The national Republican., 1861-09-07
THE CATHEDRAL OF LEON.

Our Minister to Leon, Mr. Dickinson, writes
as follows to the Albany Journal:
Leon, the largest city of this republic, is
situated on one of the best agricultural plains
on the face of the earth; that is, where man
can live the most comfortably with the least
labor. 1t commands one Of the finest views in
the world from the top Of its magnificent cathe
dral, which covers an area of about 400 feet in
length by 200 in breadth, aud is undoubtedly
the best constructed building in Central or
South America. Its beauty consists in its sim
plicity Of design, Its exact proportion, and its
perfect adaptation to the object for which 1t was
built. All that Mr.. Squier says of its magnif
cence and grandeur is true; but he does the
projectors and builders great injustice in stating
that 1T is constructed of cut stone.' We're
to speak Of what 1t Is constructed, should say
cement. The front walls, outside columns, and
arches over doors and windows, as well as the
massive columns and arches which support the
hundreds of tons of roofing, domes, and steeples
and, indeed the entire structure with some
slight exceptions-are composed Of brick aud
cement. The whole surface is covered by &C.
meut, which remains as firm and almost as per-
feet as 1t was the day the building was finished
Wherever the brick and small irregular surface,
stone which compose part OF the edifce, are
exposed to the weather, they are worn and
creased by the storms Of ages, while the cement
which holds them together projects out beyond
the brick and stone, and continues harder and
more perfect than the solid rock. The roof is
composed of cement, brick, and the common
surface stone OF the country, which are as ILL
shaped as they well could be; and the whole
is the grandest specimen extant Of architec,u
raj design nd mechanical skill. When we
consider the frequent earthquakes and the
heavy cannonading it has long withstood; that
,n1 hnll th1ir cinn
fortress, with its roof covered with men and
canr ons-that it has not even escaped the thun-
der bolts of heaven and that through all these
combined elements OF destruction it has passed
unscathed, except the numerous marks Of can
non and musket balls, the loss Of one of its
steeple caps, and a thin, crooked seam traced
down the steeplc by the Lightning, we get some
idea of the great strength and wonderful tenac
ty Of this cement
1.-THE casual observer might come to the con-
clusion that the building was constructed of
cut stone, unless, by careful examination oil
the soil and rock formation of the surrounding
country he should find thatno such stoaes were
to be found in The vicinity of Leon; and then
he would be very likely to return and look
again before he finally concluded that the stone
for such an immense pile was imported from
abroad with the imperfect facilities Of trans
portation which exist or have heretofore exist
ed in this country. 1t is easy an task to con-
struct temple when you have all the materials
at hand to build with but quite different
thing to make such materials as will fuSe and
solidify into one impenerable mass of masonry
that will stand the test Of ages. The art of
making this cement is supposed to be lost as
no modern buildings appear to possess its
strength and durability, and 10 person OF the
present day is able$o tell precisely how it was
made. The walls and arches Of some Of the
old ruins of South America show that while
the brick and stone are mouldering to dust,
the cement remains as firm and perfect as the
day it was made. Whether it will stand our
Northern trOsts, am not prepared to say.
shall at least test it, and try hard to discover
the secret Of its composition"