New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1854-01-09
THE soNoR.a EXPEDITION.


The California papers are rife with articles
about the Walker expedition, the new republic,
and the succors that are going to its founders.
We should judge that the finding Of such small
body of men, along a coast so wide, was, whether
by friend or foe an enterprise much like the
proyerbial one Of hunting needle in a hay
stack The whole business has to us, indeed,
in all its circumstances as far as yet known, the
air of being rather the most hair Drained piece
of wickedness ever set on foot; and thus far it
is difficult to say of which the itinerant and self
created President is worthiest--the penitentiary
or the mad house.
We are utterly puzzled to conceive why, in
order to get to the port OF Sonora where he is,
Walker has sailed from San Francisco all the
way down to the gulf of California and then up
it nearly to its head 10 distance of probably
1000 miles) in order to arrive at place where
he expected to find no adherents which was
not more inviting than many other points;
which is only about 100 miles by land from San
Diego, in our own territories; and which he has
Quilted, almost at once, In order to march across
the peninsula (there 100 miles broadly to the OPP
posite (Pacifc) coast, where he had no particu-
lar object and down which he had sailed, in or
der to get where he is, As little can we con,
ceive why the man lands and goes to lighting i'll
Lower California, when the object of his expedi-
g ton was, unquestionably, the seizure of Sonora
and its rich treasure beds. What can have in
duced this renowned Captain, instead of collect
ing an efficient force aud sailing only when he
was ready, 70 take to conquering with only
about people enough, not for a serious fight, but
for a picnic party! Surely no man with a tea
spoonful Of brains would have gone with sueli
mere body guard, to conquer a broad country
as if he expected no resistance and intended to
hold with his mere squad two regions ms large
as all New England, New York and Pennsylva-
mia put together. OF course, he could make nc
detachments But why go to Lower California,
in order to take Sonora What effect could be-
ginning there produce, except to give the Mexi
cans warning aud time for preparation?
We aresorry to say that the facts which now
appear in the San Francisco and,San Diego pa.
pers place the whole business in still guiltier
and far more serious light than before.
The San Francisco papers are evidently well
{ disposed towards the enterprise; no doubt be
cause tue press uSuilly iehSotS thS puuAio Asst
ing and the enterprise is popular in California
The papers affect to condemn it as illegal; but
even in doing SO. extol the fneness Of the ooun-
try and its mineral wealth. 1t may be jrdgeJ
which side of their discourse is listened to---tha
about law or that about gold. Well: it is per
fectly clear, from what they say, that the United
States District Attorney and Collector at sar
Francisco have VIGOROUSLY winked aS the sailing
of Walker and are offering ne hindrance to the
leyying Of recruits and sending them off to him,
But this is far from being the worst oft: the
Alta California of the 10Th ult. traces the whole
undertaking to o regularly-laid plan, among
the fanatics of slavery, for introducing it into
California, through the conquest Of Sonora and
the adoption Of it there, before annexation
This, then, is the key to the strange riddle OF
President Walkers setting up there, by procla-
nation, the code of Louisiana. The Alta Cali.
fornia relates the history Of the movement as
follows:
At first It thought divide the State for the pur
pose of introducing serye labor the lower portion
it. This plan having utterly failed the next thing
introduce the institution into Sonora Accordingly there
bill introduced into the last Legislature par.
pose Of raising company which it was understood