CALIFORNIA. (From the Polynesian of October 6.)

New Zealander, Volume 5, Issue 378, 28 November 1849, Page 3

CALIFORNIA. (From the Polynesian of October 6.)

STRAWS FROM THE GOLD COAST — No. 8. San Francisco, August 25, 1849. A craft with three "aliases" — Life on San Francisco Hay — Land -lubber Sailors — Accommodation in a Sail-b»at — New fact for Entomologists — Mu^quito Theory— Luxuries of Camp Life— Benefits of a tour in California— Sickness in spite of Brandy — Dandies at Gold - digging— Prevalence of disgiibt— Signs of the Times.

Dear Mb. Editor, — You have had experience of tailing from island to island in the native schooners; so have I : and I am forcibly reminded of old times by finding myself on board one of the identical vessels whose accommodations I had made trial of, when cruising about his Majesty's dominions — the # * * — I forget the native name ; but the vessel that became the Com. Shubrick, and now rejoices in the title of Manuelo del Fierro. She is now becalmed on the beautiful bay of San Francisco. In forty hours we have sailed about 15 miles, and when we shall accomplish the remaining 15 or 20 miles of the distance between Bernicin and San Franciico, will depend very much on wind and tide. Sailing vessels are frequently two or three days between the two places— a distance easily steamed in two hours. The poetry of travelling is about as well exemplified in sailing vessels on this bay and the two rivers emptying into it, as on voyages between your sunny is'ands. The other day it was my lot to sail from Benicia to the metropolis on board a fine brie;, which had been about two weeks coming down from Sacramento City —100 miles, above. The captain and mate, the only two persons on board who knew how to work the vessel, were looking blue and shivering with fever and ague, which they had brought from the pestilential region above. The crew were all landsmen (mostly passengers, working their passages), a clever set of Yankees, and, in the main, from the Empire State.— The cook was laid up with the rhumatism, and h office was filled for the time being, by an accommodating physician, a passenger, who dealt out medicine to the ailing and food to the hungry, with no unskilful hand. Notwithstanding the green seamanship of most of the hands, all went on well enough till the afternoon of the second day— when, under a stiff breeze, within four or five miles of San Francisco, I thought it time to doff my sea-rig and don a clean shirt and dress suit for going ashore. The knot of my cravat was but half tied, however, when a tumult took place on deck. The wind was whistling, and the aguey captain was crying out as loud as his strength would let him — " What fool let go the jib halliards ?" Nobody answered ; but in a moment it turned out that the jib Imlyards had parted of their own accord. At the same time some green-hand had mistaken an order of the captain, and let go ths forestaysail sheet, and in an instant s lid gail was rent in Uv^in from top to bottom. Of course the brig came round and would not mind her helm ; and instantly the cable Was rattling and the anchor went down in 10 -fathoms water. Here we lay till next morning, to repair damages before going into harbour. Just before this, I had been up the Sacramento in a small sail boat— a clipper little sailer from New London. But, on Suisun Bay, where all the winds seem to be daily let loose frond the care of Eolus, in o short chopped sea, she took special delight in ducking her bow under the waves and wetting us all, thoroughly, from top to toe. Moreover, one night, all hands of us— l 4 noses, all told— had to sleep on board, or try to sleep, for really the little open boat was not large enough to accommodate half the number. On such a craft, when nature inclines you to eat, you either content yourself with a cold " snack" on board, or go ashore, strike a fire and cook to your liking, or rather as you are able. Often on the river you must encounter myriad* of mosquitoes, which render nugatory all attempts at bleeping or comfort. One fact in natural history may be of value to curious entomologists— With a large mosquito netting, meshei very fine, tucked close under my bedding, and rendered scrupulously insect tight, a few hours of night time would be amply suflL-ierft to introduce huadreds of the tormentors within the inclosure of a couple of cubic feet immediately around ray head— very much to my discomfort and dismay, and to their own repletion and contentment ; now, the puzzle was, how they got in ?—uot an orifice one-tenth the size of a grown i mosquito was visible, and my philosophy could suggest no better theory than that the ephemera had entered the meshes in the littleness of infancy and grown to maturity in tbeir short night of banquetting on human flesh and blood ! Suck are specimens of life on the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers. The experience of many is more various and replete with incidents than mine. But life in California is a wild and uncultivated life at best. Three-fourths of the denizens heie look on a bedstead as a perfect novelty, and sheets are a luxury not to be indulged in oftener than a few times a year. A rough woollen blanket on the hard ground or the soft side of a plank, with a stick or stone, or saddle or saddlebags for pillow, affords a bed more healthy— and, when use has rendered it natural— about as comfortable as the feather couches on which people enervate themselves at the eait. la fact, it is no mean enjoyment to exchange a close, ill-ventilated dormitory for n night's rest in the open air— where you soothe yourself to rest by gazing upward at the beautiful stars in the clear dark sky ; and when you open your eyes at early dawn greet first the beams of the morning itar, as it rites from the crimson east It would do many a fastidious dyspeptic good, and put life and inanlineis into many an effeminate lover of eaie, to spend a twelvemonth in the rough-and-tumble of California existence. One learns that a thousand supposed necessaries of life are only imaginary-— that there is enjoyment in more than one pathway through the world; and if I ' mistake not, a man who has been through the school of California and studied his lesson thoroughly, will be prepared to enjoy the ordinary run of civilized life j wi'h greatly-enhanced delight — having learnt to overlook as trifles a thousand little inconveniences and discomforts by which ordinary people are sorely annoyed and unnecessarily rendered unhappy. Green peas are a great luxury, and so are cucumbers and green corn— but, if brUk exercise has given you a sharp appetite, a bit of beef roasted by a camp fire, or even a little salt pork, tickles the palate about as pletsa tly, and is much easier of digestion. Coffee or tea, with milk is good, but the absence of the milk is not heavily felt when you are thirsty, and China-ware is not thought of, if you have a capacious tin cvp — while a draught of cool water takon directly by the iipi from the gushing fountain, is mote refreshing

