DOLLARINE; A TALE OF CALIFORNIA. A FRAGMENT IN HEXAMETERS. BY PEOFESSOE W. M. LONGANDSHORTFELLOW, OF CAMBRIDGE, CONNECTICUT.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume V, Issue 418, 4 August 1849, Page 4

DOLLARINE ; A TALE OF CALIFORNIA. A FRAGMENT IN HEXAMETERS. BY PEOFESSOE W. M. LONG AND SHORTFELLOW, OF CAMBRIDGE, CONNECTICUT.

In St.FranciscolocatedwasNathanJehoiakim Bowie: Down by the wharf on the harbour he traded in liquors and dry goods, Darnedhardknotatadeal,atmeetin'apowerful elder. There at his store, in the shade, they met, onbraced and enlightened Traders and trappers and captings, and lawyers and editors also. Freely they liquored and chewed, indulgin' in expectoration, ' Rockin' with heels over heads, and whittlin', laborious, the counter. Like dough-nut at a frolic, or yellow-pine stump in a clearin', Sharp as a backwoodman's axe, and 'cute as a bachelor beaver, Glimmer'd through clouds of Virginny, the cypherin' mug of Nathaniel. Sweeter nor candy of maple, a 'most too genteel to be raal, Straight as a hickory sapling, and clean as a Nar'ganset pacer, Tall she moved through the bar, a-sarvin' of juleps and cock-tails, Sweetenin' the cobblers with smiles, and firm' Havannahs with glances, Nathan J. Bowie's fair darter, splendiferous Miss Dollarina ! Tall she moved through the bar, collectin' the joes and the cents in : Not that she needed to did it, but 'cause nigger helps there's no trustin',

And she was too tender-hearted to get the black varmint cow-hided, — There in pastoral peace, since first the location was ceded, Dwelt the old man and his child, beneath their own vine and their fig-tree, Doin' a good stroke of business, for cash or beaverskins only. On Nat's roof of split shingle, illustrious Governor Tarbox Hoisted the Stars and the Stripes, representative there of the Mighty, The Free, and the Fearless of 'iairth, the Go-a-head 'Merican people ; Boarded there the great Tarbox, and took his horn like a mere man, Paying four dollars per diem for grub, grog, shakedown, and washin'. Then come down, like iled lightning, on St. Francisco a rumour — Fame her brazen trump turned best mint metal topuff it — How that the root of all evil was found growin' wild up the country, How gold stuck to folk's fingers that washed in the St. Sacramento ! Nat. chewed two plugs extra, to hear it ; the- editor swore he Wished to be darned, if it wasn't a caution howfolks could be gammoned. " My !" sighed sweet Dollarina, and paused as she squoze a half-lemon ; But the magnanimous Tarbox, he reckoned 'tmight be kinder likely, Seem' the States whipt the airth for men, and why not for metals ? Came from the diggins a stranger, with two carpetbags full of goold dust ; Nathan diskivered the fact, as he traded a pinch for a ginsling ; And as that straanger loafed, through the bar, from the parlour to bedroom, Streams of the glorious sand oozed through a holein his trowsess. — Gathered the rumour and grew, and soon rose a. sudden demand for Calabash, can, keg, and kettle ; and Nathan's prime lot of tin fixin's, Crockery, also, went off at figgers that beat to etarnal Smash all prices he'd thought, in dreams c'en, of e'er realism*. Soon the traders upped hook, the editor talked edifyin' All about lucre and dross; and the lawyer convened it was awful ; Till one mornin' trampoused the lawyer and editor with him. Off were the trappers for beaver, they said, but " it warn't no-ways likely," Nathan remarked, " they would strike beaver-trail in them there locations." Then the captings went too, they said, to bring back their sailors ; And as it stands to natur', their customers followed the captings. Next the Meetin's they thinned — that's a fact — till, down to the elders, Dropped, like leaves in the fall, congregations of c'en the awakened, Ontil the dea.' on was forced to look arter the flock of backsliders, Minister mizzlin' himself, before long, to look arter the deacon. Why should Nathan hold on, with his bar of its customers empty, Strawers unsucked in the cobblers, acd mint unplucked in the garding, Swopped his prime tin doin's, or sold to the uttermost pipkin ? So he went — but before him the helps, black and Irish, had vanished. Lone in the shanty she lingered, the fair and forlorn Dollarina — Lone like a flower, in the face of great natur' and Governor Tarbox J Blushin' she bowed to the Governor's snigger, when first to his bedroom, Bearin' his boots and his breakfast, she came like a minist'rin' angel — Blushin' she raised her bright face — and the Governor swore catawampus, " Burn my old bree — , that is boots — gals like you didn't ought for to do it." — Soft was the heart of Great Tarbox, and most horrid hansum the maiden. Loftily spoke he of goold, and the tarnal low hitch of the humans, Leavin' such gals all alone, to go the whole hog at the washin's. Sweetly she'd set there beside him, the while wi h his Governor's hands he Washed his own dickey or fried his simple repast of pork lixins ; Sweetly she sot there beside him, and Tarbox a-slavin' was happy I Still now and then that bright eye from its tail would glance up to the mountains. And a faint sigh be the echo of Tarbox's glowia' soft-sawder ; Oft in her pail of ablution he'd catch her a rinsin' the water ; And once she ventured to murmur " I wonder what nateral goold's like." — Down came the moment at last — sat Tarbox amendin' his shoe-sole, Breathin' his love iv a sonnet, and chawin' a plug of tobaccer — Entered the maiden so stately — and bowin' her beauty before him, Smilingly, sobbingly uttered, " Adoo — I am off to the diggins 1" ****** Burst the full heart of Great Tarbox—— (Here the MSS. becomes {Illegible^ apparently from teavs.) — Punch.