Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1846-07-02
NUMBER As.

houses in Mexicoand other cities, the rents ofwhich
must be enormous, besides valuable real estate all
over the Republic Almost every person leaves
bequest in his will for masses for his soul, which
constitute an ncumbrance upon the estate, and
thus nearly all the estates the small propretors
are mortgaged to the church The property held
by the church in moftmain is estimated at fifty mill
lions
Mexico is, believe, the only country where the
church property remains in its untouched entirety.
Some small amount has been recently realized
from the sale Of the estates Of the banshed Jesuits
but with that exception, no President, however
hard pressed land there is 30 day in the year that
they are not hard pressed has ever dared to en-
croach upon that which is regarded as consecrated
property, with the exception Of Gomez Farrias,
who in 1884 proposed to the legislative chambers to
coniscae all the church property, and the measure
would no doubt, have been adopted, but for a Feyo-
luton which overthrow the administration
The streets Of Mexico are uncommonly wide,t
much more so than is necessary, considering that
they are not INSTRUCTED, in our cities, by drays
and wagons. The sidewalks uncommonly
narrow. The streets are all paved with round
stone the sidewalks with very rough fiat ones
The houses the principal streets all two and
three stories high The elevation Of the rooms,
from the floor to the ceiling, eighteen and twenty
feet gives to house Of two stories greater height
than we are accustomed to'see in houses Of three
The roofs all terraced, and have parapet walls
Of three four feet high answering all the purposes
Of breast-work a use too commonly made Of them
in the frequent revolutions to which that unfortunate
country seems TO be for ever destined The walls
built Of rough Of all shapes and sizes and
large quantities of lime mortar. They are very
thick in ordinary buildings from two to three feet
and in the larger edl6ces Of much greater mas
siveuess The foundations of most OF the largest
buildings are made with piles. Even these founda-
lions are very insecure, and il is surprising that
they are not more so, with such an immense weight
OF stone upon such unsteady foundation The
streets cross each other at right angles, dividing
the whole city into squares. Each one OF these
squares is called street, aud has separate name
a serious inconvenience TO a stranger in the CITY,
Instead Of designating the street in its whole extent,
by one name, and numbering the houses, each side
Of every square has different name, and names
which sound, to Protestant ears, very much like
violation Of the Third Article OF the Decalogue;
such the street Of Jesus, and the street of the
Holy Ghost
A gentleman will tell you that he lives in the
Holy Ghost or that he lives in Jesus certainly
not always true, ftaken in the sense in which our
preachers these words. In most OF these streets
there is church, which gives name to the street in
which il stands. In many instances these churches
and converts (that ofSan Augustine for example)
covers the whole square, not with separate bull
dings, but one single edifce, with the usual patio
or court an open space in the centre.
There is not, believe, house in the city with
out this court of greater less dimensions in pro-
portion to the size Of the building There is only
one door the lower floor, and none at all on the
outside of the UPPER story. This door is very
strongly built, and high enough Cor coach to pass
through; il opens into the patio through which
you pass to the Steps leading to the upper stories,
where alone every body lives except the lower clas-
Il, al H. of ha hot oil
The basement story only occupied by the
and as lumber-rooms, and what struck me very
strange, as stables. do not suppose that there /
such separate building in the city as stable. In
visiting Count Certuna whose whole establishment
is altogether princely, and others Of equal splendor
and luxury, found this court on the ground floor
used as a stable, and passed through rows Of horses
and carriages 10 make my way 20 the most spa
cious halls, filled with fine paintings of the great
masters and furnished throughout in style alto
gether gorgeous.
In some Of the larger private buildings thirty
and forty different families reside; each one having
rented one or two rooms; all entering at the only
outside door in the court, which is the common
property of a-and from which each one has an
entrance TO his own rooms on the ground floor of
the gallery above, which runs all around the build
ing. do not think that the area covered by the
city of Mexico can exceed two miles in length and
a mile and half in width /; a very small space TO
be occupied by population of nearly two hundred
thousand. But il is not surprising when you see
thirty forty families, enough to make respecta-
bic village, all huddled away in one house, and
consider what large number sleep in the open air
in that delightful climate. How pure must be the
atmosphere when the city of Mexico is remark
ably healthy Notwithstanding such crowded and
filthy mode of living, and with tropical sun shin
ing upon the moist surface of the whole valley =
Que would think the letter sufficient Of itself to
produce the most fatal malaria
1t is little curious that whilst the buildings and
population of Mexico are thus crowded into so small
space, and the rents three times as high in
the city Of New York, yet all around The city there
is vacant ground aud dry the city itself, which
may be had almost for the taking. was riding
out with friend one evening when he showed me
square containing between five or six acres, just
in the rear Of the Plaza de Toros the outskirts
of the city and not than half or three quarters
of mile from the public square, which he had Just
purchased for four hundred dollars. Why such
lots are not so improved and the city extended,
cannot easily comprehend
Now G,RLs.-The Brandon, Miss. Compiler,
has the following call, from mortals in distress -