State Journal & Flag, 1846-06-19

ii is u unit; cuiiiius uiiii wiiusi nit; uumi> ings and population of Mexico arc thus crowded into so small a space, and llie rems are three times as higli as in the city of Ncw'York, yet all around the city there is a vacant ground, and as dry ns the city it. self, which may he hud uhnost for the ta taking. - king. taking. 1 was riding uut with a friend one evening when he showed me n square con con| - | con| mining between live and six acres, just in the rear of the l*luza do Toros on the out outskirts, - skirts, outskirts, ol the city, and not more than hull' or three quarters of u mile from the public square, which he had just purchased for four hundred dullars. Why these lots are not improved and the city extended, 1 cannot easily comprehend. - Gen. Thompson's Re Recollections. - collections. Recollections. from llie flew York Sun. Tbc Hulls ol ibe Montezuma*. Montezuma* II. ascended the Mexican throne A. D. 1502, at tiic age of twenty three, before Mexico had been discovered by Europeans, lie died 30.It June, 1520, in the forty-second year of his age, of wounds inflicted by the Spanish discoverers whom he had invited to his royul palace. Histo Historians - rians Historians agree in udmiring It s character. On ascending the throne, not content with the spacious residence of his father, lie erec erected - ted erected another, much more magnificent, front fronting - ing fronting on the plaza mayoo ol the present city of Mexico. So vusl was this great shoe lure, that, ns uno of the historians informs us the space covered by its terraced roof | might have utl'orded ample room ter thirty ; knights to run their atourses in a regular j tournay. His father's palace, although not so high, whs so extensive that tile visitors j were loo much fatigued ,n wandering through i the apartments, ever to see the whole of it it - The - - The it - The paluces were built of red stone, or ornamented - namented ornamented with marble, the arms of the Mon Montezuma - tezuma Montezuma family (an eagle heuring a tiger in his talons) being sculptured over the main en entrance. - trance. entrance. Crystal fuuntuins, fed hy great re reservoirs - servoirs reservoirs ol the neighboring hills, played in the vast halls und gardens, anJ supplied wa water - ter water to hundreds of marble baths in the inte interior - rior interior of the palaces. - Crowds of nobles und tributary chieftain* were continually saun sauntering - tering sauntering thruugh the halls, or loitering nway their hours in attendance on the court. Rich c irvings in wood adorned the ceilings, heuu heuutiful - tiful heuutiful mats of palm leaf coveted the floors. The walls were hung with cotton richly stained, the skins of wild animals, or gorge gorgeous - ous gorgeous draperies of feather work wrought in mu itaiion of birds, in-ects and flowers, in glow, mg radiance of colors. Clouds of incence from golden censers diffused intoxicating odors through splendid apartments occupied by the nine hundred and eighty wives und live thousand slaves of Montezuma.

An Artist's Ukvknge - Tlie amusing correspondent of tlie Courier des Utas Unis ! tells the following . V --One of our most celebrated painters had made, with a view of exhibition at the Gal Gallery, - lery, Gallery, the portrait of a lady, whoso fortune had cuabledcher to occupy n very brilliant position, and who bad been, for a long time, regarded ns the most beautiful women of Paris. Unfmtunately this reputation is of such long gtundmg, that it is already on the wane. The lady in question has al already - ready already reached an age to which 110 one is : ever w-lting to acknowledge, however much j it may have been extolled by the witty pen of Balzac. The dusty files of the Civil Re Registry - gistry Registry kept the secret of her forty summers, which she concealed as well as she could, with a wonderful skill, and by her great en endeavours - deavours endeavours to be as attractive as in times past. Puris is a place of greet resources; ointments for all wounds are to be found there, as well ns udinirersol all ages. Our heroine maintained tier pretensions bravely; her vanity wus tolerated, and being desir desirous - ous desirous of giving publicity to her attractions by an exhibition ut the Louvre, she had her portrait painted. She prepared her beqt loooks for the purpose. wearing her most becoming dress, ussutning a position most favorable to her charms, seated before her toilette table, leaning negligently on tho arm of the chair, nod smiling upon her own reflection in the mirror, which of course wus to be most complimentary to her charms. Tho painter sketched a most striking likeness; in doing so be done just what lie* should not have done. A little more flattery, and a little less exactness, would have been fur more acceptable. The perfectness of the likeness made her less willing to recognize its merits. The model declared she could not see any likeness in it, and the painting wus left on the hands of the unfortunate puinter. This was u double wrong t^ our aftist. Attacked botn professionally und pecuniarily, the painter hud not sufficient resignation to enable him to look on cooly and see a por portrait - trait portrait woilli a thousand crowns left on his hunds. A wav to bo revenged, or rather to do himself jusice. presented itself lo his mind, and he set himself ut once about put; ting it in execution. A few days before the time fixed for of ofTuring - Turing ofTuring painting for the exhibition at tho Louvre, the lady who bad refused to tuk« her portiuit was informed, by some Iriend, that the rejected portrait had received sundry additions, ot a character far from complimentary. She immediately repaired to the studio of our artist. The portiait

