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Ex. Doc. No. 41. 477 



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One day/s rest always causes such abreak in the regular chain oF 

 previous habits as is difficult to repair, ' 



When we crossed the^Rio del Norte, I met Lieutenant Noble, of 

 the 2d dragoons; he confirmed the reports that Captain Burgwin 

 and Captain Grier had gone down the river to assist the American 

 traders, who were threatened with an attack by a body of " 

 from El Passo* We also heard that Mr. James McGoffin 

 captured, and taken as a prisoner to Chihuahua. 



Continuing our journey down the east side of the Rio del Norte^ 

 we soon arrived opposite the town of *'Pajarito," Here the little 

 ^'Rlo San Antonio," which takes its name from the town near its 

 source, yields up its waters to the grand river of Mexico. 



As I attempted to cross the '^ Rio San Antonio'' my mule sank 

 in a treacherous quicksand so suddenly that I could not throw 

 myself out of the saddle before she was half covered. I managed t<> 

 scramble to the bank, from whence I started, while the mule, re- 

 lieved of my weight, struggled to the opposite side of the stream, 

 which she reached in safety. 



After a march of 11 miles, without seeing a single town on the 

 east side of the river, we recrossed the Rio del Norte, and en- 

 caraf^ed at " Padillas." This town is. near the foot of .a high 

 mound, and is wholly Mexican. While travelling about New Mex- 

 ico I tried several times to gain information with reference to the 

 population of^the towns, the numbers of the flocks and herds 

 owned by the inhabitants. I have asked how much corn and how 

 much wheat the land yields to the ^^ fenegada,'' but never obtained 

 other than the reply of ^' quien .sabe." I would therefore have 

 been obliged to content myself wnth rude approximations as to the 

 number of inhabitants, had I not fortunately been enabled lo get 

 hold of a document from the State department at Santa Fe, which, 

 coming in an official form, is likely to present a correct statement. 

 It is so intimately connected with my report that I will at once in- 

 troduce it. 



Extract from the records in the State Department at Santa Fe* 



[Traofllation.] 



Mariano Martinez de Lejanza, brevet brigadier general and consti- 

 tutional governor of the department of New Mexico, to its in- 

 habitants sends greeting, that the assembly of the departmet has 

 agieed to decree the following: 



The assembly of the department of New Mexico, in discharging 

 the powers which are conceded by the 134th article of the organic 

 law of the republic, decrees the following: 



Division of the deparfmenf. 



Art. 1. The department of New Mexico, conformably to _ the 



-4th article of the constitution, is hereby divided into three districts, 



which shall be called the Central, the North, and the Southeast. 



