From New Mexico

CorrciPondencc of The Coukibr. Los I.uwas. NW Mi-xlco, I July lOtli. 1880. I New Mexico has been vory energetioallr and cloquently puffed within the past y car or two as a land of fabulous mineral wealth, where the k'"11'" landa aro on every hand and tlic .silver lies eleaining on Ihe niountain isidefi, where oopper and tlie baser nieUlfl are fnund in a!most nativo purity, and oven genis dasite the eyo of the wanderer and cali him liy their brilliancy to thcir rating place. Charmiog pen-pictures of the delicious air, tho wild und romantic landscape, thc pleasant vallcys and lowing kine have gone forth to the newspapers of tho country to créate a bootn for the territory. And t has been so muoh the custom ot' writers in npeaking of Now Mexico, au'l tho samo may be said of any new niining district, to exagérate tlie favorable features of a ocw and souiewhat romantic life, which such sections so abundantly offer to the impressionable, and to leave UDnoticed, or but hastily sketched, the rougher aspeets of the situation, it has ocjurred to the writer, who lias lingered tcuiporarily in the uiidst of some of thc novel and surprising scones of the west, to hold in strict remembrance the öinth coiumandmont and present cold faets. Whcn it ia generally understood that the highly laudatory notices of the boundlen mineral wealth of the states and territories of the west, and the possibilitics there existing for anybody and cverybody to acquire magnificent fortunes by siniply kuocking at the doors of the stony hills are encouragcd and paid for by the various linea of railway running froin Kansas (Jily, on o nnnvproina. pnint. inlA oIJ ¦¦ and territories, it may possibly cnlighten some as to one niethod of seouriug dividends, and, as wel!, show to otbers that the touch of Midas has failed to cover some considerable portions of the so-called mining sections. Then it should be known by all in advanco, who contémplate a turn at this erratic golden wheel of fortune ; which in running brings forth nine b!anks to one prizo always; that the conditions of success in aecuring the auriferous and argentiferous are each yoar growing more difficult. Splendid fortunes are hear awaiting thc favoritos of kind fate, unquestionably, but in most cases the acquiring of these fortunes means a combination of intelligence, capital, good judgment and grit. The faculty of "holding on" is an important factor of success in western mining life, while "luck" is a very sad appearing factor at the present time. Jack Haverly enterprisesand the various wild cat schemes so prevalent in the past in all mining eentorn, to seduce capital iuto worthless properties, have about run their illegitimate existence. And 'tis well. Thc mining industry of the country i.s an important and growing one, and the sooner it surrounds itaelf with the legitímate factors and agencies of a distinetivc and poworf'ul branch of trade and wealth so uiuch the botter financially and otherwise it will be for every citizen of the country. In thc first place, New Mexico has exceeding mineral wealth, for Prof. Hayden hatl) suid it, and it may bc greatly to his credit, Yet events are ptronger than all tlieories, and the aeductivu rates of jiassengCMAgents. The ground here has, in reality, only been scratcbed, save in one or two instances, where thorough devoloptnent of mining bas been made. Still the enthusiastic ones, who have been doing the prospecting and have struck indications of mineral, are wild with gorgeous visions of untold wealth immediately awaiting them. They will teil jou this is the land for the poor man, and hnro all ean bp.pnmo rieli. Those men will give the "tenderfoot" more points on the geological conditions and geographical features of the country than an Agassiz ever drearued of. Their information, however, is not always in oord with the fiets of the scienses they so loarnedly (?) discuss, and I regret to remark that their knowledgo on the above points ia about as intelligible in reality as Newton's Principia would be to a Zulú. They say, for instance, in tho White Oaks camp, in Lincoln county, one of the reputed rich districts, there is an immense amout of mineral. A stay of bíx days in the camp, during which time I was assisted in my explorations byan cxperienced prospector, left me in just about the same condition as regards an opinión of the amount of wealth there, as I would have in eslimating the seeds in a stack of hay by lookine at the staok. Tho number of raggcd raillionaires there ia wonderful. The wealth which the man with a half dozen "claims" has, metaphorically speaking, is astonishing. Men are there with claims, staked portions of God's carth, who will sell their chances for fortune s favor anywhere from $5. to $100,000. The importance of the man with the $50,000 "claim, "who has not money euough in bis pocket to buy a mouthful of bacon, is grand to witness. "There's millions in it," perhaps, but think of the tromendous struggle neceseary to get all this wealth out of tho ground. The indioations of mineral wealih in that district are very good, and il a man will fight the utifavorable conditions of existence herc, bo willing to be scalpod twice annually by the Indians, stolen blind cvery forty oight hours by the Mexicans, eaten by insects and chased by a cinnamon bear once a week to remind hitn of the brute foroe over mere intellect - and logs, there is poibly a fortune in store for him. Let no one, howover, who has in contcm platioo the adven turous life of the gold hunter be deterred in coiniüg to New Mexico on being told