F 392 
 
 c=pv"i WESTERN TEXAS. 
 
 VALLEY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 ITS SOIL, PRODUCTIONS, CLIMATE, 
 
 &c, &c. 
 
 NEW YORK. 
 
 GEORGE F. NESBITT, STATIONER AND PRINTER, 
 Comer of Wall and Water-streets. 
 
 1847. 
 
PNS 
 
WESTERN TEXAS. 
 
 VALLEY OF THE RIO GRANDE; 
 
 ITS SOIL, PRODUCTIONS, &c, &c. 
 
 It is a singular fact, that the soil of this extensive valley is composed 
 of mineral constituents precisely similar to those which compose the 
 Delta of the Nile, and there is scarcely a doubt that, under a proper 
 system of culture, it will become equally productive. 
 
 The Rio Grande resembles the Nile in many remarkable features. It 
 has its source in towering primitive mountains, composed of red granite, 
 identical in appearance and geological structure with the material from 
 which the imperishable monuments of the Pharaohs were hewn. 
 
 Below these mountains, at different elevations, are extensive formations 
 of secondary limestone and sandstone ; vast fields of moving sand 
 through which the river forces its devious way in its annual floods, by 
 constantly changing channels ; and broad plains covered, like those of 
 Upper Egypt, with silicious pebbles, such as flints, agates and chalcedony, 
 intermingled with large petrified trees, such as are found near Cairo. 
 Indeed, throughout its whole length and breadth, this extensive valley 
 presents nearly the same geological characteristics as that of the Nile, 
 and its soil, being made up of the detritus of similar rocky formations, 
 must be similar in its chemical constituents. 
 
 It is true that the Valley of the Rio Grande is not subject, like that of 
 the Nile, to annual inundations, but it is more favored by climate, as the 
 rains fall so frequently and in such quantities that the crops seldom fail 
 from drought. Indeed, all the elements of fertility exist in this fine re- 
 gion, and, as before observed, only require to be developed by a system 
 of agriculture similar to that practised in Upper Egypt, to yield a return 
 as ample as can be realized on the richest lands of that prolific country. 
 The truth of this theory is practically evinced at El Paso, six hundred 
 
miles above Point Isabel, (as the crow flies,) where, by means of irriga- 
 tion, the most abundant crops are raised with comparatively little labor. 
 
 The time is probably not far distant when the Egyptian cotton will be 
 cultivated in the valley of the Rio Grande to as great an extent as on the 
 banks of the Nile. A few experiments have been made in the culture 
 of the cotton plant in the vicinity of Matamoras, and have proved re- 
 markably successful. It grows in this region with wonderful luxuriance, 
 and yields abundantly, almost without labor or care. The sugar cane also 
 here grows to an enormous size, and far exceeds in its products the cane 
 of Louisiana or of any portion of Eastern Texas. 
 
 It has been remarked by naturalists that tropical plants are more pro- 
 ductive at or near the Northern limits of their growth, than near the 
 equator. If this doctrine is correct, the culture of sugar cane will be 
 found more profitable in the lower portion of the Valley of the Rio 
 Grande than it is even in Cuba. Many valuable tropical fruits may also 
 be grown in this section with great advantage. The orange, fig and 
 pomegranate flourish with great luxuriance in the neighborhood of Mata- 
 moras and Camargo. Such advantages of soil and climate cannot be 
 overlooked, and it may be taken for granted that at no distant day, large 
 portions of the country between Point Isabel and Loredo, and even above 
 the Presidio del Rio Grande, will be covered with plantations of sugar 
 cane and Egyptian cotton, interspersed with groves of oranges, figs, 
 olives, and other fruits of the tropics, surpassing in luxuriance of growth 
 and beauty of appearance the same productions in any other region of 
 the South. That portion of the Rio Grande valley lying farther up — 
 say from the Presidio road to one hundred miles above the mouth of the 
 Puerco — with the land lying along the tributaries of these two rivers, is 
 admirably adapted for even a more varied production, and will support 
 and enrich a dense population. 
 
 Indeed the valleys of the several tributary streams of this region are equal 
 in all respects to the valley of the Colorado. That of the Puerco is said 
 to be superior to it. These rich vales, and the whole region are sheltered 
 from the icy winds of the North by high ranges of mountains, and enjoy 
 a delightfully mild and temperate climate. Under the impotent sway of 
 Spain, and the still^more impotent sway of Mexico, there has existed no 
 stimulus to industry, and from this and other causes, these fertile lands 
 have remained almost as desolate and unimproved as they were when oc- 
 cupied alone as the hunting ground of the savage. That time has gone 
 by. Another race will soon strike deep the roots of civilization in this 
 favored region, and bring enterprise, industry and science to bear upon 
 
its affluent soil — a soil capable of supporting a more dense population 
 than any other portion of the continent. 
 
 PRODUCTIONS OF WESTERN TEXAS. 
 
 Maize or Indian Corn yields a large and profitable return, with little 
 trouble or expenditure. The average crop on good land is from fifty to 
 seventy bushels per acre, and larger quantities have frequently been gath- 
 ered. Two crops may be harvested annually ; the seed of the first being 
 planted in February, and of the second late in June. A crop of wheat 
 equal in quality to the best Kentucky, has been cut in May on land in 
 "Western Texas, and the same land has yielded a heavy crop of corn in 
 the ensuing October. 
 
