Part 5

On arriving at any spot containing gold deposites, the first step to be taken is to examine the general appearance of the country. The hills should be covered with brick-red soil--this should be a prevailing feature in them, although there may be now and then an exception to some portions of them; slate rock should be found, of whatever description, if not on the surface, at least on digging a few feet; but a general rule, when there is any below the surface, some of it will be seen above it in one direction or another. Likewise quartz should be found scattered about on the ground; quartz is a milk-white opaque stone, of considerable hardness; on these occasions it is generally veined with red streaks of more or less intensity of color. The presence of these three signs jointly is sufficient to authorize one to look for gold by digging in some convenient spot, but any of them singly is of no validity in this respect. And if by digging and washing the dirt one finds as a residue black scaly sand--which is magnetic iron, and which, if one were not able to distinguish by the eye, could prove it by the magnet--he can safely expect to find some gold there on some spot or other. The absence of this sand as a residue after washing, is a positive proof that it is vain to look for gold in that region. In digging for gold, besides studying the above mentioned signs, it is necessary to observe and study the currents of water, be it in ravines or dry diggings or along the banks of rivers. Water is perpetually changing its current, consequently before striking a spot with a pick-axe, it is well to consider whether the spot be an ancient bed of the river or brook, or not; whether there be any obstacle in the way of the current that would cause a deposite of gold to take place either before or behind it, for it is only in such places that we can expect to meet with success. Examine also the rock over which, at some season, water passes, and then by breaking it up you may discover a deposite of gold called, by miners, a pocket; such deposites are frequently found on ledges of slate rock in rivers or small streams. On opening a hole in search of gold, the top dirt is thrown away, and each successive layer of earth is examined to ascertain in which portion of it the gold is found, and thus the careful miner proceeds till he comes to the _rocky_ bottom; he never should be satisfied with his work till he does come to a rock, which he should nicely scrape, sweep and collect, then wash the dirt and decide accordingly; if the rock be slate rock, he should split it and break it up, and then wash it, as it is in the cracks and pockets of this rock that gold is frequently found in considerable pieces. A layer of clay, like a rock, equally serves as a barrier to gold; it arrests it on its surface. This work, particularly, should be done carefully when the miner is, as it is called technically, _prospecting_, when he looks for places where he would work, as in so doing he at once gets familiar with the character of the earth in that region, and will know in what portion of it he should look for gold. It is considered by the miners at present, that if from a panfull of dirt they are able to get a quantity of gold equal in value to fifty cents, they are satisfied with the result, and consider that they can make a little more than an ounce per day with a pan only. However, as the mines will be getting daily more and more worked out, they will have to be content with much less. But as yet, if they get only twelve and a half cents of gold from a pan of dirt, they do not think it is worth the trouble of getting it.

As a general rule, it is a practice among the miners to leave each digger a sufficient space for a hole, upon which nobody has a right to encroach; from four to ten feet they allow among themselves to be sufficient for each, according as they may be more or less numerous and as digging may be more or less rich. A tool left in the hole in which a miner is working, is a sign that it is not abandoned yet, and that nobody has a right to intrude there, and this regulation, which is adopted by silent consent of all, is generally complied with. It is very seldom that any disputes about one’s rights occur; and if they do, they are easily settled among themselves. In fact, as a general rule, miners heretofore have been law-abiding people; some excesses now and then may occur, but seldom of much importance, and if any of them should commit murder or theft, justice is no where so prompt and efficacious as among them. At different points of the mining district there have been persons executed for murder and robbery, by the stringent code of Judge Lynch, but under the superintendence of juries and judges selected for the occasion. At present, by order of the Governor of California, a sort of jurisdiction has been established at different mining points by elections held for the purpose; but as the mining population is constantly fluctuating, such arrangements cannot be permanent, of course.

The time for mining in dry diggings commences about the end of March and lasts till July, at which time water gets very scarce, and consequently digging becomes unprofitable, or even impossible. Some dig on the banks of rivers even in the spring when there is much water, but it is not a very profitable operation. The time when the rivers begin to fall by degrees is the month of June, and they continue falling till the next spring, when the melting snow again replenishes them; In August the snow from the mountains where they head, disappearing, they do not receive any new supplies, while the scorching sun keeps wasting them all the time, and in winter where it snows but does not rain they continue rather low; thus in winter time they are at their lowest ebb.--From the middle of September till the end of November is the best season for mining on the banks of rivers, as it is then that the lowest bars are uncovered, and even sometimes one may work in the very bed of the river itself. This is the time at which in many places, the current of a river may be turned aside with great facility. In so doing, miners should not rush blindly into the work without examining attending circumstances; dams have been made where there was not gold enough to pay one man’s day’s work. It is first necessary to see whether the hills in the neighborhood warrant the supposition that there must be gold in the river in that particular spot; then it is important to see where the current of the river would be most likely to make such a deposite; this being investigated properly, there will be a better chance for the company of miners to reap a plentiful harvest, should they determine upon the work.

