and there! and yonder! and beyond! There
are fifty millions of gallons a-day!"

He paused a moment; then added, "My
dear Mr. Beverage do you see this?"

"I do! I do! venerable River-god!" I
exclaimed. "Fifty millions of gallons of pure
spring water a-day! There's tea, and
salubrious drinks, and wholesome cooking for all
London at last! No more emulsion of dead
dogs and what-not—no more Water Company
monopolies—no more qualms of nose and eye,
and others to follow within—but water, such
as Nature intended man to drink, not only
savage man, but civilised man, too, if he will
but have the sense to value the blessing.

"I breathe fresh life," ejaculated the River-
god, devoutly; "I rejoice In my civilisation,
and in the science that will govern it, when
Thames, being free of his pollutions, shall be
himself again!"

CHIPS.

A WOMAN'S EXPERIENCE IN CALIFORNIA.

The voice of one of the fair sex has not yet
been heard from the land of gold; but, we are
now able to print extracts from a letter written
by a young woman resident there, to her sister.
She is married, and first went out, it would
appear, with her brother, to New Zealand, in
the service of a family whose fortunes she, her
husband, arid her brother, followed to Stockton,
in California. The epistle is dated in
August, 1849. "Dear Rachael," it begins,
"You see we have arrived at the very place
that Christopher read to you and me about, in
one of the London papers. At the time he
read it, you know, I said I did not believe in
it; but I only wish we had come here twelve
months sooner; we should have saved a
fortune. This is indeed a money-making
place, if a person will work. You will be
surprised to know how much money we can
earn. I do my own work, and the washing
and cooking for Mr. T. and Mr. S., and draw
from eight to ten pounds per week, which is
a great deal for a woman to do; but if I had
any one to help me, I could do treble the
work I now do. I have refused a great deal
of good work; and to get a woman or girl
here to help me—I may as well look for a
needle in a bottle of hay. Now, my dear
sister, all I want is your consent to come
here to us. Brother and Mr. T. have long
since advised me to send for you; and we
would open a shop—go to San Francisco to
buy our goods, haberdashery, &c.—and you
would soon see the money we should make!
I would open a shop now, only I have so
much work, I could not manage it myself. I
don't suppose you are married; but if this is
the case, and you come here, you would soon
make a fortune, there is so few females here.
I am treated with the greatest respect by the
gentlemen; as they say it is such a treat to
talk to a lady, and particularly to an English
lady. They touch their hats, And shake
hands with me, and treat me as though I
was quite the lady. 'Madam' is a vast
word when they speak to me. I never was
treated with more civility in my life.

"We have done as well or better than any
who came out in our ship. We intend staying
in this country, if we are spared, for some
time, as we are doing well; and should we
make much money, we intend going to New
Zealand, as we like that, much, for cheap
living, though we may change our minds.
We have never yet wished ourselves back in
England; though, at the same time, we should
very much like to see you all, and often wish
you here. We are only thirty miles from the
gold diggings; I have had several pieces of
gold in my hand, and expect to have some
more soon."

The brother, in another letter, gives a glowing
account of the labour market; and corroborates,
—by way of per contra,—all that has
been hitherto stated as to the high prices of
food and rent:

"I am working at the carpentry, and get
twelve pounds per week, and L. (the sister)
gets more than I do some days; but our
intention is to go into some kind of business
shortly. Provisions are dear here, but
not so dear in proportion as in England,
considering the price we are paid for labour;
but all sorts of labour is so well paid, that a
man will hardly open his mouth under a
dollar. Some chickens was sold here on
Saturday last, at three pounds per couple;
eggs, new-laid, two shillings each; milk, two
shillings per quart; butter, four shillings per
pound; cabbages, four shillings each;
cucumbers, one shilling each; but potatoes are
a penny per pound though they have been
a shilling; onions, five shillings per pound;
good beef, tenpence; flour, fourpence; tea,
four shillings; sugar, one shilling; coffee,
three shillings; veal, one shilling; mutton,
two shillings; hams, one shilling and six-
pence; dried apples, two shillings; and other
dried fruits about the same. House-rent,
extravagantly dear; a small, one-roomed
house, two pounds per week; and in some
parts of the town, the ground-rent is twelve
to twenty pounds per week."

The kind of lodgings made shift with, to
avoid such high rents, is thus described:

"We have a large tent, which Mr. T. had
made in New Zealand. It is put up in a large
field, free of expense; it is twenty-four feet
long, and sixteen feet wide, and is very
comfortable. As we have no rain here for six or
seven months, living in a tent is not inconvenient;
but we intend to have a nice house
before winter sets in."

In urging his sister to join them, he
continues:

"We do not know whether you are married
or not, but if you are, we hope you are both
well and happy. If you were here, you could
save as much money in one month as you