The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-10-19
THE DAILY UNION.
Fromths ST. Louis Republican
MEXICO AND THE INVASION.

some subjects winch have proven "oHhy VI Ho'lSe
on our march through the country anu among
these, know Of none more striking than the yes
tges which now remain ofthe early Spanish settle
menls. .-. .r..aa. d. ..
On the l4h, as our long train was moving
through the entirely unsettled country bordering on
the San Antonio river, most unexpectedly our at
sntlon was attracted 10 some venerable looking runs
in the distance, which proved TO be the bare black
walls Of the now desolaIe and doomed city Of Coli
ad. This stands on the west bank Of the river IN
bend, the shape OF crescent The town site IS ele-
waited aud commanding, 50 as To give 10 the ruins a
venerable appearance through the surrounding
champagne country. The immediate cause Of its
abandonment and desoalion Is to be found IN the
history Of the Texan revolution. The inhuman
murder OF Tanning and his men at this place by
Urea, under the order Of Santa Anna, made II ne
cessary for the inhabitants ard Mexican army at
Goliad TO fly IN terror before the avengers and on
dark and terrible night they fed in despair expect.
ing never again TO 10 able TO stand before the Tex
an forces at this point. They applied the torch to
their own dwellings Hnd left heap Of smoulderipg
| ruins where their once beautiful town had 50 long
stood, the abode OF civilized society and peaceful
happiness They snatched the gold and silver from
their affairs, and bid adeu TO the holy church where,
for century, the faithful had Worshipped In unnter
rupted security
But after fatguing march Of many days through
the wilderness, with no human habitation in view,
| our eyes directed TO some towering domes and
prcky pear upon the summits on the same river.
This is the mission OF 81. John. Two or three
miles further, ascending the stream, stand the
stupendous mission OF st. Joseph. Again, two
miles, the mission OF the Conception, and two miles
further, the city Of San Antonio and the old mission
now connected with the Alamo. What are these
missonsS Moss-covered ruins. What were they'
The outposts Of Shrissssy in the wilderness Of the
savage w'aal hiexicds Gasa Spanish province,
the faithful ministers Of her religion conceived the
| Il. -. go. a
unent. With a zeal and courage like that Of lgna-
thus Loyoa, they planted the cross ofthe true Re-
deemer upon the dome Of these fortified con-
vents and whs they taught the Indians the arts of
agriculture, and the advantages Of civilized life, they
also sowed the seeds Of their lgion in his rude
heart. As have visited them with feelings Of no
ordinary interest, we suppose the mention OF their
existence, being now within the undIsputed limits of
our own country might prove worthy the attention
Of tourists and travellers In general We have seen
only those We have mentioned and one other, which
still stands undesPoiled, and in use, in the town OF
San Antonioi yet we are informed that many others
standing IN ruins on these rivers. ST. Joseph's
about five miles below San Antonio on the river is
the most extensive It's grand courtyard is about
two hundred yards square. Its principal chapel is
one hundred and FIVE feet long by thirty in width
The wing containing the cells Of its nuns is about
one hundred and fifty feet long by ffiy-seven in
width. The height Of It's principal dome is about
eighty feet. Its court is surrounded by old build
! Ings, enough for the accommodation of about one
hundred families. The base OF the wings is divided
into small cells built with great strength The bat
dement's and towers are covered with the prickly
| pear growing to the height of six feet above the
| walls, and with grass and musque wood, the com
mon growth Of the country. The bells lay scatter
ed and broken, some in the courtyard, and others
| in the e0nold.
The main front Of the building opposite what
was once the grand entrance is adorned with a rich
1 g
anything of its class among the religious edfces of
| our country, that it strikes an American with awe
and admiration. Besides many marble statues of
! full size, in arch around the entrance are also
! plaster images Of small dimensions-the large ones
representing the Saints and Christ and the Virgin
/ the small ones In groups surrounded by well pre-
served wreaths Of fsr de lis and other flowers,
| presenting the striking in the history of
| Christ and his apostles. The entire exterior of
these vast buildings as well the roofs, domes,
and parapes, have been painted in imitation of Mo-
sale work, portions OF which are not yet defaced.
In small chapel in the basement, which is still
locked, stand in preservation, under the care Of the
present keepers Of the property, three staues--one
| of Jesus with a crown Of thorns and pierced hands
and feet, and bleeding side; one of the Virgin weep
ing, and the others we could not distinguish through
| the CRATES, where we were obliged TO peep in,
| The principal material of these ediices is rock
and kind Of cement which in its Wondering con-
ditoD, although hard, has the appearance of old
lava. The siIs of tIk door ways and the caps OF
many of the pillars, well as the door posts are
| white marble, of ponderous dimensions A strong
evidence of most extensive labor in the establish
ment Of these missions is to be found in the canals
which have been dug TO irTigate with the waters of
the San Antonio river, large tracts of country ex-
tending over leagues Of land In some places this
| plan Of irrigation TO indicate that in former
years the drought rendered agriculture and horti-
culture unavailable without such artificial aid and it
proves. too, well as does the completion Of such
vast public edhces, that the labor Of large numbers
| of the aborigines must have been employed by the
missionary priests and their associates in the work
The dates ofthe completion of these respective ed
fces range along from the beginning to the middle
of the last century, which makes some OF them more
| and some of them less than one hundred years old;
and although they do not boast of a very remote
tquity, the desolaton of war and the corroding ma
ure of this climate upon buildings, as well as the
| rapid growth of wood and vegetation peculiar to
this region, give them the appearance of very an
cient ruins. They are, to say the least, much older
in appearance than any other buildings have seen
standog in the United States, excepting, perhaps,
the old Spanish Cathedral, at New Orleans, or the
old Scandinavian fort or old mill at Newport, Rhode
| Island. The reason why | take such hasty notice
of them now is, that we have men of competent
skill and talents detailed from our camp for the pur.
pose Of making drafts and giving accurate descrip-
tons of all of them they find, well also to fur
nsh from the most authentic the history of
their construction, use, and overthrow, for future
publication. ~ .rs.
| A murmur of indignation running through
| our lines to-day, in consequence Of scene of I'M
usual interest which transpired here this morning
An old squaw from an cncampment of Lipan In.
dams about two miles below us the river, came &c
the camp Of Texan volunteers and offered for sale
two Spanish girls from thirteen to fifteen years old
They were dreadfuly emaciated, and almost desti.
tute of single garment Of clothing The Texans
seized the girls and squaws, and carried them immc.
diaely to headquarters, where, upon examination
it was ascertaned that the Lipans had murdered
whole family-the parents and brothers of the two
girIs-in the vicinity of the Rio Grande, stolen all
their property, and led the girls into captivity; there
they had treated them with extreme cruelty, and
nearly starved them to death, and were now offer
ing EN- for sale. The girls readily pointed out tn,
ringeaders ofthe outrage, and some fifteen or TWEEN
y of them we're arrested for further investigation
by the order of Gen: Wooi.
There is nothingvery attractive in the present ap
/, pearance of San Antonio, save the most ancient