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lOtrME ii.
xiom California.
SA N FRANCISCO, Jan. 13,
jj, or Jj. —You no doubt have long
„, Pl l a letter from me, the onlv
, ;C 1 have to offer is, my long
, M , e from n point where a letter
1 be mailed* but being now
C °^| ( {,j where 1 can both send and
■ V . P letters by each steamer, I
recent . ,
jjl lTl ;ike up for lost time.
\ \efi New York on the 3d of Feb
j,j (he good brig Columbus
. , \Vra Cruz. We made a call at
Havana, where we stopped several
and it being Carnival week
I,’ can imagine, having been there,
dial sort of a time we had of it.
The Tacon Theatre was our great
rendezvous, and there 1 heard some
aost delightful singing.
Our first place of note was era
>„z, and I must say I was a
] e disappointed in tlio city. —
fiie onlv amusement we bad was
witnessing the signs left by our gal
,;it hoys, and they were not few,
lazv rascals had not patched
, die old baU and shell boles in
ihdr huilJings, as some of them are
literally torn to pieces ; and judging
from the appearances there must
Five been some severe and exei
unst\utes among the greasers du
rins the siege. We endeavored to
kiv horse s and mules here, but the
rascals taking advantage of the
California Emigration across their
country, charged more than double
ieir value ; so we concluded to
rc mules and ride to Jalnppa be
f,re purchasing, and Iv mistake no
mention was made of saddles and
irilles, so you can imagine what
i Agfa. w was when we walked out
side of the walls to see about thirty
mules drawn up for our accommo
dation, with nothing but bakers and
nek-saddles. I bad an idea of this
(Tore, and believing n good horse
hough dear, better than a poor one
heap, made n purchase, and had a
,utl opportunity to enjoy the fun.
linngiuo about twenty five boys from
New York who prolriblv had never
jcen a mole, mounted on a pack
<id,lie and covered, on one of our
iiottest July days, wi h an overcoat,
tkrce or four pistol s r do a hie-barreled
can. hovvie knite, canteen, &c.,
and you see the party. First one
fellow would mount, and alter his
accoutinneiits being handed up to
fra, the mule would strike a trot,
mid not being accustomed to the
rattling of tin-ware, would make a
Wak, ihe ruler holding on with
tab hands until lie is worked on
;!ie animal's neck, and then a kick,
a ral over he would go. I suppose I
“we seen twenty on a run at a time
was the most ludicrous scene 1
tver witnessed. Well,after repeated
scenes of this kind, we arrived at
Grappa a very pretty and large
P'race, about three days ride from
Cruz, where we purchased
It was here we had the
of seeing that scoundrel,
the deserter, he was there a
Colonel in the Mexican service ; lie
rie dto make himself very officious.
ieri ng his services as interpreter
u and buying horses for us, but we in
lte(l him, so lie withdrew his at
'rations. This is a great country
I ‘" S: Jit,and you could buy enough
, ra “? e i, baannuas, &c., lor twenty
‘ J, ’ e cents to feed a dozen men. 1
Cfl joyedhere the luxury of a warm
W
H’e took th® national road up to the
%of Mexico, and therefore were
of the principal battlegrounds
>. that route. I assure you it made
i* feel proud to see whatour coun
ramen can do, having such natural
•Wacles to oppose them as they
f' M on that inarch. We saw a
deserters working along
c r ° 3 d for the Mexican Govern
iDrnutfii to literature, Irinirt anil Slrt, tjie lens nf Cem-peranre, tDhir /ellamsljip, ftlitsnttnj anil
ment.and they were very inquisitive
as regards the United Slates. They
are a low set, and l would sooner
trust a Mexican greaser than one of
them. Thus far it is a hard coun
try and nothing but trcehollies and
toriicas to eat.
The next sight was he National
Bridge ; it is a noble struct lire,’ b it
needs no description from me. We
visited the celebrated Castle of Pe
l'ote, as we had to remain in the in
fernal place two days, on account of
a boy of ours (whom we had hired
in Havana ns a servant) being shot
through the leg by one of the cow
ardly highwaymen. lie straggled
behind the party and was shot from
the bushes. We tried to find the
asssasin, but our search was fruit
less. The cowardly scoundrels
will not attack without they r have
every opportunity of assassination.
We did all we could for the poor
fellow, leaving him money enough
to pay his expenses and return
home. I have understood since, he
recovered and joined a party com
ing to this country, and is nowhere.
