Fleeceington, Dec. 10, 18—.Gentlemen,—I arrived safely at the mines last evening, after rather a fatiguing journey by stage, and found, to my unspeakable amazement, that Uptosnuff had exhausted the vein, and that as no more deposites are to be found he had thought it advisable to abandon the mine. The tools, viz., four pickaxes, three shovels, and two wheelbarrows—rather dilapidated—the property of the company, I have put under shelter, to preserve them from the weather—subject to your order or disposal. The iron pump I should have removed also, but being rather heavy in the absence of the hands—who have gone back to their farms—I found it impossible to take in. It cannot, however, suffer from rust more than ten per cent., and as the original cost was but seventy dollars, the loss to the company will be inconsiderable. There is a trifle of two hundred dollars due, for boarding the hands, to the host of the “Roaring Lion,†who will forward you his account by this mail. As Uptosnuff and myself have suffered a great deal from anxiety, and exposure in the mines of the company, we deem it proper to seek a more genial clime. Any little complimentary remuneration which you may see proper to bestow on us, you will please enclose to Mr. Drawitwell, of the Hawk and Buzzard, to whom we are indebted for various little civilities, in the shape of breakfast, dinner and supper, for the past six months, and which no doubt the generosity of your complimentary donation will amply cover.Enclosed are “the original minutes.†Uptosnuff wishes to be rememberedbyyou. I join in the same prayer.Yours, as ever,Christian Grubemout,Pres’t.
Fleeceington, Dec. 10, 18—.
Gentlemen,—I arrived safely at the mines last evening, after rather a fatiguing journey by stage, and found, to my unspeakable amazement, that Uptosnuff had exhausted the vein, and that as no more deposites are to be found he had thought it advisable to abandon the mine. The tools, viz., four pickaxes, three shovels, and two wheelbarrows—rather dilapidated—the property of the company, I have put under shelter, to preserve them from the weather—subject to your order or disposal. The iron pump I should have removed also, but being rather heavy in the absence of the hands—who have gone back to their farms—I found it impossible to take in. It cannot, however, suffer from rust more than ten per cent., and as the original cost was but seventy dollars, the loss to the company will be inconsiderable. There is a trifle of two hundred dollars due, for boarding the hands, to the host of the “Roaring Lion,†who will forward you his account by this mail. As Uptosnuff and myself have suffered a great deal from anxiety, and exposure in the mines of the company, we deem it proper to seek a more genial clime. Any little complimentary remuneration which you may see proper to bestow on us, you will please enclose to Mr. Drawitwell, of the Hawk and Buzzard, to whom we are indebted for various little civilities, in the shape of breakfast, dinner and supper, for the past six months, and which no doubt the generosity of your complimentary donation will amply cover.
Enclosed are “the original minutes.†Uptosnuff wishes to be rememberedbyyou. I join in the same prayer.
Yours, as ever,
Christian Grubemout,Pres’t.
To the Directors, Stockholders, etc.
P. S. Please ask Jones to think of us. Not that it is any of our business, but would like to know whether he ever divided with Wilkins—it would be civil, you know. Regards to the Bulls. Uptosnuff says ditto to the Bears, for there is no knowing when one may want a friend, and civility costs nothing.
C. G.
Minutes, First Meeting.—At a large and enthusiastic meeting of the joyous and delighted inhabitants of the charming and romantic village of Fleeceington, held at “The Hawk and Buzzard Hotel,†to elect officers for the newly discovered, freshly chartered, and highly valuable and productive Copper Mine, just incorporated by an act of the Legislature, under the name, style and title, to wit:
“The Grand Open Sesame and United Catchem Copper Mining, Crushing, Stamping, Pumping and Smelting Company,â€Christian Grubemout, Eliakim Uptosnuff, J. Drawitwell, T. Crispin and John Smith, the original incorporators of the Company, after regaling themselves, proceeded to the election of officers, and knowing that in the goodly city of Philadelphia there were a number of persons by the names of Jones, Brown and Green, and not a few Sharps and Flats, they, in order to avoid giving offence, placed in a hat the whole of the names, as above, found in theDirectory, (significant of the office they were to hold,) and drew the following first three names, A. Jones, B. Flat, C. Green,directingthem to supply vacancies, and to fill additions to the numberof five; adding in the meanwhile the names of the first two corporators, asex-officiodirectors, to conduct silently the operations of the mines, and to enlighten the others as to the true plan of working copper-mines profitably and efficiently.(Signed)          C. GRUBEMOUT,Pres’t.E. Uptosnuff,Sec’ry.
