lst Session. Millage ene eee 30th ConeRess, [SENATE. ] MiscELLANEOUS, <\ § No. 26. + st | MEMOIR 2¥ ‘) oF A TOUR TO NORTHER * CONNECTED WITH COL. DONIPHAN’S EXPED IN 1846 AND 1847. BY A. WISLIZENUS, M. D. [WITH A SCIENTIFIC APPENDIX AND THREE MAPS. | s Janvany 13, 1848.—Ordered that 5,000 copies be printed for the use of the Senate, and 200 additional for Dr. Wislizenus- 4 oo © ee WASHINGTON, TIPPIN & STREEPER, PRINTERS. 1848 ; : \ BOT, Pe ZOUR Ny 2 GEIVE 4 Se 4 [ 26] 2 * In roe Senate or THE Untrep Strate January tS, 1848. The Committee on paige to whom were referred the resolutions sub- mitted by Mr. Benton, v ved, ‘That there be printed, for the use of the Senate, pies emoir, of Dr. Wislizenus through the northern parts of jan to Col. Doniphan’s column, being a history of the Doniphan, with scientific observations upon the face of ae hoagie or lithographed, for the use of the Senate, Ss map which accompanies the same; also the - srometria map of the profile of elevations above bee - Louis, in Missouri, on the line of march of said anta Fe in New Mexico, and thence by Chihuahua, the pimi, Parras, Sea and Monterey, to Reynosa; on the o Gra so th ber of the geological map, and thie « same oe of. the table of meteorological observations, which accompany the nee ia, be it resolved, That copies of the said see? with the ompanying maps, be printed for the use of Dr. Wislizen rt, that there be printed: for the use of the Senate 5,000 copies of the ) and that there be lithographed a like number of the seb accompany- ing the same; also 200 copies for the use of Dr. Wislizenus Attest: ASBURY DICKINS, Secretary. * 3 [ 26 ] PREFACE, Instead of the many apologies generally offered to ths : author who has the hardihood to present them - Lae tong spring of 1846, I left St. bites Missouri, with a tour through Northern Mexico and Upper Cali oF turning in the fall of the next year. ‘The principal object ¢ was scientific. I desired to examine the geography, natu stor ry, statistics of that country, by taking directions on the road with the compass, and by determining the pr incipal points by astronomical observations. made a rich collection of quite new and undescribed plants. I examined ‘ the character of the rocks, to gain insight into the geological formation the whole country. I visited as many mines as possible, and < some of the ores. I made barometrical observations, to atic the eli -_ above the sea. I ce meteorological tables, to draw general results ook tion of an historical need but in the plain nae form of a journal, through oes the inciderts and adventures of the trip are but occasionally interwove How fat I have succeeded in it, the reader must judge for himself at the end of the work; though I am myself free to confess, that, for various reasons, the resi ait of my expedition has by far not satisfied the expecta- tions I entertained of it at the beginnin 1aving © outfitted freaky for the ‘trip by private means, and being already on the road, the war between the United States and Mexico broke, out, very untimely for my purposes, ; s, and deranged my plans considerably. By ‘the a arbitrary government of the State of Chihuahua, as the reader will perceive in the course of my narrative, I was detained for six months in a very passive situation; and after the arrival of the American — in Chi- huahua, seeing the impracticability of continuing my journey as far as intended, I accepted a situation in sean edical department of = e army, and returned with it, by way of Monterey, to the States. My connexion with the army enabled me to become cain with the Be le oven of that campaign; but not having been an eye-witness to all of them, I ment. [ 26 J 4 As unsatisfactory, however, as the fruits of my researches have gen- erally been to myself, I must content myself for the present with the reflection of having been one of the first scientific pioneers through a great part of that country; and as the log cabin of the pione er of the west dis- ~ in coming years before the more imposing residences of advancing ation, so will my little work have fulfilled its purpose, when, in later igmtific men, under more favorable circumstances, shall explore hg ont ntry, and open its treasures as well as its deserts to the ' m an ake their dente as : freely and distinctly in one The cat language of our youth generally leaves m ind, and unconsciously infiuences the ve knowledge of whee ears. If the reader should, therefore— s I have nod I hope he ‘Will not judge me e severe criticism of an English gram- m. at “ with the philanthropic Libapalit of a citizen of the world. Finally, itaffords me great pleasure to acknowledge the co- “operation of any ae men in the furtherance of this pub blication.. Among them m mostly indebted to mie “ante and former partner in medical practice, . G. Engelmann, of S s, for the arrangement of my prerdt. a lection; to Professor Goebel, for or. the most exact calculation of my a nomical and barometrical sadleatigiadl to W. Pa Im, esq., for the slallfa drawing of the maps; es Gregg, for an exchange of his astronomi- ones; to Lieutenant C. ribbon, = the artillery, for his aid in sketchin the road from Chihuahua to Monterey; to Dr. H. King, of St. Louis, a ~ Dr. 8. - Morton, of Philadelphia, for their assistance in the geological eparime Last, a ough not least, I am — to the distinguished and learned Senator from Missouri, Th homas H. Benton, for the favor of laying my little work before the Senate of the United Aes and of having hes enerous prote n does not relieve me, of course, of the re- spomubier for the individual ans and conclusions formed and ex- pressed by me in the work. As they emanate rom my own obser- t however erroneous they may be considered by some, the impartial reader will concede, at least, that they are based upon Neots i and apparently intended to promote the bout interests of my adopted country. A. WISLIZENUS. Wasuineton Crry, January, 1848. 5 [26] MEMOIR, INDEPENDENCE, Mo.,, Having left St. Louis on the 4th of May, I arrived t well known frontier town of Missouri, the usual startin whose name is very well gute: in the Santa Fe trade for his onde T- severance and fearlessness, afforded me all the facilities of doing so. Yr. Speyer’s preparations not being quite finished, and longing myself for the Indepenc metrical observations during my stay in Independence gave as its elevation above the sea 1,040 feet. Big Blue Camp, May 15.—A charming spot is this first camp in the prairie. It lies just on the western boundary line of the State of Missouri, the military road from Fort Towson to Fort Leavenworth passing by it. This road forms the dividing line sated the last settlements and the In- dian country. Situated thus at the very junction of civilization and wil- derness, we could overlook them both yer a single glance. ‘Towards the east we ra the blessings of civilization—fine farms, with corn-fields, orchards, dwelling-hauses, and all the sweet comforts of home: towards the west, the lonesome, far stretching prairie, without house or cultivation—the abode of the restless Indian, the highway of the adventurous white man. The scenery was enlivened by thousands of stock grazing around us, and by the daily arrival of new wagons and prairie travellers, who take their final start from here to the prairie. Amongst this b bustle and activity of the whole caravan, I had to remain ge a week. I made some astronomical and barometrical observations of o rceamp. ‘The first gave me 38° 59, . 