The town of Franklin, on the Missouri, about one hundred and fifty miles above St. Louis, was first selected by the traders as a place of gathering and outfit. Afterwards the village of Independence was preferred, having the recommendation of being a hundred miles higher up the river, and of saving to that extent the expense and labor of landcarriage. The caravans usually took their departure from this place in May. In the early part of the month, adventurers might be seen flocking thither from all quarters, some bent on high schemes of commercial speculation, some in pursuit of health, and some induced only by an instinctive desire to get a little farther west; but all busy in making preparations for the work before them, and in procuring the stores which would be looked for in vain beyond the borders. Thence they proceeded in separate detachments one hundred and fifty miles farther on, to Council Grove; where the caravans were organized into something resembling a military array. A captain was first chosen, who had just as much authority as he could extort, or his subordinates might think proper to allow; the caravan was then arranged in several divisions, with a lieutenant over each, to make suitable arrangements for encampment every evening, and for the crossing of the creeks and rivers. The caravan which Mr. Gregg first accompanied, in 1831, consisted of nearly a hundred wagons, besides several smaller vehicles, and two small pieces of artillery mounted upon carriages; the whole efficient force numbering about two hundred men. About one half of the wagons were drawn by ox-teams, and the rest by mules. The value of the merchandise thus conveyed and guarded was about two hundred thousand dollars. Notwithstanding the military precautions taken for security, there was nothing soldier-like in the armament or costume of the party; these were such as the taste or means of each individual might dictate. With so formidable an array, little was to be apprehended from the Indians, who have an ungovernable propensity for stealing, but do not care to indulge it at the risk of life.

We cannot follow Mr. Gregg in his journey, which those who know the usual pace of oxen will not suppose could be a very rapid one, but come with him at once to its termination in the autumn. The first settlement of consequence which he entered was that of San Miguel, a congregation of

hovels with walls of mud, about fifty miles distant from Santa Fé. Leaving this place, and pursuing his way, he came in sight of extensive corn-fields, with many of what he imagined to be brick-kilns, scattered in every direction. This was the goodly capital of Santa Fé itself; hailed by the traveller, after his long and weary journey, with a degree of joy, for which it was by no means indebted to its architectural beauty. Nor Nor is the arrival of the caravan a matter of trifling interest to the fair of Santa Fé; as may be imagined, when it is remembered, that it is to them what the arrival of the latest Paris fashions is in some other regions. Great is the preparation made by the wagoners to present themselves in the overpowering beauty of their Sunday suits, with clean faces and sonorous whip-lashes, before the bright eyes, which are probably bent with less keen interest on them than on the contents of their packages; but nothing in the form of mortal beauty has power to withdraw the thoughts of the merchants from the absorbing subject of a safe and early passage through the custom-house. The ordinary rate of duties is enormously high; twice as great, at least, as the cost of the goods. This is not for the purpose of protection, as it does not appear that the New Mexicans have many manufactories of their own to be protected, — or to carry out any economical theories; but it is owing to an enlightened desire on the part of the authorities to get as much as they possibly can, without suffering a matter so trifling as the welfare of the people to enter as an element into the calculation. It so happens, however, that the worthies of the custom-house exercise a sort of dispensing power, in the form of "an arrangement," the terms of which are settled without much difficulty; in some instances, we are assured by Mr. Gregg, on the authority of rumor, a composition of this kind is effected the legal duties are divided into three equal parts, of which the officers, by way of compensation for their trouble in the business, keep one; another goes to the merchants; and the third is scrupulously reserved for the government. For a few years, Governor Armijo of Santa Fé, the odor of whose name was far from savory to foreigners, imposed a tariff of duties, which was remarkable for its beautiful simplicity; ordaining that the sum of five hundred dollars should be paid for every wagon-load, whether great or small, or consisting of cheap or costly merchandize.

The traders at once entered into the spirit of this meritorious financial scheme, by excluding all coarse and weighty articles from their cargoes, and prosecuting the trade with huge vehicles, drawn by nearly a dozen mules; till his Excellency found it expedient to abandon his experiments, and return to the established system. The amount of duties collected annually at the port of Santa Fé is from fifty to eighty thousand dollars, of which, according to Mr. Gregg, about one half is received by the government, and the other adheres to the pockets of the officers of the customs.

