Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1866-05-17
Artieles.
From the Anderson 1ntelligencer.
Letter From Mexico.

We have the pleasure of presenting our
readers the following letter from an esteem.
ed fellow. citizen, Col. Elan Sharpe, who
is at present in Mexico. His views and
comments upon the condition, climate, soil
and advantages of that country, and the
inducements to emigrate thither, will be
found interesting. The letter was not in
tended for publication, and We have to re.
turn thanks to another friend for the pleas.
ure of it's reproduction:
CoRDovA, Mexico, March 10, 1866.
This is the most beautiful country, ia
some respects, I:.haVe ever seen. Our days
are such as you have in the month of May
the nights are ooob and We sleep under
two or three blankets every night. We
have all the tropical fruits in abundance
the trees are all green and good many
flowers, and any amount of birds, and such
caroling and singing never heard. We
have all kind of vegetables in the market
that I ever saw ir Chaleston market, and
great many more that 1 do pot know
green corn, peas, beans, lettuce, radishes,
potatoes and tomatoes, etc., and yet, just
above US, we have most beautiful noun.
tain, $4,000 feet above the sea, with its
top always white with snow. 1t is the
most beautiful sight 1 ever saw: Sugar
cane grows from twelve to fifteen feet high,
and has only to be planted once in nine
years, and they are grinding it all the year
round. Coffee grows very finely and pro-
duces II pounds to the tree. when four
years old. Tobacco grows we'll also; the
rule is to plant corn, and when it is~pretty
we'll grown, to plant tobacco between the
rows, and when the tobacco is pretty we'll
grown and ready to gather, plant corn be-
tween the rows, thus making three crops
during the year; the lands are very rich.
This is the dry season, and said to be the
warmest weather We have. The wells here
are about sixty feet deep; there are some
running streams, but very few. We have
had two or three good showers since have
been here; the rainy season will commence
in May. The lands are exceedingly thick
ly covered with bushes, vines and shrubs
it costs FIVE dollars an acre to clear them.
There is a good deal of stone upon the
ground; the timber is generally small, but
10 some places is sufficient for crosstles for
Railroads. The whole country bears evil
dence of laziness and neglect, and the
country is all over.grown for the want OF
work; there are the ruins of large haclen-
das all over the country, some OF which
must have cost 100000 dollars; these
haciendas are cultivated now in spots by
the natives, who pay the proprietors certain
rent; they contain from one to two thous-
and acres, and can be bought for about
four dollars per acre, paying one.ffth down,
and waiting four or five years for the
balance; these are considered better than
the Government lands. The Government
lands, about $4,000 acres, have all been
taken up here, even faster than they can
be surveyed There are hundreds of finmi'
grants coming here every day from the
States, of the very best people; some de.
lighted aud settling down. This is fixed
fact, and large and superior colony is
settled here now; there will be good
American society here in short time.
Carlotta is about eight miles from here,
all in the bush yet; it will be some time
before any one can live there with any
comfort. Gen. Price and Gov. Harris are
at this place; they have laid it out and
named it in honor of the Empress. 1t is
very difficult to build a frame house out
here, there having been no saw mills; one
or two are now being put up; every one
seems more anxious to get their lands open
for cultivation than anything else. The
country is a vast wilderness and abounds
in ruins of former wealth and grandeur.
The natives live in huts built of bamboo
and covered with straw the higher class
live in houses built of stone and lime, or
cement Some of the Indians work yell,
and you can hire them for fifty cents per
day, finding themselves. They have the
best staging and wagoning here I ever saw.
The Railroad will be here in about eighteen