The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-08-21

entce the independent American sborer, who is
seldom willing TO work for less than dollar,
. clear Of all expenses, whilst the Mexican gumbe
elmo is content with two or three rails, most Of
which 10 required 10 furnish him with food. There
FORE these poor miners had miserable life, after
all. When short of means. they often support
food consstin Of kind ofcoarse sugar, called
9 pelencllo, TO which Is sometimes added little
crude ranchero cheese; yet they seem perfectly
satisfied"
Mr.. Ruxton, at pages 1912, says:
"Oft the many so.calcd mines Of New Mexico,
there il but one which has in any degree repaid
the labor of working. This is Ell Real de Dolores,
more commonly known as FL Placer situated
about eight leagues from Santa Fe on the ridge
of Sierra Obscura. The gold is mostly found in
: what is technically called dust, in very small
quantities, and with considerable labor Il has
perhaps produced, since its discovery in 1928, two
hundred thousand dollars; but il ID very doubtful
whether any of these. paccrs would repay the
working on a largo scale"
Lieut. Albert, in his report, page 45l, in speaking
OF the gumbecinos, says:
"One can but feel pity for these miserable
wretches, and congratulate himself that he does
not possess gold mine Even the life of the
poor pastores IL much preferable to that Of these
diggers Of gold"
And then hc adds, page ASP:
"The value Of these mines cannot be very we'll
estimated now as there have been many improve
ments in the methods of making gold, which,
when adopted at these mines, may produce
great increase in their annual yield. At present
none of the owners Of these gold mines have ever
become wealthy by their mining operations, and
have met several who have sunk all they had in
searching for gold.'
Without under taking to place an estimate even
in general way, on the value Of these mines /
would observe, it is not at all probable that
will undertake to improve them, SO long those of
California are open, and are 80 much more produc-
tive. Will mines be worked which can afford wages
at lu FAY a ,hor ~,
California, an able bodied man command eight
or ten dollars per day? Wages are the true mea-
sure of profits.
But, # the fact be otherwise, is it likely that any
one would think of employing slaves in this bust
ness? Would not the legal and social difficulties
already adyertcd to constitute insuperable bar.
riers' Would not the gumbecinos be employed in
preference, who are 30 cheaply compensated and
subsstedl
How, then, can New Mexico become the theatre
Of slave labor Besides the daptation of it's
soil and climate to the production Of cotton sugar,
and rice, the mere cost OF transportation would
clude their cultivation. IL appears by Lieutenant
Abert's report, page i99, that freight from Santa
Fe to the navigablc waters of the Missouri SO
per hundred So that, to get thesc articles to mar
kct would cost all, ii not more than they could COM
mand in market. The want of navgable rivers
and other means of cheap transportation must
limit production to the consumption Of the coun-
try, excepting only live stock where nature herself
furnishes cheap means of access to distant markets
nc ulstdHCC W inc IUl5sOufl TlVeT is over elHnt
hundred miles; and to the nearest port on the gulf,
lin Texas,) about thousand miles; and to
Chihuahua, (the nearest market in Mexico,) we
have already seen, four hundred and twenty miles;
and that, too, over about two hundred miles of
desert Taking into view, then, all the circum-
stances of the case, let the South go to New Me xco
with her slaves il she can. 1want no higher guar
antee against the introduction of the evil than such
az the fac b of the case afford.
The following statement by Lieutenant Albert,
in regard to the condition of the people in
New Mexico, in point of education, will, presume,
be highly satisfactory 10 the Senate
81 have been surprised by the many men and
children Of the lower class who both read and
write in fact, all we questioned seemed to be edu-
Gated thus far; bat they have books. l only
9 rccollcct to have seen Roman Catholic catcchsm
at Pakellas. Many of the of the Recos are
well educated. We several who had been at
Union College, st. Louis. They speak French
8 and English, and understand their own language
grammatically''
No doubt people who have made SO much pro-
gress will soon become qualified 10 assume ali the
responsibilities and discharge all the duties of
American citizens.
Mr.. Smiths remarks in relation to Utah
will be published hereafter.