Year: 1859

VOLUM r. XII. ... .
Ns@ @rIsans 4ailg 6rtsttnt. |


TEHUANTEPEc CORRESPONDENCE.
The one great Question, il the Transit to be Con.


tinued?-Hints at Mexican Nev'-Stronger hints


at Mexican Judges-IVhat the one are and tDhat


". H. Ivebb-1he Run-Freights- Cobos-Hsit


of the United States Minister-Public Meeting.


Indignation and Idleness.


Special to the New Orleans Crescentl


MINATITLAN, June 18th, 1859.


Messrs. Editors The failure Of Hargous Brothers,
and the temporary embarrassment of the Tehuante.
pee Company, engrosses all other questions this
1sthmus. What we for the war in Europe or the
row in Utah, when our own vitality is sorely pressed
for continuance. The question of all others with us
Is, will the Tehuantepec Company resume operations,
or will some other company take the route and do it
ustice We have almost entirely suspended criti
cal observations on the very dangerous and terrible
war at present raging between Miramon and Juarez
and in the general stagnation it would not cause
single movement Of the pulse If it was announced
that old Santa Anna himself was in the country.
Luckily for me, the Tennessee did not leave Vera
Cruz until about the 18th, and therefore her news





Vera Cruz, which relieves me of the necessity Of
writing about how the Mexicans are chasing each
other about the country in the lively game OF "hide
and SEEK" Gen. Zuazua camps in Irapuato one night,
and Gen. Mejia camps there the next. They thus fol-
low each other about the country but always manag.
ing to keep out Of fighting range. What is the of
writing such nonsense, for anybody who will read
the history of Mexico for the last thirtyve years
will find the tale told with all the coloring. Change
the name OF the thevish patriots at the head Of the
robber bands that infested the State for quarter of
century, and story will do as well another for
today. They have not changed mte-nor will
they Their education is fundamentally erroneous,
and its faults were as well known to John Randolph
and John Quincy Adams as they to me or to you.
shall not quote the opinion of either Of those dis
tnguished gentlemen, but if you will take the pains
to hunt them up in your library, the compliment they
convey will be understood and appreciated by the
editors OF the Crescent.
| The Mexican news being cut off, cannot find mat
ter to make letter of unless go into speculation
and even in this doubt If can do more than make
you feel like running out of doors and kicking the
first copper-colored cadaver you might meet on the
| sidewalk. believe somewhat in letting people
alone, but when this kindness is msconstrued and
taken advantage of in every possible way, then the
milk of my temper curdles at once, and feel like
teaching ignorance the difference between contempt
and fear. We have exercised 80 much tenderness in
our dealings with the Mexican people, that they
really do not understand whether we came off first
or second best in the last war. welnformed Mex.
ican (mind say Mexican, and by that draw the
comparison in various degrees of information,) as
sures me that the United States paid Mexico many
millions of dollars that her army might be allowed to
leave the country, and when informed him of his
error he proved it to his satisfaction, for said
he, you already had California, we did not want it,
and therefore you would not certainly have paid SO
much money for what you already had, and which
you stood in no danger of losing, if you wanted it.
No. did not want California, but intended to hold
your army until you gave US what we did want
which was money. II | had been as big as Bob
Wheat, and could have insured myself against the
tyranny of the local police, l would certainly ha We
knocked the fellow down, as the first lesson in new
system of historical teachings but the impertinence
Of the police and the obtuseness of the judges, left
me no alternative, in order to avoid making govern
ment matter of my superior information, but to turr
away and treat my friend with passive acquaint
anceshp afterwards.


1t will excite your mrth when ! inform you of
, Judicial record now under my eye. A teamster owet
q native four dollars, and payment was demanded
A Mexican doubloon was offered, but the change
; could not be made, and in few minutes suit wa
brought to recover the debt. The teamster was ar
rested and brought before the Dogberry who decided
0 that payment must be made. The doubloon wa
again manifested, aud the explanation given that thu
! owner of it intended to pay as soon as he coul'
9 change his money. The judge fired up and decided
that the court could not stand that kind of game


therefore the debtor must settle at once or go t
prison. But" said the teamster, you will not i'm
, prison when make offer to do everything in m
a power-I offer to pay the money, but cannot max
u CHANGE" "Yes, | will put you in prison, sir for


have ordered the debt to be paid and if you do nc
. comply, you commit a contempt Of court, and l wi
e mprson you until the debt is satisfied" There is
q q Daniel come to judgment


The next case was one in which this same judge, a
), a landlord, demanded pay of his tenant, which wa
refused on the score that the house needed repairs
e Two days afterwards the landlord was appointe
r. Judge, and he imprisoned his tenant for contemI
l. to the judge of the court in refusing to pay rel
while the judge private citizen. This is ki n
= of retroaction law unknown in most places and pra
- tised nowhere else but in Mexico on strangers.


Both of the men who were imprisoned by this Do:
N berry, were Americans, and they tell me that o,

ever they come in contact with Mexican officials.
l giving judgment the other day against foregne


the judge remarked, seemingly to win the approb


ton of the crowd in the courtroom, that the Mex
: cans here do not wish Americans to hire natives


rent houses from the people of the country, for, sal
the fellow you strangers are doing too much busine
here and you raising the price of labor and IL
o. rent of houses until we get neither servants hi


dwellings.


leave it to your own clear Judgment as to wht
must be the result of this system. 1t is hard ma
, ter to restrain Americans from rising against the
:" own courts when injustice corrupts the judici
L. bench and bear testimony that it will be mue


harder to keep them from "kcking up muss


here. In the present exhausted state of thefMexca


nation row at Mnatitlan, which might overtime


the local government, would not meet with any vel
:. active enmity from either Juarez Miramon, ar
even if it did, there is no telling how much this
U, N sideraton will induce men to bear up under gre
nd wrongs and petty annoyances.


MS The arrival Of the W. II. Webb restored the col
nv nv muny to some degree of equanimty, and confden
is gradually gaining ground that we are to have re