Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, IA [i.e. Ind.]) 1839-1854, 1846-06-09
THE CITY OF MEXICO.

recently American Minister that give
the following sketch of the city Of Mexico, which it il
evidently the intention of General Taylor march his
army
The city of Mexico is said TO be the finest built cit!
on the American Continent. In some respects GER
tainly In the prime Pa streets the houses a
constructed according the stctest architectural rules
The foundations of the city laid, the first building
erected by Cores, who did every thing well which
he attempted from building houses writing coup
let to conquering an empire Many of the finest build
ings in Mexico still owned BY his desce ndants- The
public square said be unsurpassed by any in tho
world it contains twelve fifteen paved
with stone. The cathedral entire side, the
palace another the western side occupied by row
very high and substantial houses, the second stories
which project the the width of the pavement
the lower stories occupied by the principal retail
chants of the city The most Of these houses bull
By Cores, who with has characteristic sagacity, and
avarice which equally characterized him in the latte
part of his life selected the best portion Of the city 70
himself,
The Presidents Palace, formerly the palace Of the
viceroys immense building of three stories high
about five hundred feet in length, and three hundred
fifty wide stands the site of the palace of Montczu
1t is difficult to conceive of SO much stone and NOR
being put together in less tasteful and imposing
shape it has much the appearance of cotton fac
tory pententiary than what it really is; the win
dows small and parapet wall runs the whole length
of the building, with nothing to relieve the monotony OF
its appearance, except very Indifferent
work in the CENTRE there doors in the front either
of the second third storesnothng but dsproportion
aely small windows, and many of them; the three
DOORS and there only three in the lower story
destitute of all architecture! beauty ornament Only
very small part of this palace appropriated to the
s id once of the Pre- d t; a ii h public
offices here including those of the heads of the diff
ferent departments ministers Of foreign relations
finance and justice, the public treasury &c, &c. The
halls of the house of deputies and of the also
in the building, and last and least the botanic gar
den After passing through all of filth and dirt
the basement story you dark narrow passage
which conducts you to massive door, which, when you
have succeeded in opening, you enter apartment
enclosed with high walls every side but open at the
top and certainly not exceeding eighty feet square, and
this the botanic garden of the palace Of Mexco few
shrubs plants and the celebrated tree
that 1t contains l have rarely my life seen 4 more
gloomy and desolate looking place 1t is much more
like prison than garden decrepit, palsied old
said be than hundred years old, is the supern
tendent of the establishment could have bee
lecteG in keeping with the general dilapidatior
and drcarness of this melancholy affair.
But the cathedral which occupies the of the
idol temple of Montezuma offers striking
FIVE hundred feet long by four hundred and twenty
wide 1t would be superuous to add another to the
ny descriptions of this famous building which have al
ready been published. Like all other churches in Mexico
built in the Gothic style. The walls of several feet
thickness, made of unhewn stone and lime. Upon
enteringit recall the wild cons the Ara
ban Nights; if the wealth of empires col
Iectcd there The clergy Mexico do not for obvious
reasons desire that their wealth should be made known
full extent they therefore, disposed give very
full information upon the subject to exhibit the GOLD
silver vessels precious and other forms
of wealth. quito enough is exhibited strike the beholde:
with wonder. The first object that presents itself
terng the cathedral is the altar the of the
building: it made of highly wrought and highly polish
silver and covered with profusion of OF
pure gold On each side of this al tar bausrade
enclosing space eight feet wide, and eighty hum
bred long The balustes about four feet high
and inches thick in the largest part; the handra
from six to eight inches wide Upon the top of this
handai the distance of six eight feet apart u
images beautifully wrought and about two feet
high All of these the baustrade handTail, and images
made of compound of gold, silver. and copper
valuable than silver l told that offer had been
made take this bausrade and replace with another
of exactly the size and workmanship of pure silver
and to give half million of dollars besides. There is
much the baustrade in other parts of the
church: should think, all of it, not less than three
hundred feet.
AS you walk through the building, either side there
different apartments. all filled from the floor the
ceiling with paintings statues, huge candesticks
waters, and thousand other articles made of gold
silver This too only the every day display of art
cles OF least value: the costly stored away
chests closets What must it be when all these
brought out, with the immense quantities of precious
stones which the church is known possess And this
only the churches of the city of Mexico, where
there between sixty and eighty Others and Of
them possessing little less wealth than the ca.hedra and
it must also be remembered, that all the other large
Cities such Puebla, Gaudaaaa, Guanauaa, Zacate-
cas- Durango, San Louis Poos. have each proportion
a number of equally gorgeous establishments
Cape de verd Islands.
An arrival at Now New York. brings the dis
,ressing intelligence that Bona Vista, one of the
! Cape de Verd Islands has lately been visited by