The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-07-24

appearance above the soil, their vlgor would nav
, been deteriorated, and their growth stinted.
Service Aloat and Ashore,
: During the MEXICAN WAR by Lieut.. RArHA E
SEMmEs, u. s. NJ, late fl lg- lieutenant Of tn
Home Squadron and abide camp Of Majo
General WORTH, in the battles of the Vale
of Mexico. w. Ii. MOORE g. Co. publisher
Cincinnati--for sale by FaAKcK TAYLOR
Washington.
This is an elegant volume in every respec
Its printing, paper, and binding, do great credi
to the publishers, and will bear a favorable com
parison with the productions of the art in an
city. And it is much to the honor of Cincnnat
that she is already so far advanced in SO inter
esting and important branch of business. Pei
haps the best evidence of civilization that ceul
have been exhibited at the Worlds Fair, il
book with all its intellectual and mechanical ele
ments. And Cincinnati might have been prou'
of this. haN&Ie
The work is written with great spirit, taste
and ability. We have seen no " ork which ha.
given US such vivid Impressions of Mexican
scenery and character, or the events of Genera
ScoTT's campaign. The author has not only
illustrated and authenticated his work by public
documents of the day, but he has thrown around
the country, the people, and the expedition, a
flood Of classical illumination from the his
torians of the Spanish march and conquests over
the same regions. He has gone farther, and
given us some instructive glimpses of the Aztec
history. 1t is, for instance curious and striking
fact, which we learn through him, that the career
OF Attic civilization continued only for two hun
dred years before the Spanish conquest Within
that short period, that people made their appear
ance as tribe of savages in tho marshes of the
lake, and founded and constructed the ancient
and renowned Tenochittan, the capital of Mon
tezuma, with more than two hundred thousand
people, and the seat Of an empire which, when
invaded by the Spaniards, had been extended
from the Atlantic to the Pacific That city is
the present city of Mexico
From the conquest Of CoRTEz to that of
SCOTT, was only three hundred years. Such is
the mutabilty Of empire. When the Spaniapd
landed in the country of the Aztec, the people
of that empire, the most civilized and powerful
of whom they had any knowledge, and who
were adding State after State to their dominions,
were probably revealing in dreams of progress
md Of power AZ much as we co. In few months
they had fallen. But they fell before the most
civilized race in the world-a race whose career
continued until it became the most powerful
nation of Europe, until it had conquered almost
another hemisphere, until it was the ruler of the
waters, and the possessor of the mines of the
world. WHO could predict that, in the short
period of three centuries, the mighty fabric
would crumble to pieces, and nought remain of
all its conquests but the little island from which
CoRTEz started on mis- expedition? Yet, with
these instances of the instability of mighty
Suites, we dream over again the dream of end
less expansion and duration
We intended to make copious extracts from
this work of LIEUT.. SEMMKs, but our selections
grew upon our hands so largely that we had to
whole book inspires and sustains an interest OF
which the reader can form no opinion, unless he
goes through, which he will not fail to do, if he
begins.
Mr.. SEMMEs has given us good deal Of
acute criticism on various operations of the cam.
pagn. He thinks GEN. ScoTT ought to have
marched TO the city of Mexico Immediately after
the battle of Cerro Gordo: that he ought not
to have attacked Molino del Rey or Chspulte-
pee that GEN. WORTH discovered the route by
Chalco, which turned the formidable Mexican
position of the Pinon: that ScorT ought not to
have granted the armistice. This, and other
commentaries on the war, will at length dis
close, perhaps, the truth-which it seems in this
age of the pen and press, lies as deep in her well
as ever. But in forming a judgment on the
course of GEN. ScoTT, we must never forget
that nobody understood the vast discrepancy
between the military efficiency Of the Amer.
cans and Mexicans, until it was demonstrated
by that campaign. And If ScoTr had pushed
on from the battle of Cerro Gordo to the city OF
Mexico, and had captured it in panic, the event
would have made a less impression on the world
and on Mexico herself, than the actual result
did. II ScoTT had been beaten and destroyed
on his march from Puebla or at Mexico, every
body would have ascribed it to the rashness and
folly of attempting with 80 small force to at-
tack the capital of a nation of eight millions.
Undoubtedly, in camps as in cabinets, many
capital blunder escapes the notice of tn,
world and Of history, and many Of the real au
thors or planners Of great achievements remain
unknown, whilst others carry off the glory.
But the candor, the ability and the knowledge
displayed by Mr.. SsMMEs, in this work, will
always command the attention Of those who in
quire into the Mexican war. And whoever IN
dertakes to controvert his opinions will find it n
easy task to find as many readers, and pre-
poascas them 40 much aeH