The Placer herald., 1864-12-24
From the Democratic Press.
LETTERS FROM MEXICO.

lowing extracts from private letters lately
received here from one of our most intelli.
gent young men, who recently wen. to
Mexico:
TEPKC, MEXICO, Oct. 27, 1864
| last wrote you from San Bias, and now
write from the above place, where have
been staying for three days, looking abou,
the city and waiting for some gentlemen
who are to bear us company to Guadalaxara;
distant lS0 miles from here. We start day
after to morrow, on horseback. seven strong,
all we'll armed and able to defy all dangers
from robbers. etc. Under the advice of Mr..
Fowler we deemed it best to wait a few days
In order to get company and proceed with
safety. The country is still in an unsettled
condition between here and the next city,
being infested with small bands Of brigands
rendering it unsafe for party of two or
three persons. The French have not yet
penetrated as far AS this place, though the
party now in power are acting under the
Maxmilian aulhority;-lhe presiding Gener
al, Locada, holding his commission from the
Emperor The Government here, as in San
Francisco, is purely military. Gen. Locada
is invested with absolute power-tries all
criminal cases and Furnishes the offenders
according to his own ideas of justice. He is
quite a character in his way-was a short
time since robber chief himself, and metes
out Justice to the transgressor with sever
ily and exactitude, both to friends and enc
mics, equal to the Roman magistrate. A
man was publicly executed a few days since
for stealing pig; while within the past two
months he shot his brother and nephew for
being engaged in robberes. The result is
that now in this neighborhood there is the
utmost security for life and property, partic-
ularly for foreigners, who are treated with
great consideration. The French will be
down here shortly, and then it is thought
the Government, both civil and military, will
be regularly organized
can scarcely present to you on paper an
idea of the unexampled richness and fertility
of the adjacent country here, and the spoiIa
ton and wretchedness visited upon it by the
successive revolutions which have rapidly
swept over it since, we may say, 1914. Evi
dences meet the eye on every hand of rich,
though rather barbarous, civilization. DE
cayed public works. ruined buildings and
walls, depopulated country, a terror strick
en- and enteebled people, attest the unfitness
and ncapacity of the Mexican people to
maintain a Republican Government, Every
resident, both foreign and native, of property,
rejoices in the prospect of a permanent Gov |
elnment; preferring anything to the inse-
curity to which they have been exposed for
so many years. Six months ago there was
not single person, white or black, living in
San Bias, while now it has population of
lC00 people, and is rapidly increasing. This
y as large, and now containing population
of from 5000 to S,OOO-was almost entirely
deserted. The people have been slaughtered,
decimated, run off into the mountains, and
enervateG by their many msforlunes. But
it was not of this that intended to speak
in this letter. The most astonishing fact is,
that in country so rich, there is few
Americans-there being only five or six here
in town.
And now wish to draw your attention TO
the agricultural advantages presented around |
this city. 1t is situated on the great high
way, of which San Bias is the port from the
Pacific to the City of Mexico. San Bias is
the only port on the Pacific from which
there runs a wagon road right to the Allan
tic via Tepec, Guadalaxara, Quaretaro, Leon
and other large and popuous cities and in
my judgment, so far as my present observa'
ton extends, it, or Banderas Bay is destined
to 90 far ahead of Mazallan as a port of dis
embarkaton. Already, appreciatiye of that
fact, some of the rich and sluggish Mexicans
are beginning to buy up the land and prop
erty around San Bias, which can now be
bought for the merest trihe. Rice sugar,
cotton, tobacco, corn, indigo, coffee, cocoa
from which is made chocolate-grow in the |
greatest profuson. There are several cigar
manufactures in town, three cotton factories,
one Of which, under the supervision of Mr.
Fowler, and owned by Barron & Forbes,
visited, yields an annual net revenue of over
100000. 1t is run by water power, and
works about 800 operatives, (natives). There
are also several sugar factories near town
which have not yet visited, but which am
told yield large sums of money annually.
The sugar is all consumed in the country
here and is very fine. being to my palate
more agreeable than that of New Orleans
We passed through one large coffee planta'
ton, wisli fine growing crop, looking very
beautiful. How much the annual revenue
from it was did not learn, but it must be
very large. The coffee is equal in flavor and
excellence to any | ever tasted, and is said
by competent judges to be equal to any in
the world. merely give you these facts to
show you what the resources OF the country
are. This city, think, is bound to be
large place-situated in the heart and being
the capital of one Of the richest States Of
Mexico, its future | think is not open to
much doubt. Land around here is all grant
cd, but only regret you are not here now
in order that we might secure by purchase
or lease tract near the town, which could
now be got for mere song. A lease OF
plantation or tract Of land for ten or fifteen
years, could be procured now for compare
lively nothing, and fortune made before its
axniralion | am almost tempted TO Lease |