﻿NEW LOiniOK. 



NEW MEXICO. 



Berkeley and Sir George Carteret, at subsequent periods, sold their 

 claimg "to New Jersey to William Penn and some others, and the 

 country received considerable colonies of Quaker settlers, and of 

 Scotchmen, at the head of whom was the Earl of Perth. The first 

 goremor of New Jersey under ' the proprietors ' was the celebrated 

 Robert Barclay, author of the ' Apoloijy for the Quakers.' In 1702 

 the proprietary was surrendered to Queen Anne; and in 1736 New 

 Jersey was definitively separated from New York. In the struggle for 

 independence New Jersey took an early and decided part, and was one 

 of the 13 original states. It published its first constitution as a state 

 July 2, 1776; and ratified the federal constitution December 18, 1787. 



(Statitlical Gazetteer of the Vnited Statet ; Seventh Cenmu of the United 

 Stales, OfBcial Report; American Almanac, 1854 ; Marcou, Geological 

 Map of the United Statet ; Rogers, Betcription of the Geology of the 

 State of New Jertey.) 



NEW LONDON. [CojrsKCncuT.] 



NEW MEXICO, • territory of the United States of North America, 

 lying between .31° and 38° N. lat., 103° and 117 W. long. It is 

 boimded S.E. and E. by the state of Texas, from which it is divided 

 on the S. by the parallel of 32" N. lat, and on the E. by the meridian 

 of 103° W. long. ; N. by the territory of Utah ; W. by the state of 

 California ; and 8. by the republic of Mexico, from which it is divided 

 by the boundary line described under Mexico. The area of New 

 Mexico is estimated nt 210,774 square miles, or abont 4000 square 

 miles larger than France. The white population was 61,525 in 1850 ; 

 or 0-29 to the square mile. The Indian population was estimated by 

 the Commissioner of Indian ASain in 1863 at 45,000. The territory 

 of New Mexico was formed in 1860 oat of the country ceded by Mexico 

 [Mixioo, vol. iii. ooL 795], with the addition of a portion of that 

 claimed by Texas. ' 



Surface, Hydrography, Ac. — The territory of New Mexico, as at present 

 constituted, oonsists of two distinct sections, which will probably at 

 some future day be separated into two distinct territories or states : 

 the one comprising the country occupied by the two great ranges into 

 which the Rixsky Mountains are in this part separated; the other the 

 country west of those mountains. The former, or New Mexico proper, 

 is a rugged monntainooa country, with a valley about 20 miles wide, 

 formed by the Rio Orande del Norte, traversing it from north to 

 south. The western range of the RcMjky Mountains bears various 

 names, as the Biernu de Anahuac, do los Mimbres, de loe Orullas, 

 Hogullon, Madre, Ac. ; but the name now most commonly given to the 

 greater part of it is the Sierra Madre. Many of the most northern 

 summits of this range are covered with perpetual snow, and may be 

 from 9000 to 12,000 feet above the sea. The aonthem portion is pro- 

 bably from 6000 to 8000 feet above the sea. The eastern range which 

 runs nearly parallel to the other is known in the northern part as the 

 Biem Obacura, and in the southern as the Sierra Sagramento, though 

 the latter name is commonly applied to it throughout. These moun- 

 tains rise very abruptly from the eastern plain into lofty peaks and 

 knobs variously disposed, with fertile valleys between them. Some 

 of the northern summits of this ridge are also covered with perpetual 

 snow, and the altitude appears to be on the whole somewhat greater 

 than that of the western ridge. Pine* generally grow on the higher 

 mountains, cedars and occnsionnlly oaks on the lower ones. The 

 narrow tract bordering the .Sierra Sagramento on the east is very 

 elevated, and forms the western boundary of the extensive plain north- 

 west of Texas. The narrow valleys by which the mountain streams 

 reach the pkin are often heavily timbered, and the soil appears to be 

 fertile ; but the intervening spaces have an arid soil, which is only 

 covered with vei^etation in l£e early part of the year. 



The great valley which lies between these mountain chains forms 

 the district known as New Mexico while the country belonged to the 

 Mexican republic. It is a very elevated tract, the northern part 

 being more than 6000 feet, and the most southern, where it touches 

 the Mexican bound.iry, 8800 feet above the sea. Through it as men- 

 tioned above flows the Rio Orande del Norte, The surface, especially 

 in the upper part, is greatly broken, and the soil throughout is dry 

 and sandy; but where irrigated is generally pretty fertile. Below 

 Santa F^ about 86° 20' N. lat. is the most fertile port, and there two 

 crops are often obtained nnnnally. This is the most populeus and the 

 only oi/Uised part of the country, a large portion of it being occupied 

 by the f»rroi) of the old settlers. 



The country west of the Sierra Madre, forming nearly two-fifths of 

 the territory, is very much varied in surface. It is drained throughout 

 by the Rio Colorado and its tributaries. The northern part is moun- 

 tainous, and a large part of the eastern boundary is formed by rugged 

 mountains. The interior is considerably diversified, well watered, 

 and appears to be in many parts a fine agricultural country. The 

 middle part is occupied by a great plain drained by the Rio Oila and 

 \U nffliients, much of which is sandy and barren ; but the land in the 

 immwiiftte viuinity of the streams is frequently fertile. The whole is 

 occupied by Indian tribes : the Apaches inhabiting the cast and south- 

 east, the Plavajoes the north-east, the Pah-Utahs the north-west, and 

 the Pimos the west and south-west. 



