' UNION CLUB' AT SAN FRANCISCO. 203 



omnibus marked 'Oriental Hotel.' I am hustled 

 into the 'bus with three pale passengers, and we 

 are rapidly whirled off to the 'Oriental.' The 

 mail-packet from Panama has also just arrived; 

 all the beds are taken at the hotel, so I bide my 

 chance of some one leaving before night. 



Called on the Consul, and through his kind- 

 ness am located in the Union Club House, a 

 grand improvement on the ' Oriental.' 



March 5th. Occupied in giving my letters 

 of introduction, and arranging money-matters. 

 The club-house in which I am staying is a mas- 

 sive granite building. The granite, beautifully 

 faced and fitted, was all hewn in China; the house 

 was put together there, to see everything was 

 properly finished, then taken to pieces, packed, 

 and shipped for San Francisco. Chinese builders 

 came with it, brought their own scaffolding (made 

 entirely from bamboo), put it together, built up 

 the granite edifice in which I transcribe this, 

 as handsome a structure as any San Francisco 

 can boast of. 



March Qth. Having nothing particular to do. 

 determine to visit the New Almaden quicksilver 

 mines. There are two routes to these mines 

 one per stage the whole distance (56 miles), -the 

 other per steamer to the head of the Bay of San 