The Mexicans are such a cowardly
set they let these highwaymen rob
them with impunity ; in fact I have
heard of three old greasers robbing
the dilligence with a dozen passen
gers, and 1 have no doubt they have
spies at all the principal offices, for
you never hear of a stage being
robbed with two or three armed
Americans in it. This National
road is, or has been a splendid struc
ture ; like all other public propertv
in this ill-fated land, is going to de
struction rapidly. The next city on
our route which claims attention
was Puebla, it is a magnificent
place, and is literally speaking a
city of steeples. 1 visited many of
their churches and must sav that
their richness has not been exagger
ated for they are all ornamented
with paintings, images, &c. This
Mexico is a priest-ridden country,
and in fact the Church rules the
rotate. I here saw the execution of
three highwaymen, who were shot
down in the public plaza ; and it
was the first human blood i have
ever seen spilt with feelings of satis
faction, for I remembered tlie cow
ardly manner in which our bov
J y
Antonio had been shot by one of
them. We here adopted a uniform
for our party which consoled of a
red flannel shirt and dark pants,out
side of ail we wore Coit’s revolvers
and each man a double gun or rifle.
We being in very fair drill general
ly travelled in a body ; it astonish
ed the greasers some, and from
their looks and hints overheard,
they supposed the Yankees were
again on an expedition to some por
tion of their country for another
conquest. They term all Ameri
cans Yankees, and very often we
were saluted with the term of
“ and and \ankces.” But they kept
out of arm’s reach, for occasion
ally a chap got a right or left on
the side of his head.
We passed through Cerro Gordo on
our route ; it is the most picturesque
place I have overseen, being a nat
ural defile between a range of
mountains, winding here and there ;
it still bears the marks of the battle,
and l could almost point, out spots
where the best defence was made
from the treesand bushes being cut
down by balls, &c., a great many of
which were still lying about; this de
file is narrow, and how such a small
number of men could nave succeed
ed against the hosts which opposed
them, is more than I can say. Af
ter passing through a great many
small places and pretty scenery, wc
emerged from a heavy wood, and
the far-famed City of the Montezu
mas was in sight. I could almost
SAVANNAH, GA.. SATURDAY, MARCH 30, 1850.
imagine what were the feelings of
our countrymen when they emer
ged from this wood, the city off at
some distance with a wide plain
covered with silver lakes, between
them and the Popocatapetl and Ori
zaba mountains in full view, cover
ed with snow, it was beautiful be
yond description. This plain is
clear of timber, and nothing ob
structs the view for miles, and you
could trace the windings of the
road to the very gates of the city.
\\ e sat for an hour enjoying the
scene, and to heighten it 1 saw about
thirty lancers not two miles off’
chasing some five or six men whom
we supposed to be some of the ras
cally highwaymen in which their
roads abound. On this plain near
the city is a large salt water lake,
and we noticed a great many Peons
gathering salt from the borders and
on the plains.
W e here put on clean shirts
and our prettiest looks, and up to
ihe gales of the city rode, and jud
ing from the excited looks and sol
dier-like bearing of our boys, a
stranger would have thought it was
the remnant of a conquering army
marching to take possession. We
‘arranged ourselves by cavalry drill,
and the way we filed through those
streets was nobody's business; the
Georgia Huzzars were nothing in
comparison; and you should have
seen the little greasers following—
it was rich. We quartered ourselves
at the Hotel de Paris, and putting on
our long togs held a consultation,
and concluded to remain two weeks,
which we did. For the first day
or two every cathedral, church, or
public place, was run over. The
Mexicans are splendid riders, and
they have here the most beautiful
ride I ever saw. The Alamada,
first, is a large square with rides all
around and, beautifully shaded and
gravelled,and then die two posadas,
every both’ - seems to be thereof an
afternoon, and each trying to excel
the other in looks and beauty oftheir
trappings. We were out every af
ternoon and of course thought we
were some. I saw an artillery corps
parade here once, and must say 1
was much pleased at their evolu
tions ; they manoeuvered finely, and
if all their troops were as good as
they were, Uncle Sam would have
found more difficulty in entering
this city than he did. We finished
our two weeks amidst fun, frolic,
and fandangos, and I must say it
was as happy fourteen days as I
have ever spent.
Now comes the prettiest portion
of Mexico, and every night brings
us to some pretty and picturesque
little town amongst the mountains ;
for this portion of Mexico is by far
the handsomest, and appears to be
more thickly settled. We were
amongst the first of the grand rush
for California, who came across this
country, and after leaving the city,
the people, that is the stay-at-home
community, had not seen many
bodies of’ Yankees, so we were con
siderable of a curiosity ; and 1 must
say our party behaved themselves
well and we were treated very
kindly, particularly by the fair sex.
