The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1849-10-21
Anticipated Trouble In NAM aging Call fernia
Tho Eyesore 60 England.


menf OF the United States and California, and the
tenure by which that conquered territory is held
II 1t csn indeed, be said to be held in subsection
are OF very extraordinary and anomalous charac.
ter, and must we think, eventually occasion good
deal OF embarrassment to the government at
Washington, and to the American Congress. The
whole history Of this territory is curious, and
somewhat romantic. As a Spanish possession il
was In a manner a terra tncognita to Europeans
we refer more particularly to Upper California.
The country was entirely In tho hands of priests
and missionaries; but in the neighborhood of the
missionary stations, which were FIVE in number,
there was good deal of cultivation and improves
mant carried on through the cheap labor of Is 900
or a, 900 native converts. When, however, Mexico
had shaken oil Its dependence upon Spain Caliior-
MA expenenceda social we'll as a political revo-
luton The great majority of the priests refused
TO swear allegiance to the newly constituted au-
thorities, and the rulers of the new repubc-who
were not very favorably inclined towards charch
which they knew, partly from loyalty and partly
from interest, was opposed to the revolution
seized the opportunity, used this pretext, to dis
possess the missionaries, and to dstrlbute great
part OF their lands and cattle among such Of the
native prOselytes as had learned trade, and were
well conducted: From this time QS25) agri-
culture and industry fell into abeyance The
emancipated natives, like our own slaves in the
West Indies, gave themselves up to indulgence
and s!oth, until in the course of few years
they had no other resource but robbery by
which to supply the absolute wants of nature |;
and long before the invasion of the territory
by the forces OF the United States. they had
sunk into the pristine barbarity from which they
had been drawn by the plous zealand, also, no
doubt, the interested vlews-of the Spanish mis-
slonaries When Sir George Simpson visited Ca
llfornla in ls4l the entire population Of the district
of San Francisco amounted to only 1000 or 2, 500
persons, seven hundred Of whom occupied the vii
lagc Of San Jose de Guadalupe, and the remainder
occupied about thirty farms, subdivlded among
the families of the respective holders We sup
pose we shall not be much astray if we gay that
this same district at the present time contains a
cosmopolitan population of 100, 900 souls 1t would
be folly to speak of these people as Americans; a
rlcans, or at least they have travelled there from
the States; but since the fame Of this modern Ell
Dorado has been spread abroad, god, seekers have
locked to the diggings and the washngs from all
parts OF the world TO which the territory was ac-
cessible., In this lies the great difficulty with
which the American government will have to
contend. From the first discovery of the golden
region II has been no-man's land, or more properly
speaking, it has been every mans land who thought
pIoperto appropriate TO himself few yards rood
Of the auriferous soil. How are these people to be
disposed! The Americans found two thousand
three thousand men amply sufficient to take the
country from the Mexicans. How many thousands
will II require to take il from the bullionists and
what will be the expense of the expedition We need
not tell our readers that at present there is neither
law nor government in the district of California; and
Brgadier Riley, who normally commands at San
Francisco In the name OF the United States, has
neither moral nor physical power to support his au-
thority. We read of cities being planned, and dis
trcts laid out by the adventurers as they held the
territory fee simple; but it is not likely that the
government at Washington, or the Congress of
the Union, will long submit to this ad captandum
appropriation OF the conquered terrItory-particu-
larly when that territory is likely to produce some
thing bette r than Indian corn--something that will
be more prolific TO the American treasury. The
government of the United States holds the right Of
presumption throughout the whole extent Of the
republic. The unappropriated lands are the pro-
perry of the State and the sale Of these lands
forms no inconsderable portion Of its revenue. We
cannot, then, suppose that II will forego this claim
IN the case of California, particularly the only
part of the American institutions with which the
cosmopohtes OF that region have been yet made
acquainted has been taxation; and at this they very
naturally murmur. That the government at Wash
lDgton, In any appropriation IL may make OF the
mining district, will at least require seignorage
on the produce, is only to suppose II will act in
conformity with the general usage of civilized
tons; and 1t remains to be seenby what machinery,
or by what force, this will have 10 be Effected
When we consider that California is only accessi-
bic TO the United States by tedious and danger
GUS navigation, or by land route through the
Mexican territory, we see numerous difficulties in
the government consolidating this remote ugion as
part Of the Union. That the possession Of Il may
force upon the Americans the final conquest of the
rest Of Mexico, We think highly probable; for, with
out this, il must remain severed member of the
States. Certainly, as FAR as present appearances
! go, We are not much inclined to envy them their
new conquest; there is but one feature connected
with II, which TO an enterprlsing people like the
Americans, may compensate them for any diff
Guilty or any expense they may have to incur in
consolidating their power in California. This once
effected, the possession of the Bay Of San Fraa-
cisco, with its numerous harbors, cannot fail TO
give them the complete command Of the Pacific
Ocean, and all its coasts and islands. This Great
Britain ought never TO haze allotcsd.
Anxiety In England for the Fate or Cabas
Itrom the London Mercantile Gazette, Detail
II would be useful to know If Lord Palmerston
has yet TUNED his attention TO a probable event,
which there Is sufficient reason to believe is Sc
/ riously medtated. We aude to the intended inva-
sion OF the Spanish island Of Cuba, which has been
planned by come adventurous and plratical citizens
OF the United States That such an enterprise is
not only conceived, but in state of forward pre-
paraton, is no longer matter of doubt. The pro-
clamation OF the President, denouncing the inten-
tion as violation OF the law Of nations, amounts
to an official announcement Of the project We
are therefore, curious TO know what are the inen-
tons Of our own Foreign Secretary when the crisis
shall arrive; or, vhsther the 6mericans wiH be al
hare already done of Terds snd California We
suspect that, long before this the orginators Of the
scheme have had their sympathIsers at work in the
Island, to prepare their psrsans there for the pre-
| liminary part they are to take on the OCCASION
| From some of the American journals we gather
that the prologue to tins daring and disgracefu en-
teIprse is TO be an resurrection In the island ITSELF
| when, as IN the case OF Canada and Texas, the
/ tNhlcitah 'hlNuiuou Will COfnt W tnt buppOrt VI
the revolters Lord Palmerston himself has for the
last two or three years, shown so much sympathy
TOR revolutlonists, and so much desire that revou-
tons should be successful that we suppose an in.
surrection in Cuba, which will transfer that island
| from Spain to the United States, will give hlm NO
uneasiness. Besides, his lordship may even be
glad 10 have the aflront which the Spanish GO
vernment put upon him and his diplomacy, thus re.
venged by third party. Under such feeling
! our Foreign Secretary may, perhaps, forget that
Cuba 10 within few hours sail Of Jamaica; and
that. as a possess ION Of the United States, il
would require one halt the British navy to protect
| our West Indian colonies and West India trade in
the event OF war with America. II would be
absurd to say that Great Britain could have nc
| right TO interfere IN the matter. We certainly
should have no night TO interfere in a mere Cuban
insured elton against Spain, as we did in the Sic-
Ian revolt against Naples, and we shall be sorry il
this interference should be drawn into precedent
But IL becomes a very different case when the re
VOTERS call in foreign aid when is gratuitous
ly offered TO them by another power. Then Eng
land has right 10 interfere, not regards the
parent state and its dependency, but as regards the
| third power, which be comcs an auxiliary in the