The months of July, August and part of September are sickly in the mines, and particularly on the Feather river and the Yuba. The sickness is owing to the extreme heat and carelessness on the part of the miners; some of them work in the hottest hours of the day, and sometimes not protecting sufficiently their head and body from the scorching rays. Fevers, diarrhœa and dysentery are the complaints commonly met with--occasionally scurvy shows itself; it is more apt to happen in winter time. But, however, whenever it occurs, it is owing entirely to the carelessness of the patient; a sufficient attention to the use of vegetable acids, as we have already mentioned, would prevent such occurrences.

To guard one’s self against diarrhœa or dysentery, in consequence of cold, one should sleep under sufficient covering, and if not under a tent, he should wrap his head into a silk handkerchief on going to bed; in this way he will do much to prevent it, and particularly if he be of regular habits. But should one be taken with it, a very simple remedy, at the command of every miner, if resorted to without delay, may cut it short at once; if it be slight, let him take a cupfull of lye, which he can make from the ashes of his own fire by throwing a handfull of them into a tea cup of warm water, let it settle and then take it; this is to be repeated two or three times during the day; at the same time he should be careful to be warmly clothed. If this remedy should not check the disease the same day, then next morning he may take a tea cupfull of rice and burn it as coffee is burnt, after which it must be boiled with no more water than is necessary to make it very soft and of the consistency of a pudding. This rice, thus prepared, is to be divided into three doses and taken morning, noon and night. At the same time, an hour after taking the rice, a good tea-cup full of oak bark tea, without any sugar, is to be taken twice a day. We can assure our reader that this simple treatment in our hands never failed in either of the above complaints. And to avoid constipation after this complaint, which is apt to follow, and which may equally become uncomfortable, a _small_ quantity of dry fruit, such as prunes or dried apples, taken along with some farinaceous substance, may restore the bowels to their natural condition.

With these precautions, and with ordinary prudence, one is not in danger of being afflicted with any of those complaints very seriously It is frequently necessary to work in water; for that purpose, high legged water-proof boots are useful; or if one works bare-foot he should avoid to feel much cold in them, and on concluding his work, he should dry them and put on shoes or boots. Some miners spend the winter in the mines, and there is no doubt they are in the end better paid for their labor than the rest who work in the usual season, for they work more at their leisure, in a spot they have marked before for a rich one, and their work is carried on with abundance of water, and at a time when there are no people to crowd them. Oregon men have done so last winter at the old dry diggings on the South Fork, and they have not regretted it. But there are inconveniences that but few will bear with. He who proposes to spend the winter in the mines should start in the end of September, and while waggon roads keep good, provide himself with a log house and sufficient provisions to last him till the middle of April next, as he must expect to be unable to move from his spot all that time, as roads are impassable for beast or man. That whole region almost becomes a mire--the soil is so loose and saturated with water. At this season he should particularly guard himself against scurvy; he should daily make use of some acid in some shape or other, such as dried fruit, lemon juice or citric acid; tea made of fir leaves is very beneficial and far preferable, for health’s sake, to common tea. He should use pork rather as a lard necessary in his cooking than as a meat, and depend more on good dried beef, as commonly made in the country, which may be rendered very palatable by soking it first and then pounding before cooking it. Towards the middle of November winter begins to set in, and while it snows in the mountains it rains in the settlements; the rains are less frequent, and commence later as we go farther South; they seem, however, to be sufficient for the necessities of the country as a general rule.

Before we take leave of the miner, we will give him one more piece of advice which is none the less important for being the last. On his return from the mines, should he be so fortunate as to have a large amount of gold to send over to the States by drafts, he should enquire if the man who sells him the draft has the power of attorney from the man he draws upon, which should be exhibited to him, thus satisfied, he can with greater security trust his money.

TOWNS OF CALIFORNIA, AND WHAT RELATES TO THEM.

