The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1868-11-19
SrlcttrO illistrlInnu.
THE WELSH COLONYN PATAGONIA.
An Interesting HIatory.

The Welsh colony in Patagonia, conern-
ing the condition (which some interesting
details have recently been published, ap-
pears 10 have suffered unusual vicissi-
tudes. The colony says the London News,
owes its origin TO the efforts of Mr. NJ. ID.
Jones Of the college at Bala, in Wales, who
seems 10 have been strongly DESTROYS of es-
tablishing a settlement mt which Welsh
would be understood, and to which persons
speaking that language only could proceed
with less disadvantage thereirom than
would be likely 10 attend them in other col
onies. Application had previously been
made 10 the English government fora 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 a locality admirably adapted for tho pur-
poses Of a settlement.
In 1868 a committee was despatched from
Wales TO Buenos Ayres for the purpose of
obtaining the consent of tho Argentine
government 10 the formation Of the pro-
posed colony. But although tho Argon-
tine authorities regarded the project with
appreciation, the national congress refused
to consent to the establishment of a Euro
pean settlement within the Limits of the re-
public, tho considerations in favor of such
refusal being the religion of the proposed
colonists, and the fact that wherever n
body, however small, Of the AnQlo-SaQon
race establish themselves, they always
finally succeed in possessing themselves of
the whole country.
Itwasaddedthat 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-
niSn coast. Undetened by the rebuff,
fresh agents were again sent 10 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,
eminent land 100 acres of ground. This
appeared 10 satisfy the Welsh agents, whC
returned, without loss Of time, to their en-
ployers IN Wales, for thepuIpose of report
ing progress.
The next thing heard Of the scheme wal
tbs establishment Of % Welsh emigration
society, controlled by n central COMMITTED
in Liverpool. Under the auspices of thil
society, n notice, printed in Welsh, wa.
extensively circulated throughout yariou
portions of the principality, setting ( rtl
in glowing terms the attractions of the pro
posed settlement in Patagonia, and statinI
that in addition 10 the one hundred acre
Of land presented TO each family, the frs
batch Of emigrants would receive gifts {
horses, cattle, wheat, implements, &c
These statements-which were not exact
ly true-were readily accepted by the sim
pie peasantry by whom they were perused
and at length a vessel, the Lady Hal
ton, was chartered by the society /
convey one hundred and fifty emigrant
out, on the eth of April, 1865, but tn
ship not arriving at Liverpool on the da
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 tina
the emigration scheme should suffer fon
this untoward event, re-collected the dis
appointed people, 10 the number of 1853
including men, women and children, VIII
finally started in the Mimosa, for the cas-
coast Of Patagonia, on May 81, 1865. One
third only of the party were a~ble-bodiet
men, a circumstance 10 which the subse
quent difficulties experienced by the colo
nists were primarily attributable.
After a voyage Of upwards of seven thou
sand miles the emigrants landed at BAH,
Nueya ON the 26th of July, having lost fy,
children at sea. Here they were detained
a month or six weeks having no means O.
transporting their effects 10 the Chupet
Al last the women and children were con
Veyed from Balm Nueva to Chupat, forty