Lieutenant Loeser and I, with a couple of soldiers, went along.

At San Jose the Governor held some kind of a court, in which Ricord and the alcalde had a warm dispute about a certain mine which Ricord, as a member of the Larkin Company, had opened within the limits claimed by the New Almaden Company.

On our way up we had visited the ground, and were therefore better prepared to understand the controversy.

We had found at New Almaden Mr.Walkinshaw, a fine Scotch gentleman, the resident agent of Mr.Forbes.

He had built in the valley, near a small stream, a few board-houses, and some four or five furnaces for the distillation of the mercury.