than it is now. There were then three villages, San Pascual, Semillette, and Socorro, which were situated between the marsh of the Muerto and the town of Santa Fé. Bishop Tamaron perceived the ruins of them in 1760; and he found apricots growing wild in the fields, an indication of the former cultivation of the country. The two most dangerous points for travellers are, the defile of Robledo, west from the Rio del Norte, opposite the Sierra de Donna Ana, and the desert of the Muerto, where many whites have been assassinated by wandering Indians. The desert of the Muerto is a plain thirty leagues in length, destitute of water. The general character of this country throughout, is an alarming aridity; for the mountains de los Mansos, situated to the east of the road from Durango to Santa Fé, do not give rise to a single brook. Notwithstanding the mildness of the climate, and the progress of industry, a great part of this province, as well as Old California, and several districts of New Biscay, and the intendancy of Guadalaxara, will never admit of any considerable population. The colonists of this province, known for their great energy of character, live in a state of perpetual warfare with the neighbouring Indians. It is on account of this insecurity of the country life, that we find the towns more populous than we should expect in so desert a country. The situation of the inhabitants of New Mexico bears, in many respects, a great resemblance to that of the people of Europe during the middle ages. So long as insulation exposes men to personal danger, we can hope for the establishment of no equilibrium between the population of towns and that of the country. However, the Indians, who live on an intimate footing with the Spanish colonists, are by no means all equally barbarous. Those of the east are warlike, and wander about from place to place. If they carry on any commerce with the whites, it is frequently without any personal intercourse, and according to principles, of which some traces are to be found among some of the tribes of Africa. The savages, in their excursions to the north of the Bolson de Mapimi, plant along the road between Chihuahua and Santa Fé, small crosses, to which they suspend a leathern pocket, with a piece of stag-flesh. At the foot of the cross, a buffalo's hide is stretched out. The Indian indicates by these signs, that he wishes to carry on a commerce of barter with those who adore the cross. He offers the Christian traveller a hide for provisions, of which he does not fix the quantity. The soldiers of the presidios, who understand the hieroglyphical language of the Indians, take away the buffalo hide, and leave some salted flesh at the foot of the cross. This system of commerce indicates at once an extraordinary mixture of good faith and distrust."

The Appaches.] Besides the Utahs who dwell near the sources of the Rio del Norte, and the Nanahaws, who reside to the N.W. of Santa Fé; this country is inhabited by the Appaches, who formerly extended from the entrance of Rio Grande to the gulf of California, and have waged a continual warfare with the Spaniards, with the exception of short truces, from the time that the latter pushed their conquests into the interior provinces. It is extremely difficult to say what their numbers are at the present day, but they must be very much reduced by their long and constant hostilities, together with the wandering and savage life they lead on the mountains, which is so injurious to an increase of population, and in which they are liable to be extremely pinched by famine. At the commencement of their warfare, the Spaniards used to take them prisoners, and make slaves of them; but, finding that their unconquerable attach

ment to liberty made them surmount every difficulty and danger to return to their mountains, they adopted the practice of sending them to Cuba. This the Appaches no sooner learned, than they refused to give or to receive quarter; and in no instance have there been any taken since that period, except when surprised asleep, or knocked down and overpowered. Their arms are the bow and arrow, and the lance. The bow forms two semicircles with a shoulder in the middle; the back of it is entirely covered with sinews, which are laid on in so nice a manner, by the use of some glutinous substance, as to be almost imperceptible; this gives great force to the elasticity of the weapon. Their arrow is more than the clothyard of the English, being three feet and a half long; the upper part consisting of some slight rush or cane, into which is inserted a shaft of about one foot, made of some hard, seasoned, light wood; the point is of iron,

cane, or stone.