 Capital, and the requisite skill and labor, are all that is necessary to 
 place many sections of Western Texas among the best wine producing 
 countries in the world. The native grape has a fine flavor, and the vines 
 are frequently seen festooning and overtopping trees from eighty to one 
 hundred feet in height. On sandy ridges unfit for cultivation, the vines 
 are most abundant. Should German emigrants from the Rhenish pro- 
 vinces make the same efforts here as they made at Vevay, Indiana, entire 
 success would unquestionably reward them. Almost every variety of 
 the grape is found growing in this part of Texas. In the country near 
 the Paso del Norte, on the Rio Grande, which, according to Humboldt, 
 resembles the finest portions of Andalusia, the vine has long been culti- 
 vated, and a wine is manufactured there which is held in high estimation. 
 In the opinion of that sagacious naturalist, this region, in the article of 
 wine, will yet become to the rest of the continent what France, Spain, 
 Portugal and Italy, have been and are, to the North of Europe.* 
 
 \From the Washington Union, May lZih.~\ 
 
 * We published a few days since an intimation of a good route for a railroad to the 
 Pacific, from the Lower Mississippi, through Texas, to the Rio del Norte, near El Paso, 
 and from thence by the valley of the Gila to San Diego, on the Pacific. Since then we 
 have seen the following letter from a resident on the Del Norte, describing the product- 
 iveness of the valley of the Paso, near which the railroad would pass. Although this 
 letter has reference to a different route, yet its account of the productiveness of that 
 region makes it of value to any route. We therefore publish it. 
 
 El Paso, January 25, 1S47. 
 
 The United States forces, nnder command of Colonel Alexander W. Doniphan, took 
 possession of the city of El Paso, department of Chihuahua, on Sunday, the 27th De- 
 cember, 1846, two days after the battle of Bracito, the strength of his command being 
 about 900 men. 
 
 My object in this communication is to give the War Department, and the country at 
 large, some idea of the resources of the fruitful valley of El Paso, and of its importance 
 to the United Status. The settlement of El Paso extends from the falls of the Rio 
 Grande, on the north, to the Presidio, on the south — a distance of twenty-two miles — 
 and is one continuous orchard and vineyard, embracing, in its ample area, an indus- 
 trious and peaceable population of at least S,000. The spacious valley is about midway 
 between Santa Fe and Chihuahua, and is isolated from all other Mexican settlements 
 by the mountains that rise on the east and west, and close into the river on the north 
 
6 
 
 The Tobacco plant thrives best on a light, rich, warm soil, and the ex- 
 periments made on the Guadaloupe show what may be done with this 
 important production in favored locations in Western Texas. 
 
 The Indigo plant is indigenous to the soil, and may become an article 
 of export. It has long been manufactured for domestic use in Texas, 
 and Texan Indigo is considered of a very superior quality. 
 
 In the dry and barren localities, the cactus, on which the cochineal in- 
 sect feeds, grows in great profusion, and cochineal of good quality is found 
 in abundance in the country about Loredo and the Presidio del Rio 
 Grande. 
 
 and south. The breadth of the valley is about ten miles. The falls of the river are 
 two miles north of the " Plaza Publico. ," or public square, and afford sufficient water 
 power for grist and saw mills, enough to supply the entire settlement with flour and 
 lumber. The most important production of the valley is the grape, from which are an- 
 nually manufactured not less than 200,000 gallons of, perhaps, the richest and best wine 
 in the world. This wine is worth $2 per gallon, and constitutes the principal revenue 
 of the city. The El Paso wines are superior in richness of flavor and pleasantness of 
 taste to anything of the kind I ever met with in the United States, and I doubt not that 
 they are far superior to the best wines ever produced in the valley of the Rhine, or on 
 the sunny hills of France. Also great quantities of the grape of this valley are dried in 
 clusters and preserved for use during the winter ; in this state I regard them far superior 
 to the best raisins thai are imported into the United States. 
 
 If this valley were cultivated by an energetic American population, it would yield, 
 perhaps, ten times the quantity of wine and fruits at present procured. Were the 
 wholesome influences and protection of our republican institutions extended beyond the 
 Rio Del Norte, an American population, possessing American feelings, and speaking 
 the American language, would soon spring up here. To facilitate the peopling of this 
 valley by the Anglo-American race, nothing would contribute so much as the opening of 
 a communication between this rich valley and the Western States, by a turnpike, rail- 
 road, or some other thoroughfare, which would afford a market for the fruits and wines 
 of this river country. Perhaps the most feasible and economical plan, though not the 
 most direct, of opening an outlet to the grape valley of the Rio Grande, would be the 
 construction of a grand canal from this place following the meanderings of the river to 
 its highest navigable point. If a communication by either of these routes were opened, 
 this valley would soon become the seat of wealth, influence and refinement. It would 
 be one of the richest and most fashionable parts of the continent. A communication 
 between the valley of the Mississippi and that of the Del Norte, affording an easy 
 method of exchanging the products of one for those of the other, will do more than 
 anything else to facilitate the westward march of civilization and republican govern- 
 ment. It would be an act of charity to this people to rid them of their present governors, 
 and throw around them the shield of American protection. 
 
 That the idea of a canal following the course of the Del Norte may not appear im- 
 practicable, it may not be amiss to state that no country in the world is better adapted 
 for the construction of canals than this valley. As the earth is sandy, canals are easily 
 constructed ; but. there is a kind of cement intermixed with the sand that renders the 
 banks of canals as firm as a wall. There is already a grand canal or acequia leading 
 out from the river above the falls, extending through the entire length of the valley of El 
 Paso, irrigating every farm and vineyard to the Presidio, where it rejoins the river. 
 
 Pears, peaches, apples, quinces and figs, are produced in the greatest profusion. The 
 climate of this country is most salubrious and healthful. The inhabitants here suffer 
 more from the depredations of the Apaches than from any other cause. They are fre- 
 quently robbed of all they possess, in one night, by the incursions of these lawless plun- 
 derers. A few companies of dragoons would, however, soon drive them from their 
 hiding places in the mountains, and put an end to their depredations. 
 
 Add to the fruits and wines of this rich valley a vast quantity of corn, wheat, and 
 other small grain, and the surplus production of the place will, under its present state of 
 agriculture, amount to near one million of dollars per annum. What, then, would be 
 the amount of the surplus under the advantages of American agriculture 1 
 
 I have thought proper to make these suggestions to the War Department, as there is 
 no corps of field and topographical engineers with this branch of the western army, 
 whose duty it would have been to make such report. Respectfully, &c. 
 
 JOHN T. HUGHES. 
 
 His Excellency, Wm, L. Marcy, Secretary of War. 
 
The mulberry tree is a common production and of vigorous growth, in 
 Western Texas, the climate of which is well adapted to the rearing of 
 the silk worm. The experiment of producing silk has been made at San 
 Antonio with the most satisfactory results. 
 
