Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1866-01-24
Union and American.
THE CoNFEDERATE COLONY IN

an inquisitive correspondent OF the New
York Herald has just succeeded in nousing
out a small colony of late Confederate off
GERS of high rank, who have established
themselves near Cordova, in Mexico, about
fifteen miles from the road which leads from
| Vera Cruz to the City Of Mexico.
General Sterling Price is at the head of
this colony, and they have commenced the
building Of city, to be called Carlotta, in
compliment TO the wife of Macmillan.
We make the following extracts from Inc
letter in the Herald:
! A quarter of an hour after my companion
landed me in front of straw-rocfed, low
built, massive cottage, the outside of which
had not yet been plastered, and which was
far from being finished inside. "Here is
General Prices house, said the driver
but as it is not finished yet, he still lives
under his tent which he has pitched under
the orange grove yonder."
On my way thither saw lot of Mexi-
cans who were engaged in moulding aad
drying up to the sun large bricks, about
half yard square, and which appeared to
be as hard as stones. The clay used in the
manufacturing of this building material is
mixed up with a kind of vegetable hair
which makes it lighter and stronger. When
your bricks are dry all you have to do is to
pile them up, one upon the other, by means
OF hard cement which is made ia the
country, and to cover up your structure
with peculiar kind oflong and thick straw,
stronger and lighter than shingle If you
add 70 this little plastering outside, and
little stucco inside, you have as comfortable
and nice cottage as you may desire. These
houses have not the palatial splendor of the
haclendds, but for a small family they do
just as well. / know Mexicans who prefer
this style of building 20 stone houses. If
they are not so durable, they are, in COM
pensation, dryer and healthier. When our
colony will all be congregated on this spot,
we will have as nice little city as any in
the South or in New England.
All these details were given to me by the
one-legged Confederate. who was amused at
my surprise, and delighted to see me more
attentive than | had been since our acquain-
tanee began.
T As approached General Prices tent, the
entrance ofwhich was open, saw the old
warrior seated at a table, his head resting
on one of his hands in a contemplative afti-
tude, as man highly interested in his writ
ing or reading. No sooner had presented
myself to his sight than he was on his seat,
and, stretching his right hand to me, said in
All open and familiar manner: b,s si
"Ah my dear fellow, / am glad to see
you. From st. Louis, / suppose? How
are our friends at home2 All we'll, hope? |
Are you coming here to settle and be one of |
us ?" -, =.
These questions we're addressed to me all |
in breath, and as if the General had been |
anxious to hear them answered at once. / i
tried to satisfy him as rapidly as | could |
but when 1 declined joining him or his |
colony he made gesture of impatience, and |
seemed to be disappointed. sI -
"Well," said he, ~ am sorry TO hear you /
refuse to become one of us, on my own |
account as well az on yours. do not be- |
lieve that a man of mature years, like YOU, |
can do better than to settle down in the |
midst of this magnificent country and turn \
farmer. / have been here four or five |
months, and all have seen and heard goes |
to convince me that this is really the land |
of promise. / have here six hundred and |
forty acres, which would not exchange for |
any Twelve hundred acres in any part of the |
United States. What you have seen already |
must convince you that do not exaggerate.
Where will you find a richer soil and /
healthier climate than this? Not in any
part of the world. The patriarchs alone
could boast ofsuch advantages. Here man
can live under his tent from the wool of his I
sheep and from the fruits of the earth with
out being compelled to lift up either the
shovel or the hoe; but as we are in an age
of civilization, and as we have contracted
habits of luxury and all sorts of fictitious
wants, we must plough, hoe and turn the
sod upside down, for we have not only the
appetites of our natures to satisfy, but we
have to work for others and to create wealth,
the effect Of which benefits thewhole world"
The General gave me also some informa-
tion concerning the Confederates who had
settled in this vicinity. He told ME that |
and that Gen. Ewell, Gen.. Shelby, and other
est neighbors. These gentlemen had written
to their families, who were then, he supposed,
on their way to join them. He was himself
going to send for his family as soon as the
house he was building in Carlotta City was
ready. The ground ON which that city was
raised had been given by him, and he had
the satisfaction to see that his gift was ap-
preciated, and that emigrants were fast ag-
to that spot.
On my return TO Carlotta, where the same
wagon was waiting fog me, the General, who
was with me, showed me several fields which
he had planted-same with coffee trees, some
with tobaoco-some of these fields were un-
der cultivation when he bought them so he
exported, this very year, crop Of coffee CT
about five thousand dollars, and this without
the tobacco, the beans the cattle,
the horses, the sweet potatoes, and the fruits.
His field hands were Mexicans whom he
paid at the rate of three or four shillings
a day, in silver. They were assiduous
and faithful, but lazy they required con-
slant watching. Good treatment had
wonderful effect on them, and the General
told me that he could see an improvement in
the quantity CT labor performed almost
every day, as well as in tho general behavior
Of these men. Their children were COM
pelled to goto school and be educated The
Emperor had not however, completed .hc
legislation which was to prepare their pas
sage from the state Of peon TO that Of free
man. But he win soon do SO, and establish
for this disinherited class the means Of ele-
vating itself and of occupying an honorable
position in the world. ss..s b..s sfassss -