Southern Argus. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 1834-1842, 1841-07-13
Correspondence Of the n. 0. Picayune.
San Antonio, June I6 1882.


Finding that had soma ten Days on
my hands at Austin, and having heard
so much of this place, / determined upon
d trip over, and here have been for the
last three days spending my time most
agreeably.
The distance from Austin here is nesr-
80 niles and there l. not sign Of |
house on the road; but the beautiful coun-
try we passed through aid the wild ex-
element of leaving for the first time the
haunts of civilization and striking out IN
| to the prairies more thans repaid US for
| the inconvenience of two Hight were
obliged to camp out. Of wha 5efel US
on our Journey you shall hear in another
letter.
This place has been tn scene of more
harder fought battles thai any other city
in America, and the marks left by can
non balls, grape sho:. musket balls and
arrows ale still visible on many Of the
houses. The Alamo is now in ruins, but
the different places where the heroes who
so nobly defended It in 1886 were killed
are still i standing, and the names o many
, Of them, among others that of David
+ Crockett, as written by himself, are yet to
be seen on the walls.
! The houses here are all Of one story
!. and fiat tops, are built of limestone OF
immense thickness and strength, have
few or no windows, and were originally
i, built for the double purpose of serving as
4 hQbtaGons or forts. Indeed one cannot
= stand in the centre of the principal public
+ squares without imagining himselfin the
i interior Of 4 large ratification. Every
- nuns house here is literally castle II
every sense Of the word.
The population which was formerl,
i some fifteen thousand has been reduces
to three by the different revolutions, but
: now on the increase. Should things eve
u become settled and Z peace with Mexico
be agreed upon, the place viii rapidly II
crease; for the climate is dry, healthy
and delightful, the situation is the mo.
ne beautiful ia the world.-The San Anton
NJ river, naeanders through the centre Of ii
: IA city aaordng The best Of wafer, an
'oF the country around is exceedingly te
III tile.
ny The latestn news ftom Aris.a renders
ne almost certain that anotler expedite
lln against Texas from Mexico is not t1oug
al. OF. He has fortified himSefat Tampa
mo sos, and probably intends establishing
uu government on this side of the Ser
ait lTqdre. Against parties Of thieving c
manches and Tawakanies the people be
E are frequently making expeditions. l
VII Indians come within a few miles of
ana place. steal any horses or kill any Of
am inhabitants that happen TO be unproie
mai ed and chance may throw in Their "
!, 10 and then scamper OF to the bound
nee prairies. 1t cannot be said that the
Tor glo Saxon part Of the population h
dry, fear attacks from these snarauders--t
!. IN live in constant anticipation Of them,
and If the word is once given that Indians b
e. been seen in tie vincinity all tern
with alacritv, and cvince as much anX
to have a brush with them as our sPt
1 the men in the United States would to
n the deer or fox chase. There are a
or OF Gftv Or sixty of them, bat they are
ncra. brave without being bravadoes,and
n yer received more attention or
more 10 ;pitality shown than n San q
ret MA. There are but few families Of
lie Of cfican ladies, put they are highly ac'
exian p1ished, and was agreeably sprPris
have ind the society he,e equal to Il
tn the any town ofits size il the United >
;rs J. 0ftae Mexican population | can
but little except that the men, with
o ola exceptions perhaps, are constitute
Io1bt opposed to any thing in the shape OF
1c)xos work, extremely fond of smoking
- ,Lo cioars and addicted to taking sizes "a
- da. ~ afternoon. The women are mi
5r,nch t6em preuv,aud arc also fond Of sm
.D - and are all excellent stcimmers.
:. - and and battle in the river here during every
-; Az of the year, and once or twice a
80 - Las LARGE number ofthem may be seen
- ~ '.~ ,ng and spashug about in the va
,raana. Pardon Jones would say, right
SIN folks
+ there | leave in day or two for Az
lisnosj. ioin the Santa Fe expedition, but
aid nv s.,rtno shall visit the old Spanish
orf Of sions some SIX niles from town.
sibjlity we're buat over a hundred years
Iessrs. are sad to be great curiosities. :,
.ncp the ~