Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1846-07-29

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n Froma work By Waddy TAo,ppsQn, go.
MEXICO. 800 Z 4,
The city of Mexico is said to be the fin
est built city on the American continent.
In some respects it certainly is so. In the
principal streets the houses are all con
structed according to the strictest architec-
turai rules. The foundations Of the city
were laid, and the first buildings were erect
ed by Cortes, who did everything well which
he attempted from the building house
or writing couplet, to conquering an en-
pire. Many of the finest houses in Mexico
are still owned by his descendants. .efu
The public square is said to be unsur-
passed by any in the world; it contains
some twelve or fifteen acres paved with
stone. The cathedral covers one entire
side, the palace another, the western side is
occupied by a row of very high and sub
stantial houses, the second stories of which
project into the street the width Of the pave
ment; the lower stories are occupied by
the principal retail merchants Of the city.
The most of these houses were built by Cor.
tes, who with his characteristic sagacity
and avarice which equally characterized
him in the larter part of his life, selected
the best portion Of the city for himself.
4 The Presidents Palace, formerly the
palace Of the yiceroys, is an immense bull
ding of three stories high, about five hun
dred feet in length, and three hundred and
fifty wide; it stands on the site of the pal
ace of Montezuma. 1t is difficult to con-
ceive ofso much stone and morter put to-
gether in less tasteful andimposing shape;
it has much more the appearance Of a cot
ton factory or penitentiary, than what it
really is; the windows are small and par
apet wallruns the whole length of the bull
ding, with nothing to relieve the rnonotony
Eofits appearance except sonc vary inoif
fercnt ornamental work in the center; there
are no doors in the front either Of the third
or fourth stories-nothing but dispropor-
tonately small windows, and too MANY of
them; the three doors, and there are only
three in the lower story, are destitute of all
architectural beauty or ornament. Only
a very small part of this palace is appro-
priated to the residence of the President; all
the public offices are here, including those
of the heads of the departments; ministers
of war, foreign relations, finance and JUS
tice, the public treasury, &c, &c. The
halls of the house of deputies and of the
senate are also in the same building, and
last and least the botanic garden. After
passing through oil sorts of filth and dirt
on the basement story you come to a dark
narrow passage which conducts you to a
massive door, which when you have sue
ceeded in opening, you enter an apartment
enclosed with high wall on every side but O.
pen at the top and certainly not exceeding
80 feet square, and this is the botanic gar
den Of the palace of Mexico; few shrubs
and plants and the celebrated nanita tree,
are all that it contains / have rarely in
my life seen more gloomy and desolate
looking place. 1t is much more like a
prison than garden. A decrepit, palsied
old man, said to be more than hundred
years old, is the superintendent of the es-
tablishment; no one could have been select
ed more in keeping with the general dilap-
idation and dreariness of this melancholy
affair. sl3 @ei
But the Cathedral, which occupies the
site Of the great idol temple Of Montezuma,
offers a striking contrast. II is 500 feet
long, by 420 wide. II would be superflu-
ous, to add another to the many descriptions
Eofthis famous building which have already
been published. Like all the other church.
es in Mexico, it is built in the Gothic style.
The walls, of several feet thickness, are
nadesof unhewn stone and lime. Upon
entering 1t, one Is apt to recall the wild fic-
tions Of the Arabian Nights; it seems as if
the wealth of empires was collected there.
The clergyin Mexico do not, for obvious
reasons, desire that their wealth should be
made known to its full extent; they are
therefore, not disposed to give information
upon the subject, Oh to exhibit the gold and
silver vessels, vases, precious stones, and
other forms of wealth; quite enough is ex-
fhibited to. strike the beholder with wonder.
The first object that presented itself On en-.
,tering the cathedral is the ALTAR near the
center ofthe building; tits mqde Of highly
wrought and highly polished silver, and
covered with q profhsion Of ornaments of
pure gold. On each side Of the altar runs
L.: :balustrade enclosing space about eight
feet wide and eighty 81 u hundred feet long.
The balustrades are about four feet high
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