The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1853-05-17

The Drsrnrcr ATTORNEY. Those are siplomati.
letters, are they not
Ans. Yes, sir.
| CUES. Have you any letters in which the Mexi
can mode of writing the "tenth" il exhibited?
Ans Exhibiting two letters and an envelope
| have.
Mr.. BRADLEY. When were they received?
Ans They were put into my hands this morn
ing. believe they were received few days 20
CUES. Where are they from?
Ans. San Pedro.
Ours. Where is that
Ans Near Guanajuato, believe.
MIR. May. Those letters came to me in the same
cnvelope-which was postmarked the s'lIth oil
April"
Mr.. CARLISLE. suppose that these :tters
written to person concerned in this prosecution
late the tn Of last month, not admissible
in evidence.
The Couar. Undoubtedly they are not evidence;
but the witness may look at them, and explain
what he supposes to be the practice writing dates
in Mexico.
Mr.. MAY. Cannot the witness show the letters tc
the jury?
Mr.. BRADLEY. We make no objections to their
being shown to the jury.
MIR. MAY. Ito the witness.) What is your opin.
ion about the date of these letters?
Ans. am decidedly of the opinion that they are
dated the tenth"
Cues Does one refer to letter written on the
" first"
Ans. 1t does. One of the letters refers to letter
which the writer had written to Mr.. Lewis ON the
" first''
Mr.. MAY. Both the letters, as l have said be.
fore, came in the same envelope, addressed to me.
broke the seal and, finding that they were for Mr.
Lewis, gave them to him. ITO the witnessl From
your inspection of Mexican books and writings
| and your knowledge of the mode in which Mexi-
can officials write dates, what do you say about the
date of the decree of Domingo Chaves on the petit
ton of John Charles Gardiner? 81
Ans. l say now, as have always said, that it is
"tenth." The dates in the papers which have
brought with me this morning are, of course more
correctly written because they are from Secretaries
of States. Presidents, SC. The rule go by is that
the date 10 always written in figures, and not in
ordinals. The date ia never written the sfrst,' %
''second,' "third," &C., 30 far as my knowledge
extends. aE
CUES. I understand you to say that you have
eeen great many writings in Mexico. and that,
from your personal observation, "tenth ia written
as it is on the decree of Chaves?
Ans. 1t is the common practice among the
rancheros to write stenth" in that manner
CUES In cities they write with more correct
ness-do they not?
Ans. The educated people write more correctly,
of course.
Mr.. CARLISLE. Do understand you to say that
in dating n letter, "frst" is never written in or
dinals, but in numerals? tt. saH
Ans. do not say that positively. aat
CUES. Did you not read date which was written
in ordinas as the 'hrst," when shown to you by
MIR. Bradley?
Ans. That ia the only instance in which re-.
collect of having aeen it written in that way.
Cues. Do you not know that the universal rule
is, witha figure 81" and something to express an
abbreviation corresponding with the "st' which
use in writing "ls""
Ans. My attention has never been called to that
before, and | cannot be positive.
Ques. Are you satisfied that you are correct in
saying Tor the first of May, sumo de Meyo"-do
they not say primer0 to first" and differently
to other days ofthe month?
.Ans. When ] come to reflect on the matter,
think you right. Ef1
Cues. understand you to say that you would
express "frst" in Spanish with figure e1," and
an abbreviaton corresponding with it "st?''
Avs. You might write it with figure 81, :" and
go" at the top with dot under it to indicate
an abbreviation. 77f
Cues. If dots indicate an abbreviation, are the
dots under the date in that decree an abbrevation
of any thing?
Ans. When s'lOth" is written in that way,
suppose is usual to put dots under it to prevent
alteration. lfit
Ques. You say the dots or scratches are put
there to prevent the date being altered; how could
it be altered?
it to 49," The Mexican rancheros do a great
many things which they cannot explain them.
selves.
:, CUES. Are there any marks of abbreviation in
Mexican as well as in Spanish writing?
Ans. Yes, cir.
Mr.. May. Does not the paper explain itself?
Ans. If the paper had been given to me to trans
late, should have translated it the ''tenth''
MIR. CARLISLE. Would you not have hesitated in
saying whether 1t was the "frst" or s'tenth?'
Ans. If there had been an "r' before the 49,"
should have translated it s6rst" As there ia no
"r," should translate it "tenth." The marks to
the date of the decree, instead of being round dots
to signify that the word was complete, are dashes,
which consider were put there to fill up the space
down to the line
Mr.. MAY. Independent Of John Charles Gardi-
ner's own date on that paper, have you not seen
the tenth written very frequently in Mexico by the
country officials and rancheros as it is written in
the decree?
Ans. Yes, sir.
Julius Meiere, s,Dorn.
Mr.. BRADLEY. What 10 your occupation?
Ans. am professor of modern languages.
CUES. Handing the witness the decree of Do.
mingo Chaves, before alluded tol What is the
date that paper?
Ans. 1t means primero, the LIST. The go -.
standing near the top of the figure means that the
masculine ia understood. If the feminine were
understood, there would be an ga" instead of an
co." In speaking of table, which is feminine,
we should cay prinera. For the LIST day an ordinal
is used, but for the others the cardinal
numbers.
CUES. Would you write the 10th of the month
as it is written on that decreei
Ans. Certainly not
Cues. What is the date to the petition of John
c. Gardiner? uaE
Ans. The 10TH Where there ia a figure with
an so" near the top of it. should translate it into
English as the let. The date the petition
should translate 10th.
CUES. Is there any rule in any Spanish grammar
for the writing of dates?
4dns. The first day of the month is written spri
Nero" and the others-2d, Sd, 4th, 9Th, 9th, &C.
are written with ordinal numbers.
CUES. Do you observe that under the "o' there
are two email marks3
Ans. Yes, sir; but that does not change the idea.
You may mo Ike fifty marks under it and there
will be no difference.
The DIsTRlcr ATTORNEY. Am / to understand
you to say that according to the grammatical
rule "primero' ia written with figure 81" and
sro?'
Ans. It is never written with "ro," except by
an ignoramus. 1t is written correctly with a
figure ''l' and an 60"
Cues. understand you to say that only an
ignoramus would put an "r'' before the "o?'
Ans. That does not make any difference;
have great many Spaniards and Mexcans who
are as ignorant as they can be.
Ques. Handing the witness a letter of John
Charles Gardiner.l What is the date of that
letter?
Ans. That date was not written by Mexican
or Spaniard.
CUES Have you ever travelled in Mexico?
Ans. No, cir.
Cues. Do you know any thing of the habits of
the country acaldes there!
Ans have seen their handwriting, and trans.
lated their documents very frequently.
CUES. You only speak as a scholar how dates
ought to be written?
-Ans speak a man of e1perience-as a man
- l@cC ~s~L.~ A.: