The New York herald., 1871-12-20
THE MEXICAN PIRACIES.
The Lower California Land Company and
the Late Mexican Filibnstering Out
rage-Interestng Letter from
Mr. George Wilkes.
NEW YORK. Dec. 10, 1871.


day. but at late hour to respond In Tuesdays
HERALD 10 the invitation given me, as one Of the
Directors of the Lower California Company. state
their views upon the subject Of the late Mexican
outrage upon The c0mpany's works and upon the
American colonies at and near Magdalena bay.
gladly avail myself OF your permission. however, as
the political condition or those colonies anu OF the
Lower Cailiornla C0moany IS but little understood,
ana vonr opinion that In this raid upon the colo
MES fostered by The company 1--WE are gong to have
case OF great importance ON the part or the United
States against Mexico" IS entrey correct.
And now without desiring to cucumber this state
ment with unnecessary details OF title and acquisi-
tion, 1t is enough to say at the outset, that the
Lower California Company Is the legal assignee and
owner, In possession, OF grant made the repub-
lie Of Mexico, under President Juarez, 1861, Tor
colonzlng purposes the riglts. privileges and
rancnises OF which extend over the realer portion
OF the peninsula Of Lower California, covering
about 1orly.seven thousand square miles, or say,
ABOUT thirty millions Of acres and TO add at this
point tnat the company bought this grant under an
examination OF It's title first by Mr.. Robert J.
Walker, and subsequently Dy Hon. Caleb Cushing,
Hon. b. +. Butler and samuel L. NJ. Barlow. Esq,
the two latter OF whom are now counsel Tor the
company. atHrN HHU
me whole Of the land comprised within this
grant lies within the lautudes ana under the TEN.
peiatu OI sOutnern italy, and Is bounded ON the
and west by TWO ranges of coast, each over
lour hunured niles Iii length, indented by deep
danL variety VI fish,
the Mexlcan government were moved to make
this gran. under variety OF motives, all OF winch
Were sensible. siatesmanliKe and proper. In the
first place the peninsula OF Lower California. though
% SO lar remote @ from the central pvs soveramen
nay, 30 lar away at sea-tnat 1t always
maintained q position OF arrogant Independence.
contributing to Tie nation soldiers or supplies,
and only acknowledging Its supremacy and eml-
nent domain lu order ~ prevent stronger Powers
lore, always been practically under the sympatnetc
republican protection OF the government OF the
1t was vast desert nlae-tenI1s OF when had never
been expiOred the only kOpulatlOn OF the territory
being grouped at the extreme point OF the southern
or lower enJ, and wnlcn population were as likely
TO reject accept the Governors sent them from
the capital-in Keeping with the nabt oi conducting
all Their revolutions wltn0ut central interference.
This being the cOndltlOn Of things In Lower Cali
fornia, and these Delng the loose relations between
proper anu prude4t thing 1Qr tns l0rmer TO turn
TINS desert tj account by nllhg the Waste poruon
Of II witn industrious co0nists, and In recruiting
money or the privilege. Taese were the motives
wnicn lnduceu the government OF Benito Juarez.
DOMAIN wncn have above described, and which
TOOK ils distinct provincial form . IN The
grant grant now % netd ey the Lower California
the man oDllgations OF which against the
purchasers were hat they should pay SaO0,Ooo and
place 20 ranAles the legal measure or wnicn Is
6oU persons) within tne area witnin given period.
We pala 70 All. homero, tue Minister Of The Aexi-
can government, tnen resident ut Washington the
whole OIL the above sum- IN three severai parts AID
too ms reseiYss e. negS
1t was agreed on the part OF Mexico tnat men OF
every race and color, Chinese not excepted, should
he regarded as ellgiDle cOl0nlStS. These receipts
AID agreements were then ned In the arcnlves OF
the government at washington under the endorse
melJ VI Mr. Romero, III order that our own govern
ment might have Official cOgnlzance Of the proper
anu lawful manner III which we, Is portion OF Its
ton OF the western coast into valuable neiEnbor.
