he squatted there with his tent, that he could find no person who
claimed the land. He had been there but a few days, when some parties
came to him and offered to give him so much a month for the privilege of
putting up their tent near his. He said he had no objections. They paid
him. Then other parties who wanted to put up their tents were referred
to him. From these various persons he was getting a very liberal income.
He informed me that as long as it lasted, he was in no hurry to go to
the mines.


THE CLIPPER SHIPS.

About this time was the first appearance of the celebrated clipper
ships. They anchored off of Happy Valley and attracted great attention;
they could make the trip around Cape Horn from New York to San Francisco
in three or four months; they run wet; their bows were very sharp, and,
in a rough sea, instead of mounting the waves, they cut them, and the
bows ran under water, and their progress was not impeded by the waves,
saving two or three months' time, which was of great consideration then.
There was no railroad across the Isthmus then, and there was no other
way of transporting freight between the cities of New York and San
Francisco except around Cape Horn. They had great fame then. England
conceded their superiority over all other sailing vessels for speed; but
they have passed away, the railroad reducing the time to from five to
eight days; of course, there is a great difference between that and
three or four months. The days of sailing vessels, however great their
speed, to a great extent, is gone. Besides, there are regular lines of
steamers to most every port of the world, and the ocean is covered with
tramp steamers.