cams_rjboylan_b012_f003_014_1

Coulterville Cal. January 9th 1853

Dr [Dear] Wife, I write again, as usual every mail but owing
to the bad condition of the roads and unfavourable [unfavorable]
State of the weather it is quite uncertain, wheather [whether]
I shal [shall] be able to get the letter to Stockton, but I
cannot feel contented in my mind without writing
every mail. I have not received any letters from home
since the one dated Sept 24. I expect I have letters
in Sanfrancisco [San Francisco], but I am troubled to get them, no
express going beyond Stockton from here. I have not
heard from Dr Oatman [J. C. Oatman] since I last wrote to you, I have
no news to write in particular at least nothing verry [very]
cheering. We have had so far a verry [very] Stormy, rainy
season the streams are quite high provision[s] verry [very] high
and scarce prices, vrz, flour 65 cts. potatoes 37, sugar 50
ham 65 cts. bacon 65 cts. fresh beef none in the market, butter
1.25 lbs. molasses $3.00 pr. gall., owing to our living on the main
road and near town we watch when pack trains pass and
obtain a suply [supply] at present it costs us about two dollars
per man to live pr. day but that I would not mind if the
claim would pay good wages and loosing so much time by
bad weather makes it come pretty tight but I do not feel
any uneasiness for we can walk to Stockton in two or three
days and there find plenty and besides a friend of ours brought
us a quarter of good venison to day and says he hunts all the
time and will give us the preference to obtain all we want
we have as yet and probably will have provision plenty