27" north latitude; the latter, an slonatien of 1,020 feet. fay 22.—-Our ‘who le caravan started, consisting of 22 large wagons, a (each drawn by 10 mules,) several smaller vehicles, and 35 men. I had I vided myself with a small wagon on springs, to carry my baggage and in struments, and as a comfortable retreat in bad weather. 'The confusion and bustle of such a first start, the inexpresnre of some of the drivers, and the fractiousness of the mules, render it advisable to make the first day’s march merely a trial. If everything socks ire, one may go ahead afterwards. For [ 26 } 6 that reason, we marched to-day but five miles on the Santa Fe road, and encamped in the prairie, with good grass and near water. .— We started in the morning for ‘‘ Lone Elm-tree,’’ or ‘“‘ Round Grove,’’ (10 miles.). The ,prairie over which we travelled Jooked more beautiful than I had ever seen it. The grass had all the freshness of spring a se) < =) 2) or i?) = z pe 3 is") i) 5 5 _ = iei°) 4 =) datense that most of them died the same night; an = ers, in vation commenced eating the ears of t e dea 63. ~The Cimerron at our night campisa fine running eee, with ond grass, “re ae elevation of our night camp is 3,830 feet. To- é the Cimarron pases as regions. In lookin back from here iovania the Arkansas, it is hardly necessary to remark, that this whole | ene , from the mueipott the Arkansas to the crossing of imarron, wiki never be settled, from “the scantness of grass, the scarcity the na. wae want of wood. But westward from here we shall ore favored by nature, and more accessible to human in- rte BS ip the morning, passing by the urene spring's miles,) to, Cold spring, (17 miles.) ~ The road becomes more o our right we perc eived —, table-formed hills, with tim- refreshing sight to afraveller who comes from the Cimarron About five miles “from the crossing, light bluffs rise in the prairie, con- sisting of a yah lime and. reddigh sandsto e below, and a ea sandstone, ain a "There was common sandstone all £ boulders, tesa here from more distant places by raise, ice, or rehaser theory one may accept for the explanation of those ey masses of rocks, found very dis- tant from the place of their origin, and known under the name of boulders. My opinion was confirmed by some polished surfaces that I found on the southwest side of the blocks, even of those lying on the top of the moun- tain. Some miles further I met with many isolated blocks of the same character; ao with erratic rocks of serpentine and amygdaloidal basalt. Cold , where we halted, afforded us the best water we have since we left the Arkansas; it breaks out of the sandstone that prevails here, as a Tefreshing coolness. In the evening we marched six miles on our “ee and Gicemn ped in the prairie. Towards ceominid we enjoyed the © mos eautiful Scenery, which but a landscape of so mixed a character, RE prairie and mountains meet,can produce. In the distant moun- tains before us, and to our left, a thunder-storm was gathering; and the set- _ ting sun illuminated the fast sailing clouds with so many tinted colors, — ng their hues every minute, that it would be impossible even for the June \7.—We started this morning in a thick fog, with drizzling rain, - but at last the. sun overcame the clouds. The road is good, gradually as- . ge ng,a while mountai » timbered _ cedar. a abou a ae < us. At noon we halted at Cedar: erecii,; toatn eno cedars and cotton-trees grow here; sandstone prevails; the water 15 [26 J good; grass tolerable. In the ainnegn we marched to fide Notes’ creek, 12 miles,) but found not a drop of water in it. une 18.—At our noon halt to-day we ite with water agin on Cotton- wood branch, (12 miles.) Here, as well as on McNees’ cyeek, a yellow - sandstone prevails. The road is approaching nearer and neajrer to ’ the moun- tains. In the afternoon we passed to the rightof the rabbit-eagt mounds, whose resemblance to rabbit-ears, with some stretch of imagination, one may dis- | cover very easily, and arrived on Rabbit ear creek, (12 ufiles,) a pamep wita d grass and water, and cotton-trees and willows along. the cree n the right bank of the creek rise’ steep bluffs, formed by that, porous, b ing basaltic rock, known as amygdaloidal basalt, and so common out the whole of Mexico. This is the first place where Ihave s It forms perpendicular eee, and is found strewed over th ank. Below is a compact quartzose sandstone, as if co had been fn we by volcanic action. ‘The basalt, as iui as ‘the # nds lay horiz une 19. jai or want of water we ‘marched 20 miles without rest, to Fis creek. About eight miles from Rabbit ear creek a mountain rises in the prairie, nearly one mile south of the road—the so-called Round mound. Las- cended it, and by barometrical measurement found the difference between the foot and the top of the mountain to be 610 feet, or its absolute elevation above the sea 6,655 feet. So rapid has been our ascent since we left the Cimarron. On the top of the mountain grow cedars. e rocks com- posing it appear to be basaltic, in a state of decomposition; ther look brown, and are Baie 35 very compact—sometimes more granular and friable. The view from th e Round mound over the sarong. country is Seid ul. fi The Taos mountains,in the west, are quite conspicuous; a eels the northwest I discovered high mountains —somect them with ae summits—probably the Spanish peaks. creek I saw the amyg- daloidal basalt again 4 situ, with its unsee FIDE > omaaiute, the morning we miles, to Whetstone See ae hhalted » with good grass and w The: sandstone here con approcched the ro ing to our ni we passed extensive strata of yellow quartzose ieisiewsis, lee. seul. paards the northeast. Point of Rocks itself is a mass of large blocks of sienite, towering to the met of several eee feet. A clear mountain spring comes out of the Her se 21 Stravelicls in the a ae eight miles over excellent road, and halted at noon in a ravine » or canon, 6,486 feet above the sea. During the Eee ee | & wnoieda iful view of nd us, ~~ good a cedars aie on the neighboring a — further down on the * creek. | A settlement would s succeed very well here. be £5 x + a. ae SR Pe ae 4 ve i ; ie 4 : bg: RT Ae i re a = x . ‘left the Colorado this morning for the Ocaté creek, (six contained: -_ little Ager at that time, but its. bed of ee banks s made fer a big river, which #28 times. On Oou6 nso dake are some pines, the first 1 teen the road. The clevation of the Ocaté above the out OWL00 feet. © We started in the afternoon for Wagon mound. O ad) as us ee through a wide plain, with the constant view of the northwest m ns before us. rapes way a hail-storm overtook us, and forced us to ses 2 in the prairie, (12 mil 93.