“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 6th.—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 
