WE give the following from the National Intelligencer, with considerable abbreviations, as the only

reliable account we have been able to find of these

singular beings, whose acquaintance we made some weeks ago and whose progress we have been since watching.

They exhibited a strong and childish fondness for toys. A little dancing image in a small box filled them with delight, causing them to skip about the stage, dancing in imitation and clasping their tiny hands in great glee. The boy blowed a little trumpet, sawed a little fiddle, and rode a little rocking horse. But a little music-box, about three inches by two, was their chief joy, and seemed to fill them with intense delight. They examined it with most inquiring look, peered earnestly into it to see where the sounds came from, and pressed it long and repeatedly to their ears as if in perfect ecstacy. The lady who had brought the music box to the room made a present of it to the boy Maximo, that he might be happy forever. And another lady brought a miniature gold ring and placed it on the finger of the girl Bartola.

THESE children, or dwarfs, have something of the complexion of the American aborigines. The boy is about thirty-three inches and the girl twenty-nine inches in height; but they are small and slender in proportion to their height, and delicately formed: forehead small and quite retreating; hair black and glossy, eyes black and bright; features finely chiselled, and by no means repulsive, for some of the ladies asked and received kisses from the little girl; the line from the top of the forehead to the end of the nose nearly straight. One of the exhibitors expressed his belief that the girl might be nine or ten, and the boy nearly twenty. The boy is said to weigh about twenty pounds and the girl seventeen. They do ot appear to me to be idiotic, but their manifestations of intellect and acquirements are very feeble, corresponding nearly with ordinary children at a year and a half and two years of age. They seemed affectionate and sensitive. They caressed each other when told to do so; and the little girl, when required Whereupon they walked side by side to the to give up a favorite toy, burst into a hearty child-like cry, which, however, was quieted in a minute or two, and she was at play again.

They speak perhaps a dozen words with more or less distinctness, but evidently make slow progress in acquiring language. They seem to understand readily many things said to them, in which they have probably been a long time trained. When the hour of exhibition was up, they were told to make their bow to the company and bid them good bye.

front of the stage, and Maximo, as if conscious that Bartola was the weaker vessel, and apprehensive that she might not perfectly compre

hend the order which had been given, placed, spend five years, might succeed." That hint,

his hands upon her head and pressed it down to a very low bow, to the great amusement of the audience.

But it was not my main object at this time to give a description of these curious dwarfs. The papers are doing that every day. I am surprised, however, that they have wholly omitted to give us the wonderful and exceedingly interesting account, replete with toils, perils, hair-breadth escapes, and horrible deaths, of their discovery and transportation to this country. This account is contained in a pamphlet of 35 pages, printed in New-York, and bearing date 1850. The pamphlet is anonymous, but nevertheless contains abundant internal evidence of being authentic. It purports to be derived mainly from a Spanish journal by Pedro Velasquez, of San Salvador, who was one of the principal actors in the scenes described. The translator, who modestly conceals his own name, sometimes gives abridgments of the history in his own language, and sometimes copies eventful scenes in full from the thrilling journal of Velasquez, carefully and elegantly translated. And it is with the highest satisfaction we learn from the translator that the full journal of Velasquez will be published to the world as soon as the author's consent can be obtained. But we must hasten to give lovers of the marvellous a foretaste of that most grand and delicious feast they are hereafter to enjoy.

it seems, gave birth to the "Aztec children;" "for," says the unknown author of this pamphlet, "it is now known that two intrepid young men, incited probably by this identical passage in Mr. Stephens' popular work, agreed to undertake the perilous and romantic enterprise." They were a Mr. Huertis, of Baltimore, an American of Spanish parents from Cuba, and a Mr. Hammond, a civil engineer from Canada. Providing themselves with mathematical instruments, daguerreotype apparatus, and fifty repeating rifles, they sailed from New Orleans and arrived at Balize in the fall of 1848. Here, procuring mules and Indian guides, they started thro' a wild broken country for 150 miles on the Gulf of Amatique, and then struck off to the southwest for Coban, where they arrived on the morning of Christmas day. At Coban they fell in with Pedro Velasquez, who was there on a trading expedition from San Salvador, and finding him to be a conge nial spirit, and bound to Santa Cruz del Quiche as well as themselves, they pursued the wild journey together, having procured new guides and mules.

