The Arizona sentinel., 1885-07-11
The Lerdo Colony.

Our article last week on the Lerdo Co-
 lony, was written mainly from data oo
 tsined from an editorial on the subject
 in the San Francisco Chronicle of date
 about June 17th, which data made us say
 that the time for colonizing the land bad
 expired January 1st, 1885; that the time
 having passed they, Blythe and his asso-
 ciates) had forfeited their right to the
 land, and that, from the nature of the
 csse, they were now seeking an extention
 of time; that they were to coionize with
 one hundred families, giving each $10o, a
 span of mules, seed enough for the first
 year, and 100 acres of land. The infor-
 nation that G. Andrade and Attorney
 Whright had gone to Mexico, and would
 thence go to England to borrow money, or sell portion of the land, was obtained
 from Mir. Bateman himself in an inter.
 view with him g day or two before our
 paper was issued. The rest of the article
 was based on deductions from the appar- ent legal status of the concession, viewed from sn impartial standpoint. We there fore have nothing to re:ract So far as "the whole thlng vanishing into thin air, 1" we believe is only question of time, for It seems almost impossible to carry out tie conditions of the contract with the Mexican Government, as the following syno2tlcal history of the Colony will show:
 The Lerdo Colony Company was first organized in November 1873, to run for ten years. In the month of November 1883 the time expired. Andrade then ob tsined a extention of time for two years longer on the payment of SIG, 900 forfeit,o or hne, and giving bonds in the sum of $25- GOO as 6 guarantee to fulfill said contr act the time expiring in the month of No- vember next, this year. This grant of land first comprised little over sixty.one sections, or 150,OOo hectares, or 370, 800 acres. These figures are obtained by mul- tiplying 15O,OOO hectares by 2.47 acres, which are equal to one hectsre- But more: In 1877 there were added 60 these 6l sec tIouS, ten more; in 1883, s more, which, if tho Company have obtained title thereof, have now sl sections equal to fraction of over 100000 acres, (no: ,5OO,OO0 acres, as the San Francisco Chronicle and mem- bers ot the Lerdo Colony claim.) The principal conditions of the contract now, since the last extension of time Of two y:ara, are that the Company must estab- 1 fish ia Aaid grant two hundred European faniies, total of one thousand persons | that is to say, equal to sixteen per- sous to each section. This is abs olutely required by the colonization aws of Mexico, and to which law the Lerdo Colony is subject. The contract was signed by Don Guillermo Andrade md ratified by the Miaistro l ie Fomeuto in the City Of Mexico, iu November, 1888. One 'f the conditions of the contracs being, hat the company shall not transfer their tights and privileges to any other con- 'any without the previous consent of the Mexican Government. The inference rom the above is, that, inasmuch as Andrade and Attorney Wright have gone O the City of Mexico. the capital, and who will thence 20 to England Uu business with the Colony, that they will 'iiher ask for further extension of tune md pay the $25 900, forfeit. or they go here to ask permission to make trans. CT Of the property to an English Com 'any. We leave the question for the Iolution Of our readers.