memoirs of general william t. sherman-1-第14部分

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I　remember　one　day；　in　the　spring　of　1848；　that　two　men；　Americans；　came　into　the　office　and　inquired　for　the　Governor。　　I　asked　their　business；　and　one　answered　that　they　had　just　come　down　from　Captain　Sutter　on　special　business；　and　they　wanted　to　see　Governor　Mason　in　person。　　I　took　them　in　to　the　colonel；　and　left　them　together。　　After　some　time　the　colonel　came　to　his　door　and　called　to　me。　　I　went　in；　and　my　attention　was　directed　to　a　series　of　papers　unfolded　on　his　table；　in　which　lay　about　half　an　ounce　of　placer　gold。　　Mason　said　to　me；　〃What　is　that？〃　I　touched　it　and　examined　one　or　two　of　the　larger　pieces；　and　asked；　〃Is　it　gold？〃　Mason　asked　me　if　I　had　ever　seen　native　gold。　　I　answered　that；　in　1844；　I　was　in　Upper　Georgia；　and　there　saw　some　native　gold；　but　it　was　much　finer　than　this；　and　that　it　was　in　phials；　or　in　transparent　quills；　but　I　said　that；　if　this　were　gold；　it　could　be　easily　tested；　first；　by　its　malleability；　and　next　by　acids。　　I　took　a　piece　in　my　teeth；　and　the　metallic　lustre　was　perfect。　　I　then　called　to　the　clerk；　Baden；　to　bring　an　axe　and　hatchet　from　the　backyard。　　When　these　were　brought；　I　took　the　largest　piece　and　beat　it　out　flat；　and　beyond　doubt　it　was　metal；　and　a　pure　metal。　　Still；　we　attached　little　importance　to　the　fact；　for　gold　was　known　to　exist　at　San　Fernando；　at　the　south；　and　yet　was　not　considered　of　much　value。　　Colonel　Mason　then　handed　me　a　letter　from　Captain　Sutter；　addressed　to　him；　stating　that　he　（Sutter）　was　engaged　in　erecting　a　saw…mill　at　Coloma；　about　forty　miles　up　the　American　Fork；　above　his　fort　at　New　Helvetia；　for　the　general　benefit　of　the　settlers　in　that　vicinity；　that　he　had　incurred　considerable　expense；　and　wanted　a　〃preemption〃　to　the　quarter…　section　of　land　on　which　the　mill　was　located；　embracing　the　tail…race　in　which　this　particular　gold　had　been　found。　　Mason　instructed　me　to　prepare　a　letter；　in　answer；　for　his　signature。　　I　wrote　off　a　letter；　reciting　that　California　was　yet　a　Mexican　province；　simply　held　by　us　as　a　conquest；　that　no　laws　of　the　United　States　yet　applied　to　it；　much　less　the　land　laws　or　preemption　laws；　which　could　only　apply　after　a　public　survey。　Therefore　it　was　impossible　for　the　Governor　to　promise　him　（Sutter）　a　title　to　the　land；　yet；　as　there　were　no　settlements　within　forty　miles；　he　was　not　likely　to　be　disturbed　by　trespassers。　　Colonel　Mason　signed　the　letter；　handed　it　to　one　of　the　gentlemen　who　had　brought　the　sample　of　gold；　and　they　departed。　　That　gold　was　the　first　discovered　in　the　Sierra　Nevada；　which　soon　revolutionized　the　whole　country；　and　actually　moved　the　whole　civilized　world。　　About　this　time　（May　and　June；　1848）；　far　more　importance　was　attached　to　quicksilver。　　One　mine；　the　New　Almaden；　twelve　miles　south　of　San　Jose；　was　well　known；　and　was　in　possession　of　the　agent　of　a　Scotch　gentle　man　named　Forties；　who　at　the　time　was　British　consul　at　Tepic；　Mexico。　　Mr。　Forties　came　up　from　San　Blas　in　a　small　brig；　which　proved　to　be　a　Mexican　vessel；　the　vessel　was　seized；　condemned；　and　actually　sold；　but　Forties　was　wealthy；　and　bought　her　in。　　His　title　to　the　quicksilver…mine　was；　however；　never　disputed；　as　he　had　bought　it　regularly；　before　our　conquest　of　the　country；　from　another　British　subject；　also　named　Forties；　a　resident　of　Santa　Clara　Mission；　who　had　purchased　it　of　the　discoverer；　a　priest；　but　the　boundaries　of　the　land　attached　to　the　mine　were　even　then　in　dispute。　　