than any other beverage. Many people think brandy essential as an antidote to supposed bad water, and a preventive of disorders of the bowels. But, they are out in this reckoning — for everybody, almost, drinks brandy here, and everybody almost has diarrhoea or dysentry ; at least, of those ill of these complaints, the large proportion of drinkers, would rather be a recommendation of water than of liquor. Most people who never tried it, would think it a great sacrifice to be depiived of the pleasure of taking meals from neat crockery, with silver forks at a quiet social table, spread with snow-white linen. But experience pioves that victuals taste well in the open air, tiilccn from th« pans, with nature's primitive forks, by a hungry com» pany, seated h la Turk, under the shade of an evergreen oak. At all events, this is the mode of life with which the gold-hunters become conversant, and their luxuries, like those of the Lacedemonians, are quite simple in their character. Delicate fellows, brought up in their mothers' pantries, with half a dozen servants to run when they want a sweet cooky, naturally get disgusted with mining. Their delicate fingen have never " got the hang" of tossing over a flap-jack." or of roatting their own beef, much less of siwnging a pick-axe and prying out gold from its hiding plnces among the rookn, It is really laughable to see the ill grace with which this species of the genus homo come down to the sober reality of " ll 'gg'»n-" I»Btead of kicking out huge bright Jumps at every step, with the toes of their delicately-polished tight dress-boots, they find said boots, anon, all " burst up," and their fingeri — minus the customary kid gloves — covered with sensitive blisters, long before the obbtinatc stouos and gravel will yield them a Slimpse of a single particle ol the coveted metal Somehow, everything goes wrong— traders wont sell them food to eat, for nothing— their hoises will get astray — the sun will shine iusufferably hot — the gold will, strangely, keep out of sight, under the gravel ; water for washing will be either too icarce or too plentiful — chills and fever, or some other "ill, that flesh, is heir to," will insist on making their acquaintance —and impertinent people will stick their pick or shovel into the very hole they have tried to dig, anil take out the treasure before them. Fancy has nothing to do with this general iketch. Three-fourths of all the new-comers, after trying tho mines, find Webster's quarto too lew for words to express their disappointment. Nobody writes now to have their friends come out. In fact, few have done it heretofore. Men have gone " gold mad," il on their own hook." Sad to say, the fever was on the increase at home the last of June : the only way to ease will be to let it work itself off. Meanwhile Providence is doubtless accomplishing gome great design in sending such multitudes of hardy and entei prising men to these shores. Liw, education, and religion come with them. In six months, no doubt, we ihall be an independent and powerful state — no meaa member of the great Republic. Notwithstanding ths loafers and black-legs here, the state of manners and morals is far better than what people abroad seem to imagine. Activity on the part of the friends of sobriety and religion will make this land an instrument of good to the world.— A great state, bursting suddenly on the world, in such novel circumstances, cannot but animate philanthro* pists with fresh hope. While we watch with philosophical and Christian anxiety the rapid progres* of events, let us not despair of the rising commonwealth, but look on it as a new and strong right arm, stretched forth for the defence and diffusion of freedom and tho promulgation of the great piinciplcs of true Christianity. Our breeze freshens, and the schooner is nearing port ; so at present adieu, Panorama.