 Sweet potatoes flourish in these latitudes — the prairie lands yielding 
 400 to 500 bushels to the acre. The common potato is equally product- 
 ive and of excellent quality. The February plantings yield a plentiful 
 return in April and May, but the produce of this root when planted in 
 the heat of summer, is inferior both in size and quality. 
 
 The low alluvial lands, of course, are not suited to wheat, but above the 
 line from Austin on the Colorado, across the San Antonio, Medina, Rio 
 Frio and Nueces to the Rio Grande, and along the rolling lands of the 
 Puerco, wheat of the finest quality can be raised in abundance. The 
 same remark also applies to the land along the Guadaloupe range, to the 
 San Saba. It is the humid and hot, not the dry and warm climate, that 
 is unfavorable to wheat. 
 
 Barley may be grown on the light, mellow soil of the sloping prairies 
 and post oak lands ; the rolling districts will supply oats, rye and buck- 
 wheat, in sufficient quantities for home consumption ; and the undulating 
 and hilly districts will not disappoint the farmer in the production of 
 hemp and flax. 
 
 The soil and climate of this part of Texas are favorable to the growth 
 of the vanilla vine, the fruit of which is exported from Mexico to Eu- 
 rope, as well as to this country in smaller quantities, and is used for con- 
 fectionary purposes ; but chiefly for mixing with and perfuming chocolate. 
 
 As regards pasture, the whole face of the country — woodland and 
 prairie, upland and bottom — is verdant with grass. The indigenous, 
 prairie grass is tall, coarse, full of seed at the top, and, when young, re- 
 sembles wheat in the spring. But in grasses the glory of the State is the 
 musquit, found only in Western Texas. It yields a fine soft sward, pre- 
 serves its verdure in the winter, and, beyond all comparison, affords the 
 best wild pasture in the world. It has also the peculiar property of re- 
 taining its nutritive quality after it has become dry and apparently dead, 
 The upland and hilly region of Western Texas is carpeted with it, and 
 never did bountiful nature spread out a more abundant or more excellent 
 pasturage for sheep, than it affords. All that is wanting is to bring the 
 white flocks to the green herbage, and thus turn this spontaneous produc- 
 tion of a prolific soil to the use for which Providence designed it. 
 
 From this slight but truthful sketch of the country, its productive capa- 
 bilities and natural vegetation, it would seem reasonable to conclude that 
 
the agricultural emigrant, from whatever region he may hail, can be 
 easily suited in Western Texas. If he come from the Southern States, 
 with large capital, seeking large and rich returns, he may locate himself 
 on the alluvial lands of the San Antonio, the Nueces, or the Rio Grande. 
 If accustomed to a more temperate or a colder clime, and desirous of em- 
 bracing with the cultivation of the earth, stock raising of all descriptions, he 
 may go farther up the Rio Grande or settle upon the Los Moras, East Fork, 
 or Puerco. The rich soil and ample range in and around these locations, 
 irrigated by pure and rapid streams, will produce almost every thing that 
 earth can yield for consumption or export, while the rearing of horses, 
 mules, cattle and swine, not overlooking the noble Saxony and hardy me- 
 rino, may be carried on there to an extent, and with an amount of cost 
 and labor absolutely incredible to those who have never seen any portion 
 of this Western Eden. Indeed the exuberance of nature and the benig- 
 nity of the climate have left little, comparatively, for man to do. It is an 
 open country and does not require the labor of a lifetime, before the 
 plough can be struck deep into the soil ; and as to flocks, only a little at- 
 tention is requisite, winter and summer, to keep them from running wild. 
 
 In the nuts of the woods, especially the ground pea nut, hogs will long 
 continue to find unbought and nutricious sustenance ; requiring only a 
 few weeks feeding on corn to make the pork fat and firm enough for 
 market in any part of the world. The increase of stock too, is much 
 more rapid than in colder climates. It would cost more to raise one 
 thousand chickens any where within the limits of the " Old Thirteen," 
 than to raise one thousand head of cattle, or ten times that number of 
 sheep, in the region of country referred to. 
 
 The whole of Texas, but in a singular degree the western portion, 
 from the Colorado to the Rio Grande, and from the Gulf to the Moun- 
 tains, is free from those accumulations of stagnant water, which, under 
 the burning sun of the South, render a large portion of the southern bor- 
 ders of the United States, at certain seasons, little better than a pestifer- 
 ous desert. The porous nature of the soil, the gradual elevation of the 
 land toward the interior, and the general rise of the banks from the beds 
 of the rivers, preclude the formation of swamps to any injurious extent. 
 
 CLIMATE. 
 
 The climate of Texas is as varied as the productive qualities of its 
 soil. On the Gulf and near large rivers, especially those toward the 
 East, which are occasionally overflowed, it resembles that of the neigh- 
 boring States of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, with an ample 
 
9 
 
 abatement, however, of injurious influences. The reason of its greater 
 salubrity is this : The Texan forests are as free from the rank under- 
 growth of the heavily wooded districts of those States, as the level region 
 of Texas generally is from those putrid swamps which under the almost 
 vertical sun of the South, exbale the elements of disease and death. In 
 Texas, from river to river, the country consists of a series of open accliv- 
 ities ; while in Louisiana and Mississippi the land similarly situated, 
 being covered with compact forests and level, retains the annual inunda- 
 tions, and the stagnant moisture with the dense vegetation it nourishes, 
 acted upon by the solar heat, generates noxious miasma, the ever fruitful 
 cause of malignant fever. Intermittent fevers — such as are common in 
 all new countries, when the processes of clearing and cultivation first 
 expose to the sun's heat the vegetable deposit of ages— are not unknown 
 on the low alluvial soil of Texas ; but with the progress of population 
 and improvement these fevers diminish in violence, and ultimately dis- 
 appear. 
 