—Made\ this morning 12 Balls to Santa Clara. -We are travel- ‘ a high plain, though more encompassed by mountains than oun ym: isolated mountains rise in the plains through which we road passes.at the foot of the highest of them, the so-called ound, Which J ascended as far as the rocks would allow. On n oun’ I found for the first time a dry specimen of the Opun- ngs) oe ee throughout Mexico, and whose porous ste as térches. The rock composing the Wagon mound is a compact black nd spotted basalt, that rises on the top to steep, rpendicular, eaoneele columns: of about 100 feet. During my excursion ‘the caravan had come to a ee atid camped on a spring ‘near the Wagon mound, called the Santa ‘On riding to sic I was taken by sur- prise at hearing suddenly the, was sound of a trumpet, and seeing a eaptain, with — Mexican Sieh a da flock of sheep, encamped near the va soldiers locked as: pie and miserable as they could be. a4 barefooted.” of them were armed with short ‘lances, like the Ciboleros, but few ha After all, they made <8 payer appearance; and fy with the most friendly intentions. — by the Governor of Santa Fe to reeeive ivei pete ans, to Twam: = from ps camped. i in the ae without water, thd Mexicans some distance from satin e 24. went i in the morning but five miles, to eke creek. The de- seent on the river bank is very steep and tocky. | The creek, as well as the daloidal pasdbecwinli quartzose sandstone. below, both horizontal. = 5 ha and cundey shrubs, grow -along the ereek; the gra ss and water are good. of ‘cereal wee this morning quiets over Y the d ssowldbs we heard i in the distante impresion which ne xt ee 3 3 ve ' surpassed byt the ere eft, when with say, alte thes I descried ‘the action produced ‘unearthly music—a Me: ican carréta. $i agine to yee a cart, made ‘any nails o My n of pai - two solid wheels comes of the a of ar and im © were dressed in mere rags; some seated - * e ~ pige) in motion by three yoke of oxen, and carrying @ load, which on a better vehicle one animal could transport much faster and easier, and you will have an idea of this primitive i only known vehicle used i ern Mexico. ‘The present carrétas were loaded with maize, for which r. Speyer had sent to the nearest settlements; and our animals, somewhat pees by the journey, enjoyed for several days a teicose ston dinner, which the poor Mexican soldiers, whose only food was beans, seemed to envy them. A Ns and good road led us ee the afeciiben through moun- tains to our right and left, covered wit oil, grass, and water, are excellent; the surrounding moun an abemiied of pine, and wast the valley at the same time ff cold in the winter. Stock increases ne ey se nevertheless, t constantly exposed to the depredations of Aodintes We s tiie a sho time at the first settlement, belonging to Messrs. Smith and Wells. The house (quite a new sight to us since we had left Missouri) was built in the Mexican fashion of sun-dried Ione s-or adobes, and with a flat roof. Deli- eacies of milk, butter, and pie ote red to us, and of course not re- used. We marched about six yaslaw beyond Rio Mora, and encamped in the piain. we 25.—Made in the morning 12 miles as faras Gallinas creek. Half why? we had a beautiful view over the whole chain of mountains through which we have now to travel.. The descent on the left bank of the creek very steep. The bluffs here consist of a dark-bluish, shistose limestone, with fossils belonging fe ne cretaceous ssneseen About a mile from the’ creek the small town of las Vegas, or Gallinas, a village of 109 and odd houses, and poor’ au dirty: looking ‘aisbionil who cultivate some fields around town by means of irrigation, and raise some stock. The valley of Vegas is not so fertile as that of Mora, and more exposed to to the rigor of the winter. In the afternoon we passed through town and turned mediately into the mountains. Instead of overa high plain, we shall now- vel mostly in narrow valleys, and, through mountainous passes, sur- rounded by high precipitous rocks, so ca alled canons. Through such acafion we on that same afternoon. 'The steep rocks overtowering our bs aothetimes; consisted of a and silicious sandstone, red , white a grayish. ‘I'wo species of pine grow o ae Hagin 2 both of them wade scribed yet. ‘The one (Pinus brachypte Eng.) is the most common pine of New Mexico, andt t useful for immed ; the other (Pin edulis, King.) or so-called piton, oe in the cones seed of small nuts, that are roast and eaten. We encamped at the end of the cafion, ina cael valley, about five was from las egies our camp was on all sides sttrrounded by rocks. ‘The grass brought out by the late rains is very fresh and tender, but had a disigealet bluish green color, probably the effect of light reflected from pine timber. Our night camp, as I understood afterwards, is the place where General Armija, in his late memorable campaign, had at first col lected his troops, with the intention to attack the Americans in the cafton. _ June 26.—Travelled in the morning through a mountainous and tim- bered country to Tecolote Abajo, a smatl At village of ae 30 houses, and ‘some miles beyond it nall A coarse, con- glomerate sandstone prevailed hate: and pine and cedar fo all around. 2 bps]; In the afternoon we ascended first a steep, very rocky hill; passed after.. wards by Ojo de Bernal or San’ Miguel spring, surrounded b a houses, and camped some miles eastof San Miguel, (10 miles.).. The rocks. stone, and lime. June 27.—Passed this morning through San Miguel, or the Rio Pecos. near our night camp are a coarse conglomerate of decomposed granite, sand- $ ‘ The place seems somewhat larger and wealthier than las Vegas. A church, built of adobes, is the prominent building.in town. San Miguel is the most southern point on the Santa Fe road, and from here our mountain road takes a northwestern direction. About three miles beyond San Miguel we a oon, and started again in the afternoon for the mountains. Ac- y custom, [rode ahead to examine the country. The day was their sanctuary; but their tribe has dwindled. down at last to a trifling ‘ - For centuries they have been, careful to preserve ns 6 19 [2 26 EN A and either from necassitty ot shaken faith, they left oral six years: ago the home of their fathers, and joined another rom. Bose springs we went that afternoon six vets overa ied moun. tainous r to Cottonwood branch, a small valley amidst high mountains,’ where oat maple (Negundo fraxinifolia >) common and bitter re { (Lopulus Canadensis and angustifolia) grow, surrounded by: pine tre This is the highest point on the Santa Fe road;a es to my barometr- | measurements, it is 7,250 feet above the level of the June 29.—Trayelled in-the forenoon eight miles over onvioe road; th 2 narrow valley, or rather a cafion with a ravine running t halted at noon on a clear mountain stream. From C whi ish, striped, and s Sneremerstomp anes looser and coarse eee some- times finer and very compact. ‘The strata were generally horizontal, except near our noon po where they seemed to have been uplifted from. southwest to northeast, Im an. ‘ert of nearly 100 degrees. From our noon camp the caravan started through another: caiton about six miles long, while I preferred, for better ee of the country, to ride over a mountain path, that cut off several miles. ‘This mountain path was ex- tremely steep, and strewed all over with blocks of granite and some gneiss. - This is the first place on the Santa Fe road where I found the granite un- doubtedly in situ. Qn Rio Peces, and some other localities, the cranite was always in a decomposed and conglomerate state, and was most likely trans- ported there in the course of centuries by the yearly risings of theriver. But here [ stood upon firm granite ground, ee up from the bowels of the earth’ in one of the grand revolutions which, in time immemorial, have changed | the nature of our globe. ‘This _— papa th extends without interrup- tion from here to Santa Fe. At the highest point of the road isa small Plata wath good grass, and.a — view over the mountains. Many wooden crosses are here erected upon heaps of granite rocks—a sign that man travellers, me met here with an untimely grave by the hand of robbers. Descending again, 1 reached the common wagon road on the other end of the canon, an a for the wagons, _— soon afterwards arrived ing ua to molest the eg through the whole len aes attle rove the whole army. June 30.