Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1848-03-23
An EngIishman's Views Of Mexico
and The MeXicanS,

Adventures IN MEXICO and the Rocky Mountains,
and which abouncs in amusing incidents graphical
y described. We hust that some of our enter
prising publishers will get out an American edition
of the work noticed by the Times. The follow
ing extracts from the Times exhibit view of tn,
Mexlcans quite different from that generally taker
ny The English papers, and by no means consonan
with the Judgment, pronounced by them in relation
to the present war.-N o. Della.
Promising, then, that the time is laid in the
autumn OF 1916, we will take up our traveller in
The streets Of Mexico and sally out with him at the
north gate TO contemplate the wonders of this great
republic.
Mexico upou the map is magnificent Affair."
Even excluding the monster provinces OF California
and Texas, some 20 well defined and spacious
States dovetailed into each other in all varie-
ties Of tint and outline, making together glorious
looking empire, extending through five and twen-
ty degrees of latitude Its west coast beng washed
by one mighty ocean, and lis east by another
Into what all this phantasmagorla vanlshes the
reader will presently see. Within 10 miles Of
Mexico the murder commences. A single DAVIS
journey from the capital demands the appliances
requisite for au expedition to Baabec, and is only
TO be accomplished by well armed and well. pro-
visoned caravans. The first town of any note in
n northerly directon-we cannot say OIL the north
road-from Mexico is Queretaro, The statistics of
which can be conveyed 10 the inquirer by single
dash of the pencil. There being, of course, moth
IN ing eatable in the caravanserai, our author sailed
out TO buy fiat cake at stall, On rendering
"a dollar towards the payment thereof, he received
in change eight cakes of soap, 'Valgame Dios?
W (God bless me!) cried he, us the small coin was
"A poured into his sombrero 'Virgen Purissima,
Ape .hayia,' returned the cake woman y jaron
eL mDS 6lando,' (and capital soft soap too. j.
pdya Get along with you.) This is the city,
1t will he remembered, in which the National Con.
gress OF Mexico is now assembled and sincerely
is i! 10 be hoped that this august body may find
themselves as well circumslanced in all other re-
spects as they will undoubtedly be in regard off
That commodity which supplies the currency of the
district.
A few stages further, and the real ownership of
The country is fairly disclosed Not only are rob.
bers SO numerous and honest people SO rare that
the subsistence of the former class appears qnite
miracle, but the Indians of the North come full |
upon the scene. The fact is, that these savages
are actually reclaimng the country fiom the de-
ecendants OF Cortes, and are again turning towns
INTO soIitudes, and pastures into hunting, fields. -
Their descents assume more alarming character
Every year, and the loves: points of their incur
bions are marked Just like the highest points of
attitude attained by Antarctic adventures. Last
= year they actually got to Sombrerete, town be-
ow Durango, in the State of Zacaecas, of which
he southern angle is but little way removed from
he State of Mexico itself. TO give general no.
ion Of the import of this fact, without sending the
eader to map, we may say that it is about the
anne as if were announced in the Annual Reg.
ster of lS47, that the Pets and Scots had been at
Worcester. So perfectly regular ATE these in
Dads, that in the calendar Of the Camanches, af
er ihe buffalo month, the young bear moath, the
orn month, &C., comes the .Nerico month, or
narily corresponding with the Christian Septem.
81 L., Il 4 Il
on very early. The Indians usually arrive
three divisions numbering from 200 to 500
nen each, force amply suflicien. to carry all be-
pre- them. They ravage the country, massacre
lie adults, and carry off The boys and girls as
Faues, making prize, of course, of all the cattle
hey can find When the month is over, they
pply for peace, which is invariably granted, and
ley then sell at one town what they nave stolen
om another. They are never opposed, few
excans possessing any arms and fewer still
moving how TO use them. Great loss of life &C.
RslonalIy takes pace-that is, of women and
ldren's lives--lhe men usually saving them
Ives by Selling the horses and gal!oping away at
e first alarm At chihuahua alone do any mea-
res of resistance appear to have been taken,
d here onor a fashion traly charac terislc. A
mpany was formed guarantying $50 Tor the
lad of every Indian brought in, and the work
as soon taken in hand, though not by Nexicans
emselves. A band of Shawnees and Delawares
as formed under European commander, who
lied and slew wherever they could get a promls.
chance, not troubling themselves much, as
ay be supposed, about fair play or foul. One
and battue upon an unarmed caravan, Just after
eace had been made, brought in no less than 10
sads. The reader who remembers the parentage
repeatedly detected in Ethiopian minstreIs
ew Zealand Chiefs, Ojbbeway Indians, Oriental
aahs &c. will be in no degree surprised to learn
at Don Santiago, the Captain Of this Chihuahua
nard, is an lrshman of the name of Kirker.-
At little town in Durango, which is about the
citing hamshre of Mexico, our traveller strongly
rged the AIcalde to show fight against body of
Indians lowering around the walls. All, cabal.
sro, uue podemos hucen (God bless YOU sir,
hat are we to do') I'VE have no arms, and our
eople have no courage TO use them, II we had
int. thank God, the barbarans are ignorant Of
his, and won't attack, perhaps, for how do they
now but what we have eScOpeiaS (carbines) AT
very window? These Sav0ges areSo gerry ignor
nH' How the ghost of Monlezuma might gbber
long such streets as these.
The perseverance with which the Americans
ernand New Mexico Is more ineligible than the
enacity with which the Nlexicans cling 10 it,
santa Fe is the channel of no inconsderable trade
between Mexico and the United States. Large
caravans Of wagons come from Missouri. attended
" hardy teansters, who, with their rifles at their
backs, brave the bands of Indians from which II
whole Mexican city will run. The customs tariff
IF this commerce wonderfully simp!ifed by
he late Governor Armjo, who levied toll Of
$500 upon every conveyance, no matter what the
bulk, character, value, or destination of the mer-
thandise transported. Characteristic event al
ended the opening of the war. The Missouri
caravan Of 200 wagons had sagacousy followed
close on Gen. Kearny's corps as it entered Santa
Fc, and thus, Of course, escaped the usual duty.
w hen this was known, however, it was determin-
ed to exact the said duties at Chihuahua, and it
was, in fact, upon the identical produce of these
200 wains-$l 90, 00O-that the Mex lean Govern,
nent counted for funds TO oppose those very troops
hn whose track the convoy was travelling The
NIissourians had no dissemination TO pay the toll
demanded, but the American commander, being
cognizant of the design, demurred 10 the bargain,
and kept the caravans close in his rear, where
they were seen by our traveller. Santa Fe, like
the other desolale and lndian-ridden places Of
which we have spoken, is no new creation of the
backwoodsman or settler These towns are
municipalities of the 10Th century, which the very
soldiers of Cortes might have helped TO found;
but, unless such traditions influential with the
Mexican Congress, it is not easy to see the grounds
OF their desperate attachment TO them, No Next
can would think of asserting that Santa Fe or
Chihuahua, or even Durango, accessible by
merchant or traveller from the metropolis. The
second of these cities ia distant 1880 miles i'm a