(From the Martland Mercury )
Tun following 'lie a feiv pirticulari rPspecMns? the present condition of S m Francisco and the mining eoii'itiy, glc<i.iud Iroin h letter written by Mr. John 11. Spaikc, to lvi fathrr, Mr. William Sparke, of Hcxlnrn, with a sijjht of which we have been favoured. The lettei is dated — " St. Francisco, July 9, 1819 "We h ivo ariivodiu California after a lonic but pleasant voyai;! <>t eighty-six days, having been delayed ten d iys by calling at Tahiti for water. I am quite delighted with this pace, not because it has plenty of gold, but loi it* being such an honest place ; people le-ive their things in the stieets, and no per. on dire touch then, for there is no law, but there are a lot of people here called "the hounds," and if any person ii seen talcing 1 anything the hounds are set upon them, and they are killed in a moment, so tint it would be a dangerous affair if people did not keep their hnnds to themselves. The law is very strict up at the mines, that is, if'utiy pers hi is caught stealiug, a jury of 12 is formed, and the thief is fust flowed, and then hung up to dry ; so thti* the place is sj quiet that a man | ran leave his gold anvwheie about a house, nnd no danger of it-* being 6tolcn. We me going to the mines this week, as this is about the best tune in the year for digging gold, for the watT has nearly gone down. There is no danger of the fever and ague so loag as a person keeps himself from drink, and does not lie about at night. The work of gold digging is very hard, so that a man to prcherve his health needs only to work in the morning and evening, and rest in the middle of the day, for it n io hot that a person would kill J himself in a weak if he did not act so, at has been ex-
perie.ic°d by the people that have been there; so that you can judge the gold is not to be obtained for nothing. We shall hive to piy forty dollars each to «ct there, besides three dollars a hundred for cirrying provisions, for everything can be bought here as cheap as at any plare , as to clothes they are so cheap that people, instead of paying twenty-four shilling a dozen for washing, throw away their di<ty clothes and buy new. Females are very scarce here. * * "** A dairy would pay well heie if a man coull only get cattle, but they are so wild that it would be impossible to attempt it, and labour is so very high that you can not get a mau for leis than si* or eight o'ollars per day. A tradesman can make a fortune in about twelve months ; such a person as Mr. H— — , with his tools, would get sixteen dollais a day without hesitation, for two of the passengers who cimi 1 in our ship (one the son of a cooper in Sydney) tfet fourteen iollars per day. Money is so plentiful here that one shilling would go further in Sydney than ten dollars would heie, for 1 have seen boys pickin.' up gold dust in the streets which pejpla had dropped going along. I suppose this is the greatest place for gambling in the known wirld ; you will see then put clown from one dollar to one hundred on one oaid. * * * Land is very dear in San F.ancisoo : one English gentleman had to pay £l(>0,000 for the building of an hotel, but then he gets X'lo,ooo rent, which you would think was impossible, but in this house they hivr four billiards room and some gambling tables. Theie me plenty of parfiid*e«, woodcocks, and all sortn of sport, or, if a man had a mind to hunt, he can find deers, bears, hares, foxes, wolves, and rabbits in abundance, but they hunt after gold in preference, which I am goins; to <10. Tliereis a man just cjme from th 3 mines who got G9OO dollars in seventeen days, waich is a q eat sum to be got in so short a lime. 1 can assure you that I have not exasperate J in the least, for I have given you the plain state of affairs G'>ld is bringing .£3,45. to £o*<>9. per ounce in this place. Horses aie very dear; a good hor c will biing from 200 to '250 dollars. Watches are very cheap, as wdl as other floods; every peison (hat brought goods litre has lost considerably. Timber is bringing an enormous priec, they charge Is. Sd. a foot, or ten dollars a plank ; owners of ships »~ve broken them up for ti.»ber. If any of our fnondk intend oining it would he advisable for them not to biintc many things with them, but to have ten or lifti'ei pound-, on lauding j hut it is too Lite for any person to co no this season, as by the time you receive this letter winter will be coming on, when ev-ry person will leave except those tli.it have houses. This is a splendid harbour, spacious enough to ride five thousand ships in safety ; there are from one hundred to one hundrtd and fifty here at present, and about three hundred expected ; every day sines I have been here ships have been coming in. The Americans are beginning to duvc forei^ntsis out, but not the English. * * * The butter and preserves we brought kept very well, and nineteen pounds of ihs huUcr we sold at a dollar a pound."
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New Zealander, Volume 5, Issue 374, 14 November 1849, Page 3
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950(From the Martland Mercury) New Zealander, Volume 5, Issue 374, 14 November 1849, Page 3
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