We, at times, had several families
to escort us fiom one town to an
other, for the roads here, like else
where in this country, are infested
with the Pascal ly highwaymen, and
it is common to see a family carriage
escorted by a body of ten or twelve
lancers. We crossed the Rocky
Mountain range at a place called
the B.trancas, It was magnificent
going through,at times in the clouds,
and then clown a ravine where you
could see the cliffs hanging over
you. If is impossible for a vehicle
to go through here, so we packed f
and at times had to get off’ and let
our horses pick liiir own way down.
I shot a deer on the side of one of
the hills, and I could see him roll for
at least one hundred yards before
corning to a stand. 1 never saw
anything to equal it. It was heie
we had the pleasure of seeing a
Mexican silver mine, but had not
time to go into the mine to examine
ihe operations. I was very thank
ful that I took this route to California
lor the scenes I have seen in Mexico
are worth the fatigue and travel it
takes to get there.
My story is growing too long, so
I must travel faster. I cannot pass i
Guadalaxara without giving it a
passing gin nee, it is the second in |
size, and by far the handsomest city
in Mexico. It being holy-week,
commencing the day after our arri- j
val,and the custom in this Catholic j
country being for no one to travel on j
that week, we were shut, up within j
its walls. The military was all out, j
and on certain daysa very imposing i
procession marched around from j
church to church with their wax I
i
figures of the virgin, &c., at the j
head, and crowds of men, women j
and children following ; their prin- j
cipal sport seemed to he in abusing
and pelting a figure which brought
up the procession. I believe as far
as my scriptural knowledge goes,
the figure represented Judas, the
betrayer, and they were continually
shouting and abusing the poor devil,
who cut considerable of a figure as
he was all in armor and masked.
I saw a young lady and a beauty
who was about to lake the veil. She
was the daughter of some high func
tionary and was travelling around
in an open caniage attended by iier
female companions, she was dress
ed most magnificently, and from the j
glance I had of her, I thought her
the most beautiful woman 1 have
ever seen. She was paying her 1
last visits to earthly things and peo- j
pie.
Tepee and San Bias were our
next stopping places, and at the lat
ter we came in view of the broad
and beautiful Pacific, but not find
ing transportation here, left for Ma
zatlan. Between the two latter pla
ces the country is lined and covered
with palmettos, and put me in mind
of our own sea coast. There is a
large quantity of game through
here, and not a day passed but 1
was in the woods after stopping at
night, and I supplied the whole par
ty with venispn, partridges, and
chuckaluckers, a kind of pheasant,
the meat resembling our chickens
and of very fine flavor. I killed for
the first time, although I repeatedly
have seen thorn in other parts of
Mexico, several Armadillos. They
eat well, the flesh resembling a
young pig. I would not like better i
sport than to live in that portion of
Mexico for a year or so, with some
few boys from home, and hunt. I
saw several cotton plantations here,
and from appearances they were
yielding well; they do not under
stand the culture for I have seen
trees of three or four years growth,
bearing fruit. Wc arrived at Mazat
lan in the latter part of April, and af
ter being there about a week, com
pared notes, not bank notes, but
pocket-books, and found that only
about four or five in the part}’, bad
any money. We left on the United
.States steamer Edith, Capt. Boul
lfird, and arrived in this California
about the last of May.
San Francisco is situated on the
slope of a hill with a beautiful bay
in front, and from what the news pa
pers U)\<\ me I thought the climate
was delightful, but I can answer that \
now, and let me advise you, never
believe newspapers. It was during
•:. i ‘ *
I the dry season that I arrived, and
| the mornings were hot ; about noon
j a gale springs up and it is cold
| enough for cloaks, with the dust fly
ing in every direction ; it is now
the wet season, and rain, rain, the
whole time ; it is almost impossible
to move about, the mud being an
cle deep, and as slippery as a rice
field after an overflow. That is
about as well as I can give von an
idea of the fine Italian climate news
papers gave of this place.
Well, after arriving here and
staying several days, I did not know
| whether to begin operations here
|or go into the mines. I allowed my
companions to influence me and left
! for the latter, which I have repent
ed ever since, as I can see now if
I had remained and begun opera
j lions here, I should have been sev
| oral thousands better off than now,
I but mv motto is never to erv over
I spilt milk, so here we go. I chose
I the Southern mines and went to
I
; Stockton, and had a walk of about
I fifty miles over the hottest and most
; sultry plains I ever heard of, but
| being full of gold fever, never
I minded it until 1 got to Wood’s tiig
i gings. My first sight of the great
bugbear! I immediately conclu
ded it was no place for me, fin* there
were men up to their knees in wa
ter, down in a hole or holes about
seven feet deep,bailing and digging.
