This same General, in an order issued at Vera Cruz, 1st April, 1847, declared that "many undoubted atrocities have been committed in this neighborhood by a few worthless soldiers, both regulars and volunteers." The army was about marching into the interior, and to conciliate the inhabitants, and remove the unfavorable impressions made by these "atrocities," he issued a proclamation promising protection to the Mexicans, and telling them, that for outrages committed upon them, several Americans had already been punished by fine and imprisonment, and one "has been hung by the neck." "Is not this," said he, "a proof of good faith and energetic discipline?" The General did not tell the Mexicans how very cheap a sacrifice he had offered to propitiate them. The one "hung by the neck," was a NEGRO, and hence no military popularity was lost by his execution, and being a free negro, no property was destroyed. We have no evidence that during the whole war, a single soldier was punished with death for any outrage committed on Mexicans, however atrocious.

General Taylor, in a despatch to the War Departinent, 16th June, 1847, remarks, "I deeply regret to report that many of the twelve months' volunteers, in their route hence of the lower Rio Grande, have committed extensive depredations and outrages upon the peaceable inhabitants. There is scarcely a form of crime that has not been reported to me as committed by them."

A great number of Mexican towns were captured and held by our forces. We may judge, from a single example, what kind of municipal government has most probably been exercised by our officers. Twelve months after the capture of Monterey, its social condition was thus described by Colonel Tibbats, in an official proclamation: "The undersigned, by virtue of an order of the commanding

General, has assumed the office of military and civil Governor of Monterey. Finding the command assigned to him, virtually without law or order, and infested with robbers, murderers, gamblers, vagrants, and other evil disposed persons, the worst of criminals going free, unscathed of justice, and rapine and even murder stalking abroad in open day without fear of punishment, inasmuch that the peaceable inhabitants thereof have no protection either of person or property," &c.

The following official declaration is of a character that forbids us to doubt, that the oppression of the Mexicans has been most aggravated. General Kearney, writing to the War Department, 15th March, 1847, in reference to some insurrectionary movements, says: "The Californians are now quiet, and I shall endeavor to keep them so by mild and gentle treatment. Had they received such treatment from the time our flag was hoisted in July last, I believe there would have been but little or no resistance on their part. They have been most cruelly and shamefully abused by our own people, by volunteers (American emigrants) residing in this part of the country, and on the Sacramento. Had they not resisted, they would have been unworthy of the name of men.'

To the individual sufferings arising from military violence, has been added that general suffering in which the whole Mexican population has participated, necessarily

* We do not know the particulars here referred to; but the following item from the news of the day gives us some intimation of the spirit manifested by the conquerors. "Lieuts. Beal, Talbot and others, left San Diego February 25th, bringing important intelligence. At Taos, the Court had condemned a large number of the insurgents. Eleven had been hung, and many whipped. Six were hung the day Lieut. Talbot passed through Taos. These executions created great excitement among the Mexicans, and efforts were making to stimulate insurrection, and raise volunteers for a rebellion."

resulting from the annihilation of their commerce. Every seaport of the Republic, whether on the Atlantic or Pacific, has been occupied by American forces. Hence, the Mexicans have been denied the privilege of exchanging their surplus productions for the necessaries and conveniences they had been accustomed to receive from foreign countries. Not a Mexican vessel floated on the ocean; of course, all imports and exports were in the hands of foreigners, and subjected to such duties as the invaders thought proper to impose. Those duties, moreover, instead of being appropriated as heretofore to the common good, were seized by the conqueror for his own use. Nor was his rapacity to be thus satiated. The ordinary municipal taxes became his spoil. Thus, for example, a Captain commanding in the city of Metamoras, issued his rescript requiring "the owners of all stores, groceries, billiard-tables, hotels, eating-houses, brick-yards, gamblinghouses, cock-pits, and manufactories of liquors," to pay at his office, each month the taxes on their respective establishments. The Commander-in-Chief thought proper personally to direct and control the squeezing process. On the 15th December, 1847, General Scott issued an order beginning with the portentous announcement: "This army is about to spread itself over and occupy the Republic of Mexico, until the latter shall sue for peace in terms acceptable to the Government of the United States." He then proceeds to decree that, "On the occupation of the principal point or points in any State, the payment to the Federal Government of this Republic of all taxes or dues of whatever name or kind, heretofore, say in the year 1844, payable or collected by that Government, is absolutely prohibited, as all such taxes or dues will be demanded of the proper civil authorities for the support of the army of occupation." Thus were duties on imports

its

and exports, municipal, and all other taxes authorized by Mexico in time of peace and prosperity, to be extorted by a foreign army from the miserable impoverished people. One would have supposed that such exactions might have satisfied the Americans. But no-Mr. Polk had, from the moment he commenced the war, been sighing for PEACE. General Scott had, indeed, conquered Mexico, but he had not conquered a peace; and an organized system of plunder was to effect what his troops and bombs had failed to accomplish. Hence, a second order was issued on the 31st December, 1847, from Head Quarters, imposing on several of the Mexican States a contribution amounting to A MILLION OF DOLLARS. The following is an extract from this order: On the failure of any State to pay assessment, its functionaries, as above, will be seized and imprisoned, and their property seized, registered, reported, and converted to the use of the occupation, in strict accordance to the general regulations of this army. No resignation or abdication of office, by any of the said Mexican functionaries, shall excuse any of them from the above penalties. If the foregoing measures should fail to enforce the regular payment as above from any State, the commanding officer of the United States forces within the same, will immediately proceed to collect in money or kind from the wealthier inhabitants (other than neutral friends) within his reach, the amount of the assessment due from the State."*

This was the same General who, in his proclamation addressed "to the Mexican nation," from Jalapa, May 11th, 1847, assured them, that "The army of the United States respects, and WILL ALWAYS respect, private pro

*It is but justice to General Scott to mention, that he acted in accordance with instructions from Mr. Polk, who, without any authority from Congress, assumed the power of imposing taxes and collecting duties in Mexico.

perty." He who directed officers of the United States forces, when assessments on Mexican States are not paid, to proceed to collect them from the wealthier inhabitants, is the same Commander-in-Chief who, in his order of the preceding April, wished that such of his soldiers as stole poultry, grain, &c., from the Mexicans, would desert at once, as then it would be easy to shoot them down, or to capture and hang them. Among other devices for extorting money, in connexion with the promised regeneration of the Mexicans, was the official allowance of THREE GAMING-HOUSES in the Capital, in consideration of the annual sum of eighteen thousand dollars, payable in monthly instalments.*

We can understand why Mr. Polk and his southern partisans deemed it expedient to acquire Mexican territory at any cost of blood, treasure, and happiness; but surely we may ask of northern Democrats and northern Whigs, why have you brought pillage, desolation, and death upon the people of Mexico? What offence had they committed which, in the sight of God, can justify such horrible retribution at your hands? Why have you, who have no interest in the extension of human bondage, fought the battles, not of freedom, but of slavery? When summoned, as you will shortly will be, before that dread tribunal, which, in another world, takes cognizance of every act committed in this, on what plea do you - expect to vindicate that stupendous mass of human misery and human wickedness which your agency has helped to accumulate?

*It appears from the Report of the Secretary of the Treasury (Dec., 1848), that the sum of $3,844,000 was in these various ways extorted from the Mexicans. The value of property destroyed in the city of Mexico, has been estimated at four millions. The total annihilation of Mexican property, caused by the invasion, no arithmetic can compute.