CHIHUAHUA.] After the establishment of Mexican independence, the intendancy of Durango was constituted in 1824 a federal state under the name of Chihuahua. Inclusive of the province of New Biscay, and the districts of Bolson, and Mapimi, it extends from 23° 45′ to 31° 50′ N. lat.; and is bounded on the N. by New Mexico; on the E. by San Luis de Potosi; on the S. by Zacatecas and Guadalaxara; and on the W. by Sonora. It comprehends the northern extremity of the great table-land of Anahuac, and in extent of surface, is greater than that of the three united kingdoms of Great Britain, although its population did not exceed 178,200 in 1823, and of that number 7-20ths were Indians. The principal streams are the Norte and Conchos, and Nasar, which flows into the Cayman Lake. It is a wild, uncultivated country, but produces in some quarters, wheat, rice, lint, indigo, and cotton. The Bolson and Mapimi districts are inhabited by the Apaches, the fiercest tribe of Mexican Indians. Durango.] Durango, or Guadiana, the principal city, is the residence of the intendant and of a bishop. It is situated in the most southern part of the province, (in lat. 25° N., and long. 107° W.) at 170 leagues distance, in a straight line, from the city of Mexico, and 289 leagues from the town of Santa Fé, in New Mexico. The elevation of the town above the sea-level, is 6,800 feet; there are frequent falls of snow, and the thermometer descends to 14° Fahrenheit below the freezing point. The city was founded in 1551: the population in 1803, was 12,000. Major Pike says 40,000. He states, also, that the city is infested, in a very remarkable manner, by scorpions. They come out of the walls and crevices in May, and continue for about a fortnight in such numbers, that the inhabitants never walk in their houses after dark without a light, and always shift or examine the bed-clothes, and beat the curtains, previously to going to rest; after which the curtains are secured under the bed. The precautions are similar to those we take with our moschetto curtains. The bite of these scorpions has been known to prove mortal in two hours. But the most extraordinary circumstance is, that, by taking them ten leagues from Durango, they become perfectly harmless, and lose all their venomous qualities.

Chihuahua.] The town of Chihuahua was founded in 1691, and is situated in 29° N. lat., and 107° 30′ W. long. Its population was estimated by Humboldt at 11,600, and by Pike at 7000. It is thus described by the latter: "It is of an oblong rectangular form, on the eastern side of a small stream, which discharges itself into the river Conchos. At its southern extremity is a small but elegant church. In the public square

stands the church, the royal treasury, the town-house, and the richest shops. At the western extremity, there is another church for the military, a superb hospital, belonging formerly to the Jesuits, the churches of the monks of St Francis and St Dominick, the military academy, and the barracks (quartel del tropa). On the north-west are two or three missions, very handsomely situated on a small stream which comes in from the west. About one mile to the south of the town is a large aqueduct, which conveys the water round it, to the east, into the main stream below the town, at the centre of which is a reservoir, whence the water is conducted by pipes to the different parts of the city; and in the public square is to be a fountain and jet d'eau. The principal church is the most superb building we saw in New Spain; its whole front being covered with statues of the apostles and the different saints, set in niches, and the windows, doors, &c. ornamented with sculpture. I was never within the doors, but was informed that the decorations are immensely rich. Some men whom we supposed to be entitled to credit, informed us, that the church was built by a tax of 12 cents laid on each ingot of gold or silver taken out of the mines in the vicinity. Its cost, including the decorations, was 1,500,000 dollars; and when it was finished, there remained 300,000 dollars of the fund unappropriated. On the south side of Chihuahua is the public walk, formed by three rows of trees, whose branches nearly meet over the heads of the passengers. At different distances there are seats, and, at each end of the walk, circular seats, on which, in the evening, the company collected and amused themselves with the guitar, and songs in Spanish, Italian, and French, adapted to the voluptuous manners of the country. There are at Chihuahua and its vicinity, fifteen mines; thirteen of silver, one of gold, and one of copper; the furnaces for all of which are situated round the town, in the suburbs, and present, except on Sundays, volumes of smoke rising in every direction, which are seen from a distance long before the spires of the city strike the view. It is incredible, the quantity of cinders that surround the city, in piles ten or fifteen feet high. Next the creek, they have formed a bank of them, to check the encroachments of the stream, and it has presented an effectual barrier. I am told, that a European employed some hands, and wrought at the cinders, and that they yielded 1 dollar 25 cents for each per day; but this not answering his expectations, he ceased his proceedings. At Mauperne, there are one gold and seven silver mines."

