The Columbia Democrat. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1837-1850, 1846-06-13
Number 8.

door, which when you have succeeded in
Opening, you enter an apartment enclosed
with high walls on every side bu: open at
the top, and certainly not exceeding eighty
feet square, and this is the botanic garden
OF the palace of Mexico, few shrubs and
plants and the celebrated manita tree, are
all that it contains. | have rarely in my
life seen a more gloomy and desolate look
ing place. IL is much more like prison
'hSn garden. a decrepi, pasied old
man, said to be more than hundred years
old, is the superintendent Of the establish
ment, no one could have been selected more
IN keeping with the general delapidaton
and drearness ofthis melancholy affair
Bun The cathedral, which occupies the
site OF the great idol Iemps of MOnlezuma
ofers striking contrast. Ii is FIVE hun.
dred feel long by four hundred and twenty
wide. Ii weuld be supersuous 70 add an
other TO the many descriptions of this fas
nous building which have already been
published Like all other churches in
Mexico, it is built in the Gothic styIs.-
The walls Of several feet thick ness, and
made Of unhswn sIone and lime. Upon en-.
'terlng 1t, one is apt TO recall The wild fc-
tons of The .Arabisn Nights, ii seems as if
'he wealth Of empires was collected there.
The cegy Of Mexico do not, for obvious
reasons, desire that their wealth should be
made known TO its full extent, they arr,
therefore, not dispose! 10 give luII informa-
lion pom the subject, or 10 exhibit The gold
and silver vesse,, vases precious slones,
and other forms of wealth, quite eaough is
exhibited 10 strike The behoder with won4
der. The first object that presents Itself
on entering the cathedral is the altar, near
the centre gi 'ha building, it is made OF
highly wroughi and highly polished silver,
and covered with proIusion Of ornaments
Of pure gold. On each side of this altar
runs baIustTado, enclosing space about
eight feet wide and eighty or hundred feet
obg, The bsIusters are about four feet
nigh and four inches thick in the largest
pant The hand.rail from six 10 eight inches
VIDE. Upon the top of shis hsnd-rsi at
he distance of six or eight feet apart. are
uuman images, beautifully wrought ard a.
,Oul Two foe; high All of these, the baus.
raae, handarail. and images, are made of
ompound Of gold, silver, and copper
more valuable than sIvtr-l was tod that
IN Offer had been made 10 take this balus.
radc, and replace ii with another of exactly
he sane size and workmanship Of pure
liver, and to give half million of dollars
besides. There il much more of the same
in other parts Of the church
houId think in sll of IL not lass than three
hundred feet.
you walk through the building, on
ther side there are different apartments.
II filed from The floor 10 The ceiling, with
'anIings, statues, huge candeSlcks walters
nd thousand olher articles made of gold
II silver This 100 is only the every day
isplay Of articles Of IessI value ihe more
osily are stored away in chests and clio.
cts. What must it be when all lSese are
rOught out with the immense quantities of
recIOus stones which the church is known
, possess! And this is only one of the
hurches Of Inc city Of Mexico where there
re between sixty and eighty others and
ONE of Them possessing Iiu!e less wealth
IAN the cathedral and it must also be re-
lcmbercd that all the other large cities
lch as PuebIo, GoanaSajars, Gusnsjunto,
Durango, San Louis Polosi have
ach pEoPor'lona'e number Of equally gor-
eous Establishments.