CHAIN BRIDGE OVER THE POTOMAC. same little bird-the result of sleepless nights from In this number of the Family Magazine we pre-over-eaten suppers and dread of being sent no more sent to our readers a view of the Chain Bridge over to this its chosen rendezvous? Our aldermen and men the Potomac river, two miles above Georgetown, in of council should look well to this and in their sage the District of Columbia. At some future period it resolves forget not the presiding genius of their city. may be within our power to present other views They should look more jealously upon the long guns along this noble river with those of others remarka- that infest our river, for as surely as the canvass-back ble for their historical association or picturesque is driven from us, as surely will the "voice of the beauties; and though we claim not to vie with works people" be heard no longer here; the high places of of delicately-finished engravings on metal, yet do we Washington become desolate, and the mighty swarms claim to tell a true story in a plain way, and to send of great men, with bag and baggage, will settle on forth throughout our land information from pencil as some other spot and build another capitol, 'over the well as pen, fitted for parlour and cottage. In anhills and far away,' swer to a request for an illustration for our picture a correspondent writes: "You asked me to tell you something about the Potomac. When you contemplate publishing an octavo on the subject, let me know it a year or two in advance, and I will be prepared to comply with your request; only call in a friend at my elbow to help us out occasionally with a pictorial illustration and we will make a book of it. "Old Patawomeck, as they called it in the days of the illustrious Captain John, (and shame on us that it is not called so now,) after a long and broken course, flowing through one of the mildest and most beautiful countries in the world, from its source near the Back Bone, a spur of the Alleganies, and receiving the contributions of the Shanandoah and many other mountain streams, meets the tide water at the Little Falls, near the Chain Bridge above Georgetown, about three hundred miles from the Atlantic.-From thence it soon swells into a broad expanse of water navigable for the largest vessels of commerce. Within the view embraced by your picture, is the spot where, in June 1608, Captain Smith, with an exploring party from Jamestown, landed. Two hundred and thirty years ago, a group of Englishmen may have filled the place where now stands the city sportsman; there are the same mighty rocks, growing in some places above the grownd as high as the shrubby trees, and divers other solid quarries of divers tinctures; and divers places where the waters had falne from the high mountaines they had left, a spägled skurfe, that made many bare places seem as guilded."* Ill-starred Captain John! had it been thy fortune to have explored this noble river at another season-hadst thine host at Nameraughquend but placed before thee that mystery of its waters, a canvass-back, or even his cousin-german a red neck, thou wouldst have sworn allegiance to its shores forever and Jamestown had been abandoned, surely. On the hill of our Capitol might have waved the standard of King James, and who can tell but that thy coming hither in June instead of November may not have changed the destiny of a mighty nation? and who can tell how many a long speech that same nation has now to pay for and charge to account of that • Captain Smith's History of Virginia. "The view itself tells you that the bridge thrown over the river at the point of Little Falls, is a picturesque object. About ten miles above it are the Great Falls, where the vast volume of the Potomac, narrowing its channel to about one hundred yards wide, pitches perpendicularly thirty or forty feet into a hollow rock, then dashing through rocks it sweeps along for three or four miles, and again glides smoothly on its course until it reaches the rapids or little falls, where it has a gradual descent of about thirty-five or forty feet to tide water. "In the spring, when the ice that has accumulated in the river during the winter, becomes dammed up at this point, with an immense quantity of drift timber that it has torn from the banks, one of the most exciting scenes is presented that can be imagined. At once the whole gives away with a tremendous crash and the waters rush on and sweep everything in their course. More than one bridge has been thus carried away, and the fact will account for the peculiar construction of that in your picture." MEXICO. THIS vast country, stretching along the Pacific ocean from the great Oregon Territory on the north, to the arid plains of Yucatan on the south, has received but little attention from either the historian, the antiquarian, or the polished writer of fiction. The monuments of antiquity strewn over its rich and uncultivated soil, exhibiting the evidence of a revolutionized empire, elicit from the traveller the reflection of Volney when viewing the ruins of Palmyra, "here once stood an opulent city, here was the seat of a powerful empire." For the historian and antiquarian it affords a rich field for research; and to the caterer of fiction for the publick taste, it is a deep fountain from whence his imagination may make copious draughts.