From The Age of Gold The California Gold Rush and the New American
Dream by H. W. Brands, "one might easily conclude that, whatever its
actual chemical properties, the gold of California was corrosive of
personal happiness and that its coefficient of friction was such that it
invariably slipped through the hands of those who acquired it."
(Quoted in Janet Maslin's review for the New York Times News Service.)
I do enjoy it when there is some crossover between the two cultures.