remember his traversing the streets, with his stock in trade, crying at the top of his humorous voice: "Here is your own California candy! It has neither

He

come round the Horn, nor across the Isthmus-but is made in your own city; and none but WINN can make it. Here it is!-buy it-taste it, and try it!" Thus Mr. Winn began business. soon acquired sufficient means to pay off old debts, and open a small store. This, with all his capital, was destroyed by fire; but he persevered, and in despite of succeeding accidents and difficulties, is now doing a large and flourishing business. He has now a successor, or imitator in his early trade, in the person of a Frenchman, or the Turk, as he is called, who with tray and clapper, vends sweetmeats and candies through the streets, the accompanying illustration of whom will be readily recognized by every citizen.

Turk with sweetmeats.

No place in the world contains any thing like the number of mere drinking-houses in proportion to the population, as San Francisco. This, perhaps, is the worst feature of the city. The quantity of ardent spirits daily consumed is almost frightful. It is peddled out in every gambling-room, on the wharves, at almost every corner, and in some streets, in almost every house. Many of the taverns are of the lowest possible description-filthy dens of vice and crime, disease and wretchedness. Drunken men and women, with bloated bodies and soiled garments, crowd them at night, making the hours hideous with their bacchanalian revels. Americans and Europeans, Mexicans and South-Americans, Chinese and even negroes, mingle and dissipate together, furnishing

This was

a large amount of business for the police department and the recorder's court. Bad spirits are swallowed at from one to two shillings per glass, and the motley assembly sing, dance, quarrel, fight, gamble, pick pockets, and indulge in every manner of vulgarity, lewdness and obscenity, to the music of a broken tambourine, a cracked fiddle, or a tuncless organ. From these pitiful dens there is a gradual ascent, through every variety of grade of liquor-selling establishments, to houses of a highly respectable order. The Dutchman has his lager-bier cellar, the Frenchman his wine-room, the Englishman his pot-house, the politician his head-quarters, &c. The most of these drinking places, however, were but indifferently kept until, in March, 1852, Messrs. Barry & Patten opened a house in Mr. Brannan's fire-proof block on Montgomery street. This concern differed materially from all others of the kind in the city. The rooms were fitted up in the most superb and costly manner. Gambling was entirely excluded, and no lewd paintings decorated the walls. The lower floor was occupied as a bar-room and cigar stand. ornamented with chaste oil paintings, water-color pictures, and fine engravings in rich gilt frames. Splendid lamps and chandeliers lighted the saloon. The furniture generally was neat and handsome. Large mirrors were behind the bar, which was abundantly furnished with rich cut-glass and silver ware. The finest and most delicate wines and liquors only were kept, and all the fancy beverages that were ever conceived were here concocted, while an inviting free lunch was daily set upon the table. In no other city could be found a more attractive place of the kind. The second floor was a spacious billiard-room, containing a number of Thurston's celebrated English slate-bed tables. This house immediately became the resort of the most respectable gentlemen of San Francisco. The proprietors were gentlemen themselves, and their place was remarkable for its gentility. The expenses of this concern were enormous. The single article of ice alone, a small item, cost from fifty cents to a dollar a pound, and an immense quantity was consumed. Their rent was sixty dollars per day, and other expenses, exclusive of stock consumed in business, amounted to about one hundred dollars more. Still the conductors thrived and made money. Their house continues

to be among the most popular and respectable in the country. We notice it thus especially, because it was the pioneer establishment of the kind. Many others of a like character, among which are the Bank Exchange, Allen & Parker's, Fisk & Patten's, &c., &c., have since sprung into existence.

