"A FEW DAYS IN THE DIGGINS." (From Punch )

New Zealander, Volume 5, Issue 318, 16 June 1849, Page 3 (Supplement)

" A FEW DAYS IN THE DIGGINS." ( From Punch )

Landed at St Francisco, after a 'tarnal tossin of five months. This is coming through the small eend of the Horn, I reckon, and there ought to be pretty considerable some on the oilier side, to makeup for leavin' my dry goods store and family fixins in Broadway. Traded with a Down-Easter, who is making tracks for the settlements, with 30,000 dollars in his carpet bag, for a spade, pick, scoop, and washin' trough— givin 1 800 dollars for ihe plunder, and glad to get it, as Increase Niles Flint, of Salem, Mass., went 750, and he is a 'tarnal old hoss at a deal. Swopped my traps and blankets, a quarter-cask of pickled pork, and a demijohn of peach brandy, which I had laid in, for six pounds ginooine gold. Pretty considerable smart tradin. Toted my tools to Hiram K. Doughboy ,s boarding shanty, and settled with him for blankets and board at 30 dollars per diem. Catawampus prices here, that's a fact ; but everybody's got more dust than he knows what to do with. Off to the diggins with a party ; mighty small potatoes most of 'em; all sorts and colours, and eveilastin' ragged — Bay- statesmen, Back- woodsmen. Buckeyes from Ohio, Hosses from Kentuck, Cape Cod Whalers, St. Francisco Indians, Leperos from Santa Ciuz, , Texan Volunteers, Philadelphia Quakers, a Latterdayi Saint, six liishSympith'sers, twelve Yankees, as many Britishers, a squad of Deserters, a Blackfoot Guide, a Methodist Parson, and a Mormon Elder. A 'tarnal nigger tried to join us, but got cow-!rided. Struck digginßj and set to serious washin' : parson began to ask a b'essin', but seem' Silas T. Forks, of Orangeburgh, N. Ca , helpin' himself, parson cut it short off, and we went to work, like niggers at cane hoin', agrecin' to dig it in company, and share profits Cotched the Quaker sunning himself, and takin' a kink out of his back with a Havannah. Convened a meetin', cow-hided Quaker, and at it again. Gold lyin' about like earth-nuts, and riddln' through the water like hcil storm in a sherry cobbler. Sounded the conch for grub, and foujftl nobody got anything, but that 'cute oid coon, Zerubbabel W. Peabody, of Staten Island, who had brought a bag of bis cuit and meat so mefixens. Tbe varmint wouldn't sell a notion under an ounce of dust, and sacked the whole bilin'. To work again ; totted up at sundown, and found we'd averaged 28 dollars per man. Got back to shanty ; but before (hat darned Hiram K. Doughboy would let me inside the door, forced to pay down 30 dollars for day's board and lodgin'. So wound up 2 dollars worse than in the mornin'. Calcilated to camp out in future, cut Hiram, and work on my own hook, havin' realised that Socialism ain't no go in gold diggin'. Asked Hiram why he didn't go out with his bowie knife and washing pail, Hiram sniggered, and said he warn't greedy, and preferred helping folks in his shanty. Hi ram usen't to be such a concarned fool. * * * * Started alone— having swopped the gold I got from Down Easter yesterday for one blanket, half quarter cask of pork, and half demijohn of brandy Must convene that I've lost 5 ' per cent, by bargain! ; but a cargo of new diggers having just come in from Panama, great demand for suchfixins, and forced to give vflmt that old flint of a Down Eister chose to ask. He's made considerable wrae by his trade that's a I fact, and I doubt if he could have done better at the diggins. Made a great day— havin' sacked 40 dollars at leaitGot sorter lost, and found when I tracked back to the tree where I'd cached my plunder, that those 'larnsl Inginei had abiquntulatfd with blanket, pork, and brandy. Luckily I've got me tools. Spent the night under a cotton tree ; mighty sharp •et in themorn'n', havin' eat notbin' since yesterday at 12. Struck the trail of Zerubbabel W. Peabody, and traded with him for some bread and pork doin'i, for which the everlasting old skin flint mad ) me come down cruel, cleanin' me out of all I'd raised yesterday. Zerubbabel says be ain't diggin', but coin' about with a provision and liquor store. It's amizin' how long headed men like Zerubbabel can be such darned idiots. * * • * I've got out of the trnck of the set'lement, and into a prime diggin'— all to myself— where the lumps of gold run as big as pigeons' eegs, and lie as thick as hailstones in Broadway, after a come down in the fall. But I'm darned weak for want of grub, and to rheumatic with camjiin' out that it's quite a caution. Two days without seem' food— gold gets more abundant than ever. * * * * (Extract from the Si. Francisco Star) " Yesterdiiy «onae Indiana from the up diggings came to the settlement with a man whom they had found lying insemible further up the St. Sacramento than any of our diggers have yet penetrated. He had n bag by his side, which contained in dust and lumpi of tbe precious metuls; but the Indians exacted the most of it for bringing him back to the settlement. He was fearfully emaciated ; and in another twelve hours the adventurous treasure-iceker must hare perished of hunger*