COHAHUILA.] The state of Cohahuila, or Coaguila, is bounded on the N.E. by the Texas, on the E. by New Santander, on the S.E. by New Leon, on the S. by Zecatecas, and on the W. and N.W. by Durango. Its greatest length is 500 miles, and greatest width 200. The face of the country is mountainous; the northern part is watered by the Rio de las Nueces; and the Rio del Norte traverses the centre. A good deal of grain is raised in this state, and excellent wine is manufactured. Humboldt estimated its population, in 1793, at 13,000; while Pike, in 1806, raised it to 70,000. It is divided into four presidios, viz.: San Fernandez, Montelovez, Rio del Norte, and Santa Rosa. The capital, Montelovez, or Monclova, is situated in 26° 33′ N. lat., and contains 3,500 inhabitants. Santa Rosa, on the Millada, has 4000 inhabitants.

NEW SANTANDER.] This is a very desert district, extending 500 miles from N. to S., and 150 in breadth. The population is estimated at only 38,000 souls. It is bounded on the W. by New Leon and Cohahuila.

NEW LEON.] This state is 250 miles in length, extending between the

parallels of 23° 50' and 27° 35'. It is bounded on the N.W. by Cohahuila, on the W. by Chihuahua, on the S. by Zacatecas and San Luis Potosi, and on the E. by New Santander. It is a mountainous country, intersected by the river Tigre in the centre, and the Sabinas in the N. Pike estimates its population at 30,000 souls, exclusive of the tribe of independent Indians, called Bravos, who are settled to the N. of the Tigre, and in the environs of the Sabinas. Its capital, Monte Rey is situated, in N. lat. 26o, on the Tigre. Its population is said to amount to 11,000 souls.

SAN LUIS POTOSI.] Under the vice-regal government, the intendancy of San Luis Potosi comprehended the whole of the N.E. part of the kingdom, including a surface of 27,000 square leagues-an extent larger than that of all Spain. Its population, however, was thought not to exceed 334,900. It had upwards of 230 leagues of coast, but without commerce and without activity; while the interior was, for the most part, a wild desert, still more thinly peopled than the governments of Asiatic Russia. In the distribution of Mexico into federal states, the northern provinces of Leon, New Santander, and Cohahuila, have been separated from San Luis Potosi. The Texas has also been erected into an independent state. The town of San Luis is situated in 22° N. lat. and 103° W. long. Humboldt states its population at 12,000; a more recent traveller at 15,000; and Pike at 60,000!

VERA CRUZ.] This province extends along the Mexican gulf, from the Rio Baraderes to the Panuco. It is bounded on the E. by the peninsula of Merida; on the W. by Oaxaca, La Puebla, and Mexico; and on the N. by New Santander. Its length is about 210 leagues, but within this distance is comprehended a great diversity of climate. The features of the country, the aspect of the sky, the forms of plants, the figures of animals, the manners of the inhabitants, and the kind of cultivation, assume a different character at ever stage of our progress. "As we ascend, nature gradually appears less animated, the beauty of the vegetable forms diminishes, the stems become less succulent, the flowers of less vivid colours. The appearance of the Mexican oak quiets the alarms of travellers newly landed, by demonstrating that he has left behind the zone under which the vomito exercises its ravages. Thick forests of styrax and other balsam trees, near Xalapa, announce by the freshness of their verdure, that this is the elevation at which the clouds come in contact with the basaltic summits of the Cordillera. A little higher, near La Blanderilla, the nutritive fruit of the banana no longer comes to maturity; and in this cold and foggy region, necessity spurs on the Indian to labour, and excites his industry. At the height of San Miguel, pines begin to mingle with the oaks, which are found by the traveller as high as the elevated plains of Perote, where he beholds the delightful aspect of fields sown with wheat. Between three and four thousand feet higher, the coldness of the climate will no longer admit of the vegetation of oaks; and pines alone there cover the rocks, the summits of which enter the zone of perpetual snow. Thus, in a few hours, the naturalist, in this wonderful country, ascends the whole scale of vegetation, from the heliconia and the banana plant, whose glossy leaves swell out into extraordinary dimensions, to the stunted foliage of the resinous trees." This state contains about 160,000 inhabitants. The seaport of Vera Cruz was founded towards the end of the 16th century. Mr Bullock, who visited Mexico in 1823, thus describes the appearance of this city: "Many of the houses of Vera Cruz are large, some three stories high, built in the old Spanish or Moorish style, and generally enclosing a