—In the morning we travelled six failed over a sandy and gravelly road, surrounded, as usual, by thick pine timber, and halted at a small ts From here Santa Fe i s but fi miles ene. Ridin, d al [26] > . travellers, and by the sight of the Mexican country towns through which we had passed. However, when J perceived before me that Eh cluster of low, flat roofed, mud: built, dirty houses, called Santa Fe, and resembling in the distance more a_prairie- oo village than a capital, I had’ to yaower them yet for some degrees. After a short ride, I came to the ‘ plaza,”’ or public square of the town, and at there with’ some of, my friends, who had gone in advance of me. The first important news which I heard in Santa Fe was an account of the battle of Palo Alto, that had reached Santa fe from the interior of Mexi finis ort time. J myself, unacquainted with the obstinacy of een character, and confident that our government would take ener- getic measures to finish the» war ata single blow, shared their opinion. Under this conviction, I started for New Mexico, and the present joyful news rather,confirmed me init. ‘The people in Santa Fe appeared indif- ferent to the defeat at Palo Alto; no excitement prevailed; only Governor sent over sha plains to occupy New Mexico. ll the information we could really give him on that account was, that such a plan had been thought of; shat. “a troops were ready when we left; and that if they started at all, they could hardly reach New Mexico in less than two months hence. In the meanwhile, Governor Armijo treated the traders as usual. After some thing went on as in perfect peace. While the traders were occupied with the arrangement of their mercantile business, I availed myself of this de- lay to take a look at the strange life in Santa Fe, to make some scientific observations, and to collect as much information about the e country as cir- cu: ces would allow, the summary of which I insert here as an abridged statistical account of New Mexico. My short stay, as well as the general want of statistical documents in this State, and the very unpropitious time to ask insight into the few that existed, render it impossible for me to give any more definite account for the present. Statistics of New Mexico. To define the Sos dives Jol New Mezico is no easy task, for the reason that they never seem to have been clearly defined; and the recent contro- versy in relation to the Boutidietes of ‘Texas, makes them ndefini still. To come to a clear result, we must begin with the facts, known as such. Towards the north and northeast, New Mexico meets with the bound- = of the United apes agreed upon the 22d February, 1819, between e United States and Spain, eB wit: that part of the line which runs from Red river in the 100° longitude west of Greenwich, up to the Arkansas; then along the Arkansas to its sources; from thence in a straight line north to the 42° north latitude, and following the 42° west to the The Gethienstenn boundary of New Mexico is pec? connected Se the still still und led question of the boundaries of Texas. The limits of the Mexican province Texas, previous to its peudiica, are generally consid- a ie _ ered the Wickes ad in the southwest the ‘Red river on. the north, the Sabine on the east, and the gulf of Mexico on the southeast.* The State of 'l'exas, after 54 “declaration of independence from Mexico in 1836, re- solved, as - matter of expediency, to extend the southwestern bou ndary of ‘Texas from the mouth of the Rio Grande along the river to its source; and up z = 42° Sort latitude.t} ‘The settlement of this question would therefore change the boundary of New Mexico towards the north, east, and southeast, at the same time. Towards the south, the State of Chihuahua | rms_ the principal sagotary of New bee This State claims as its northern boundary towards New Mexico 32° 30! latitude north; this * Under the Spanish government, Texas, with Coahuila, New Santander, and New Leon, be- longed to a general co mmandancia of t the provincias internas orientales. _This divi ision was made in 1807 , when | ent republic of ‘Mexico, N Yew Leon and New Santander became two oF those States, the latter having changed its name into ste ah and Coahuila an ited formed a third State. The boundaries of those ras continued to be the same as under the Spanish gov the a — whi ich [ ha pportunity to compare, in rega the then southern boundary ine along the Nueces; but the respective ry pedis cou ‘Tex somewhat indefinite from the eatliest settlements. Hum- boldt, in his recy Politique sur le royaume de la Nouveile Es; 1, s: “Jai tracé les limites de Coahui! és de lembouchur uerco et vers les sources du Rio de Saba, telles que je ai trouvées indiqaées dans les cartes spéciales conservées dans les archi la viceroyauté, et dressé par des ingénieurs au.service du roi d’Espagne. Mais comment déterminer des limites _territori nes immenses ot les métairies sont eloignées Jes unes des autres de 15 & 20 oon et ow l’on ne trouve presque aucune trace pr oS ou de culture. rman wo da on Mexico b phphlenptort petits in 1844, pci the on omm: n the same object : f the present State of Coahuila tow Texas in the Darth er bopueatirk ane indefinite. | but we presume that towards the orth ike the boui dary of the State of Coahuila extends from t e Rio Puerco to th WI of San Saba, near the 32° north latitude.” An same author says of a sof the State of Tamaulipas: “ This State, formerly called the colony of New Santander, and be- longing to the intendance of San Luis Potosi, but since the revolution of Mexico an independ- ent State, is ss on the north by the State of Coahuila and the present republic of Texas, and on phe sey by the gulf of Mexico, from the Lagunade Tcmpieh ts to the Nueces river, or from the ve 28° north latit 3 ees LE santas f Texas to the Rio Grande seems to me far superior to the doubtful right acqu vee bed the forced promise of Santa Anna, while a prisoner in Texas, to acknowledge such a boundary. The right of revolution has already become sanctioned in this part of the Slobe thee eenes of the United States is based u on it, and the whole continent will be erated by But the revolutionary right includes, is my humble opinion, eo ipso, the right of Citiguieed: aisavee the oppressed party, in its strife for Bes gg t= palntcnce, shall consider it — or fae nt to secure its victory by such mea tadistico Rp el Estado de Chiao published in Chihuahua, 1842, I fod ( 10) the the ‘ellowing pass to ma la any ices del Estado con el e Coahuila y Tejas, desde los Hit side a h tig mi n el Rio Gran orte.”” ‘ “The Pecos river forms the dividing line} Nahehieil the State of Chihuahua and that of Coubuila at » from. 32! north latitude, down to its mouth, into the Rio Grande.” Tn the same het . HL, is said: aT q 3 es del E Ride Ps by pa a ae Mog y ; ¢, tinder ora n con 4l: Rie de San Weattiaro “0 hast oT niountains, and the most m the Mogoyon ains, = te northern ne ot Bite (ef Chibuahua) ire joneton with the San Francis, [26] . 