History of the War between the United States and Mexico/Chapter 18

by John Stilwell Jenkins

 

CHAPTER XVIII.

TREATY OF PEACE.

Firmness of the Mexican Administration — Treaty of Peace Concluded — Skirmishes — Expedition of General Lane — Ratification of the Treaty — Evacuation of Mexico by the American Troops — Reflections — The Territory Acquired — Capacity of our Country for War — Conclusion.

It was difficult for the Mexican nation to make the humiliating acknowledgment, even to themselves, — their Castilian pride revolted at the thought, — that they were compelled to sue for peace; that the eagle of Anahuac, breathing a softer, but more enervating atmosphere, was no match for the prouder and hardier bird of the North. But there was no alternative; the Congress, which had taken a recess shortly after the election of General Anaya as Provisional President, reassembled in January, 1848; and a report was then made, in regard to the condition of the army, and the number of troops necessary for the vigorous prosecution of hostilities. It was found that 65,000 men would be required to carry on the war with any prospect of success. To raise this force was impossible, and, were it otherwise, the republic was without the means to pay them. Her forts and arsenals were in possession of the enemy; her military stores and supplies were nearly exhausted; her resources were rapidly diminishing; and the American commander, backed by his victorious soldiers, was already levying heavy contributions upon the country.^[1] Her navy- — she had none; and her privateer commissions, and certificates of citizenship, were bandied about in the market, without purchasers or bidders.^[2]

General Anaya's term of office expiring on the 8th of January, he was succeeded by Peña y Peña, as President of the Supreme Court of Justice. There was no change, however, in the determination of those at the head of the government, to conclude a peace. Attempts to incite a revolt were made during the winter, in the states of San Luis, Zacatecas, Guanajuato, Jalisco, and Oajaca, by the Puros and the followers of Santa Anna and Paredes; and, in January, a pronunciamento was issued, at San Luis Potosi, in favor of continuing the war, and against the course pursued by the administration. But the Mexican Executive was firm and decided, and his vigilant measures prevented an outbreak. The negotiations were continued, and on the 2nd of February, 1848, a Treaty of Peace was signed, by the Mexican Commissioners and Mr. Trist, at the city of Guadeloupe Hidalgo. The provisions of the treaty were very similar to those contained in the projét rejected by the Mexican Commissioners, in obedience to the instructions of Santa Anna, in August, 1847. It was provided that the boundary line between the two republics should commence in the Gulf of Mexico, three leagues from land, opposite the mouth of the Rio Grande, or the deepest channel of the river, if there should be more than one emptying directly into the sea, — running thence up the middle of the river, to the southern boundary of New Mexico — thence along such boundary, to its western termination — thence northerly, along the western boundary of New Mexico, to the first branch, or to the point nearest the first branch, of the river Gila — thence down the Rio Gila to the Rio Colorado — thence, crossing the latter river, and following the division line between Upper and Lower California, to the Pacific ocean, at a point one marine league due south of the southernmost point of the port of San Diego.^[3] It was also provided, that the vessels and citizens of the United States should have the right freely to navigate the Gulf of California, and the Rio Colorado, to and from the territories of said United States;^[4] that the river Gila, and the Rio Grande below the southern boundary of New Mexico, should be common to the citizens and vessels of both republics;^[5] and that all places, and forts, with their armaments,^[6] (the city of Mexico, within the inner line of intrenchments, being included in this provision,) occupied by the American troops, and not embraced within the limits of the ceded territory, should be restored.^[7]

It was further agreed, by the treaty, in consideration of the cession of territory before mentioned, that the inhabitants of such territory, choosing to remain after the transfer, should be forever protected in the full enjoyment of their liberty, religion and property, and, as soon as practicable, be admitted to the rights and privileges of citizens of the United States;^[8] and that the United States should pay to Mexico, the sum of fifteen millions of dollars, and assume the claims due her citizens, to an amount not exceeding three and one-fourth millions of dollars — Mexico being entirely released and discharged from the payment of such claims,^[9]

The Mexican Congress was not in session at the time the treaty was signed, but a number of the members were then at Queretaro, and were consulted in regard to its provisions, — a large majority of them signifying their approbation. "El Progreso," the organ of the revolutionists at Queretaro, violently opposed the treaty; declaring, among other things, that the sum of fifty millions of dollars ought to have been exacted from the United States. Paredes and his adherents likewise attempted another revolution in San Luis;

but General Bustamente immediately moved with a division from Guanajuato, where he had been stationed to keep down the disafectionn in that quarter, and arrived at San Luis Potosi on the 27th of March. The revolutionists made attempts to tamper with his fidelity, but finding him firm in his adherence to the administration, they abandoned their projects, for the pressent.

In the meantime, the American army had made no new movement of importance; except, that in the month of February, Orizaba was occupied by Colonel Bankhead, of the 2nd artillery, with 1,200 men, consisting of the 13th infantry, the Alabama battalion, and a detachment of cavalry. Several skirmishes, however, took place with the guerilleros, who persisted in committing their depredations on the line of the National road.

