The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1857-01-28


R. L. GILMER,, President
N. E. WRIGHT, Clerk
The Cry OF MEx1co.-The Charleston Cou
rier has an interesting letter from correspon
dent in the city of Mexico from which we ex-
tract the following sketch of the appearance o
that city:
Mexico in its prominent aspect is striking
and attractive capital. Its architecture, parti-
cularly in its churches and public edifces, can
not fail to impress the stranger Its spacious
streets, its open piazza, fanked on one side by
the cathedral, on the other by the ample pro-
portioned palace; its charming alemeda, with
its shady avenues and winding walks, together
with its far reaching, smoothly graded paseo,
where beauty and chivalry daily meet, vieing
to excel each other in richness Of display and
genuine courtesy, are all most inviting and i'm
posing. Its thoroughfares are ever thronged
from early dawn, when crowds are seen of aged
matrons and charming senoritas vending their
way to mathis, and through the whole day
with a dense population. But it is not the bu-
sy, stirring multitude which characteristics our
Atlantic cities. There is through the mass an
absence Of busting animation, a listless inert
ness moving to and fro, seemingly without
aim or object, void at once of occupation or
amusement A passing incident, picture
shop, rapidly draws around it listless multi
tude. ltis true most of these are Indians, who
centre in the metropolis for miles around, to
traffic their little wares, and spend the hours in
sluggish inactivity.
There is, indeed, great display of wealth.
and apparently no great scarcity of the precious
metals. But in the absence of prominent re-
sources or striking indications of busy traffic.
you inquire, whence comes it? You look in
vain for those stirring marts where the mer-
camille operations of a city concentrate, and are
pursued on great and expansive scale. None
of those gigantic warehouses or merchant pal
aces which 9ou witness in our Broadways or
Chestnut streets. Few of those confusing dins
from the rumbling wheels of loaded drays, the
scIanklng noise of busy workshops, OF the hoarse
harsh whistle of the steampipe. Retail shops
scattered over the city would seem the chief
depository of traffic. And even the famous
partalls, where these are collected, and where
beauty and fashion congregate, are meagre and
insignificant by the side of our Hayne and King
Streets The capital indeed, would seem to
be the centre, not of the realization of wealth,
but rather ofits expenditure. Here would ap-
pear to be concentrated the riches acquired else
where-and the chief competition to be, in its
vain ostentation and grandeur of display. f'he
striving industry is one of dissipation, not of
acquisition The alemeda and the paseo are
the busy marts, where the only rivalry is dis
played, and its fruitful enterprises developed in
sumptuous dress, costly jewery, and expensive
equipage-and where the real struggle of life
are portrayed in earnest efforts to contend with
and Guido one another.
COLD AS A DIsINFECTING AGENT.-Much in
terest has been created at the north on the sub
ject the application of artificial frost as dis
injecting agent. 1t is a matter which partcu
larly interests us in these warm regions, where
we are subject to attacks of malignant fevers,
which, whatever be their communicabilty, dis
appear on the first hard frost. The application
of artificial frost to whole city, or any large
infected district is, of course, one of the impos-
but it is evident that, whether there is
danger, or supposed to be danger from the trans
mission of any article whatever from districts in
fected by pestlential diseases that yield to cold
weather. security can be obtained and conf
dence reestablished, wherever they can be sub
mitted to degree of cold below the freezing
point. TO cities, where commerce is much OBJ
structed by quarantine laws, the existence of a
sufficient means of applying artificial cold, is a
agent, to all vessels and cargoes,
would be of great value. Whoever believes in
the contagiousness or infectiousness Of diseases,
and the utility of quarantine as preventive,
must look upon an invention Of this nature as
a great blessing.
A machine has been invented in Ohio and is
now in operation at the iron works on Cuayaho
ga river, for producing cold by artificial means
1t is worked by steam power. A pump is put
in motion which exhausts the air out of hues
which surround cast iron freezer. Ether is
then passed through the fues. In an expert
ment of which we have seen an account, the
within the freezer was reduced to
twenty -four degrees below zero, which was the
lowest degree the barometer used would mark
The use for which the machine was intended
was the conversion Of water into ice in tropical
climates, and it was successful-blocks Of ice
being formed in the freezer, weighing thirty
pounds each.
The application Of this power as dsafect-
ing agent at the quarantine station in New York
has been advocated by persons whose knowl
edge gives weight to their opinions of its avail
ability for very useful purposes. The mode of
application is yet undetermined, and there are
obviously great difficulties to be encountered.
II is proposed in New York to have an expert
ment made up on large scale. The plan sug-
gested is to erect at Sandy Hook warehouse
of stone, which can be made alr-tight, and the
air then exhausted by means of an air pump,
worked by steam, and by means Of ether, pass
ed into the vacuum, a degree of freezing cold
produced, which will penetrate every article
therein; The same process is to be made ap
plcable to the holds Of ships, and the conclu
sion is adopted that goods and vessels can by
his means, be made as harmless, in few days, |
that they need suffer but little detention by rea-
son of supposed infection. Whether this be
practicable is question yet to be decided but
t is certainly one worth trying; and we think
he government of the United States might we'll
afford the cost Of an experiment in such a man
1er as to decide the point satisfactorily.
In every age Of the world, flowers have been
revered; but the more enlightened and refined
people are, the more attention they will pay
o the cultivation of them. They are welcome
every where; they be6t every time and place;
hey send forth their perfume to cheer the plea