Kelsys August 15th 1852
Dear Wife
Its with feelings of Satisfaction that I am Permitted again to address You although not in the style I Should Like that is Not being Able to Send You what You Stand So much in Need of that is the Most that Troubles Me at this Time. We are enjoying Good Health & are Hard to work Digging & Heaving up Dirt to work as Soon as water Comes which will Not be until November or December & then I am in Hopes of Sending You Some often, as we Have Got a Good Claim & shall Have a Plenty of Dirt. I feel verry sorry to think I Have not been able to do it before this & am yet in Hopes that things will Out all right Yet if you Can only Keep up Good Spirrits & Not Get Discouraged. I Know its Hard to be So Long Seperated from those I Love So Dear, but when I Look around me & See thousands that Have been Here Since 1849 that Have familys at Home also & Have not Done Better than myself while others Have Made their Piles, Not such Piles as Your [...?] been afficted with, & now it occurs to me that I have Learnt of a Simple & Certain Cure for them in Case of your ever Trouble with that awfull Disease. Remedy, Tak a Clean piece of Common Cork a Bottle Cork & Burn it to Coal upon a Clean Shovel & then put in the Palm of Your Hand & Mix it up with Spittle & a few drops of Tallow from a Lighted Candle to a Salve, & apply it two or three Times will effect a Cure without fail. Its So Certain a Cure I thought I would Let You Know of it. Oh do you hear anything from Addeline. I Have not Had a Letter from Her for two or three mails. The Last She wrote Me if I Got Hard up to Call upon the Honl [?] John C. Wright at San Francisco & Draw on Her for whatever I wanted but I Have been Expecting to Get along without. I dont Know but I shall Go Down and See Him. Although it will Cost Me about fifty Dollars & its a Busy Time with us [...?] Now as we are Busy Ditching our Claim which if we are Spared & Have our Health we Shall do Something Handsome or at Least we are in Hopes, Hope on Hope Ever, & that Must be your Motto. I Shall be along their one of those days in flying Colors. I Have Not Seen any of Our Como folks verry Lately. I am right in the way of Seeing the most of the overland Emigration as they Are Getting in verry fast. I suppose We Dont [get?] Less than fifty Evry [sic] day & Converse with them in Hopes of Seeing Some from our way. They all report that Had a fine Time & No Trouble but they were a Hard Looking Set. I Can asure You, I sent by My Last Letter a verry Pretty Piece of Gold for a Pin weighing $ 3-25, which I hope you will Mention wether You Get them all. Since that Time a day or two Since I found another pretty Little piece which I shall enclose & when I found it upon Examination I thought I could see a Little figure which Mad [sic] Me think of Old Hette. Therefore it Must be Hettys for a Breast pin. I am obliged to Draw this to a Close Soon as the Express Leaves in a few Minutes. I Have Kept it open, for two Days in Hopes of Getting a Letter from You.
My Best Respects to all
in Hasten Yors [sic] for Ever
James M. Burr
[Next letter, August 27thth, 1852]