On the 1st of February, 1848, Captain Lamb, with his company of the 5th Illinois, encountered a Mexican reconnoitering party near Tampico; but at the first discharge, the enemy fled, leaving a number of horses, and their commanding officer and one of his men, in the hands of the Americans. On the 4th instant, Lieutenant Lilly, of the Louisiana cavalry, attacked twice his force, in the neighborhood of Puebla, and soon routed them; killing fifteen of the party, and capturing the remainder, with their arms, horses, and accoutrements. Lieutenant Colonel Biscoe, of the Louisiana rangers, left Vera Cruz, on the 19th of February, for Orizaba, with a detachment of Georgia and Louisiana cavalry. About four o'clock in the afternoon, between forty and fifty guerilleros were discovered in the road, near a place called Matacordera. Captain Wafford, in the advance, with twenty-five of the Georgia men, rushed upon them, when they fell back to a hedge of Chaparral, which, in an instant, swarmed with the enemy, estimated to have been from three to four hundred strong. Captain Wafford charged through their line, and then cut his way back. Still, his men were rapidly falling, and must have been completely cut off, had not Lieutenant Colonel Biscoe arrived in time to rescue the party. After he came up with the remainder of his force, the guerilleros were easily driven from the road. In this affair, Lieutenant Henderson, of the Louisiana cavalry, was killed, with four men of the command, and there were twenty wounded.

General Lane, — not inappropriately styled, by his brother officers and soldiers, "the Marion of the army," — set out from the city of Mexico, on the 17th of February, on another secret expedition, with the same command that accompanied him to Tehuacan and Orizaba, in January. Advancing, with the utmost speed, over rough and difficult roads, and along miserable trails, and making frequent rapid night marches, he arrived at Tulancingo, the residence of Paredes, early in the morning of the 21st instant. Paredes was fortunate enough to make his escape a few moments before his house was surrounded. Having rested his men at Tulancingo during the day, General Lane resumed his march on the 22nd, and reached Tehualtaplan, where, as he learned, there were about 1,000 Mexican lancers and guerilleros, under Colonel Montano and Padre Jarauta, at sunrise on the 23rd.

As the Americans entered the town the escopeta balls came whistling about their heads from nearly every house. Headed by General Lane, Colonel Hays and Major Polk, the rangers and dragoons dashed upon the enemy, fighting their way, hand-to-hand, into the houses, and cutting down every man who refused to surrender. A portion of the Mexicans rallied and formed outside the town, but a vigorous charge, led by General Lane and Colonel Hays, quickly put them to rout: Jarauta, who was wounded in the conflict, again escaped; one hundred of the enemy were killed, however, among whom were Colonel Montano, and the bosom friend of Jarauta, Padre Martinez; a still greater number were wounded; and there were fifty taken prisoners. General Lane lost one man killed and four wounded. Quiet was soon restored in the town, after the fighting had ceased, and the Americans returned to the capital, taking with them their prisoners, and a quantity of recovered property that had been plundered from different trains.

General Scott was relieved from duty in Mexico, at his own request, on the 19th of February, when the command was assumed by General Butler. On the 5th of March, a military convention, for the provisional suspension of hostilities, was ratified in the capital, under which the civil authority in most of the towns occupied by the American troops was shortly after surrendered to the officers regularly chosen by the citizens. The guerilleros were now tolerably quiet, though they occasionally attacked the merchant trains. On the 30th of March a train of Mexican merchandise was plundered by a band of marauders, at Paso del Bobo. Colonel Hughes being informed of the transaction, a party of Texan rangers were ordered out from Jalapa, under Captain Daggett, who followed the trail of the guerilleros, and overtook them as they entered the village of Desplobade. But one of the bandits escaped; the remainder, thirteen in number, were captured and shot. This blow was effectual. Towards the latter part of March a large merchant train left Vera Cruz for the city of Mexico, escorted by a mixed command under Lieutenant Colonel Loomis, of the 6th infantry; but they were not molested by the guerilleros.^[10]

The treaty concluded at Guadaloupe Hidalgo was received at Washington, while the American Congress was in session, and in the midst of a discussion on various propositions for a still greater increase of the army. Although the powers of Mr. Trist had been revoked, and he had been recalled, prior to the conclusion of the treaty, President Polk very properly decided to regard his disobedience of orders as a matter resting solely between himself and his government, and therefore communicated the document to the Senate. That body approved the treaty, after making some amendments affecting but slightly the provisions before referred to, on the 10th of March; and on the 30th of May following, the necessary ratifications were exchanged, at Queretaro, by Ambrose H. Sevier, and Nathan Clifford, the Commissioners appointed for that purpose by the American government, and Señor Rosa, Minister of Internal and Foreign Relations of Mexico, — the Mexican Congress having previously ratified the treaty, as amended.

The American troops immediately commenced the evacuation of the Mexican territory. The division of General Worth was the last to leave the capital. On the morning of the 12th of June, it took up the line of march. for Vera Cruz. The American flag, after being saluted by the Mexican artillery, in command of General La Vega, was lowered from the National Palace, and the Mexican standard once more ascended in its former place. The latter was saluted, in turn, by the battery of Lieutenant Colonel Duncan, which had been the first to open its thunders on the battle-field of Palo Alto.

