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Sacramento City Nov 14th 1850 

Dear Brother Elias

Your thrice welcome and highly entertaining letter of Sept 8th was rcd. four or five days ago, and I now appropriate this, the first leisure moment since, to a reply. I was gratified I assure you to hear of your good health and spirits and to receive an intimation of the changes which you contemplate making not only in the scene but in the nature of your business transactions hereafter. I sincerely hope that the result may prove that your calculations were well based and that you may net a handsome and satisfactory reward from the Enterprise which you have in view. You ask me, by the way, to give you an inkling of my views respecting this part of the world as a place for [?]tion and investment of the capital of mercantile men. Now, to one so little acquainted with the routine of the business of merchants, with the advantages and disadvantages which must attend them as well as any other class of men, as I am, and especially when the lack of information upon that subject is united with the limited and contracted observation of but a few months, it is a very difficult, if not an impossible thing to decide with much accuracy, or to give much that can be relied on as sound and valuable counsel. And I hope you will consider my deficiencies in these respects and not rely with too much confidence upon any thing that contravenes your own judgment. Such information as I can bestow I will give you cheerfully at all times, but I should never forgive myself, if, unconsciously, I should mislead you into difficulties and embarrassment.

First. With regard to the manner of coming out here, you judge rightly in my opinion to prefer the Isthmus to the overland route. It requires a strong constitution, and a vast amount of patience to make the latter trip with any thing like comfort; and there are equal chances that for the last fourth part of the way, any man will be half or wholly sick, half starved, quarrelsome, ill humored and out of all patience with the whole enterprise. 



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I had select companions, gentlemanly, generous fellows, one of whom was a very intimate friend and there was but one waggon in our "train". We travelled all the way alone and got along peaceably and pleasantly; which I suppose cannot be said of one waggon in each thousand of those that came through. Many quarreled openly and even fought out their difficulties with pistols and knives. The reason is easily given. Separated so long from all comforts, condemned to endless arid incessant performances of arduous duty, every body became more or less fretful. All are disposed to rid themselves of as much duty as possible, and the natural consequence is a "fuss". And once commenced it never terminates but with the journey unless the parties separate. But enough of this. Travelling by the Isthmus is now comparatively cheap and expeditious & if I should ever dare to advise a friend of mine to come to California I would point out that as the best route.

With regard to business after arriving here. "To make or not to make money, that is the question". Many have realised large fortunes by merchandising in California: of this there can be no doubt. But it is equally certain that large numbers have failed, probably in most cases from venturing beyond the bounds of prudence, and rushing into speculation. Every thing heard of has gone on and to
a great extent now still goes "by [?]" as the phrase is. That is, a project is started that promises to bring in large profits. Every body that hears of it drops every thing else and plunges into this. The "fortunate few" who first embarked, come out with splendid fortunes; the rest are swamped - smashed - mired. So it goes. Today flour is the hobby, tomorrow potatoes, next day beef, port, sugar, molasses -all have their times; and some lucky dog makes his fortune at each clash; but hundreds are losers by the same operation. If a man could judge with certainty the issue of the complicated and eccentric windings of mercantile affairs in this strange world could see far enough ahead to tell what would be the result of the operations of the next six months, then he might come here and with absolute certainty count upon the wealth of Croesus. But you know how hard this is for the shrewdest and most experienced merchant in the "old states" where business has been settled to a great extent for years and regularly flows in the same channels and at the same rate of progress that it has done ever since their boyhood. How much more difficult then to promise



