The Express.
London, England, 1849-01-09 00:00:00

answered the latter, " and pray, colonel, what are you
going to do about it r Really." said the comman-
der, "I don't know, unless I come and help you to eat
it." In a council of war which the gallant colonel
called to deliberrte upon the wisdom of remaining in
cettof or of advancing towards the south—the way
great differences of opinion existed. Some
officers wished to move en to Monterey and join
" Rough and Ready ," others wished to retreat ea
Santa Fe ; the majority were for remaining
in Chihuahua. Carious reasons for these vart-
ons movements most have been either given
or suspected reasons only very remotely
suggested by the genius of war—for, after listening
to the memento of his comrades for a considerable
time with impatience, the gallant commander brought
down his heavy fiat upon the council table in an em-
phatic manner, and put an end to the debate with—
" Yon, gentlemen, may have got fair reasons for
staying ; but, for my part, I'm for going home to
Sarah and the children." This, of course, decided it.
The regiment went home to Sarah and the childrem ;
everything considered, a very politic proceeding. The
victors of the Sacramento had done enough for
glory ; and the conquerors of New Mexico could
afford to repose upon their laurels. It wu quite as
well.

•
The history of this celebrated cimpaign has become
more important from the incidents connected with the
close of the late war. New Mexico is now a de-
pendency of the United States. The whole of that
magnificent piece of territory, containing about
200,000 square miles of the healthiest soil and climate
in the Nt w World, has fallen, by cession, to the
Union. It is wholly inland, and, in consequence of
the absence of navigable rivers, has no water commu-
nication with any crher country. It is, however, in
parts especially, well adapted for agricultural pros-
perity. It produces some of the noblcst wood in the
world. The Valley of Taos is unsurpassed for fertility
and salubriousness. Whatever is thrown into its

genial bosom, which the early frosts of autumn will
permit to ripen, grows to a wonderful degree of
perfection. Wt eat especially is produced, of the
most superlative quality, and the soil is so prolific
that the crops often yield more than a hundred fold.
This amazing richness is however nearly confined to
the valleys : the uplands are for the moat part poor,
and even barren. They are very healthy, as are also
the plains: the cause being an exceeding dryness of
the atmosphere, produced by the great elevation of all
the lands in the immediate vicinity of the rocky
mountains. Even Sicilian skies are not purer than
those of New Mexico; and bilious diseases, the great
curse of the valleys of the Mississippi and its tribu-
tary streams, are almost unknown in this favored
province. Under the skill and enterprise of the
Anglo-Saxon this region may beccme almost a
paradise.
The Spinish races which tow occupy the country
are few in numbers ad in a .declining condition.
Accurate return. have never been made; but from
estimates taken at different periods it would seem that
the population is decreasing. Perhaps it now amounts
to 130,000 or 70.000, of which four-fifths are mestizos,
nearly one-fifth Indians, and the remaining fraction
Europeans. The Mexicans all live in towns or
villages for mutual protection. The scale has been
turned. The Spaniard is no longer the aggressor.
Ile trembles at the voice of the Indian, and pays a
tacit tribute to escape from his vengeance. Times
have changed since the fierce adventurers of the
Peninsula lorded it with a tyrant's hand over the
helpless savages of the wilderness; and the de-
scendants of the red-men pay back in blood the debt
lung owing to the relentless persecutors of their race.
But the Indians, more politic than the middle-age Spa-
niards, do not attempt to exterminate their foes: they
preserve them to rear cattle and cultivate the sail.
When the harvest is gathered in, and the kind ate
fatted, they come in a body to carry off the one and
drive away the other—using the conqueror's right,
and a4ealing to the law, which the Spaniards have
taught them the validity of, in their defence. The
government of Mexico his never been able to prevent
these civil and internecine disorders. Indeed, the
Spanish race has always been too much accus omed
to suck disorders at home to care much about them.
The executive of the United b:tates—the only power
in that part of the world for which the Indians
feel any kind of awe—will, however, sooa be
able to enforce order and legality; and
thus, under the more powerful rule of the
stranger, the poor Mexicans may, perhaps, recover
their prosperity, and arrest their teedency towards
decay and extinction. The only means of salvation to
them is bringing them into contact with a freer, more
Energetic, better instructed people, who will shame
them out of their miserable superstitions, starve them
out of their indolence, elevate them out of their
misery. Wherever the Americans have penetrated
they have earth d t'-o printing-press as well as the
artillery-park though the Mexicans are most asto-
nished at the power of the latter, it is to be hoped
that they will tot forget the more benignant and
useful lessons of the other. In the face of an intern-
gen', free press, such degrading priestly fooleries as
Mr. Edwards describes could not be continued a year.
The catnolicisin of Mexico is the most miserable im-
positiun in the world : it should have a free press and
a trete form of Chtietianity "in presence, and it
would soon improve.