The war with Mexico is now ended. Its results, be they for good or for evil, are in progress of accomplishment. To our sister republic, if she regard it aright, this contest may prove a useful lesson. Whether the principle affirmed by the American government, in the annexation of Texas, which, as we have seen, was the original moving cause of the war, though not necessarily so, — that a revolted province, by maintaining a successful rebellion against the authority of the mother country for a period of eight years, acquires the right to be regarded, for all purposes, as an independent nation; whether this be correct, or incorrect — and the time certainly appears reasonable — it cannot be forgotten, that Mexico herself invited hostilities, by a refusal to negotiate. The direct consequence of this refusal was the advance of the American troops to the Rio Grande, — the immediate cause of the war, it is true, but the only mode by which the United States could have asserted her title, when all intercourse with Mexico was suspended, to the territory admitted to be in dispute — This war, then, will caution Mexico against assuming, on any other occasion, a false attitude at the very commencement of an international difficulty. It will teach her, too, the importance of cultivating harmony at home, and of manifesting and preserving, at all times, good faith in her dealings with other nations. Clouds and darkness still hover over her lovely valleys and her snow-capped mountains;^[11] yet, blessed, as, we may hope, she will one day be, with a firm, stable, and prudent government, it will be easy for her to redeem the past, and to accomplish a high destiny for the future.

But what have the United States gained by the war? — Its necessary consequence, although not its object, has been, the addition to our territory of a tract of country exceeding 500,000 square miles in extent.^[12] The importance of the Bay of San Francisco, and the other harbors on the Pacific ocean, embraced within the limits of the territory acquired, has been heretofore noticed^[13] Divers opinions are entertained with regard to the value of the acquisition in other respects, and it will, perhaps, be impossible to reconcile them, until its resources, and productive capacity, are fully developed, under the more favorable auspices which always accompany American industry and enterprise.

Recent travellers give no very flattering description of large portions of New Mexico and California;^[14] but, it must be remembered, that mere tourists for pleasure are far from being reliable authorities. The dry sandy plains of New Mexico will never be redeemed, in all probability, from the curse of barrenness; through all time they must continue to appear as they now do — "blasted with antiquity." Yet the territory is not entirely a desert, nor is the Santa Fé trade, which has been of so much profit to some of our western cities, in past years, a mere fiction.^[15] Copper ore abounds in the mountains; coal exists, in large quantities, in the Ratôn range, and at Cerillas and Taos; and there are said to be valuable gold mines south of Santa Fé.^[16] The valley of the Rio Grande, from Santa Fé to the southern boundary of New Mexico, throughout its greater extent, is thickly dotted with farm-houses, and lined with fertile fields, with orchards and vineyards; and to the north of Santa Fé, there are extensive pasture lands capable of grazing an immense number of cattle.

Comparatively little information has been so far obtained in regard to the great interior basin of California, lying east of the Sierra Nevada. Between the Sierra and the Pacific, there is a strip of land, from one hundred to one hundred and fifty miles wide, which is nearly all productive. Wheat is grown in abundance in the territory; wine is produced in the valley of the San Gabriel, and there are vineyards, also, in other parts of the country; the hills and plains are covered with sheep and cattle; and large quantities of hides are annually prepared for exportation.^[17] Oranges, limes, figs, olives, grapes, apples, and peaches, grow thriftily, and yield abundantly. The gardens attached to the Old Roman mission establishments, at Yerba Buena, San Luis Rey, and San Diego, are fairly choked up, with the fruit-trees and shrubbery, that have been suffered to grow, for many years, unchecked and unpruned. The climate of the territory is mild and equable; the winters are rainy; and, though the summers are dry, there are heavy dews to cool the air and moisten the grounds.^[18]

The pecuniary considerations growing out of, or connected with the war, lose much of their importance, however, when we consider its other results. The ability of the country to vindicate her honor and maintain her rights — her great capacity for war, either offensive or defensive, — has been signally demonstrated. The tendency of this will be, to increase, in an eminent degree, the respect and deference paid to our government by other nations. Called upon, at brief notice, to raise and equip a large army, — this was accomplished; and, under such circumstances, we entered into a contest with a people not unpractised in "war's vast art," or unacquainted with the improvements of modern science; attacking them, with inferior numbers, in the open field, or assailing them when posted behind fortifications constructed with superior skill, yet ever achieving the same result — a brilliant and glorious victory. We have shown that, in an emergency, every citizen may become a soldier; — that, at all times, a powerful opponent, in a defensive war, we would be absolutely invincible; — that the military school at West Point has diffused a large amount of valuable information through the land;^[19] and that, while we have officers, whose clear and matchless combinations, and sound and accurate judgments, entitle them to take rank with the Marlboroughs, the Ruperts, and the Fredericks of the past, and the noblest captains of the present age, — we have, also, a citizen soldiery, prompt to obey their country's call, and ready to brave the dangers of war, and the vicissitudes of an unfriendly climate — disregarding, alike, the bolts of their antagonists, and the invisible shafts of man's great enemy.^[20] But the unexampled success that has attended our arms in this struggle, should excite no vainglorious spirit, no boastful arrogance, no overweening confidence. Least of all — for this need not be — should it excite a thirst for extended empire. The glowing pages of Solís, the honest enthusiasm of Bernal Diaz, and the truthful eloquence of our own Prescott, may well be admired; but the career of Cortés is none the less unworthy of imitation, because it is adorned, on the pages of history, by the charms of composition, and the graces of intellect. Should a republic, founded as an asylum to which the wronged and the oppressed might flee for safety — a peaceful refuge from tyranny and wrong — forget its high mission, and seek for glory in foreign conquests, it would, indeed, provoke the scorn and derision of mankind.

