The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1850-06-20

heart-burnng, and anlmoslty among those whose
country is one, whose interests ARE one, and
whose destiny, whatever any of them may think
Of il, is, in my opinion, one; one now, and one
hereafter.
| Gentlemen, one Of the exciting questions Of the
present moment respects the necessity Of exclud-
ing slavery, by law, from the territories lately
acquired from Mexico. Ii believed in any such
necessity, should, orcourse, support such q law
could NOT do otherwise, consistently with OPT
Mons very many times expressed, and which
opinions have inclination TO change, and shall
not change. But do not believe in any such
necessity. have studied the geography OF New
Mexico diligently, having read all that could
find in print, and inquired of many intelligent per-
sons who have been la the country, traversed il,
and become familiar with it.
New Mexico may be considered as divided into
two parts, one lying on the east side of the Rio
Grande, from its mouth TO the Paso del Nore;
this is claimed by Texas; the other extends along
the river, on both sides, from Paso del Norte TO
the forty second degree Of north latitude, or the
boundary of Oregon. or this part, also, that
which lies on the eastern side OF the river il
claimed by Texas. The whole extent of both
parts can hardly be less than thousand miles,
and by the wIndings OF the river, much more.
The southern part is far less mountainous than
the northern; it has, nevertheless, mountain peaks
and mountain ridges. From San Antonio de
Bexar, which is a hundred miles north Of the
Gulf OF Mexico, and near the western line Of the
actual settlements in Texas, it is five hundred and
seventy miles to Paso del Norle, by track or
road, recently explored, keeping east of the Rio
del Norte, and south Of the Guadalupe mountains
the general direction of which road is west by
north. This whole country is Of very little value.
The mountains are barren, and great portion Of
the more level country, rs mere desert of rocks
and sand. Sometimes prairies are met with, pro-
ducing grass in more or less abundance; but the
decisive and fatal characteristic Of the country, is
tho anta f Inf
vellers not unfreqnenty find themselves without
water for twenty or thirty miles, and sometimes
even for longer distances. i think an exploring
expeditions which within the last year passed
along this route, found n0hwaier for seventy miles.
Ii may be truly said that here is country Of six
hundred miles In extent, which, in its general
character, must be described as barren desert.
agree, that in considerable part of this desert
African slave labor Is not necessarily excluded by
the law of climate; the climate is mild enough;
but then, all labor, free slave, all cultivation
whatever, rs excluded, for all time, by the sterty
of the soil, throughout this vast arid region.
There may be n'ifing exceptions here and there,
on the banks OF some of the streams; but the
general character, without doubt or question: is
such as | have represented il. Major Gaines, a
very intelligent gentleman, lately Il member Of
Congress, and now Governor of Oregon, tray ersed
part of this country during the Mexican war,
and this is his description OF it:
8 The country, from the Nueces TO the valley
OF the Rio Grande, is poor, sterile, sandy, and
barren, with not single tree Of any size or value
on our whole route. The only tree which we
saw was the musquo tree, and very few of these.
The musquit is small tree, resembling an old and
decayed peach tree. The whole country may be
truly called perfect waste, uninlabited and un-
inhabitabe. There is not drop of running water
between the two rivers, except iii the two small
streams OF San Salvador and Santa Gartrudus,
and these only contain water in the rainy season.
Neither of them had running water when we
passed them. The chaparral commences within
forty or fifty miles OF the Rio Grande. This is
poor, rocky. and sandy; covered with prickly
pear, thistles, and almost every sticking thing
constituting a thick and perfectly impenetr.blc
underground. For any useful or agricultural pur-
pose, the country is not worth a
| :. So far as we were able to form any opinion Of
this desert upon the other routes which had been
travelled, its character, every where between the
| two rivers, is pretty much the same. We learned
| that the routes pursued by General Taylor south
of ours, was through country similar to that
through which we passed as also was that ira
yeled by General Wool from San Antonio to
Preside, on the Rio Grande. From what we
both saw and heard, the whole command came to
the conclusion which have already expressed
! that il was worth nothing. | have no hesitation
in saying, that would not hazard the life Of one
valuable and useful man for every foot of land be-
tween San Patricio and the valley Of the Rio
!
be of the slightest rnioe.''
That most lamented and distinguished gentle
man and officer, the late Colonel Hardin, of I-
nois, entirely concurs with Major Gaines. Here
is his account:
ssThe ,rhoie country is ,niserably ,caiered Large
districts hare water at ALL The streams are small
| and at great distances apart. One day we marched
| on the road from Moncoya to Parras, hirty.fre
miles, riihoH ,caicr'-a pretty severe days march
for infantry.
g Grass is very scarce, and indeed there is none
| at all in many regions for miles square. Its place
| IS supplied with prickly pear and thorny bushes.
There is not one acre in two hundred, more
probably not one in five hundred of all the land
we have seen in Mexico, which can ever be culti-
waited the greater part of 1t is the most desolate
region / could ever have imagined. The pure
granite hills of New England are paradise to it,
for they are without the thorny briars and venom
Gus reptiles which mfest the barbed barrenness of
Mexico. The good land and cultivated spots in
Mexico are but dots on the map. Were II not
that it takes 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 sustained. All the
towns we have visited, with perhaps the excep-
ton of Parrps, are depopulaiing, as is also the
whole country
The country higher up, that is, along the Rio
del Norte, from Paso del Norte 10 Santa Fe and
Taos, is different in this respect. Through this
part of New Mexico the river runs between I'M
mense mountains, with strips or ribands of land
along its banks, not always continuous, but which
are cultivated with grains but only by means Of
irrigation. Allow me, gentlemen. to lay before
you the credtable, the exact, the authoritative
description given by MIR. Smith, the Delegate
from New Mexico.
New Mexico is an exceedingly mountainous
country, Sante Fc itself being twice as high as the
highest point of the Aleghanes, and nearly all
land, capable Of cultivation, is Of equal height,
though some of the valleys have less altitude
above the sea. The country is cold. Its general
agricultural products wheat and corn land such
vegetables as grow in the northern States Of this
Union. 1t is entirely unsuited for slave labor
Labor is exceedingly abundant and cheap. Ii may
be hired for three or four dollars per month, in
quantity quite sufficient for carrying on adj the ag-
ricuture OF the Territory. There is no cultivation
except by irrigation, and there is not suiicienoy
of water to irrigae all the land.
''As to the existence, at present, of slavery in
New Mexico, il is the general understanding that
it has been altogether abolished by the laws OF
Mexico but we have no established tribunals which