During this journey Huertis and Hammond gradually broke to Velasquez the programme of their grand enterprise; they told him the story of the old padre of del Quiche, and showed him the engravings in Stephens' book. Velasquez readily believed the whole, for he had himself seen the padre, and he had seen some of the ruins which he at once recognised in the engravings. His imagination was fired and his spirit of enterprise burst into a flame; and, although he was a man of family and wealth and an indigo trader, he at once resolved to leave all and follow them. But very little account is given of the journey from Coban to del Quiche, though, from two or three slight records in the journal of Velasquez, it was not unattended by stirring incidents.

It appears from the pamphlet that Mr. Stephens, in his Travels in Central America, speaks of an old padre or Catholic priest of Santa Cruz del Quiche, who told him some wonderful stories of ruins of ancient cities in the interior of the country, and particularly of one living city far beyond the mountains. The padre declared that in his younger days he had climbed to the top of the Sierra Madre, a height of ten or twelve thousand feet, and looking from the summit, over an immense The party arrived at del Quiche on the 3d plain extending to Yucatan and the Gulf of of April, and found the old padre still alive, Mexico, he had seen with his own eyes in the but quite feeble and dropsical. He, however, remote distance 66 a large city, over a great re-affirmed the story of his having seen the space, with turrets white and glittering in the living city with his own eyes, some forty sun." Mr Stephens, though very desirous to years ago, from the summit of the Sierra explore that region of country and test the Madre. And he gave them a letter to his truth of the padre's statements, had no time to friend the Cura of Gueguetenargo, who would do so; it would be a long and perilous under-furnish them with guides to the top of the taking. But he adds, "two young men of mountain where they could see the city for good constitution, and who could afford to themselves. With this letter and fresh guides

and mules they proceeded on their journey, | richly monumented city, of vast dimensions, and at last reached Gueguetenango, where within lofty parapetted walls, three or four they were thrown a little aback by the cura miles square, inclined inward in the Egyptian throwing cold water on their project. He style, and its interior domes and turrets have regarded the story of the padre as a freak an emphatically oriental aspect.” of imagination, and bestowed upon it sundry Having assured themselves of the existence sarcastic comments. But "nothing is im. of the padre's city, and made all necessary obpossible to him that wills;" and our coura-servations, and discovered its bearings from geous and enterprising travellers had deter- various points, the party returned from the mined to find the city, and they would not be mountain, recruited a trusty guard of thirtyput back by trifles. The cura finally furnished five friendly Indians, whom they armed with them with guides, and on the 5th of May rifles, and having obtained fresh mules and they departed to ascend the mountain. every thing necessary for the journey, they started for the wonderful city of Iximaya, for that was its name, as they learned from natives whom they met on the journey, and they were informed by their interpreters that the word Iximaya signified "the great centre."

From this date to the 20th is spent in traversing, amid exciting incidents, the mountainous route indicated by the padre. At the latter date we find the following entry:

We must pass over other incidents till the party arrived within the circuit of the Alpine district in which Iximaya is situated, and found it reposing in massive grandeur, in the centre of a perfectly level plain, about five leagues in diameter, at a distance of scarcely two from the spot they had reached. Here a rich landscape spread out before them of forest and cultivated fields, and small villages of low flatroofed dwellings of stone, and herds of deer, cattle and horses.

"A bright and most auspicious morning, and all but poor Antonio in fine health and feeling. The wind by compass N.E., and rolling away a billowy ocean of mist toward, I suppose, the Bay of Honduras. Antonio says the Pacific will be visible within an hour; more and more of the lower mountains becoming visible every moment. Fancy we already see the Pacific, a faint yellow plain, almost as elevated as ourselves. Can see part of the State of Chiapas pretty distinctly." At 12 o'clock meridian the record continues: "Sr. Hammond is taking the longitude, but finds a dif- "While the whole party, with their cavalference of several minutes between his excel-cade of mules and baggage, were gazing upon lent watch and chronometer, and fears the latter has been shaken. Sr. Huertis, with the glass, seen whole lines and groups of pyramids in Chiapas." At one o'clock he records: "Sr. Hammond reports the longitude 92 degrees 15 minutes west. Brave Huertis is in ecstacy with some discovery, but will not part with the glass for a moment. No doubt it is the padre's city, for it is precisely in the direction he indicated. Antonio says he can see it with his naked eye, although less distinctly than heretofore. I can only see a white straight line, like a ledge of limestone rock on an elevated plain, at least twenty leagues distant, in the midst of a vast amphitheatre of hills to northeast of our position, towards the State of Yucatan. Still it is no doubt the place the padre saw, and it may be a great city." At two o'clock P. M. he says: "All doubt is at an end! We have all seen it through the glass as distinctly as though it were but a in their thongs." few leagues off, and it is now clear and bright