The Washington Union publisher a letter from General P. 6. Smith, iv California, which gives authenticity to the previous accounts of the golden abundance, and the extraordinary social effect! produced at San Fmnciico : — "The whole slops of the Sierra NevcJa, on the western side, for a length of more than 400 miles, and in a belt of at least forty, contains it in greater or smaller quantities, and it may extend still further, as further research is made. A pickaxe, shovel, or even a butcher's knife, to loosen the earth and stonei, and. the most simple basin for washing, have been at richly rewarded as the most approved machines. The real difficulties lie in the hardships to be encountered in the remote uninhabited spots where the gold is found. Want of food, overworking, excited by success, bad water, exposure and dissipation— all combine to exact a heavy tribute for the wealth, when found. Many die unhcededj many come off sick ; but thoie are ten arriving from every quarter of the globe to rephce every one who goes. Chinese, Sandwich Islanders, Chilians, Peruvians, Ptueaians, Mexicans, French, English, Irish, outnumber as yet the Americans ; but the latter will soon have their slure. Provisions, woollen clothing, liquor, kitchen nnd mining utensils, •ell at enormous profits in tho mines : other articles scarcely sell at all ; women's gear is altogether a drug. In the mean time, all this is disastrous for us. No servants are to be had— 2so do lars a month has been refused in my presence by a cook All my servants hare left ; and yesterday I engaged one at #100 a month, because he is too sick to go to the mines ; but I ihnll certainly lose him if he gets his health. The quartermaster pays «8*5,000 a»year for the housa I live in, and it would make a poor toll-house for a country bridge. The climate is cold all the year round and foggy in the summer. The hills are bare, and the country is all hills— forgive the bull. The beef is execrable, and vegetables none ; and nobody has time to catch fish, if there are any. Any one who will come here and dig gold, or bring goods with him to sell to the diggeri, will make money. No other business wilt succeed. Whoever comes mast bring a house with him; there are but few here, and lumber is #600 per thousand.

Aged Poets. — At the Queen's ball recently, who 6hould be present but Poet Liureate, William Wordtworth, from the lakes. Poetry must truly be a healthy occupation. Ie was never considered very fattening, but the vital und divine spirit must be strong in the tuneful tribe. Here U Wordsworth, aged seventynine, travelling from Westmorland, arid joining in tha court gaieties, bssidei writing sonneti. There is Samuel Rogers, aged mYenty-seven, running about to routs and picture sales. Jamei Montgomery at Sheffi- Id, in hn seventy-ieventh year, is still intent on poetry and benevolence; and Thomas Moore the Little, who.upoa Monday, entered upon seventy, sings his liish melodies with as much quito as ever, sips his pint of claret, ami now and then indites honeyed verses on rosy lips, blue eyei, aud •' all that sort of thing." Joanna B-iiHic, bordering on fourscoure, still graces her retreat at Hampstead. One of the early lakers, Thomas d« Quincy, after encountering many reveries in seventy ye*rs, and after eating more opium than would kill a company of grenadiers, dreams and writes clinic dreams somewhere about " Auld Reekie," joined occasionally by Professor Wilson, who is getting lazy, though only sixty-one.