the truo condition of affairs here. The tale is nove!, if not refreshing. And right here, perhaps u fuw chunks of truth may be thrown in in spouking of the "delicious air" and the "superb natural surroundingf." New Mexico can hardly be called u paradise. I have not seen a spear of grass, a living tree, a green shrub even in all my wandcrings in the territory. I found a very old man the other day who had vague notions of a ruin storm that 0008 occurred here, but he lookcd, in telling about it, as though Ire was not gricvously oppresi-ed with the truth, so 1 did not urge him to procced. At 9 a. in., rejularly, llic bowling of the sand-laden wind oommenoes, and continúes uutil tho same huur the following day. The velocity of the wind is 1,000 miles per hour (estimated). I lost aix bats in oue duy recently, and ihree day.s later thoie idcn(icil bati cjtue b:ick adorning ÜM beads of au uiany ow-boy." from tlie Paniiandle of Texas, 100 nüio.s di.stant, where, [ ara creditably infonued, they (the hats) arrived within less than lifieon minuteH after leaving the besd of the owner. Three times Í have been baried in the accuinula;ion of sand banks, knee dcoj. Tho sand stornis are said to be ofton mes (uite destructivo to huraan and animal lite. In Socorro county, my uttention was called by 'ny travaling oouipaníoa to a iKiund of and, perhtpx iwenty-live feet üli by fü'ty tVvf in dtaiaelcr at th (Mae. Iflgnid: "Ai thë bane of that tand monitd ie a Meziciu burder and lúa flpok vi 500 hoop, and ii. li;iin-iicd in tiii.n tDanner. )n the appfoaofa of' tin' mud itorm (kfl herder sought refuge for himself and his flock in the arroya- the dry bod of a mountain stream. The sand driftcd over the lcdgo of the imponding rock, fbund lodgment in the fleecy coats of the shrep, nnd weighed them to tlio grouinl. Soon the accuniulatin land covored them all, and tiere we sec a topographical feature of the oountry whieli coustitutes the toml) of' the unf.irtunate Mexiean and hit Hoek." It uiay seem an unkiridtKHs on iny part toward my informant in the nbove nainitivc to place it bosidc one relating to the water, whieh bubblei up from various cpringu in some portions of the territory, and which is so hard by reason of tlie alkali it eon tains, it is said the natives eun walk over the running streams without wotting the Roloa of tlieir feet, yet in the interest of strict truth these two narratives must go on reeord as "hearsay evidencc" and not the testituony of a veraeious ehronioler. In spite of the eccentricities of carth, air and water the railwuy companies will teil you that New Mexico is tho f-anitariuui of the country. Here is health, here you brcathe the rarified and inspiring air at an altitudc of 6,000 feet, here the consump tivc is gladdened with returning vigor and rencwed life, t cetera. Apropos of this.one experience of a New Mexiean sand storm and the invalid passes beyond the necessity of raiified air, for his has become a spiritexistence. The dry and electrified eondition of the atmoephere produces the most prolificcrop of rheumaticcripples to be found anywhere on the continent. But nature with a pitying tenderness for the desolate eondition of humsnity has provided a remedy, near at hand, in nutnerous hot springs that are wjatterea over tne territory. Satis est. THE LAND ORANTS. A peculiar hinderance to the development of mining in the territory, and es pecially so in the central and northern parts, is the matter of land grant?. And as tbe question of the grants is an important one to all who contémplate prospecting or mining htre, it is we!l it shuuld be understood fully. It was the custoni of the Spanish kings and Mexiean governora to cede to their favoritos 'tracts of land, whieh were known as private land grants. There were thus ceded about two hundred and twenty-five private grants and twentyfive pueblo grauts, only sixty-ouo of which, howevcr, have boon confirined by oongress according to the prorisions of the treaty, which wa-s signed at Gaudaloupe Hidalgo, in 1848, after the United States took the country by conrjuest. A stipulation in the eighth article of that treaty rcads: In tlie said territory piojierty of every kind now belouelng to Mexicana uotestsb[Uhed there shall bc Invlolably respected. The present owner, the heira of tlicse mul all Mexicans who inay bereafter acquire MÜd ]ro]erty by contract, shall enjoy with respect to it gúarántles equally ampie as f tlie same belonged to citizens of tlie United States. The point about these grantj, even to the confirmed ones, and which will be a fource of no little litigation, is whether tho grant iueludes not only the right to the gtuing and agricultural uses of the land, but also to the mineral in it. The United States in conürniing these grants, it teems, erroneously assunied that by the treaty of Gaudaluupe Hidalgo thoy must givo the grantees any mines found on the grants. Now in Spain, under the law of the Partida, the property of the mines was so inve.sted in the king that they were held not to pass in a grant of land, although not excepted out of the grant, and even though included in it, the grant was valid, as to the mines onhj duriny the Ue of the king who made it, and required confirmation by his sucecssors. Different opinions are held as to the validity of these grante, butuntil a decisión is had as to the mineral privileges of them, it will be better for men coming to New Mexico, to indulge in the fafeinations of miniug, to go to tho public lands and unconfirmed grants. Tho grants of all kinds cover only about onctwentieth of the torritory.