cams_HDudley_b13_F005_001_031

the afternoon, wages are high at carpenters get 12 to $15 per month day
the materials for a house 12 feet square ready to put up brings
800 to $1200.
Stopt at Bernecia which is a government
station saw several vessels were lying there, but very few buildings
most of the inhabitants living in tents

on the 4th at night we arrived at this place after working
our passage most of the way up the river in getting the ser off
the sand bars, and almost eaten up with mosquitoes.
For miles each side of the river the country is perfectly level
covered with rushes, or as they are called here (tooleys) some of
which measure 15 or 20 feet in length and are 1 1/2 inches in diameter
in the wet season this land is all overflowed with water
on the hills bordering the Bays as we came up we saw numerous
herds of cattle feeding among the wild oats with which the hills
were white.

We found a great many people
at Stocton, mostly living in tents.

Saw an evidence of sivilisations in a gallows) on which they hung a
man the day before we arrived, for Robbing, & murder.
We camped on the ground near the gallows and slept
soundly with nothing but blankets for a covering,
the Climat is delightful being entirely different from
San Francisco, warm days and cool nights
The place lies at the head of a small creek about three
miles from the San Joaquin the ground on which the
town is laid out is beautifuly situated being level and
shaded with numerous beautiful oaks which cover the country
for miles arround.

Sunday Aug 20

Last Monday we arrived here at what is called "Sullivans diggings"
which are on a ravene that empties into the Tualunie
river on the North side and about 15 miles from Stockton in
an Easterly direction. We left Stockton on Monday the 13th near sunset
there were about 40 in our company with three ox teams & waggons
on which were piled our baggage and
provisions for which we had to pay $25.00 per hundred lbs for
transportation from Stockton to this place

On Thursday the 16th we arrived at the Stanislaws river at
what is called Knights crossing, here we stoped
two nights, on one of which the kyotes as Indians
carried off our fry pan for which I gave them credit.
There were a company of 16 men at work here washing
for gold but found but little. What there is is fine and pure
didn't old Knights coffee & beans suffer some, and faith that
was about everything he had in the provisions line