Chapter I: Preface

Previous to my departure for California, near and dear friends extracted from me a promise to communicate by letter, upon every convenient occasion, such intelligence as would give them a distinct idea of the truthfulness or falsehood of the many glowing descriptions and reputed vast wealth of California. In accordance with this promise, I collected, from the best and most reliable sources, all that I deemed worthy of record touching the past of the modern El Dorado, relying upon my own powers of observation to depicture its present condition and its future prospects.

This correspondence was never intended for the public eye, for the simple reason that the matter therein is set forth in a very plain manner, with more regard to truth than elegance of diction. Indeed, how could it be otherwise? I have only described those things which came immediately under my own observation, and, beside this, I make no pretensions to extensive scholastic attainments, nor do I claim to be an adept in the art of book-making.

A weary and rather unprofitable sojourn of three years in various parts of California, afforded me ample time and opportunity to become _too_ thoroughly conversant with its rottenness and its corruption, its squalor and its misery, its crime and its shame, its gold and its dross. Simply and truthfully I gave the history of my experience to friends at home, who, after my return, suggested that profit might be derived from giving these letters to the world in narrative form, and urged me so strenuously, that I at length acceded to their wishes, but not without much reluctance, being doubtful as to the reception of a book from one so incapable as myself of producing any thing more than a plain “unvarnished tale.”

In order to present a more complete picture of California, I have added two chapters, that describing the route through Nicaragua, and the general _resume_ at the close of my volume. All that I solicit for this, my first offering, is a liberal and candid examination; not of a part, but of the whole--not a cursory, but a considerate reading.

H. R. H.

SALISBURY, North Carolina, 1855.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

CALIFORNIA UNVEILED.

Introductory Remarks--Erroneous opinions respecting California--Sterility of the Soil--The Seasons--Destitution of Mechanical and Manufacturing Resources--Dependence upon Importations for the Conveniences and Necessaries of Life--No Inducement to become Permanent Residents of the country 13

CHAPTER II.

THE BALANCE SHEET.

California statistically considered--Cost of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo--Price of Passage and Services of Immigrants--Total Yield of the Mines--Amount of Property destroyed by Fires, Freshets and Inundations--List of Sailing Vessels and Steamers Wrecked upon the coast--Public Debt of the State--Debts of San Francisco, Sacramento and Marysville--Loss of Life by violent measures--Extract from the Louisville Journal 23

CHAPTER III.

SOCIETY IN CALIFORNIA.

Extraordinary Depravity and Corruption--Reasons assigned for the laxity of Morals--Much of the Degeneracy and Dissipation attributable to the absence of female society--The Case of an English gentleman--His Story--General Remarks concerning the different classes of Women 36

CHAPTER IV.

SAN FRANCISCO.

Importance of San Francisco--The Golden Gate--The Harbor--Long Wharf--A Motley Crowd--The Shipping--Names of Vessels--Vagrant Boys--Commercial Street--Wooden Tenements--The Jews--Fire-proof brick and stone structures--Montgomery street--Menial Employments--Professional Men washing dishes, waiting upon the table, and peddling shrimps and tomcods--Lawyers and Land Titles--Grog Shops and Tippling Houses--Bill of Fare of a California Groggery 45

CHAPTER V.

SAN FRANCISCO--CONTINUED.

Clay street--Gazing in Ladies’ Faces--The Gambling Houses--Heterogeneous Assemblage of Blacklegs--The Plaza--The City Hall--A Case of Bribery and Corruption--French Restaurants--Flour and other Provisions--Frauds and Adulterations 69

CHAPTER VI.

SAN FRANCISCO--CONCLUDED.

A Pistol Gallery--Doctor Natchez--Population of the City--Filling in the Bay--Lack of Vegetation--Yearning for the society of Trees 81

CHAPTER VII.

THE CHINESE IN CALIFORNIA.

National habits and traits of Chinese Character--Their Dress--The number of Chinese in California--How they employ their time--Their arrogance and presumption--Manner of Eating--Singularity of their names--Is the Chinese Immigration desirable? 86

CHAPTER VIII.

CURSORY VIEWS.

The Pacific Side of the Continent much Inferior to the Atlantic Side--Poverty and Suffering in California--Rash and mistaken ideas of the country--A few very Fertile Valleys--Value of the Precious Metals to the country in which they are found--The Climate 97

CHAPTER IX.

