The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1850-06-24

prospects; and by this time, with separate e,is
fence, her revenue would have deftayed the cur
rent expenses of her Government, and paid III,
interest Of her national debt.
Let me ask, sir, what will be the great gain Il
TEXAS, as State, by the payment OF this money
Her creditors are principally nonresident brokers
ana stockholders, very. worthy people, no doubt
who ought to be paid but whose money woule
not come into the State. IfTexas were to transfer
all the public lands north Of FL Paso to her cred
tors more than eighty millions of acres, it would
be magnificent payment. Ii would pay the deb
at ten cents per acre What, then, does she ge
for the sale of her civil jurisdiction? If the public
domain is worth more than the debt, which i.
clear, why does not this Government take the pub
lie domain within that line, instead Of insisting or
/ the transfer Of the .jurisdictioni
4 The value OF that country, in agriculture
point Of view, is greatly moderated. The good
| land is much more extensive than is generally
represented And from all the information car
obtain, il is nearly, if not quite as rich as Cali
| torniu IN mineral wealth. saw the other day in
a paper statement that those who have beer
working her placers during the past winter have
realized from ten TO fifteen dollars per day. Lieu
tenant Albert, Of the engineers, who explored the
country, says that not long since two Jumps OF
gold were found below Santa Fe, one Of the value
Of 5000, and the other 800. DIR. Wizlezenus, a
cicntifc German miner, who examined the coun-
| try, thus describes its mineral wealth:
| "a third much neglected branch of industry In
| New Mexico are the mines. Great many now
deserted mining places in Mexico prove that mi
ming was pursued with greater zeal in the old
Spanish times than at present, which may be ac-
counted for IN various ways, as the present want
of capital, want of knowledge in mining, but sspe-
cally the unsettled state OF the country and the
avarice of its arbitrary rulers The mountainous
| parts OF New Mexico are very rich in gold, cop
per, iron, and some silver. Gold seems to be
| found to large extent in all the mountains near
Santa Fe, south Of it in distance of about 100
miles, as far as Gran Quivira and north for about
I20 miles up, to the river Sangre de Cristo.
Throughout this whole region gold dust has been
| nbundantly found by the poorer classes of Mexi-
| cans, who occupy themselves with the washing of
this metal out Of the mountain streams. At pre-
sent the old and the new :oiGcer, near Santa Fe,
have attracted most attention, and not only gold
washes, but some gold mines too, are worked
there They are, so far as my knowledge extends,
the only gold mines worked now in New Mexico.
But as have made from Santa Fe an excursion
there for the special purpose of examining those
mines must refer the readers in relation to them,
to that chapter Of my narrative. As to the annual
amount of gold produced in New Mexico, am
unable to give even an estimate; but nearly all
the gold of New Mexico is bought up by the ira
ders, and struggled out of the country to the United
States, believe that closer calculation Of the
gold produced in New Mexico could be made in
the different minis Of tile United States than in
Mexico itself Several rfchs liver mines were, in
Spanish times, worked at Avo, Mt Cerrillos, and
in the Nambe mountains, but none at present.
Copper is found in abundance throughout the
country, but principally at Las Tijeras, Jemns,
Abiquin, Guadelupita de Mora, &c. heard of
but one copper mine worked at present south of
the placers. Iron, though also abundantly found,
is entirely overlooked. Coal has been discovered
in different localities, as In the Ration mountains,
near the village of Jemes, southwest Of Santa Fe,
in place south Of the pla GERS &c. Gypsum, COM
mon and selenite, are found in large quantities in
Mexico; most extensive layers of it, l understood
exist in the mountains nenr Algodones, on the Rio
del Norte, and in the neighborhood Of the ceebra-
ted "Salinas," II is used common lime for
whitewashing, and the chrystalline or seenite
instead of window -glnss About four days travel
ling probably 100 miles) south southeast of Santa
Fe, on the high table land between the Rio del
Nortc and Pecos, are some extensive salt lakes,
''salinas" from which all the salt (muriate Of soda
used in New Mexico is procured. Large cara
WINS so there every year from Santa Fc in the dry
season, and return with much as they can
transport They exchange, generally, one bushel
of salt for of Indian corn, sell it for and
even two dollars u bushe.''
This vast mineral wealth will be developed by
an American population, and especially slave labor
The richest Of these mines are on the east bank OF
| the Rio Grande, commencing about thirty miles
south of the city of Santa Fc.
In connection with the boundaries of New Mex
| leo, feel constrained 10 notice speech Of the
Senator from Missouri Colonel Bentonsl which
| find in the Integencer of this morning, which
surprises me much; He says:
"This is what Humboldt SAYS of the eastern
boundary Of New Mexico; and his map illus
trates what he says. He places that boundary, as
| it leaves the Rio Grande del Norte, at about
twelve miles below the mouth Of the Puerco, in west
| longitude lO4, and in north latitude 90, and
thence enthusiastically to the head of the Rio
| San Saba, branch Of the Rio Colorado of Texas,
| in north latitude 800 IS, and in west longitude
lO1. This is the line he gives as found in the
special maps drawn up by engineers in the service
of the King of Spain, and preserved in the ar
chives of the Viceroyalty in the city Of Mexico.
Further than that he does not trace it; but that is
far enough for our purpose. II is enough to show
that New Mexico, under the Spanish Government,
extended far east MS 10l degrees Of longitude,
| covering the whole course Of the Puereo, and en-
tering what is now the country of BeXar, in
Texas. III
8. So much for Humboldt; Now for Pike. He
says, at page of his appendix to the journal of
his journey through New Mexico: New Mexico
lies between 300 30 and 44o of north latitude and
l04 and 106 degrees of west longitude, and is the
s mos, northern province OF the Kingdom of New
81 proceed with the possession of New Mexico,
and show that it has been actual and continuous
from the conquest Of the country by Don Juan de
Onaie, in 1895, to the present.
These are the actual possessions of New
Mexico on the Rio Puerco. On the Rio Del
Norte cut Off by the committees BILL there are
the little town OF Frontera, ten miles above Ell
Paso, a town began opposite Ell Paso, San Eliza
rio, twenty miles below, and some houses lower
down, opposite Ell Preside del Norte.''
Such the statements of the honorable Sena-
tor as to the present boundaries and present pos
sessions Of New Mexico; and if made by one of
the younger members on this floor, he would sink
down under the imputation Of gross ignorance Of
his subject, or wilful intention to msrepresent
the "truth Of history, and do injustice to a just
claim. Further on, he says:
'sThe map Of DIR. Wislizenus, which Inow pro-
duce, agrees with Humboldt and Pike, except in
the correction of slight differences in longitudes
and ATTITUDES, which his accurate instruments ena-
bed him to make, and which have no practical
consequence in this examination. /"
Now, the map OF Wisizenus does not profess
to delneate with accuracy the civil divisions, as
the Senator well knows; but, at page 40 OF his
work, he gives the southern boundary of New
Mexico, us it now exists, as follows
'sThe settlement Of Ell Paso was commenced