22 generally the aa, ye is considered to form it. Towards the west of New Mexi country is spread out between the Rio Colorado and - the Gila, inffubited ‘only by wild Indian tribes. This whole ides country sometimes allotted in the Mexican maps to Sonora, sometimes to Uppe California, but general to New Mexico, while the large wile desert northwest of the Colorado is generally attributed to California. -If we accept now in all directions the widest boundaries for New Mexico, it would extend from 32° 30! to 42° north latitude, and from 100° to about 114° longitude west of Greenwich. But as the country of the wild Indians has never been under any jurisdiction or control of the Mexicans, and seitl ments have never extended over the whole territory, the name of 9 has generally been applied only to the settled country be- mol ofGreenwich. In this limited extent, whose lines are draw development, and natural hee wee 2 it will be most middle, oc Sets north to south, and formed By the Rio del Nor The valley is generally about 20 miles wide, and bordered on the east ae est oe mountain chains, continuations of ‘the Rocky Neg Se which have received here different names, as Sierra blanca, de los Organos, oscu- ra, on the eastern side, and Sierra de los Grullas, de Acha, fe los Mim- ‘bres, towards the west. The height of these mountains south of Santa Fe may, upon an average, be between six and eight thousand isi while near ’ Santa Fe, and in the more northern regions, some snow cov peaks are seen that may rise from 10,000 to 12,000 feet above the se the mountains cedars, and sometimes oak; in the valley of the Rio Grande, m ; mezquite. The main artery of New Mexico is the Rio del Norte, the longest and largest river in Mexico. | Its headwaters were explored in 1807 by Captam ike, between the 37° and 38° north latitude; but its highest sources are Supposed to be about two degrees farther north in the Rock mountains, near the headwaters of the Arkansas and the Rio Grande, (of the Colorado of the west.) Following a generally southern direction, it runs througt New Mexico, where its princ sipal affluent is the Rio Chamas from the west, and winds its way then in a southeastern direction through the States of Chibuabhast Coahuila and Tamaulipas, to the gulf of Mexico, i in 25° north latitude. ts tributaries in the latter States are the Pecos, from the north; the Conchos, Salado, Alamo, and San Juan, from the south. The le course of the river, in a straight line, would be near 1,200 miles; but by the meandering of its lower half, it runs at least about 2,000 miles from the region of eternal snow to the almost tropical climate: of the gulf. The elevation, of the river above the sea near Albuquerque, in ho Mex- ico, is about Age feet; in el Paso del Norte about 3,800; and at Rey- nosa, between and four hundred miles from its mouth, ‘about 170 feet. The fall ree its otal appeared to be, between Albuque and el Paso, from two to three feet in a mile, and below Reynosa one foot in two miles. The fall of the river is seldom used as motive ve except for some flour mills, which are ge worked by: mules than by water. The cipal : ich is it derived from the oerer is for agri- e, by their Pelt nee system of irrigation. As to its navigation le 23 [26] in New Mexico, T doubt very much if even canoes could be used, except -perhaps during May or June, when the river is in He highest state, from the melting of the snow in the mountains. The river is entirely too shal- ee a interrupted by too many sand bars, to roliiae anything for aa / On the southern portion of the river the recent exploration yy Gsitaid Sterling, of the United States steamer |] ah Brown, has proved that steainboats may ascend from the gulf as far as Laredo, a distance of 700 miles. “Although sri steamboat did not Ani over two Fes of water, “yet the explorers of that ¥ gion express their opinion, that “ by eine ‘some $100,000 in a pipiens improvement of the river above Mier, boats | “ing tee feet sa readily ny between the mouth of the Rio Grande a! never a closer connexion between this headpoit nation and’ New Mexico shall be considered, nothing would answer but a railroad, crossing from re valley of the Rio Grande to the high table land in'the State of Chihta The soil in the walle of the Rio del Norte, i in New Mexico, is generally sandy and looks poor, but by irrigation it pi abundant crops. ough agriculture is carried on ina very primitive way, with the hoe alone, or with a rough plough, made often auNitely of wood, without any particle of iron, they raise large quantities, of Indian corn and wh ans, onions, red peppers, and same fruits. The most fertile part of tie tse begins bls Santa Fe, along the river; and is called “ no abajo,”’ or (the country) down the river. It is not uncommon there to raise two crops within one year. ‘I'he general dryness of the climate, and the arid- ity of the soil in New Mexico, will alw ways ¢ confine agriculture to the valleys 0 the water courses, which are as rare as over all Mexico—such, at least, as the. high table-land from Santa Fe south, that ina certain depth layers of clay are found, that may form reservoirs of the sunken water-courses from i€ eastern and western jee i chain, which * the epee method of might bé changed Fl ite tea deserts into cultiv ene? "Bate at et, “frrigation from a water-course is the only aval means of carrying on sericulture. The irrigation is effected by dam- Ming the streams and thro owing the water into larger and smaller ditches (acéquias) surrounding and mtersecting the whole cultivated land. 'The inhabitants of towns and villages, therefore, tbelitg their lands together, and allot to each one a part of the water at certain periods. These common fields ‘are eonefally without fences, which are’ les s needed, as the grazing stock ‘is guarded by herdsmen. The finest fields are generally seen on the hact- endas: or iste estates, belonging to ‘the Ti ich property holders i in New ‘Mexico. ‘These haciendas are appare ntly a remnant of the o ul system, where large een - Pat with the eee at, of Indian | in- habitants as serfs, were granted by the Spanish crown to thei assals. ‘The ‘great number of human Beinps attached to these citrus He int fact ‘nothing more than serfs; they receive from their: ea S only toe a and clothing, or perhaps a mere nominal p Stanteeen nstant debt “and dependence to their landlo ds; tha it d custom sesh indolence did not prevail upon them to stay with their : 2 masters, the enforcement of the Mexican laws against pag would be sufficient to continue their servitude mi generation to generation. This actual slavery exists throughout Mexico, in spite of . liberal