Page:California Inter Pocula.djvu/96



as appeared  to  be  the  quasi  possession  of  Christ's sepulchre  ? The central  idea  of  the  Christian  cru- sades was fanaticism;  that  of  the  Plutonic  crusades was avarice. Which is  better  or  worse,  which  has done the  more  for  or  against  human  progress,  is  not here a  point  of  discussion. The question  is,  whether gold is  more  valuable  than  religion,  or  avarice  a nobler  passion  than  fanaticism  ? Has the  world  then grown no  wiser  nor  more  sober  iu  ten  centuries  ? Yet as in  the  mediaeval  crusades  great  benefits  from  great evils came,  so  in  the  latter-day  crusades  for  gold,  good will come  of  them ;  but  the  great  good  God  there- from designed for  man,  California  has  yet  to  tell.

First those  nearest  at  hand  felt  the  subtle  influence. The ox-team  of  the  emigrant  turned  toward  Coloma ; the trapper  left  his  peltries,  and  the  ranchero  his  herds, curious to  see  what  this  thing  should  mean. The excitement was  felt  by  the  devoted  Mormons, some of  whom  attempted  a  small  settlement  on  the Stanislaus, which  they  called  New  Hope,  and  immedi- ately they were  reconciled  to  digging  gold  as  if  by  gen- eral agreement. Sutter was  nearly  ruined  by  the  dis- covery. On the  instant  his  laborers  deserted  him almost to  a  man,  leaving  a  mill  unfinished,  and  all  his property exposed  to  the  depredations  of  the  rabble, which were  more  serious  than  those  of  the  natives had ever  been. They drove  off  his  cattle,  squatted on his  land,  and  then  combined  and  beat  him  in  the courts, when  courts  were  established. Marshall was swept away  by  the  tide.

Immediately following  the  discovery,  most  of  the provisions for  the  mines  were  obtained  at  Sutter's  fort ; then traders  went  to  Sonoma  for  supplies. One would think that  these  early  settlers,  with  leagues  of  land and thousands  of  horses  and  cattle,  and  of  native  la- borers, should have  reaped  a  harvest  from  the  gold crop. And so  they  did,  most  of  them,  at  first,  but  so strange  and  unprecedented  was  it  all  to  them  that they became  bewildered ;  gold  poured  in  upon  them