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Volume 4 (1859-1860) (600 pages)
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Page: of 600
288 HUTCHINGS’ CALIFORNIA MAGAZINE.
and Frazer river, are valueless in the lessons they might teach. Nothing less than
a personal trial and disappointment will
satisfy. Some men in their impatience to
be there, are even now selling out good
claims, at a great sacrifice, in which most
probably their fortunes could be found.
Now, when snow is covering every foot of
ground, and provisions, clothing, and tools
are exorbitantly high; and when not a
stroke of successful labor can possibly be
performed for several months; or one
blow given to advance the worker in his
road to fortune. Our advice to such eager
spirits must be this: “keep cool, wait,
do not be induced by any fine imaginary
picture of wealth to be procured, to quit a
claim that is paying you moderate wages;
or any business that is reasonably remunerative. Think this over quietly.”
That there is gold and silver in paying
quantities, in some explored districts, there
is noreason to doubt. That hundreds of
men already there, are obtaining nothing,
is also equally clear. That others will go
who never did or could accomplish anything, is alike plain; for the simple reason
that labor, which is the philosopher’s stone,
they will not, as they love it not. Many
are carried away with the delightful idea
of kicking out nuggets of gold as they
walk; or expect to find a fortune without
the fatigue of working for it— these may
be disappointed, And their reports—like
many who visit California, and return because they did not make their fortune in a
few brief weeks or months, and which, in
any other section of the Union is the work
of a life-time —will be unfavorable and
untrue.
As this discovery will give a new impetus to emigration from the other side, it
must have an important influence on the
future destinies of the entire Pacific coast;
and be an additional reason, with clear
and candid minds, for the early commencement and rapid construction of the Pacific
and Atlantic Railroad.
Judging from the past as well as from
the present mail facilities by sea, the effect
of Government patronage, by contract,unfortunately for California, seems to be to
retard, rather than accelerate the speedy
transmission of mail matter. When the
Pacific Mail Steamship Company carried
the U. S. mails, between San Francisco
New Orleans and New York, the average
time consumed was about twenty-five days.
But as that company does not now possess
the contract, they can perform the trip in
about twenty-two days. While the Atlantic and Pacific Mail Steamship Company’s
vessels—the old Nicaragua and Vanderbilt
line united, and never very swift—now they
carry the mails, do notaccomplish the trip
in less than from twenty-five to twenty-six
days, and are sometimes much longer: the
Overland mail anticipating the steamer’s
news, three fourths of the time.
In order to correct this, we would propose that the contract be continued only
with that Company that will accomplish
the trip and carry the mails in the shortest
time — accidents excluded.
oe
Go Contributors and Correspondents,
A. H. K.—Will you please to explain what
you mean by these lines from your poem
entitled “ The Hills ?”—
“*¥ love the hills whose kindly soil
No tribute yields to sons of toil.”
Also —
*T love the rough old hills whose ban
Of ruggedness doth rise ’gainst man,”
Others are equally doubtful; and yet
there is considerable poetic merit in the
piece. Why did you not send us your
name, that we might confer with you
privately ?
4 —Our hands are perfectly full in simply
attending to our own business only. We
have neither time nor disposition to
meddle with the affairs of others. Go
' thou and do likewise.
A. P., Hornitos.—Before you get too much
excited about the Washoe diggings,
where now there is several feet of snow,
we would ask you to call to mind the
Gold Lake, Gold Bluff, Kern and Frazer
river bubbles. Hard work will be quite
as hardin Washoe as in diggings near
your town. You had better make up
your mind to that before you start. Take
things a little more coolly, A. P.