War is an evil! — Its crimsoned fields, scented with slaughter, and steaming with corruption, speak volumes in its condemnation. Its pride and pomp are based on human misery. The attractions of martial renown are many; but — alas! — at what an enormous sacrifice are they purchased! The laurel-wreath of the victor may relieve, but it cannot conceal, the mournful cypress that droops beside it. Scattered all over our fair country, here are monuments, like the tumuli in the churchyards of the Tyrol. evidences of that affection which clings to its object beyond the grave, — of deep, sincere, and heartfelt gratitude; — yet do they also testify to the suffering and wretchedness that war has occasioned.

As Americans, therefore, sacredly revering the memories of Washington and the heroes of the Revolution, — and in whose minds the names of Jackson, and Harrison, and Brown, are imperishably associated with the plains of Chalmette, the valley of the Thames, and the heights of Niagara, — while we may point with satisfaction, as we ought, to the frowning fortresses, the burning sands, and the lofty mountains of Mexico, as the memorable witnesses of the skill, genius, and gallantry, of Scott and Taylor, — of Worth, and Wool, and Twiggs, — and of the dauntless courage and intrepidity of the brave men whom they led forth to battle, — we should do no injustice to them, none to our national character, by expressing the hope that this may be the last war in which our country shall be engaged, and that, henceforth, all her ways may be ways of pleasantness, and all her paths be peace.

Still, a resort to arms may not always be avoided. The social and political millennium, to which the philanthropist and Christian look forward with eager and anxious expectation, has not yet dawned upon us. The privileges and blessings of peace, desirable as they are. may sometimes be denied. Caution and prudence, united with promptness and determination, will go very far to secure their permanence. "Be just, but fear not!" — should ever be our national maxim — Firmness is the policy of war, as it is the policy of peace. Justice to our own citizens, in the legislation of the country, will prevent internal feuds and dissensions; and justice to other governments will save us from the manifold evils of war.

So long as this remains the governing principle of our diplomatic intercourse, should collisions unfortunately occur, our soldiers will not forget, in the hour of battle, that he is thrice armed, "who hath his quarrel just." This reflection will be to him both sword and buckler; it will stimulate his zeal, and arouse his courage; it will strengthen his heart, and be a panoply for his protection. By adopting this policy, too, and pursuing it steadily and unerringly, the fire of liberty kindled by our forefathers in this western wilderness, will long be a beacon light to the nations, — not, like the darling meteor, fitful and evanescent, but, as the vestal flame, glowing brighter and purer, ever and forever!

SUPPLEMENTARY NOTE.

TO THE

SECOND EDITION.

Since the publication of the first edition of this history, authentic information has been received of the discovery of vast, and almost incredible mineral wealth, in that portion of California belonging to the United States, under the provisions of the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. If a bare tithe of the accounts daily borne to the Atlantic states prove to be true, — and there is no reason to doubt that they are to a great exten. well-founded, — the El Dorado, in quest of which the interior of South America was explored in vain, has been, at length, found amid the swell ing slopes and lofty buttes of the Sierra Nevada. The remarks, therefore, in the body of this work,^[21] relative to the value of the territory acquired from Mexico, by the terms of the treaty of peace, fall so far short of the reality since the development of its extraordinary resources, that I have thought proper to embody in a supplementary note, all the general and most important facts respecting this discovery. Vague rumors in regard to the mineral treasures locked up in the volcanic mountain ranges of California, — at certain times attracting greater attention than at others, but never receiving much credit, — have been circulating through the world for centuries. Among the first trophies brought to Cortes, after the conquest of Mexico, in 1521, were samples of Californian pearls; and it was then reported, that gold and gems were to be found in the regions at the north which had not yet been visited by the Europeans. Two expeditions were fitted out by Cortés, in 1532 and 1533, and sent on voyages of discovery to the North-west. The latter crossed the Gulf of California, called by the Spaniards, in honor of the illustrious discoverer, Mar de Cortés — the Sea of Cortés — and effected a landing at the modern port of La Paz. Shortly after this, the Conqueror himself embarked with a squadron, and planted a colony a the same place. His attempts to settle the country, however, were unsuccessful, and the colonists eventually returned to Mexico. In 1539 he dispatched another expedition under an officer by the name of Ulloa, who sailed to the head of the Gulf, doubled the peninsula, and ascended along the western coast, to the twenty-eighth or twenty-ninth degree of north latitude, but was never afterwards heard of.