Before the occupation of the country by the Americans, its population was considered to amount to from thirty to forty thousand inhabitants natives of the Spanish race, Indians and foreigners included; but since that time its growth appears to be magic, and particularly since the discovery of the gold mines; every corner of the world seems to contribute its share of inhabitants; every tongue almost is spoken in the streets of San Francisco. But this new population does not spread through the country to benefit it; it crowds only to the mines or the port of San Francisco. It consists chiefly of speculators and diggers, and some mechanics; of farmers we do not hear as yet. The town has led the van in growth; there is nothing similar on records; one may say without exaggeration that it has been inaugurated in one moment by some superhuman power, or sprung like one of those ambulating towns do spring the day before a fair. In fact, it looks very much like one of those cities only built for a day. Its houses built of planks and cotton sheetings cannot last but a day; however, whatever they lack in quality they make up in quantity. Four months ago the town hardly counted fifty houses, and now it must have upwards of five hundred, and these are daily increasing; even a theatre is spoken of as being built. From eight to ten thousand inhabitants may be afloat in the streets of San Francisco, and hundreds arrive daily; many live in shanties, many in tents, and many the best way they can. The magic power of gold marks every spot here; vessels from different parts of the world press into the harbor, and make already a large floating city in front of the _terra firma_; goods of all descriptions are scattered on the shore in open streets that are too narrow for men, animals and carts that pass up and down. The freaks of fortune are equally as remarkable in this place as everything else connected with it; some men who two years ago had not a cent in their pocket, count by thousands now; property that a year ago could have been bought for five or six thousand dollars, now pays a rent of thirty thousand dollars per annum; mechanics who formerly were glad to get a job at two dollars a day, now get from six to twelve; in fact, mechanics, and particularly carpenters, are the most independent aristocracy of the place. Strange as it may appear, yet in the midst of abundance of every kind, women are very scarce; the domestic circle does not exist here as yet; domestic pleasures are wanting, and house-hold duties are unfulfilled.

We touch here upon a subject which, if we allowed ourself to speak feelingly as a bachelor, we might be even eloquent, but in the position we find ourself as a writer, we are bound to speak philosophically only, viz: look upon the question before us with that cold eye of indifference or reserve which becomes an impartial judgment. We will, therefore, say nothing of ourself--we will speak of the situation of others; we will try to advocate the cause of poor and forlorn bachelors, and persuade some respectable heads of families that have daughters to settle in life, to come to California and build up the society, which, without woman, is like an edifice built on sand. Woman, to society, is like a cement to the building of stone; the society here has no such a cement; its elements float to and fro on the excited, turbulent, hurried life of California immigrants, or rather gold hunters, of all colors and shapes, without any affinity; such an aggregate or mass of human bodies have no souls; they are but a grand automaton, whose springs Mamon alone makes vibrate. Such is the society of San Francisco. But bring woman here, and at once the process of cristalization, if we may be permitted the expression, will set in in the society, by the natural affinities of the human heart. There are here many worthy men who have had the good luck to make a respectable competency, who would like to be married and settled in life, as honest and sensible men should do; but for want of the fair ones, they think only of getting away from here as soon as possible. Now, the country by this state of society, loses much in many respects, beside losing many valuable inhabitants; and those who stay behind intend to do the same when their turn comes. This would not be so if some pleasant families from the States, rich in nothing else but in intelligent, home educated daughters, they could well provide for all their members here with much more ease, as yet, than in any portion of the Union. These families must be easy in their circumstances, so that they may be able to buy farming lands where they could settle, and by the natural growth of landed property they would, in a few years, find themselves wealthy. This country is particularly fitted for that class of people who once knew what affluence was, and who by a sudden turn of the wheel of fortune, found their means reduced to mediocrity. Life in California, although it must have its inconveniences belonging to a thinly inhabited country, yet it cannot be compared to anything like life in new settlements in the Western States or Oregon. If people only were willing to take it easy, they would, ninety-nine out of a hundred, even like it. The population here is much more ready to take at once, or very soon, a more agreeable and polished form than could be expected in any other new country. There is something in the climate--we of course except San Francisco and the Valley of the Sacramento, which predisposes one to contentment. The sunny skies for so long a portion of the year have an exiliarating influence upon the mind, and so much so that we have known cases of Americans who were in the habit of carrying care-worn visages in their own country, acquire here smiling and contented countenances, smoothed by placidity. Indeed, we would recommend, as a medicine, to all vinegar-faced, care-corroded gentry, that are well to do in the world, to come and settle in the rich valleys of California, where good health and azure skies can be enjoyed; where winter does not touch you with its freezing hand.