These axieements, recelpts and ratllcatiOns nav
ing been exchanged and nied, Tie Lower California
Company tnen Obtalned charter from the STATE Ol
New York, win nominal capital OF $o5. OuO,OU0
and subsequently organized itseI, with Mr.. Klcn-
ard ociei rs PRESIDENT Wan. Il. Travers, Treasurer
aad .olonel DRAKE DeAay as Secretary. Prominent
among the memoers OF ,he company are the follow.
~ Ing wei-naown American cllizens ana capltaiists:-
General b, +. Butler, William q. Fargo, Edwards S.
SANFORD. Leonard Jerome, David Crawford, John A.
Francis Morris, General J0nn A, Logan, ,Jonn Hun
ter, George UsgoOd, Robert McLane, George Wilkes
Bea,anln halladay, A Jacoo % +. %Leese captain !. 3.
" Imam q. Crapiagen and Others, VINO, taken TO-
geGner, represent q personal responsibility " the
Immediately after their organization the company
TOOK the next proper step. or navlng the territory
the control OF wnlcn they had thus lawfully &C
nizeu by nations as one OF the most merltorlou5
cnaracter, lor the survey and recovery Of
con@ou lands Interest oi"ays sne World Tne e
survey Tor this purpose was organized. under the
command oi J; Ross Browne subsequently Minister
sclentc world. 1t Is suficle1t for the purpose OF
thus letter 70 say that II was very expensive 60 the
ing covered several degrees Of latitude ana lOng-
tude.
lne company, having thus regularly informed It.
self tne eligibility OF their acquisition, ana les
adapiaDllIty, not onty TO mining aad nsnlng, but
asiicultura development next TOOK measures 10 pro-
WI p rfuQQ I'm piluhIu
vessels they s.nt down from san Francisco pioneer
executions Of engineers agrlculturlsts and wei
colnpanys secretary, as their superintend-
ent. Several locations Tor settlements were
formed, out the main one was located at Mazda.
lena Bay, where wharves and warehouses; were
built aud extensive agricultural estaOilsnments
formed. Arrangements were made Dy tae company
by which the Pacific Mail steamers were Induced
to stop 1t Magd.,lena Bay on their up and down
trips between Panama and San Francisco; aud,
ana gave its evidence or substantial CIVILIZATION
All lnis neary two years ago.
lne prosperity Of the company was greatly en-
discovery Lnat valuable moss called "orcnllia" that
yielded purple dye which Is probably the ancient
Tyrlan purple That disappeared IRON use In the
earlier ages on the appearance Of cochineal, grew
In The greatest profuslon IN Lower California and
crops Q year. There was one CONTINUOUS natural
Plantation Of 1t stretching north ana soutn IRON
broad, tue or orcHilIa % Capable Of being gathered,
packed and shipped at Magdaena at s4o tue
bale and sold III Liverpool lOr 500 tne
bale. Here was source OF wealth 10
the company almost without llmit-a source
more valuable than q discovery OF gold; ana they
consequently went into extensive expenditures 10
import laO0rers TO gatner 1t ana export II abroad.
In carrying out this latter purpose they entered into
arrangements with irm OF South Americans,
from Ecuador, named CoDos Co., VINO took charge,
In large part, Tor the company, OF the introducuon
and direcuon OF the iaborers 50 employed. o
Under these operations and under the influence
Of an extending agriculture the American settle.
ment at Magdalena was made port OF emery oy % the
Mexican government and a Custom House eStaD-
lshed there; while, the other nand the interests
OF the American colonies which nad grown up
under the protecting shadow OF the company, mad
become so important that Congress estab-
lIsned Consulate at Magdalend, and the
President appointed Colonel DRAKE De Kay
to NIL the post. Here was q state Of prosperity
which exempted the company from the necessity OF
going upon the market with their stock and which
enabled them 70 keep within themselves the entire
property winch they had thus acquired and
IabOr1Ously utilized. The company did not
intena,' however. to manage their pos
sessions In any narrow Split, and only
- khnee