Nothing daunted by his ill success, Cortés projected still another expedition; but his enterprise was now checked by the viceroy Mendoza, whose mind had been inflamed by the golden reports of an itinerant monk sent to convert the Indians of Sonora, and who had penetrated far into the interior of California. The viceroy claimed the right of discovery, and Cortés appealed to the Emperor. The premature death of Cortés, pending the appeal, put an end to all his ambitious hopes, and, in a considerable degree, to the discoveries which he and others had anticipated.^[22]

Various expeditions were subsequently undertaken, but with little or no success. The energetic spirit of the great adventurer and discoverer had died with him; the glittering realms, where gold and precious stones were said to abound in exhaustless profusion, were never reached; and the descendants of the Conquistadores were obliged to content themselves with the far less valuable silver mines of Mexico.

The pearl fisheries in the Gulf of California, however, were soon made available. and formal possession of the peninsula was taken by the Spanish authorities, in 1569. Not quite fifty years later, the Jesuits established themselves in the country, and gradually extended their missions to the north. They were, no doubt, aware of the existence of gold and silver in California; yet they dissuaded the Indians from digging after the minerals, — probably for the reason that they did not suppose there could be sufficient quantities found to render the search profitable, — and encouraged them to devote their time to herding cattle and other agricultural pursuits. In 1767, the Jesuits were expelled from the possessions of Spain, and were succeeded, in California, by Franciscan and Dominican friars. Deprived of the fostering care, the energy and industry, of the followers of Ignatius Loyola, the mission establishments began rapidly to decline, and the discoveries which might ultimately have been made under their auspices, were reserved for a more enterprising people than the white inhabitants who now made their way to the Californias.

Adventurers from Mexico, from Spain and the United States, American and European seamen, emigrated thither, and founded settlements on the inner shore of the Gulf, and along the iron-bound coast of the Pacific, from Cape San Lúcas to the Bay of San Francisco.^[23] Some few among them appear to have been active and industrious, but the great majority speedily relapsed into habits of indolence and slothfulness. No extraordinary efforts were made to develop the resources of the country; considerable silver was discovered, but as there was no mercury to purify it, that obtained was of an inferior quality, and afforded a trifling profit. A rich mine, called San Antonio. near La Paz, was wrought for several years, and is said to have yielded handsome returns. But the political dissensions that agitated the southern departments of Mexico, were felt in the Californias, perhaps more than all, in the baneful influence which they exerted in repressing the energies of the inhabitants, and curbing the little spirit of enterprise that had previously animated them.

For many years, there was scarcely the least improvement in Upper or Lower California, and if any progress was made, it was at a snail's pace. Hides and tallow formed the principal articles of exportation from the upper province; but the trade was small, and liable to frequent interruptions, by reason of the struggles between the different factions for the ascendancy. Matters remained pretty much in this condition, till after the termination of the war with the United States, and the cession to them of Upper California.

This territory, now belonging to the American Union, embraces an area of 448,961 square miles. It extends along the Pacific coast, from about the thirty-second parallel of north latitude,^[24] a distance of near seven hundred miles, to the forty-second parallel, the southern boundary of Oregon. On the cast it is bounded by New Mexico. During the long period which transpired, between its discovery and its cession to the United States, this vast tract of country was frequently visited by men of science from all parts of the world. Repeated examinations were made by learned and enterprising officers and civilians; but none of them discovered the important fact, that the mountain torrents of the Sierra Nevada were constantly pouring down their golden sands into the vallies of the Sacramento and San Joaquim. The glittering particles twinkled beneath their feet in the ravines which they explored, or glistened in the water-courses which they forded, — yet they passed them by unheeded. Not a legend, or tradition, was heard among the white settlers, or the aborigines, that attracted their curiosity. A nation's ransom lay within their grasp, but, strange to say, it escaped their notice, — it flashed and sparkled all in vain.^[25]

The Russian American Company had a large establishment at Ross and Rodega, ninety miles north of San Francisco, founded as early as the year 1812; and factories were also established in the territory by the Hudson Bay Company. Their agents and employés ransacked the whole country west of the Sierra Nevada, or Snowy Mountains, in search of game. In 1838, Captain Sutter, formerly an officer in the Swiss Guards of Charles X, king of France, emigrated from the state of Missouri to Upper California, and obtained from the Mexican government a conditional grant of thirty leagues square of land, bounded on the west by the Sacramento river. Having purchased the stock, arms, and ammunition, of the Russian establishment, he erected a dwelling and fortification on the left bank of the Sacramento, about fifty miles from its mouth, and near what was termed, in allusion to the new settlers, the American fork. This formed the nucleus of a thriving settlement, to which Captain Sutter gave the name of New Helvetia. It is situated at the head of navigation for vessels on the Sacramento, in latitude 38° 33' 45" North, and longitude 121° 20' 05" West. During a residence of ten years in the immediate vicinity of the recently discovered placeras, or gold regions, Captain Sutter was neither the wiser, nor the richer, for the brilliant treasures that lay scattered around him.^[26]

