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Transcript: Stangroomletter18580617 [Page 1] Michigan Bluffs, Placer Co. 17th June 1858 Lost, strayed, or stolen! A family composed of 3 adults and 2 infants, last heard of at Geneva Switzerland, supposed from these mysterious and prolonged disappearances to have become the victims of some tyrannical plot and to have shared the fate of the other "suspects" anywhere within grabbing distance of the French frontier. When last heard of several of the members of this unfortunate family had been known to express strong opinions about tyrants, liberty, and so forth. Dearest Charly, Unless you want me to put something like the above in the papers with a note for especial enquiries to be made at Cayenne, you had better communicate with your humble servant. I expected you to be in England long before this time but I received today a letter from [Watt?] dated the 23rd April, where he had not heard anything of you. Have you been so long incarcerated that you find the prison walls the most agreeable [Page 2] shelter, or is the delay in flying to a more congenial clime merely caused by the difficulty of winding up Grandmama's affairs? I often let our canary out and am amused to watch his proceedings; I now amuse myself with conjectures as to your movements but can form none satisfactory to myself and hence my anxiety to hear from you a little oftener than every 2 ½ months. We are getting along slowly. Biler cries (grows fat), nurses, goes to sleep, wakes.[ ||:D. C. al. fin?] He is, however, getting to notice enough to enable us to amuse him, make him laugh for half an hour or so when he feels well, which is a great relief. His only trouble is wind, wind, wind, and when free from that he is a very good baby. His eyes have got "straight" and the only source of anxiety in the maternal [illegible] as regards external appearance now is the slight tendency of his hair to "carrots"; we will trust to age to sober that down. When well he is really a very bright and, in spite of his mouth and nose, almost a pretty child and as Mme [illegible] wrote to a friend speaking of her youngest: If you could only see his pretty blue eyes, he would make a fool of you as he has already made of me. (I have, however, 2 companions in my misfortune.) [Page 3] Emily is getting strong again, though slowly, and I do not expect her to be very strong as long as she has to nurse Young Dropsy. This whole state has run stark staring mad about Frazer River. Many thousands have already left and are leaving San Francisco at the steady rate of 400 to 600 per day. The consequence is that all business is stagnating, mining is at a standstill, it being difficult to obtain ordinary labour at $4 per day (many quartz mills have had to stop for want of men) and property cannot be sold for anything. There will of course be a reaction in a few months and I have no doubt some good speculations might be made now with money. From all accounts we have hitherto received, the District on Frazer and Thompson Rivers must be both rich and extensive, but it is equally apparent that the climate is too severe to allow the mines there to be advantageously worked for many months in the year, and the Indians are sufficiently numerous and powerful to give a great deal of trouble unless very judiciously managed. The idea of a lot of California miners (the rowdy class or say ½ of those who have gone) treating Indians [Page 4] with judgment at any time or with justice when they think themselves strong enough to impose on them is simply absurd, and there will no doubt be trouble. There is also a great deal of discontent and grumbling at the exclusive monopoly of all trade by the Hudson Bay Co., which they will probably find it very difficult to enforce, though I should not think that could lead to anything more than a little ill feeling between the 2 nations. If my business continues as dull during the summer as now, I have had some thoughts of making a trip up there over land with 2 or 3 others to "look round", but I should neither leave any profitable occupation here to go nor go with any intention of staying now, only if I should see any opening for practicing or for mining. I could go there early next season. Emily joins me in best love to Papa, Mama, Mat, Lucy and yourself. Write soon, Dear, and tell us all about your movements and believe me Your affectionate brother M. L. Stangroom