Other　men　were　in　search　of　quicksilver；　and　the　whole　range　of　mountains　near　the　New　Almaden　mine　was　stained　with　the　brilliant　red　of　the　snlphuret　of　mercury　（cinnabar）。　　A　company　composed　of　T。　O。　Larkin；　J。　R。　Snyder；　and　others；　among　them　one　John　Ricord　（who　was　quite　a　character）；　also　claimed　a　valuable　mine　near　by。　Ricord　was　a　lawyer　from　about　Buffalo；　and　by　some　means　had　got　to　the　Sandwich　Islands；　where　he　became　a　great　favorite　of　the　king；　Kamehameha；　was　his　attorney…general；　and　got　into　a　difficulty　with　the　Rev。　Mr。　Judd；　who　was　a　kind　of　prime…minister　to　his　majesty。　　One　or　the　other　had　to　go；　and　Ricord　left　for　San　Francisco；　where　he　arrived　while　Colonel　Mason　and　I　were　there　on　some　business　connected　with　the　customs。　　Ricord　at　once　made　a　dead　set　at　Mason　with　flattery；　and　all　sorts　of　spurious　arguments；　to　convince　him　that　our　military　government　was　too　simple　in　its　forms　for　the　new　state　of　facts；　and　that　he　was　the　man　to　remodel　it。　　I　had　heard　a　good　deal　to　his　prejudice；　and　did　all　I　could　to　prevent　Mason　taking　him；　into　his　confidence。　We　then　started　back　for　Monterey。　　Ricord　was　along；　and　night　and　day　he　was　harping　on　his　scheme；　but　he　disgusted　Colonel　Mason　with　his　flattery；　and；　on　reaching　Monterey；　he　opened　what　he　called　a　law…office；　but　there　were　neither　courts　nor　clients；　so　necessity　forced　him　to　turn　his　thoughts　to　something　else；　and　quicksilver　became　his　hobby。　　In　the　spring　of　1848　an　appeal　came　to　our　office　from　San　Jose；　which　compelled　the　Governor　to　go　up　in　person。　　Lieutenant　Loeser　and　I；　with　a　couple　of　soldiers；　went　along。　　At　San　Jose　the　Governor　held　some　kind　of　a　court；　in　which　Ricord　and　the　alcalde　had　a　warm　dispute　about　a　certain　mine　which　Ricord；　as　a　member　of　the　Larkin　Company；　had　opened　within　the　limits　claimed　by　the　New　Almaden　Company。　　On　our　way　up　we　had　visited　the　ground；　and　were　therefore　better　prepared　to　understand　the　controversy。　　We　had　found　at　New　Almaden　Mr。　Walkinshaw；　a　fine　Scotch　gentleman；　the　resident　agent　of　Mr。　Forbes。　　He　had　built　in　the　valley；　near　a　small　stream；　a　few　board…houses；　and　some　four　or　five　furnaces　for　the　distillation　of　the　mercury。　　These　were　very　simple　in　their　structure；　being　composed　of　whalers'　kettles；　set　in　masonry。　　These　kettles　were　filled　with　broken　ore　about　the　size　of　McAdam…stone；　mingled　with　lime。　　Another　kettle；　reversed；　formed　the　lid；　and　the　seam　was　luted　with　clay。　　On　applying　heat；　the　mercury　was　volatilized　and　carried　into　a　chimney…stack；　where　it　condensed　and　flowed　back　into　a　reservoir；　and　then　was　led　in　pipes　into　another　kettle　outside。　　After　witnessing　this　process；　we　visited　the　mine　itself；　which　outcropped　near　the　apex　of　the　hill；　about　a　thousand　feet　above　the　furnaces。　　We　found　wagons　hauling　the　mineral　down　the　hill　and　returning　empty；　and　in　the　mines　quite　a　number　of　Sonora　miners　were　blasting　and　driving　for　the　beautiful　ore　（cinnabar）。　　It　was　then；　and　is　now；　a　most　valuable　mine。　The　adit　of　the　mine　was　at　the　apex　of　the　hill；　which　drooped　off　to　the　north。　　We　rode　along　this　hill；　and　saw　where　many　openings　had　been　begun；　but　these；　proving　of　little　or　no　value；　had　been　abandoned。　　Three　miles　beyond；　on　the　west　face　of　the　bill；　we　came　to　the　opening　of　the　〃Larkin　Company。〃　　There　was　evidence　of　a　good　deal　of　work；　but　the　mine　itself　was　filled　up　by　what　seemed　a　land…slide。　　The　question　involved　in　the　lawsuit　before　the　alcalde　at　San　Jose　was；　first；　whether　the　mine　was　or　was　not　on　the　land　belonging　to　the　New　Almaden　property；　and；　next；　whether　the　company　had　complied　with　all　the　conditions　of　the　mite　laws　of　Mexico；　which　were　construed　to　be　still　in　force　in　California。