In the year 1811, careful examinations of the Bay of San Francisco, and of the Sacramento river and its tributaries, were made by Lieutenant Wilkes, the commander of the Exploring Expedition; and a party under Lieutenant Emmons, of the navy, proceeded up the valley of the Willamette, crossed the intervening highlands, and descended the Sacramento. In 1843 — 4, similar examinations were made by Captain, afterwards Lieu~ tenant-Colonel, Frémont, of the Topographical Engineers, and in 1846, by Major Emory, of the same corps. None of these officers made any discoveries of minerals, although they were led to conjecture, as private individuals who had visited the country had done, from its volcanic formation and peculiar geological features, that they might be found to exist in considerable quantities.^[27]

As is often the case, chance at length accomplished what science had failed to do. — In the winter of 1847-8, 9. Mr. Marshall commenced the construction of a saw-mill for Captain Sutter, on the north branch of the American fork, and about fifty miles above New Helvetia, in a region abounding with pine timber. The dam and race were completed, but on attempting to put the mill in motion, it was ascertained that the tail-race was too narrow to permit the water to escape with perfect freedom. A strong current was then passed in, to wash it wider and deeper, by which a large bed of mud and gravel was thrown up at the foot of the race. Some days after this occurrence, Mr. Marshall observed a number of brilliant particles on this deposit of mud, which attracted his attention. on examining them, he became satisfied that they were gold, and communicated the fact to Captain Sutter. It was agreed between them, that the circumstance should not be made public for the present; but, like the secret of Midas, it could not be concealed. The Mormon emigrants, of whom Mr. Marshall was one, were soon made acquainted with the discovery, and in a few weeks all California was agitated with the startling information.

Business of every kind was neglected, and the ripened grain was left in the fields unharvested. Nearly the whole population of Upper California became infected with the mania, and flocked to the mines. Whalers and merchant vessels entering the ports were abandoned by their crews, and the American soldiers and sailors deserted in scores. Upon the disbandment of Colonel Stevenson's regiment, most of the men made their way to the mineral regions. Within three months after the discovery, it was computed that there were near four thousand persons, including Indians, who were mostly employed by the whites, engaged in washing for gold. Various modes were adopted to separate the metal from the sand and gravel, — some making use of tin-pans; others of close-woven Indian baskets; and others still, of a rude machine, called the cradle, six or eight feet long and mounted on rockers, with a coarse grate, or sieve, at one end, but Open at the other. The washings were mainly confined to the low wet grounds, and the margins of the streams, — the earth being rarely disturbed more than eighteen inches below the surface. The value of the gold dust obtained by each man, per day, is said to have ranged from ten to fifty dollars, and sometimes even to have far exceeded that. The natural consequence of this state of things was that the prices of labor, and, indeed, of everything, rose immediately, from ten to twenty fold.^[28]

As may readily be conjectured, every stream and ravine in the valley of the Sacramento was soon explored. Gold was found on every one of its tributaries; but the richest earth was discovered near the Rio de las Plumes, or Feather river,^[29] and its branches, the Yubah and Bear rivers, — and on Weber's creek, a tributary of the American fork. Explorations were also made in the valley of the San Joaquim, which resulted in the discovery of gold on the Cosumnés and other streams, and in the ravines of the Coast Range, west of the valley, as far down as Ciudad de los Angelos.

Sometimes the gold has been found encasing a bright sparkling crystal of quartz, but no accounts have been received up to this date, (January, 1849,) indicating that it has been encountered in its matrix, or the place of its original production. In the "dry diggings," or ravines, it is obtained in grains, averaging from one to two pennyweights, — -and one piece has been found weighing thirty-five pennyweights; but in the swamps, and on the margins of streams, it is procured in small flat spangles, six or seven of which are required to make one grain. Specimens of the metal have been assayed at the mint in Philadelphia, under the direction of Professor Patterson, and the average fineness ascertained to be 894 thousandths, being a little below the standard, which is 900, but fully equal to that obtained in the southern States, and nearly as good as the best gold procured in Africa.

In regard to the productiveness of the gold placeras of California, it is difficult to make any estimates, or form any conjectures. In a Memorial of the citizens of San Francisco, dated in September, 1848, praying congress to establish a branch mint in the territory, it was estimated that the sum of five and a half millions of dollars would be removed from the mines during the year ending on the 1st of July, 1849. But this calculation was evidently predicated on the number of persons then engaged at the washings. Since that time, there has been a vast influx of gold-hunters from Oregon, Mexico, South America, and the Sandwich Islands. Large numbers of citizens of the United States, have also set out for California, by way of Cape Horn, the Panama route, or overland from Independence. It is, therefore, not improbable that before the close of the year, the population may be trebled, or even quadrupled.

