Gold Rush Era Letters

to have me accompany them, and make them a visit of a week or two at their mountain home. I wish I could do so but at present my business will not allow me to be absent from it, as Mr Noyes [Ephraim Noyes] and myself are now closely confined the whole time.

Sam [Samuel P. Tucker], and Chas. Wright [Charles Wright] are both well and look hearty and rugged. I think they both like the mines very well. Sam is fat, and does not look much as he did two years ago when he was here sick with the fever and ague, and I hope he will continue to enjoy good health so long as he remains in the country.

We have had a pleasant time for an hour or two past, here in my room, talking over matters and things connected with home.

Sam, Wm Shipley [William Shipley], Chas Wright [Charles Wright], William Keep, and myself, have been together, relating to each other, all the important items of news contained in our letters which we have read from our Eastern Friends of late, --- the different changes that have taken place around our homes, since we left them &c, and we all seem to think we should like to be in Massachusetts at the present time, for awhile if not always. It pleases us much however as long as we are absent from home, to receive letters from our friends there I assure you, and we hope we shall alwas [always] receive them regularly.

I learned the other day, that Jas. K. Bolles [James K. Bolles] left the "Revenue Cutter Jefferson Davis" at Puget Sound, and afterward shipped on board the Bark "Samuel Merritt" bound on a voyage to China. I do not know whether she will go from China to New York, or back here but I think she will come back here --

I inquire at the Port Office regularly for his letters, but have received none for him of late ----- If he did not write his uncle of his whereabouts, I which Charles would tell him what I have written you in relation to him, as he would probably be glad to know what had become of him -----

I have not heard one word from Sam Tucker John Griffin or Chas Wright [Charles Wright] for a long time, and cannot imagine why they do not write me oftener. I hear from Sam -- occasionally by way of J. A. who does not appear to heard from him very often only through his Mother. I suppose they keep putting off writing letters from one time to another until they almost forget their friends and then perhaps they feel ashamed to write, I hope to hear from them soon however -----

I receive papers from my friend William Keep quite often. He is located about 300 miles from here and is one of the proprietors of a newspaper called the Santa Barbara Gazette -----

[written on left margin:] Wednesday Sept 5th am as well as usual today. The steamer leaves tomorrow morning so this letter must be mailed tonight. I have written H. a few times and shall send C. two papers.

H.A.P. [Henry A. Parker]