77
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(CALIFORNIA—LETTERS.) Staples, William C.
Gold Rush letter describing
the gambling dens and grog shops of San Francisco.
Autograph Letter Signed to
friend Zalman Sanford. 3 pages, 10 x 7
3
/
4
inches, on one sheet, plus postmarked address
panel on verso; minor wear.
San Francisco, 8 December 1850
[300/400]
William C. Staples (1832-1891) was a mariner from Westport, CT who worked his way to
San Francisco aboard the ship Mandarin. He describes the boom town to his friend: “What
surprises me most is the number of gabling saloons here. There appears to not be much else
carried on. The saloons are fitted up most splendidly, equal to any I ever saw in New York.
You can see men come down from the mines with 7 or 8 hundred dollars in gold dust in a bag,
throw it down on the table, and lose it by a throw of the dice. There are also plenty of grog
shops here, and also plenty of customers.”
78
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(CANALS.)
A Connected View of the Whole Internal Navigation of the
United States.
10 folding maps, with waterways traced in color. 8vo, original cloth-
backed boards, minor wear, spine label partly intact, moderate dampstaining; unopened,
except for a few pages somewhat crudely opened, otherwise internally quite nice.
Philadelphia, 1826
[2,000/3,000]
FIRST EDITION
.
“Leading early authority on the subject”—Howes A317. Though primarily
dealing with canals, rivers, and other inland waterways, an essay on the growth of railroads
appears on page 187. This work has been attributed to either George Armroyd or Matthew
Carey. Rink 4155; Sabin 2012, 10860.
78
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