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

buhdmg. THERE'S only one door on the
lower floor, and none Jat all on the outside
fof the upper story This door is very
Istfonglsbuilts and high enough for coach
~ pass through, it opens into the patio
through which you pass to the steps lead
the Upper stories, where alone every
lftbclIy Hves except the bower classes HI
all the establishments of the Better classes
the basement story is only occupied by the
servants and as lumber-rooms, and what
struck me as very strange, as stables. In
visiting Count Costuna, for example, whose
whole establishment is altogether princely
and others ofequal splendor and luxury, |
found this court on the ground floor used
as a stable, and passed through rows
Of horses and carriages to make my
way to the most spacious halls, filled with
fine paintings of the great masters, and fur
nished throughout in styles altogether gor-
geous. In some of the larger private
buildings thirty and forty different families
reside; each one having rented one or two
rooms, all entering at the only outside door
into the court, which is the common prop
erty Of all--and from which each one has
on entrance to his own rooms on the ground
floor or the gallery above, which runs all
around the building. do not think that
that area covered by the city Of Mexico can
exceed two miles in length and mile and
a half in width; a very small space to be
occupied by population of nearly two hum
dred thousand But it is not at all surprising
when you see thirty or forty families,
enough to make respectable village, oil
huddled away in one house, and consider
what large number sleep in the open air
in that delightful climate. How pure must
be the atmosphere when the city of Mexi-
co is SO remarkably healthy, notwithstand-
ing such a crowded and filthy mode of liv-
ing, and with tropical sun shining upon
the moist surface Of the whole valley. One
would think the latter sufficient of itself to
produce the most fatal malaria.
| 1t is little curious that whilst the bull
dings and population of Mexico are thus
crowded into 50 smalla space, and the rents
sass -siErss~nss nigh as insstheEscifEsao vi
New York, yet all about the city there Is q
vacant ground, and as dry as the city ITSELF
which may be had for the taking. | was
riding out with friend one evening when
he showed me square containing between
five and six acres, Just in the rear of the
Piazza de Toros on the outskirts Of
the city, and not more than half or three
quarters of mile from the public square,
which he had just purchased for four hun
dred dollars. Why such lots are not i'm
proved and the city extended, | cannot ca
}sily comprehend. ST.. .. T..
The Mexican Army, and more particu-
larly their Cavalry, may do very we'll to
fight each other, but in any conflict with
our own or European troops, it would be-,
not battle but massacre. Frederick the
Great, who was the author, in great de-
gree of the modern system of tactics, had
three maxims as to cavalry. First, that a
cavalry troop should never charge. but
should always make the charge. Second,
that in charge Of cavalry, they were not
going fast enough unless when halted the
froth from the mouth Of the horse struck
the rider in the face, and third, which was
rather the summing up of the other two,
that the spur was of more consequence
than the sword. In other words, that the
impulse and momentum of the horse, was
more efficient than the arms and blows of
the rider. What then must be the murder
GUS inequality between corps Of American
cavalry and an equal number Of Mexicans?
The American corps, for the size of their
| boreac world oovor t,,,;oo oc y,,,oh rrro,nd
and the obstruction offered by the Mexi-
cans on their small and scrawny ponies
would scarcely cause their horses to Stun
BILE in riding over them; to say nothing of
the inequality of the men themselves, five
to one at least in individual combats, and
more than twice that in battle. ~ ,a.t
do not think that Mexican men have
more physical strength than our women.
They are generally of diminutive stature
wholly unaccustomed to labor or exercise
of any sort, and as conclusive proof Of
their inferiority to our own Indians, will
mention the fact that frequent incursions
are made into the interior OF Mexico by
marauding bands Of Camanches who levy
black mail to an extraordinary extent upon
the northern provinces of Mexico. 1t is
not unusual for bands Of hundred Canaan
ches thus to penetrate hundred miles into
Mexico and carry of as many horses, cat
tie and cnptives as they choose; there are
at this moment not less than five thousand
| 'Mexicans slayesof the Camanches.
The soldiers Of the Mexican army are
generally recruited by sending out detach-
ments into the mountains, where they hunt
the Mexicans in their dens and caverns and
bring them in chains to Mexico. There is
scarcely q day that droves Of these misera-
Bile creatures are not seen thus chained to-
,gether, and marching through the streets tc
the barracks, where they are secured, nnt
then dressed in uniform made Of liner