* We peruse with intense interest the accounts of Belzoni, Buckingham, Stephens, and others, of their researches and observations among the ruins of Baalbec, Heliopolis, Petrea and ancient Thebes, and marvel at their relations of sphynxes, propylons, * See "Calavar, or the Knight of the Conquest," by Dr. Bird. 196 and catacombs, with their mysterious hieroglyphicks | acquainted with the manner of fusing metals, and the and shrouded dead; and wonder as we read of the skill of the lapidary in cutting the hardest stones. pyramids, obelisks, and splendid mausoleums of ancient days. But upon our own continent, and within a few weeks' travel of our hearths, we can view the ruins of ancient cities, gaze upon mighty pyramids whose origin is obscure as those of Egypt, and look upon hieroglyphicks veiled in as deep mystery as those upon the gates of Luxor. Painting and architecture were cultivated among them; and the Teocallii, which were the archives of state, contained manuscripts when discovered by the Spaniards, which, had it not been for the folly of the superstitious monks in burning them, might have afforded a vast deal of valuable historical knowledge. They were acquainted with the constituent principles The shores of Mexico are low, but the country of Astronomy, and had a more perfect solar year, gradually rises toward the interiour, to an elevation than either the Greeks or Romans. The evident of seven or eight thousand feet above the level of efficiency of their government proves that they had the sea, where it spreads into extensive plateaus descended from a people, once comparatively refined called table lands. Upon one of these vast plains, in their social relations, but whence their origin is about midway the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific hidden in the occult repositories of doubt and conjecocean, stands the ancient city of Tenochtitlan or Mexico, "which," Humboldt observes, "is one of the finest cities built by Europeans in either hemisphere." When first discovered by the Spaniards, Montezuma was emperour, and civilization had attained to great maturity, but Paganism, with all its moral darkness, overshadowed them, and their numerous temples dedicated to the sun, were bathed in human blood. The interiour of the country was governed by a race of pontiff kings called Zaques and a little to the southward, the children of the Sun reigned over the dense multitude of aborigines that peopled the fertile valleys. ture. They called their native country by the various names of Huehuetlapallan, Tollan, and Atzlan, but these bear no analogy to any country of the Old World. Malte-Brun remarks that when we compare the monuments which an unknown people left in Siberia, with those that are met with in Mexico, and place in juxtaposition the epoch of the great revolutions of Asia, when the Hionux or Huns first commenced their movements, with that of the first appearance of the Toltecs in Mexico, we are struck with the analogy, and the plausible probability that they were a highly civilized people, who fled from the banks of the Irtish or the Baikal, to avoid being brought under the yoke of the savage hordes who came from the central plateaus of Asia. The traveller here meets with the ruins of temples and palaces, of baths and places for publick amusements, exhibiting in their ruined state traces of architectural beauty that leads the mind into a train of Some theorist have conjectured that they are deinteresting conjecture as by whom, and at what time scended from the ancient Egyptians," the Indotheir construction was performed. Among these Chinese, or from the dispersed tribes of Judah, who, various monuments, the Teocallii of the Mexicans it is recorded in Scripture, "journeyed eastward." hold the first rank as instrumental in pointing out to Others suppose that their progenitors were a colony the researcher many historical events connected with from ancient Carthage, driven out to sea in a storm, their location. They are pyramids, surmounted by and thrown upon the American coast; and others temples for sacrifice, constructed of materials similar have believed that their origin may be found among to that used in rearing the tower of Babylon; and the Celtic nations of Europe, and derived from the their sides, sprinkled with hieroglyphick inscriptions, same stock with the Cyclops, that semi-fabulous race exactly correspond, like those of Egypt, with the who built Mycena in Greece, and excavated the four cardinal points of the compass. The places of granite to form the temple caves of Elephanta near sacrifice resemble in style the temple of worship Hindostan. Horn, a writer of much ingenuity, but among the Burmese called Sho-Dagon. ardent imagination, gravely asserts that Facfour, a king of southern China, fled hither by the way of Bherings straits, with hundreds of thousands of his people, to escape the yoke of the Great Mogul Kublai Khan. By tradition and hieroglyphick painting, the history of several tribes who have visited this country in their migrations southward, is traced to a period much anterior to the discovery of America by Columbus. The Toltecs, who seem to have been the Mexico was long known by the name of New most civilized of all the tribes, first appeared in Mex- Spain, although this term extended only to the provico in the year 648; the Chichimecs in 1170; the ince of Yucatan in 1578, where the beauty of the Nauhaltecs in 1178; and the Aztecs* in 1196. edifices and the cultivation of the fields excited the Each of these tribes migrated southward, and togeth-admiration of the followers of Grizalva. In 1519, er subsequently populated the whole vast peninsula of South America. The Toltecs were agriculturists, and cultivated Indian corn and cotton-were It is supposed by some that the Aztecs were they who once inhabited the ancient city Atzlan, recently discovered in the great valley of Missouri. * I observed in a southern paper a few days since, a statement that in making an excavation in the interiour of Mexico, a large catacomb was found in which thousands of mummies were deposited, exhibiting the same appearance of embalming and cerements, as the mummies of Thebes. If this be true, then the conjecture that the Toltecs were descendants of the Egyptians, bears an aspect of great probability. 