 The prevailing summer wind in Texas is from the South West, and 
 besides being healthy and agreeable, it greatly tempers the heat of July 
 and August with its grateful and constant play. While the midsummer 
 air of the alluvial region of Mississippi and Louisiana is surcharged with 
 mephitic vapor, the clear atmosphere of Texas is quickened and reno- 
 vated by the invigorating breeze from the Gulf, which, passing over the 
 dry, verdant and rolling surface of the interior, enlivens the spirits of the 
 settler and gives a zest to even passive physical enjoyment. Without 
 this refreshing and exhilarating breeze, which continues, with but slight 
 interruptions for six months of the year, the temperature of the low lands 
 would certainly be oppressive and the climate unhealthy. 
 
 By thermometrical calculations, made in different sections of the 
 country, from April to September, for a period of three years, the mer- 
 cury has been found to range from G3° to 100°. Average heat at 9 
 o'clock in the morning, 73° — at 12 o'clock noon, 83° — at 3 o'clock in the 
 afternoon, 77°. 
 
 But the indications of the thermometer can give no accurate idea of 
 the climate of Western Texas, to those who have never experienced its 
 effects. The same degree of heat which, in South Carolina, Georgia, 
 Alabama and Mississippi would be overpowering, in this portion of Texas 
 'would occasion comparatively little inconvenience. From the first of 
 April till the close of September, the benignant breezes to which we have 
 referred, commence soon after sun-rise, and continue until 3 or 4 P. M., 
 2 
 
10 
 
 when they gradually die away. After sun-set a light breeze again 
 springs up, and the atmosphere grows cooler and cooler until early dawn. 
 
 The south west wind, so contributive to health and comfort on the level 
 region of the coast, becomes an unmingled blessing in the north-west por- 
 tion of Texas, as it sweeps among the cool springs, clear streams, wooded 
 bottoms, timbered islands, and flower-spangled prairies of that region. 
 The rolling country stretching from Austin on the Colorado, over the 
 head waters of the Guadaloupe, San Antonio, Medina, and Nueces, to the 
 Eio Grande, and embracing north of this line the whole range of country 
 from the fertile valley of the Puerco along the spurs of the Guadaloupe 
 range to the San Saba mountains, (whose vales and acclivities are as rich 
 in soil as their mines are known to be in the precious metals,) is swept by 
 this salubrious sea wind. 
 
 The greater portion of this beautiful region, which has justly received 
 the name of the " Italy of America" is blessed with a temperature de- 
 lightful to the senses, favorable to life, and adapted to the production of 
 most of the comforts and luxuries which render life agreeable. Within 
 this range the mildness of the seasons enables the planter and the farmer 
 to raise whatever they choose, and to accumulate stock of every kind 
 almost without toil or expense. This is the region of country most suit- 
 able to a Northern constitution, and here settlers from the northern 
 sections of the United States may at once lay the foundation of future 
 wealth, and plant the seeds of civilization. Nor need the European 
 emigrant be deterred by apprehensions on the score of health, from re- 
 moving to a soil possessing powers of production which all but anticipate 
 the wants of man. R. H. Chinn, a Kentucky gentleman, in a communi- 
 cation published by him in 1838, thus compares Texas with Kentucky : 
 " I have seen," says he, " almost every acre of Kentucky, and I do be- 
 lieve that Texas has greatly the advantage. The greater part of Texas 
 is, by nature, at once prepared for the plough of the husbandman. About 
 one-third of Kentucky is fertile and capable of successful settlement and 
 cultivation ; nine-tenths of all explored Texas are of that character ; and 
 the soil and climate of Texas can produce advantageously every thing 
 which Kentucky caw, and many things requisite for the wants of -man 
 that Kentucky cannot. The laborious, protracted and expensive work of 
 clearing a plantation is necessary in but few places. This gives to the 
 country a great and decided advantage." 
 
 General Pike, of the U. S. Army, in his Travels, says of Texas — " It 
 has one of the most delightful temperatures in the world. Take it gen- 
 erally, it is one of the richest, most prolific, and best watered countries in 
 the world." 
 
31 
 
 Col. Longworthy, of Vermont, who travelled over Texas, remarks in 
 his published narrative, that he had seen " nearly all of the Northern 
 States, and Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois and Louisiana, which were 
 certainly, in relation to soil, climate and productions, entitled to the fa- 
 vorable opinion which has often been expressed with regard to them ;" 
 " but," he unhesitatingly adds, " in goodness of soil, in the extent and 
 variety of productions, in amenity of climate, in local and commercial ad- 
 vantages, in short, in every thing which conduces to the comfort of man, 
 Texas has a decided preference over any country he has ever seen.'' 
 
 General Ward, who had served long in the Mexican army, describes 
 the climate of the interior of Texas as differing but little from that of the 
 " South of Europe, Buenos Ayres, and the Cape of Good Hope." 
 
 Captain Marryatt, in his " Diary in America," speaks thus : " In the 
 Southern portions of America there are millions of acres upon which 
 cotton can be cultivated, particularly in Texas, the soil of which is so 
 congenial that they can produce 1000 lbs. to the 400 lbs. raised by the 
 Americans." 
 
 It is to Texas particularly, he says, that England must look for this 
 product. It may be asked, how is it, as Texas is so far south, that a 
 white population can labor there? It is because Texas is a prairie 
 country and being situated on the Gulf of Mexico, a sea breeze is always 
 blowing across the whole country, rendering the air cool and refreshing, 
 notwithstanding the heat of the sun's rays. 
 
 ¥m. Kennedy, Esq., British Consul, who travelled all over Texas, and 
 still resides in Galveston, in his able work, thus sums up its advantages : 
 
 " All competent judges who have explored the country agree in opin- 
 ion, that for apparent depth and richness, and capabilities of raising the 
 commodities necessary for animal subsistence and enjoyment, the soil of 
 Texas is not surpassed by that of any other country in the Western 
 hemisphere. After traversing the border and advancing toward the in- 
 terior, this singular country exhibits its beauties and developes its re- 
 sources. In the rolling and hilly country the grazier and cultivator of 
 products, familiar to the European farmer, may obtain easy and ample re- 
 turns from plains and valleys unrivalled for natural attractions ; and on 
 the low line of the coast, the enterprise of the Southern planter will be 
 prodigally rewarded by the vegetable treasures of a tropical clime. To 
 a settler who desires to enjoy the advantages of the upper region, with- 
 out fixing his residence too remote from the sea, the Western part of 
 Texas, with its sparkling streams flowing through a fertile and picturesque 
 country, is more suitable than the Eastern. But it is the peculiar charm 
 
12 
 
 of Texas that it offers to the most dissimilar tastes and habits the means 
 of selecting a place of rest in some congenial spot." 
 
