Fascinating and significant unpublished reminiscences of Thomas Bernard Collinson, 1822-1902, compiled for his children between 1892 and 1894, of which this is the second volume of two. It begins on May 17, 1850, with his departure from Tasmania for Tahiti, and covers his voyage home to England, with stops in Hawaii, Pitcairn Island, San Francisco, Panama, etc., with lengthy descriptions of the people, social climate, geography, and other features. Pages 49 to 90 contain “Reflections about the United States and Its Future,” with the remainder covering the trip from Panama to England, and Concluding Thoughts. Most important are undoubtedly his recollections of California and San Francisco during the height of the Gold Rush, on pages 32-45. He gives a general description of California, gleaned in part from other sources, but his first-hand observations of life in the bustling city of San Francisco are quite rich in scope and detail: “…The streets were crowded with people of all nations, all eager on business; time in California was more valuable than probably it has ever been before or since. Every body looked prosperous, most of them quite swells: shopkeepers, shipmen, work men, all alike, in good cloth clothes, conical felt hats and fringe beards: and all perfectly satisfied with themselves… The lower class of gambling houses, were crowded; there was the knowing Yankee swell – the half savage Mexican – sailors – diggers straight from the mines – the small black-eyed Frenchman, the stupid good-natured Englishman, the cautious Scot. Bags of gold lying on the tables, from which stakes were made & paid; and one or two revolvers, which it was said were sometimes used…” He describes encounters with people who had been at the diggings, the politics of San Francisco, and much more. The manuscript formerly had some illustrations in it, most of which have been removed – only a few maps remain, from the late 19th century.