“The Grand Open Sesame and United Catchem Copper Mining, Crushing, Stamping, Pumping and Smelting Company,â€
Christian Grubemout, Eliakim Uptosnuff, J. Drawitwell, T. Crispin and John Smith, the original incorporators of the Company, after regaling themselves, proceeded to the election of officers, and knowing that in the goodly city of Philadelphia there were a number of persons by the names of Jones, Brown and Green, and not a few Sharps and Flats, they, in order to avoid giving offence, placed in a hat the whole of the names, as above, found in theDirectory, (significant of the office they were to hold,) and drew the following first three names, A. Jones, B. Flat, C. Green,directingthem to supply vacancies, and to fill additions to the numberof five; adding in the meanwhile the names of the first two corporators, asex-officiodirectors, to conduct silently the operations of the mines, and to enlighten the others as to the true plan of working copper-mines profitably and efficiently.
(Signed)          C. GRUBEMOUT,Pres’t.
E. Uptosnuff,Sec’ry.
The cleverness and explicitness of the whole transaction showed that it hadbeen doneneatly; and the Directors with singular unanimity felt themselves included in the operation.
There can be no doubt that Grubemout and Uptosnuff are among the “placers†in California. The one being undeniably the man who sold the two barrels of brandy, by installments of a thimblefull at a time, for $14,000—the other, with positive certainty, we aver to have been the man who “confidentially†communicated the followingitemto the newspaper press, and he must have been there to have seen it:
“HTheBiggest Lump Yet?—The following is about the latest news from the gold diggins that we have seen recorded in the ‘papers:’ A runaway soldier is said to have discovered a lump or a rock of gold that weighed 889 pounds and 11½ ounces; he was afraid to leave it, and mounted guard upon it, and at the latest dates he had sat there 17 days; had offered $27,000 for a plate of pork and beans, but had been indignantly refused, and laughed at for the niggardliness of his offer, by parties going further on, where this article was said to bemore abundant!â€
“
HTheBiggest Lump Yet?—The following is about the latest news from the gold diggins that we have seen recorded in the ‘papers:’ A runaway soldier is said to have discovered a lump or a rock of gold that weighed 889 pounds and 11½ ounces; he was afraid to leave it, and mounted guard upon it, and at the latest dates he had sat there 17 days; had offered $27,000 for a plate of pork and beans, but had been indignantly refused, and laughed at for the niggardliness of his offer, by parties going further on, where this article was said to bemore abundant!â€
Jones is among the lame ducks, and pretty roughly plucked at that. But he still avers that if the furnaces had only paid a good price for the ore at the outset, or Wilkins had only helped him to sustain the market when he asked him, he should have been the master of a pretty snug little fortune. If he only had itnow, he would charter a steamer, and take his own freight and passengers for the gold mines.
The Hawk and Buzzard appears to have been “pidgeoned,†for the last time I passed that way the house was shut up. The business having amused itself by stepping over to the Roaring Lion, while the Hawk and Buzzard had flown to the city, “to watch the market.â€
Crispin “would only like to have one of those fellows tied for a while, until he had expressed his opinion on him with a stirrup.â€
Smith appears to be solicitous to “make them intimately acquainted with the red-hot end of a poker—he’dsmelt’em,dam’em, andcrush’em too!â€
The “Dam,†the “Drift,†the “Cross-Cut,†the “Iron Pump†and the “Adate,†you can see as you go wood-cock shooting next August—but the “Steam-Engine†and the “Mill-Wheel†never arrived, owing to some informality in the order given to the mechanics.
“The Crusher,†it is supposed, is in California with its friends.
G.R.G.
ADIEU, MY NATIVE LAND.
WORDS BY D. W. BELISLE.
ARRANGED FOR THE PIANO, BY JAMES PIPER.
