72 HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA. 



to proceed, and until I saw tliat the ' diggins' dimin- 

 ished materially in number. On clambering the hills 

 at the side, I beheld abundance of pines, oak, cedar, 

 and palm ; but no grass, nor vegetation of any other 

 kind, save prickly shrubs, with here and there a patch 

 of extremely dry moss. On my way back, I passed 

 several tents and huts erected by the miners, all of 

 the very poorest and most wretched description. 



" I found Van Anker's party at dinner, in front of 

 their tent. Van showed me a leathern bag, contain- 

 ing several pounds' weight of very pure gold, and 

 which was carelessly tossed about from one to the 

 other for examination. It was the produce of his 

 morning's work, he having fortunately struck upon a 

 large pocket. 



" On inquiring whether, as there existed such strong 

 temptation, robberies were not very frequent, I was 

 informed, that, although thefts had occurred, yet, 

 generally speaking, the miners dwelt in no distrust of 

 one another, and left thousands of dollars' worth in 

 gold dust in their tents whilst they were absent dig- 

 ging. They all felt, intuitively, that honesty was 

 literally the best policy, and a determination to punish 

 robbery seemed to have been come to by all as a 

 measure essential to the security and welfare of the 

 mining community, independent of any question of 

 principle. 



" Gambling and drinking were carried on, I found, 

 to a most demoralizing extent. Brandy and cham- 

 pagne, whenever they were brought to the *diggins,' 

 realized enormous prices, varying from sixteen to 

 twenty dollars a bottle ; and some of the men would^ 

 after accumulating some hundred dollars, squander the 

 whole in pmxhasing these beverages. Believing the 