 During the spring and summer of 1845, the compiler of this state- 
 ment travelled over a large portion of Texas, and he must own the ac- 
 counts above given are in his judgment truthful and accurate. In addi- 
 tion to the results of his own personal observation, he learned much from 
 the Texan Eangers, stationed at San Antonio, and examined a great 
 many Mexican traders and old inhabitants who had traversed the whole 
 of the country lying North of the Presidio, on this side of the Rio 
 Grande. They ail concurred in pronouncing this region, beyond com- 
 parison, the best portion of Texas. Col. Francis W. Johnson, for twenty 
 years a resident of Texas, a gentleman of high character and great intel- 
 ligence, by a letter now in the possession of the writer, fully confirms all 
 that others have said in eulogy of Texas, and especially of the country up 
 the Eio Grande and its tributaries, Los Moras, the Puerco and East 
 Pork. Similar testimony is borne by the gallant Captain Walker.* 
 
 Park Place House, > 
 
 New York, December 5th, 1846. £ 
 
 * My Dear Sii — In answer to your request to state what I know, and my opinion, of 
 the country north of the Presidio-road and on the east side of the Rio Grande, I take 
 great pleasure in making the following statement: 
 
 From my long residence, and general knowledge, of almost every part of Texas, I 
 have no hesitation in saying that the country lying between the points indicated by you, 
 and especially that part lying between the Los Moras and the Rio Puerco, embraces a 
 territory that will compare with any other district in Texas. While the valleys of the 
 Rio Grande, as well as those of the Los Moras and Rio Puerco, are of the richest and 
 most fertile soils, the hills or highlands afford the finest pasturage for horses, mules, 
 horned cattle, sheep, and goats. 
 
 It may be asked why a country combining so many natural advantages has remained, 
 thus long, unsettled. To this question I answer: first, because the American settle- 
 ments, from the very nature of the contracts for colonizing, were confined mostly to the 
 eastern portion of Texas; for instance, those of Col. S. P. Austin, which embraced a 
 larger extent of territory than those of any other Empresario, and who, of the many 
 ihat made contracts for introducing families and colonizing various districts, was the 
 only one who completed a single contract ; secondly, because the Government of 
 Mexico could not, or would not, afford protection to that frontier ; and, since the Inde- 
 pendence of Texas, to the inroads of the Indians has been added that of the Mexicans. 
 
 In conclusion, and in addition to what I have already said, it may be proper to say 
 that the navigation of the Rio Grande, at no distant day, will afford facilities, and hold 
 out such inducements, as cannot fail to enlist the employment of an immense amount of 
 capital. The trade of the Northern Provinces of Mexico (which is highly important 
 both on account of the precious metals and stock) will, from the very nature of things, 
 pass through this channel as the most natural, direct, safe, and cheap. Taking this 
 view of the subject, it is a question of no little importance to determine a suitable point 
 at or near the head of navigation, at which to establish a depot. In casting about, it 
 has appeared to me, that at or near the confluence of the Rio Puerco is that point which, 
 when we consider the advantages of navigation, the trade of the Northern Provinces 
 of Mexico, and the extent and fertility of the country on the east side of the Rio 
 Grande, Los Moras, Rio Puerco, and other tributaries of those streams, it is hazarding 
 but little to say that it will form one of the most important commercial as well as agri- 
 cultural and grazing point and territory, of equal extent, to be found on this continent. 
 
 Any information, in relation to this or any other portion of Texas, which I may be in 
 possession of, 1 will freely communicate to you. Yours truly, 
 
 F. W. JOHNSON. 
 
 From my personal knowledge, and good sourcesof information, relative to the section 
 of country described, I fully concur in the within statement. 
 
 S. H. WALKER, 
 Cajit. U. S. Dragoons. 
 
13 
 
 Captain Daniel Ruggles, of 5th Infantry, U. S. Army, in a letter dated 
 Reynosa, Mexico, (a town on the Rio Grande, between Matamoras and 
 Camargo) Dec. 10th, 1846, writes in relation to such portions of this 
 great valley as had come under his observation, as follows : " All persons 
 of experience in the growth of sugar and cotton, concur in the opinion 
 that this valley is the garden spot of the world, surpassing beyond all 
 comparison the lower Mississippi, and I doubt not, the valley of the Nile 
 in the palmiest days of its prosperity. This whole valley is composed of 
 an alluvial deposit of inexhaustible fertility. I have examined," he con- 
 tinues further, " the cotton, corn and sugar, along this river, and although 
 these products receive comparatively no cultivation, still the results are 
 wonderful. There are points where the wild cotton is apparently so abun- 
 dant as to well repay gathering. The Mexicans do not cultivate it, they 
 say, because their rapacious government, will thereby find the less of 
 which to rob them. I have been assured that one cotton stock has been 
 known to produce four hundred and eighty well filled bolls of cotton, and 
 from its luxuriant growth, I can well credit it ; and that from one hill 14 
 lbs. of cotton in the seed has been gathered. This outdoes the Mississippi 
 Valley. I saw sugar cane twelve feet high and not of full growth." 
 
 In addition to all these authorities, I may be permitted to cite that of 
 Capt. Henry, of the U. S. Army. Many interesting papers from his pen 
 have appeared in the New York Spirit of the Times. In that paper of 
 the 1st of August, he says : " Who can describe this lovely valley and 
 its delicious climate ? No poet in the fervency of his imagination could 
 more than color the scene. Nothing can exceed the delicious coolness of 
 this climate. 
 
