St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1884-11-15
Monterey.

Monterey, the capital or Nuevo I-eon'
and metropolis of northern Mexico, IS
pictures ,uely situated in sort OF am
phithealrc among the mountains. their
huge. rugged forms towering over 1t In
every direction save the north, where
the valley widens out into the great
plains living blue and purple in the dis
tauce. Along the southern vista, be-
yond the green valley of the arroyo,
and the gentle foothills crowned with
white lowered chapels and suburban
villas, extends the main range OF the
Sierra, here hanked on either side by
the bold. detached peaks of La Mitra
and Silla (the Mitre and Saddle,) both
most appropriately named. as is made
evident at glance. The Sierra proper
lifts itself in three distinct chains, one
serrated line above another, until they
fairly seem to lean against the sky.
with the summer clouds drifting lazily
below. Especially is this true of an
early morning, when the rising mists
of the valley unite with them in pro-
ducing the fairy-like landscapes above
the clouds that form one of the chief
charms of Alpine scenery. In gazing
down any OF the narrow streets, and
indeed in every view of Monterey, this
rugged background is ever before the
ewes, distance being almost annihilated
by the rareiied atmosphere of the noun
tains.
To the newcomer, especially if escap-
ing from the rigors of Northern
winter, the first night in Monterey
offers scene of enchantment. The
narrow streets, with their dead-walls of
massive masonry, fiat rooted. para
peted houses, with balconies and
windows barred with iron gratings; the
slouching groups of loungers at the
street corners, wrapped to their ewes in
gaudy Serape, and shaded Dy sombreros
| of immense dimensions-all have de-
lightfully foreign look. Even the ex-
ecr:.ble pavements over which he is tor
tured in decrepit old hack propelled
by two deplorable specimens of horse
flesh, compared with which Don
Quixote's RozinaEte was noble steed,
are pronounced unique, as they un-
doubtedly are. But when the hotel is
reached and the traveller ushered into the
cool, shaded corridors of the ..1tIrbide'
or Monterey" with its Moorish arched
colonnades and courtyard filled with
tropic shrubbery-well, then his i'm
pressions of Monterey are, perhaps, 8
little more rose-coiored than they may
be a day or two later. when the novelty
has little worn away. We might
almost say, ian hour or two later" for
one of these hostelries is located in the
convent of the CapuchinoS. and. how
ever romantic the situation, the bare
stone cells, cement-lloored and window
less, afford but sorry guest chambers.
buried in their depths, a lamp is neces,
sary even at midday; however, as the
artist observed. they are just the thing
for convention of photographers,
where each would have his own ''dark
room" without extra trouble or ex-
pense.
Brought by the new railroad within
few hours travel of the United
States, Monterey is yet essentially as
strange and foreign to American eyes
as ii the broad Atlantic rolled between,
and it were in the heart of Andalusian
Spain. Not only are the scenery, arch.
itecture. language, very picturesque,
but the varied dress and customs of the
people, as .xempliiied in the daily pan
Drama of street life, are even more so,
and are a constant source of interest tc
the new conner. The bells of the nu-
merous churches still keepup their con.
tiHHal iangle thrnnghnnt the day: bul
the shovel-hatted padres and Othel
ensigned members of priesthood wht
formerly constituted the most pictur
esuue figure of Mexican street life
have disappeared before the laws o
reform, together with the contents an,
monasteries that gave them shelter
While the Church has thus gone to de
cav, the State is iiourishing at its ex
pense, for soldiers are to be met will
everywhere, and uniforms are as com
mon as in the strongest garrisonet
towns on the Continent. Hardly to b.
distinguished from the regular troop
are the city police; clothed in sort o
undress uniform, and little brief au
thority, armed with rusty old TOLEDO
. in lieu of the regulation locust club, the,
are veritable terror to evil-doers, and
in truth, a most formidable body Q
men. To them it is due that Montere
, is to day the most quiet and orderly
. cities: indeed, more so than most town
of its size in the United States. The
there are the cargadores, or porters
who, numbered and licensed like drays
of which they are the only substitute
may be seen bending under the mos
tremendous burdens. Provided wit
only straw pad to protect the heat
they will move piano-fortes and othe
!. heavy articles of furniture from one en-
of the town to the other, and this wit
apparent ease, and for the most triflin
compensation. Another interestin
character is the serene. or night watch
J. man, who is always going about with
9 lantern, though. unlike his famous pr
: decessor. looking for dishonest maj
0 In storm or calm, throughout the Ion
. watches of the night, his shrill volt
. may be heard calling off the hours wit
0 the monotonous concluding formula
Q .y todo es Jueno'' (and all is we'll
i custom brought down through force
S tradition from the old Moorish times
y Spain, when every city was an arme
Il fortress. and its inhabitants lived
e constant dread of being surprised
. the turbaned moslem.-Frank
8 Brovn. in Harper's Magazine.
|. The Mississippi Valley produc
d lS5. 600 tons of cotton-seed, one-four
q of which is marketed in Memphis, mu'