Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1846-10-03
NATIONAL INTELLIGENCER.
TO THE EDITORS.
CAMP CnocKrrr, (sEAR THE ALAMO, }


numbers and, though suppose that the same inter
est will be felt in the operations of this less numerous orce
PROPOSE with your consent give your readers brief sketch
OF the country through which portion OF has passed. and
OF the present prospects of the Army OF chihuahua
This force consists mostly volunteers Five companies
of dragoons of field artillery, and two OF infantry cons-
tute the regular portion Of it mounted regiment from
Arkansas under Colonel YELL, two regiments Of loot from IT.
nos under Colonies HARDIN and BIssELL, and one compa
ny Of foot from Kentucky form the volunteer" strength
The two regiments from Texas which have been announced
with such ourishes in the public journals composing
part this command have existence except that of many
other Texas troops service-in the Imagination. 1t
designed at time, informed to add battalion of
Texas Rangers but from their short time Of service incom
peeness in numbers and equipments and nefcency result
ing independence of discipline, this idea is abandoned
The regulars with the Arkan ones reached here by
the old from Fulton passing through the immense
swamps of Eastern Texas and the prairies fur
ther the Hi 'noisy with the little band of Ken
tuckans, passed Town the Mississippi and took shipping
New Orleans for Labaca from thence, what contempa
ed overland march brought them to the point Of
uaion. As but little is known of this route and that little
not TO be relied oil hand hrtc Of and country
may not be wholly without interest.
The village of Labaca is curious Compound speci
men-even of the patchwork mosaic Of "Westem settle
ments. II probably contains twelve fifteen families in
whose dwellings pride and poverty mixed the most
philosophical principles The houses generally do reach
the dignity Of Arkansas residence" pens and pas
sage-but little better than hus of ai Materials and
aly put together Yet the occupants of many of hem as
if striving rival each other 10 exhibiting the power of
tras display silver forks pine tables unve their mahoga
ny upon unexpected and unsoaped floors and flourish their
danask upon walls unpublished by the trowe and through
which the sunbeams dance with virgin freshness The nasal
dies the apartment with the tender of the Texas
belle and the voupuous strains of of Chickering's
matched The mournul remnants of former uxurance the
fist of the aspirations of mammon the evidence of
fnemen that poverty and cannot annhae and the
innate yulgary that wealth and prosperity only o
off, premature decay and decrepit uventy beaut
fully interviewer and dovetaed together with more than
congressional confusion Of IDEAS In fact pigs, poultry and
and custads-sand, sawdus and silver
tubs eapots, and apey-meals mosquitoes and mahoea-
nygoud, gmets and geraniums, associated together
the most generous OF affection and Fourerisn and
without regard those arbitrary rules which govern in older
and less natural communities and which separate the domes
tic elements widely the upper units of mankind from
the lower hundreds
The orpdiy hitherto Indigenous all Texas has here
ceased for time, and the vitality Of the Federal Treasury
opened, faceousy told Washington by reason
Of Mexican hosites, has reused the dry bones OF
Labaca Man, woman, and child feel the electric shock Of
ega TENDER and reused into vigorous exeon to hold
their dppers while the golden shower continues and
angs, gourds and horned frogs the principal products Of the
country, have recently risen greatly value under the ire
rsbe temptations of the display Of the mammon
Of unrgheousness.
The last detachment from Illinois arrived at our encamp
Paidnr Croeh, twelve miles from Labasa,
7h Of August and the til the march upon San Antonio
de Bexar commenced This days operations emphat-
caly adventures by food and field The lay through
fiat reeess country, unbroken in its monotony by
teryas Of what here called hog waow prares" These
formations Of pitfalls and elevations Of every variety
fo and succeeding each other like cups and turned
topsyurvy. transition such region either on foot
horseback wheels be attended with numerous
practical suggestions the ups and downs Of life and might
remind one, with slight alteration of the lines in Don Juan
9 How man fell
know not but how he falls and rises
These Texas praines place beyond surmises"
The appearance Of these irregular elevations, when the
whole country several inches under water the
during march, enlarged view Of the map Of State
after being subjected to the operation in political surgery Of
geHymandeTng The soil of this region Of inferior quality,
but the thousands Of aversed by US il rich
the lands Of Illinois, would be vaueess il liable such
dations the present in quarter Of century. There
could he security Of life property On the bank
the Guadaoupe, which Is crossed by Jerry al Victoria for
the distance Of mile two there is quite dense
springing from rch and fertile bottom after passing which
the country rises again into prairie, and this
place Its surface and SOIL however Of variable chara
tiers, and occasionally beautiful landscapes visible, on
which the eye Of painter and lover Of nature rather than
the practical agcuurst may ipger with unmxed pleasure.
The march Of an army prairie may doubt be
very handsome affair the abstract but the reality parakes
Of but very few Of the characteristics that might be anticipated
Instead Of boundess plains covered with carpets pereua
verdue, and enameed with flowers Of gorgeous colong
which the wild horse may be caeerng in his strength
and herds Of deer bounding their native grace and beauty
ride writers Texas passiU there is before you naugh
but baenness stretching away the distance until the eye
aches with the prospect Down the rays of the sun,
scorching and scahing every thing which they fall All
Of animal and vegetable life gaspng for a moments
respite from heat for drop Of moisture but there
grateful shade, passing cloud, bubbng Fountain visible
the wide Of that arid plain. The atmosphere
fire, and in its intervals Of motion, when
Of air strikes the cheek is like burning lava Yet on,
we go, taking heed Of heat, toll space. That
We advance is known only by the appearance Of ess
shrub which to rise il by magic path Clouds
sometimes above y away, evapone into nothing
me ar Tor moment may be reused from its stagnaon but
hf solitude Of the pae the desoaon of the DESERT the
pension asst we Of vitality, still before, around and above
yu ne ny alone, II feeding fat the grudge Of
n' hae and iorne famine heeds the scochng yapor,