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The San Antonio river is formed by numberless springs three or four miles above the town. Besides affording an abundance of water to supply the numerous ?ouging canals or esequias for irrigation, it still sweeps on with a bold current, & with its flowing banks & its meandering channel winding gracefully through the city, may be considered its most valuable and interesting ornament.
 From early evening until the safe hour of twilight the inhabitants flock to the river to bathe; & then the bronze-like forms of southern nymphs may be seen joyfully gamboling in the limpid stream, with their ? looks & their dark hair floating over their shoulders.
 The population of San Antonio may be divided into several classes, as Rancheros,

83 [paper attached:] For the Telegraph LINES TO THE SAN ANTONIO RIVER. Sweet Western stream, thy waters long Have murmured to the "desert air," Thy lovely self unknown among The lauded, beautiful and fair; Wild plains have circled thee around And locked thee in their dear embrace; Wild beasts and wilder men have found Upon thy banks, a hiding place; But yet thou wert not quite alone, For on thy margin Bexar stood, And still she stands, encased in stone, The mistress of the mighty wood. The desert Queen - but dark the tale That her historic page states, Strange legends consecrate the vale, That lies about her city gates. Bexar! the very sound conveys A thought of blood and murderous strife, Of evil war's most gloomy days, The secret dagger and the knife; 'Tis past - thou art accursed no more, Behold improvement's sun appear, Thy moral darkness flies before, And leave thy sky forever dear; Henceforth, fair stream, thy silver wave, No more shall blush with human gore; The tyrant and the ranchero's slave Shall war upon the banks no more, Peace to thy beauty! may she reign, The Goddess of the sunny vale, And mayest thee never hear again The battle's rage or widow's wail.

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