Frémont and '49 : the story of a remarkable career and its relation to the exploration and development of our western territory, especially of California . f California was full of complications overthese land and mining claims. The Indians, too, resentedthe taking of their lands by the miners, and altogether thepeople of the old regime many a time must have lamentedthe day when the restless Americanos appeared; but beyondall have lamented the discovery of gold. Those delightful,dreamy days of the past; the life of the old Missions; thepadres; the sounds of vesper bells floating across tranqui
Frémont and '49 : the story of a remarkable career and its relation to the exploration and development of our western territory, especially of California . f California was full of complications overthese land and mining claims. The Indians, too, resentedthe taking of their lands by the miners, and altogether thepeople of the old regime many a time must have lamentedthe day when the restless Americanos appeared; but beyondall have lamented the discovery of gold. Those delightful,dreamy days of the past; the life of the old Missions; thepadres; the sounds of vesper bells floating across tranquilfields—all were gone forever. No more would they loiterby the threshold chanting the soft Spanish airs to the accom-paniment of the guitar. It was now Yankee Doodle andthe Devil take the hindmost. The world believes itselfgreater when it is in a hurry and making a noise. A feverish excitement prevailed; gambling, drunkenness,horse-racing, horse-stealing, claim-jumping, and disordergenerally. The days of 49 beheld here one of the mostreckless, heterogeneous societies ever brought together. In San Francisco [the late sleepy Yerba Buena], the number. o >• ,7-::^^^ »/sJ&^i^*^i: ^ Some Old Songs 429 of duels and personal encounters was prodigious. From the daythey disembarked the new arrivals found excitement. A monthwas a year; a week a month. Each day had its own history,both for the town and for individuals. The pleasures were reck-less, not tranquil, and no one had leisure to be courteous. Brawlsoccurred nightly. No one was arrested, no one warned, exceptperhaps by his enemy. ^ The town was largely ruled by the Sidney Ducks, agang of English convicts from Australia. Some of the songs originating in this period becamewidely known, and lingered in Western camps for decades;for the camper, prospector, and even the gambler, liked asong. As late as 1872, The Days of 4Q, was still a favourite,and I heard it daily simg nobly from the saddle by one ofour helpers, a young man w
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade19, booksubjectdiscoveriesingeography
