Democratic enquirer. [volume] (M'arthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1867-1873, 1868-11-19
Srleftro allisteIIanu.
TnE WELSH COLONY INPATAGONll.
An Interesting HIstory.


The Welsh colony in Patagonia conern-
ing the condition of (which some interesting
details have recently been published, ap-
pears to have suffered unusual vicissi-
tudes The colony says the London News,
owes its origin to the efforts of Mr. M. d.
Jones of the college at Bala, in Wales, who
seems TO have been strongly desirous of es-
tablishing settlement at which Welsh
would be understood, and to which persons
speaking that language only could proceed
with less disadvantage therefrom than
would be likely to attend them in other col
onies Application had previously been
made to the English government for grant
of territory for that purpose, but the re-
quest being refused, Mr. Jones and his
friends directed their attention to South
America where the late Admiral Fitzroy
who surveyed the coast Of Patagonia. had
reported the existence, on the river Chupat,
of locality admirably adapted for the pur-
poses of settlement.
In 1863 committee was despatched from
Wales to Buenos Ayres for the purpose of
obtaining the consent of the Argentine
government to the formation of the pro-
posed colony. But although the Argen-
tine authorities regarded the project with
appreciation, the national congress refused
to consent to the establishment of q Euro
pean settlement within the limits of the re-
public, the considerations in favor of such
refusal being the religion of the proposed
colonists, and the fact that wherever a
body, however small, of the Anglo-Sagon
race establish themselves, they always
finally succeed in possessing themselves of
the whole country.
Itwasadded that in this particular instance
the colonists would be supported in their
ambitious views by the neighborhood of
the British establishment at the Falkland
Isles, which are situated near the Patagoni-
nian coast. Undeterred by the rebuff,
fresh agents were again sent to Buenos
Ayres, and at last the Argentine govern
ment declared that they would do for the
colonists all that was permitted by law,
namely, allow each family settling on gov
ernment land 100 acres of ground. This
appeared to satisfy the Welsh agents, who
returned, without loss of time, to their en-
ployers in Wales, for thepurpose of report
ing progress.
The next thing heard of the scheme was
the establishment of Welsh emigration
society, controlled by central committee
in Liverpool. Under the auspices of this
society, o notice, printed in Welah, was
extensively circulated throughout various
portions Of the principality, setting firth
in glowing terms the attractions of the pro.
posed settlement in Patagonia, and stating
that in addition to the one hundred acres
of land presented to each family, the first
batch of emigrants would receive gifts of
horses, cattle, wheat, implements, &c.
These statements-whieh were not exact
ly true-were readily accepted by the sim
pie peasantry by whom they were perused,
and at length vessel the Lady Hat
ton, was chartered by the society to
convey one hundred and fifty emicrants
out, ON the 9th of April, 1866, but the
ship not arriving at Liverpool on the day
fixed for her departure, the emigrants re.
turned to their native homes Mr.. Jones,
who appears to have possessed consider.
able faith in the movement, unwilling thai
the emigration scheme should suffer from
this ulttoward event, re-eollected the dis.
appointed people, to the number of 153
including men, women and children. wht
finally LSarted in the Mimosa, for The east
r coast of Patagonia, on May 81, 1855 One,
third only Of the party were able-bodied
men, circumstance TO which the subse.
quent difficulties experienced by the colo.
nists were primarily attributable.
After voyage ofupwards Of seven thou.
aand miles the emigrants landed at Bahia
Nueya ON the 26th Of July, having lost Eve
children at sea. Here they were detained
month or SIX weeks having no means oi
transporting their effects TO the Chupat,
AT last the women and children were con.
geyed from Bahia Nueva TO Chupat, forty