ship by it.  When I saw the captain he was very humble.  He had all kinds of apologies to make, and invited me to go to China with him.  I could have the best state-room on his ship.  It should not cost me a dollar.  I could go around the world with him.  I saw that my speculation was ruined by their dishonesty, and there was no remedy, and, like all human events, that ended it, and I had to abandon my Sandwich Island expedition and throw my anticipated fortune from it to the winds.  Mr. Meighs, the one who failed and ran away to Chili, and built the railroad in that country from Valparaiso to its capital, and then organized a company and constructed railroads in Peru, had a lumber yard side of me.  I sold, after a while, my other six houses, one at a time, retailing them out, and, by careful management, just succeeded in saving my original capital.

I was satisfied with San Francisco, with my interest in the lumber yards, and with my partnership with Colonel Stevenson on the North Beach.  My interest in my brig, when it came down, and my prospective interest in what was to be the city of Toulom, and my associations with Mr. R., who was building the first brewery on the Pacific, which I was backing up with my indorsement, and I was to have one-third interest when it was completed, if I wanted it, at first cost, looked like a very favorable investment for me at that time.  I was living an active and enterprising life, with bright hopes of future fortune.  One morning when I went down to the North Beach I found there had been a house erected on our land in the night.  I, of course, informed the colonel at once.  He informed me it was a man by the name of Colton, who pretended to have a title under what he called the “Colton Grant,” and that it was bogus, and that he had the building erected to try and force his title.  The colonel said he would see the judge of the court in the city, and get an order for its removal.  In about two hours he sent a messenger with an order from the judge authorizing us to remove it.  He instructed me to employ all the men that were necessary, and have the material removed from the premises and he would pay the bill, which I did, and our title was not disputed after that.

I had never been on a trip to Stockton, and I had chartered the freight capacity of the brig to a man for $1,800.  He was to put in it all the freight he chose to.  I thought it would not be for his interest to overload it.  If the vessel sunk there was no insurance—­his cargo would be a total loss.  I had reserved the deck and the passenger room.  The conditions of the charter were that the freight was to be delivered in Stockton by a certain date or I was to forfeit the $1,800.  The freight was aboard; he had loaded the vessel deeper than I had expected.  I had a number of passengers at $15 each.  They were to furnish their own provisions, but to have the privileges of the cooking stove on deck.  The vessel was anchored out in the bay,