Show r t editorials 5 1 I MEMOIRS OP OF U S GRANT rin tin ak I 1 I 1 personal memoirs of U S rant gra raut t 11 is ls likely to have a very extensive at pj nr sale saie ale aie being ing in the strictest sense iau ladonal a lla lia us lau lonal onal work havin having a national CIL character A ater dier for its central figure it obeis opens with an account of the author anci ancestry stry and follows with a narrative 0 f 1 his ahls h if life f from rom his birth almost to the cl closing ing scene of his remarkable career the advance sheets the charac tefol ea te lol loh iol the work throughout hout can be estimated I 1 t alm diw ti mated maled ed it Is A plain unvarnished tain of a life ot of great interest the absence of high literary finish in the tha narrative does not cause a tile the story but otherwise the 1 simplicity ot of diction inspires all ail the more confidence in the strict veracity of althe matter whose vl vigor is in creased rather than dimin diminished bor gor s e d by the appearance of no effort at adornment ta irhe ih e fact that the work was written atter after the general was seized with his lasto illness and produced by him while tho iho was fighting his last battle under the conviction that he was soon to to the common enemy lends ethni it sim sam addition additional il interest it was in tended by him to be a legacy to those whom whom he should leave behind as a means of material support ane ahrne san francisco chronicle tells flow subscriptions can be given to authorized thorl zed agents for the memoirs so the family of general grant wil surely derive a benefit g the only authorized agents on this coast for the personal memoirs of U k g S gr grant are J dewing co of tish rish street this city they have sent out an army of agents each of whom ils lis is provided with a pros prospectus ectus giving sample pages of the boze book with illustrations arat trat ions lons and different styles of bind anz inar each is also furnished with a contract book in which the subscriber binds himself to pay a certain sum to LT inn dewing co on the delivery of bach gach each volume no agent can solicit subscriptions for the genuine work wha does not possess a book of these biank blank contracts bearing the name of dewin newin mowing lowing co and if any one who has bribed for the work receives it from any other firm than the one named he may know that thal there is something 4 spurious about it mr dewing says that the work of canvassing is going on rapidly many agents report that ati they bey key secured twenty subscribers on the first day and that the demand lor the work exceeded their most sanguine expectations tat ions in fact the great sale of blaines history will be surpassed by this work of grant the first volume will v b be ready ead y f for 0 r de delivery ivea about the christmas chrisom a s holl holidays d ast while nhi e it is expected ted the te I 1 second a volume will appear t ido idi about iut tifft the b L e first of march ir y i WW MODERN WARFARE rot roo IN view of the inspired predictions which have been uttered in regard to a j time coming when peace shall be with t drawn from the nations of the earth twid ff and the spirit of warfare poured out until n 11 every mans hand shall be against this neighbor a believer in them can avoid the impression that their thear allair f fulfillment fulfilment Is near at hand when tte tle I 1 lie fie reads of the growing antagonism it and desperation fion in various nation sand also with the horrors of that time when it does come comes as he reads of the 9 pro progress ress being made in devis iii inga ill I 1 death dealing agents during ath the last half century especially mans I 1 ingenuity has been taxed to the utmost 10 inthis latter direction until lowthe now the methods resorted to in ancient warfare tapp appear ear childish and harmless compared with the vastly more eff effective active means of I 1 life ilfe which are now known to mankind to the advancement made moade in the science of chemistry more chanto than to mahat t in the line of mechanics is due perhaps the changes that have been wrought the new explosives that have mave been discovered during recent loehrs years and the new applications for them which are being continually devised tend to show more every R day the impotency of ordinary de fens sens ve measures when they have to t cop with them tiie tile heaviest battle f men ments s and the stoutest armor are pow riess to resist their terrible enne effe effects san aan and d the subtle manner in which they theryan th evran evyan can pan be used renders them all the more appalling to contemplate war now with the use of these terrible explosives plo pio ves would be a very different even even to what it wits was during the great civil conflict in this nation a little more than a score of years since we alluded recently to a p proposition to which had been made anz ant and which Is declared to be quite feasible of spreading death among an ebern enemy in i a fortified camp city or elsewhere by dropping torpe torpedoes does from saloons ba loons the effect of which can be tec rec readily imagined almost equally terrible are the enn eff effects acts produced by ring firing explosive shells sheils prepa prepared prepared rei ret I 1 accordia according to discovered