Manuscripts
Eben Chapman letters to Eben Hunt
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Eben Chapman letter to Eben Hunt
Manuscripts
Chapman writes that he has heard no news from home, and that a bank draft he sent to his wife was returned. He has found gold in California but not as much as he expected. Of California, he writes, "For the timid here is no place, he that would do well here must have courage," and describes the many plights of the miner. he also asks for Hunt's help regarding a debt owed him.
mssHM 4196
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Documents relating to New Spain
Manuscripts
In HM 4058, de Gálvez discusses military relations and the prospects of farming in Sonora. Dated 1771, July 20 - August 30. HM 4059 is a list of expenses for the exploration of New Spain, dated 1773, September 20. HM 4060 concerns an upcoming visit of the Inspector General, dated 1773, September 20. In Spanish.
mssHM 4058-4060
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Robert Wyman Butterfield letters to Elsie Wyman Butterfield
Manuscripts
Robert Wyman Butterfield writes five letters to his mother, Elsie Wyman Butterfield, describing his journey to California aboard the ship "North American" and his experiences upon arrival. HM 47858, dated August 23-September 5, 1852, contains details of Butterfield's ocean journey to California around Cape Horn, including lengthy and detailed descriptions of Cape Horn and Valparaíso. At the end of the letter, he has reached San Francisco, and plans to go to the mines. In his next letter (HM 47859, written 1852, September 26), Butterfield is in Sonora, searching for gold, and he writes of his journey to that place from San Francisco. The third letter, dated 1852, October 10, is HM 47860, and Butterfield and his companions have built themselves a cabin they call "The Gold Hunter's Mansion," and the bulk of the letter consists of its description. He is excited about his prospects for mining, though he understands that "the time has passed for acquiring great wealth." HM 47861 (dated 1853, May 30) contains Butterfield's description of California bachelors, and how he and his companions bake bread. The final letter in this series, HM 47862, written 1853, September 17, finds Butterfield still in Sonora, and his experiences attending church. He worries that letters written by and meant for him have been lost in transit. Also included with this letter is a one-page typescript obituary of Caroline A. Butterfield Brown.
mssHM 47858-47862
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George Bruce Upton letters to his father
Manuscripts
This is a series of nine letters written by George Bruce Upton, Junior, to his father, describing his journey to California and his experiences therein. The first two letters, HM 24681 and 24684, were written in February and April, 1852, while the younger Upton was en route to California aboard the ship "Great Britain." By the next letter (HM 24683, dated April-May, 1852), the ship has landed at San Francisco. HM 24684 (written May 31) sees George Junior in San Francisco, attempting to order goods for the opening of a store. In the next letter, (HM 24685, dated June 15), he travels to gold mines out of curiosity, and to check on an acquaintance, whom had gone there to search for gold. Putnam, the would-be miner, was found not doing well. George Junior likes what he has seen of San Francisco, though he is not enamored with its government. HM 24686, written in San Francisco on November 15, tells of a fire in Sacramento that, according to Junior, will "enhance the value of almost every description of merchandise" in San Francisco. The rest of the letter is concerned with the shipping and prices of goods, and details of the purchasing of a boat and insurance. The next letter in the series is dated January 15, 1854. George Junior is living in a shared house in San Francisco, and he writes "the city has improved wonderfully." The following letter was written May 31, 1854 (HM 24688) and contains George Junior's description of his visit to gold mines, and his own successful attempts at panning and digging. He also mentions quartz mining as a potential and relatively untapped source of revenue. In his opinion, he considers "the idea of the mines giving out, in the usual acceptance of the expression, as highly improbable." The final letter in this series is HM 24689, alleged to have been written in San Francisco in 1854, as only the final eight pages of the twelve-page letter remain. George Junior reports that "the mining population has diminished greatly," and that the market for goods has also fallen. He worries about the long-term prospects of San Francisco, despite its rapid growth during his stay there.
mssHM 24681-24689
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Domingo Faustino Sarmiento letters to Benjamin Apthorp Gould
Manuscripts
In these letters to Gould, an American astronomer who founded the Argentine National Observatory and National Weather Service, Sarmiento discusses details of astronomy and of the Observatory. He also writes of political details, requests to be sent new and recent books on American foreign and domenstic policy, and is pleased to collaborate with Gould. HM 29259 is dated 1872, November 23; HM 29260 is dated 1877, February 28, and HM 29261 is dated 1885, May 17. In Spanish.
mssHM 29259-29261
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Documents regarding mining in California
Manuscripts
These five manuscripts deal largely with mining practices in California. HM 16583 is a letter to Fray Vicente de Mora, dated March 14, 1775, and is undersigned by several missionaries. HM 16584 (May 29, 1775) contains instructions regarding a decree regulating the prices of goods such as silver and gold. HM 16585-16587 (dated July 26 and November 17, 1780 and March 1, 1781) are letters to Joaquín Cañete that discuss details of mining.
mssHM 16583-16587