The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1874-07-25

trunk, and proceeded to form procession
toward the Douana.
How We ever found all our traps at the
Custom House, never can tell, for the
crowd and hubbub was great.
AT last they were examined, and chalk.
ed all right by the officers, and thon CON-
menced another battle (fercer than ever
fernando Cortcz had with Aztec y the
land pirates all wanted to carry our effects
to our hotel. Another piece of financier.
ing resulted in bargain, with nobody
knew whom, to take the entire contract
for two dollars; and as every individual
soul Of them claimed the bargain, they al
accompanied us round the narrow corner
aud up by the handsome little Plaza, tC
the Hotel Diligencias. There being nc
carriages of any sort in Vera Cruz, VIC
marched in body to the hotel, accompa,
nying our baggage, and surrounded by
nearly all the idle scalawag population oI
the "City Of the True Cross" No end Of
NANCY looking dogs, and hungry looking
turkey-buzzards wandered and sailed about
our proc ,ssion, which finally reached the
Diligencias, where we were to pitch oul
encampment for the night. A slight skir.
mish with the pirates, who each carried
up the huge staircase of the strange old
hotel portion of our baggage, and who
each demanded two dollars for his share
of the quarter Of an hours labor, and VIC
were left in peaceful possession of oul
goods and our rooms, for they followed II:
quite into the private apartments and drove
us nearly wild with their ragged appear
ances and uproarious demands.
Vera Cruz is pretty little city, and il
it was not for its usually unhealthy climate
would be longer visited by travellers than
it is. The streets are wide and clean, al
though there are but few of them, and the
houses and Inhabitants are picturesque and
interesting. Our hotel was situated on O
beautiful plaza or square in the heart oI
the city, filed with rich green trees and
shrubs, full Of flowers, and birds enough
to literally fill the air with their sweet
songs. The night was bright moonlight
and after our excellent Spanish dinner We
gentlemen lighted our Havana cigars, and
leaned over the great balcony of our apart
ment, looking out upon the loveliest scene
imaginable. The other three sides of the
little square were formed by the most pic
turesque old Spanish churches and build
ings in Mexico. Our rooms opened ouI
of a great court which was used partly a,
dining.saloon, partly billiard-saloon, and
partly general lounging place for all the
noisy idlers in the city, so that our slum
bers were slightly disturbed but we got
along reasonably well through the night
(Mr. B. and the Colonel from theil
beds watching noisy game of ten-piI
billiards until they fell asleep, and Mrs
C and lighting mosquitoes until We
fell asleep.) The bells Of the very many
churches rang for some sort Of prayers
most all might, and when they were moi
ringing for dcvotions they were promiscu
ously striking the hours, and the quarters
and the halves, aud the three quarters, and
altogether We had very merry time of i
until morning, when the buzzards, and the
song birds, and the dogs, and tho donkey.
commenced their concert.
1t was so scorching hot in Vera Cruz
that We determined to leave Immediately
for the interior; SO, after breakfast the
next day, We formed into line of battle
again, and again escorted by all the land
pirates, dogs, donkeys, and buzsards of the
Villa >Rica del Vera Cruz (Rich City ol
the True Cross we proceeded to the rail
road depot.
TRAVEL BY RAIL.-Formcrly, up tC
within year. the only mode of travel in
this country was by diligence, mule-back,
or foot ao,o, however, there is a splendid
railroad, managed chiefly by the English
and travelling is, at present, almost a:
comfortable, and nearly as safe US in any
part Of the world. To be sure, the govern.
ment, or rather the railroad, sends an
entire car full of soldiers, armed to the
teeth, piM erery train, to protect it from
the mountain robbers; but that only makes
it lively aud interesting for the travellers
you see. Now and then train is stopped
and oftentimes band of two or three
hundred miscreants Ego through" the
passengers, taking not only their money
and yaluablcs, but nearly all their clothes
this, however, is not frequent, aud although
We had many misgivings on our journey
when We stopped at lonely spots, or had
rough looking, armed Mexicaus peering
into our car windows, We, on the whole
didn't quake much of the time. The run.
ming trip from Vera Cruz to the City Of
Mexico is only eighteen hours duration
yet the expenses of the road, the guards,
etc. are so great that the fare for each
person, with a single trunk, was twenty
one dollars gold.
The train we took was what is called a
mixed train, freight train with one pas
scngcr car attached. This We availed
ourselves of in order to see more leisurely
all the little Indian and Mexican towns
through which we passed, and at which
our "mixed train" stopped sometimes as
much as half an hour, giving us plenty Of
time to wander about the stations and see
the inhabitants, buy their odd fruits, make
sketches, and perambulate generally, which