The Sun.
London, England, 1845-11-20 00:00:00

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TEXAS-:-ITS NATURAL ADVAN.;
TAGES.
• - - From the New York Tribune.)
-The following n a friend in Texas, who fgaght
annexation fairly till beaten, anc -dart to see
what could be done there, gives a very glowing picture of
the fertility and natural resources of the new El Liorado. An
it says of these is doubtless true, yet there is another side to
the picture, made up of fevers, mortality, shallow rivers,
miserable harbours, &c. Yet Texas, redeemed from slavery,
would be a valuable territory; cursed with slavery, it is as
undesirable as the plague. What avails fertility and a ge.
nial clime, where labour is performed only from fear of the
whip ; Virginia was as blest by nature as Texas is ; so were
the Carolinas; but slavery has desolated them all. The site
of Jamestown is a worn-out and abandoned field ; the rail-
roads traverse the richest sections of the south only to reveal
exhaustion and one decaying house surrounded by clusters
of negro huts where freedom would have planted a busy,
thriving village. But let our correspondent speak :
" Corpus Christi, Sept. 20, 1845.
"My dear Sir,—l write you from the seat of war—or
rather of peace—for here there is neither war nor the rumour
of war. I have conversed with more than twenty Mexicans
during the last thirty days that I have been on the frontier,
from this point 150 miles inland—Mexicans direct from.
the other side of the Rio Grande and all concur
in saying that there is no movement on that side, that there
has been none, and will be none, rumours to the contrary
notwithstanding. The Mexican provinces bordering on the
Rio Grande desire peace, and would with extreme re-
luctance join any military expedition. There will
be no war, unless our troops are ordered to pass the Rio
Grande ! The army, under General Taylor, makes a noble
appearance—quiet, orderly, well-disciplined.
"I have now finished my travels in Texas, and only wait
an opportunity to embark from this place to Galveston, and
thence I shall embrace the first opportunity to return to the
north. I have seen nearly every portion of this country;
frontier settlements, Camanche Indians, and all else worth
seeing. -
"The general feature of the country is that of an inclined.
plane, sloping gradually towards the south-west, including in
its breadth front the Sabine to the Rio Grande, about 400
miles. The rivers run parallel to each other from the moun-
tains to the sea. This general feature of the country natur-
ally divides the soil into three districts—the mountainous,
the rolling, and the level, or sea coast. The level region ex-
tends along the whole coast. It is not more than 30 miles
wide on the east, but expands to near 100 miles on the Colo-
rado, and then gradually diminishes again towards the
Nueces. 'r rosy this region, the rolling or middle district
extends back from 150 to 200 Miles. The prevailing character
of the coast region is rich alluvion, often of great depth. I
have seen it over 30 feet in thickness on the banks of the
Brazos, above Washington. The coast is free from stagnant
water; nor have I seen what might be called a swamp of any
injurious extent in the country.
" As one ascends the Brazos, Colorado, Gaudaloupe, and
San Antonio, the middle region rises in gradual undulations,
above the alluvial region of the coast, extending in some
places 200 miles before it blends with the mountain district.
On few parts of the earth did the eye ever rest on more good
land, rich rolling prairie, interspersed with woolaud and fine
streams of pure water, than is contained within this middle
district. Of the spotless, pure world of flowers, I may not •
here speak !
"Of the mountainous region I have seen less, but still
enough to form, I trust, a pretty accurate estimate of its
capacities. Beginning on the Rio Grande, at the junction of
the Rio Puerco, spurs of the Sierra Madre branch off to the
north-east, skirt the head waters of the San Saba, cross the
Colorado, and finally melt away in the woodlands of the
upper Brazos—spurs of this range of mountains project.
southwardly down the rivers Medina and Gaudaloupe to the
vicinity of San Antonio. These mountains are not usually
high ; abound in groves of cedar, pine, ash, oak, and other
trees. The finest valleys of alluvial soil lie and wind
throughout the whole range, susceptible of irrigation, and of
the highest state of culture. The sides of the mountains, and
even many of their summits, are adapted to agriculture. A
million of inhabitants will yet find subsistence, comfort, and
wealth, in this upper region of Texas.
" Such may be called an outline of this country, so famed
of late as the seat of diplomacy, of revolution, annexation,
war, truth, and humbug. Beyond all doubt, it is a country
of great value—superior on the whole to any portion of the
Southern States. It is similar to portions of Louisiana, ex-
cept that it has neither the rank undergrowth nor the putrid
swamps to poison the atmosphere, and produce sickness and
death. In the low alluvial soil of Texas, intermittent fevers
prevail, as they have ever prevailed in all new countries
where the sun is first let in upon the vegetable deposit of ages..
"Capital and labour find a good market in Texas. The
cotton planter will possess decided advantages over his com-
petitor in the States. The soil is more cheaply and easily
prepared for the plant and will produce more to the acre;
the season is longer, and early frosts do not prevent the
planter from picking all he can raise. From the Sabine to
the Rio Grande, cotton may be cultivated with the greatest
facility. _ _ _

" The capacities of Texas for the culture of the sugar cane
can scarcely be overrated—the Brazos river alone and its
tributaries afford more and better sugar lands than is watered
by the Mississippi, and this does not embrace one-fifth of the
sugar lands of Texas!
All the grains of the north may be grown in this country.
I have seen sugar cane, cotton, wheat, corn, rye, and pulse
growing in the same locality in Western Texas, and it would
seem difficult to say to which the soil seemed best adapted.
Tobacco and indigo succeed well, and will one day become
articles of export. The culture of silk in the region of San
Antonio was successfully tested by the Spaniards. For
grazing and stock raising of all kinds, you can scarcely go
amiss—the whole country is one perennial, self-sustaining
pasture.

" Slavery, except in name, can never extend to Northern
and Western Texas—if for no other reason, because it can
never become in those parts a profitable investment.
" The people of Texas, as a body, are law-observing, peace-
able, intelligent, and hardy. You must not judge of them
from the turbulent and unworthy few who came there in
earlier tinies—many of these have passed away. Fifty peace-
able citizens come -here and settle; no note is made of it—
one notorious scoundrel flies from justice, takes up his abode
here, and every paper in the Union heralds the fact. •
" From this time forward the trade from Texas will go north
—to New York and Boston; for there will be the consump-
tion and outlet of her staple production* and thence will be
mainly derived her supplies. Indeed, considering the capa-
cities of this country for the culture of the great staples of
sugar, cotton, and wool, no price could have been too large
for its acquisition, save that pf a violation of our constitu-
tion and a sacrifice of our national honour.
" I have filled my sheet and can write no more, though I
feel as if I had scarcely touched upon any of the thousand
other matters that crowd upon me—these I leave for the
social circle when we meet."

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