 " Nay, start not, ye Northern farmers, ye yankees of yankee land, and 
 laugh at any thing like coolness under this tropical sun. No summer cli- 
 mate can exceed it in loveliness. Keep out of the sun and you never 
 feel the heat. A constant breeze is blowing, too strong at times for com- 
 fort, but always delicious. Even in the sun you are not aware of its 
 power, so refreshing is this everlasting breath of nature. No part of 
 Texas equals in salubrity or surpasses in fertility the valley of the Eio 
 Grande. The river courses its way from the mountains through a varied 
 climate, that will produce any thing, from wheat to sugar and cotton. 
 Nothing can surpass the rich growth of the vines. This region of coun- 
 try is bound to be settled very rapidly, even to the prejudice of other 
 parts of Texas. If nothing else points it out as a desirable location, the 
 fact that the Eio Grande is really a navigable stream, is sufficient. There 
 are to be sure rivers in Texas — the Trinity, Brazos and Colorado — that 
 at certain seasons will admit of navigation, but they are at all times un- 
 
14 
 
 certain, whereas the Rio Grande, for several hundred miles, is rarely low 
 enough to prevent its navigation by light draught steamers. In point of 
 health it is unsurpassed in the world. There are no causes for disease ; 
 there are no swamps, which in the heat of summer throw out their poi- 
 sonous miasma. The banks are high and the country preserves that 
 character to the Colorado. Let this boundary be settled, and there will 
 be a tide of emigration to this favored region, that will be unequalled. 
 Tell our Northern farmers, the Yankees, to come and judge for them- 
 selves, and ten to one they will be so pleased that they will settle here. 
 Cultivation can be carried on here with white labor, I think, beyond a 
 doubt. The impression that has gone abroad of the unhealthiness of this 
 climate, of its various insects and animals is all humbug. Nothing 
 would give me more pleasure than to see this valley settled by that class 
 of men. They would make it one flower garden, from the source of the 
 river to its mouth." 
 
 EMIGRATION TO TEXAS. 
 
 Few persons can form an adequate idea of the stream of population 
 ready to flow into Texas, so soon as the existing war shall be closed and 
 security restored upon the border. Nor is it easy for people in this sec- 
 tion of the Union to realise the facilities with which the face of the 
 country can be dotted over with plantations and farms, and brought into 
 a high state of cultivation. We generally associate with the idea of 
 settling a new country, the toil of many years in clearing away dense 
 forests. Two hundred dollars will buy a quarter section of the public 
 land in any of the new States of the West ; two thousand dollars will not 
 render more than one half of it fit for the plough ; but in Texas the land 
 may be purchased at prices which will fairly remunerate the seller, and 
 the second year the planter and farmer may bring under cultivation all 
 the soil his whole disposable force can manage. It is therefore only the 
 work of a few years, not of a life-time, to settle and subdue such a terri- 
 tory. The emigration from the southern States to the coast region, and 
 far up the rivers, will be immediate and immense. The whole upper 
 country in Western Texas will be settled and cultivated by free labor. 
 By men of intelligence in Texas this is not doubted. No field like this 
 has been opened to the sinewy arm of northern labor. Into this region 
 too will over-populated, industrial Germany pour her uncounted thous- 
 ands. It has already become, and will continue to be, the El Dorado of 
 that quiet, indefatigable and thrifty people. In relation to this point, we 
 have indications that cannot be mistaken. Bishop Odine, who returned 
 from a visit to Europe, in 1845, states that there was a furor of enthusi- 
 
15 
 
 asm in Belgium, caused by the accounts of Texas received there from 
 German residents in that country, which those only can understand who 
 have witnessed it. He says that had it not been for the agitation of the 
 Oregon question, there would have been ten thousand emigrants from 
 Antwerp alone, that season ; that the ultimate extent of emigration could 
 not with any certainty be estimated ; one thing only being unquestionable, 
 that it would be immense. From Mayence 1400 had embarked in a 
 single day, and 20,000 would soon follow, if hostilities did not take place. 
 
 The war holds in check — it has not turned aside — this human flood. 
 The German settlers in Texas are doing remarkably well, notwithstand- 
 ing the want of protection on the frontier, and the many obstacles they 
 have encountered, as strangers, in a new country. They have recently 
 commenced a settlement on the Llano which is rapidly progressing. This 
 is sixty miles from Fredericksburgh. The land in the valley of the 
 Llano is yerj fertile and productive, and the climate even more healthy 
 than the older settlement of Braunfels or Fredericksburgh. This region 
 is elevated from 1000 to 1500 feet above the level of the Gulf. The air 
 is sufficiently pure and invigorating for emigrants from the mountainous 
 regions of Europe. The gardens and fields of the Germans, supplied 
 them, even the first year, with more produce than they could consume. 
 
 There is also a settlement on the Pierdenales, and another is soon to 
 be formed on the San Saba whose extensive and fertile valley is capable 
 of sustaining half a million of souls. This is within the range of country 
 we have described as equal to any on the globe for the production of 
 wheat, barley, rye, oats and all the valuable cereals. The Germans can 
 testify to the truth of this statement. They have already constructed 
 flouring mills and saw mills, which are in full and profitable operation. 
 
 Encouraging as this sketch may seem, the valley of the upper Eio 
 Grande possesses many advantages even over these settlements. Let 
 two hundred pioneer families from the north once be located in this quar- 
 ter, and more than half the work of peopling the whole country will be 
 accomplished. No people can be compared to our own in the rapidity 
 with which they fell the forest, erect habitations, and subdue the virgin 
 soil in a new country. Around such a nucleus the European emigrants 
 will cluster and flourish, as naturally and as certainly as the harvest fol- 
 lows seed time. This opinion will be verified as soon as the smoke of 
 the cannon has cleared away. Here locations judiciously chosen will 
 present the advantages of a healthy, easily cultivated, productive country 
 on the one hand, and on the other, will command a trade equal if not su- 
 perior to that of St. Louis, Missouri. This brings us to the only remain- 
 ing point to be considered, which is — 
 
16 
 
 THE COMMERCE OF THE RIO GRANDE. 
 