The City of Mexico. Tho city of Mexico is a»id to be the fin fin!*t - !*t fin!*t built eily on the American continent. In some respects it certainly is so. In the rrincipal streets the houses arc all construc construct'd - t'd construct'd according to the s'rictest architectural rules. The foundations of the city were aid. and tho first buildings were erected >y Cortes, who did every tiling well which le attempted - from building houses or wri ing a couplet to conquering nr. empire. Many of the finest building* in Mexico are -till owned by his descendants. The pub pubic - ic pubic square is said to be unsurpassed by auv n tiiq world ; it contains some twelve or fifteen acres paved with stone. The ca hedral covers one entire side, the palace mother , the western side is occupied by a row ol very high nnd substantial houses, ho second stories of which project into the ilruet the widili of the pavement ; the low. -r stones are occupied by the principal re nil merchants of the city. Tho most of hose houses were Imilt by Cortes, who, with his characteristic sagacitv nnd nn ava avarice - rice avarice which equally characterized him in the atter part ol his life, selected the best pur purion - ion purion of the city for himself. 1 he President's Palace, formerly die pal palnee - nee palnee ot the viceroys, is an immense building of three stories high, about five hundred Icet in length, nnd three hundred and fifty wide ; it stands on the site of the palace of Montezuma. It is difficult to conceive ol so much stone and mortar being put to. gel her in a less tasteful and imposing shape; it lias mncli more the appearance of a cot cotton - ton cotton factory or a penitentiary than what it really is; the windows are small, and a parapet wall runs .the whole length of the building, with nothing to relieve the mono! ony ot its appearance except some Very ill illdifferent - different illdifferent ornamental Work in the centre ; there are no doors in the Ironl cither of tin second or third stories - nothing hut dispro disproportionately - portionately disproportionately small windows, and too many ol them ; ttie three doors, and there are only three in the lower story, are destitute of all architectural beauty or ornament. Only a very small part ol this palace is nppropria nppropriated - ted nppropriated to the residence of the President ; all the public officers arc here, including those of the heads of the dilfercnt departments; ministers of war, foreign relations, finance and justice, the public treasury, &c. The halls of the house of deputies and ol the

uiic iuuu 11 uin ins men, me luexicuiis opened llieir artillery and musketry (from B) upon him. On he went, until he halted pieces within one hundred yards of the muz muzzle - zle muzzle of the enemy's pieces, (at A.) and com. rnenced the action. Smith and McCall soon deployed, ami engaged the infantry. Tne fire from the Mexican guns was awful. The infantry were engaged within twenty paces ol Ridgely's Buttery, and the whole fire of their nine pieces concentrated on his battery. The first shot from the Mexican Battery knocked over one man and three liorsrs at our first piece. The enemy fired too high, ns on the day before. The 5th and 8th In Infantry - fantry Infantry soon came up, deployed as skirmish* ers, and look u hand in the game - the space separating the two lines of infantry not ex. ceeding twenty puces. Our men and offi officers - cers officers seemed particularly determined to have a close hug of the enemy, and so cool and colle-cted were all hands, that not a shut was thrown away. The command from one end of the line to the other was, not to fire until you could see the whites of their eves. At this time no adequate idea can be had of the showers of grape, canister, and round shot thut flew from the enemy's butteries - it was a perfect hail storm. Their battery, composed of nine pieces, kept up an inces incessant - sant incessant roar, whilst Ri.lgley gave it to them at the rate of four guns per minute from each piece. The cunnoniers threw off their coats ; tied their suspenders round their waists; rolled their sleeves to the shoulder, and plied the match unceasingly. For twen twenty - ty twenty minutes this battery, supported by the 5th nnd 8th, bore the concentrated fire of ihe enemy. As yet the enemy budged not one inch, but soon the entering wedge was placed ; the 5th and 8lh, under cover of our buttery, tried the effect of cold steel, and whenever a soldier missed the Mexican with his shot, ho advanced - as did the bruve Mexican - and whoever got the first stab at the other was the lucky man. A moment before this Ihe enemy pressed Ridgely's battery very hard, the infantry covering his bnttery, m deploying, got too far at times from his pieces, nnd left them exposed. I was requested by Ridgley to ride back nnd say to the General that they were pressing his pieces very hard, to send up some jnfamry. I at once did so, and met the General riding along as though no nothing - thing nothing was going on. He replied to the mes message - "Oh, - sage - "Oh, message - "Oh, never mind ! He is doing very

