Papers Relating to Foreign Affairs, Accompanying the Annual Message of the President to the First Session Thirty-ninth Congress
Mr. Romero to Mr. Seward
Sir: In confirmation of what I communicated to you in my notes of the 8th of July, 5th and 20th October, and 4th of November of the present year, relative to the efforts the French government is making, through its agent, Maximilian, to carry into Mexico the discontented citizens of the United States, and those who took a part in the late rebellion against this government, to which they are not disposed to submit, even after the end of the war, to organize them there and suffer them to give more trouble to their country, I have the honor to send you a copy, in English, of a letter written from Cordova, the 12th of November last, by Mr. Isham G. Harris, ex-governor of Tennessee, general in the confederate army, and a prominent person among the insurgents. The letter is directed to a Mr. George W. Adair, Atlanta, State of Georgia, and was published in the “New Era,” of that city. It contains details and information positively confirming what I mentioned in my former notes respecting this important business.
I take this occasion to renew to you, Mr. Secretary, the assurances of my most distinguished consideration.
Hon. William H. Seward, &c., &c., &c.
[Enclosure,]
I lingered near Grenada, endeavoring to arrange some business matters, until the 14th of May. In the mean time I had a skiff built, and on the morning of the 14th I embarked, some six miles east of Greenwood, and set sail for the trans-Mississippi, the party consisting of General Lyon, of Kentucky, myself, and our two servants. We navigated the Backwater for one hundred and twenty miles, and on the morning of the 21st, just before daylight, I crossed over to the Arkansas shore. I crossed at the foot of Island No. 75, just below the mouth of the Arkansas river; proceeded westward as far as the Backwater was navigable, and on the morning of the 22d I left my frail bark, bought horses, mounted the party, and set out for Shreveport, where I hoped to find an army resolved on continued resistance to federal rule; but before reaching Shreveport I learned that the army of the trans-Mississippi had disbanded and scattered to the winds, and all the officers of rank had, gone to Mexico.
Having no further motive to visit Shreveport, I turned my course to Red River county, Texas, where a portion of my negroes and plantation stock had been carried some two years ago. I reached there on the 7th of June; was taken sick and confined to my bed a week. On the 15th of June, with my baggage, cooking utensils, and provisions on a pack-mule, I set out for San Antonio, where I expected to overtake a large number of confederate civil and military officers en route for Mexico. Reached San Antonio on the 26th, and learned that all confederates had left for Mexico some ten days or two weeks before. On the morning of the 27th I started to Eagle Pass, on the Rio Grande, the federals holding all the crossings of that river below Eagle Pass. I reached Eagle Pass on the evening of the 30th, and immediately crossed over to the Mexican town of Piedras Negras, On the morning of the 1st of July set out for Monterey; arrived there on the evening of the 9th. Here I overtook General Price and ex-Governor Polk, of Missouri, who were starting to the city of Mexico next morning, with an escort of twenty armed Missourians. As I was going to the city, and the trip was a long and dangerous one to make alone, I decided to go with them, though I was literally worn out with over one thousand five hundred miles of continuous horseback travel. I exchanged my saddle-horse, saddles, &c, for an ambulance, put my two mules to it, gave the whip and lines to Ran, bought me a Spanish grammar and dictionary, took the back seat, and commenced the study of the Spanish language. We made the trip at easy stages of about twenty-five miles per day, and reached the city of Mexico on the evening of the 9th of August. The trip was one of the longest, most laborious, and hazardous of my life, but I will not tax your time or mine with its details, many of which would interest you deeply if I were there to give them to you.
[Page 529]Our reception upon the part of the government officials here was all that we could have expected or desired. We were invited to an audience with the Emperor at the palace, the far-famed halls of the Montezumas. At the time fixed we called, and were most kindly received by the emperor and empress, and were assured of their sympathy in our misfortunes, and of their earnest hope that we might find homes for ourselves and friends in Mexico. The empress was our interpreter in the interview. She speaks fluently the French, Spanish, German, and English languages, and is in all respects a great woman.
We overtook at the city of Mexico General Magruder, Commodore Maury, Governor Allen, of Louisiana; Judge Perkins, of Louisiana; Governor Reynolds, of Missouri, and Governor Murrah and Governor Clark, of Texas, with many other and lesser confederate lights. On the 5th of September the emperor published a decree opening all of Mexico to immigration and colonization, and Commodore Maury and myself and other confederates were requested to prepare regulations to accompany the decree, which we did, and which were approved by the emperor on the 27th. The decree and regulations offer very liberal inducements to immigration, among which are a donation of public lands at the rate of six hundred and forty acres to each head of a family, and three hundred and twenty acres to each single man; a. free passage to the country to such as are not able to pay their own expenses, freedom from taxation for one year and from military duty for five years, religious toleration, &c., &c.
