Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1841-1853, 1847-12-10
Correspondence Of The Indiana State Sentinel.
Letter from Mexico.
PUEBLA. Nov. LIST. 1S47.

redeem my promise of writing to yOu at the earliest
opportunity. We have been here more than two
weeks longer time than the regiment has ever
been stationed at any place, except at the camp of
instruction near MIer; famous as | see the letter
writers claim it to be for its wonderful sulphur
springs, equal in their qualities to Ponce de Icons
Florida fountain of life, Its pretty women Its great
Battle; and the residence of Capt. Jack Everett,
who founded the town Of Everettve, at the head Of
the navigation of the Bio Grande. The truth is the
water humbug, and renovated the health of no
man, who sunk under the fatigues of severe drilling
six hours day, In climate and n country where
the midday breeze burnt instead of cooling, where it
touched; and the parched soil rolled up in clouds of
sand and dust. The beauty of its women shone
on my eyes, or | was wilfully blind and could see
only dead colored Indian looking blackeyed girls,
instead Of tall and stately Spanish beauties Everett
vile may exist on paper, though if it did exist in
reality, what produce the Rio Grande could bear from
the head of its navigation, few hides of
ed cattle, unless there market for that great
stable water-melons below do not from my ex-
perience of the country, see.
The only thing that is worth mentioning in Mer,
is the where the Texans fought as few but they
can. They show you the street, where they came
up, running into plaza at the head of which the
Mexican cannon was posted, and from which the
rifle drove their troops after murderous Slaughter to
shelter, and to the of the lariat to drive back
their pieces they point out the house the Texans
worked up TO the plaza, from house to house, on The
roof and through the walls: you can see the doors
cut with balls, and the places where the Mexican
dead lay piled in heaps. This alone, and its perfect
stiffness and air of dead life, distinguish Mer and
save 1t from the curses heaped its friend Ca
MARCO, town that no man who ever passed through
does not recollect the busiest and drtest of all
places 1t his lot to be placed in. There is
no prejudice against the country in all this. The
upper Rio Grande Is a poor country. The lower,
around and below Maamoras appears to run through
bottom land, as fertile and As wide as any the States
can boast of. The Rio Grande is not however, the
great plain of old Choula, embracing the ground &C.
cuped by the Cholulans and the Hascalans the last
old allies of Certes; in the centre of which, stands
Puebla de los Angeles, where now sec city,
that for churches, priests, and eathern-ware cannot
be equalled. 1t is laid off in regular squares like
Philadelphia, your small city of distances the
streets all wide and paved, the side walks tagged,
the houses large and tine and the apparent inhabi-
ants Indians, balfbreeds and Spaniards. By far the
most numerous seem to be the Indians, many of
whom half clad, dirty, and miserable, nfest the
Streets and more trot round like beasts of burden
carrying their backs heavy loads precisely they
did when the Indian Cacique furnished them to
Cortes to carry his baggage, the only then known
] aborng animals of the country. They divide the
transportation of wood, vegetables, and water with
The jacks, and out travel that slow moving fellow Ia
borer with ease. And this they do for pay, merely
nominal too, and when unloaded and trotting along
they come TO a small image enclosed in glass, of our
lady of the remedies, they strike their foreheads on
the board she stands on, lay down their hard earned
copper, and Off They are the producing class of
Mexico, cultivate her fields, work in her fur manu-
factories, and do all the work that is done in this
lazy country.
The other two classes seem to fill the shops and
work at trades, or too proud to work. live gentle
men of leisure upon air. bean soup, and tortillas,
trhl fhnv DO .f,fel
day.
| No man can tell the truth of the churches with
Monasteries and Nunneries attached to them and be
believed. We apt to think that indianapolis
was city o. churches but it nothing the merest
nothing, in comparison with Puebla. Our regiment
is quartered in portion of the Monastery attached
to the church of San Augustin; and from the fiat
roof of the church, you see church after church
hng the city and the country around with their tall
spires and domes. Nor they of the small protes-
tant pattern of church, but vast and heavy piles of
masonry and stone, covering with their attached
buildings half squares, looking like the work of ages
long gone by rather than the creations of people
Of this new continent. The Cathedral here occupy
ing one whole side Of the main plaza, is the second
largest church In America. The Cathedral in Mexi-
co being the largest. Santa Tuera another, has the
interior of its large chapel one mass of gliding from
floor TO roof; pillar and dome and railing, are all
covered with this material and are, where it gives
II
picture representing different part of the histories of
the Saints.
The gallery of our church San Augustin, is orna-
mented with large paintings, covering the whole
wall, and the soldiers can look upon the whole list
OF Saints and Martyrs and their histories upon Car
dinals and Bishops, without number all the work of
pious members of the order, painted in many nstan-
ces with good deal of skill they do look am afraid
| unmoved, and notice them little, as they do the
shaven and cowed monks that move round amongst
them, relieving the warlke looks of Uncle Sans blue
uniform and moustached soldiers, with the peaceful
signs of white and black robes and shaven heads and
faces. Am acquaintance, priest, told me- if did
not misunderstood him, and asked him twice. not
believing his statement, how many churches and
chapes there were in and around the city, that there
were at least one hundred. Many of whose revenues
are immense, and to keep up the number of priests
they must be so.
The great Plaza at almost any hour of the day. if
you look Oh it, would prove to you that Puebla de-
serves its earhen-ware reputation, for there it has
OF all shapes, sizes, and qualities for SALE from red
glaze up TO fine crOckery; each heap presided over
by some old Indian woman, whose face is a pattern
for the color of her crockery.
Our climate here is fine; our only complaint can
be. that it is too cold in the nighs The middle of the
day is like your October. The rainy season being
over, we are not troubled with rain, nor with dust,
the paved streets affording none.
must cut short this note, the train starts very
early in the morning. and it is now quite late.
The young men from indianapolis in the Marion
Infantry are all well, excepting Andrew Wells, who
goes home discharged; those from the country, who
landed with at Vera Cruz, are all here and are
well, but tired with their long march. Young Bra
dy and the young men from his neighborhood, in
good health and spirits. Lieut.. Pilbean from your
place has proved himself active and efficient off,
Ger; both lie and Lieut. Lewis Combs, as well as all