206 EAST PRUSSIA TO THE GOLDEN GATE 



to say when I shall write again, is more than I can do 

 now. Do not feel uneasy about me; I am in good health, 

 and yes, I am in good spirits. 



Many thousand kisses to you, my dear mother, and to 

 you, my beloved, my only sister ; remember me to all. 



I must close this, because I must put a new sieve into 

 our rocker, and it must be done to-day, so that to-mor- 

 row's sunrise shall find us promptly at work. 



To you, my father, a hearty squeeze of the hand from 

 your true son. F. 



Long Bar on the Yuba River, Gal., 



May 6th to 15th, 1852. 



My Beloved Ones:— I can well imagine how anxiously 

 you await news from me, and especially news about the 

 mines, the much-talked of, often-described and— often 

 vilified mines. So far I have not found time to describe 

 them to you, and though I wrote to you twice from here 

 on February 8th and on April 5th— I could then only in- 

 timate in a few words that I was physically well. 



But now I will not delay my report any longer from 

 you, and shall use the evenings to write in detail— and 

 I shall not mail this letter until it has reached quite a 

 respectable length. To do that will not be a difficult task, 

 since I have much, very much, to tell you. Ere I pro- 

 ceed, however, I have to thank you, to thank you with 

 my whole heart, for the delight which your letters (No. 

 8) of February 5th have caused me. Boettcher, from 

 San Francisco, brought them to me in person on the 24th 

 of April, a little after 10 o'clock a. m. He found me at 

 work, but not for all the gold in the world could I have 

 washed another shovelful of dirt. I ran to my tent like 

 one possessed, and read the letters, and read them over 

 again until the tears obscured my sight and I could not 

 distinguish the characters any more. I cannot express 

 how glad I was. Every word, nay every single letter, 

 was a treasure to me. If I knew that my letters would 

 give you the same pleasure I should write from morning 

 till evening, hard as writing in itself is for me. I hope 

 to have soon another festival of the same kind. 



