The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1866-02-04
Letter from nrsxsra.

L. Maury, son of Commodore M. F.
Maury, written to friend in this
city, has been furnished us for publi-
cation. While we cheerfully give
place to he'letter, we cannot forbear
to give expression to the hope that
the brilliant inducements held out to
emigrants will not be successful in
inducing many of our people to turn
their backs upon their good old
mother State. Dark days are upon
her; but every cloud has its silver
lining, and is not the amor motris the
silver lining to the cloud that now
'overhangs our State, and is it not the
pledge that some day the cloud will
be removed, and the sun of prospe-
rity will again burst upon us?
MEXICO, November IA, 1865.
Ny DEAR SIR: I remember meeting
you In the street in Richmond, and
that you asked ME to write to you
after [ had looked around in Mexico,
and let you know candidly the result
of my observations and my opinions
upon affairs here, from ''poor Con-
federate' point of view I gladly
seize the present opportunity to do
so, the more particularly because I
hope that my views, as here ex-
pressed. may, through you, be dis
seminated among many of my dear
friends in old Virginia, and that they
may be induced seriously to think
over the idea OF emigrating and
coming here.
The great difficulty with many is
how to raise the money to get here
That stone has been removed out of
the path of every one by the Impe-
rial Decree of September ), for the
Government will pay your passage.
But you may say, "What am 1 to do
when I get there?" / answer, :'Any-
thing you choose, almost" True,
you will not make your fortune in a
week, but you will make expenses
until you can look around and settle
yourself.
There are many Confederates here,
and all of them have OR can get occu-
patton, if they want it. In the first
place, there are some ten or fifteen
millions of acres offered to colonists
by various landholders here ut va
rious rates, the least advantageous of
which arc as much land as you will
take-the colonist furnishes the la
bor-the holder everything else-will
lend you provisions till you make
your own, and will furnish seed, stock,
farming implements, and everything,
and divide equally tile profits. Will
also furnish fiocks and herds for stock
breeding, on the same terms. And
then the yield Of a spot of ground.
farmed on Virginia principles. would
be perfectly fabulous-indeed, there
would scarcely be all end to the har-
vest. You may form an idea of what
it would be from this fact; that land
on the Mexican system Of
farming, probably the most slovenly
in the world, for they never touch
the field after the seed is planted, ex-
cept to harvest the crops, yields from
one to three or four hundred fold,
and that, too, two, three and four
times annually. Think of it; bushel
Of corn yields four hundred bushels
four times a year!
The 2roductiveness OF the country
is certainly one of the seven wonders
Of the world You know that it must
be SO, because nobody works, and
lives. I know of lady
here who lives off Of the natural pro-
ducts of her farm She is considered
rlch, too-she has not hand on the
place except IN agent who sells the
spontaneous products of the
ground on the spot--the buyers come
for II, take it away and pay their
But there are other occupations
here which will give q more imme-
date. though by no means so rich P
reward. General Magruder is at the
head of the Mexican land office; the
lands of Mexico never have been sur
veyed; he needs assistants every day,
and pays from $50 to $50 a month.
This, you may imagine, is an endless
Job. I don't know whether you are
but if you, or any one else
who is, will come ont here. you won't
starve, particularly if you bring your
instruments With you.
[ am delighted with the whole coun-
try. 1t is certainly the most favored
IN the world, and most certainly the
place for you and me, and all like us.
What can we do in Virginia ? People
abroad have no idea whatever O; Mexi-
co-all their knowledge is obtained
from Northern newspapers.
The country is far better settled