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with any thing approaching to certainty, in this fevered land when the pulse of the community beats with no regular strokes, - when all is one continuous whirl of excitement, - an endless round of speculation. I think it highly probable that your chances for making money here would be fair and even tempting, could I unfold to you all the advantages and means, which could be used by the skillful merchant. But my plan would be to keep wholly on Safe Ground, - to dabble but little in speculation, and to trust to the old fashioned way of making a fortune by industry and attention to business. In my opinion, & I find it is the opinion of a good portion of our population, the day has passed for making fortunes in a week or a month or a year out of nothing but luck. Intellect and industry must now be brought to bear as in all other portions of the world, and from this time henceforth we may expect to see the state of things here gradually assimilating itself to that which exists in all the other states. This is upon the supposition that the richest of the "gold harvest" is over, and that the "oro" which is yet to be dug out of the earth will only be sufficient to supply the wants occasioned by the many deficiencies of California in other respects. For instance, with regard to her agricultural resources (which east of the mountains are the foundation of the wealth of every state), they have been in many, probably most, instances, over estimated. The climate is fine, the seasons favorable, the spring lasting 9 months in this valley, and almost every thing will grow here luxuriantly along the bank of the river, or where the land can be irrigated. But the difficulty is, there is so small a portion of it that can be cultivated at all. The most of the State is worth nothing save for grazing, mining or manufacturing purposes. The mines may not last long, as yet we have nothing to manufacture, and therefore these uses are reduced to that of grazing. On the whole, giving California all her dues I cannot think that she can hold out for more than a few years at farthest, claims which will surpass in any great [?] those of the flourishing and youthful Free states at home. Of course I may be mistaken. If new mines are discovered, which is possible, California is bound to keep ahead of the world! But this is guessing at the developments of the Future.

But there is a consideration which I would in no wise omit. In order to make money here, a person must have a constitution that will resist the influences of the climate. 



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I am not yet prepared to say whether California is healthy or unhealthy compared with the other states: for there have been causes enough here to produce sickness to a great extent without charging it upon the climate. The principal and most formidable diseases are diarrhea and dysentery. Of other complaints save perhaps bilious fever, I hear but little. And the great difficulty is in selecting those constitutions which best agree with the country; stout, robust men who were never sick a day in the States are often prostrated here with diarrhea for weeks; and those who seemed predisposed in the States to this disease find themselves free from it. Bryant, one of my messmates often told me that he had no fear of diarrhea in coming to Cal., that in Mo he was habitually	costive. In ten days after reaching
Sacramento he was taken with a severe diarrhea which soon became dysentery and though well attended and nursed, died in a week. Again, this morning at breakfast, a man told me he had been "locked up" ever since he came in, though inclined to a looseness of the bowels in the States. So it seems as if there were no criteria by which to judge who will enjoy the best health here.
But to be sick is ruinous - crushing. Prices are high and medical attention & medicine especially so. Here mankind shows all the selfishness of their nature, and unless a sick man has a good friend and a good purse to stand by him, he is pretty sure to go to the dogs. But enough of California. Now for myself etc.

I am practicing L-A-W law in this city with Jno M Glover, Esq, bro of [Samuel] G of your place. He got here in July via Matamoros and the Rio Grande, etc, went to mining - made several hundred dolls, - bought a mine claim, dammed it and when the waters ran off, "found the cupboard was bare"! Not a bit of gold in the whole claim! Broke & discouraged he strayed to the city in perfect disgust with mining, and finding me just arrived, looking for business, we agreed to try it together. The cholera which has just swept by carrying off 800 souls, put a stop to business of all kinds, so that we have done nothing to brag of, as yet. He has also been sick & unable to cooperate which of course has not bettered matters; but he is now convalescent and we hope for better times. We are by no means discouraged, but expect to wait, as all young lawyers must, a few weeks at least before doing a great deal.

I do not regret coming here, nor have I since I left home. My health has been good and as long as it continues so, I think I can "hoe my row"; but should I be taken sick, I expect I might be homesick more or less. This, however, Heaven forefend. [inserted at end of this paragraph:]PS Write soon; very soon! D'ye hear

Your visit to Pal[myra] & up the river must have been highly interesting, & your picnic to the Sulphur Springs enchanting beyond description. I almost wished, when I read to be back that I might enjoy the happy times I have had in Pal. over again. But then I thought I had not crossed the Sierra Nevadas for nothing & concluded to be patient. I may be back in the course of a few years, two, if I am successful, and then I will try to repay myself for the three weeks that I spent on the Humboldt River, drinking Saleratus water, and without provisions enough to satisfy my hunger. One time my supper was a slice of Raw Bacon & a table spoon of sugar! Wasn't that some? But I'll give you a fine account of my amusements some time. Meantime. Farewell. Your aff Brother Elisha.