Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1847-09-16

single Texan desperado with the depraved
and reckless energy Of one who has surrendered
himself to the dominion of evil, would be among
these poor Indians like a wolf in a sheepfold.-
Active, positive courage, these feeble Indians
know nothing of. They have no motive what
ever to stimulate them to face danger Still, !
they do possess a certain dull and suIlen differ
ence to life, which induces them to submit to
massacre with unusual docity Life has for
them but few charms, and death is hardly suaici-
emily thought of to be dreaded Their destiny is
indeed melancholy. From the invasion by Fer
nando Cortez, three hundred years ago, to the
present, they have been the victims Of every con-
celyable wrong. The Spanish chieitains now
drive them at the point of the bayonct from their
humble homes in the mountains; and American
bomb shells and cannon balls scatter them over
the plains. Their part in the quarrel is to stand
still and be torn in pieces In the roar Of the
artillery which proclalms our victories, | hear
but the thunders of their doom. In the bonfrcs
and illumlnations which represent the rejolcing
Of our cities, see but the reflection of the con-
llagratlon Of their dwellings, and the desoaton
Of their homes Poor Indian! How has thy
stronger brother defrauded thee of all thy happ-
ness. | have no heart but to morn over the
slaughter we are perpetrating in this inglorious
war
No American has ever gazed upon the sub
limities ofthe Alps, without emotions of strong
regret that in his own country there are no gla-
cers, and avalanches, and pinnaclcs glitering
with eternal SHOWS. There is much of beauti-
ful scenery in the United States; there is very
little, Niagara excepted, of the highest order OF
the sublime The White Mountains afford the
finest specimen we have of mountain scenery
But the Gap grand as it is, will afford but a
meagre comparison with the sublime passes OF
the Alps. And Mount Washington, rearing its
majestic brow of six thousand feet into the skies,
is our mountain monarch. But Mount Blanc
rears its imperial head ten thousand feet higher
III the heavens, with his venerable locks whten-
ed by the SHOWS of countless centuries. In MeX-
leo, we see, even under the blaze of tropical
sun, pnnacles piercing the regions of perpetual
frost There is hardly to be witnessed on the
surface of the globe more magnificent spec
tace than that which meets the eye ofthe travel
er, as he stands upon the summit of the noun
tain range from which he looks down upon the
vast valley, near the center of which appears in
gorgeous beauty the city of Mexico A barrier
ofmountains surrounds this valley, with many of
the peaks, even under the blaze of tropical
sun, gitterng in eternal snow. Popocatepe and
Iztaccipuatl, are worthy rivals of Jura and
Mount Blanc, and the glaciers and ravlnes of
these majestic mountain monarchs and are hard
ly surpassed by the sublimities Of the AL ps.
The city of Mexico is said to be the most mag
nihcent city in its gorgeous and costly architec-
ture, of any upon the North American continent,
1t is situated upon the borders of the Lake Tez-
tuco, and on the site of city of the natives de-
stroyed by Cortez. This celebrated conqueror,
who possessed many of the qualities of Napole-
on, laid out the city in style of great magnlii-
cence, and he erected some of the most beauti-
full buildings, which are still owned by his de-
scendants. The extensive valley in which is sit
uated lies embosomed in the midst of mountain
ridges and peaks Of the highest grandeur; and
though the valley is two hundred miles in cir
cumlerence, and embraces within its bosom
many lovely lakes, it is nevertheless elevated sew
en- thousand feet above the level OF the sea, and
enjoys one of the most delicious climates the
world can furnish. Many of the glitterng pin
naces which shoot up from this mountain bar
rer, rise seventeen thousand feet above the wa
tiers of the Caribbean Gulf Here the Spanish
grandces lavished the boundlcss wealth accumu-
/
of the old idol temple of Montezuma, is reared
the majestic cathedral devoted to worship almost
equally idolatrous and far more criminal, for he
who sins with the law, is less eXcusab!e than he
who sins without the law. Thischurch is erect
ed in the Gothic STYLE and i'll its gorgeousness
and wealth UNNECESSARILY SURPRISES any building
in our own land 1t is 500 feet long, and 42L
wide, and upon entering it the beholder is bewi
dered with the prolusion of ornaments glitternq
with highly FURNISHED silver, and gold, and pre-
I cious stones. The wonders of Oriental fable
seems to be realized in its gorgeous structure. d,
The wealth of ''the Church" in Mexico is al
most inconccivable Not even in Italy or il
Spain, are the people more entirely in subsection
to the priesthood Hardly an individual, from
the richest to the poorest, dies without leaving
bequest for masses for his soul. The sums tina
are often paid by those who have lived in the de
iance of all Gods laws, and who, in the remorst
and terror of dying bed, hope to purchase cX
emption from the pangs of purgatory by gold
are enormous. Immense sums are also contnu
ally paid by the living to release the souls OF thel
departed friends from those flames of retribution
where they must lie, till by the power of money
their period is ended. The people believe i'm
pliciuy in the efficacy of these masses topur
chase exemption from future punishment for ev
cry crime which man can commit. Even in tn
days of Tetze, the belief in the iniallibility o
; these indulgencies were not more implicit THAI
it now is in Mexico. Human wit never. deviset
measure so powerful for raising money as this
; The wealth thus amassed by the Church, is tru
ly enormous. Many intelligent Mexicans say tina
) at least one fourth of the whole property of tn
5 country is now in the hands OF the priesthood
And they were never driving more successful
e business than at the present hour. The gorge
e GUS ecclesiastical establishments, which adorl
d Mexico, Puebla, Gaudalajara, and all the othe
important cities Of the country, are filled iron
the floor to the ceiling in all their various apart
ments, with paintings, statuary, vases and can
dlestics of gold and every variety of the mos
S costly ornaments In the city of Mexico alone
: there are eight of these churches, nearly all c
$ equal magn6cence It's impossible to estimat
6 the amount of wealth thus accumulated. An
: amid all the revolutions of Mexico no govern
,nent has ms vet yentred to encroach upon tn