We have spoken of this commerce as already in existence, and, from some statements in the public papers, we suppose that it is renewed. It is well known, however, that, owing to the murder of a respectable citizen of New Mexico by a lawless band, partly from Texas, and partly from our own frontier, and to an expedition undertaken by Texas, which the Mexican government chose to consider as proceeding from the United States, the ports of New Mexico and Chihuahua were closed by a decree of Santa Anna, early in the last year. Whether this decree is now rescinded or not, it obviously cannot long continue; the people of New Mexico will probably not be slow to calculate the value of an union, which makes them suffer for the evil deeds of others. Mr. Gregg gives us some interesting details, showing the extent to which this trade has been prosecuted within the last twenty-two years. The value of the merchandise transported in 1843 is estimated at 450,000 dollars; this sum being its cost in the Atlantic cities. In addition to the cost of freight and insurance to Independence, a further investment, equal, perhaps, to one fourth part of the original amount, was required to cover the expense of transportation to Santa Fé. This merchandise belonged to thirty proprietors, a majority of whom were New Mexicans; several of these having engaged in the trade within the last few years, and probably enjoying some advantages which are denied to foreigners. Two hundred and thirty wagons, and three hundred and fifty men, were employed in the transportation; the actual cost of which may be inferred from the fact, that freighters are to be found on the Missouri frontier, who will undertake to convey goods to Santa Fé for ten or twelve cents a pound, and from Santa Fé to Chihuahua, for six or eight cents more. The gross amount of the sales has rarely exceeded

fifty per cent. advance on the cost of the merchandise, giving a profit to the trader of between twenty and forty per cent.; sometimes, however, the profit has been less than ten per cent., and there have been instances, in which adventures have been attended with positive loss. Within the last thirteen years, no trader has been killed by the Indians, and few animals have been stolen from the caravans. There is little reason to doubt, that a good understanding with the government of Mexico might place this commerce on a footing of benefit and importance to both countries; the only reason why it has maintained itself so long, in the face of the advantages enjoyed by British merchants in the Mexican seaports, is, that a preference is universally given to goods of American manufacture.

The geographical position of New Mexico is not favorable to that progress in the arts of life, which results from free communication with other states. It is surrounded by barriers, presenting far greater obstacles to the traveller than the broadest sea; chains of mountains and desert prairies extend on every side but that which looks towards Chihuahua, from which it is divided by a wilderness extending nearly two hundred miles. Water communication there is absolutely none; not a single navigable stream is to be found; even the Rio del Norte, during the greater portion of the year, has hardly water sufficient for a bark canoe, and is obstructed by shoals and rapids for more than a thousand miles below Santa Fé. Opposite Taos, this river runs for a space of fifteen miles, with a rapid current, through a deep chasm, whose walls rise on each side in frightful precipices, from the verge of which it requires the firmest nerve to look down without dismay. From its source in the Rocky Mountains to the Gulf of Mexico, an extent of more than two thousand miles, it is not navigable for more than a tenth part of the distance. This great disadvantage of position is in some degree balanced by the clearness of the sky, and the salubrity of the climate; but the benefits of these are not enjoyed by a very numerous population; the whole number of inhabitants, Creoles, mixed Creoles, and Pueblos, being estimated by Mr. Gregg at about seventy thousand, or about one to every three square miles of territory; of these, the city of Santa Fé contains about six thousand. Agriculture, owing to the necessity of frequent irrigation, is princi

pally confined to the borders of the few streams where water can be found throughout the year; nor can it be expected to flourish, in the absence of the means of transportation. The principal wealth of the proprietors consists in their extensive flocks and herds, which are maintained in excellent condition by the pasturage upon the elevated table-lands.

Under a different government, the mines of New Mexico might become important, as they appear to have been in former times; but the aversion generally entertained towards foreigners is such, that no aid can be derived from abroad to work them, and the natives are too ignorant to do it with much profit. No silver mines have been wrought within the last century; and the present product of the gold mines is quite small. There are ruins, however, which indicate that it has not been always so; those of La Gran Quivira, about one hundred miles south of Santa Fé, are the remains of a city, evidently far superior in extent and opulence to the present capital. Walls, particularly those of churches, built of hewn stone, a material which finds no place in the existing architecture of New Mexico, still stand erect in silence and desolation; and cisterns and remains of aqueducts, through an extent of eight or ten miles, show that the supply of water must have been obtained from the surrounding mountains, the nearest source from which it could have been derived. Some have regarded these as the remains of an aboriginal city; but Mr. Gregg, with apparent reason, supposes them to be of Spanish origin, and to have been indebted for their superiority to the neighbourhood of a productive mine. Some traditional accounts render it probable, that the city was depopulated in 1680, when a general insurrection took place of the native tribes against the Spaniards. Lead of an inferior quality is also found, copper in considerable quantity, and iron in abundance. Mr. Gregg gives the following account of the salinas, or salt lakes:

"Near a hundred miles southward from the capital, on the high table-land between the Rio del Norte and Pecos, there are some extensive salt-ponds, which afford an inexhaustible supply of this indispensable commodity, not only for the consumption of this province, but for portions of the adjoining departments. The largest of these Salinas is five or six miles in circumfer ence. The best time to collect the salt is during the dry season, when the lakes contain but little water; but even when flooded,