John Tyler, Sherwood Forest, Charles City County, Virginia, to Col. David L. Gardiner, [Sacramento, Calif?]

Sherwood Forest April 3rd 49 My Dear Col, I suppose that you have fairly gotten rid of Mexico and Mexicans and are gazing with wonder and I hope with delight on the golden treasures of El Dorado. The last accounts which have reached us left you at Jalapa, and unless some Signorita the proprietress in her own right, of some rich Mexican mine, has persuaded you that she had treasures equal to those of California and that they were all at your disposal I take that this letter will find you in your slouched hat and Miners dress among the placers of the Sacraments. How great would be my pleasure if with the magic power of Asmodeus I could translate myself to your side just at the moment you had snatched from the rocks a wedge of gold of the weight of 20 oz's. You would sing the words of "Oh Susanna" and I would join most lustily in the chorus. I hope that your journey is terminated in good earnest, and that you are reaping a rich reward for all your toils and privations. We are all here extreme ly anxious to hear from you the full nar rative of your journey and your etchings by the way side. We shall look for accounts "of forests wild and [?] deep" and altho we do not ex pect to have repeated the tales of Othello to Desde mona "of the Anthropophagi whose heads do grow beneath their shoulders and who eat each other" yet we are quite curious to learn something of the manners and customs of those distant people who look out upon an ocean as broad as our own Atlantic, particularly are we interested in knowing something of the great mass who have gathered to the gold regions, and some veritable account of the Country itself. Is it all that it has been represented to to be, or has prose usurped the place of poetry and dealt in fiction? Let that turn out as it may you see "the Elephant" and acquired additional knowledge of the world. There will be some compensation in this if in nothing else. You took us wholly by surprise in your trip and many exclamations went up from every lip when it came to be announced to us. Nothing of any interest has transpired in this dull region since you left us in Decem ber. Julia, Alice, and myself with the children took a trip to Richmond the last of March, to relieve the mo notony of life and remaind a week. We were feasted without limit at dinners and evening parties attending sometimes two of an evening. On the last of our stay Julia and myself din'd at the Governor's who is the son of the most sincere friend I ever had in public life, and who formerly filld the office now held by the son. He had at dinner a large company and Julia was in her glory. The company at her end of the table consisted of most of the first men in Richmond and she seemd to have exacted adulation from all. I was more quietly seated at the other end of the table and had a pleasant time in conversing with Mrs. Floyd the Governor's wife, who is possessed of a highly intelligent and cultivated mind. From thence we went to Judge Halliburtons (the Judge of the U.S. District Ct.) and the evening finishd off with music and dancing. The next morning we returned home, and my business since has been to hasten on preparations for corn planting. Corn planting at 40 cts per bushell after all charges paid to be mentiond to a gold digger of the Snow Mountains! Why one plunge of your spade and one blow from your mattock realizes more wealth than a whole year of farming. I hope at least that with you and Mr. Beeckman it may so turn out. May we not hope often to hear from you? I might prolong my letter by telling you of the green cast of our fields, which the spring has already thrown over them. I never saw the crops of wheat so full of promise. With politics you know I have but little to do, but I cannot withhold my deep detestation of a Congress which could so far forget what was due to this great people as to adjourn without giving law or government to Cali- fornia and New Mexico. My hope it that you will all organize a government with out delay and send in your Constitution to Congress by the 1. Dec[ember] next. Thus you will disappoint the men of the seven principles, the two loaves and five fishes, and add new security to our happy union. All here are quite well and our two fine boys "grow apace"- and all unite in wishing you every blessing and no one more cordial ly than Y[ou]rs Truly & faithfully John Tyler P.S. Should you fall in with that gallant fellow General Riley, an old friend of mine, do make him my compliments. After telling him who you are I doubt not that you will find him in every way friendly. J. Tyler