260 A CALIFORNIA TRAMP. 



more of it than of knocking over a rabbit to satisfy his hunger. 

 At one time they taxed them seventy dollars per year, but 

 when I was there it was four dollars per month when mining. 

 This induced more of them to w^ork at washing, or as house 

 servants. All the civil Chinese were not at avocations so 

 humble. Some of the wealthiest San Franciscan merchants 

 were from the Flowery Kingdom, and at the large auction 

 sales I saw them in rich silken robes, bidding with the same 

 spirit as their white brethren, and in many cases better able 

 to meet their liabilities. You all know how they are brought 

 over by contractors who farm their services out, and whose 

 main obligation is to take them back to China when dead. 

 You have heard of the " Chinese Quarter " and their theatre, 

 also, so I will say nothing about them. In fact, so many 

 things which I thought were novelties when I came home are 

 now household words, that I may have left out things of inter- 

 est for fear of duplication, 



I have spoken of the " Golden Gate," but I did not say that 

 it was so named before the gold discoveries were made. It 

 is simply a fanciful name. The broad peninsula between 

 San Francisco and the sea is a series of barren ridges, the 

 highest point near the city being called Telegraph Hill. Here 

 was a station formerly used for signaling vessels when they 

 approached the coast; but this had been superseded by a 

 telegraph line. This mode of communication had become com- 

 mon in the thickly settled part of the State, but with the 

 East the overland stage line was the quickest mode of convey- 

 ing news, unless it was the Nicaraugua route. There was but 

 forty miles of railroad in the State, and this was from Marys- 

 ville on the Sacramento, northward. The stage and steam- 

 boat were as yet the main reliance for travelers. There was no 

 communication with the southern part of the State except by 

 semi-monthly steamer. 



On looking back through the vista of the past thirty years I 



