Wisconsin herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1846-1849, 1848-07-01
MISCELLANEOUS.
Adventures in Mexico and the Rocky
Mountains.
Mdrray's Uondon) Home and Colonial Library.

MurrayS (lsonuon) Home ana Ioiohidl i-lnidiy'
This is an entertaining journal of travel,
undertaken in Mexico few months before
the occupation of the country by the Amer
leans. II comprises descriptions OF vera
Cruz, Puebla, Jalapa, the Mexican capital,
land the other places which recent events
have made comparatively familiar to the
READERS of newspapers, as wei as tlose
more remote portions of the Republic when
none but determined traveller could ven
ture to explore. The author Is lively and
amusing, and. as he appears TO haye been
jperpetually GA the move, and trayersed some
thousands of miles in the course OF ms per-
ordinations, he had much to see, and was
enabled TO form a correct estimate OF the
manners and customs of the people, ana OF
the general condition of the country, when
seems to be, in all respects, as vie as can
well be imagined. Mexican roads swarm
with robbers, and these, and other parties OF
rowing Indians, render travellingln The coun-
Try anything but safe; the pages OF the volume
before us chronicle more then one adven
tire with them, and some narrow escapes
from their hands. The following are ex-
tracts:
/ SANTA ANNA.-Don Antonio Lopez de
Santa Anra is hale looking old man, he
tween fifty and sixty, with an Old bailey
lceuntennnce and a very well built woodeh
leg. His countenance completely betraYs
his character; indeed, never saw Physl-
lognomv in which the evil passions, which
he nntorinuslv possesses, were more strong
lv marked. Only duplicitv, treacherv, ava
rice and senSualitv are depicted IN every
feature, and his well known character bears
out the truth of the impress; his wee Is
stamped upon his face. In person he Is
graceful, and not devoid Of certain well
bred hearing, which wins for him gold
en- opinions from the surtace-seelngfn ir sen,
TO whom he ever pays the most courtly at
teption If half the anecdotes are true
which | have heard narrated by his most
intimate friends, any office or appointment m
his Gift can always he obtained on application
of female interceder; and on such an oc-
cason he first saw his present wife, then a
girl of fifteen, whom her mother bro't to
The President 10 win the bpStowal upon her
of pension for former services, and Santa
Anna became so enamored of the artless
heautv that he soon after signfied his gra-
cious intention of honoring her with his au-
gust hand-after a vain attempt to secure
the young lady in a less honorable manner,
which the polite mamma, however, took
care to Illustrate.
MEXICAN HoTEL.-At sunset we reached
Ell Plan del Rio, miserable venta. which
I'VE found crowded with cavalry soldiers and
their horses, so that we had great trouble IN
finding room from our own animals, This
hosiery belonged to the gems meson, va
riety of the inn species to be found only in
Mexico. 1t was, however, paradise com
pared to the mesomes north of the city of
Mexico; and remember that | often look
led back upon this one, which Castillo and |
voted the most absolutely miserable of inns,
as sort of Clarendon or Mivart's. Round
the corral, or yard, where were managers for
horses or mules, were several filthy dir
ty rooms, without windows or furniture
These were the guests chambers. Mine
host and his family had separate accommo-
dations, of course, and into this part Of the
mansion Castillo managed to Introduce him
self and me, and to procure some supper
The chan.ber-maid-who, unlocking the
door of the room apportonrd TO US, told US
Ito beware of the mGta genie (the bad peo-
ple) who were about-was dried up old
imam, with long grizzled beard and matted
hair, which fell, guililess OF comb or brush,
ION his shoulders. He was perfectly horri-
fled at our uncomplmeutary remarks con-
cerning the cleanliness of the apartment,
about the floor of which troops of feas
were caracolIing, while fiat odoriferous bugs
were sticking in patches to the walls. My
request for some water, for the purpose of
washing, almost knocked him down with
the Nervousness of the demand; but when
he had brought little earthen saucer, hold
ing about a tablespoonful, and asked for a
towel, he stared at me, open mouthed, nth
out answering, and then burst out into an
Iimmoderate fit of laughter. Say, que hon-
hire. Ava Maria Purissma que loco es
este !'--Oh. what a man, what madman
is this &c SeIvilleta, pamela, toalla, que
demonlo queire''' towel, napkin, handker-
chief,-what the devil does he want?-re-
peatng the different terms ! used to explain
that | wanted a towel. I" Ha, ha, ha es
medic tonic, es medic touto''-a half witted
fellow, see. 'Que demonoi quiere aqua,
quiere toaIla!'' What the ID he wants
water, towels, everything.
THE CRY OF MExIco.-On entering the
town one is struck with the regularity of the
streets, the chaste architecture of the build
lingS, the miserable appearance Of the pop
lulation, the downcast look Of the men, alb
sence of ostentatiouS display Of wealth, and
the prevalence of filth which everywhere
meets the eve. On every side the passen-
ger i mportuned for charity. Disgusting
lIepers whine for claeos; manned and mutila-
ted wretches, mounted on the backs of por-
tiers, thrust ont their distorted limbs and ex
pose their sores, urging their human Steeds
TO increase their pace as their victim in
creases his to avoid them. Rows Of Grip
pies are brought into The streets the fret
thing 10 the morning and deposited against
wall, whence their internal whine i~heard
the livelong day Mexico
Is the head quarters of dirt. The streets
are dirty, the houses are dirty, the men are
dirty. aud the monien are dirty,