1 This country is perhaps the richest on the face of the globe, and an old Spanish writer gravely asserted, that every stone in Texas contains silver. The abundance of the precious metals was much exaggerated, but the soil is rich beyond description, and upon the rolling prairies of the interiour, which are at a great elevation, may be enjoyed the finest climate in the world. The mountains consist principally of granite and porphyry, and the natural formations of many of the latter, appear like the work of art, representing ruined walls with bastions. The basaltick rocks of La Regia exhibit prismatick columns more than nine hundred feet in height, which form the decorations of a beautiful cascade. The peak of nearly every mountain in Mexico, has a crater, from whence volcanick eruptions have taken place. In 1545, an eruption issued from the peak of Orizaba, which continued burning for more than twenty years; and in 1759, the plains of Jurillo experienced a most tremendous catastrophe. "In a single night there issued from the earth a volcano, 1494 feet in height, surrounded by more than 2000 apertures, which continue smoking to the present day."* 197 Hernando Cortez, an intrepid general and ambitious | possible to judge correctly of their intellectual acadventurer, with about one thousand armed and well-quirements? But as a proof of their great advancedisciplined soldiers, invaded the great Aztec empire, ment, a citizen of Tlascala, profiting by the aid of governed by the wise and enlightened Montezuma, the Roman alphabet, composed, amid all the din and and after a sanguinary conflict, in which thousands perils of war five large volumes upon the history of upon thousands of the unarmed Mexicans fell, he suc- his country. ceeded in overthrowing that great kingdom, and in Mexico continued a vice-royality to Spain, withfixing the standard of old Spain upon the walls of out much interruption in its government for about three Mexico or Tenochtitlan. The vast country, thus hundred years, when, in 1810, an insurrection broke brought under the dominion of Charles V. then king out, and in 1813, Mexico declared itself independent. of Spain, comprised more than 27, 000 square leagues, A constitutional government was organized upon reand a population of nearly 4,500,000. The king-publican principles, which continued till 1822, when dom of New Gallicia, which was soon after added, Iturbide usurped the civil and military power, and comprised about 14,000 square leagues, and over assumed the title of emperour, but was obliged to ab6,000,000 of inhabitants. dicate in 1824. The present republican constitution was then adopted, since which time the country has been constantly convulsed by civil dissensions, originating in the attempts of ambitious chiefs to become head of the supreme government. In 1832, Santa Anna was appointed dictator, and the whole He was looked country rejoiced at his elevation. upon as the Napoleon of the west; and, firmly seated in the executive chair, holding almost imperial sway over the fallen realms of Montezuma, and looking with an enlightened mind with proud contempt upon the priest-ridden rulers of the dependant provinces, he held an exalted station among the list of conquerors and political benefactors. With a policy supported by those salutary principles upon which our happy republick is founded, he had led on the legions of Mexico against the mercenaries of the mother country, and succeeded in breaking the bond Such which held them to the throne of Ferdinand. a glorious achievement won for him the bright laurels of a patriot, and his joyous countrymen in the plentitude of their grateful emotions, clothed him with the chief executive power, and acknowledged him as dictator of all Mexico. To the warm-hearted At the commencement of the conquest, the American he seemed like a kindred spirit with those wealthiest Indians, and those from whom a just es- who battled upon the fields of our revolutionary strugtimate of their moral character might be drawn, per-gle, and they were ready to risk their fortunes and ished victims of European avarice and ferocity. liberties to the discretion of such a ruler. Texas, Catholick fanaticism directed all its energy against the garden of Mexico, as respects richness of soil, the Aztec priests, in whose hands the historical, my- was a vast uncultivated waste, whose riches were thological, and astronomical knowledge of the Mex-buried beneath the dense forests or the wild grass icans rested, for it was they who observed the meridian shade upon the dial, and made the intercalations. The monks burnt their hicroglyphick paintings by which knowledge had been transmitted from one generation to another, and thus deprived of their only source of instruction, the people sunk into the most profound ignorance and degradation. The women who still preserved some fortune, chose rather to unite themselves to their conquerors, than live under the degradation of a subjugated and enslaved race, and hence, in a few generations, the Creoles became very numerous. Amid all this ruin of a great empire, this physical and moral slavery, how was it * M. Malte Brun, on whom we have drawn largely for facts. of the prairie, for the want of enterprise and industry to exhume them. Such a field for American enterprise, when once known, could not long remain unexplored by the adventurous sons of the west, especially when the supreme government gave such warm encouragement; and the banks of the Brassos and the Colorado were soon peopled with the industrious and hardy yeomanry of the valley of the Mississippi. Elated with the golden prospects which beamed upon their efforts, they held out every inducement to their friends to follow, and the rich wilderness of Texas was fast becoming a fruitful garden. The mud cottages of San Antonio were hastily disappearing before the steady march of improvement, and neat mansions occupying their humble stations. 