The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-01-26

The MEXICAN boundary.
MESSAGE PROM PREsrDENr OF THE UNITED
STATES, COMMUNICATING A REPORT or THE Sc
cRETAny or THE INTERIOR, CONTAINING THE IN
PoRN,rioN CALLED For BY A RESOLUTION OF
Tng SENATE OF THE Cru JANUARY, 1858, IN RE
LArloN MEXICAN BOUNDARY.
IJanuary 10 lso3Referred to the Select Committee
the subject and ordered TO be printed
To THE SENATE OF TIE UNITED SrATES-
IN reply 10 the resolution Of your honorable body
OF the 9th inst herewith communicate report OF
required WILLARD FILLMORE.
WASHINGTON, Jan. u, 1853.
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
WASHINGTON, Jan. 10, 1853.
SIR have the honor to acknowledge the receipt
OF a resolution adopted by the Senate the fifth
inst, and which was transmitted by you to this de-
partment the following day. This resolution is in
Resolved that the President of the United States be
requested to inform the Senate whether the boundary
line between the United States and Mexico has been fully
run out and established and, if not, whether the com,
mission has expired for the of commissioner and
| surveyor the part of this government.
The inquiries propounded in the first branch of the
resolution have been answered, so far as any inor-
nation in the possession of the department will
enable me to answer them, in my two last annual
reports TO you and | must respectfully refer you to
those reports, as containing full account OF what
has been done in regard to running and marking the
boundary line between the United States and Mexico
II will be seen, by inspection of those documents
| that the line has been surveyed from the beginning
point on the Pacific coast to the junction of the ella
and Colorado rivers, and thence up the ella to its
supposed intersection with the western line OF
/ New Mexico 1t has also been surveyed from the
initial point established by the commissioners the
| Rio Grande, down the course of that stream to
i point near Loredo, or about twO-thirds OF the way
from FL Paso to the mouth Of the river. Some pro-
1 gress also made in the survey OF what sup
posed to be the southern line of New Mexico, COM
mencing at the intersection of that line and the Rio
| Grande, and extending westward to the neighbor-
| hood OF the copper mines, distance Of about $50
miles Operations on that part of the line were
pended near six months ago. in consequence of the
provso to the appropriation bill for 1862; and as
orders have been issued by the department not to
resume them until the wishes Of Congress shall be
expressed by further legislation the subject it is
presumed nothing has been done in continuation OF
1t. No part OF the western line OF New Mexico has
yet been run.
TO complete the work of ascertaining the boundary
between the two countries, it will therefore be ne
cessary to finish the survey of the Rio Grande to
continue the line which has been partially run from
the Rio Grande to the neighborhood OF the copper
mines, or to rerun it entirely, and to aud mark
the western line OF New Mexico.
With regard to the second branch OF the resolU-
ton, which is in the following woras:-" Whether
the commission has expired for the want Of com
missioner and surveyor on the part OF this govern
ment."
The act passed 18th May, 1850, entitled, IAN oct
TO supply deficiencies" &C., contains the following
prUyisi0n:--
For expenses Of running and marking The boundary
line between the United states and Mexico and paying
the salaries OF the officers and Of the commission
fifty thousand dollars provided there shall be allowed
and paid to lie commissioner surveyor and astronomer
appointed be appointed FOR the purpose aforesaid
each salary at the rate of three thousand dollars per
annum; and that if the duties Of either have been
shall be performed by officer OF the army his pay dur
ing the time Of such employment shall be increased
that sum. And provided further That the appoint
ents aforesaid shall terminate and nj the expira
ton Of three years from the first day of January, AID
one thousand eight hundred aud fifty.
The operation Of this proviso. if unaffected by sub
sequont legislation, would doubtless have been to
terminate tie commission tie lst OF January,
1853.
] so understood it; and therefore, in my annual
report to you, dated November 80, 1851, after re-
viewing the operations Of the commission during the
preceding year used the following emphatic Ian.
guagc:-"lt will be impossible, however, to com
plete the work within the time allowed by law and
an extension OF it will therefore be indispensably
necessary
This Recommendation was brought to the notice
OF Congress by your message and the response to it
by the legislative department was contained in the
following clause OF the bill making appropriations
for the civil and diplomatic service Of the govern
ment, passed August 81, ls52:-
For running and marking the boundary line between
the United States and Mexico, under the treaty of
Guadalupe Hidalgo, hundred and twenty thou
sand dollars Provided That part Of this appro-
pration shall be used expended until it shall be made
satisfactorily to appear to the President of the
United States that the southern boundary Of New
Mexico is not established by the commissioner and
surveyor Of the United States farther north town
called Paso, than the same is laid down in Dsturnels
map, which is added to the treaty.
The proviso to this section having rendered the APP
preparation unavailable, the operations OF the com
mission were arrested and that fact made known to
Congress at the commencement Of its present SEES
sion, both in my report aud your message accompa-
MED by recommendations, in the following terms s.
deem il my duty however 10 request you TO
mend to Congress modification of the proyso to the last
Appropriation 81 an early day. 10 relieve the per-
sons attached 10 the commission from the cnbarrasS
ment to which they have been subjected by the of
money 10 pay them and also to relieve the government
from the dscrodit which has been brought upon it by
the protest Of the drafts of its accredited agents Five
months have elapsed since the close of the last fiscal
year. during all which time the officers and employees Of
Vie commission have been diligently engaged in the dis
charge OF their respective duties in the full confidence
that Congress would make the necessary appropriations
TO deiiay their expenses and compensate them for
their services This just expectation has been disap
pointed No part of the appropriation for the
fiscal year can DO applied TO their payment They
left in the wilderness, many Of them two thousand
miles from home without any provision having been made
by law for their support where they stoned
and with urni hed TO ena bic them return TO
their families They ire nov subssting on funds bor
iowod their individual credit raised on drafts drawn
by the commissioner and surveyor before notice of the
provo TO the appropriation several OF which ha ve been
presented TO the department and protested for nonpay
nent. This Is which calls for prompt action on
the part Of congrcss and cannot permit self to doubt
that your recommendation TO at eject will be responded
TO with out delay.
twill ao be necessary to make further provision By
law for Running and marking the residue Of the line be-
tween the two countries in accordance with the terms OF
the treaty of Guadalupe Hlal3o.
earnestly invite your prompt attention to this sub
iect and recommend Inodc ition Of the Of the
roviso to enable the department much Of
the appropriation as win be necessary to discharge the
existing Obligations Of the government and TO complete
the surrey Of the Rio Grande to its mouth
1t viii also be proper to make further provision by Law
Tor the fnlhment Of treaty with Mexico for running
and marking the residue OF the boundary line between the
two countries
The subject at once received TIE attention of Con-
gress, and the 23d OF December bill was passed
in the following words:--
Re it enacted by the and House OF Represents
tses Of the United States Of America in Congress as
sombled That for the purpose Of continuing the survey
OF the Mexican boundary IL shall be lawful to use 30
much of the appropriation provided by the act ap-
proved 3lst August eighteen hundred and fty-tso en-
and diplomatic expenses Of the government for tue
year ending the 30h Of June eighteen hundred and fifty
three and for other purposes, may be required in
running and rkng aid boundary under the treaty Of
Guadalupe Hdago on the Rio Grsnde below the town
called Faso, and in defrsyng am necessary expenses