices, which are outrageously high But to the
miner | say, stay in California. But if there are
those who can afford to go long a distance to
prospect, Montana affords extensive field of
operations. Several of the creeks and 'gulches in
this section which were prospected last Fall have
proved failures. shall remain here this sum-
mer and work the ground which have located,
hut intend to leave before snow falls. shall not
be caught in such place again.


A aBRAG." We don't know who has better
right than ourself to say that Weavervillc is
about as neatly kept and handsome mountain
-own as California people make. We are not
Incorporated, and have no municipal regulations
in particular, but Main street is nicely cleaned
once week, and we'll sprinkled daily. This
induces to say that this street-sprnkling lux
ury should be fostered, and to mention that
Blackwell in order to do justice in that line, has
had to invest a hundred hard dollars in new
hose. If you have not done it already, call him
in next Monday morning and tell to book your
name for-you know what. Then the Weaver
vile sdewalks--if we except Shasta-are on
better grade than those of any unincorporated
town we have seen in the State Luxuriant
shade trees would have lined the streets now if it
had not been for the successive destructive fires
which have visited us, but even as it is, many
trees have been planted and are growing finely.
This Improvement in any town, to our notion, is
the most certain sign of advanced civilization.
And though Montana has taken some of our peo-
pie, and all the distant excitements Of the past
six years have taken many, grass does not grow
in the streets of Weaverville.


To DELINQUENT Patrons, GREnTING.-There
are on our books the names of goody number
of this class. 1t has been so long since some of
them have liquidated that we are nearly forced
to the conclusion that they think the JOURNAL is
printed and circulated gratis. This is mis-
take. Many owe for papers which we have reg
ularly sent to their old homes for years. News
papers can't be printed on promises to pay now
a-days. Many others us fo- advertising and
job work and we want all such to come to time.
The amounts due US are in no case large, but in
the aggregate would be of great benefit to US
We trust that all delinquents will settle without
much further delay.


FRoM recent scientific investigations in Europe
it has been shown most conclusively that in To-
calities where impure water is drank by the in
habitants, the cholera has principally ragged, pro-
wing impure water TO be one of the chief causes