Weekly national intelligencer., 1847-12-11
NATIONAL INTELLIGENCER.
SECOND DISPATCHES FROM MAJOR DOWNING.
Headguarters, Merico, ne,U addition 10 the
United States, October 25, lS47.

Gineral Scot, and ! find good deal of bother about
getting our dispatches through TO Vera Cruz, or
slse would hear from me oitener. | do think the
President is 100 backward about clearing out this
road from here 10 Vera Cruz and keeping il open,
and introducing the improvements into the country
thai we stand SO much in need of here. lie and
AIR Richie preends TO have constitutional scruPles
about it, and says the constitution don't allow OF m
ternal improvements, and Mr.. Richie says The re-
solutions Of '9S is dead agin il too and, besides,
Mr. Richie says these internal improvements Is
Federal doctrine, and he'd always 90 agin EN- Tor
that fnothn else. But It's strange 10 me The Pre-
sdent has nj never found out vet that where there's
will there's way, constitution or no constitution.
All he's rot 10 do is to call all these roads round
hefe in Mexico military roads, and then he'd
have the constitution his side, Tor every body
knows the constitution allows him 10 make military
roads know the President is very delicate about
frnpInp on the constitution, so don't blame him so
much for holding back about the internal improve
menis here III Mexico, though don't think there's
any other part Of the United States where they are
needed more But there's no need OF splitting
hairs about the roads; military roads is nj internal
improvements, and he's right 10 make military
roads as much as he peases. And as them Is Jest
the kind of roads we want here, and shall want Tor
fifty wears, for armies will have TO keep march
ing about the country for fifty years before they Il
be able 10 tame these MeXcans and turn EN- into
Americans it is confounded strange to me that the
President is so behind hand about this business.
What's the use OF our going on and anneXln away
down south here il he don't back us up and hold on
10 the slack And there's no way 10 hold on 10 II
but 10 keep these military ROADS open 80 our armies
can 20 back and forth and bring Us III vlcuals and
powder and shot and money.
Here we've been, weeks and weeks since we
annexed the city Of Mexico, waiting and holding on
for the President to send US more men and more
money, and tell us what TO do next. This back
wardness Of the Pre.ident since we got into the |
city of Mexico seems the more strange to me, con-
siderng. For when lie tiXin me off TO come
out here and see if | could make settlement with
Santa Anna tried 10 persuade him TO let the ar
mics hold still while | was making the bargain. | |
told him he never could bring a man to reason or
10 irade when he knocking of him down all
the time. But could Mt make him seem to un-
derstand il. He stood TO il his way the best
the sword i'll one hand and peace in other, all the
way along-a word and blow and the blow al
ways first.
Why, Major Downing" says he, q if you want
70 reason man into peace, that's another thing
but il YOU want 10 conquer a peace, my way is the
only way. That's the way begun this war, and
that's the way mean to carry il out
How 50 7" says |; chow did you begin the
war IN that way 2"
Why SAYS he, Slidell was the word, and I
Tayor the blow and not only my friends, |
but even my enemies, admit that the blow come !
first"
The President said that was the rule he had gone
By all the way along, and he meant to stick to il
and not hearing any thing from him SO long, I'm
afraid he's got notion that peace is conquered.
But that would be bad mistake if he has got such
notion; for il is nj conquered it's only scatter
ed. II 5 good deal twas with Bill Johnson,
when lie and was boys, and lie undertook to con-
guer hornets nest, eXpecn to get lots Of honey.
He took club and marched bravely up to it and
hit II an awful dig, and knocked it into thousand
flinders.
-..There blast ye,' says Bill. - guess you're
done III now,'qs he begun 10 look round for the
honey But he soon found twas nj conquered
twas only scattered. And presently they begun 10
fly at him and sting him all sides. One hit him
Z dab on his arm, and another on his leg, and
ther in hs face. Al last Bill found he should soon
be done IN himself if he stad there, 30 he cut and
run.
Hulo.'' saws |, :" Bill, where's your honey -
:" Darn II all, says he, . if hant GOT no honey,
knocked their house to pieces I've got that 10
comfort me-.
wish you would try to convince the President
that It's only scattered here; lis ut conquered, and
tie must give us the means 70 keep moving, or we
shall get badly stung bime-by. If he only backs
us up well, III pledge myself that wen carry out
the campaign marked out IN my last dispatches,
which would bring Us clear down to Cape Horn in
four or five years and I'm very anxious to get
there, II strikes me that would be such a good horn
10 hold on to IN all dlemmas even if all the rest of
the country went BY the board. dreamt 'tother
night that we had got through anuexin al North
and South America and then thought our whole
country was turned into monslrous great ship Of
war, and Cape Horn was the bowsprit and Mr..
Polk the captain And the captain was walking
the deck with his mouth shet, and every body was
looking At him and wondering what he was goin
10 do next. At last he sung out, Put her about !:
well saii across now and take Europe and Asha
and Africa in tow-dont stop for bird s-eggng round
among the West India Islands we can pick them
up a. we come back along-crowd all sail now and
lether have H."
Away We went | never ship sail faster.
The wind begun to blow harder and harder and
then u come on awful storm, and at last il blow
cd perfect harrycanc. The sails begun to 90 10
filters, and she rolled if she was going to upset.
Some oi the oldest aud best sailors among the crew
told The captain We should all 20 10 destruction if
ne did nt take n sa, and furl and cew up, and get
things tight, aud bring her head round TO the wind.
Mr.. Richie was standing by his side, and saws he
Captain Polk them i al nothing but Federal
lies, as I've shown hundreds of times, not only in
the Union. but years and wears ago in the Enqui-
rer. Them iellers Only waurto oiye aid and com.