methods the steel gives an account of exper kimento ki ments meats recently made under linder the diorec tion bt bf a military committee in firing shells sheils charged with nitro gelatine arbour shots were nir fir fired edwith with six inch shell carrying 11 pound bursting charges of nitro gelatine which contain 95 per cent of pure nitro glacer ine inc the r ange range av vas was 1000 yards the tar lar target et was a perpendicular perpendicular ledge of olg solid id t trap rap rock on the south bank of the potomac the first shot shattered the rock for a radius of thirty feet and hurled tons of rock in the air the second shell tore out ont the rock reck for 25 feet in diameter and six feet deep in the face of the ledge this would amount to over tons of rock I 1 re moved by a single shot f from frum rom nom t the he f face ace of the cliff the experts expressed their belief that either shot would have wrecked any ship afloat and would hase have e annihilated any wooden ship the th safety of the system also seems to have been f fully ully established if the foregoing be true it may readily be seen how bow useless as a means of protection it will be to plate ships with iron or steel and indeed how unnecessary it lt is to construct very heavy guns when a shot of this kind fired troma iroma small gun Is sufficient clent to destroy almost any obstruction which men can invent war with such means as these mentioned and others equally horrig horrifying ing ino that might be mentioned mention ed would woul simply be wholesale cestr destruction act ion and slaughter LETTER erom FROM OLD EXICO 31 GARDENS OF TEXCOCO USES OP OF tilt tiie maguey PLANT NATURAL AND artificial BEAUTIES BATHS OF jion LION lionte dionte tt ZUMA corteg CORTEZ CANAL ETC CITY OF MEXICO august 8 1885 editor deseret loews f having visited most of the leading places ot of interest in and near the city of mexico many of which have already been described by other correspondents spon dents to the NEWS new my friends and 1 I concluded a few davs days ago age to take a trip to the celebrated GARDENS OF TEXCOCO which are situated about 40 miles almost east of here about id in the morning we boarded the train for texcoco Tex coco and reached that place after a pleasant ride of an hour aud and a half texcoco Tex coco at present does not differ materially from other large cities of this republic though for ages and before the spanish sword wrought such changes in america americo it took the lead in art literature and civilization and has been justly styled sty led the athens of the western continent it was founded even before the city of mexico by j a nation nati 0 n of the same great tal fal family tilly with the az becs whom they ri iu in power and greatly surpassed in intellectual culture it was the capital of adlour a flourishing nation whose laws and general scheme of government were much in advance of those of its contemporaries and who boasted of a long and uninterrupted line of sovereigns el ing ins some of whom though spoken orin of in history as he athens idolater and barbarians dl di played qualities which would jo do credit to crowned heads of our enlightened age during the conquest it shared the same fate as its neighbors and lost its individuality in the amalgamation of nations which followed the historic gardens aro are situated about three miles from the city of tex coco and as there were no ifo conveyances to be hired at the depot the four younge the party d in my nay self decided to start out at once and walk over while the remainder walter waiter until one of their number could go up lip town and procure a carriage when they followed the road leading to the gard gardens ens hassed passed through several extensive mexican vineyards or fields of THE WONDERFUL 11 MAGUEY PLANT whose chief use at the present time Is for the manufacture of pulque the favorite drink of the mexicans we had an excellent opportunity of seeing the plant in its various stages of growth and the manner in arch which the sap tap is a extracted from its large succulent leaves the maguey is closely allied to if not identical with the renowned century hant vant plant and in colder climates is said to blossom but once in a hundred years though here it matures in much less time its trunk is often two teet feet in diameter and its broad thick leaves the only branches the plant bas has are from seven to ten feet long and weigh from forty to fifty pounds each when about ten years of age the thee centre seed stalk begins to develop this is the signal for the husbandman to ta tap the lifeblood life blood of the plant and dind wit with dextrous hand be he reaches in among the thorny leaves and cuts out the hs as low down as possible leavin leaving a basin like cavity into which the sap s ap from the leaves gradually collects this juice Is is a clear sweet liquid and und is removed at frequent intervals by workmen who scrape out the cavity at each visit with an iron instrument to keep the plant bleeding the sap is taken to a kind of a distillery where it undergoes fermentation and comes out a whitish ropey intoxicating beverage having an odor thatis that is very disagreeable to those thosa unaccustomed to its use it is then put into curious bottles made of the skins of animals whose bodies have been skillfully