The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-10-17
THE DAILY UNION.

raj camp was at the end Of the Sierra Avo, and Ike
everything grand this magnificent pile resrs ia head
m It's greatest majesty when thus abruptly checked
in its glorious career by the hand Of nature. Yes
terday, when a clear, cool, beautiful morning
| broke upon u.s. every murmur IN the ranks
| was husbed-eyery heart seemed 10 swell with
Involuntary awe and admirdtion-eyery eye was
i fastened upon some Of the vast works OF God,
/ by which we were surrounded. The Sierra Alyo
arose upon our right, at the north, 1--WE were turn.
ing It's point,) TO height exceeding three thousand
| feet, and close that II almost seemed possible
| 20 east pebble from It's summit into our midst.
The top OF this mountain Is divided oil into thou
sand fantastic knobs peaks, and notehes. One
| round, smooth, barren prominence resembles the
wen that we used 10 see upon the bald head Of every
| good old country deacon. Some Of the wags along
j remarked that the whole head resembled the phrenO-
logical Developments Of Santa Ana, and went on
humorousy pointing out the similantes The
mountain on our left, which Is not so high as the
Alyo, here took a southery direction, leaving US in
| a gap with an extensive amphilheatre open before
US, as we marched around along the western side OF
i the Sierra Alyo From the ridges the country be-
fore us appeared like one vast plain, covered with
chapparal, but when came 10 pass over H. we
| encountered every hour valley a hundred feet
deep, down which we almost Invariably found a
stream of spring water dashing over lime rocks.
The road TO Marin, though billy, is much smoother
| than that over which we passed the day before,
much Of il being as hard and smooth as marble,
The troops bore the march well, though IL was II
| O'Clock In the day when we reached Marin. Col.
| p. F. Smith, who commands one Of the brigad4s OF
the I'd division, Is OF the very best marching
j officers In the army, quality that renders him in
valuable in this cAmpaign. Happy the soldier who
marches under hm, for he will go far in a day
with his men, and do it with less fatigue and dis
tress than most Of the officers are in the habit OF
doing. The truth is, General Taylor showed his
usual remarkable foresight and good judgment
when he first recommended Col. Smith 10 the COVER
nor Of Louisiana, and Mr. Polk was very WISE 10
make an officer Of him.
In descending into and rising from the valleys,
the whole column, about mile and a half in length,
train and all, could be winding along the road
! looking in the distance like automatic figures. The
heroine Of Fort Brown, or "Great Western" is in
the crowd. She drives two Mexican ponies in a
light wagon and carries the apparatus and necessa-
4 RES for her mess which now numbers about a
dozen young officers. There are number Of women
along, with young children. One soldier is leading
pony, with two little children two and three years
old, strapped fast 10 the saddle one on each side
like panners. The poor liule things are sadly sun
burnt, and looked thin and half starved, but they
are as gay as laIks and even Isir little faces are
turaed in childish astonishment towards the logy
mountains that rise like great clouds before US.
| The Sierra Madre, which yesterday gave rise 20
much discussion in the column, as 70 whether IL
was thunder cloud or a mountain, appears in the
bright morning with all its spendor revealed TO
| us. The height Of this mountain is unknown 10
me, but at 10 O'Clock, a. m. the white heecy clouds
that appear so high and dry above us here on the
plain, rest on its side half way from the base 10 the
summit. This ridge runs nearly north and south,
with two or three openings passes, directly
Of US. Between these passes the mountain rises
into peaks high enough compensate for the inter.
ruptions. Some Of these peaks are studded with
smaller near their apex, and resemble old stee-
Piles, with their turrets, and with domes swelling up
behind them. Sierra Madre's steeples, no weyer,
pierce the skies, and look down upon the storms
and the whrlwinds They need no lightning rods.
Six miles east Of Marin is a village built of
stone, and situated a fine stream called RIA.
mos. 1t was nearly deserted, the Mexican troops
having, the day before we reached there, driven
off the people by actually whipping them with
cudgels into the chapparal. II was at this
place that McCulloch's rangers, some twenty
five in number, came up with and drove hack con-
siderable party Of Mexican cavalry. This party OF
rangers had been sent forward by Captain Graham
to reconnotre. As Mr.. Kendall was in the party,
he will furnish you with the particulars of the Skin
mish that followed. The conduct Of McCulloch is
winning for him golden opinions from the army.
he IL sagacious, brave, and exceedingly active
man, exactly fued for the dangerous service TO
which he is assigned. His little band has been care
fully selected by him, and he relies upon each man
with perfect confidence. We did not come in sight
Of Marin until within a mile Of the town. The Ia
Ulc Oh WHICH lne place ID situated begins 10
slope very slightly you approach from the east
and the view thus opened is sublime far beyond the
power of the artist, or even Of fancy, to portray
The town Of Marin is'neatly built Of limestone; the
streets regular smooth, and dry. Its plaza re-
sembes all other Mexican plazas that | have seen,
only neat. IL has its church in the middle OF
one side, its public buildings with courts behind for
soldiers, and a few miserably- Furnished shops,
where they sell muscal and frjoias. Here, too the
troops, which day before yesterday numbered from
ohundred and fifty to six hundred cavalry, had
whipped the people out Of town, (strange policy J
and were in the very act of thrashng the poor crea-
lures, when McCuloch's company came in sight OF
the town. The people say Tonejon was on the
point Of setting fire to the houses when the rangers
hove in sight.
| From the western limit of Marin you look down
upon plain nearly two hundred feet below. This
plain, wide valley, extends to the foot of the
mountains, five or six miles distant. About two
miles and half from town, on the San Juan is sit
uated Gen. Taylor's camp Although the trees
among which we are encamped do not look larger
than rosebushes from the town. yet the tents are al
most completely hidden from view, and nothing
marks the presence Of army, from that distance,
but the cloud Of smoke which hovers over it from
the camp-fres II.
Extract Of letter received at the Department of State
from John T. Pickett, United States consul al Turks
Island, dated Sept. 22d, 1886.
"I'he brig Emily Cummings of Philadelphia,
Sage master, was cast ashore at the island of Salt
Key in heavy gale of wind, on the l4th instant,
and soon became total wreck
"Ihe storm was OF very severe character sew