My native land adieu;Ye blooming, sunlit hills,Ye mountains tipped with blue,And lovely, dancing rills,My
My native land adieu;Ye blooming, sunlit hills,Ye mountains tipped with blue,And lovely, dancing rills,My
My native land adieu;
Ye blooming, sunlit hills,
Ye mountains tipped with blue,
And lovely, dancing rills,
My
heart is sad to part with scenes like you,Ye much loved haunts of youth, adieu, adieu.
heart is sad to part with scenes like you,Ye much loved haunts of youth, adieu, adieu.
heart is sad to part with scenes like you,
Ye much loved haunts of youth, adieu, adieu.
SECOND VERSE.Sweet Memory, how my soulBeats at thy magic touch!’Tis strange that thy controlCan make us bear so much;For, while my thoughts in sadness turn to you,My heart in silence breathes a fond adieu!
SECOND VERSE.Sweet Memory, how my soulBeats at thy magic touch!’Tis strange that thy controlCan make us bear so much;For, while my thoughts in sadness turn to you,My heart in silence breathes a fond adieu!
SECOND VERSE.
Sweet Memory, how my soul
Beats at thy magic touch!
’Tis strange that thy control
Can make us bear so much;
For, while my thoughts in sadness turn to you,
My heart in silence breathes a fond adieu!
Transcriber’s Notes:
Archaic spellings and hyphenation have been retained. Grammar has been maintained as in the original. Punctuation has been corrected without note. Other errors have been corrected as noted below. For illustrations, some caption text may be missing or incomplete due to condition of the originals available for preparation of the ebook.
Page 217, in the “Scientfic Halls,†==> in the “ScientificHalls,â€Page 219, and platted his long ==> andplaitedhis longPage 219, nicely platted queues ==> nicelyplaitedqueuesPage 222, courtiers whom Là ==> courtierswith whomLÃPage 222, assidiouslyrubbing his==>assiduouslyrubbing hisPage 224, I hav n’t it ==> Ihaven’titPage 225, has no othe ==> has nootherPage 227, to entercept the ==> tointerceptthePage 227, below. Unforfortunately, the ==> below.Unfortunately, thePage 236, many rejuvinated forests, ==> manyrejuvenatedforests,Page 238, and wild-geraneum flowers ==> andwild-geraniumflowersPage 239, fair daugher of the ==> fairdaughterof thePage 241, be poweful to cheer ==> bepowerfulto cheerPage 244, fly-leaves was writen ==> fly-leaves waswrittenPage 251, was therefor, and ==> wastherefore, andPage 254, free and unbiassed ==> free andunbiasedPage 256, beloved and rewared ==> beloved andrewardedPage 269, T’is hence that ==>’Tishence thatPage 275, Havn’t they got ==>Haven’tthey gotPage 276, number off five; ==> numberoffive;Page 276, The Bigest Lump ==> TheBiggestLump
Page 217, in the “Scientfic Halls,†==> in the “ScientificHalls,â€
Page 219, and platted his long ==> andplaitedhis long
Page 219, nicely platted queues ==> nicelyplaitedqueues
Page 222, courtiers whom Là ==> courtierswith whomLÃ
Page 222, assidiouslyrubbing his==>assiduouslyrubbing his
Page 224, I hav n’t it ==> Ihaven’tit
Page 225, has no othe ==> has noother
Page 227, to entercept the ==> tointerceptthe
Page 227, below. Unforfortunately, the ==> below.Unfortunately, the
Page 236, many rejuvinated forests, ==> manyrejuvenatedforests,
Page 238, and wild-geraneum flowers ==> andwild-geraniumflowers
Page 239, fair daugher of the ==> fairdaughterof the
Page 241, be poweful to cheer ==> bepowerfulto cheer
Page 244, fly-leaves was writen ==> fly-leaves waswritten
Page 251, was therefor, and ==> wastherefore, and
Page 254, free and unbiassed ==> free andunbiased
Page 256, beloved and rewared ==> beloved andrewarded
Page 269, T’is hence that ==>’Tishence that
Page 275, Havn’t they got ==>Haven’tthey got
Page 276, number off five; ==> numberoffive;
Page 276, The Bigest Lump ==> TheBiggestLump