New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1856-03-14
Nicaraguan Correspondence.
II On Our SPECIAL oonREsroS DESr,l

Editors Crescent-While resting here for few
days, after making trip to the Department OF Co.
tales propose to give you such Description u rs
old city as its present ruined dilapidated eohitioh
will Justify It has evidently been very nlucn larger
than it now is and of the citizens eil ie
tanned in 1926 thirty thousand inhabitants ny steA
cut in regular terraces ron l et'
rises gradually from the lake shore, these terraces
iffer;nelin width from one to five hundred feet But
On overfroW1itis it with weeds and underblush that
one can eet but an imperfect idea of its former SPLEEN
dor and beauty. The city is hid from view from the
lake bv an intervening forest Of sturdy weeds and u-
dergrowtl, that flourish most vigorously where once
were gardens, pastures, stately mansions and broad
streets This strip of ground is full half a mile in
width across which oneshas to wade in fine loose
sand to reach the paved street. that part of it that
is passable though such thing asa good banquette
never entered the heads of the builders Of city which
has every appearance of having been begun and
pleted upon the same day, and never since had a
stroke of improvement repair done within its limits
Omrbusses OF vehicles for riding are unknown here,
and with the exception of little tackles hardly
worth the name of horsesto ride upon, you have to
go til OH footsn the middle of the streets, over
hogs dogs and cattle, through neas filth and dirty
children, nude as when first they were born, Its
mistake that writer's have fallen into in relation to
this having been a,caAed cityin other days. The
streets and the squares or lots large, and
the whole covered by one continual building the
outer wall being stone or brick and from two to two
and a half feet thick. a wall thrown across three
four streets upon each side Of the city would enable
the inhabitants to resist for long time the approach
or attacks of an enemy You may walk up and down
every remaining street and every side presents evil
of bott1 ctr tfoht
ted up with bullets and every public building pertora
ted with cannon balls You where they have torn
through the windows the wall, or the door; broken
the corner of the turret or the bey Of the church,
well as cornces of private dwellings. There is no
public square or park, except the Plaza, which is
about two hundred by two hundred and fifty feet
square, unpaved and surrounded on three sides prin
cipally by private dwellings, and on the fourth
lby the Cathedral, the old Inquisitorial and one
/ two other edices that belonged formerly to the
Church. You see in of these buildings nothing
at all striking or handsome, all except the cathedral
being low only story high, the walls spotted with
balls which spiders have woven small webs, that
| look like many bats cnging to their sides The
roofsof all the buildings within the limits of the city
proper are covered with tiles of ancient Spanish
make but outside Of the town the houses builtO
reeds and covered with bamboo leaves, the same as
| in the country. The cathedral and San Francisco
church and the largest buildings in the city,
| but both are dilapdated, and the latter has been
given up to the soldiers for quarters, although occa-
sionally service is still performed in sone part Of the
main building. III former times there were five other
very large churches in this city, all Of which
/ in ruins, completely So others partially, but
| all crumbling away; their bells and organs broken
and silent, their payenlents broken here and there,
and all fast going downto dust and rubbish. The
roads leading out Of the city are footpaths, in
the middle of what were formerly broad and comlno-
sdious highways, now overgrown with weeds and
bushes; in fact the entire suburb of Granada is a
| dense forest of brush and weeds On every hand,
] however, are the erumbling remains of large man
sions edifces that have gradually disappeared be-
fore the hands of desolaon and revolution that have
so often grasped the city. On the east sideof the
Plaza, against the wall of the old 1nquistory build
& ing the spot where Corral was shot and where
other state prisoners have been executed in the same
way the blood Of the victims still fresh upon the
narrow banquette. Large, deepholes are in the old
wall made blythe bullets perforated the bodies
of the criminal. The where Corral was shot
tains nine bullets, the tenth being just above the
others and little to the right. There many wells
| in and around the city, all very deep having been
dug through solid rock, but the water from them at
this season is brackish and unhealthy. Recently,
4 however, an American, with true Yankee pclsever
ance, has imported watercart- and supplies those
4 who desire it with water from the lake, which he
sells to them at fifty cents per barrel The only n-
1 provements going on here are those that have been
entered upon by Americans since the treaty Of No
vember, and as peace and stability grow daily more
permanent, so almost every day shows some new
a{n1 ptf
the hands Of Americans. Rents are rising fast, aud
buildings that formerly rented for fifteen and twenty
dollars per month now readily command fifty and
sixty. Formerly politics high among the natives
but the sChamorro or aristocratic party were most
numerous here now, however, all party lines arc
obIiterated and the Democrats, aided by the Ameri
cans, hold full sway and are likely to keep the
. government in their hands until election
takes place. and even then none can doubt what vii
be the party cast of the Legislature, or the mai1
features of the Constitution that is to be adopted
Among the native Democrats are many men of great
power and influence, and of splendid talents, all
which they bring to bear upon ''the masses,
Gas We say at home) without let OF hndlance from
the army or serveists giving to their ideas and prin
cples full sway and resting upon the stern nbendns
support of Walker and the Americans, they will ente
upon system with everything in their favor tina
they could wish to enable them to succeed.
They have stern, apt teachers in the science of sell
government, men who will neither permit nor commi
> tomfooery senseless parade and display, and VIII
will deal with trcachery treachery should be deal
Il WITH and with disorder as disorder should he pun
: ished.
A portion Of Granada to the southeast was sue
Il denly buried under stream of lava that was throw
+ up by mountain that stands but short distance
u to the southwest. This mountain all at once opene
its volcanic fires, and during earthquake that shoe
= down and buried many cities in Central Americs
u it poured forth stream of fire that desoatcd city
Il country for miles around.
y The mountain has never smoked since, and ma
II not again for ages. From its summit one can sc
u over eXpanse of territory that for grand and 81
blime scenery cannot be eXcellcd in the world. tt
mountains and gold regions of blanche, in Hondura
one hundred and fifty miles to the northeast, the e.
&c tire department of Chontales hill, valley, river an
Il hamlet and towards the west, in clear day, yc
&c can see the Pacific like line of silver just di
n ping the horizon It's worth voyage round the wor
y 10 enoy.one clear days sight from the lofty SUNNI
of Omatepcc. The government is busy with necdt
T. improvements in and around Granada. A wharf f
or vessels of deep draft is being built out into the lax
and the grounds between the latter and the city