It has been predicted by some, that the washings in California would soon be exhausted, as were those of Brazil, from which ten millions sterling were once annually sent to Europe. The volcanic character of the country, and its geological peculiarities, hardly confirm this opinion, although it is by no means improbable. Gold has been found, or there are indications of its existence, at different points along the western base of the Sierra Nevada, for nearly seven hundred miles; and it has been discovered east of the mountains, on the Great Salt Lake, and at various other places in the great interior basin of California. If we may place any reliance upon the inferences fairly deducible from these facts, it may be safely presumed, that the rugged buttresses of the Sierra Nevada contain a vaster deposit of mineral wealth than has yet been found in any other locality in the known world, — in extent and productiveness far excelling the Andes of Peru, the Carpathian range of Hungary, or the Ural mountains of Russia.^[30]

In addition to the gold mines, other important discoveries have been made in Upper California. A rich vein of quicksilver has been opened at New Almadin, near Santa Clara, which, with imperfect machinery, — the heat by which the metal is made to exude from the rock being applied by a very rude process, — yields over thirty per cent. This mine, — one of the principal advantages to be derived from which will be, that the working of the silver mines scattered through the territory must now become profitable, — is superior to those of Almadin in old Spain, and second only to those of Idria, near Trieste, the richest in the world.^[31] It is more than probable, also, that other veins will be opened, as the soil for miles around is highly impregnated with mercury.

Lead mines have likewise been discovered in the neighborhood of Sonoma, and vast beds of iron ore near the American fork, yielding from eighty-five to ninety per cent. Copper, platina, tin, sulphur, zinc, and cobalt, everywhere abound; coal exists in large quantities in the Cascade Range of Oregon, of which the Sierra Nevada is a continuation; and in the vicinity of all this mineral wealth, there are immense quarries of marble and granite, for building purposes.

Colonel Mason expresses the opinion, in his official dispatch, that "there is more gold in the country drained by the Sacramento and San Joaquim rivers, than will pay the cost of the [late] war with Mexico a hundred times over."^[32] Should this even prove to be an exaggeration, there can be little reason to doubt, when we take into consideration all the mineral resources of the country, that the territory of California is by far the richest acquisition made by this government since its organization. All that is needed to render these resources of incalculable benefit to our people is, to discountenance from the outset the system of monopoly which proved so ruinous to the interests of Spain in Mexico and Peru; to foster individual enterprise; and to open a more direct communication with California, by a railroad across the isthmus of Panama, as is now contemplated, or some similar work. Should this be done, not many years must elapse, ere the land-locked Bay of San Francisco, admitted by an experienced navigator to be "one of the finest, if not the very best harbor in the world,"^[33] will be filled with richly-freighted argosies; and the fertile intervals and slopes of California will yield forth of their abundance, to supply the wants of a numerous and enterprising population.^[34]

 