senate lire also in the same building, and list and least, the botanic garden. After passing through all sorts of filth and dirt on the basement story you come to a dark nar narrow - row narrow passage which conducts you to a mas massive - sive massive door, which when you have succeeded in opening, you enter an apurtment cnelo. sed with high walls on every side but open ut the top, and certainly not exceeding eigh. ty feet square, and this is the botanic gar garden - den garden of the palace of Mexico; a few shrubs and plants and the celebrated inanita tree, are ull that it contains. I have rarely in my life seen a more gluomy and desolate looking place. It is much more like a pris prison - on prison than a garden. A decrepit, palsied old man, said to he mo more than a hundred yea's old, is the superintendent of the es. tahlishmnnt ; no one could have been se selected - lected selected more in keeping with the general dilapidation und dreariness of this melan melancholy - choly melancholy affair. But the cathedria, which occupies the side of this great idol temple of Montezuma, offers n striking contrast. It is five hun hundred - dred hundred feel long hy four hundred and twenty wide. It would be superfiious to add nroth. er to the many dircriptions of this fimous building which has already been published. L ke nil the other churches in Mexico, it is built in the Gothic style. The walls, of several feet thickness -ire made of unhewn stone and lime. Upon entering it. one is apt to recall the wild fictions of the Arabian Nights ; it seoms as if the wealth of empires was collected there. The clergy in Mexico do not, for obvious reasons, desirefiliat their wealth should be known to its full extent ; they are, therefore, not disposed to give very full information upon the subject, or to exhibit the gold and silver vessels, vases, precious stones, and other forms of wealth, quite enough is exhibited to strike the behol beholder - der beholder with wonder. The first object that presents itself on entering the cathedral is the niter, near the centre id Hit building ; it is made of highly wrought und highly polished silver, and covered with a prolusion of ornaments of pure gold. Oil each side of Ibis alter runs a balustrade, enclosing a space about eighty feet wide und eighty or a hundred feet long. The balusters are about four feet high, and four inches thick' in the largest part ; the handrail from six hi eight inches wide. ITpon die top of this kill n 11 I nl lisa <1,1.1^.._ C _ . :_Li

had probably lured (hern, knowing that the Mexican would fight the harder for his din dinner. - ner. dinner. Here the struggle was short ; they captured every thing, even to Arista's pri private - vate private baggage and portfolio, thpir entire camp equipage, and three hundred fine mules. On pushed llidgely, Dutffeun, and Kerr, like lightning upon the retreating enemy. The Mexicans threw down their urms and accoutrements, even their caps for the erv was*' Saute quipeul!" After pushing them lor a mile through the chuparel, the artillery and dragoons encountered a body of lancers, about 1500 strong, drawn up in line across their path, with lances in rest ready for a charge. Ridgely und Duncan immediately hat ted anil came into battery action front ? but the sight of the dread artillery was too I much fur tbu Mexican nerve. They took to their heels and ran for n like good fellows, never druwing a rein until they brought up at the upper crossing. The pursuing pnrtv dashed on, taking the main road to Fort Browe ; but the enemy retreated by a road to ihe right, und escaped. I pursued on with Lt. Scarret If t. Capt. A maid to carry the news to Fort Bi own. But on inimerging from the chaparral, we met with a most un unwelcome - welcome unwelcome reception; lor our friends at the fort, mistukng us for rareheros, showered on us n volley of grape, which was taken up by the enemy with a round at the fort from their eighteen-pounders ; and so well directed did their fire happen to lie, that an 19-lb shot struck a stuim within eighteen inches of Capt. Arnulds horse - Lt. Scarret and mysell pushed on, and were welcomed by a hearty cheer. No sooner was the news heard, than three cheers were given by the garrison. The man in tlir white hat, who had proved tumsull a hero during ,he boinbarlment, was mount -d upon n traverse, and first quieting Ihe Iro ihled sea hy a rnag. ie wave ol that same old hat, gave ihe signal, and loud and long were the peals shouted forth hy the galla'nt nod devoted Seventh. I returned shortly to the camp and found that our Irrcps were resting immediately on the battle ground. Alas wji.it a sad picture presented itsell ; around were lying heaps of dead, dying and disnb'ed men - Ihe sigh, the "groan, the shrek of agony filled the air, whilst the eye could not rest upon a spot but it met with a head, a leg, an arm, a body cut oil" hy the waist, or the more for fortunate - tunate fortunate dead, who had reeuived their death wound from the sure rille or musket.

