The first considerable emigration of Chinese to America occurred at the time of the discovery of gold in California in 1849. Many then sought their fortunes there, and the stream of emigration, once started, was much increased by the disturbed condition of the southern provinces during the next decade. The Triad Society, a secret order opposed to the present Manchu dynasty, seized upon the time when the government was engaged in combating the Tai Ping rebellion in the north and raised an insurrection. This was subdued, but with much bloodshed, and thousands of the rebels sought refuge in America, with many others who were ruined by the outbreak. The first appearance of the Chinese in any numbers in our Eastern cities dates from about the year 1870. Before that time an occasional Chinaman found his way here as cook or steward on some incoming vessel, and a little colony of such waifs had already established itself in the city of New York. Upon the completion of the Union Pacific Railway, thousands of Chinese were thrown out of employment. In the absence of women in the mining camps they found a remunerative occupation in the laundry business, and before 1869 they had obtained almost a monopoly of that occupation in the West. Shortly before this time, a Mr. Thomas engaged fifty San Francisco Chinese to work in his laundry at Belleville, New Jersey. They quickly discovered, upon their arrival, the field presented by the neighboring cities for their work, and the news spread rapidly to California and even to China itself.[3] Thousands of Chinese came to the East, until at present there is scarcely a town throughout the whole extent of country where one or more may not be found, while in the large cities colonies have been formed, in which much of their primitive life has been re-established, and an opportunity presented for the observation and study of these interesting people at our very doors.