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1. General Scott ordered a yearly contribution to be paid by the Mexican States, (New Mexico, California and Yucatan excepted,) amounting in the aggregate, for the year 1848, to $2,745,000, which was nearly quadruple the former annual assessments of the federal government of Mexico.
2. Fears were entertained in our principal commercial cities, prior to the commencement of the war, that serious injury would be inflicted on American commerce, in the event of the occurrence of hostilities, by Mexican privateers. "With Mexico," said Mr. Theodore Sedgwick, in his "Thoughts on the Proposed Annexation of Texas," (p. 22, second edition, New York, 184-1,) — "with Mexico no glory can be earned, and she has scarcely a dollar afloat, — while the privateers, the legalized pirates of all mankind, would sweep our commerce from the seas." These apprehensions proved to be unfounded, or rather, they failed to be realized.
3. The guide, fixed by the treaty, for ascertaining the boundaries of New Mexico, is the Map of the United Mexican States, (revised edition, New York, 1847,) published by J. Disturnell; and for determining the southernmost point of the port of San Diego, the plan of the port made in 1782, by Don Juan Pantojer, and published in 1802, at Madrid, in the Atlas to the Voyages of the Schooners Sutil and Mexicana. — Treaty of Peace, Article V.
4. Treaty of Peace, Article VI.
5. Ibid., Article VII.
6. This provision of the treaty occasioned some little difficulty between General Butler, and the Commissioners appointed by the Mexican government to witness the restoration of the forts and armaments. The latter insisted that the heavy guns captured at Contreras and Churubusco should be restored. General Butler referred the matter to the Acting Inspector General; and, upon his report, refused peremptorily to surrender them. The Mexicans finally yielded the point, rather than that the war should be renewed.
7. Treaty of Peace, Article IV.
8. Ibid., Article IX.
9. Ibid., Articles XII. — XV.
10. Captain Shover accompanied this train with his battery. On leaving Vera Cruz, he attached a viameter to one of his gun-carriages, by which it appeared that the distance to Mexico was only 2521/2 miles, — about forty miles less than it has generally been considered.
11. The result of the canvass of the vote for President, so often postponed, was officially declared soon after the ratification of the treaty. It appeared, as had all along been supposed, that General Herrera had been duly elected. He, at first, declined to serve; but, as Congress refused to accept his resignation, he entered upon the duties of the office. Paredes at once renewed his efforts to excite a revolt. He collected a large force at Guanajuato, in June, 1818, seized the mint, and carefully fortified his position. On the 18th of July, he was attacked by the government troops, under Generals Bustamente, Lombardini, Cortizar, Miñon, and Ortéga. His troops were routed with great loss: most of his fortifications were carried, and he was forced to fly, and secrete himself for safety. Jarauta, the padre and guerillero, was with Paredes, and was captured in the engagement, and instantly shot.
12. The area of Upper California is 418,691 square miles, and that of New Mexico, 77,387.
13. Ante, pp. 123, 124.
14. Adventures in Mexico and the Rocky Mountains, by G. F. Ruxton; Scenes in the Rocky Mountains, etc., by a New Englander.
15. Gregg's Commerce on the Prairies.
16. Letter of Senor Manuel Alvarez, late American Consul at Santa Fé, to Hon. J. Houghton.
17. Folsom's Mexico in 1842.
18. Persons living upon or near the Atlantic are very apt, in instituting a comparison between their own climate and productions, and those of the same latitude on the Pacific coast, to overlook the fact, that isothermal lines, or lines of equal temperature, traverse the surface of the earth with e n eccentricity varying very materially from the parallels of latitude. In the valley of the Willamete, which lies above the 45th degree of north latitude, the snow never falls to a greater depth than three or four inches; green peas are eaten at Christmas; the grass grows all winter, and cattle are rarely housed — Father De Smets' Oregon Missions and Travels over the Rocky Mountains.
19. A large number of the officers belonging to the ten new regiments added to the regular army by the act of 1847, were educated at West Point; and there were nine colonels, nine lieutenant Colonels, eight majors, and eight captains, of the volunteer regiments, who were graduates of that institution. — Statement G, accompanying the report of Captain Brewerton, of the corps of engineers, superintendent of the Military Academy, to the board of visitors, June, 1847.
20. The aggregate loss of the Americans, during the war, in killed and wounded, was about 5,500; of whom probably two thousand were killed on the field of battle, or subsequently died of their wounds. But the ravages of disease were far more appalling. Even in the city of Mexico, there were nearly 1,000 deaths in the army. in a single month, — the climate of the table land being as fatal to the constitutions of the soldiers enlisted in the southern states of the Union, as was the noxious atmosphere of the tierra caliente, to those from the northern states. The 1st and 2nd Pennsylvania regiments, which left home 1800 strong, lost 400 men by disease alone, and a large number were discharged as being unfit for duty, many of whom are supposed to have died. More than one-half of the Georgia infantry battalion died in Mexico, and the 3rd and 4th Tennessee volunteers lost 360 men by death, without having ever been in an engagement. The regular regiments suffered a great deal in this respect, though, being under stricter discipline, in nothing like the same proportion.
21. Ante, p. 500, et seq.
22. Prescott's Conquest of Mexico, vol. III, p. 333, et seq. — Greenhow's History of Oregon and California, p. 22, et seq.
23. The mongrel white population of Upper California was computed, in 1842, to be about 5,000, and the Indians 33,000.
24. See p. 493, ante.
25. A gold placera was discovered some years ago near the mission of San Fernando, but it was very little worked. on account of the want of water.
26. *Farnham's Adventures in California. — Wilkes' Narrative of the Exploring Expedition — Frémont's Narrative.
27. See Farnham's Adventures, Wilkes' and Frémont's Narratives, and Emory's Report. — 1n 1846, Eugenio Macnamara, a Catholic priest and missionary, obtained a grant of a large tract of land between the San Joaquim and the Sierra Nevada, the Cosumnés and the Tulares in the vicinity of San Gabriel, from Pio Pico, governor of the Californias, for the purpose of establishing upon it a large colony of Irish Catholics; but the grant was not ratified by the Central Government, and the project was not carried into effect. There is no evidence that Father Macnamara was aware of the existence of gold in the valley of Sen Joaquim.
28. Official Dispatch of Colonel Mason. Commander of the 10th Military Department, August 17. 1848. — Letters_of Thomas O. Larkin, U. S. Consul at Monterey, to the Secretary of State, June 1. and June 28, 1848.
29. Feather river is the first considerable branch of the Sacramento below the Prairie Buttes. It has a course of about forty miles, and empties into the main river about fifteen miles above New Helvetia. Though the Sacramento is navigable for vessels, only to that place, boats can pass up one hundred miles further.
30. The peaks of the Sierre Nevada are from ten to fifteen thousand feet above the level of the ocean; the Carpathian mountains seven thousand five hundred feet; and the Ural mountains between four and five thousand feet.
31. The mines of Almadin yield only ten per cent; and those at Idria range as high as eighty per cent, although ores containing only one per cent are worked Specimens of cinnabar from California have been examined at the Philadelphia mint: the red ore yielded over thirty-three per cent, and the yellow ore over fifteen.
32. Letter to the Secretary of War, dated August 17, 1848.
33. Wilkes' Narrative of the Exploring Expedition, vol. V., p. 157.
34. Much the greater portion of the strip of land between the Sierra Nevada and the coast (ante, p. 501,) will, doubtless, ultimately be made available for agricultural purposes, — — by irrigation, where it is needed. The fertility of the soil is remarkable; eighty bushels of wheat for one is the average yield, and sometimes, though this is not usual, one hundred and twenty have been obtained. — -Wilkes' Narrative,p. 158, 159.