Daily Iowa State Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1859, 1858-07-15

Til SALE OF SoNoRA.-We have seen a
letter from Guaynas, in the State Of Some
ra, to a gentlemen in this city, wherein
mention is made of the contract, or grant
as it has been called in New York, of large
portions of the States of Sonora, Chihuthua
and Durango, to a company in New York,
about which much has been said recently.
BY this letter, it appears that the General
Government of Mexico made a contract
with Messrs. Jackes, Tore d Co., for the
survey Of what is known in that country as
the Terrenos Valdios, which in the United
States would be known as unsurveyed and
unclaimed governm ent lands. The party
to survey these lands, calling itself the
American Scientific Commission, reached
GuaymIs shortly before the date of the let
ter before us, (about two months since I'M
der the command of Capt. sAaae, and re-
NAMED there at the time the letter was
written. The arrival of the so-called Com
mission was the first intimation which the
people of Sonora had of the contract en-
tered into by the Central Government and
which met with no favor from them. A
further understanding of its precise nature
had so much increased the opposition to it,
that the State Government had refused to
ratify the contract, or accede to the terms
contained in it. The cause ofthis is stated
to be from the absence in the contract of q
clear explanation of the point whether the
right OF possession of lands will not be re-
spected. The Commission was still in Quay
mas, and would await returns from the city
Of Mexico. The people of Sonora was de-
termined that unless all their rights to
property were respected, the stipulations
stated in the contract should not be COM
piled with.
The Legislature of Chihuahua had also
taken action with reference to the contract
referred to, for the lands in this State were
also included in it; and "a decree has been
issued protesting against it.
ut would appear that the Company r..
ferred to imagined that in the Norther States
OF Mexico, but particularly in Sonora and
Chihuahua, there remained vast tra cts of
unclaimed and unoccupied government land.
They proposed to survey the lands, and in
their contract probably included all the
land in the State OF this We are not Ger
tain, although it is evident that they claim
ed the right to survey all the unoccuried
lands, a large portion of which are mining
districts of the greatest value. Now, al
though it may not be know in the United
States, it is perfectly understood in the
States referred to, that there are no govern
ment lands there; and that every portion
OF the territory is possessed or owned by
some one, except the deserts which are not
worth surveying. Every spot of arabic and
grazing land in the districts referred to has
been granted to individuals, and in most in
stances when not occupied, the owners have
been dispossessed by the Indians, while
Others nave been temporarily abandoned in
consequence Of their inroads.
"If the American Scientific Corn ion
ers could survey ali the arabic land and
mining districts owned and claimed bv the
people OF the State in question, and receive
therefor such proportion as their contract
gives t EN-, they would greatly enrich
themselves by it; but if they are to be con-
fined to the deserts which are good for moth.
ing, their bargain will be a bad one"