SUNDAY IN CALIFORNIA.

Manner of Spending the Sabbath--Mixture and Dissimilarity of the Population--Dance Houses--Mexican Women--Influence of Female Society upon the Community--Churches in San Francisco 109

CHAPTER X.

BEAR AND BULL FIGHT.

Advertisement announcing the Sport--Mission Dolores--An old Catholic Church--Preparation for the Fight--The Audience--The Attack--Progress of the Conflict--The Finale 116

CHAPTER XI.

SACRAMENTO.

City and Valley of Sacramento--The Legislature--Shabby Hotels--Teamsters and Muleteers--Excess of Merchants--Continual Depression in Business--Perfidy and Dishonesty of Consignees--California Conflagrations--The Three Cent Philosopher 131

CHAPTER XII.

YUBA--THE MINER’S TENT.

Trip to the Mines--Modus Operandi of Single-handed Mining--Names of Bars--Mining Laws--More Gentility and Nobleness of Soul among the Miners than any other Class of People in California--The case of a Highwayman--Description of a Miner’s Tent--His Diet and Cooking Utensils--Toilsomeness of Mining--Proceeds of three months’ labor 147

CHAPTER XIII.

STOCKTON AND SONORA.

Situation of Stockton--The San Joaquin Valley--Trip to Sonora--The best Hotel in the Place--A Lunatic--A Gambling Prodigy--Shooting Affair--A case of Lynch Law--Description of Sonora--Land Speculators--Ephemeral Cities--Excitability of the Californians--The Beard--A good old Man--His Story 161

CHAPTER XIV.

VOYAGE TO CALIFORNIA VIA CAPE HORN.

Embarkation from New York--A Terrible Storm--Loss of Masts and narrow escape from Shipwreck--Wreck of a Swedish Brig--An unfortunate Little Bird--Patagonia and Cape Horn--Stoppage at Valparaiso--Earthquakes--Appearance of the City--A Delectable Garden--Two Catholic Priests--Beauty of Ocean Scenery in the Pacific--The St. Felix Islands--Arrival in San Francisco 187

CHAPTER XV.

VOYAGE FROM CALIFORNIA VIA NICARAGUA.

Departure from San Francisco--Matters and Things aboard the Steamer--The Passengers--A Hoax--Arrival at San Juan del Sur--Novel Mode of Debarkation--Ludicrous Scenes--Trip across the Country--The Weather--Virgin Bay--Lake Nicaragua--The San Juan River--Bad Management and shabby Treatment on the Isthmus--Negro Slavery and Central America--San Juan del Norte, alias Greytown 209

CHAPTER XVI.

MY LAST MINING ADVENTURE.

Projected Voyage to Australia abandoned--Trip to the Mines in Tuolumne county--My quaint Friend and Companion, Mr. Shad Back--Operations in Columbia--The Result 225

CHAPTER XVII.

THE VIGILANCE COMMITTEE.

Disordered State of Society--Atrocious and barefaced Crimes--Organization of Vigilance Committees--Salutary effect of their Proceedings--Defence of their Motives and Actions--A case of Lynch Law in Sacramento 237

CHAPTER XVIII.

BODEGA.

Trip to Bodega on a Mischievous and Refractory Mule--A Chinese Encampment--Description of the country in the vicinity of Bodega--The Village of Petaluma--Cruel Treatment of an Indian Boy--Serious Consequences result from the villainous Pranks of his Muleship--Ben, an eccentric old Negro 254

CHAPTER XIX.

THE DIGGER INDIANS AND NEGROES.

Indolence and Insignificance of the Digger Indians--What they eat--Means of obtaining the Necessaries of Life--Their Habits and Peculiarities--An Incident at a Slaughterhouse--The Negroes in California--The case of a New Orleans Sea-captain and his Slave Joe--A North Carolinian and his two Negroes 268

CHAPTER XX.

ARE YOU GOING TO CALIFORNIA?

Resume of the preceding chapters--Arguments in favor of the Atlantic and Pacific Railway--Advantages of the Southern Route--Abstract of the Report of the Secretary of War on the several Pacific Railroad Explorations--Extracts from Letters--Conclusion 280

THE LAND OF GOLD.