Weekly national intelligencer., 1848-10-07

for the following interesting and valuable Letter
from Lieut.. BUcKNER, OF the Sixth Regiment u.
S. Infantry, to personal friend Of his, giving an
account of the ascent by party Of Officers of
our Army, then stationed in the city Of Mexico, to
Popocaepe, and the present state of the crater Of
that Volcano. We could not, we believe, employ
more to the satisfaction of our readers so much
space as this Letter occupies in our columns.
CIrr OF Mexico MAr 10, ls4s.
Mr. Dean FRIEND In my last letter promised you
Of expedition to the southern part of the great
basin of Mexico. The active duties Of the last campaign
prevented during their continuance any research into the
beauties of this valley beyond the immediate vicinity of
camp and forced content ourselves for the time
with distant view Of the mountain wall which shuts out
from the world 1t until the period of comparative
repose which has succeeded expulsion of the enemy
bis capital that opportunity has been offered to become
fully acquainted with the many interesting and highly beaut
full around This opportunity has been generally
improved by the officers Of the army, who, during their
journ the capital have left unvsed few places that
remarkable for their natural beauty interesting from histo
rca associations Many excursions have extended to the
parts the valley, and several have been carried be-
yond its limits into the beautiful and interesting regions
adjacent
Amongst the objects which have excited curiosity since
the entrance army into the valley, and long
fore that PERIOD the volcano Of Popocatepet Rearing its
snowy summit far into the region of the Clouds has been
first ascended to the ableana, the most conspicu
GUS object in our view and not surprised that, in its
active state should have excited the wonder and admra
ton Of the Spanard and impressed the natives with feel
ing of superstition and religious
Indeed the appearance presented by this mountain, in
nexon with the of its scarcely less beautiful neghbo
Izaccihuat or "The White Woman" is imposing in the
highest degree Cortes in his correspondence with the EN-
peror Charles " makes frequent auson to Popocaepe
The Mountain that Smokes !" and that you may form
idea Of its volcanic condition in that age will give you
translation of paragraph Of his first letter his sovereign
respecting the conquest Of Mexico He says aluding
Popocatepetl and Iz,acchuatl
Eight leagues from Chohela met two chains of very
lofty mountains which the remarkable their
ms covesd with in the month Of August and as
there issues OF them many times during the day and
night very considerable volumes Of fire. the smoke Of which
the clouds with great force that that of the Winds
however great may be in that elevated change
its vertical direction In order to give your Majesty the
particular account Of the singular objects of this country,
chose Of my companions, such fitted for Disco
very this natures caused them be accompanied by
Indians OF the country who served them guides and d
reced them all their efforts reach the summit of the
mountain chan and ascertain whence the smoke proceeded
but impossible for them to reach it of the
abundance Of the of the whrwinds Of ashes with
which the height constantly surrounded and Of the
sive cold that felt there They approached the summit
closely practicable for them and while at the
point which they had been able the sns
issued with much noise and impetuosty that the mountain
appeared be giving way They brought back from their
Journey only and ice-obects sufficiently curious
country situated under the twentieth degree of latitude,
and where there is considerable degree OF heat.
Corr Of Cortes, lsf Letter.
After this unsuccessful attempt reach the summit of the
mountain, Cor,es pursued his march and entered the city of
Mexico But in the midst Of the which be
subsequently involved with the Aziec he did sight
of the remarkable mountain which excited in high
degree his wonder and curiosity He accordingly writes
his Msjesty, after the fall of the capital follows:
q" decided in our first Of repose acquire
particular knowledge Of the volcano of which have spoken
In first letter. and from which there continually arose. in
right ne, thick smoke. The vu5 regarded this
tain as vy dangerous tradition announced that all who
cendcd died from the effects sent few Spaniards there
TO examine the summit Of the mountain but they
ascending il heTeuos thick smoke that they could
and dared not sdyate the place from which assembled
have caused others u ascend nce who have cambred
up twice. and advanced the pit from which the smoke is
The diameter OF the pit appeared equg 70 double The
range Of cossbow, and the circumference about tee-qua
ters of league its depth incOmmensunbe TO the sight,
and they found around the pit sulphur which the smoke
dePosies there. AT time they very it, when
they heard ghu noise accompanying the elevation Of
the smoke, that they descended IN all haste They
not half way down the mountain when hey found them
selves great peril Of the quantity Of
which rolling down. and which the volcano eectng
The Indians stup6ed the audacy Of the Spsniard
and with the surprising act Of bravery which induced them
to approach near the volcano"
[COr. Of Cortes, I'd Letter.
From these il would appear that the Spaniads did
succeed in reaching the summit Of the mountain although
they approached very the edge Of the crater which
little below the summit Mr. Prescott has stated in his
History Of the Conquest Of Mexico that by the order Of
Corte quantity Of sulphur procured from the crater
at depth Of than four hundred feet do not know
upon what authority this statement is based but II upon that
Of Cores it quite likely that Mr. Prescott has msconceived
his meaning II the opinion Of many, and amongst Others
believe Of Baron Humboldt that the precpce whose hor-
ror according Coes faced by the intrepid Mon
tano other than that Of an erict volcano northwest
Of Tacuba. The meaning Of Cor,es doubtful and old
Berna Diez whose for the marvellous ought to have led
him to chronicle woadeu achievement silent on the
subject In this state q. uncertainty might very
ably be led to infer from the above descriptions Of the crater
that il could not have been entered at that time.
There is nothing record show that the summit had
been attained, until about the year s2l and again few
years subsequently, when scientific gentlemen accom-
pshed the feat and made known the world the condition
Of the mountain at that time As Americans had accom-
panied either Of these parties, many officers Of the army de-
ermined much from national pride individual curiosity