--
SACRED HARMONIC SOCIETY.—"Jades Macesibent"
was performed at Exeter-hall last evening, the first time
since the cos ductor's baton has been wielded by Mr.
Costa. The effect of his discipline was even more apparent
than in the case of " The Messiah," that oratorio having
been already familiar to the great body of the orchestra and
chorus ; while " Jue.o Maccabeus," having been rarely and
impt.rfectly per:errivid, was comparatively unknown to the
lerformin, and C. vainly the audience last evening derived
new impressions of the grandeur and beauty of this work.
" Judas Matscabeus" was composed in 1746, before Bendel's
powers had begun to be wt akened by age, and in Ins sublimity
of its choruses it is surpassed (and scarcely surpassed) only by
" The Messiah" and " Israel in Egypt :" the mournful
solemnity of the opening, " Mourn, ye afflicted children ; "
the WO enthusiasm of the prayer, " 0 Father, whose al-
mighty power ;" the martial ardour which breathes in
" Disdainful of Danger," and in " We hear the pleasing
dreadful call ;" and the overpowering muses of harmny in
" 0 never, never bow we down ;" show the genius of the
" mighty master" in all its gigantic greatness : nor are any
of Handel's utbtr works more remarkable for that
wonderful union of masterly construction and profound
enmisination with the utmost dearness, breadth, and simpli
city of effect. The oratorio, however, is not without faults.
Tonards the beginning it is somewhat heavy and monoto
nous, from the tone of lamentation beit,g to) much pro-
t rictsd ; and the third part is inferior to the first and second.
Tao concluding songs of triumph are garish and theatrical,
bearing marks of the purpose for which the oratorio is said to
have been written —to pay • compliment to the Duke of
Cumberland for his victory at Culloden. The airs
though suns of them are fine, are, on the whole,
inferior to the choruses. They are loaded with long
formal divisions—the musical finances and furbeows of the
age of George the Second—which, notwithstanding their
many beauties, give them a stiff and antiquated air. But,
with all its blemishes, " Judas Maccabeus" is worthy of
its immortal author; and, we b,lieve, now that its merits
have been made apparent, it will enjoy greater and may
general Loony than it has yet does. The performs's., last
evening, in as far as regards the choruses, was of the most
magnificent kind—we feel ourselves unable, indeed, to
imagine anything nearer perfection. We never before heard
su7l stupendous masses of pure musical sound unvitisted by
the slightest mixture of now; such accuracy of tune, such
smoothness and softness, blended with force and en, rgY I
I such variety in the gradations of light and shade ; and such
clearness in the harmony, each part being taken up with the
precision of a single voice. The instrumental orchestra was
not less admirable. The vigour with which the stringed in-
struments attacked their parts rs minded as of the band of
the Philharmonic Society. There were additional accompa-
niments by Mr. Novelle, which did peat honour to his
skill, judgment, and respect for Handel `s text. The defects
of the performance lay an the solo vocal parte. Mr. Sims
Reeves was Isbouriag under so severe a cold that, after
Billing for soma time with great and painful effort, he was
obliged to have off in the middle of the oratorio. Phillips,
too, was not in such good voice as usual, and sang languidly.
Miss Birch, on the other hand, was in brilliant voice, and
sang several things admirably, especially " From mighty
kings he took the spoil," bat, in the recitatives she exhibited
her old fault, indistinct elocution. Miss A. Williams' sir,
" Wise men flat'ering," was the writ pore and graceful vo-
cal performance of the evening; end the Cast, "0 bow
we down," by the Misses Williams, was an exquisite piece
of part-singing. The hull was crowded to 'wallowing ;
numbers, we understand, being unable to obtain admission.