RAINY SEASON. 
119 
the speaker; lie had enlisted in the cause of the dear people, 
and nothing could induce him to swerve from the performance 
of his duty. The gist of his remarks was as follows:— 
“Fellow citizens, you have rights to protect. [Hurrah! Three 
cheers and two drinks of brandy.] Fll spend my last breath in 
the vindication of those rights. [Three more!!] The mineral 
lands ought to be given to the people. [Three times three!!! 
Three cheers and six drinks.] Have not the sovereign people 
made this country what it is f [Yes! Yes!! and great cheering.] 
If I am elected I will use my influence to have this immense 
tract of country, now claimed by Sutter, divided among the 
people.” [Immense sensation and cheering.] After order was 
again restored, the speaker was invited to step out of the pud¬ 
dle of water that had dripped from his poncho , and take some¬ 
thing to drink. The meeting was conducted with much spirit , 
and resulted in securing the votes of a majority present for the 
would-be-Governor. 
At this time, this district of country, called the Minerva dis¬ 
trict, had become so populous that municipal officers had been 
elected, and now it was regularly divided into election districts, 
and arrangements made to open polls wherever it was deemed 
necessary. The qualification for an elector was to be an Amer¬ 
ican citizen. The most prominent candidates for Governor 
were Judge Burnett, H. S. Sherwood and Rodman M. Price, of 
whom the former was elected. On the day of election the bal¬ 
lots were deposited in a hat, over which one of the inspectors 
held an umbrella. 
The middle of October finds the miners in a transition state. 
There has not a drop of rain fallen during the entire summer, 
and the earth, six feet below, is as dry as on the surface; one 
cannot move without being enveloped in dust; and vegetation 
is as crisp as if it had just been taken fron^ke oven. There 
has been no haze to shield the earth from th| sip, and at night 
the stars have twinkled with unwonted brilli&Sy ; but now the 
sun has grown dim and pale, and the stars have fled to their 
hiding-place. Miners are admonished that it is time to prepare 
for an untried winter, and on every hand is evinced a disposi¬ 
tion not to be taken unawares. Here on the side of the moun¬ 
tain is a habitation, three logs high, covered with canvas, the 