square court, with covered galleries. They have flat roofs, glass windows, and are well adapted to the climate: most of them have balconies of wood in front, and the interior arrangement is the same as in Old Spain. The whole town, as well as the castle, is built of coral (the madrepora meandrities), and the lime that forms the cement is of the same material: it is used for the roofs and foot pavement, and is so hard that in some places it receives from friction a polish like marble. There is one tolerably good square, of which the government-house forms one side, and the principal church the other. The foot-paths are frequently under piazzas, a great accommodation to passengers, protecting them from the sultry heat of the sun, and the heavy rains, which descend in torrents in the wet season. Sixteen cupolas or domes are counted from the sea, but only six churches are now in use. Indeed, nearly all the churches, monasteries and nunneries here, have been abandoned, and are fast falling into decay, since the place has been lost to the Spaniards. Nothing is more repulsive to strangers accustomed to the bustle of European cities, than the gloomy death-like appearance of the place. Of any other city it is considered a disgrace to say that grass grows in the streets, but here it would be a compliment, for no vegetation is to be observed even for miles around; and fish is the only article of provision not brought from a distance. The only water fit to drink is what falls from the clouds, and is preserved in tanks; that from the castle and the convent of Franciscans being the best. Though the markets are tolerably well supplied by the Indians, living at the hotels is expensive and very uncomfortable. Provisions are dear, with the exception of fish, which, as already stated, is in abundance and good. Some beautiful and curious Mangrove oysters were the largest and finest flavoured I ever met with. Milk is scarcely to be had, as not a cow is kept within many miles, and what is, perhaps, peculiar to Vera Cruz, there is not a garden even near it. The absence of vegetation attests at once the poverty of the soil and the insalubrity of the climate. I know not whether prejudice may not have influenced my decision, but to me, Vera Cruz appears the most disagreeable place on earth; and its character of being the most unhealthy spot in the world, naturally makes the stranger shudder every hour he remains within its walls, surrounded by arid sands, extensive swamps, and savannahs, the exhalations from which are removed only by strong winds. "Society here, as may be anticipated, is extremely confined, and morality at a very low ebb. Few of the European merchants, whom the hopes of gain have allured to reside here, are married. One class of the occupants will excite some surprise in persons unacquainted with tropical regions: I mean the carrion vultures. They are as tame in the streets as domestic fowls; and, like the dogs from the mountains at Lisbon, act as the scavengers of the place, very speedily clearing away whatever filth may be left. Their senses of smell and sight are very acute. While I was preserving some fishes in an apartment at the top of the hotel, the surrounding roofs were crowded with anxious expectants; and when the offal was thrown out, it was with much contention greedily consumed. They are on good terms with the dogs, and the two animals may be frequently seen devouring the same carcase. They pass the night on the roofs of the churches, where I have sometimes observed several hundreds."

The town of Xalapa, finely situated at the foot of the mountain of Macultepec, contains 13,000 inhabitants.

OAXACA.] This fine country is bounded on the N. by Vera Cruz;