Democratic enquirer. [volume] (M'arthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1867-1873, 1868-11-05
Phe Fabulous ''SilVer Cities" of Central
America.

MIR. u. Il. Squler, IN the NOFenUel NUM-
Der of Putman's handles with much ability
the evidence of variously imperfectly ex-
plored mysteries in Central America, adding
his own personal observations to those OF
travellers like Stephens, Morelet, Count
Waldeck etc. At the close of his article
lie thus disposes of the priestly tales OF
hidden capital, lustrous with the precious
metals, which has been supposed TO exist
east OF Chiapa, in the stronghold OF the
never-conquered Lacandones;
at was in. the region of the Lacandones
that the cura of Quiche affirmed to MIR. Ste
phens he had seen from the heights of Que
saltenango, the white walls of great cities
plistening like silver in the sun. The no
tion of such living cities, rivaling Palenqut
and Mayapan, in the district referred to, Is
not peculiar to one part Of the country, bul
prevails also in Chipa in Yueatan. On tht
Sd of August, 1849, the Secretary OF State
of Chipa addressing an official letter to the
perfect of the department ofChlllon border
ing OH the district of Lacandon, stating
that he had been informed that in the vicin
ity of San Carlos Narcalan, beyond the
Sierra de la Pimienta, great city had beer
discovered, in the distance, with large edl-
fees and many cattle in its pastures; and
that although there appeared no road to 1t,
yetit was supposed that it could not be
more than two days distant. he therefore
ordered the perfect to make all possible
efforts to reach the city and report the
result to his office in San Cristobal Bul
as nothing further was ever heard OF the
discovery, it is to be presumed that the city
could not be found by the perfect.
Nor, in fact, is there any good reason
for supposing that such cities do exist.
For although the Lacandones and the It.
zaes spoke the same language with the
builders of Palanque and Copan, yet every
thing connected with their history and
character proves them to have been consid-
erably below the other families OF the same
stock in the degree of their civilization.
Whether the Tzendals, the Mayas, Clutches,
Zutugils, and Cochiquele were families of
the same origin, who had reached o higher
stage of development; or the Itzaes, Lacan-
dones, Manohes, and others, were the de-
generate ofishoots from these, may be o
question; but the presumption strongly is,
that the disruption of the ancient Toltican
Empire, OF which Palenque was probably,
at one time, the capital various fragments
were thrown off and driven by force Of cir
cumstances into remote districts, where, in
the course of time, they developed peculiar
characteristics of their own. At any rate
the earliest accounts of the Lacandones rep
resent them as arelatively barbarous If not
q nomadic race, strongly contrasting with
the more advanced and polished nations
above numerated, although, SO far as Ian
guage is concerned, betraylng an intimate
relationship with them. In Peten, the IT.
zaes build temples and other edihces, close
ly resembling those Of Yucatan, but less in
size and somewhat ruder in construction,
such as we might expect to find in weaker
efforts of colony. But in Lacandon we
have no account of such structures In the
towns reduced by the Spaniards; nor does
it appear that the temples ofits people were
more remarkable than their private houses,
or differed from them in size.
1--WE are compelled, therefore, to resign
the traditions of great cities with white
walls of stone, covered over with mysteri-
ous symbols, and with steps crowded with
the worshipers of a primitive religion to
the poet and romancer, or surrender them
as the appropriate property of enterprising
exploiters of supposititious Aztec children.
The fact of the existence Of a frontier peo-
pie, in the heart Of Cen trail Ameica, of the
same stock with its must advanced and
powerful nations, and with character,
habits. religion and government, little, il
all, changed from what they were at the
period of the discovery, is one sufficiently
interesting in itself 1t requires none o.
pomp and circumstances ofgorgeous spec
nlation to draw TO it the attention of th'
student and adventurer, who may find here
more interesting and important field o
research and investigation thsn'among thu
desert-snows and icebergs of the poles, o.
among the sable sayages of Ethiopia"
SINGULAR EFFECT OF LIGHTNING. AN &C
count of the singular effect produced b,
lightning was lately given by Gen. Morn
before the French Academy of Sciences. ii
the Department of the Yonne the Lightning
struck whole village, and set several cot
tages on fire; aud in one instance caused
most extraordinary metallnrgic phenomen
on. In the drawers of one Of the burn
cottages were some gold coins and 25-fran
pieces in silver. The electric fluid melte'
these coins in four iAgots Of most strang
appearance. The silver coins have bee
completely melted, but the gold coins, o.
though encrusted and adhering TO eac
other, have not been defaced, the efigie
on each being distinctly treaceable. Thes
ineots have been deposited at the Consei
vatore des Arts et Meters.