The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-01-21
the mouth; but when we pay . round equiva-

70 subject him to close inspection Let US,
then, take look at this land, and see what we
have made OF Santa Anna by the bargain.
| The territory proposed to be ceded to the
United States for the said twenty millions, lin
Guiding contingents) lies in the departments of
chihuahua and Sonora and between Ell Paso of
the Rio Grande on the east and the Gulf of Cali
fornia on the west, being about six hundred
miles long and about one hundred and twenty
miles wide in the middle, though not over fifty
miles wide at either end. That is to say, the new
| line which runs down into Mexico from the ella
river, hundred and twenty miles or so in the
centre runs up at either end to within fifty
miles of the present boundary. By this
rangement Mexico retains the village of Ell
| Paso Oh the Rio Grande on the east, and elbows
us out of the Cult of California on the west 1t
| appears that Gen. Gadsden had put in projet
for a straight line west to the Gulf of Califor-
MIA, thence down the same to the Pacific. which
would give us the whole of the long peninsula
| between the Gulf and the Pacific; but on the
10th of December this was peremptorily refused.
| On the 18th, however. Santa Anna put
| in his projet, as described above; and
| thinking it no doubt petty good
| beginning Gen. Gadsden closed in with the
offer, and lett Mexico accordingly to lay the
business before our Cabinet and the Senate, in
| all its important lights and bearings in refer
| ence to the interests of Santa Auna and the
| policy of manifest destiny. From the fact
however, that the projet comes from the other
| side, we think it should be called Santa Annals
| treaty with Gen. Gadsden, and not Gen. Gads-
| denis treaty with Mexico.
Now let us zee what this new slip of wild
and, nearly as large as the State of Virginia,
is practically worth.
Our present boundary with Mexico west
from the Rio Grande is mainly down the chan
mel of the ella, nearly the whole course Of
which is through labyrinth of barren. vol
canic mountains, Of the most hdeous rugged
ness and desolation. South of this river aud
the mountain chain through which it passes the
country is chiefly an elevated table land. plen-
| tifully sprinkled over with short mountain
ridges, isolated peaks and buttes, rising alb
ruptly from the plains, but not interfering ma
| terially with the general gradient through the
whole region for railroad. The 50 one thing
needful," therefore, which we shall acquire with
this new strip ofMexican soil will be an available
| southern route for the Pacific railroad through
comparatively open country of lofty table
| lands and sandy plains, with no mountain bar
riers to cross, no rivers to bridge, no tunnels to
cut no snow, and an easy grade from the from
tiers of Arkansas through Texas and New
Mexico, via the general direction Of Cookies
wagon route to the Pacific Ocean.
O. r,;Ic ;.o oil nj
and all that was intended to be given with the
| land. The boundary cats us off from the rich
| silver mines of Chihuahua on the east, and from
| those rich mineral mountains which oversha-
dow the Gulf of California in the west. Santa
| Anna reserves these and the Gulf at the PENN
! sula of Lower California, but gives us deep
cut, like the segment of pie, into the heart Of
the desert of Sonora, God bless you for our
Pacific railroad. The country is substantially
desert in its character-very much in its geo.
graphical aspects like the wilderness travelled
over by the Israelites in their march to the
Promised Land, though in some parts not
quite so destitute Of grass and water
When Gen. kearny, in September 1916,
moved westward from the Rio Grande with his
army for California. he took the ella route with
bis Dragons; but that labyrinth of mountains
being impossible for the baggage, Col. Cooke,
with the wagon train, was compelled to debouch
to the south, and pass round through this COM
paratiyely open country of Santa Annals
new treaty. His report OF the route he ira
versed and subsequent explorations, have e.
tablished the idea that railroad may be butt
by the same detour without any material ma
tural obstruction But for any other purpose
the new territory is only the addition Of some
sixty thousand square miles of comparative
deserts to the five hundred thousand Of the
same sort acquired by the treaty of Guadalupe
Hidalgo.
Looking OF the map Of Col. Cookies trail we
see streams occasionally; but they run only
short distance before they are lost in the sand.
AT different camps we read such notes as these: |
Water sinks--water by digging-no water |
water for fifty animals-dry lake--no noun
tains visible in these directions Ito the |
south)--lost in the sand "a small river) |
Black water creek-no water-San Pedro
river-deserted rancho-canone Tor defle)-
Indian villages-next camp no water
and so on-dry run-no water-no wa
ter-small water hole in the rocks-dry |
creek--no water-rain water pools-except in
the spots and directions indicated the traveller
is continually surrounded by isolated noun
tans aud short ridges. Such are the notes
upon Cookies map, and the exceptions to the
isolated mountains are only at two points along
a journey of some seven hundred miles.
Col Cooke further describes this country as
destitute oftimber, excepting the stunted pines
and cedars on the mountains-as destitute of
white inhabitants except one settlement along
his route (Tueson of five hundred souls,) but
aboundipg in cattlc-stealing Indians at the west
ern end, near the Gila. The table lands and