Wisconsin herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1846-1849, 1847-10-30

shambles and booths built of banboos aud
reeds, sheltered from the rain and sun by
matched roofs. In the southwestern corner
of the square, the Parian, an unsightly
building, (erected, believe, since the revo-
luton greatly mars the effect of the Plaza.
West of the Parian, and all around the
southern and western sides of the Plaza, or
those portions of it which are not directly
occupied by the Cathedral and National
Palace, run the arehed portals, similar to
the arcades of Bologna. These are filled
with gay shops, pedlars, cafes, old clothes,
toys, flower vendors, sweetmeats, book
stalls, cutters, curiosity hunters, antiquities,
(yentahIe and doubtful, aud the usual
crowd Of loungers and qnidnunes.
Opposite to the southern end of the Par
ian j. the Casa Municipal, or Town Hall,
in the lower story of which is the Lonja,
1.-THE Exchange of the merchants of MeXi-
coy noble room.
The Cathedral occupies a space of 500
feet, by 420 front. The main altar is not
erected against the wall, but near the CEN
tire of the edifice, beneath the dome. From
this, extending around the choir, proba-
bly two hundred feet, there is a rail be-
tween four and five feet high, and of pro-
portionable thickness, composed of gold,
silver, aud small alloy Of brass. This is
surmounted with silver statues for candles.
In front of the altar is the choir, itself a
church, built of dark woods, of the rarest
antique carving The altar, placed upon a
marble platform, elevating it from the floor
of the building and covered with gold aud
silver ornaments, candlesticks and crosses,
is Of wrought and polished silver, and the
whole is surmounted by a small temple, in
which rests the figure of the Virgin of Re-
medois, who enjoys the exclusive right of
three pettcoats - one embroidered with
pearls-another with emeralds, and a third
with diamontls-the value Of which, am
credibly informed, is not less than three
millions of dollars. This, you will recoi-
lect, is only one part Of one church in Mex
leo, and that one said moi tonbe the richest
Passing from the Cathedral door to the
southeastern portion of the city, you reach
the outskirts, crossing in your way the car
mails from the lake. have rarely seen such
miserable suburbs; they are filed with
novels built with sun-dried bricks, often
worn with the weather to the shape of
holes in the mud, while on their .earthen
floors, crawl, cook, live and multiply, the
wretched looking population Of lereros;-
4
bat is derived originally, it is said, from the
Castlian lepra, or leper; and although they
do not suffer from that loathsolne inalady,
they are quite as mseTablc.l u8aN
blaeken man in the SUI; let his hair
grow long and tangled, or become filed
with vermin: let him plod about the streets
in all kinds of dirt for years, and never
knowthe use of brush or towel, Or water
even, except in storms; let him put on a
pair of leather brooches at twenty and wear
them until forty, without change or ablu-
ton; and, over all place a torn and black
ened hat, and tattered blanket. begrimed
with denominations; and features pinched
into sharpness by famine; breast barred,
Drowned, aud (iffemales) with two or three
miniatures of the same species lettering af-
ter her, and another certainly strapped on
her back; combine all these in your iinagin-
alton, and you havea receipt for "a Mexican
lepero. IN bnl ~ 81 eae
There, on the canals, around the markets
and pulque shops, the Indians and these
miserable outcasts hang all day long--feed-
ing on fragments, quarroling, drinking,
stealing, and lying drunk about the pave
ments--with their children crying with
hunger around them. At night, they sink
off to the suburbs, and coilthefnselves upon
the damp floors of their hairs, TO sleep off
the effects of liquor, and to awake to an
other day of misery and crime. Is il won
derful, in a city with an immense proper
ton of its inhabitants of such a class,
(hopeless in the present and future,) that
there are robbers and nurderers?
rs ~ -
Skirring the canal, and leading to the
plain which adjoins the Chenampas, or for
mer floating gardens, is the Paseo de la We
ga public drive frequented by the beau
monde, both in coach and on horseback, du-
ring the season of Lent. tedru
Turning westward from the square, we
reached the Alameda, a very short walk
through the Gala Plateros, street filed
with the shops Of goldsmiths, wateh-ma-
kers, French hair-dressers, French milli-
ners, French carvers and giIders, and
French print-sellefs; and we pass on our
way, the rich Convent Of Protessa, or ex-
Jesuits, and the more splendid one of the
blue-rObed monks of st. Francis. The Al
ameda is beautiful grove of forest trees,
planted on about ten acres of soft and luxu-
RANT soil. The wood, which Is walled and
protected by gates closed every evening as
the bells toll for oraci0a, is intersected with
walks, and surrounded by carriage road.
Fountains fling up their waters where the
paths cross each other, and the ground be-
meath the full-grown trees is filed with
flowers and shrubbery. The great centre
fountain IS surmouuted BIZ glded figure OF
Liberty, and gilded lions spout forth the
water at her feet. This, and the other
smaller jets, in pleasanter and more seclu-
ded nOoks, are circled with stone seats. 1t
Is the fashion to come here, in carriages and
horseback, every evening, except during
Lent, aud to drive round and round the IN
closure. on ahe soft roads. In dense shades