The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1859-04-13
WHOLE NO. 13O.

OUT to which driver agreed, but we poor
masculines not only had to walk on. but for
about one and half miles took turns in
working passage by helping Jehu whip his
team through the worst places. Although
these bottom lands, the road is as bad as
the WORST ever saw in the North West ;
in going to Austin, l walked about IA of
the way. Over the Brazos and Mill Greek
bottoms, horses can scarcely get through
with the empty mud wagon.
Chapel Hill, Brenham and Rountop are
small villages, but cor.ing right from the
Mushroom cities and towns of the North
West, everything looked to me as lacking
vitality; the latter place has many German
settlers, and their gardens and houses look
ed neat and inviting. At the house of the
| post master, saw fine assortment of
cacti q think that is tile plural of cactus p
peach trees in bloom, bush and climbing
roses in flower. La Grange, on the Colora-
do River, is a pleasant village of about 900
| inhabitants; in the centre of the main
plaza (or public square, stands the court
| house, substantial stone building; facing
| the square on all sides arc the stores. hotels,
&c. 1t lays well, has good country
around it, and almost anywhere else would
grow, but has not progressed any, I was
told, for several years. Bastrop, the next
| village, looked more thriving, more paint
and whitewash; there is fine Military
| school at this place. spent 2 days at
| Austin, the Capitol of Texas. The State
House is plain square building, about the
size of the old Capitol at Madison: in the
main entrance is monument to the memory
| OF the heroes Of the Alamo I will give
only one inscription from the shaft as a spe-
cimen: 'Thcrmopylae had her messenger
| of defeat, but the Alamo had none" The
monument is made from the ruins of the
church of the Alamo (since repaired and now
use as government (U. s. store house
The land Office (as also the Capitol is built
of light drab limestone, (several shades
lighter than the Madison stone,) free from
grit and easily worked, (would answer a
Yankee in place of pine stick, at least I
carved up piece.) 1t is the finest building
I've seen in the State; there are some blocks
of stores built of stone, which look well,
and few tasty residences. liked the ap-
pearance Of Austin as a city; in future,
plenty of room to grow, but it is not much
of business point The Smiths Hotel
est. Nicholas of Austin) is small 2 story
wooden building in front, and running back
from it are several 2 story log houses, add
cd on probably as travel increased, until the
collection of shanties have almost surround
ed the yard; 50 day, $1,000 per week, is
the programme Of charges; the table is a
little better that Mehuta and Houston and
! In the bedrooms the floors We're clean, show
| ed evidences of regular sweeping and an
| occasional scrub. liked the appearance
| of the country near Austin better than any
had seen before. Saw WEEDS in the field
II to l5 feet high; that land ought to make
things grow.
From Austin to San Antonio the country
we passed through (by day Light seemed
promising, and pretty generally settled for a
new country. We got to San Antonio $50
A. NJ. was quite sleepy and had to look
twice at the Menger House ere could be
sure was not dreaming From my pre-
vious experience was prepared TO see any
thing unpromising, but to see handsome
building Of white limestone, high ceilings
and large rooms, could hardly believe my
eyes, but was quite content to sleep on an
iron bedstead and examine by day light,
the finest hotel in Texas, costing over 500
900 and not more than half done vet; 40
more rooms will be added this summer, and
this, with large stone Livery Stable, stone
Brewery, Storehouse and Beer Saloon and
half block OF ground, are owned and kept
by a German who was few years ago a
table-waiter; this fortune was made by brew
ing Lager San Antonio has about TO-
600 inhabitants, motley collection of
Americans, Germans, Mexican, Sraniards,
trenchmen and Niggers. Lumber is worth
$50 @ 800 per thousand feet, so that YOU
see few frame buildings; those of any size
are built of stone, (white and grey limestone
is plenty about hcre) There are several
fine blocks of buildings in modern style, but
the city is mostly composed of one and two
story buildings, of rough stone or adobe,
pronounced DOLBY, sun-dried clay, in bricks
about 9NlS in fece) and one story Hack
elles; these last are cedar posts set close in
trench on end, and bound with rawhide
thongs to cross pieces, which bind them to-
gethcr, a thatched roof and stone chimney
(built outside front and back door, with
window shutters (no sash, completes the
Hackelle;a a few have chairs, but generally
one or two beds and table, are all the fur
niture. A cross and pictures of saints on
the walls, are the decorations. All that
have seen had no partitions; all in one room
which is parlor, kitchen and bedroom
They are sometimes plastered and white
washed on the outside, so as to look quite
neatly, but mostly only chinked. The dobe
or adobe houses are more pretentious and
sometimes are two story, and consist of sew
eral rooms, and as far as can see NAV be as
comfortable as stone house. Some of the
weather. citizens have fine residences, and
extensive grounds tastefully laid out, with
profusion Of shrubbery and flowers, which
remind one of the suburbs of some North
ern cities, except that the number of tropi-
cal plants, Bananas, Orange trees, Spanish
Dagger, Cactus, &C., growing exposed, de-
note freedom from the rigors of northern
winters. While visiting at Hackclle,
saw the operation Of making ''tortiers''-
corn cake; a Mexican girl knelt on the
ground, with stone, about 12x1S face, and
slightly followed probably by long use) in
front OF her, smaller stone beside her, to
grind with. (the corn had been boiled in
alkali, water.) Taking about a pint OF corn
on the large stone, she commenced crushing
it, by rocking and rubbing motion between
the stones, rubbing away until it was of the
consistency of coarse meal; in this way al
most all the Mexicans and some of the
frontier Americans prepare their bread; it is
baked before wood tire, on board OF tin,
like hoe cake.
Among the principal objects of interest to
stranger here, are the Mission buildings
The old Church of San Antonio, is kept in
repair and open for Catholic service in Span
ish every Sunday and holyday (of which
they keep great many,) the door ways and
windows are ornamented with sculpture, the
rest of the building is plastered over and
whitewashed; it accommodates but small
audience, most Of the rotunda being devot-
ed to the altars, which are covered with sill
ver-plssed and gilded ornaments, mingled
with cheap prints, coarse artificial flowers,
War dolls Ec (tha cplep1i1 ct,{uary IN