The Kio Orande del Norte, or, aa it is more commonly called, the 

 Rio Orande or Rio del Norte, rises in the Rooky Mountains, near 40° 

 N. Ut., not far from the sonroee of the Arkansas and Colorado. Its 

 ooars* before ii rsaohes tiie boundary of Mew Mexico is generally 



south-east, but throughout thia territory it is nearly south. Its direct 

 length from its source to its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico is about 

 1400 miles, but its course following its windings is full 2000 miles. 

 Throughout New Mexico it is a rapid shallow stream, and has nume- 

 rous shoals and sand-bars. It appears to be scarcely navigable even 

 by cauoes, and though it is well fitted to supply mill-power, it is at 

 present scarcely used except for irrigation. Its lower course is 

 noticed under Mexico. The Rio Puerco vt its only tributary of any 

 consequence in this territory ; but this stream, though it runs for a 

 considerable distance through a longitudinal valley west of the Rio 

 Sngramento, has, owing to the arid nature of the soil, but little water. 

 The Rio Colorado, which drains the western part of the territory, runs 

 south by west from its source near that of the Rio Grande till it 

 enters New Mexico, when it bears more to the west, and so continues 

 till it quits the territory and opens into the Gulf of California. The 

 Colorado is believed to be navigable for a great distance, but the country 

 through which it flows has as yet been but little explored. Several 

 of its tributaries are also believed to be navigable for considerable 

 distances. The most important tributary in New Mexico is the Rio 

 6470, which drains the great plain noticed above. It rises iu the most 

 southern extremity of the western rans;e of the Rocky Mountaius, and 

 after descending into the plain, where it is joined by the San Francisco, 

 an affluent which rises much farther north, it flows through the plain 

 nearly west-south-west to its confluence with the Colorado, about 32° 

 45' N. lat. It receives several aflluenta on both its banks, but none 

 appear to be of much consequence. The other more important tribu- 

 taries of the Colorado in this state are the Nabajoa and the Yaquesila. 



The mountains appear to be mainly composed of eruptive and meta- 

 morphic formations; the rocks enumerated consisting chiefly of granite, 

 sienite, basalt, porphyry, tc., but Silurian and Carboniferous strata 

 alf>o seem to have been recognised. New Mexico appears to be rich in 

 minerals, though its resources have been very imperfectly developed. 

 Gold has been found in many places. In the Santa Fd district the 

 peasantry have long been accustomed to employ a good deal of their 

 time in washing the river-sands for gold, and some gold-mines are 

 worked. The Spaniards wrought several silver-mines, but none are 

 now in operation. Copper is said to aboupd throughout the moun- 

 tain districts, thous;h only one or two mines are now worked. Iron is 

 aU'O abundant Coal is said to have been found near the village of 

 James south-west of Santa Fd, and in other places. Oypsum occurs in 

 various parts. On the high lands between the Rio Orande and Rio 

 Pecos and in other places are extensive salt-lakes, or Salinas, whence 

 all the salt used in New Mexico is obtained. 



The climate differs considerably, but is on the whole temperate; its 

 great characteristic is its dryness. There is a rainy season, from July 

 to October ; but the rains are seldom heavy, and never of long con- 

 tinuance. The winters are long, especially in the north; but below 

 Santa V6 the Colorado is seldom frozen firm enough to admit tlie 

 passage of carriages. In the lower part of the valley of the Colorado 

 the summer temperature occasionally rises to 100° Fahr., but the 

 nights are generally cool. Epidemics are scarcely knonm. 



The grain pi-oducts are mostly confineil to maize and wheat ; 

 mezquite is raised in the central valley ; peas and beans, onions, red 

 pepper, some fmit, and tobacco are also grown. Agriculture is every- 

 where in a most primitive state. Even in the central valley the chief 

 dependence is on the raising of stock. Large numbers of horses, 

 mules, cattle, and sheep are reared, tlierd being everywhere extensive 

 pastures ; but comparatively little attention hai been yet paid to the 

 improvement of the breeds, which are generally small and inferior. 



Almost the only m.-mufactures are those for which the natives have 

 long been celebrated — namely, those of coarse and fancy blankets, in 

 great request for the favourite national garment called the ' serape ;' and 

 the chequered woollen-stuff calle<l 'gerga,' U8e<l for carpets, as well as 

 for clothing. Most of the imported articles are received by the Missouri 

 overland route by caravans, by way of Independence, to Santa ¥6. 



Of the 61,525 white inhabitants, above 68,000 are the descendants 

 of the Spanish settlers, and all of them are Roman Catholics. The 

 settlers from the older states and territories of the United States were 

 only 761 in 1850. The natives appear to be an indolent but contented 

 race, partaking more of the character of their Indian than their 

 Spanish ancestors. The more laborious work is assigned to the 

 females ; not only the household work, and a good deal of the field 

 labour, falls to their lot, but the spinning of the blankets and woollen 

 wares is chiefly done by them. Of the ancient inhabitants of New 

 Mexico the vestiges are still very numerous. They are chiefly what 

 are called Aztec ruins, similar to those described under America and 

 Aznca. Several ore found along the banks of the Colorado and the 

 Orande rivers and their tributaries. The most celebrated are those 

 known as Los Cases Oraudes, on the Gilas, noticed under America, 

 vol. i. coL 808. Some of equal extent, called La Omn Quiviri, occur 

 near the Salinas, between the Rio Orande and the Pecos, about 100 

 miles S.E. from Santa ¥6, where, among other extensive remains, are 

 said to be portions of an aqueduct 10 miles long. 



IHvitioni, Townt, (fcc— New Mexico is divided into seven counties. 

 Santa F<S is the political capital, and though there are several other 

 towns, they have necessarily so small a piipulation as to be of little 

 other than local oonsequ"nee. Alhuqacriiue, on the left b;»nk of the 

 Rio Orande, 76 miles 8. from Santa V6, Is the only one which requires 