con- stittition; and as long as this ¢ yin: ame is not abolished, the declama- tions of the Mexican press against the slavery in the United States must appear as hypocritical cant. esides agriculture, the inhabitants of New Mexico pay a great deal of attention to the raising of stock, as horses, mules, cattle, sheep, and goats. Their stock is all rather of a small size, because they’care very little for the i are large tracts of land in New Mexico too distant from water to be culfiva- ted, or in too mountainous parts, which afford, nevertheless, excellent pas- turage for millions of stock during the whole year; but unfortunately here, as well as in the State of Chihuah hua, the raising of stock has been crippled by the invasions of the hostile Indians, who cons reviign themselves secret partners in the business, and annually take their share y- third, much neglected branch of industry in i ile Mexico are the mines. Great many now ferret: mining places in New Mexico prove at present, which may be secunateh for in various ways, as the prese want of capital, want of knowledge in mining, but esmlncte the soa tled state of the country and the avarice of its arbitrary rulers. ‘The mountainous parts of New Mexico are very tich in gold, eh iron, and some silver. Gold seems to be found to a large extent in all the moun- tains near Santa Fe, south of it in a distance of abo ut 100 miles, as far de fou und by the rie classes of sa who aaa themselves with the wauhing of this metal out of the mountain streams. At present the old and e new Placer, near Santa Fe, have attracted most attention, and not only gold washes, but some gold mines too, are worked there. They are, so far as my knowledge extends , the only gold mines worked now in New Mex- ico. But as I have made from Santa Fe an excursion there for the special Lapa of e examining those mines, I must refer the rea menace! in relation to overlooked. Coal has been discovered in different Abcalitien, as in the Raton mountains, near the village of Jemez, southwest of Santa Fe, in a place south of. the Placers, etc. Gy ; saaiaeu a selenite, are found in tities in Mexico; most extensive layers of it, I under- stood , exist in the mountains n ear Algodones nes, on the Rio del Norte, and in the n neighborhood, of the celebrated ‘«Salinas.”? It is used as common 25 [ 26] ee for whitewashing, and the crystalline or selenite instead of window gla Abeut fou ep = travelling (probably 100 miles) south-southeast 2s Slats Fe, on the ‘hi igh table-lax id between the Rio del Norte and Pecose are some extensive salt lakes, or ‘‘ salinas,’’ from which all the salt (ms. riate of soda) used in New Mexico is procured. large caravans go theof every year from Santa Fe in the dry season, and. return with as much is they car transport. They exchange, generally, one bushel of salt for orl- of Indian corn, or sell it for one and even two dollars a bus Not far from these salinas the ruins of an old city are found, of the fab-- ulous ‘la Gran Quivira.”’ The common report in relation to this place is, that a very large and wealthy city was once here situated, with very rich pics the produce of which was once or twice a year se sent to Spain. At one season, when they were making extraordinary preparations for pany 2 g the precious metals, the Indians attacked them; wherenp “he, D the weipers buried their treasures, worth 50 millions, and- left the city to- | lled to many spacious pits, sateagre to be pis mines. It was no don bta Spanish mining town, and it is not unlikely that it was destroyed in vi in the general, successful insurrection of the Indians in New xico against the Spaniards. Dr. Samuel G. Morton, ina late pamphists “sug gests the probability that it was originally an old ee n city, m the Spaniards, as ip several other instances, had intruded prec and subsequently nhandlonet it. Further te it is to be hoped, will clear up this poin ne climate of “i Mexico is of course very different in the higher, mountainous parts, from the lower valley of the Rio del Norte; but generally taken, it is temperate, constant, and he althy. ‘The summer heat in the valley of the river will sometimes rise to nearly 100° Fah- renheit, but the nights are always cool and pleasant. The winters are much longer and more severe than in Chihuahua, the higher moun- tains are always epkared with snow, and ice and snow are common in Santa Fe; but the Rio del Norte is never frozen with ice thick enough to adinit the passage of horses and carriages, a8 was formerly be- Jieved. 'The.s sky is generally clear, and the atmosphere dry. Between July and October, rains fall; but the rainy seasons ici age not so constant and regular as in the southern States. Disease seems to be very little known, except some inflammations and typhoidal iden in the winter season ; ‘The history of New Mexico lies very much in ‘the dark. The Span- iards, it seems, received the first information about it in 1581 from a party . of adventurers uuder Captain Francisco de sone + ponies who, upon finding the aboriginal inhabitants and the mineral wealth of the country to ~ be similar to those of Mexico, called it New Mexico “ 1594, the sie 269 "26 ‘ieeroy. of, Mexico, Count de Monterey, sent the gallant Juan de Ofiate, of Zacatecas; to New Mexico, to take formal possession of the country in the. xame of Spa in, and to establish a ihe nies, missions, and presidios, (forts.) - They found a great many Indian tribes and se tlements, which they ‘sue- ed: in christianizing in the usual Spanish way, with sword in hand, and nade them their slaves. The villages of the christianized Indians were Jalled pueblos, in opposition to the wi ild and roving tribes that refused such favors. Many towns, of which only ruins exist now, were established at that time; many mines were worked, and the occupation of the country seemed to be secured, when quite unexpectedly, i in 1680, a-general insur- ection of all the Indian tribes broke out against the Spanish yoke. The Indians massacred every white male, and the then Governor of New Mex- “ico, Don Antonio de Otermin, after a hard fight, had to retreat with his ‘men from Santa Fe, and marched as far south a s Paso del Norte, wot they met with some friendly Indians, and laid the focindaen of the pres town of that name. It lasted ten years, until Spain recovered the wiate Tae of New Mexico sta oe other insurrections took place re is constantly some distance between them and the rest of the Mexicans. They live always isolated in their villages, cultivate the soil, and raise some k, and are generally poor, frugal, and sober. Their different _ -tnibes, of which — twenty yet exist, are reduced to about ten thousand souls. They speak different Indian dialects; sometimes, too, broken Soabich: All of “sali know the old tradition of- Montezuma, mentioned already in the account . the old Pecos village; but none have carried the veneration oftheir expeeted Saviour so far as this faithful tribe.’ ‘For the regulation of their ssuttapienal they select a chief or éacique, and a coun- ceil, and in war a capitan. heir religious rites are @' mixture of Catholi- eism and Indian paganism; the Span nish priests themselves favored this pote ne from policy. ‘Their villages are built with great regularity ; mhetinn they have _ one large hou use, with several storiés, and a grea security. Their dress consists of moccasins, , short bre shal, dats woolet jacket, or blanket; they generally wear their hair elaine Bows and ae and a-lance, and sometimes a gun, constitute their weapo ns. The-whole ao tof New Mexico was in 1798, according to a cen- sus, 30,953; in 1833 it was calculated to amount to 52, ,360, and ‘that num-. eta consist of - ie, Gapuchinés; a Spaniards,) sy Creoles » vy Mes- tizes‘of all grades, and 43 of pueblo Indians. In 1842, the population was estumated at Bu. ‘eer ‘and at me at about 70,000 souls. 5s nnersiand customs of the New Mexicans proper are very eferflae to those over al Mexico, described so often by travellers to that country. While the higher classes conform themselves more to-American and ea . pean fashions. the men of ‘she lower classes are faithful to their serapes o colored shee and to their wide trousers with’ glittering cenit and WE ee isa — eines sage a chane ore 21 (pe) seen; and the ladies of all classes are more than justified in not giving u, their “coquetish rebozo, a small shawl drawn over the head. ~ Both. sexes enjoy the cigarrito or paper cigar, hold their siesta after dinner, and amuse ‘themselves in the evening with monte, (a hazard. game,) or fandangos. Their dances are, by-the-by, very graceful, aud Faloelly a combination of uadrille and waltz.” The principal ingredient in the Mexican race is Indian blood, which is visible in their features, complexion, and disposi- tion. The men are, generally taken, ill-featured, while the women are often quite handsome. Another striking singularity i is the wide difference n the character of the two sexes. While the men have often been cen- sured for their near aed treachery, and cruelty, the women — tions are reciprocated. Tho ough Fealty not initiated in the art of read ~ ing and writing, the females possess, nevertheless, a strong common sense: and a natural sympathy for every suffering being, be it friend or foe; whee where the cruelties of the Mexican men were mig by the diaenymneniecs Bi ai of their women , the gov strained, and ee only to the law of revolution, which the New cans used to administer very fre eee s Mee upsetting. the reer chak already received his full share of comment from. the public press. of those smart, self-confident. men, who, like their prototype. Santa Bg inn are aware that the wheel of fortune.is always turning, and that the Mexi- cans are a most credulous and. easily deceived people; and though at pre- sent he is a fugitive from bis eountry, and subdued d, [have no doubt he will before long appear once more.on the stage, and by some means come into power again. The judiciary power in New Mexico has always been as dependent as the governor was independent. . Besides that, the clergy, as estanquillas, or. the sale of tobacco in, all its fran as a monopoly of the general government; but it néver succeeded... _In the same way the 1niro- Soins of SOPRA pan was resisted. This loose: connexion .with the mother country will aid a. great deal its annexation to the United: States, provided that the ie will hace upon it what the Mexican gov- ment never could—stability of government, s safety of property and = pn rights, and especially protection from the host! ostile Indians Finally, we will take a view of the capital of New Mexico. .. Santa Fei is one of the oldest Spanish setilements in New Mexico; “4 —— n dates prob- ably as =e the end of t she sextet aeeey: lies in 35°: >? a voi 26] 28 north latitude, and 106° 2’ 30” longitude west of Greenwich.* Its eleva- tion above the sea, according to my own observations, is 7,047 feet. ia Santa Fe lies in a direct line about 20 miles east of the Rio del Norte, in n _ All the houses in Santa Fe are built of adobes, but one story high, with urt to. wit: windows of glass, and festoons of Indian ears. luxury in Santa Fe; common houses have shutters instead of windows, or quite small windows of selenite, (crystallized gypsum.) The festoons of Indian ears were made up of several strings of dried ears of Indians, ) killed by the hired parties that are occasionally sent out against hostile In- dians, and who are paid a certain sum for each head. In Chihuahua, they make a great exhibition with the whole scalps of Indians which they happen to kill by proxy; the refined New Mexicans show but the ears. Among the distinguished buildings in Santa Fe, I have to mention yet two churches with steeples, but of very common construction. ~~ The inhabitants of Santa Fe are a mixed race of Spanish and Indian blood, though the latter prevails. The number of inhabitants was in former times reported as high as 4,000; ‘at present it contains at most 3,000; and with the surrounding settlements belonging to the jurisdiction of Santa Fe, 6,000. The manners and customs of the inhabitants of Santa Fe wa is is the result of the quent © engineer corps, duri from his but i ' : astronomical observations made by Lieut. Emory, is stay in Santa Fe, and which he has kindly allowed me to refer to. y Sadlahervecicnan Por miieade made during my short sojourn in Santa Fe, differs seconds. Dr. J. Gregg i 35° 41’... There can, tas to the real latitude of Santa Fe. Nevertheless, all the Mexican maps it nearly one degree further north. This northern tendency of Mexican maps I I-made observations for latitude. : 29 [ 26 ] ~ Since the commencement of the Santa F'e trade, the Mexicans there have been decastich ed to see strangers among them; and the trading compa- nies from the United States are anxiously looked for by the government and people of Santa Fe, because they fill the empty pockets of the one, and pro- vide the other with the necessaries and comforts of life. Santa Fe receives nearly all its goods from.the United States, aa some foreigners, mostly m s and Frenchmen, generally reside there for commercial purposes Among the then foreign residents of Santa Fe, it affords me pleasure to recollect Mr. Houghton, Mr. Alvarez, and others, who save me in relation to the country all the Soe taal in their power to to giv! As to the Santa Fe trade carried on between the Gnised States and New Mexico, I cannot add gaythine to what has been published already by Dr. J. Gregg, in the “Commerce of the Prairies,”’ to which interesting work I refer the reader, in relation to it. I will mention, only, that on an average the annual amount of merchandise carried there is estimated at half a fae lion of dollars After a week, Mr. Speier had finished his — in Santa Fe, and ie solved tg go on to Chihuahua. No further s had during that tim been received either from las or from the ploing. In this state of uncer- tainty, 1 thought it best, instead of waiting idle in Santa Fe for the € pos- sible arrival of an army over the plains, to spend my time more usefully by extending my excursion as far as Chibuahua, where, according to all ac- counts, everything wasas quiet as in Sauta Fe. Besides, I h ad a ssport from Governor Armijo, drawn up in the usual form, and securing my retreat in ease of necessity. r. Speyer’s caravan was encamped five miles west of Santa Fe, in Agua Fria, and was ready to start on the 9th. Tui . —I left Santa Pe for the camp in Agu — The caravan started on the