EL PASO. 
151 
panied by Major Van Horne, Lieutenant Wilkins, Dr. 
Webb, Secretary of the Commission, and Mr. J. C. 
Cremony, Interpreter. We met General Conde, with 
his officers and engineers; also Colonel Langberg, a 
Swedish officer in the Mexican army, who was then in 
command of a body of troops just arrived from Chi- 
huahua, for the protection of the frontier against the 
Indians. The interview was an agreeable one, the 
engineers connected with the Mexican Commission 
being gentlemen of education, and graduates of the 
Military School at Chepultepec. The Interpreter was 
Don Felipe de Iturbide, the younger son of the 
late Emperor. 
I expressed a desire to General Conde to proceed 
to business as soon as possible, as we had a large 
number of engineers and other scientific men in our 
party, who were anxious to enter their field of labor. 
The General acquiesced in my wishes, and said he 
would meet me to-morrow at my quarters. 
December 3d General Conde, with his son Don 
Augustin Conde, who acts as his Secretary, and Don 
Felipe de Iturbide^ called by appointment at 10 o’clock, 
A. M., when the first meeting of the Joint Commission to 
run and mark the boundary between the United States 
and the Republic of Mexico, under the treaty of Guada- 
lupe Hidalgo, took place. Two hours and a half were 
spent at this first session, when we adjourned to meet at 
the quarters of General Conde the following day. 
The meetings of the Joint Commission were held 
twice a week after this, though there were interruptions 
at times from the ice in the river, which prevented 
parties from crossing. Great difficulties were pre- 
