Sherwood Forest, Virginia
Dec. 7th. 1849

My Dear Col:
Your letter along with the
newspapers reached us in due course and I 
need not express to you the pleasure which your
letter afforded us. The future destiny of California
is too plainly written to be mistaken. With the
rail road across the Isthmus of Panama to say no
thing of other and grander schemes of improvement
which already fill the public mind, it is destined
to become the wealthiest and most powerful com
munity that the world has yet seen. I allude
not to its gold mines, but to that [...ease] com
merce which will make it its entrepot and its
great distributing agent. When I turn to the
pages of history and behold the glories of Lyre
and in more modern times of Genoa and
Venice, and now of England, proceeding as they
did from the partial monopoly of the trade 
of the Indies, and then contemplate the results
of a concentration of the whole of that trade on
a single country, I confess that my mind
becomes utterly bewildered. I can neither
measure the extent of its wealth or its popu
lation. I sometimes think to myself that
the pleasant places of the Old States of the
Union are but the mere shadows of California.
Deeply impressed with these views she was ever
prominently before me during my administra
tion. If the Senate had ratified the Texas Treaty
that ratification would have been followed by 
immediate negotiation and I do not doubt
but that California would have been peaceably 
acquired. I know not how things are to result in
regard to it during the present session of Congress.
An objection is taken to admitting her as a state
with the boundaries as proposed.

The opinion is urged to what extent I have no
means of knowing, that your Convention has too
entirely engrossed the Pacific Coast in laying off
your boundaries, thereby excluding all other
portions of the territory from sea ports. If this be
so, your people will most probably have to modify
thier constitution in that particular. As to the clause
excluding slavery, I do not believe that any opposition
will be made to the constitution because of that.
The Southerons contend universally for the right
of the people to regulate all questions of internal
police for themselves - hence the conclusion to which 
we arrive that your power to admit domestic
slavery is the same with the corresponding power 
to prohibit it, and be the decision the one way
or the other acquiescence on our part becomes
a duty. We however do protest and that protest 
goes up with the almost unanimous voice of
every Southern State, against a set of rascally 
politicians at Washington, undertaking to
make the law for you and us upon the subject.
I fear that we are destined to great trouble upon
this slavery question and that the end is not yet.
I am a silent but not indifferent spectator
of what is passing, and I confess to you that
I am not without my fears and apprehension,
and yet I have much confidence in the good
sense of the American people. But even if fatal 
results transpire California and Oregon united,
will, before many years have elapsed have become a 
great republic.
The Congress commenced its session on the first
Monday, and had two days balloting for Speaker
without success. Some thirty free soilers hold the
balance of power and seem to act upon their
own organization. In consequence of a derange
ment of the James River Steamers we are without

more recent advises. I presume that the Steamer
will bear you newspapers containing full intelligence.
I have little local news. Your mother and Mrs. Beek
man are now with us, and their letters will accom
pany this. Mrs. Gardiner was subjected at E. Hamp-
ton New York and Philadelphia to severe attacks
of head ache, and on reaching us last week was
quite thin. She already I think has decidedly improved.
Margaret is much better than she has been for
the last two years. Her little boy is a sweet interesting
child and is a great favorite. He resembles very 
much Mr. Beekman, to whom please present my
regards and fondest wishes. Gardie and Aleck are
noble fellows. The first is evermore talking of Uncle
David and Uncle John and fancies that Califor
nia abounds in Sugar Candy. Yesterday I had
several gentlemen to dine with me after a fox 
hunt in the morning which resulted in the
death of poor Reynard, and a merry time we
had of it. I have only succeeded in getting one
deer this season. With the exceptions of two other
dinner parties in the neighborhood we have
had no other merry-makings than those I have
mentioned. Mr. Bolling of Sandy Point dined
with us "en familie" a few weeks ago and among
other things expressed great regret at his igno
rance of your being with us last winter, de
claring that had he known it he would have 
come down from Petersburg expressly to 
have you at his house in the County. He laid
me  under a promise not to permit either
yourself or Alexander to visit us without com
municating the fact to him. But when are
we again to see you? Report speaks favorably 
of your success in El Dorado, and if it does
not lie, I take it that you will in no haste to

return. The tide which has carried you on thus far
will sweep you still further, until at last not 
even to be a millionaire will suffice. Such is
the tendency of fortunate adventure upon all men.
The specimens of gold-dust which you sent me
are objects of much curiosity hereabout as they
are the first arrivals from the mines. I have placed
them in our cabinet of curiosities. Will you say
to Abel, to whom present my warmest respects, that 
I recieved a box of shells from an unknown source
some four years ago. These may possibly be those
he forwarded through a House in New York. I hope
he may be successful in his adventure to California.
Will you also remember me to Faulkner the Editor
of the Pacific News. I see he retains as much of
the name of his Connecticut paper as circumstances
will permit. Success attend him. And now
what more can I say which would give you
a moments interest. We are plodding on upon
our Farm in our usual way. Our prospects
for good crops are annually encreasing with
the improvement of the land and I have seeded
this Fall a larger crop of wheat than usual,
but what comparison exists after all between
our products and those of California. We must
however be content as it is a little too late in
the day for me to emigrate. Thousands of our
people all still rushing forward to reach the
land of promise, emigration seeming rather, if 
anything, to be on the encrease.
With the sincere hope that you will meet
with the fullest measure of success and that
Mr. Beekman may share a like good fortune
I bid you adieu. 
Truly & affectionately
Yr J. Tyler

I need not add that Julia unites in true and sincere love to you. As your [?], Alice and myself have written you [?] if [?] to do so herself at this time.

Col. David L. Gardiner
San Francisco
Upper California