The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-11-03
SUMMER DAYS In MEXICO.
Governments Buildings-Peculiar
of q Mexican Postoffice.
How "A Bishop Lives-The Virgins Bridge
Built by American Captives Who
Were Rewarded with Death.
Correspondence of the Indianapolis Journal.

! Correspondence of the Indianapolis Journal
MONTEREY, Oct. 25-rhe last day of our
stay in Monterey has come, and it is we'll to
spend it in seeing the few sights which yet
remain unvisited. AS this is the capital
city of Nuevo Leon, the government build
ings deserve attention.
First there is the municipal Palace, "
which stands between the Plaza de Zaragoza
and that bearing its name. 1t is a large,
/ square adobe structure, two stories high,
plastered inside with dazzlingly white
cement, and with nothing particularly
palaual about it that we can discover.
A series OF arches form a
wide corridor all around it,
under the shades of which market women
spread their wares upon the ground and
squat beside them and policeman lounge,
with their rusty sabers dangling at their
heels. Inside are police headquarters, SUI
preme court room, the hall in which the
| State Legislature holds its sessions, and va
rious other apartments and offices devoted
| to different branches of the government.
| The Governors mansion, fronting the Plaza
de Zaragoza on the south, is another adobe
the rare luxury OF a second story.
| The pos5office on the opposite side OF the
same plaza is an institution of the most ag-
gravating character, conducted strictly on
Mexican manana tomorrow principles.
Although Monterey has now many foreign
residents there is not clerk in the Office
who understands word of any language
but Spanish or can read other than Mexican
names, As the Spanish alphabet does not
contain all the English letters-for example,
it has no W, its rs are all F's and its Is are
Y's-the mistakes that perpetually oc-
cur are enough to make an angel weep
OF course Mexican ladies never go to the
postoffice, and if an Americana" ventures to
| do so bold thing perhaps she will be
| waited upon in course of time, after having
been severely stared at, and all the men
about the premises have first been attended
| to. There is no drop-letter system, and no
| city delivery. If you desire to communicate
| by letter with a person in the same town, no
amount OF persuasion or postage stamps will
induce the powers that be to put your mis-
sive into his box. While postage to the
| United States, Canada and Europe is only six
| cents per half ounce, it is TWENTY-FIVE cents
! for same weight to any other part of Next
| co, if only across the line from one state to
another-and very particular they are in
Weighing to get another twenty-five cents if
| possible. Mexican postal cards are three
cents each, good for any part OF the world.
except in Mexico, but may not be sent from
| one town to another within their own
! borders. In Monterey, if you look particu-
| larly honest, they will sometimes sell you
| one or two postage stamps to carry away
| with you, but never more than two; but in
| most of the Mexican postoffices they will
not sell you any; why heaven only knows,
except that it is one of the many ''rues of
the government" The office is frequently
closed for hours at time, while the post
master and all his clerks ere enjoying long
siesta. As there is no outside box for de-
| posting letters, even if one had stamps to
! put on them, am afraid this institution is
responsible for considerable profanity, es-
pecially on the part OF those who have been
accustomed to better treatment in Los
Estados Unidos del Norte, as they insist on
calling our United States, in contradistinc-
ton to theirs del Sur (of the south(
ANOTHER MEXICAN INSTITUTION.
The casino, which is about the same thing
as an American clubhouse, is another in
stitution common to every Mexican city
In the Monterey casino, where the ''gilded
youths" squander much of their time and
money, are rooms for billiards. bar, gam
bl ing and other necessaries of life, besides
| fine, large apartments, handsomely carpeted
curtained and decorated, devoted to Terpsi-
chore Herein the gilded youth aforesaid
give monthly balls, with champagne supper
paniments, which are attended
by the beauty and fashion of the
city. A Mexican Dance especially after
champagne, is unlike any other under the
sun, as shall sometime have the pleasure of
describing to you. The Bishops residence
also fronts the Plaza de ZaragoZa, adjoining
the yellow-towered cathedral. This famous
gentleman, whose name is almost as tall as
himself, being no less than Ell Yltmo Senior
Doctor Y Maestro Don Ignacio Monies de
Oca Obergon Digino Obispo del Linares-
is man of great attainments. good taste, and
refinement. He has travelled in all lands
| lived among all people, studied, thought
and written much. He IS now in the prime
of life, perhaps forty years old, and an ex
| ceptionally handsome specimen of race of
| handsome men. His family are among the
| first in the republic, and his own private
| fortune is said to foot up among the mil
! lions His house is another square, two-story
structure, built around central court. 1t is
painted outside, wallpaper pattern, in
| brown and white figures, and the inner cor
ridors are embellished by representations of
NEUROLOGICAL characters, artistic in design
and execution. 1t is unnecessary to add
that these goddeSses painted upon the walls
are the only female figures about the prem
Uses, even IN the servants quarters.
The several reception rooms are furnished
with much taste-for Mexico. One of them
has complete set of sofas and chairs made
of the polished horns of the Roman buffalo,
upholstered with their skins, the long wav-
ing hair of which white, tipped with black
is as silky and beautiful as astrakhan. The
grand salon of the library is lined on all sides.
from floor to ceiling with magnificent col
lection of books, in all languages-for Oblspo
Monies de Oca is master of many tongues and
a contributor of considerable note to French,
Spanish and Italian literature, both in poetry
and prose- For companions he has few
dyspeptic priests, his books, his crucifxes,
and two yellow-headed parrots, who squawk