San Francisco may be especially noticed for its numerous places of amusement. This is attributable to the fact already named, that homes here were scarce, and people sought abroad for pleasures to compensate for the want of that domestic satisfaction and social intercourse to which they had been accustomed in a different condition of society. Indeed, constant excitement of some sort or other seemed essential to the endurance of life in California. Hence, the extensive patronage given to balls, concerts, operas, and theatrical entertainments. The gamblingrooms were formerly the chief places of resort; but as these became disreputable, other places were sought, of less objectionable character. Ten-pin alleys were consequently constructed, and billiard-tables set up in every part of the town. Of these there are now an immense number, and the extent of their patronage is astonishing.

The first Hotel deserving the name was erected in 1846, at the south-west corner of Clay and Kearny streets. This was the City Hotel," a view of which is given on page 346 of this book. It was a long, one-story adobe building, with a verandah running along the entire Kearny street front. Until after the discovery of gold, this was the only public-house of any note in San Francisco. Soon after that period it was turned into a gambling-house, and became a famous place of resort for miners and others visiting the city. It was subsequently divided into many apartments, which were rented for offices, stores, drinkingrooms, barber-shops, and similar purposes. It was destroyed, much to the regret of the early inhabitants,—who desired to have it preserved as one of the relics of the olden time,—by the fourth great fire that swept over San Francisco.

In 1849, many hotels were opened; but they were mostly of an inferior class, being little else than mere restaurants and lodging-houses. In this year the "Saint Francis," south-west corner of Clay and Dupont streets, was partially built, sundry

improvements being added in the following year. This was a singular specimen of architecture, the lofty structure being formed from some dozen or a score of small houses originally intended for cottages. This was the fashionable house of the day. Here the élite of the city either boarded, or were accustomed to congregate, and it became the theatre of many rare and amusing

St. Francis Hotel, corner of Dupont and Clay streets.

scenes. The chambers were separated by the thinnest sort of board partitions, without either lath or plaster, and consequently but little privacy could be enjoyed by the lodgers. These by whispering too loudly, or talking too plain, frequently and unconsciously gave their neighbors intimations of facts which it was not intended, and, indeed, which it was quite improper should be known abroad. Hence, the house soon became as remarkable for stories of laughable incidents, and even tales of scandal, as for its ridiculous aristocratic pretensions. The building, though one of the loftiest and most inflammable in the city, escaped all

the great conflagrations; but was at length partially destroyed by fire, on the morning of October 22d, 1853. On this occasion the firemen of San Francisco performed great feats of daring, and accomplished an astonishing triumph. The entire upper portion of the house was in flames when the fire was discovered, but the alarm was scarcely given before the firemen with their apparatus were on the ground. By means of ladders, and headed by their chief, Mr. Charles P. Duane, they carried their hose into the second story, and succeeded in preventing the furious flames from descending below, or communicating with the adjoining wooden structures. So rapid, however, did this fire progress in its destructive work, that several of the lodgers were forced to jump from the third story windows, while one man, Mr. J. C. Coleman, was burned to death.

The first really substantial and elegant hotel of the city was the "Union." This was a four-story brick building, with a front of twenty-nine feet on the east side of Kearny street, between Clay and Washington streets, and a depth of one hundred and sixty feet. It was constructed, arranged, furnished, and conducted as well as any similar establishment at that time in the United States. The cost of the building and furniture was $250,000. Messrs. John Middleton, A. A. Selover and E. V. Joice, were the enterprising projectors, builders and owners of this superb concern. The tables were supplied with every imaginable luxury, and the boarders were of the wealthiest and most respectable inhabitants and visitors of the city. This house, with its contents, was destroyed in the fire of May 3d, 1851, and although it has been rebuilt several times, after repeated conflagrations, it never resumed its original character. It is now occupied below as an extensive billiard-room and drinking-saloon, while the upper stories are divided into comfortable lodging apartments. It is a celebrated resort for all classes of politicians, and most of the schemes affecting the interests of the State and city are here concocted.

The Union was followed by several other "first-class” hotels, the principal of which were Jones's," at the corner of Sansome and California streets, and the "Oriental," at the corner of Bush and Battery streets. The former of these had but a