Three Months in the Southern States, April-June 1863 | Page 3

soil, he was in the habit
of calling the Confederates all sorts of insulting epithets from the
Bagdad bank of the river; and a party of his "renegadoes" had also
crossed over and killed some unarmed cotton teamsters, which had
roused the fury of the Confederates.
About three miles beyond this we came to Colonel Duff's encampment.
He is a fine-looking, handsome Scotchman, and received me with much
hospitality. His regiment consisted of newly-raised volunteers--a very
fine body of young men, who were drilling in squads. They were
dressed in every variety of costume, many of them without coats, but
all wore the high black felt hat. Notwithstanding the peculiarity of their
attire, there was nothing ridiculous or contemptible in the appearance of
these men, who all looked thoroughly like "business." Colonel Duff
told me that many of the privates owned vast tracts of country, with
above a hundred slaves, and were extremely well off. They were all
most civil to me.
Their horses were rather raw-boned animals, but hardy and fast. The
saddles they used were nearly like the Mexican.
Colonel Duff confessed that the Mongomery affair was wrong, but he

added that his boys "meant well."
We reached Brownsville at 5.30 P.M., and Mr Ituria kindly insisted on
my sleeping at his house, instead of going to the crowded hotel.
[1] An ambulance is a light waggon, and generally has two springs
behind, and one transverse one in front. The seats can be so arranged
that two or even three persons may lie at full length.
* * * * *
3d April (Good Friday).--At 8 A.M. I got a military pass to cross the
Rio Grande into Mexico, which I presented to the sentry, who then
allowed me to cross in the ferry-boat.
Carriages are not permitted to run on Good Friday in Mexico, so I had
a hot dusty walk of more than a mile into Matamoros.
Mr Zorn, the acting British Consul, and Mr Behnsen, his partner,
invited me to live at the Consulate during my stay at Matamoros, and I
accepted their offer with much gratitude.
I was introduced to Mr Colville, a Manchester man; to Mr Maloney,
one of the principal merchants; to Mr Bennet, an Englishman, one of
the owners of the Peterhoff, who seemed rather elated than otherwise
when he heard of the capture of his vessel, as he said the case was such
a gross one that our Government would be obliged to take it up. I was
also presented to the gobernador, rather a rough.
After dining with Mr Zorn I walked back to the Rio Grande, which I
was allowed to cross on presenting Mr Colville's pass to the Mexican
soldiers, and I slept at Mr Ituria's again.
Brownsville is a straggling town of about 3000 inhabitants; most of its
houses are wooden ones, and its streets are long, broad, and straight.
There are about 4000 troops under General Bee in its immediate
vicinity. Its prosperity was much injured when Matamoros was
declared a free port.

After crossing the Rio Grande, a wide dusty road, about a mile in
length, leads to Matamoros, which is a Mexican city of about 9000
inhabitants. Its houses are not much better than those at Brownsville,
and they bear many marks of the numerous revolutions which are
continually taking place there. Even the British Consulate is riddled
with the bullets fired in 1861-2.
The Mexicans look very much like their Indian forefathers, their faces
being extremely dark, and their hair black and straight. They wear hats
with the most enormous brims, and delight in covering their jackets and
leather breeches with embroidery.
Some of the women are rather good-looking, but they plaster their
heads with grease, and paint their faces too much. Their dress is rather
like the Andalucian. When I went to the cathedral, I found it crammed
with kneeling women; an effigy of our Saviour was being taken down
from the cross and put into a golden coffin, the priest haranguing all the
time about His sufferings, and all the women howling most dismally as
if they were being beaten.
Matamoros is now infested with numbers of Jews, whose industry
spoils the trade of the established merchants, to the great rage of the
latter.
It suffers much from drought, and there had been no rain to speak of for
eleven months.
I am told that it is a common thing in Mexico for the diligence to arrive
at its destination with the blinds down. This is a sure sign that the
travellers, both male and female, have been stripped by robbers nearly
to the skin. A certain quantity of clothing is then, as a matter of course,
thrown in at the window, to enable them to descend. Mr Behnsen and
Mr Maloney