the scene, two horsemen, in bright blue and yellow tunics, and wearing turbans decorated with three plumes of the quezal, dashed by them from the forest, at the distance of about two hundred yards, on steeds of the highest Spanish mould, followed by a long retinue of athletic Indians, equally well mounted, clothed in brilliant red tunics, with coronals of gay feathers closely arranged within a band of blue cloth. Each horseman carried a long spear, pointed with a polished metal, and each held in a leash a brace of powerful blood-hounds, which were also of the purest Spanish breed. The two leaders of this troop, who were Indians of commanding air and stature, suddenly wheeled their horses, and glared upon the large party of intruders with fixed amazement. Their followers evinced equal surprise, but forgot not to draw up in good military array, while the bloodhounds leaped and raged

One of the Indian interpreters here advised to the unaided eye. It is unquestionably a the party to make an instant retreat, as the

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they would certainly be overcome, and their heads cut off and placed on poles around the city; for this was said to be the fate of all strangers who were found within twelve leagues of Iximaya. Velasquez and Hammond were disposed to follow this advice, but Huertis, who was the leader of the party, and whom they were all bound to obey, utterly rejected the proposition. He had come so far to see the city, and see it he would, dead or alive.

only means of saving their lives, otherwise, helmets, and square breast-plates, curiously latticed and adorned, stood sculptured in high relief, with grave faces and massive limbs, and in the regular order of columns, around the walls of this grand mausoleum. Many of them stood arrayed in the crimson of the setting sun, which flamed through the tall fissure into the cavern; and the deep gloom into which long rows of others, utterly retired from our view, presented a scene at once of mingled mystery and splendor. It was evidently a place of great and recent resort, both for men and horses, for plentiful supplies of fresh fodder for the latter were heaped in stone recesses; while the ashes of numerous fires, mingled with discarded mocassins, and broken pipes, and pottery, attested a domiciliary occupation by the former. Further into the interior were found seats and sleeping couches of fine cane work; and in a spacious recess near the entrance a large collection of the bones, both of the ox and the deer, with hides also of both, but newly slain and suspended on pegs by the horns. These last evidences of good living had more effect upon our hungry Indians than all the rest; and within an hour after dark, while we were seeking our first sleep, four fine deer were brought in by about a dozen of our party, whom we supposed to have been faithfully guarding our citadel. It is unnecessary to say that we gladly arose to the rich repast that ensued, for we had eaten nothing but our scant allowance of tortillas for many days, and were in the lassitude of famine.”

While they were debating what was to be done, the Ixamayan leader galloped away toward the city, and the second in command, with his troop of fifty men, dashed by them into the forest, and took possession of the pass by which our travellers had entered the plain, and which they soon became satisfied was the only route by which they could escape, for "the mountains surrounding the whole area of the plain were absolutely perpendicular for three-fourths of their altitude, which was nowhere less than a thousand feet." In these straightened circumstances, what followed is thus recorded by the accurate and fervid pen of Velasquez:

"To retire into the forest and water our mules at a copious stream which rushed forth from its recesses, and recruit our own exhausted strength with food and rest, was our first necessary resource. In tracing the rocky course of the current for a convenient watering place, Antonio discovered that it issued from a cavern, which, though a mere fissure exteriorly, was, within, of cathedral dimensions After this welcome feast, we leave the and solemnity. We all entered it and drank party to their night's repose in this remarkeagerly from a foaming basin, which it imme-able cavern of Iximaya. What followed on diately presented to our fevered lips. Our the succeeding day seems to be condensed first sensations were those of freedom and in- from the manuscript of Velasquez by the dependence, and of that perfect security which translator :is the basis of both. It was long since we had slept under a roof of any kind. While here, a few men could defend our repose against an assault from thousands; but it was horribly evident to my mind that a few watchful assailants would suffice to reduce us to starvation, or destroy us in detail. Our security was that of a prison, and our freedom was limited to its walls. Happily, however, for the present this reflection seemed to trouble no one. Objects of wonder and veneration grew numerous to our gaze. Gigantic statues of ancient warriors, with round shields, arched

