ainder, and
after a six months business career in California, he returned home ruined and well-nigh heart-broken. No wonder that some, their fortunes smitten to dust, predicted for the city the fate of Babylon, and fled from its portals as from the gates of Sodom. But notwithstanding the rapid succession of disasters, which in any other country under heaven would have seemed fatal, again and again the city rose from its ashes, and its people buckled on anew their battered armor.
Yet the spring trade of 1854 was good. It fell off as usual toward summer, when there were great complaints against insane and avaricious eastern shippers for glutting the market with goods. In August there was a revival in business and general prosperity throughout the state. Notwithstandmg the many destructive fires, building was active, and in the interior towns a better class of houses were erected than ever before. Marysville was specially lively at this time, and the coast towns from San Dleoo to PuiJ^et Sound — San Pedro, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Monterey, Eureka, Trinidad, Crescent City, Port Orford, and others began to show signs of progress.
At one of the sales of the state's interest in the cit}^ of San Francisco water lots, in October 1854, 132 lots were bid off to a certain person who subse- quently made two payments on account of the same in accordance with the terms of sale. At the proper time the purchaser presented himself before the auc- tioneers, the agents of the board of commissioners, prepared to make the third and final payment, to- gether with the usual commissions and a fair price for drawing up the deed. The agents for the sale of the state's interest refused to receive this last install- ment, unless the purchaser would pay them in addi- tion to their legal commissions $1,980 for making out the deed, being at the rate of fifteen dollars a lot for the 132 lots. Althoutjh but one deed for
