WCP1289

Transcription (WCP1289.1068)

[1]

18. Letter from Columbia, Feb. 11th, 1854.

The case of instruments was a very acceptable present for which accept my thanks. You did not say how I was to remit the balance. The lawyers have dipped in their bills pretty deep, especially mr bateman1,[sic] They certainly manage these th things better in America. I know a person here who has been loaning money for the last two years, in sums from one hundred to five thousand dollars and perhaps to fifty different persons, and a great part of it at from 5 to 6 per cent a month per month, and none less than 3, and yet he has never employed a lawyer and none of the parties that have borrowed of him have ever had a cent to pay for lawyer’s bills. He has mostly lent to parties who had a share in the water company and when a party wanted to borrow some money he would just sit down and write a note of hand for the amount, stating interest and the borrower would then sign the note, at the same time writing or giving notice to the secretary of the company to to notify their share as being left in security for the full payment of money and interest at a certain time, and he then gets the money, and the whole thing is done in half an hour, without any bother of lawyers, stamps, or anything of the kind. If he lends money on any kind of property he merely writes out a simple mortgage bond, and the thing is done.

Now in regard to my idea of things in general, about being fixed etc. I consider California a fine place to settle in if a man would but settle down and be fixed fixed, but the fact is things are not yet in a settled state here in the mines as the population is constantly fluctuating and shifting about, yet it is getting better continually. Farming in or near the mines (except on a very limited scale) can never be prosperous owing to the dryness of the summer parching every thing up, but in some of the summer vallies2 there are some fine agricultural districts and a fine range for breeding cattle and sheep, pigs, etc. If you I was to wait until I had a "big pile" before I thought of visiting England, I might wait forever. But I had thought of paying a flying visit to England this spring, but I think I shall be so situated that I shall not be able to leave without injuring my future prospects, so I suppose I must wait another year. If I should visit England I should not like to return alone.

I think you do very well here collecting for a short time, and then there might be a chance on the Pacific Railroad for some employment, as that is almost sure to be commenced soon. I am sorry that Mr Wilson’s3 ingenuity does not seem to be appreciated in England. I remember very well his suggesting the probability of their being gold in Australia from a similarity in the rocks etc. There was a great excitement here a short time ½ ago obout [sic] there being gold on the Amazon and one or two vessels left San Francisco with adventurers who knew not where they were going to except that they were to be landed at some port in Peru and then make the over land route to the Amazon. Did any one ever hear of such a wild goosechase, and yet many were found to go, but after landing at Peru they found the overland journey quite impractible and most of them, by the last accounts were utterly destitute, and unable to get back to California again, and one might almost say it served them right.

Unidentified person.
Archaic form for valleys.
Wilson, Robert (1803-1882). British engineer and inventor.

Transcription (WCP1289.7657)

[1]

Columbia, Tuolumne County

Feb. 11th, 1854.

Dear Alfred,

After waiting anxiously for a letter from you, and when I had nearly given up all hopes, I received yours a few days ago, and also the parcel the same day. The case of Instruments was a very acceptable present for which accept my thanks, and the book is very interesting as far as I got, which is about half way through. The accounts are perfectly clear and straight but you did not mention how I was to remit you the balance, or whether you have any agent in London who could receive it for you. Pray let me know as soon as you can write which I hope will be often. The lawyers have dipped in their bills pretty deep, especially Mr. Bateman1. They certainly manage these things better in America. I know I [one] person h [sic] here who has been lending money for the past two years, in sums from one thousand hundred to five thousand dollars and perhaps to fifty different persons, and a great part of it at from 5 to 6 per cent a month, and none less than 3, and yet he has never employed a lawyer and none of the parties that have borrowed of [sic] him have ever had a cent to pay for lawyers bills. He has mostly lent to p [sic] parties who had a share in the water company and when a party wanted to borrow some money he would just sit down and write a note of hand for the amount, stating interest and the borrower would then sign the note, at the same time writing or giving notice to the secretary of the company to notify their share as being left in security for the full payment of the money and interest at a certain time, and he then gets the money, and the whole thing is done in an half an hour, without any bother of lawyers, stamps, or anything of the kind. If he lends money on any kind of property he merely writes out a simple mortgage bond, and the things done. Your letter is rather short, but there are a great many questions in it which if I answer them all, I must look sharp and commence[.] In the first place you say that my land in San Francisco has got into your head, now if that is the fact, all I can [say] is that you are much nearer being the possessor of it than I am, for the facts of the case are that I had three lots of land. The deed for one place was lost, and the2 [2] other two places have probably long before this been sold for taxes, or else jumped, that is built upon by someone else, who it would be impossible to get off without spending more money than it would be worth. Now in regard to my idea of things in general, about being fixed etc. I consider California a fine place to settle in if a man would but settle down and be fixed, but the fact is, things are not yet in a settled state here in the mines as the population is constantly fluctuating and shifting about yet it is getting better continually. Farming in or near the mines (except on a very limited scale) can never be very prosperous owing to the dryness of the summer parching everything up, but in some of the southern vallies3 there are some fine agricultural districts and a fine range for breeding cattle and sheep, pigs, etc. If I was to wait till I had a "big pile" before I thought of visiting England, I may wait forever. But I had thought of paying a flying visit to England this spring, but I think I shall be so situated that I shall not be able to leave without injuring my future prospects, so I suppose I must wait another year. If I should visit England I should not like to return alone as females are remarkably scarce out here.

I think you might do well here collecting for a short time, and then there might be a chance on the Pacific Railroad for some employment, as that is almost sure to be commenced soon. I am sorry that Mr. Wilson's4 ingenuity does not seem to be appreciated in England. I remember very well his suggesting the proba[bi]lity of their [sic] being gold in Australia from a similarity in the rocks[,] etc. There was great excitement here a short time ago about there being gold on the Amazon and one or two vessels left San Francisco with adventurers who knew not where they were going to except that they were to be landed at some port in Peru and then make the overland route to the Amazon. Did any one ever hear of such a wild goosechase, and yet many were found to go, but after landing at Peru they found the overland journey quite impracticable and most of them, by the last accounts, were utterly destitute, and unable to get back to California again, and one might almost say it served them right.

I have no time now to say any more, so must conclude.

Your affectionate Brother | John Wallace.

P.S. You have told me nothing aobut your doings since you wrote previously. From something in my Mother[']s5 note I might con<clude you have> been to Mt. Blanc but you said nothing what [End of typed transcript].

Unidentified person.
'The' is repeated as a catchword on page 2.
Archaic form of valleys.
Wilson, Robert (1803-1882). British engineer and inventor.
Wallace (née Greenell), Mary Ann (1792-1868). Mother of ARW.

Please cite as “WCP1289,” in Beccaloni, G. W. (ed.), Ɛpsilon: The Alfred Russel Wallace Collection accessed on 29 March 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/wallace/letters/WCP1289