Commodore Maury has been appointed imperial commissioner of colonization, which makeshis authority in the matter of colonization second only to that of the Emperor. General Price, Judge Perkins, and myself were appointed agents of colonization, and requested to examine the lands lying upon and near the line of railroad from the city of Mexico to Vera Cruz, for the purpose of determining whether they were suited to American colonization. We are engaged at this time in the discharge of that duty. We find in the vicinity of this place the most beautiful, and, all things considered, the best agricultural country that I have ever seen. The climate is delightful—never hot, never cold, always temperate, always pleasant. The soil richer and more productive than the best of the prairie lands of Mississippi in the Okolona country, yielding large crops of corn, barley, rice, tobacco, sugar-cane, and coffee, with all the fruits of the tropics, and the best that you ever tasted. You can raise two crops of corn on the same land each year. The usual mode of farming here is a crop of corn and a crop of tobacco on the same land, the corn ripening always before time to plant tobacco; and ten miles from here, in the direction of the coast, you strike as good a cotton country as can be found in the world.
The most profitable crop here is coffee; you plant about six or seven hundred trees to the acre; it begins to bear at two and produces a full crop at four years old. You can always calculate safely on an average of two pounds to the tree, though there are instances of a tree’s bearing as high as twenty-eight pounds. The tree is hardy, and will live fifty or one hundred years. It costs about as much labor to cultivate and put into market an acre of coffee as it does an acre of corn in Georgia.
The coffee plantation, with its shade of bananas, figs, oranges, mangoes, and zapotes, with the walks fringed with pineapple, all in full bearing, is the richest and most beautiful spectacle upon which my eyes have ever rested. I have selected six hundred and forty acres about ten miles from here, where I propose to surround myself with the coffee plantation, in the midst of which I will nestle down, constantly inhaling the odors of the rich. tropical fruits, and gaudy-colored and fragant tropical flowers, in an atmosphere of perpetual spring, yet turning the eye to the northwest, you constantly behold the snow-capped peaks of Orizaba and Popocatepetl, from which I can draw my ice at all seasons of the year.
There are about thirty confederates now here, all of whom will locate their lands and mence the work of settlement within a week or ten days
The place where we begin the first colony was highly improved and in a high state f civilization a hundred years ago. The extensive ruins of what were once magnificent strictures show that the haciendas were highly productive, and the homes of wealth, luxury s Irefinement; but, about fifty years since slavery was abolished in the state of Vera Cruz, at the proprietors of these magnificent estates left the country with the large fortunes they I amassed. The church seized the lands and allowed them to lie idle and go to ruin. buildings upon each of those places must have cost from $100,000 to $500,000. The church held the property till about five years since, when it was taken by the government, and the government now sells it to us for colonization at $1 per acre, in quantities of six hundred and forty acres to each head of a family and three hundred and twenty acres to each sing man, on a credit of one, two, three, four, and five years. This is the beginning of the confederate colony in Mexico. Among those who propose to settle immediately are General Price and General Shelby, from Missouri, Judge Perkins, of Louisiana, and myself. T resources of this country are such as to insure fortune to the energy and industry that have usually characterized our people. The wonder is that they have been permitted to remain[?] undeveloped so long; but this is the most indolent, lazy, and worthless population on earth.
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Will many of the people of the southern States feel inclined to seek new homes; or they follow the example of Lee, Johnston, and others? Mexico presents the finest field I have ever seen for the enterprise of our people; and now that slavery is abolished in the south, hired labor can be much more easily procured here and made much more profile [Page 530] than in any part of the United States. I do not propose, however, to urge or even advise any one to come; I only propose to give them facts, and leave them to decide for themselves, as I have done for myself. Such as feel inclined to come will be received with open arms and cordial welcome. But enough of this.
Where is Forrest, and what is he doing? and where and how is everybody else? for I have heard from none of our friends since I left Mississippi.
Give my kind regards to Mrs. Adair, Robin, Jack and Forrest, and kiss Mary for me, and tell her that it would give me great pleasure to have a romp with her this evening.
Write me fully, and do your best at penmanship, so that I may be able to read at least the greater part of the letter. I sent you a copy of the Mexican News, an English newspaper edited by Governor Allen, about a month ago. I hope you received it, though there was very little of interest in it except that it shows the fact that we had started an American newspaper at the city of Mexico. I neglected to say to you that this place is situated on the line of railroad from Vera Cruz to the city of Mexico, seventy miles west of Vera Cruz. The railroad is now in operation to within eighteen miles of this place, and all the balance to the city of Mexico is under contract and the work rapidly progressing. It is a few hours’ run by rail from here to Vera Cruz, from Vera Cruz it is three days by steam to New Orleans, and from New Orleans it is three or four days by rail to Atlanta. So you see that we are still neighbors, even if you should remain in Georgia. The road is owned by an English company, but it is almost entirely in American hands.
My health is excellent, and I feel that it cannot be otherwise in this charming climate. Direct your letters to me at Cordova, Mexico. And in conclusion let me beg you to excuse this horrid and disjointed letter, as it was written in the midst of a crowd, half of whom were continually talking to me and compelling me to talk to them.
Very truly your friend,