Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1848-04-07
A Glorious bargain.

n very aDle anu ciO'lutht nPSNN"f 'N~NNis -
livercd in the House of Representatives, by Hon
Truman Smith, of Connccticui-a speech that
ought to be in the hands of every ci,izen--inr-
nishcs materials, from authentic and official sour
oes, by which VIC are enabled to give this in
formation. Mr. Smith has collected, in admirable
order and fulncss Of DETAIL a faithful narrative
of the character and agricultural condition Of the
country and soil, on this side the Rio Grande
Of New Mexico; of Upper and Lower Califor-
MIA; and of the country west Of the Rio Grande.
We present, first, n sketch Of the country this
side of the Rio Grande, being the disputed ter
ritory, the original cause Of all this vast expend'
iture Of blood and money. Cen Taylor speaks
Of II as follow:
aBetwccn the Nueccs and the Rio Grande the
country from the coast to the mountain is a vast
prairie with scarcely any timber, md no streams OF
fresh water until you reach the upper tributaries OF
> the Nueces For near a hundred miles from the |
coast there is potable n1ter, except what stands
In boilows over from the rainy Salt streams
and lakes are found there may be torrents that flow
in the rainy season and for few weeks thereafter.
e This region has some land that appears rich but
f owing to the lack Of timber and difficulty OF inga-
lion Impossible except with artesian wesl, II can
never be made available for agriculture. Portions
Of II are sandy and impregnatcd with salt-a true
desert II Is occupied only by game and Wild hors-
es and seem fitted only for grazing numerous herds
$ Of cattle to which twas appropriated before the
4 independence OF Texas.
The above character Of soil continues 10 the Rio
: Grande which stream has nc tributary on the Texas
: side below the Pucrco. The lands on both banks
Of the Rio Grande give little promise, resembling
somewhat the bottoms Of the Mississippi, and like
Them arc continually washed by the current. There
Is is population, though sparse one, on either bank,
n but the crops are extremely unccrain-the banks
rising too high to admit OF irrigation from the rver'
J. unless the water ariifcially rnsed. When We
first asfended the river in August 1916. VIC saw lit
N lie evidence Of successful planting. Between the
foods and the droughis, should say that the main
10 crop (cottonl would be very doubtful and that the
lands not valuable for agricultural purposes
he The following is from the journal of the gal
lie liant Major Gaines, now member of Congress
n from Kentucky, who traversed the country be-
r; tween the Nueees and the Rio Grandc in 1916
u "The country from the Nucccs to the valley Of
is the Rio Grandc is poor, sterile, sandy and barren
no with not single tree Of any size value on our
whole route The only tree which was the
IL musquii tree, and very few Of these. The musquit
in is small tree resembling an old and decnyed pearh
- tree. The whole country may lie truly called per
i feet waste uninhabiicd and uninhalitable. There
I'd Is not drop Of running water between the two nv
Is err except in the two small streams Of San Saliva
dor and Santa Gartrudus, and these only contain
wafer the RAINY season. NtltlltI nhu
&C. ming water when We passed them The chaparral
ed commences within forty or fifty miles OF the Rio
=, Grande. This Is poor rocky, and sandy covered
Nj with prekly pear thistes, and almost every sticking
Nv thing-oonstituting thick and perfectly impeneira
he bic underground. For any useful or agricultural
PURPOSE the country is not worth sous
ne SO far rs we were able to form any opinion Of
u this desert upon the other routes which had been
travelled it, character every where between the two
rivers is pretty much the same We learned thai
Mt the route pursued by General Taylor south Of
he was through a country similar TO that We passed
: through: as also that travelled by Gen. Woo
y from San Antonio TO Presidio on the Rio Gnnde
he From what NC both saw and heard, the whole com
,a msnd came TO the conclusion which have alrcad,
-. expressed-thAt il worth nothing. j have nc
''n hesitation in saying that would not hazard the m
W Of one valuable and useful man for every foot O
in land between San paricio and the valley o. the RiG
:: Grande. The country is not now and never can b
ies Of the slightest raiae.'
re- Such is the character Of the disputed territory
A beautiful country to go to war for Is it not
ny OF New Mexico, Lieut. W. G. Peck, of III,
III Typographical Engineers, speaks in the follow
ny ing terms
IN "0f tie laid dozen map, large portion
Ill is made up Of rocks, sands, and desert wastes
. You cast your eye upon the map you will see from
the position Of the towns where the arabic land i
H. found. A narrow strip along the Del Norie with
nd few detached patches here and there upon the au
. ents Of the river, constitute il ALL for there
'" very little land already improved that is WORT
occupying The want Of water flor every crop mus
ne be watered artifeally) will fix limit, and that
4 very narrow ono, the tillable land. For example
inc on the western side Of the RIO del Norie you vii
est notice that the little settlements all nj the head
rcd Of the and in the mountain valleys lowe
:. down, though the courses Of streams are marked
us they contain any water except during fresh
Of eis-all is absorbed by the deep sands.
Tho The people who now inhabit this country ar
composed Of three classcs-the direct desoeHdlHLs 0
on e original Indian occupants Of the SOIL the descend
he ants Of The Spanish settlers and mired race of
81 grade from the pure Spanish blood TO the pure In
y" dian. Their numbers have been varously estimates
Pc from 10000 TO 100000, but from personal obserya
et ton inclined 10 think tina, they number near
"a 100000. This is, think, very near large pop
~" nlaiion as the country eau support. Perhaps III
onr Yankees, by superior skin in agriculture, could
alize greater amount of produce than the prescn
occupants bat as an offset, they would consume
rcd much greater quantity.
With respect to the connection Of New Mexic
with other parts Of the continent; First, the
the settlements TO the west those the Pacific dis
the tant or 700 miles, and separated by desert, witt
= reference to which Kit Carson remarked, that an
oc party crossing It was bound to eat mule I'd, III
town of chihuahua is distant from the most south
em settlement of New Mexico i2O miles, and mos
Of the intervening country Is desert The traders
in usually from 80 to 40 days Transporting loads from
nd Santa Fe TO Chihuahua 3d. 10 the east the neares
settlements at present on our own western Dor
re der, the distance from Fort Leayenworth being 81
ed miles via Bents Fort In course Of time our west
ern settlements may be extended some or 800 mile
Of westward to the eastern borders Of the great desert
nj; still there will be over 500 miles Of portage. Thu
We may consider New Mexico as completely isolate
on from the rest Of the continent would make feN
the remarks the route from settlement
ev Santa Fe but that route has been often reporte
on that could add little new. From the Cache,
MIS- the Arkansas westward the road by the Cimms
on ron lies through desoate country. In fact, frou
-, this point till you reach the lower spring IN
~ Cimmaron or n distance Of 1875 miles, there is no
ted a stick Of wood with which the traveller can build
an fire even to make u cup Of coffee; and from thi
point for the next so miles there is not more tina
mi four or five places where wood can be obtained III
dried dung Of animals has 10 be substituted when
can be obtnned Water is nearly as scarce as wood
of by Bents Fort the route is better but still any thin
IN but good.
i have omitted speaking Of the mineral resource
om Of New Mexico for the present Many minerals, a
the ron copper and lead occur in the mountains bu
al. situated at the distance they are from the market
4 Of the world, they will hardly be wrought In trut
ars the cost Of transportation the United States wou
en- be much greater than their value when brot here