Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-03-06

Orleans and arrived Baze in the fall Of l848 Here,
procuring mules and Indian guides they started through
wild broken country for hundred and fifty miles
ON the Gulf of Amatque and then struck off to the south
west for Coban, where they arrived the morning of
Christmas day At Coban they fell in with Pedro Velas-
quez, who there trading expedition from San
Salvador and finding him to be congenal spirit, and
bound to Santa Cruz del Quche well as themselves
they pursued the wild journey together having procured
new guides and mules.
During this journey Huerts and Hammond gradually
to Velasquez the programme Of their grand
prse they told him the story Of the old padre Of del
Quche and showed him the engravngs in Sevenss book
veasquez readily believed the whole for he had himself
the padre and he had some Of the ruins which
he at recognised in the engrayings His imagna-
tion fired and his spirit Of enterprise burst into
flame; and, although he was of family and wealth
and indigo trader he at resolved to leave all and
follow them. But very little account is given Of the ~
ney from Coban 10 del Quiche, though from two 4hxse
sht records Il the journal Of velasquss n uns nj
attended " tka4ing incidents for fk16ficS xy "a
| 1849 he records as follows;
"On the bank of branch of the Salamo attacked in
the night by about thirty Indian robbers several of whom
had firearms ST. Hammond, sitting within the light of
the fire. severely wounded through the left shoulder
they had followed from the hacienda six leagues
ed the NORTH and lay in ambush killed four wound
ed three of the rest poor JUAN shot through
The party arrived at del Quche the Sd of April and
found the old padre still alive but quite feeble and drop
sical He however affirmed the story of his having
the living city with his eyes forty years
ago from the summit of the Sierra Madre And he
them letter his friend the Cura of Gueguetenango
who would furnish them with guides the top of the
mountain where they could the city for themselves
With this letter and fresh guides and mules they proceed
ed their journey and a last reached Gueguetenango
where they thrown little aback by the throw
ing cold water their project He regarded the story
of the padre freak of imagination and bestowed
it sundry sarcastic comments. But nohing is mpossi
BILE to him that wills !" and courageous and enter
prising travellers had determined find the CITY, and
they would not be put back by trfes The finally
furnished them with gudes and the 9Th of May they
departed ascend the mountain The journal contains
nothing further till the 9th of May when the following
record occurs
sour altitude by barometer this morning is over six
thousand feet above the valley which crossed three
days ago; the view of it and its surrounding mountains
sublime with charms, yet grotesque in outline, and all
heavily glded with the setting is of the most OPP
pressivey gorgeous beheld The guides inform
have but three thousand feet to ascend and point
to the gigantic pinnacle before ut the apparent dis
tance of eight leagues but that before
reach 1--WE have descend and ascend immense bar
(ravine nearly thousand feet deep from pre-
sent level and Of difficult passage that it viii cost
several days. The side of the mountain toward the
northwest is perfectly fat and perpendicular for more
than half its entire height If the prodgous section had
been ryen down by the sword of San Miguel and hurled
with his among the struggling multitude of SUBMITS
below So far the old padre is accurate in parti
cular.'
| On the next day, the 10th, the Journal says
On the brink of the abyss the heaviest crags
/ hurl down return no sound from the bottom
May 18TH Recovered the body Of Sebasano and the
load Of his mule his brother is building for his
grave and will not leave it until famished with thirst
4 fna ata1 m of his
first encampmen since descended. Present elevation
but little above that of the opposite ridge which left
the 18th; still at least 1900 feet to climb"
May 19th o'clock P. NJ velasquez makes this record
| in his journal:
/ "Myself Sr Hammond and Antonio on the highest
summit; inclined plane Of bare rock of about fifteen
acres The padre again right Sr. Huerts and others
just discernibe, but bravey coming Elevation $500
low invisible Senior Hammond already bleeding at the
nose and cigar to stop it, At ten o'clock at night he
writes: All comfortably asleep but myself and ST. Ham
mond, who is going to take the latitude"
The next record gives the latitude 15 degrees and
| 48 minutes porth'
| May Goth. "A bright and most auspicious morning
and oil but poor Antonio in fine health and feeling The
wind by compass Me-, and rolling away bowy ocean
of mist toward, suppose, the Bay Of Honduras Anto
MO says the Pacific will be visible within hour; more
and Of the lower mountains becoming visible every
moment. Fancy already the Pacific, faint yel-
low plain, almost elevated ourselves Can part
of the State Of Chiapas pretty distinctly" At IL o'clock
meridian the record continues: ST. Hammond is taking
the longitude, but finds difference of several minutes be-
tween his excellent watch and chronometer and fears the
latter has been shaken Sr Huerts, with the glass;
whole lines and groups Of pyramids in Chapas" AT one
o'clock he records "Sr Hammond reports the longitude
92 degrees 15 minutes Brave Huerts is in ecstacy
with discovery but viii not part with the glass for
moment No doubt il is the PADRES city, for it is pre-
csey in the direction he indicated Antonio says he
see it with his naked eye although less distinctly than
heretofore. only white straight line, like
ledge Of limestone rock elevated plain at least twen
ty leagues distant in the midst of amphitheare
hills to northeast of position toward the State of Yu-
catan Still it is doubt the place the padre saw, and
il may be great city, At two o'clock p Nj. he says
"Al doubt is at end We have all il through the
glass distinctly though il but few leagues off,
and it is clear and bright to the unaided eye 1t is
unquestionably rich monumented city, Of vast dmen-
sons within lofty parapetted walls, three four miles
square, inclined inward in the Egyptian STYLE and its in
terror domes and turres have emphaticaly oriental
aspect"
Having assured themselves Of the existence Of the pa
dres city, and made all necessary observations and dis
covered its bearings from various points, the party
turned from the mountain, recruited trusy guard Of
thirtyHve friendly Indians whom they armed with rifles,
and havns obtained fresh mules and every thing
sary for the journey they started for the wonderful city
Of Ixmaya for that was its name they learned from
natives whom they met the journey and they were in
formed by their interpreters that the word Ixmaya sgn
fed the great centre"
After this the daily journal dropped and the his
tory written out by veasquez from memory after he
roturnad IN San Salvador