The people of the country, of the Spanish race, possess a good deal of natural simplicity, but without that boorishness and grossness which characterizes the lower order of some of the European nations; they are ignorant for want of opportunities of learning, but nature has not refused them capacities for acquiring knowledge;--they are obliging in their disposition and hospitable; the latter virtue, however, already begins to undergo some changes since the arrival of so many foreigners; yet among themselves, or those upon whom they look favorably, they preserve their good old custom. Their women are healthy, robust, good looking and hard working as a general rule; kindness is a universal feature among them; and if one had to choose between them and ordinary women of some civilized portions of the world, we do not hesitate to say that the Californian women would receive the preference, although in point of information they are deficient.

Their men are somewhat disposed to idleness, but this may be owing partly to the facility with which they were in the habit of getting a living, and which now will have to undergo some modification. As a nation, they are lively, and cannot be said to be vicious; in fine, they have sufficient good qualities to make up for their deficiencies. Such as these good people are, they do not offer much temptation to foreigners who have seen higher forms of civilization to become commingled with them, but they have some good elements among them, and if respectable families from the States and Europe would come out here, the different races would soon be mixed up, and make before many years one of the most pleasant societies. By such an immigration the country would gain vastly; because then so many young men that have come here would form here their family ties, and would bind their interests with the interests and welfare of the country. But, as it is, California unavoidably must receive a check in its progress, as it will be only inhabited by passers-by, so to speak, who will have no permanent interest in the country.

The greatest privations that a bachelor is in this country exposed to, consist in not being able to furnish himself with clean linen when he desires, as domestic service is so difficult to be kept up here for want of working women. To induce some of the few women that are here to condescend to wash their linen for them, they have to court them besides paying six dollars a dozen.

We know an instance of an inveterate bachelor who married a spinster because she refused to wash his clothes for him, but he was determined she should do it at any price, as he was a great lover of cleanliness; in this dilema he resolved to pay her all he was worth, rather than forego his habit of cleanliness. He is in the habit of saying, “he who goes without a clean shirt on, keeps his conscience open to suspicion”--too severe a judgment upon us the inhabitants of this town.

When this uneven slope of the hill on which the town is situated shall be built up with fine and solid houses, what now looks dreary and desolate will then look very picturesque and smiling; so will it be with the society here; when elements that are now daily accumulating get through their fermentation and become settled, they also will present a smooth and transparent surface to the moral eye of the beholder, but as yet, one needs a little philosophy to bear him through the present that he may lean on the future.

In the moral aspect of the town, save some occurrences, there has been a good deal to wonder at--that in such a medley of races and tongues nothing very serious has happened to jeopardize its existence or to injure its prosperity, under existing circumstances, is very remarkable; its order and quiet has been only once disturbed for a few days by a set of men, chiefly from New York, who called themselves, very significantly, the “Hounds.” For a while they went parading the streets publicly, by day light, and breaking glass-ware in grog shops by night; when they commenced to commit outrages upon property, took the lives of some foreigners and violated the honor of some women, the citizens rose like one man, armed themselves and arrested them nearly all and put them in duress on board a man-of-war, to wait for their trial, after which they were _disposed of according to their merits_. Since that time order and quiet have prevailed, and more active measures have been taken to prevent another necessity to chase after any other pack of “hounds.”

The state of society in California has not yet arrived to that point of organized life where its most important movements can be stated, or represented in numbers for the especial satisfaction of the political economist. We will not therefore attempt anything of the kind, but we may however state in numbers a few facts in regard to the shipping in this port.

From the first of January, 1849, to the 30th of September of the same year, 509 vessels arrived in the harbor.

The sum total of passengers in the same space of time, 18,972.

In the month of August, ending on the 29th, the number of women arrived by sea 87, among whom 6 were married--42 American.

On the 30th of August there were 61,585 tons of shipping in the harbor of San Francisco, exclusive of river craft, which amounts to about 60 vessels plying up the rivers Sacramento and San Joaquin.

In one day, on the 29th of August, there arrived in San Francisco by merchant vessels, 654 male and 27 female passengers.

On the 24th of September 11,000 tons of shipping came into the harbor.

On the 30th of September there were 94,344 tons of shipping in the harbor.

The directions for entering the port of San Francisco that have been heretofore followed, being found incorrect, we give room to the correction of them, with which Capt. E. A. KING politely furnished us, together with regulations of the port:

DIRECTIONS FOR ENTERING THE HARBOR OF SAN FRANCISCO.