But not liking to give.it up so
I struck in and worked like a
good fellow, but like all others,
soon got sick of it. Having learned
of better diggings we drew up our
stakes and travelled ; and after
about one months work making a
few hundred dollars, and everything
1 y O
being dug over, I rebelled, and with
some twenty or more concluded to
go into the mountains in search of
new diggings, or spend what we
had made ; so off we went into the
i Snow mountains, and finding noth-
I ing, we bore south on the heads of
j the San Joaquin, Kings and Mau
phosa rivers, where we found no
gold but plenty of Indians, game,
&c. The latter was quite a treat to
me, and the way I slew the elk and
antelope was a siti to Crocket.—
We found the most of the game on
the Tula plains, through which the
San Jonquin river runs, and flows
from a large lake full of fish.—
When we arrived here the salmon
were running up in schools, and
we dived into them right and left.
We found here lots of Indians kil
ling them; which they do with a
spear with two points over the
main staff, and a small piece of
hone attached; they seldom miss
their mark, and the bone remaining
in the fish he is easily drawn out.
These Indians are a dirty set and
live principally on acorns and grass
hoppers ; they are the worst horse
thieves in the world, and are very
fond of the flesh. I have heard of
two or three being shot, by a party
in these parts, for stealing, or try
ing to steal their horses. I know
what acorns are for on, this occa
sion we were amongst the moun
tains for several days and having
no food were obliged to subsist on
them. We saw one or two of the
real grizzly bear here, but thought
it best to let them alone as we were
scattered when we came across
them, hunting for our lost trail
which we found and travelled back.
I am satisfied the gold region does
not extend beyond a range of hills*
which these plains divide from the
Snow mountains. To make a long
story short, I returned to the Mack
alamie river and having found dig
gings went to work, and have done
well fer sometime, but a crowd
coming in, confined our operations,
so we joined and turned the river,
and subsequently spent all we had
made and derived un benefit from
it, so 1 gave up after about five
months trial and returned here, and
am doing well a 1 my old legitimate
business, making tlrec or four liuti
i dred dollars per month.
If any oft! je boys want to come
out here and go to gold digging, tell
them the only articles necessary to
bring, are two blue flannel shirts,
two flannel drawers, two suits of
coarse clothes, and list, but not
least,money enough to pay their wav
home. If they have capital tell
them to come, for a shrewd man
can make a fortune no doubt.—
Money can be loaned at eight and
ten per cent per month, and a
simple deposit with a staunch house
will pay per cent per month.—
Everything is high here, rents in
particular; a house which would
rent at home for three or four bun
dred dollars, will bring thirty to
sixty thousand dollars. Living very
expensive; hoard twenty-five dol
lars nr r week; washing six dollars
per dozen. The restaurants are
making fortunes. There is a great
deal of Laziness done here of
course, for there are a great many
people in the country that must live,
hut I for one do not think things
can stand many years as they are
now. Gamblers are reaping har
vests out here, many of them have
made independent fortunes and ev
ery grocery has from ten to twenty
monte, faro and other gambling ta
bles.and crowds continually betting.
Each house lias a hand of music
which is continually playing.
Literary Blunder. —When Godwin
was employed in writing the life of
Chatham, he applied to many of his
acquaintances tor suitable anec
do’es and suggestions. Mr. Faw
cett supplied him with a striking
passage from a speech which ho
heard Chatham deliver, on general
warrants: “Every man’s house is
calk'd his castle. Why ? Because
it is surrounded by a moat, or de
fended by a wall? No. It may be*
a straw-built hut ; the winds may
whistle around if ; the rain may’ en
ter it—but the king cannot.” The
point was plain enough ; hut when
he came to read the printed volume,
he found it thus arranged : “Every
min’s house is called his castle.
Why ? Because it is surrounded by
a moat; or defended by a wall ? No.
It may he a straw-built hut ; the
rain may* enter it; all the winds of
heaven may whistle around it; but
the king cannot.”
The Polite and Intellect uni among
Men. —Polite men frequently take
precedence of the intellectual, or
of original-minded men, in point of
success. Their manner is their ge
nius. They sustain the very neces
sary conditions of society, and arc
rewarded accordingly. Their pro
vince is to smooth the way of life,
and if not selfish, they do so. In a
state of high civilization, where men
are brought into constant intercourse
on different occasions, a mutual re
gard and common understanding is
indispensable. And possibly the
more this is under conventional
forms, the better. Politeness be
comes the atmosphere of some men.
They carry through the most trivial,
as well as the most important af
fairs in the same fashion.
We should all he estimated by the
work we actually do; not by w hat
we intend or project, or may be sup
posed capable of accomplishing ;
for “ the end of man’s life is an Ac
tion, not a Thought, however no
ble:*
The expense of transportation of
the mail in the TT. S- is $3,577,407.
MAIMK 4.