Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1854-07-01
mR,r,l.,,,, p,r,.p,l N,rratIve.n

Mexico. 1t gives minute account oil each DAY
operations and journeyings from lndianola on the
coast OF Texas, to San Diego on the Pacific. sketch
Of the country passed over-s fertility or more gen.
orally its barrcnncsssome reference to it's geology
IA copious account Of every drop Of water met with
the vexatons and harassments OF camps and mules
the difficulties Of procuring provisions and water
and the innumerable hardships encountered in saw
age and desert region, occupy its pages One grows
weary OF the everrccurring' incidents OF the daily
camp and the daily march; but they add to the value
of the book and necessary to give the quiet rea-
der in the Atlantic States due impression oil the
dreary country traversed, and the kind OF life enjoy
ed by natives and sojourners For our part, since
reading this book, we feel that we know as much
about every inch of ground from the Rio Grande to
the Pacific as we have any desire Of knowing.
O. The first labor Of the Commission was to fix upon
the initial point on the Rio Grandc. Disturnelrs
map, by which the treaty was negotiated, contained
two gross errors One placing the Rio Grande de-
erees farther East than it actually is, and the other
putting FL Paso 90 minutes too far North was no
doubt the object Of the Treaty to make FL Paso the
starting point-supposng to be about the parallel
of 80 deg-and when it was found to be nearly hall
q degree farther South, the Commission followed the
words of the Treaty and fixed the initial point 20
miles North of Ell Paso. This decision deprived US
of the Mesilla yalley-a fertile valley Of nine miles
length on the Western side Of the Rio Grande. This
decision however, come to in the absence OF Mr.
Gray our chief surveyor-whose concurrence was
necessary to make it valid Sometime afterwards, he
Joined the Commission and refused to give his assent
The Government removed him and appointed Major
Emory, who signed the papers. According to letter
from that gentleman and the testimony of Mr. Bart
lett the district Of country in controversy is of very
little value. The valley is fertile-but we have OH
this side Of the river fertile land than the water
in the Rio Grande irrigate-and withou. irriga-
ton there is cultivation in that region And as to
q route for a road-the Southern point is no better
than the Northern. Maj Emory says
'.Nether line gives the road to California and the
country embraced in the OF difference, with tue e1-
ceptioh OF strip along the Rio Grande about miles
long and roio to two wide Is barren, and will not
produce wheat corn, grapes trees, or any thing useful
as food for man or tor clothing.
Aud vet it is this worthless Of land for which
our belicose President would involve us in war
With respect to Railroad on the route trayerSed by
the Commissou Mr.. Bartlett regards it practicable
and seems to consider it better than any line farther
North. He enters into details to show that wood,
water and provisions could be obtained ut all neces
sary points-that oil most of the route, the road
would pass level plain requiring little or no
excavation or northumberland that it would have
an advantage of 1000 feet less elevation than any
line either South or North of it. He does not give
the precise distance from the Mississippi to the Pacific
but we infer from the distances given that this route
would be shorter than any other yet explored
Mr. Bartlett adopts and recommends the suggestion
thrown out by Mr.. Gliddon, that Camels be intro.
duced and raised in this country for the purpose Of
navigating the wilderness between the Rio Grande
and the Pacific The scheme may succeed-though
we have doubts. 1t is with extreme difficulty, that
mules can be keptfrom the Indians-and Mr. Bartlett
had the greater portion Of his stolen two or three
times. Now, camels would make as good steaks
mules, and the Camanches and Apaches would re-
lsh them quite as much. We apprehend, that these
fierce denizens of the desert must be exerminated be-
fore camels can be successfully introduced.
Mr.. Bartlett made numerous and extensive excur-
sons from the line into the Mexican errtory-in fact
for hundred miles to the South, giving it
very close and suspicious scrutiny We do not pcr
seive however, that he discovered any thing very at
tractive. Here and there beautiful and fertile
valleys; but they were isolated, difficult Of access
and not worth having, much less conquering The
famed Sonora appears in his pages to be composed Of
few valleys and innumerable mountains througb
the gorges Of which, he could not even find room for
q railroad.
With the Californian valleys in the vicinity of San
Francisco their fertility and their beauty Mr. Com.
missioner is in raptures They are the garden sno,s
of the earth and have fellows except in the bappv
vale Of Rasselas and the Garden Of Eden as picred
by pious fancies
Gentlemen conversant with Botany Zoology and
Geology accompanied the Commission. and made
large and valuable collections in their resncc,ivs do
partmcns. The hope is INDUCED, that the result Of
their abours will be given to the public Mr. Bart-
lett obtained vocabularies Of twenty aboriginal Ian
guages-many Of which had never been taken down
before. Mr. ID. meditates work on the Etbnolopv
OF the Indian tribes but its cost will render its com
pletion impossible without the assistance of Goven
ment.
The Commission retraced its steps from the Pacific
passing over the same ground-Afr Bartlett occ,-
sionslly making Emergencies into the Mexican TERRI
tory. Alter reaching III Paso, they commenced ,he
survey Of the line down the Rio Grande 10 he
mouth-but just before concluding, in October '5a
their farther operations were arrested for want oi
funds and the Commission disbanded
The survey has since been completed under a new
Commission great expense to the country.
az The Pbiiielphii Enquirer speaks tbus n Tho >,
pidly increasing value of property in that city.
property is rapidly increasing In v.l,o In a., i
date neghbothood of the city, rather the prices n,
the prescott time are much higher than they were ten
years ago friend who resides 10 the vicinity m .I
Ill., recently sold thirty -four aeres OF p,nnnd .I
lars" ~ '"Ou'a"u uo'.
EB- The New York Herald speaking of the e,,,s,,.
gsocs ib'' has characterized the living Of many
in New York, says that the ''rcacton has n, LA, nom,