The Somerset herald and farmers' and mechanics' register. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 183?-1852, 1847-08-17
" ol. 5.--No. 40

he seriously eontemplates such a measure
as its effect would be to aid the express
object Of the guelrillas, or robbers, COM
posing the assailants. Their design
would be 10 destroy as much property as
possible, and they would thank the Gov
ernor for his valuable assistance in its de-
struction; and who would protect the poor
foreigners, huddled together, old men,
women, and children, in such aplace as
that appointed for their shelter, or rem
devious; for shelter il is not in any sense
of the word! sincerely hope that bet
ter counsels, or rather authority, viii in
duce further amendment of his orders,
, before an attack takes place. The effect
of the orders has been to destroy, in a
great measure, the confidence reposed in
our promises ofprotection; and do not
know how any good could be expected TO
result from them.
! have to-day received 6ve or six pack
ages of your paper, the first that have
come TO hand in a month. Where they
have been | know not; and | onIy men,
ton their delay to account for net having
noticed some extracts in the earlier dates
from sundry papers, and particularly from
the Washington Union, the statements of
which conflict with those made by me-
on several occasions. 1t is now too late
10 trouble your readers with the details to
prove the correctness of my statements,
and | will only crave room TO ask the
editor of the Union, first, II, in his opinion
Gen. Scott now has twelve thousand men
in his division Of the army! Second,
where he obtained the information, a
month ago, that half million of dollars
in specie had been collected for duties in
Vera Cruz! And, third, upon what
system Of arithmetic he based the calcu-
lation that fifteen millions Of dollars of
revenue would be yielded by the tariff
now in fo,ce on the Mexican coasts!-
Five millions might have been secured by
the establishment of common-sense rate
OF duties, and reasonable facilities of pay
ment and trade; but | can assure you
that, under those adopted, not one million
including all duties received, and all bond
ed, will be realized within one year from
the date of opening the ports.
VERA Cruz, JULY %, 1s47.
After all the delay which occurred in
getting off the train and escort under Gen.
Pierce, many Of the wagons were in an
unprepared state, and became detached
from the main body. An escort of hun
dred and fifty or two hundred troops was
detailed to remain with the stragglers ard
guard them until they could rejoin the
| train, while the main body msved for
ward. The detachment had, however,
advanced only few miles beyond Santa
Fe, when it was attacked by large party
of guerrillas, which kept il engaged for a
bout four hours, at the end Of which time
the Mexieans were we'll ''used up" and
the Americans moved forward. A gem
tleman who passed along the road yester-
day morning says that he saw several
dead bodies in the vicinity-all Mexicans
and has no doubt that the guerrillas
met with considerable loss. No wound
ed have arrived here from our troops, and
it is to be presumed that their loss has
been small. Ii is strange that no messen-
ger has been dispatched to the Governor
with the intelligence. The firing was
plainly heard by our sick, which had been
left behind at Santa Fe. The deiach-
ment which | mentioned in my last as
having been sent out to Santa Fe, has re-
turned, and report the entire destruction
of the place, in conformity with the Gov
ernor's orders. The measure Of destroy
ing that place is good one, and it is to
be hoped will be followed up with that of
the destruction of all the hamlets within
ten miles of the city. The preservation
of life and public property requires such
a step, and, even if we have to pay for
the property destroyed, it is yet the poll
cy Of true economy.
STEAM Hon CARRIER.-The contract