Page:Notes of the Mexican war 1846-47-48.djvu/430

424 the fight in the valley. Their calibre is from four to sixty eight pounders, all well mounted after our model, which I suppose was taken from the two brass pieces of artillery taken or captured from our army at the battle of Buena Vista. After spending the whole forenoon, I left and paid a visit to the Mexican Museum. Here I saw a great many ancient curiosities, among which is the dress worn by Montezuma at the time of his reign. It is made of wild duck skins and ornamented with snake skins, etc. Next I viewed the great sacrificial stone altar, which was dug up in the main plaza many years ago, and I am told that on this very altar twenty thousand souls were sacrificed, sometimes in one year, to the heathen gods that bowed to stone and wood. The altar is cut and carved with many curious beasts and birds, and has a hole in it where they put the heart and blood; the work of a nation which is now nearly extinct. But there are more of these people living in and around the city of Mexico than any where between this place and Vera Cruz, who still retain their ancient Indian religion and many of their primitive customs. In the centre of the square of the museum is the statue of Charles V on a horse, cast in 1803. This is one of the seven wonders of the world; it is made of solid brass and is twenty feet high and well proportioned. The man that made this beautiful statue soon afterwards killed himself on account of (which no one would have noticed) neglecting to put the core or warts on the horse's legs. This statue is in memory of Charles V, who was King of Spain during Fernando Cortez conquering and plundering Mexico.

Friday, December 24, 1847.—This morning I paid a visit to the Second Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, also to the New York and Massachusetts Regiments. They have elegant quarters fronting on the plaza of San Angel, and also viewed the spot and tree at which the deserters were tried, flogged and branded. Col. Thomas Riley, already mentioned, was flogged and branded with the letter D; first making the mistake of branding him with the letter D upside down. So, of