These　laws　required　that　any　one　who　discovered　a　valuable　mine　on　private　land　should　first　file　with　the　alcalde；　or　judge　of　the　district；　a　notice　and　claim　for　the　benefits　of　such　discovery；　then　the　mine　was　to　be　opened　and　followed　for　a　distance　of　at　least　one　hundred　feet　within　a　specified　time；　and　the　claimants　must　take　out　samples　of　the　mineral　and　deposit　the　same　with　the　alcalde；　who　was　then　required　to　inspect　personally　the　mine；　to　see　that　it　fulfilled　all。　　the　conditions　of　the　law；　before　he　could　give　a　written　title。　　In　this　case　the　alcalde　had　been　to　the　mine　and　had　possession　of　samples　of　the　ore；　but；　as　the　mouth　of　the　mine　was　closed　up；　as　alleged；　from　the　act　of　God；　by　a　land…slide；　it　was　contended　by　Ricord　and　his　associates　that　it　was　competent　to　prove　by　good　witnesses　that　the　mine　had　been　opened　into　the　hill　one　hundred　feet；　and　that；　by　no　negligence　of　theirs；　it　had　caved　in。　　It　was　generally　understood　that　Robert　J。　Walker；　United　States　Secretary　of　the　Treasury；　was　then　a　partner　in　this　mining　company；　and　a　vessel；　the　bark　Gray　Eagle；　was　ready　at　San　Francisco　to　sail　for　New　York　with　the　title…papers　on　which　to　base　a　joint…stock　company　for　speculative　uses。　　I　think　the　alcalde　was　satisfied　that　the　law　had　been　complied　with；　that　he　had　given　the　necessary　papers；　and；　as　at　that　time　there　was　nothing　developed　to　show　fraud；　the　Governor　（Mason）　did　not　interfere。　　At　that　date　there　was　no　public　house　or　tavern　in　San　Jose　where　we　could　stop；　so　we　started　toward　Santa　Cruz　and　encamped　about　ten　miles　out；　to　the　west　of　the　town；　where　we　fell　in　with　another　party　of　explorers；　of　whom　Ruckel；　of　San　Francisco；　was　the　head；　and　after　supper；　as　we　sat　around　the　camp…fire；　the　conversation　turned　on　quicksilver　in　general；　and　the　result　of　the　contest　in　San　Jose　in　particular。　Mason　was　relating　to　Ruckel　the　points　and　the　arguments　of　Ricord；　that　the　company　should　not　suffer　from　an　act　of　God；　viz。；　the　caving　in　of　the　mouth　of　the　mine；　when　a　man　named　Cash；　a　fellow　who　had　once　been　in　the　quartermaster's　employ　as　a　teamster；　spoke　up：　〃Governor　Mason；　did　Judge　Ricord　say　that？〃　〃Yes；〃　said　the　Governor；　and　then　Cash　related　how　he　and　another　man；　whose　name　he　gave；　had　been　employed　by　Ricord　to　undermine　a　heavy　rock　that　rested　above　the　mouth　of　the　mine；　so　that　it　tumbled　down；　carrying　with　it　a　large　quantity　of　earth；　and　completely　filled　it　up；　as　we　had　seen；　〃and；〃　said　Cash；　〃it　took　us　three　days　of　the　hardest　kind　of　work。〃　　This　was　the　act　of　God；　and　on　the　papers　procured　from　the　alcalde　at　that　time；　I　understand；　was　built　a　huge　speculation；　by　which　thousands　of　dollars　changed　hands　in　the　United　States　and　were　lost。　　This　happened　long　before　the　celebrated　McGarrahan　claim；　which　has　produced　so　much　noise；　and　which　still　is　being　prosecuted　in　the　courts　and　in　Congress。

On　the　next　day　we　crossed　over　the　Santa　Cruz　Mountains；　from