Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1848-06-01
VOL. XIII, NO. 29.---WHOLE NO. Pip.

!
takes SO very little to support Mexican.
and that the land which is cultivated Yields
its produce with little labor, it would be
surprising how its sparse population is main.
tanned All the towns we have visited, with
perhaps the exception of Parras, are depop-
ulating, as is also the whole country.
The people are on par with their land
One IN 2OO or 500 is rich, and lives like
nabob; the rest are poems, or servants sold
Tor debt, who work for their masters, and
are as subservient as the slaves of the South
and look like Indians, and indeed are not
more capable of sel-gnvernment One
man, Jacob Sanchez, owns three-fourths of
all the lands our column has passed over
in Mexico. We are told we have seen the
best portion of Northern Mexico if so, the
whole is not worth much
came to Mexico in favor of getting or
taking enough of it to pay the expenses of
the war. l now doubt whether all North
ern Mexico is worth the expense of our
column of 5000 men. The expense of the
war must be enormous we have paid en-
ormous prices for every thing-much be-
yound the usual prices of the country. Our
march has been no injury, but indeed
benefit to that portion of the country our
column has passed through. The Mexicans
have had no motive to wish for peace they
have made money while our government
has paid the piper"
| will next produce on this branch of the
subject, statement in the form of letter
to myself from the honorable and gallant
member from Kentucky, major Gaines,)
whose career in Mexico is SO well known
to this committee and the whole country.
l am sure that the views and opinions of nv
honorable friend are entitled to great con-
slderation in estimating the real value of
territory which has given occasion to the
present war with Mexico The letter is as
follows:
Hon. Truman SMITH,-Dfar Sir: I
willingly comply with your request to fur
nish you statement of the character of the
country between the Nueces and the Rio
Grande; which do by giving you the SUBJ
stance of journal kept by me at the time l
crossed the country in 1916
In advance of my regiment, with three
companies of cavalry under my command I
reached the Nueces river on the 10th of
October of that year, and encamped a. the
town of San Patrico, on the eastern bank
place, consisting of few huts or ranches.
1t Is an Irish settlenent-perhaps not much
more than five or six of the huts being &C.
cupled by few poor families. There was,
at tins time, tolerd6ie house in the prog
ress OF erection, which was the only build
ing in the place of a decent appearance.
On the llth of October we crossed the
Nueces in Government boat. The river
here IS about seventy-ive or eighty wards
wide, with gentle current The water is
clear, and from six to eight feet deep all
the way across. For mile or two. after
leaving the river, we found the soil pretty
good 1t rises very gradually from the riy-
er, but may be properly called low fiat
land 1t was covered with thick, high grass.
After passing this point we came into
sterile, and barren region, cerg thinly COW
cred with grass. Twelve miles from the
Nueces we found good grass and tolerable
water, where we encamped for the NIGHT
On the 18th we found countless Numbers
oil antelopes, deer, mustang horses, turkeys,
geese, &c. &c. Out of this quantity of
game we were abundantly supplied with
fresh meats. On this day we fell into the
track OF Gen. Tayor's army, when it march.
ed from Corpus christi to the Rio Grande
ana encamped at night on the ground which
we had occupied circumstance which
greatly elated the troops. At this point
there is, in the rainy season, a small stream
called San Salvador very inconsiderable
water-course, the bed not being more than
eight or ten feet wide where we crossed
The general appearance of the country here
is of character similar to that through
winch we had passed after leaving the val
ley OF the UNNECESSARILY, and unfit for cul-
tvatlon. Great numbers of sand hills, va
rying from ten to thirty feet high, were seen
in every direction.
On the 18th we marched to Santa Cat
rudus creek, or rather its bed-a yery small
one-where we also occupied the Ground
where Gen. Taylor had encamped The
relics of an abandoned camp were scattered
around us, such as a grave and human
skull; the last of which was lying on the
ground. Country still the same.
on the l4th we diverged from the line of
Ten. Iaylor's march, as our destination was
Camargo, while his was Matamoras. After
travelling about twelve miles we reached n
mad-hele, which was the first water we had
seen that day. As the men and horses were
very thirsty, and we had almost despaired
of finding water, we hailed even tins dirty
puddle with satisfaction. As we knew no
other name for it, | named it Poik's hole,
IN honor of the President of the United
States. The ground over which we travel.
led to-day had never before been trodden.
in all probability, or, at least, not for MANY
years, by any but wild beasts, and almost as
wild men,
On the 18th, having suffered amazingly
on account of the horrid water of "Poikjs
hoie," we were very agreeably disappointed
at finding excellent water in a pond or hole
surrounded with musqui, timber The wa,
ter was cool on account of the shade, but,
after all, IL was nothing but pond water
We luxuriated in this deHgktfM pool (de-
lightiul it was TO us, to be sure, but at home
our harSeS would not have smelt it, for an
hour, filed our casks and moved on We
encampeG that night near two or three
small water holes, which answered for the
horses, with two or three musquit trees
which served for fuel We missed one of our
men, who went out on hunting excursion,
and rot lost