fully u ily liy removed leaving the hide almost whole and is ready readi for market it is said to be e a very wholesome drink when used in moderation and thousands of gallons are sold daily in mexico A single plant will produce about two gallons a day for as many months as it has been years in maturing usually from seven to ten the he maguey is also put to otner OTHER OTI EU AND BETTER hetter USES its leaves leaver when bruised forn jorn a pulp from which paper is ii made they a ario alio iso igo yield a strong which is manufactured into sewing thread waxed ends cords cordi an anaf drope ropes of all sizes as well weil as a very durable kind of cioth cloth ies les resembling embling coarse linen and add a heavier variety similar to burlap tho though tigh much in u ek stronger many kinds of brushes mats saddle pads and other useful articles are also made from these the rr he leaves at it cert certain t in stages 0 of it growth are used as fodder for animals and the trunk when properly cooked forms a very palatable food for man the leaves also form an in impenetrable thatch for the humbler dwelli dwellings as well as affording the inmates an acceptable cep table fuell fuel fuei awhile pins plus and needles are made from froin the hard bard tough thorns that line their edges in in snort this miracle of nature combines in itself food drink clothing and shelter for man beside besides sL materials for an almost endless variety of articles for tor his comfort and convenience at length we all reached our dur destination and were admitted by the gatekeeper into tue TUB celebrated GARDENS they are situated on and around a conical hill of considerable height abd and surrounded as far as we could see by a hish stone wall of solid ma masonry mansoury soury the history of this spot dates daten back almost to time immemorial as it was the favorite rural retreat of the 06 kings and lords lordi of texcoco for tor ages axes before the conquest since that time athas it has been the country reside residence of various noblemen and wealthy citizens and surely a more idore pleasant and picturesque spot adl could uld not have been found for the construction of a tropical edeal its rare natural advantages for sucha suchs purpose were if fully ully appreciated by its ancient possessors who expended much treasure in rendering it one of the most roost magnificent and de delightful lightf ul retreats imaginable and their modern successors have not been backward in f following their example aa evidences of care tabor labor and skill are still manifest f est on every hand turning to tile tiie right aa we entered the gates we were conducted through A GRIST MILL of modern construction run by water quite a rarity in this region where water power is scarce scared and the corn is mill ground b hand ia lathe the most primitive manner between two stones and on making our exit emerged at once into the beautiful a and aud nr renowned gardens passing along the th path which leads from the mill the eye mye Is delighted with the profusion of beautiful objects that it meets on every hand band on the left and partly surrounded by a cleanly wept swept walk of cement stands a very pretty though somewhat quaint re residence ai which extends backward into luto the hill As we stood a f ew lew mol moi moments admiring its curious style of architecture with its balconies small small smail old fashioned doors aad nd windows and high tone atone walls wills surrounded by battlements battleman batt lemen ts visions of the ANCIENT ROYAL KOYAL PALACE which perhaps occupied the same flirted flitted through our minds we thought of the many warlike lords waho reho had bad successive successively occupied the palace their rude though luxuriant ilfe life the feat of chivalry they had performed and the many magnificent and ana banquet they had held there thene therein ari arl biden tolden times from the large trees tried whose dense foliage overshadows this thid djoi dwelling we could easily imagine that the he great forests that once surround sur surrounded thi tbt bis NIS spot for many miles and ormed formed it the tui favorite hunting hanting grounds of montezuma still waving in jhb th breeze anu and affording protector prot ecton to the numerous num tum erous wild animals that claimed them thiem for their homes humes but aias alas alasi the ruthless ru oss hand of the spaniard as soon as t this his fair land canie canic under h Is control wantonly destroy destroyed cd these grand raud rand old forests J wherever they were ivere found simply simp ay to render the landscape if It we may believe the historian similar to the tha bf his own castile whose most striking feature is barrenness little did he dream of bf the inconvenience which this thoughtless whim is biow causing his bis descendants wood Is iff aa an exceedingly scarce and expensive article in mexico As we ceased our re reveries verles and add continued our ramble rumble over the smooth and well kept walks which were some acme times straight sometimes crooked now passing between level closely cut lawns then over small hills and nud through grassy grasst ravines our fa fancies acles were delighted lighted ae with the variety and himon harmonious lous ious arrangement of the countless flowers shrubs and trees with which art had |