[Letters to his father] [manuscript] : [written in San Francisco following a voyage on the sailing ship Louisa, from Sydney to San Francisco in 1849] / by Victor Hall. 1849.

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Hall, Victor. [Letters to his father] [manuscript] : [written in San Francisco following a voyage on the sailing ship Louisa, from Sydney to San Francisco in 1849] / by Victor Hall.

[Letters to his father] [manuscript] : [written in San Francisco following a voyage on the sailing ship Louisa, from Sydney to San Francisco in 1849] / by Victor Hall. 1849.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/224417169

Two letters written by Victor Hall to his father, following a voyage from Sydney to San Francisco on the sailing ship Louisa in 1849. The first letter is dated 5 October 1849. He describes seeing 300 ships at anchor in the bay, with all of their crews having left for the gold fields, or working on shore. He mentions his salary, and the price of goods. He describes getting to the goldfields beyond Sacramento, by water and then by foot. He has decided to stay in San Francisco where he is discharging cargo; with many well educated passengers doing labouring work. He refers to the price of timber; the problem of gambling; the prevalence of illness. The second letter is dated 4 November 1849, and he describes the conditions in San Fransicsco, with overcrowding, people living in tents, and the fog which leads to illness. He has a job with a German man who has a market garden. He refers to unsanitary conditions. He describes San Francisco and the bay and surrounding countryside and vegetation and livestock. Most houses are timber, or timber frames covered in canvas. He describes the Spanish and Chileans. He says that crime is much less prevalent than in the colonies. He tells his father that timber would be worth importing, and asks the price of gold, and the value of the American dollar in Sydney.

4 leaves ; 30 cm.

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