This letter was copied from a handwritten copy. The handwritten copy was received from Sara Leota Mutz, a granddaughter of Arthur Tyrrell. She copied it from a handwritten copy of the original she received from her Aunt Mary (Tyrrell) Pitcher, a daughter of Arthur Tyrrell.

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California
Rough and Ready Digings
Nov 2nd 1850

Respected friends

I once more take my pen to inform you that I am well and in good spirits at this time But I have had a hard run of the diareah I was taken about the same as I was the time I was sick at Charleses house it lasted me four weeks I was able to be up most of the time but was weak and could not work any and did not doctor much John Eustace was with me he & I have been to gather all the time since I left Mr Rice til I left him about two weeks ago at Auborn he was then well and calculating to winter there I have not heard from him since I went to Sacremento City calculating to go and find Mr Rice but had not bin out of the wagon five mintues til I met Holstad Townsand in the streat he told me his brother George and Ira Bowker was camped out of the City half a mile and I must go with him and stay all knight I was pleased to see them being the only ones I had seen of my old acquaintance they told me all about the folks that came from their settlement and ours as far as they knew I was sorry to hear that Miles and Marten had gone home and I had not seen them Lepper has gone to Oregon Hierum Leonard and George Foster they knew nothing about. I have not heard from Mr Lawrence The next day I went to the Post Office (it was the 22nd of Oct.) there I found a letter from home dated July 24th I was glad to hear you was all well I stayed at the City three days H. Townsand wanted I should drive his team to Rough and Ready as he was not very well I did not want to stay at the City

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any longer the Cholera was there verry bad and it is the filthiest stinkingest place I ever saw for a town when I arrived at Rough & Ready I found Pickering there he has bin verry sick he was not expected to live for a number of days he had fever and bowell complaint he is now up around the house some and doctor says out of danger if he is careful of him self I saw Pickering again yesterday he told me Oren Gray and his family was at Hangtown and Lewis Dow was about Sacremento the last he knew of him I also saw Uncle Ben (by ginger) and had quite a long chat with him he told me he hadent bin able to do a days work in the country his brother-inlaw was well I have not seen them Absolem Townsand is not at home I have not seen him I heard from him yesterday he is well

I allso heard from Babcocks Bentons Champions Hay and Haws they are to work on Uba River & all well since I have bin writing I heard that William Stainer had arrived in town yesterday he has burried his wife and one child on the road I hear there is lots on the road yet in the snow on the mountains I know how to pity them by sad experiance I have not made up my mind yet what I shall do this winter I talk some of working with old man Townsand and I think some of going to Philip Rices I have not heard a word from him since I left him last spring at Rolins Ranch near Los Angelos I see by the letter from you that they have burried their little boy I know nothing about it they was all well when I left them

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I am sorry I can not tell Julia Ann anything about Isaac but I supose he keeps her informed him self of anything of importance I see by the letter you think it a hard trip to California but it is the folks own fault that makes it so hard it is their craving dispositions for gold that causes the most of the trouble it is that causes most of the sickness on the road I believe, not making calculations right and driveing and starving along like mad men is all the cause of trouble. Miles and Millet will tell you all about the country I need not write that but I have seen some of the state that they have not and some they have seen I intend to see more of it yet if I have my health before I leave it as I said in my last letter thare is gold here and if a man is lucky he can git it I have not bin lucky yet. But I am not discouraged yet nor will not be if I have my health and I believe the country to be healthy the mode of living causes the bowel complaint both exposure and diet let people live in Illinois as they do here and I believe half of them would die I wate particulary to hear from Hierum and Leonard I have seen & heard from the most of the rest from that section of the country that I was acquainted with I shall look for Ben Parkers letter anxiously till I git it I could not make out where Nathan had moved to from Grand Detour on account of the word being blotted you send him my respects tell him to write to me to San Fransisco Write to him as soon as you receive this and allso write to me make all the inquiries respecting the country you can think of I shall know more about it then and can tell you better than now I will examine up one side and down the other and look at it impartialy and without prejudice so as to be

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prepared to answer you according to the best of my judgement. I am now tired and cannot think of anymore to write of importance I am far from you in respect to distance but my mind is there if my body is so far off my best wishes and hope is that I may meet you all again I would like to see you I could tell so much more than I can think to write I would like to see Henry and Eliza Ann tell them to be good children the baby I dont know what to say about him it is hard to be a stranger in my own family God forbid I ever shall be again after meeting them once more Give my respects to Mother and all others who inquire for me

Receive this from your friend and Well Wisher

Arthur Tyrrell

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