THE INVASION OF CALIFORNIA.

Grey River Argus, Volume XIII, Issue 1537, 8 July 1873, Page 4

THE INVASION OF CALIFORNIA.

A very large audience assembled at Steinwayhall, New York, one evening lately to greet Bret Harte on his appearance as a lecturer. He, selected as the snbject of his lecture. "Argonauts of '49," and kept the entire audience in a continuous roar of laughter. He portrayed the state of California immediately preceding the gold fever of '49, the intensity of the excitement which it induced, and the motley crowds of all nationalities and types of character that it collected together. An immigrant recognised the man that rowed him ashore from the vessel and who charged him 50dpls for his services. "Were you not senior wrangler in Oxford in 1843 !" he asked. "I was," he answered, "but I was also stroke oar at the regatta," and he was happy at the opportunity of turning the pleasures of youth to advantage. At breakfast in the restaurant at the Long Wharf, Mr Harte recognised in the waiter a gentleman who,- in his childhood, he regarded as the embodiment of excellence and social accomplishments. FearfuFqf incurring his displeasure, for he carried a revolver, he sought the truth from the landlord, and found his surmises correct. Regretting; the . lowly condition of the man, he asked if it could not be possible to, fill his place. • ■' ' I' am afeerd hot,'' said the proprietor, with a; sudden suspicion, " and I don't think you would do." The lecturer declined to examine the principles and habits; of* ! the :inyaders;;closely. In distant parts they had left families, and even ! officers .of • justice, perplexed and lamenting ; had deserted their wives; and in some cases even the wives of others. One. night, at a faro bank, a man slipped dead under the table ; the coroner and several of the physicians were among the gamblers, the inquest was held on the spot, and play was resumed. A lady still exhibits a chair broken by the discharge of a gentleman's revolver while sitting down in hasty confusion. Women were so few, in proportion to the men, that an officer's wife boasted of having a full platoon .to; accompany her home. With the influx of strangers the condition of society continually changed, and the old argonaut element moved towards the mountain. They constructed nothing save what was portable What was portable, lived almost exclusivelyon beans, dressed in the moat picturesque of costumes, and the identity of two gentlemen was known in all seriousness, by the labels on their pantaloons, as ." Geness Mills," and "Eagle Brand.';' TJhelaws against dishonesty were's"6* strict 1 that' dishonesties were punished with death. A horse thief was tried, and the jury having retired to deliberate upon their verdict, were slow on \ returning/ 1 into courtq The] judge pushed Jus hekdi throjighfthje doorj df |he room, Juid f ciund tiiat;tHeyj|ad not;agreed. "Take your time, gentlemen," he said, "but remember we are waiting for this room to lay out the corpse jin;";^ The leer turer noticed the epigrammatic style of expression in vogue. A gentleman replied to a query of p,ai>parißh|oner of the Rev.;; Thomas King" , ''■tn"a! n laV iß a preficHer; "he won every every trick." The advent of. the Heathen Chinee imparted a new life, 1 'a new conservatism, to the character of the jArgonaut; He 'Engendered ; cleanliness^^attended to all necessities, and acted at like a irian who^ knowing his superiority, could never jeopardize his position by condescendingto speak; :;He worshipped the devil -in 3 * your, Kousehbld with a frankness that shamed your own afctem.pts,in,tha|.direction. r Oppressed by. cruel statute, he-llad ah innocent way of ■ defrauding the Customs by conversing with Customs officers while seated on a chair stuffed with smuggled opium.

A contemporary has the following on the marriage of a dear friend :—" He steppfeii upon the Hymeneal platform, adjusted the r fj(talTHooaej and was swung off into the iiDsilent bo'urrie^hence be can neyer return, save by the decease of Mrs M'Clum."