"In the morning about the break of day, the infernal yells of a pack of bloodhounds suddenly rang through the cavern, and the party could scarcely seize their rifles before many of the dogs, who had driven in the af frighted Indians on guard, were springing at their throats. Mr. Huertis, however, the American leader of the expedition, with that presence of mind which seems always to have distinguished him, told the men that rifles were useless in such a contest, and that the hounds must be dispatched with their long knives as fast as they came in, while the fire

arms were to be reserved for their masters. | stand a moment against "six-shooting rifles." This canine butchery was accomplished with There was no longer any resistance to their but little difficulty; none of the party received entering the great city of Iximayas. And after any serious injury from their fangs, and the various conferences, explanations, and proIndians were exhilarated with a victory which mises of friendship, the native chiefs led the was chiefly a conquest of their fears. These way. They found the city to be a parallelounfortunate dogs, it appears, were the ad- gram four miles long and three wide, and envanced van of a pack, or perhaps merely a few closed by a massive wall sixty feet high, which unleashed as scouts to others held in reserve; is minutely described. Outside of the walls for no more were seen or heard of for some of the city there was a fosse or moat a hundred time. Meanwhile Mr. Huertis seems to have feet wide, nearly filled with water, and aboundstruck out a brilliant scheme. He collected ing with water-fowl. Crossing the fosse on a his whole party into that obscure branch of drawbridge, they reached the eastern gate of the cavern near its entrance which has been the city, which was still closed, but the keeper, described as a depository of animal bones, and, on receiving a whisper through an aperture in ordering them to sling their rifles at their the wall from the commander of the troops, backs, bade them stand ready with their opened the gate, and the whole party entered, knives. when "a vista of solemn magnificence was presented to the view.

"Almost instantly they observed a party of ten dismounted natives, in scarlet tunics, and "It was a vista at once of colossal statues armed with spears, enter the cavern in single and trees, interminable in perspective, and exfile; and, it would seem, from seeing the dogs tending, as it was found, the whole length of slain and no enemy in sight, they rushed out the city to its western gate. Incredible as it again without venturing on further search. may seem, until we reflect upon the ancient In a few minutes, however, they returned with statuary of the Eastern World, Velasquez forty or fifty more, in the same uniform, head-reports each and all these monuments as being ed by the younger of the two personages exactly the height of the city wall-that is, whom they had seen in command the previous evening. As soon as they were well advanced into the cavern, and were heard disturbing the tired mules, Huertis and his party marched quietly out and seized their horses, which were picketed close by in charge of two or three men, whom they disarmed. At a short distance, however, drawn up in good order, was another squadron of horse, which Mr. Huertis determined instantly to charge. Ordering his whole party to mount the noble stallions they had captured, and reserve their fire until he gave the word, he (Velasquez) and Hammond drew the short sabres they had worn on the march, and led the attack."

At first the natives, doubtless under the impression that their comrades who had entered the cavern were all slain, fled in utter amazement and great disorder. But soon meeting a large reinforcement, they returned in tolerable order and charged upon the intruders. The result was a perfect and brilliant victory of our courageous travellers. Unfortunately, Mr. Hammond received a dangerous wound in the right breast, and one of their Indian guides was killed. The poor natives had no knowledge whatever of fire-arms, and could not

sixty feet-and all possessing the proportions of the human figure. What is equally marvellous, no two of them were precisely alike in countenance, and very few in their sculptural costume. There was some distinctive emblem upon each, and he was informed they were statues of the ancient kings of Assyria from before the foundation of Babylon, and of their descendants of the Aztec Empires of this continent."

The city had four gates, one at the centre of each of the four walls; and a similar avenue crossed from the north to the south gate, lined in the same manner with colossal statues and trees, and sculptures of mythological, figures. "The sculptured annals of the city gave them an antiquity of four thousand years."

After being brought into the presence of the monarch and his counsellors, with great pomp and state, and after suitable examinations and explanations, it was decided that the lives of the strangers should be spared, that they might enjoy their personal liberty within the limits of the city, and perhaps eventually attain to the rights of citizenship, but must never again be allowed to go outside of the city walls.