The Mississippi Creole. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1841-1851, 1848-12-08
Rtom be Houston 7slegrnnk.

The public mind has been lately greatly ex-
cited with the accounts of the wonderful prn-
duclions Of the gold region Of California: but
if we NAV credit the traditions Of tie Indians
and the historical records Of the Spaniards, the
gold region Of Texas, on the Rio Puerct ia as
rich in the precious metalsa as the now ceIebrat
ed mines Of Feather river in Alta California.
It is not the vague traditions Of the lndiaos
only, nor the records of the Spaniards, that at.
test the value o. the mines Of Puere0. The
ruins OF an extensive city reared in ancient
days, ike the famous Tad nor Of the desert,
rise in lonely g andeurin this wild region, and
hear Silent but positive testimony that some
thing more than agriculture was the basic Of
It's prosperity. 10 the midst Of n wild aud al
most steri e region, the %tnrrefs, spires and
dones OF the once popul US city still remain,
but destitute Of every thing tha' hotokens civ
ilized life. The wild iear, antelope aud mus
tang, browse the heritage which grows | xu-
riantly in its deserted streets, and the savage
Camanche or Kioway pitches his rude lodge
beneath its now disman'led ramparis This
city is the Gran Q'ivira " III spaniarts, and
was found snon after the conquest Of Nexico
by Cortez. lt,sn well established act that
the spaniards penetrated int this region and
established Furnishing settlements at a very
early day, aud almost Immediately after the
city Of Mexico and adjoining provinces were
organized into a Spanish viceroyalty The
Spauiards of that day were no stimulated by a
desire to acquire agricultural wealth, and they
made few settlements in districts that were
destitute Of valuable mines Of the precious
metals. Their conquests all had one object
mineral treasures. Gold and silver were
sought for in all parts Of the New World
where their arms could penetrate The coup-
try around Gran Quivira is an arid, woodless
plain, and there is no sprin Of water or stream
within ten miles # the civ, There is M trace
of cultivated fields. For what object then
we're these huge structures erected! The an.
swer must be found in the character Of the
Spanish c nquerors of their history. They
WtIe tTtCltu lot miNhE PHlP'S'r' i"'i' Is
still d tfadifon current among the MtS'cans,
that there were several mil ious of pDuHds 1f
gold and silver collected at that city, whon a
terrible Instruction Of the indians broke ont
in the month of August, 1850. The city WIS
surrounded b. an immense army Of Indiane,
AM after a Iona siege all the inhabitants were
u,urt,e on pycpnt two WIN psp,npd IA Tell thai
the inhabitants had all been slaughtered, aud
. thai the immense treasures Of gold aud silver
, were burned in the ruins. An account of thi:
event was lately published in the Matamoros
Flag, and we need not make any farther com
ments respecting it. 0nr object here is tC
4 show, that there are positive evidences tina
G there is a rich mining region on tho P0erco
and we hope by calling the attention Of GU
enterprising felIow-citizens to the subject, Il
induce some Of them 10 explore this region
and possibly they may be rewarded with q
= full success US that which has attended tn
exploration OF California T. chain OF gran
lite mountains that stretches southwark from
v Taos 10 the mouth OF the Puerco, resembles II
=
its geological features the chains OF the Ana
: huac mountains That contain the richest gol,
mines in Mexico. Several Placers have loni
been worked in these mountains below SAINT
=, Fc, and large quantities Of gold in small grain
:. have been washed from the auTIferous sand i
70 the valleys that traverse them. This eountr,
was the home Of the Aztecs previous TO thri
migration to the capitol of the Monlezumai
and it is probable that they first learned the al
: Of working gold mines in this region. Tn
> traces Of their ancient cities are still found ex
tending from the Puerco b the Casas Gran
" des, beyond Chihulhua westward TO the Pa
: cifc.
- AS. the Soaniards SO soon after the cap
ture Of the city Of Mexico, ushed their cor
y quests directly into this region, il may be re
nc sarded as an indication that they consider
this country the Ell Dorado from which MOI
:" of the immense treasures Of the Montezuma
pe were drawn The Indians anew that it we
y the ,hirsi FIR gold tIui acIuafed the Spamaro
:" in their conquesls, and they concealed me
- mibes that had stimulates their oppressirs I
y invade their couotry. The mines Of CaliioI
VI MA, those of chihuahua, and those ct tn
u' Puerco are similar to each other, and the gee
=, logical formations, so lar as we can a'certo''
~ are similar. The mines If California hnv
~ been less worked than those OF chihuahua
y and this may be the reaeon that 'hey are
o. present more productive. This may be th
lie case also with the Placers Of the Puerco; an
% future explorations may reveal IN the new d
er sert Regions Of Northern Texas the true |
Of Dorado that the Spaniards were induced
seek for by tho Indian traditions but wine
90 the Indians. although exposed to eXcraciatin
%tortures, would never reveal.
"a Gen Saunders, our Minister at the Court
" Spain, has not We, settled lis difficulty WI