198 But while all this glorious realization of the most with feelings of veneration as the model of all that sanguine dreams of the colonists was adding increas-is noble and great, we shall find but a trifling dispared strength to enterprise, the uncurbed ambition of ity, and indeed, I am not sure that the palm of supethe Mexican chief that had succumbed to the tempo- riority might not with justice be given to the ancient Montezuma worshipped idols-Cesar rary restraint of policy, began to grow eager for an Mexicans. exercise of its strength, and the patriot Santa Anna bowed to the gods of Rome, not of heaven; Montelooked with hope and expectation upon the imperial zuma governed a people where the arts and sciences purple that fell from Iturbide the usurper. By de- flourished-Cesar swayed the sceptre over a nation grees he changed his cabinet, drew tighter the reins where but a few of the pursuits of civilization were of government, abridged the suffrages of the depen- prosecuted; Montezuma bore the title of emperour dant republicks, and began the operations of a scheme by the common consent of a powerful and happy to nullify their representative prerogatives and con-people-Cesar gained the purple by bathing the solidate the legislative power into sovereign central- soil of Europe with the blood of more than a million ism. The people of Texas were the first to observe of men; and here is the enormous balance in favour B. J. L. this increasing abridgement of their liberties, for the of the good old Mexican king. other provinces were peopled with a population who had never tasted the sweets of settled and undisturbed freedom. Yet they at length saw the aggressions of their chief, and in concert with Texas asked for Santa a restraint upon the strides of his ambition. Anna saw the growing disaffection, knew there was no time to be lost, and resolved to secure the throne of Anuahac while power was yet in his hands. With the promise of aid from the other provinces, Texas unfurled her banner and declared, not hostility to the government, but allegiance to the spirit of the constitution. The chief saw his danger, the priests saw their danger, and their combined power was directed against chivalric Texas. Zacatecas, Tamaulipas, San Louis Potosi, and one or two other provinces, raised the standard of revolt; but when the anathemas of the growing tyrant went forth, "Viva los Santa Anna," rang along their lines, and the hypocritical and pusillanimous allies left Texas to stand or fall as destiny might determine. The sequel is well known. A convention was called, a provisional government formed, an army organized, and after alternate success and defeat, the struggle ended at San Jacinto; the proud chief Santa Anna was carried in chains to Galveston, and Texas declared an independent state. The present indigenous inhabitants of Mexico are, like our aborigines, grave, taciturn, and melancholy; dealing in mysteries, and yet, although degraded, assume a haughtiness which the remembrance of former grandeur inspires. They are obstinately attached to their religion and customs, and resist every attempt at innovation. Notwithstanding the burden of three centuries of the worst of despotism has borne down upon them, yet the same gods which they worshipped when Cortez trode the streets of Tenochtitlan, are still seen wherever they are permitted to rear an altar for native worship. They likewise retain the same taste for flowers, and every native in the market, who sells fish, vegetables, &c., is always seen entrenched behind festoons of the richest verdure, arranged in a style indicative of the most refined elegance of taste. In a word, if we compare their religion, their ancient government, their undoubted civilization and scientifick knowledge, with that of the Romans upon whom we are prone to look NATURAL HISTORY. THE WREN. THE characters and manners, as well as the form of the crestless wrens, are so far like those of the crested ones, that there does not appear to be much chance of errour in applying the same common name to them; but they, at the same time, differ so much that they cannot with propriety be considered as species of the same genus. In some respects the crestless wrens resemble the robins more than they do any others of the family; but they still differ considerably from them. The bill is much more slender, awlshaped, and a little bent in its whole length: the body is even more short and compact than that of the redbreast. The habits are nearly the same, only the wren is a more hiding bird, which has occasioned the name Troglodytes, or a dweller in holes. There are many birds that have been called wrens, which are not true wrens in either their characters or their habits; and so we shall confine our notice to one or genus. two species which properly belong to the They are birds of the cold and temperate parts of the northern hemisphere. The common wren has been called Europeus, but not very properly, for it is equally abundant in the north of Asia, and also, though perhaps with some difference of appearance, (which is usual among similar birds in the two continents,) in the more northerly parts of America. In the middle states it is called the "winter" wren, to distinguish it from another species which comes from the south in spring, as this one does from the north in autumn, and is on that account called the "summer" wren. On the eastern continent it is also known most familiarly as a winter bird, but it is not so migratory as it is in America, and in Britain it, perhaps, seldom migrates farther than between the house and the nearest grove. As a household bird in the cold season, its history is closely connected with that of the redbreast, and popular story has placed the two in the relation of and wife, "Kitty Wren" being the spouse of red-breasted" Robin." Of course, the paucity of the supposed wives did not occur to the rusticks; but if their theory had been true, the robins would have deserved the epithet Celebs far more than the chaffinch, for there are usually fifty robins seen for one wren, and thus the former, did they depend on the man |