 The time is at hand when the attention of business men and capitalists 
 cannot fail to be drawn to channels of trade soon to be opened in this 
 quarter. Water does not more naturally flow to the ocean than trade 
 concentrates at points indicated by natural advantages, unless thrown 
 into circuitous and artificial channels by conventional restrictions. Re- 
 straints heretofore existing in trade, on this new south-western boundary 
 of our Republic, will be thrown off on the return of peace. The capacity 
 of the Rio Grande for steamboat navigation, is no longer a matter of 
 doubt. From Point Isabel to Camargo, a distance of 200 miles, and 
 near 500 by the windings of the river, steamers pass daily at the lowest 
 stages of the water. Lieut. Tilden, in the steamboat Major Brown, 
 recently went up three hundred miles farther, to Loredo, near the point 
 where General Wool crossed with his army. The steamboat met but a 
 single obstacle, a sand bank, over which she forced her way without dif- 
 ficulty. The river was at the time unusually low. Here, on the left 
 bank of the river, Cannel Coal was found in abundance and of an ex- 
 cellent quality. Six or eight tons were taken on board, and measures 
 have since been adopted to supply from this source our steamers in the 
 Gulf. 
 
 The writer is inclined to believe, from all he has been able to learn on 
 the subject, that the junction of the Rio Grande with the Puerco will be 
 the head of steamboat navigation on the former. The spot is 400 miles 
 from Point Isabel in a direct line, and near 1000 by the course of the 
 river. That this point will speedily become a place of commanding im- 
 portance, may be briefly shown. 
 
 From the Gulf to the junction of the rivers is a region of varied soil 
 and climate, suitable for the cultivation of sugar, cotton, wheat, corn, and 
 fruits and vegetables of all descriptions ; and embracing, still farther back 
 along the Guadaloupe range, inexhaustible and perpetual pasture of the 
 finest quality for the raising of sheep and other domestic animals. With 
 all these desiderata it is, as has already been shown, peculiarly adapted 
 to free labor. The advantages of steamboat navigation, as well as the 
 natural features of the country, would seem to point out the confluence 
 of the Puerco and Rio Grande as a convenient business place ; and al- 
 though not favorable to the building of towns merely on paper, the 
 writer, for the sake of illustration, and of establishing a point from 
 whence distances can be measured, will name the embryo town, or city^ 
 Hermosa, the Mexican or Spanish word for Beautiful. 
 
 On a line S.E, from the place above indicated, and about 150 miles 
 
17 
 
 distant therefrom, lies San Antonio, Texas ; and 40 miles nearer in the 
 same direction is Castroville, a flourishing German and French settle- 
 ment. Ilermosa must command a large portion of the business of ex- 
 change and supply of the whole upper region of "Western Texas, as well 
 as of the fertile valleys of the Puerco and the Eio Grande (stretching 
 far up beyond the junction of these Streams, and including, on the latter 
 river, the city of Santa Fe, New Mexico), and also a large share of the 
 peltry trade of the Rocky Mountains. On the opposite side of the river 
 lies the province of Coahuila, where, at convenient distances, supplies of 
 horses, mules, cattle and sheep, may be obtained in abundance for the use 
 of thefirst settlers. Hermosa would thus become a depot and market 
 for a large, healthy, and highly productive portion of Western Texas, 
 and must, from this circumstance alone, grow in a few years to be a 
 place of no small importance. 
 
 But in a commercial point of view it has other and still greater ad- 
 vantages. That it must necessarily command a very extensive and 
 profitable commerce with the Northern Provinces of Mexico, lying west 
 of the Rio Grande, will, on an examination of its natural facilities, 
 become apparent. The war, and the consequent lack of security on the 
 frontier, have alone prevented the whole overland trade between the United 
 States and Mexico from passing through the valley of the Rio Grande. 
 But for these drawbacks it would long ago have taken that direction. 
 That the Santa Fe route cannot compete with this new avenue of inter- 
 national commerce, may be easily shown. 
 
 In the first place, Santa Fe, although the capital of New Mexico, does 
 not contain more than 3,500 inhabitants. For many years the mines, 
 though rich, have been poorly worked, and the consumption of goods at 
 that place has been comparatively small. Santa Fe is, in fact, a mere 
 point, a quasi port of entry, where the traders from the United States 
 and from the Northern Departments of Mexico meet for traffic. It is this 
 traffic, this exchange of merchandise for the precious metals, which has 
 given to Santa Fe its vast importance, and the commerce of the prairies 
 centred there all the interest of distant ocean navigation. 
 
 The extent of this trade has never been accurately known — or, if 
 known, it has never been published to the world. Those who knew 
 most about it have been engaged in the trade, and had therefore, strong 
 motives for keeping their information to themselves. Gen. Almonte, in 
 his elaborate report to the Supreme Government in 1834, estimated the 
 amount of bullion, annually passing to the United States through this 
 channel, at two millions of dollars. 
 
 That the Santa Fe trade has contributed largely to build up, enrich 
 3 
 
38 
 
 and give importance to St. Louis, is most certain ; and that the flourish- 
 in" - town of Independence on the Missouri is indebted for its origin and 
 subsequent prosperity to the same cause, is no less true. For more than 
 twenty-five years this trade has been perseveringly carried on, often with 
 immense and never without large returns. Narratives of the stirring- 
 border incidents of the present season (1846) have given a degree of 
 publicity to the details of its importance and extent, which they had never 
 before obtained. 
 
 It is now well ascertained that more than one million of dollars, in gold 
 and silver, has been invested in merchandise for the " prairie voyages " 
 during the past year. Philadelphia, and not New York, has for many 
 years furnished the principal portions of the goods for the Santa Fe trade. 
 These goods have been sent over the mountains, down the Ohio, and up 
 the Mississippi to St. Louis. From that place to Santa Fe, the distance 
 is 1200 miles, over bad roads and through predatory tribes of Indians. 
 As a protection from the latter, squadrons of United States troops have, 
 on several occasions, by order of the Government, accompanied the large 
 caravans. 
 
 Independence has of late years become the point of departure for a 
 majority of the Santa Fe traders. Some, however, have gone and con- 
 tinue to go by way of Van Buren, up the Arkansas river, and from 
 thence eight hundred miles by land, over the prairies. A trade must be 
 profitable that will justify, year after year, such distant and costly over- 
 land transportation, and any new line that will relieve it from the onerous 
 transit charges referred to, must — other things being equal — command 
 the business. 
 
