Middletown transcript., 1874-07-04
Chapultepec.

town as Guadalupe, the shrines of author
ty and of religion being each exactly three
miles off. Strange enough their city cen
tres, cathedral and palace, are on the same
square. The ride thither is over charm
ing avenue, called the Empress Road, for
long time called the road of the Mad
Woman. 1t is straight as an arrow path
| from an Aztec bow, lined with young
trees, well wet at least half its way, and
everything but safe. That you take the
risk Of Carriage riders or horsemen may
find themselves lighter of purse and heav-
ier of heart before they reach the city
streets, though they are only mile out
But morning brings no danger, or at least
fears none. A prancing horse that has
only known the saddle gayly dances with
you as his partner from the Alameda to
the gate of the grounds. There you dis
mount, if you SO desire, or pass in, and
on, and up.
The first thing that strikes you is the
woods. People have often been struck
with their substance. They are more an
cient than the palace. They are the tall,
road-limbed cedars which Yosemite de-
lights in. Some are twenty feet through
Large groves Of them lnger round the
base of the hill. Several are very large,
and one rises to the dignity Of bearing
Mentezuma's name.
Here, too, are the baths of Montezuma,
the best just outside the grounds. Much
frequented are they yet, but not by him,
unless his spirit needs ablution, as most
spirits do, at least when in the flesh The
one inside the gate is a walled hole in the
ground. 1t is close to the entrance, and
is dry. But few rods farther off, in
what was undoubtedly his park, there bub-
bles up forty feet the cearest, sweetest
pool ever saw for bathing Fifty feet
square is the bowl forty feet deep You
can see the moss and ferns growing on the
bottom, and behold the hole in the rock
whence the waters gush out. There to
plunge | found delightful after racy ride
of an hour, just as the sun was following
Chapultepec, and with only cup of coffee
between my appetite and last nights sup
per. A shallower basin, paved and walled
to suit those who cannot SWIM adjoins tho
fount, and is hardly less luxurious; while
ladies have. a suite of similar luxuries ad-
joining, all opening in ccaseless gardens
Taking this swim, we can drive through
the woods, that open in some places to
quite respectable forests. We climb up
the hill past two grim idols still remaining
hidden in the foliage, the gods of Monte
yuma. The sides are barren of all trees,
save the Peru or pepper tree, a sort of will
looking bush that grows to quite a
height and solidity at times, and grows
everywhere. The drest and hottest soils
are not too dry nor too hot for it. Red
berries hang in clusters over it, the choice
fruit of birds, though startlingly pungent
to man.
The court just below the top stops the
horses, aud a few steps land the visitor
amidst cool and shady garden, surround
ed by broad verandas, where the singing
and shining birds of the country (very diff
ferent species here, as elsewhere) shine in
their exquisite plumage, or melt in more
exquisite song. Long suits of rooms COM
mand the superb valley, its city, villages,
plains, lakes, and mountains. No such
panorama has any other palace in the
world. Windsor, the next most beauti-
ful, is tame to this Schronbrunn, Pots
dam, Fontainbleau, and all, are fat and
cheap to this rare combination. But then
one is apt to live longer in these palaces
and die more natural death, and SO i,
content with humber luxuries, From
Montezuma TO Maximillian, the occupants
of this hill palace have many of them mad'
violent exit from their treublous honors
Juarez dared not stay here after night-fal
without large bodyguard, and it is a
bandoned to occasional state breakfasts
the heart of the city being judged safe
residence.--B Bishop Gilbert Haven't in Hor
J per's Aagasine for July.