Jeffersonian Republican. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1840-1853, 1846-07-02

and justice, the public treasury, &c. &C. The
halls of the house of deputies and of The SEN
ate are also in the same building, and last and
! least, the botanic garden After passing thro'
all sorts OF filth aud dirt on the basement story
you come TO dark narrow passage which con-
ducts you 10 massive door, which when you
have succeeded in opening, you enler an apart
inenl enclosed with high walls on every side
but open at the top, and certainly moi exceed
ing eighty feet square, and this is The botanic
garden of The palace of Mexico; few shrubs
and plants and the celebrated mana tree,
all lha, i, contains. have rarely in my life
seen more glooHy and desolale looking place
II is much more like prison than garden.--
\ decrepn, palsied old man. said to be more
than hundred years old, is the superin'end-
been selected more in keeping with The gener-
al dllapidation and dreaEiness Of this melau-
choly affair
Bu the cathedral, which occupies the site
Of the grea, idol temple of Mon'ezuma, offers
striking contrast. Ii is five hundred feet long
by four hundred and twenty wide. Il would
be super1uous to add another 10 the many de-
scrip,ions of this famous building which have
already been published. Like all the Other
churches in Mexico, it is built in the Gothic
style. The walls, Of several fee, thickness,
,ra 6a IF r,howp s,opo op1 lima Tnon
entering il, one is apt 10 recall The wild tictlons
of the Arabian Nights; it seems as if the wealth
Of empires was collected there. The clergy in
Mexico do not for obvious reasons, desire that
their wealth should be made known to It's full
extent; they are, therefore, not disposed to give
very full information upon the subject or to ex-
hibi, the gold and silver vessels, vases, precious
stones, and other forms of wealth; quite enough
is exhibited 10 strike the behoder wih wonder.
The first object that presents itself on entering
The cathedral is the altar, near the centre Of The
building; i, is made of highly y-wrought and high
ly-polished silver, and covered with q profuson
OF ornaments of pure gold. On each side Of
This altar runs baluslrade, enclosing space
about eighl feet wide and eighty or hundred
fee, long. The baluslers are about four fee.
high, and four inches thick in The largest part
The handrai from six to eighl inches wide
Upon the top of this Iandrail, a, the distance
Of six or eight feet apart, are human images,
beautifully wrought, and abou. two feet high.
81 of these, The balus,rade, handrail, and ina
ges, are made of compound of gold. silver and
copper-mnre valuable than silver. | was told
that an offer had been made to take this baus-
trade, and replace it with another of exactly
The same size and workmanship Of pure silver,
and 10 give half million of dollars besides
There is much more of the same balus,rade in
other parts of the church; should think, in all
of il, moi less Than three hundred feet.
AS you walk through the building, on either
side there are different apartments, all filed,
from The floor TO The ceiling, with paintings,
vases, huge candIes,cks, walters, and ,hous-
and other articles, made of gold or silser.----
This, loo is only The every day display OF articles
of least value; The more costly are stored away
in chests and closets. What must ii be when
all these are brought OUT, with the immense
quantities of precious stones which the church
is known 10 possess? And this is only one OF
the churches of the city of Mexico, where there
are between sixty and eighty oIkers, and some
Of them possessing lule less wealth than the
cathedral; and it must also be remembered, thai
all The Other largo cities, such as Puebla. Gau-
dalajara, Guanajudlo, Zacaecas, Durango, San
Louis, poiosi, have each proporlonae num-
Der OF equally gorgeous establishments.
Western paper says, in an obituary notice
that the deceased had also been for several
years director in bank Notwithstanding
which, he died Christian. universally re-
pec,ed.'
Major Noah compares the victories of Gen.
Taylor with The exploits of Lucullus, Agesi-
laus, Zenophon, and Xerxes, and finds par
allel for The bravery and success OF our troops
in the account of an old battle recorded IN his
tory in which IL 900 Greeks routed 100000