 David Waldo, a highly intelligent and respectable merchant, for twenty 
 years engaged in this overland trade, estimates its amount during the past 
 season at nine hundred and thirty-seven thousand five hundred dollars 
 worth of merchandise — as follows : 
 
 Value of goods, first cost, -'-..." $987,500 
 
 400 large ox and mule wagons, - - 75,000 
 
 1750 mules, ----- 70,000 
 
 1000 yoke of oxen, - 35,000 
 
 550 men for the trip, - 75,000 
 
 Freight, insurance, &c. to St. Louis, - - 93,780 
 
 Provisions, and outfit of all kinds, - - 61,000 
 
 $409,780 
 
 No better authority can be given than that from which the above esti- 
 mate is derived. It shows the cost of transportation on less than one mil- 
 lion dollars worth of goods to be nearly four hundred and ten thousand 
 
19 
 
 dollars, to Santa Fe. Further shipments of goods were made after the 
 date of Mr. Waldo's estimate, and with a fair allowance for the additional 
 vehicles, &c, required to transport them, the aggregate for the past sea- 
 son may be fairly set down at five hundred wagons, besides pack mules, 
 and nearly one thousand men. This would seem to indicate, what is no 
 doubt the fact, that considerable more than one million of dollars has been 
 invested in this bold traffic, during the past year, and that the expenses 
 have been proportionably heavy. Indeed, such are the unavoidable ex- 
 penses by this circuitous route, that merchants whose sales have averaged 
 only one hundred per cent, on first cost, have deemed it a good .year's 
 business, when their net profits have reached forty per cent. 
 
 Now there is no doubt that the same amount of goods may be deliv- 
 ered at Hermosa, on the Rio Grande, for very little (if any) more than 
 the cost of transportation between the city of New York and St, Louis, 
 Missouri ; to say nothing of the economy of time, an important element 
 in commercial transactions. For example, but one trip a year can be 
 made between this city and Santa Fe, via St. Louis, while four trips can 
 be made within the same period, with great ease, to the mouth of the 
 Puerco, on the Rio Grande. 
 
 But this saving of time is by no means the only consideration. A 
 brief examination of the map will disclose other advantages. Let it be 
 borne in mind that Santa Fe, as already stated, is not the portion of Mex_ 
 ico where any considerable amount of this merchandise is consumed ; but 
 a mere point en route, where the Mexican traders from the South meet 
 those from the United States. There the merchandise is taken from the 
 heavy wagons and placed upon pack mules, when the Mexican Jason, in 
 his turn, commences a journey in search of the golden fleece. 
 
 Leaving Santa Fe, for 320 miles, the Mexican merchants continue 
 down the East or Texas side of the Rio Grande to the Paso del Norte 
 where they cross the river and enter a small but thrifty settlement of 
 near 8,000 inhabitants. From the Paso del Norte to Chihuahua, the cap- 
 ital of the province of the same name, is 230 miles farther, or 550 miles 
 from Santa Fe, and 1750 from St. Louis — while from Hermosa to Chi- 
 huahua the distance is not more than 150 miles. The city of Chihuahua 
 contains 30,000 inhabitants ; the province is rich in valuable mines, and 
 is one of the finest wool growing regions in America. Wool is, indeed, 
 the staple of the State and its first outlet to a profitable market will be 
 the Valley of the Rio Grande. The annual consumption of foreign 
 goods in this provinee, is set down by intelligent Mexican merchants at 
 from two millions to three millions of dollars. 
 
 Duraugo, with a larger population than Chihuahua, and deriving four 
 
20 
 
 millions of dollars annually from the mines, of course consumes a still 
 larger quantity. The capital contains 25,000 people, is 800 miles from 
 Santa Fe, 2,000 from St. Louis, and only 360 from Hermosa ; while the 
 department of Coahuela stretches along the west side of the Rio Grande, 
 and its capital, containing a population of 30,000, is within 150 miles of 
 Hermosa. 
 
 The small and not wealthy province of New Leon is quite in the 
 neighborhood. 
 
 In brief, the region of which Hermosa forms the most convenient depot 
 and commercial emporium, comprehends the entire provinces of New 
 Mexico, Chihuahua, portions of Sinaloa on the Gulf of California, Du~ 
 rango, Zacatecas, and the northern portions of Xalisco. The most remote 
 of these is not more than 500 miles from Hermosa. "Within this circle, 
 too, are obtained two-thirds of all the gold and silver extracted annually 
 from the mines of Mexico. 
 
 No practical man will aver that the profits on merchandise exported to 
 this region will continue to be as large as they have been ; but in lieu of 
 this the consumption will be greatly increased and the returns quicker 
 ' and more sure ; while the navigation of the Rio Grande to such a distance 
 in the interior, will create an active traffic in numerous articles of real 
 value, which have hitherto lain dormant for want of the means of trans- 
 portation to a suitable market. 
 
 Heretofore the ports of Vera Cruz, Matamoras and Tampico on the 
 Gulf, and Mazatlan and Guaymas on the California side, have been the 
 principal starting points for this portion of the interior ; and the English 
 and French merchants monopolized the lion's share, until the Santa Fe 
 traders with bold and daring enterprise put in for a small portion of the 
 profits. 
 
 In conclusion, if any thing further were wanting to show that the 
 Santa Fe trade may be thrown into this new channel and its field en- 
 larged many fold, it will be found in the fact that during the last six years 
 of active or threatened war between Texas and Mexico, the traders from 
 the Northern provinces of Mexico, without any safe passport, without any 
 adequate protection against the Indians, have made their way to San 
 Antonio and Corpus Christi, and brought with them on an average, 
 $300,000 annually, in gold and silver, for the purchase of goods. 
 
 No wonder, then, that the French nation, with a far-reaching and clear- 
 sighted sagacity made tempting overtures to the Texan Government, 
 with a view of obtaining exclusive privileges in the trade of the Valley 
 of the Rio Grande. %. %. %. 
 
 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
 
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