The Nevada journal. [volume] (Nevada City, Calif.) 1851-18??, 1857-12-04
his Oldest city of the United States (St.


for three hundred years. I was struck
with its ancient and homely aspect, even
at a distance; and could not help like
ming it to pictures which had seen of
Dutch towns. Though it wanted wind
mill or two, to make the resemblance
perfect We drove into green square,
in the midst of which was monument
erected 10 commemorate the Spanish
constitution of 1912, and thence through
the narrow streets of the city to our ho-
tel.
Il have called the streets narrow. In
few places are they wide enough to al
low two carriages to pass abreast. /
was told that they were not originally
intended for carriages, and that in the
time when the town belonged to Spain.
many of them were foored with an arti-
fetal stone, composed of shells and NOR
tar, which in this climate takes and
keeps the hardness of rock, and that no
other vehicle than a hand-barrow was
allowed to pass over them. In some
places you see remnants of this ancient
pavement, but for the most part it has
been ground into dust under the wheels
of the carts and carriages, introduced by
the new inhabitants. The old houses,
built of kind of stone which is seem
inglv pure concretion of small shells,
overhang the streets with their wooden
balconies, and the gardens between the
houses are fenced on the side of the
street with high walls Of stone. Peep
ing over these walls you see branches of
the pomegranate and of the orange. tree,
now fragrant with flowers, and, rising
yet higher, the leaning boughs of the fig,
with its broad luxuriant leaves. Occa-
sionally you pass the ruins of houses
walls of stone, with arches and stairca-
ses of the same material. which once
belonged to stately dwellings,. You
meet IN the streets with men of swar'hy
compilations and foreign physiognomy,
and you hear them speaking to each
other in strange language. You are
told that these are the remains of those
who inhabited the country under the
Spanish dominion, and that the dialect
you have heard is that of the island of
Minorca.'
AHigators and Tobacco ,SDiHerS.
"The next morning, as we were
threading the narrow channels by which
the inland passage is made from St. Ma
rvs to Savannah, we saw, from time to
time, allgators basking on the banks
Some of our fellow-passengers took II
hes and shot at them as we went by
The smaller ones were often killed, the
larger generally took the rife balls up
on their impenetrable backs, and walk
| ed, apparently unhurt, into the alter.
| One of these monstrous creatures | saw
receive his deathwound, having been
fired at twice, the balls probably enter
ing at the eyes In his agony he dash
ed swiftly through the water for a little
distance, and turning, rushed with equal
rapidity in the opposite direction, the
strokes of his strong arms throwing half
his length above the surface. The next
moment he had turned over and lay
lifeless, with bis great claws upward
! A sale w-comple man frem Burke
county, in Georgia, who spoke a kind
of negro dialect, was one Of the most ac-
tive in this sport, and often said to the
bystanders, Il hit the gator that time,
I did We passed where two of these
huge reptiles were lying on the bank
among the rank scdges, one OF them
with his head towards us. A rifle-ball
from the steamer struck the ground just
before his face. and he Immediately
made for the water, dragging, with his
awkward legs, a huge body of about
fifteen feet in length. A shower of
balls fell about him as he reached the
river, but he padded along with as little
apparent concern as the steamboat we
were in.
The tail of the alligator is said to be
no bad eating, and the negroes are fond
of it. | have heard, however, that the
wife of South Carolina cracker once
declared her dislike of it in the follow
ing terms:
cocoon and collards is pretty good
| fixins, but gator and turnips | can't so,
no how
"Collards, you will understand, are a
kind of cabbage. In this country, you
will often hear of long collards, a favor
lite dish of the planter.
Among the marksmen who were en-
gagged in shooting alligators, were two
or three expert chewers of the Indian
wee1-frank and careless spitters-who
had never been disciplined by the fear
of woman into any hypocritical conceal
ment of their talent, or unmanly reserve
in its exhibition. | perceived, from a
remark which one of them let fall, that
somehow they connected this accom-
plishment with high-breeding. He was
speaking of four negroes who were hang
ed in Georgia on a charge of numbering
their owner.
zone of them. said he, was limo
cent. They made no confession, but
held up their heads, chawed their to-
bacco, aud spit about like any gentle
man."
MILE RACHEL DUMB.-M'lle. Ra-
chel (says the Pays has installed her
self in the house which has heen nre-