ui Iasi ns me mlantry closed the distance the enemy hud to move. Every regiment of infantry did its duty, iho fight fighting - ing fighting assumed the churactcr of hand to hand combat, the bayonet was crossed and the sword used. Ridgley still plied the dash ol grape and round shot with terrible effect, his Lieuts. Shover, Fremont and French, were often engaged in carrying ammunition to the guns and loading them. Just here Lt. Duncan came up with his hutlery but was unable to bring it into action lor some time, from the fact that there was no room to pluce it and open on the enemy without [endangering our own infantry in front. The enemy again wavered. Gen. Tuv. lor ordered Capt. May to churge their butte, ry, and on he started ; hut on reaching the point ol the road where he would have been discovered by the enemy, he was slopped by Ridgely, who told him that the enemy had just loaded all their pieces, and if he charged then, he would he swept awav, "Stop," snvs Ridgely, "until i draw their fire when he deliberately fired each gun ; so terrible was the effect of the grape, that the Mexicans poured their fire upon his piece, and then May charged like a bullet, drove of their cannoniers, took La Vega prisoner and retreated. Here Lt. Inge, a noble, gallant soldier, charged at tho fiend of the squadron, was killed and stripped' Lt. Suckett thun whom there is no better officer, had his horse shot under him, and was pitched head foremost into the pond, rose ugntn, covered with mud and water, and escaped. - The squadron suffered very much. I am sure Charley May feels grateful to Ridgley for his cool judgment and timely advice- Had he charged on the battery, loaded with grape as it was, I do not believe he would have saved a man. I lie Mexicans returned to their guns, and immediately the 5th infantry took the mat matter - ter matter in hand, and resolved to try the bayonet again. Or, tney went, and piece by piece fell before their determined bravery, until their entire buttery was taken. The infant infantry - ry infantry ondjiannoniers leught hand to hand be tween the wheels. Ridgely and Duncan then pushed their batteries across the ravine, and both opened on the retreating enemy, i he 5th, 8th. 3d and forth were all across, having each Jriven every thing before them Flie route commenced, the whip applied, and the battle was won again. The 5th charged cn the enemy's camp, where the savory odor of the dinner in the aci of pre' paring for a grand jubilee by the Mexicans

names til 1 aylor, McIntosh, Morns, iscolt and Duncan, I mean no reflection upon those who voted against them,they were m-n tried in many a field before, and their deeds on that day proved them equal to the best. Lt. Ridgely, who was entitled to a vote in the council, wns at the lime in attendance on the lamented Ringgold, and therefore had no voice in the matter, but ns he gallop galloped - ed galloped up to his battery on returning from his visit to the Major, some one raid ''Ridgely were you at the council?" and he replied "no, I did not know that one had been call called, - ed, called, but I hope old Zach will go ahead and bring the matter to close quarters." The command at this time was under arms and the advance sounded. The Mex Mexicans - icans Mexicans at this moment were arranged along the edge of the chaparnl in no very regular line,and so soon as we commenced our move movement - ment movement they retired into thechapural and we lost sight of them. Gen. Taylor advanced his line close up to the pond on which the Mexican left rest rested - ed rested the day before; here he hailed to organ organize - ize organize his forces for an advance, well knowing that Ihe Mexicans had merely reireuted to the Resaca de la Palma, a point evident to every one at which a desperate stand could be made. Before despatching (he advance guard a reconnoitcring party was thrown forward into the chaparal. Lt. Duncnn with his battery being thrown forward on our left, discovered a large quantity of am ammunition - munition ammunition on the field and secured it. The reconnoitring party under Capt. Ker left no bush unsearched, and discovered numer numerous - ous numerous large graves in which the Mexicans had buried their dead on the night before, but no enemy was to be seen. Gen. Taylor then gave orders to Capts. McCall, of ihe 3d Inf., and Smith, 1st Art. to select, at their option, 400 men, as an advanced guard, and to select such officers M they thought proper, from the whole command, The command could not have fallen into abler hand-i: McCall had distin distinguished - guished distinguished himself by his indefatigable oxer (ions on a scout some fane before - and Smith led the charge at the Colorado. Among ihe officers selected by them, were Lts. Dobbins and McCowan, two of ihe bes> woodsmen in Iho army, and who can hit a dollar at one hundred yards without trying very hard. Their orders were to gojorward and th«| the General would follow. The