artillery and works; and on the 22d of April, Worth and his division occupied the strong castle and town of PEROTE! Here fifty-four pieces of cannon, and mortars, (both bronze and iron,) eleven thousand cannon-balls, fourteen thousand bombs, and five hundred muskets, swelled the vast amount of the munitions of war captured from the army of Mexico!

On the 15th of May, General Worth, after encountering but little resistance, entered the ancient city of Puebla. Thus, in a campaign which extended only from the 12th of March to the 15th of May, the city of Vera Cruz had been besieged and taken, the famed castle of San Juan d'Ulloa had fallen, the battle of Cerro Gordo was fought and won, the city of Jalapa taken, the castle and town of Perote captured, and the fine city of Puebla occu pied! Ten thousand men made prisoners of war, seven hundred splendid cannon, ten thousand stand of arms, thirty thousand shells and shot, were the spoils of the triumphant victories which had attended the American army, in a campaign of only two months! History has few parallels for such rapid and such brilliant achievements! But a few months before, an unguarded expression had made WINFIELD SCOTT the mark of a ribald ridicule ! Now, the government journal pronounces his campaign the rival of European splendor in war, eloquence is fervid in its declamatory praises, and the more just and grateful sentiment of the people renders back to the commander at Cerro Gordo, the admiration so gloriously won on the memorable plains of Niagara !

CHAPTER X.

Entrance of the American Army into Puebla.-Mexican Account.-— American Officers.-Conduct of the Army.-Situation of Puebla.— Character of the Country.-The ancient Cholula.-Strength of the Army. Scott's Proclamation.-Humanity of the Army.-Mission of Trist.-Reasons for remaining in Puebla.-Drilling of the Army.— Raising new Regiments.-New Volunteers.-Attack on the Train of M'Intosh.-Advance of Pierce.-Concentration of the Army.

In a morning of the beautiful month of May, and within the tropical zone, the American army of the north entered the "City of the Angels ;" in the Spanish tongue, Puebla de los Angelos. They came with the renown, sounding far in advance, of San Juan de Ulloa captured, and the heights of Cerro Gordo victoriously stormed. They had landed on the shores of the Mexican Gulf, intrenched themselves in the wind-driven sands, battered the defences of Vera Cruz, received the surrender of the castle, and marched two hundred miles into the land of the Spanish-Aztec Americans. The National Bridge had been passed, Jalapa had surrendered, Perote made no resistance, and now the bold invaders of Mexico approached a city surrounded by the monuments of ancient civilization, and deemed fit, in the warm imagination of southern climes, for celestial residents. It was natural that such an army, the heralds too of a new and ex traordinary republic, should be received by the inhabitants with mingled feelings of fear, surprise, and curiosity.

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Accordingly, the citizens of Puebla crowded the street and filled the balconies on the line with spectators. Near noon the division of Worth entered the city, the artillery and infantry forming in the square, and the train of wagons extending from the street of Mercadores to the bridge of Nocte Buena. The troops were fatigued with their march, and needed both rest and refreshment. This weary aspect, the fact that many of them had been ill, the common gray undress uniform, and the plain truth that they were neither giants nor centaurs, disappointed the vivid imaginations of the Mexicans of Puebla, who had supposed that the conquerors of Cerro Gordo were something marvellous in appearance or superhuman in power. The spectators turned from the scene with surprise, and asked themselves, How have these men become the conquerors of Mexico?

One of the most intelligent of the Mexican citizens, writing from Puebla two days after the entrance of the American army, thus expresses his disappointment at the appearance of that army, and endeavors to solve the problem proposed by its achievements:

"Nor does their armament seem to me any thing extraordinary. In a word, except the draught-horses, which are very good, I assure you, without exaggeration, that these men bring nothing that we have not seen a thousand times. Even the immense number of their wagons is not a proof of large stores. The wagons are all empty, and I understood their principal use to be for the transport of troops. How, then, have they done what they

Letter from a native of Puebla, dated May 16th, and published in the London Times.

have? How have they continually beaten our army, which not only surpasses them in appearance-for that is unquestionable-but in my opinion has real and positive advantages over them? Every one asks this question, to which there is but one reply. Their leaders, and particularly the colonels of regiments, are old gray-haired men. Their gray hairs explain the phenomenon. This makes me still rely on our soldiers, and gives me for the future some hopes, which we require more than ever.”1

This solution of the problem was at least partially correct. The officers of the American army have experience, skill, and science. Many of them served in the campaigns of 1813, 1814, and 1815, against the veteran soldiers of Great Britain; many of them were bred at the military school at West Point-the equal, and in some things the superior, of any school of military instruction in the world. All of them have been accustomed to the discipline of their profession, and are perfectly acquainted with the superior energies which the republican habits and intellectual vivacity of their countrymen have developed in war. The army of the United States is not intrusted to weak or ill-instructed hands; but to officers skilled in the science and experience of the duties of the military art a fact as honorable to the legislative sagacity of the republic, as its achievements in arms have proved illustrious in history.

The soldiers piled their arms in the public square, and although surrounded by thousands of a hostile population, lay down to sleep, in perfect confidence that the enemy could not and dare not disturb them. No higher

1 Letter of the native of Puebla.

DESCRIPTION OF PUEBLA.

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evidence could be given of that sense of absolute superiority and of resistless energy, which is uniformly felt by American troops-the sense that they are predestined to victory, no matter by whom, in what numbers, or in what manner opposed. On the following day they took possession of the hills of Loreto and Guadaloupe, and artillery was sent to the hill of San Juan. General Worth paid the compliment of a visit to the Bishop of Puebla, and the bishop, in returning it, was received at the quarters of Worth with the honors paid to a general. Affably and respectfully did the American officers mingle with the people; and for a time the stern countenance of war seemed to be lighted up with the smiles of beneficence, and its fearful strifes deferred to a peaceful harmony.

The city of PUEBLA is situated on that vast plain which, in its height above the sea and the character of its productions, is the most singular portion of the earth.

This plain is seven thousand feet high, and although wholly within the torrid zone, is called the tierras frias, or the cold grounds. The climate of a country depends as much upon altitude as latitude, and hence these lofty plains are called cold, and really produce the grains and fruits of the most temperate climes.1 Wheat of the finest quality, our Indian corn, barley, and fruits peculiar to this region, constitute the staple productions and elementary food of the inhabitants. Within this tropical but really temperate zone of lofty plains, and encircled by the sublime range of the Cordilleras, lies the province of Puebla. Its soil is scattered over with and partly composed of

S

'Humboldt's Travels in New Spain.