Southport telegraph. [volume] (Southport, W.T. [i.e. Kenosha, Wis.]) 1840-1850, 1844-02-13

view must nave Deen one OF uncommon III
terest to both. In Montezuma, Cortes be
held the lord of the broad realms he had ira.
versed, whose magnifcence and power hac
been the burden of every tongue. In the
Spaniard, on the other hand.,he Aztec prince
saw the strange being whose history seemed
to be so mysteriously connected with his
own; the predicted one of his oracles; whcs.
achievements proclaimed him something
more than human. But, whatever NAV have
been the monarchs feelings, he so far SUD-
pressed them as TO receive his guest with
princely courtesy, and to express his salts
faction at personally seeing him in his CAPT
tai. Cortes responded by the most profound
expressions prospect, while he made ample
acknowledgements for the substantial proofs
which the Emperor had given the Spaniards
of his munifccnce. He then hung round
Montezuma's neck sparkling chain of CO.
lored chrystal, accompanying this with a
movement as if to embrace him, when he
was restrained by the two Aztec lords, shock
ed at the menaced proclamation of the sacred
person oftheirmaster After the Interchange
of these civilitles, Montezuma appointed h 5
brother to conduct these spaniards to their
residence in the capital, and again entering
his litter was borne off amid PROSTATE crowds
in the same state in which he had come.
The Splniards quickly followed, and, with
colors flying and music playing, soon made
their entrance into the southern quarter OF
Tenochititian.
Here, again, they found fresh cause for adj
miration in the grandeur of the city, and the
superior stvle ofits architecture. The dwell
ings of the poorer class were, indeed, chief
ly of reeds and mud. But the great avenue
through which they were now matching was
lined with the houses ofthe nobles,w who were
encouraged by the emperor to make the Ca
pital their residence. They were built OF
red porous stone drawn from the quarres in
the neghborhood, and, though they rarely
rose to second story, often covered large
space Of ground. The fiat roofs, a-oteas.
were protected by stone parapets, SO that ev-
cry house was fortress. Sometimes their
roofs resembled parterries of flowers. so thick
ly were they covered with them, but more
frequently these were cultivated on broad,
te1aced gardens laid out between the cdfi-
q
2lace interviewed, surrounded by its porticos
of stone and stucco; or pyramidal temple
reared its colossal bulk, crowned with its ia
pering sanctuaries, and affairs blazing with
the inextinguishabIe fires. The great street
facing the southern causeway, unlike most
others in the place, was wide and extended
some miles in nearly strait line, as before
noticed, through the centre of the city. A
spectator standing at one end of it, as his eye
ranged along the deep vista of temples, ter
races, and gardens, might clearly discern the
other. with the blue mountains in the dis
lance, which, in the transparent atmosphere
of the table land, seemed almost in contact
with the buildings
But what most impressed the Spaniards
was the throngs of the people who swarmed
through the streets and on the canals, filling
every doorway and window, and clustering
on the roofs of the buildings :. [ well re-
member the spectacle" exclaims Bernal
Draz; sit seems now, after so many years,
as present TO my mind, as if it were but yes
terday.' But what must have been the sem
sation of the Aztecs themselves, as they
looked on the portentous pageant! as they
heard now, for the inst time, the well &C.
mented pavement ring under the iron tramp
of the horses-the strange animals which
fear had clothed in such supernatural terrors
as they gazed on the children of the rast re-
vealng their celestial origin in their fair fea-
lures; saw the bright falchions and bonnets
of steel, metal to them unknown, glancing
like meteors in the sun, while sounds of I'M
earthly mus;c-at least, such as their rude
instruments had never misunderstanding in
the airl But every other emotion was lost
in that of deadly hatred, when they beheld
their detested enemy, the Tclascalan, stalk
ing, in defiance, as it were, through their
streets, and staring around with looks of fe-
rocity and wonder, like some wild animal of
the forest who had strayed by chance ffoln
his native Businesses into the haunts of civil
lization.