undermentioned supplies, in such quantities as may be required during the six months commencing Ist July, 1819, upon the conditions hereinafter specified.

SADDLERY, &c. — Breechings, each; brushes, water, each; ditto, body, each ; collars, horse, each; combs, curry, each; ditto, mane, each; grease, cart, per lb.; harness, shaft, per set; ditto, leading, per set; hames, per pair ; head stalls, each; saddles, cart, each; tar, per gallon.

IRONMONGER V—Axes, carpenters', each ditto, pick, each; brads, flooring, per lb.; hammers, stone, steeled, each; hooks, fern, each ; hinges, butt, 3 in. and 4 in., per pair ; ditto, rising butt, per pair ; ditto, T., per pair; locks, mortice, each ; ditto, rim, each; ditto, pad, each; nails, spike, per lb.; ditto, weatherboard, per lb.; ditto, shingle, per lb.; ditto, paling, per lb.; ditto, copper sheathing, per lb.; rakes (large for roads), each ; shovels, each; spades, each; screws of sizes, per 100.

TIMBER, KAURl—Boards, at per 100 feet ; scantling, 4 in. by 3 in., per 100 feet; ditto, 6 in. by 3 in., per 100 feet; paling, broad, 5 feet, per 100; ditto, narrow, 5 feet, per 100 ; posts and rails, 8 feet, per 100.

MISCELLANEOUS ARTICLES—BIocks, single and double, per inch ; bricks, per 1000 ; brooms, hair, each ; brushes, scrubbing, each , buckets, water, each ; bunting, red, white, yellow, blue, per yard; canvas of sizes, per bolt; carts, hand, each; copper sheathing, per lb.; glue, per lb.; lime, per bushel; oars, per foot; oil, black, linseed, and boiled, per gallon; paint, black, green, yellow, blue, and white lead, per lb.; rope of sizes, per cwt.; tar, coal per gallon ; twine, sail, per lb. ; wheel-barrows, each; whiting, per lb. conditions : Samples of the various articlts will have to be submitted for inspection.

The contractors will be required to deliver the different supplies from time to time, at such places, and in such quantities, as may be indicated by the Colonial Secretary. The Government does not bind itself to accept the lowest or any of the tenders sent in. Payment for any of the above supplies will be made at the end of each month. Tenders to be in duplicate, sealed, and endorsed " Tender for Supply of Stores." In the event of a difference of opinion between the contractor and the officer receiving the supplies, as to the quality, the same is to be decided, in cases where the article is not of a perishable nature, by a board of survey, composed of persons named by the Government, according to the practice of the service. If the board shall decide that the article is not of a proper quality, it must be immediately replaced by the contractor ; failing which, it wiU be procured by the department requiring it, and the expense charged to the contractor. In cases where the article is of a perishable nature, or in which from some other<€ause injury would be sustained by waiting for a board of survey, the head of the department or officer in charge for whom the supplies are to be re* ceived, shall have power to reject such article or articles as are of inferior quality to the samples approved, and to purchase others at the expense of the contractor. The tenders to contain the names of the tenderers and their places of residence at length, and to be accompanied by a letter signed by two respectable sureties, engaging to become bound in a penalty of £100 for the due fulfilment of the contract, if the tender be accepted. By His Excellency's command, Andrew Sinclair, Colonial Secretary.