New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-04-12

Ihu 10 zoe eye ot mca7'o" vi NioouhI' Oh" VI
Arnold, uho have rewritten the story Of ancient
Rons, Ss.tro,iD ing our 'choolboy illusions, and
yrovrg that Cicero and Livy did not updentand
he history Of the Roman Common wealth. Wha'
they did for Rome, Mr.. Wilson hss undertaken 70
do for M,xico-to write new history OF the Con-
Guest in spri. Of wise and truthful criticism, and
70 immediate Cort.z, Bernd Dnz and Mr. Pres
colt. upon the altar Of historical verlty. Win
sonsxhst Of previous parade, the book has hnaiiy
mace it, appearance, aud we were prepared 70
receive il with favor and to recognize every post
Ale mart. An unlucky accident however, befell
n. I, the out.et Casually opening the volume at
na,s 3s3 we were struck with the running title,
Is In, oos,ibilities in Cortez's Statements" and,
leaking into the text, found this announcement:
"Hs Cortezl reports dry stone wall, nine feet
Aish and twenty feet thick, inelosed Ttaseata from
noun.ain to mountain, a diaaaee Of sir mules,
krosgh which be entered, between overlapping
s.ooe walls" Happening TO have the dispatches
OF Cortez (sdit. 1929, We consulted them, and
fsuLd his language ~ be really the following;
"Y Ia "a ias del dichG vale, halle una gran cerca
de piedra SEGA, tan alto como estado medic, Cue
atsa verssbs TODD oil vale de Ia una sierra Ia ors
taa arcbs v.inte pies: por tods ella IN Petr
ss pie medic de sDcho, para pslear desde encima;
y no MAJ de una snusds tan anchs como diez pssos,
on esta enrads doblsbs 10 una cerca sobre Ia ora
nsners de Reben. tan estIscho como guarents pasos
De maners que Ia eptfada fuese vueltas, no
derecbss.'-lCor<z, p. B3, ed1. 1910
The subjoined 10 an accurate translation
"At the place Of crit from the valley, ia satda,
srifus egrtssts SALA, D}e. EspGgBoiI, 81 found
val Of CRY sten about feet Nigh which trsversed
The Whole valley from mountain TO mountain, twenty
feet thick and upon its whole extent breastwork
loot and half thick, 80 that they might fight from
The top Of the wall. There wss bat one entrance ten
psoes vide and at this wall encrced the
other for forty PAGES after the fashion OF araveln
30 that the entrance was cncuitous, and not direct
So that the words, enclosed Tlascala," and
ga distance Of six miles," are put by Mr.. Wilson
into Cortez's mouth, and then denounced by him
o. ''mpossibihlies. This statement put US at
ence upon our guard. We have read Mr.. Wilson's
book, consulted bis authorities. and are now ready
TO dicuss il.
HUMAN Observation-Disclosures
Human sacnfce in Mexico, Mr.. Wilson de-
louaces Gas the frst of series Of invented cru.
elites cunpingy devised to justify all the eDor-
mites committed by Cortez." p. 800. The
charge Of csnnibalism is put by him in the same
csteg CORY. p. "a Indian idolatry il also denied
D, him. p. 335. Bot the existence Of all these
customs among the American Indians, il as well es.
tAbEsAed as the torturing Of prisoners BY the Iro
quOis.
Pedro de Boulogne, writing from Mexico after
ths year 1884, when Cortsz WAS already in ire
trie able disgrace thus describes the mode of bu
nsu sacrifice:
The priests bad stone knife, as in the ancient
temples they had the knife Of circumcision. They
oolc ucted the men Victims to elevated place, and
stretched them on q broad stone; the priests came
With this kuie clesved the breast and tore ont the
heart with the blood they besmesred the altar OF the
Idol, they cut off The iset and arms Of toe victm'
and sent them 10 the principal chiefs who ate them
With respect and ioy."-( Ternou1s Voyages, VOL
X. p. 2l5
Tits 10 the general description of human sscri-
fees. 1t is confirmed BY Pedro de Gaute, natural
son Of Charles V, sfser Cortez's disgrace:
They 1.-THE ustivssl thought that every object had
q god - They sscrideed TO some Of them,
IAN an hearts, human blood qusils sparrows, incense,
paper, shrubs, spd many other maier'a oeject. ac'
to the different rulss followed in the sacrifices,
and according 10 the class Of the Paris Edi'
iron, y. 1851
This prepares US for various forms of idolatry
with human sacrifice standing at the head. Ac
cordipsly, we End human sacrifices described by
ga gentleman in the suite of Cortez," in almost
The above terms, as practiced at Mexico: (Ramu.
$40, YoyGs1, Tol. 3, pege 254): also, by Fran
cisco de Bouogne, alter 1884, paris edit, PIP.
eIi, 2i5); by Cortez, Of the Spauiards taken pris
oners BY the MeIlcsns and sacrificed during
Z" Ia noehs buie," "the doleful night" (Cort.E,
D. 49, edit. 1923, Foi,om's Cortsz, p. 29S; by
Brnd Diar, Lockharts TRANSLATION, Vol. l., PIP.
100, l26, 1ll, 239) Bensl Diaz thus describes the
immolstion Of the Spanish prisoners during the
s'doleo nights" Lockhartstrsns., Vol. H., p. 49,
Eve could plainly see how the Mexicsns
compelled their victims ID dance rouod the Idol We
saw how they stretched them out at foil length on
lake stone, ripped opened their breasts with flint
knses tore out the sptating heart, and offered II
90 their ieos; bsw they th.n seized them by the
sgs and Tires them headlong Gown the steps OF the
ten the legs arms and other parts OF the body be-
Ing cut mp ana eeyoured.
Mr.. Wilson admits this incident, even to the
rearing out Of the heart, and says: ITO this is
foonsaly ADDED, it was done in sacrifice TO their
idols, though the .zisiesee Of IadiaH idols IS still
YrObl,matieai" p. 400.
The chaplain Of Grj,lvas expedition to Yucatsn,
mace in 1918, whose account was first published at
Venice In l522-and not in lSiS, ~ Mr.. Wilson
states, p POI, in his account Of their visit to tbs
tower Of Cozumel-states that they found there
figures, idols which they sdored, bones, &c and
tAst they supposed 40 old Indian, who was burning
iscense there, was adoring his idol'. (Chaplsis's
Journal, Paris edit 1888, p. g. "Rad he kHsrn
fhs language" says MIR. Wilson, "he would probs-
bly, have understood what il really was-s cOmpI-
mentary welcome to the pale-fac On so shallow