usual. rola; oF Resdncen for the Rio del “Nore. But being anxious myself to examine the celebrated gold mines of New Mexico, the old and new Placer, in a range of mountains — from Santa Fe, I intended to make first from here this out a the old Placer, L passed by two springs, on the first of which I found sienite; on the other a fresh-water limestone. Ase ending afterwards to the hills, i met everywhere with a red and brown sandstone, looser or more compact, and with large masses of petrified wood. From here the ascent to the joyed to ; ‘ine and cedar cover the mountains all around. Slightly ascending from the some miles, a narrow ravine between high ' walls of mountains sud- nd aging on ~ a 30° it is commonly called, old Placer. Several foreigners live here. The first, one I saw was Mr. Watrous, a New Englander, but for many years a resi- dent of thiscountry. He received me very hospitably, and invited me to his dwelling. Some fresh. skins of grizzly bears were spread out on scaffolds, the sure American rifle stood in the corner, and everything else bore the char- acter of the backwoodsman; but by his intelligent conversation he showed himself a man of very good sense, and as an acute observer. ough Mr. Watrous had not himself been engaged in mining, he paid attention to his whole neigitborhood, and showed me many specimens of gold ores, which in his rambles through the mountains he had collected. I took a walk coarse pieces of gravel, and then, by well balanced shaking, all the earthy and sandy particles, till at last nothing is left at the bottom but the finest sand, from which all the visible portions of gold are picked out. The poorer class of Mexicans are generally occupied with those gold washes in the creek ; and they divide for that purpose the creek with the water amongst themselves, in lots, which often call forth as many claims and contests as the finest building lots in our cities.. As the gold is apparently carried here b the waters of the creek from higher auriferous regions, the gain from these washings is different according to the season. ‘I'he most gold is generally found in and after the rainy season, and it diminishes with the failing of water. Occasionally they discover a larger piece of gold in the sand; but generally the gold is so divided, that a whole day’s work will amount on an average to not more than a quarter or half a dollar» Every evening ed wor up. . To had worked it for one year, and found it very profitable. The gold vein NNW., wi i i from two to four feet wide, Mr. 'l'ournier has sunk a shaft alread depth of 40 varas, and with the drift of about 30 varas, and the ore prom-. ; 31 | (oe ises to hold out very fairly. The vein is found in sienite and greenstone, the gang consists of argillaceous i iron ore, (yellow and brown irom ochre,) - with which the pe gold is very intimately mixed. A yellow or brown earth, a decomposition of the same rocks and found among them, is con- sidered peculiarly Ach in gold. The ores are carried in “bags to the sur- face, and on mules to the amalgamation mill in town. After the ores have been ground, by hand, (pounding cats with ye: ») as ars cnt in the amull, a ‘small’ circular basin ormed v rocks, mill- stones, which are constantly turned side in it by ao oon. "These millstones are placed on their face, revolving round a centre pole, which is» turned by the animal. To the coarsely powdered\ore, water, and: then quid shy ais are scorn and the amalgamation goes on in the usual | Mr. ‘Tournier told me that he worked in this’ way every day about: tact aud a half cargas (7. 50. pounds) of the ore, and that he draws, on an aver- would allow yet many improvements, Mr. ‘Tournier makes nevertheless | ‘ his a sinart mug nese of it, an ss soon turn gold mine into real gold. Near Mr. Tournier’s gold m is a copper. mine, (sulphuret of copper,) said to Fons in gold ore, ed “worked for some time, but now given up. Several other specimens of copper ore from the vicinity were shown me; a very rich iron ore [ saw myself in the neighborhood; but neither of them is worked. ‘The old Placeris a very promising place for mines. The gold ores there were disccvered by mere accident in 1828, and gold washings established ; but besides that, the ground is barely touched, and will yet ‘aren rich treasures to the mining enchanter, who knows how to unlock th n the afternoon of the same day I left old Placer to pay a vidi to the othe mining place, southwest from it, called new Placer, and about nine e there with Mr, Nolan, a French resident of new — cer. Our way lay through fine pine timber, over steep mountains, and through narrow ravines; the road is rough, that no wagons can ss it. After having eon en we highest deine: an extensive plain is seen towards the Sout ards the west a small valley opens, in an which new Placer, or Real del aan , a town of about 100 buildings, is situated.. Several foreigners reside here, generally storekeepers. In the house of one of them, with Mr. Trigg, I found a kind ind hospitable re- ception. he gold in new Placer is also got in two ways, by washing and by mining. ‘The principal place for go ing is about one mile south- ‘“‘Bonanza.’’ A cluster of houses, or rather huts, form here a small vil- lage, whose febukiants | live outage by gold washing, but look as poor and wretched as if they never handled any gold of theirown. The whole Be is excavated . with pits, en whose depths they dig the same pate auriferous ground as in old Placer, and they wash it alsoin the same way. ot a drop of water is found here; all the water for washing must a brought in barrels from new Placer. ” The wash gold obtained fron a Placer is generally considered inferior to that of old Placer, as she more impu ‘fo ascertain the correctness of this opinion, I examin wasi-goid fh sou new plone and found it to contaie < Z ee ee cans, the other by an Amer other. I but . [26] a = Rote gold ee - - - - - pw CA as aia silex eS 4 “ : “ é é | S | I am sorry that I have no wash-gold from old Placer at hand for a com- parative analysis, but the above mentioned result shows that if any differ- ence exists between the two ores, it cannot be considerable. wo gold mines are — ita this time in new Placer; one by Mexi- They are said to be very similar to each visited the cesta, _ belonging to Mr. Campbell, an American te of new Placer. Mr. Campbell commenced mining only a short time since. His oetagernier ‘nih was not yet in operation; but he had aeady lected yeep 0 f gold ores, and invited me to see the mine that opened. It lies about one and a half mile southwest from the to own, near the top of a high mountain, to which a rough and steep road leads, iecoattite only to pack-mules. The gold mine i s found, as in old Placer, in sienite and greensione; it runs horizontally from east to west: the gang is iron ochre and crystallized quart he vein was from eight to ten feet wide, and explored only to the rae of about 20 feet, and to the i of about 10 feet. ‘The ore seems to be very rich 1 in er and the be found in this mehidle range of mountains, that of a bate situation as a town than old Placer, and of more assable roads. But 1 nied other mining places will no doubt spring up in this peiskioelion od as soon as the state of the country wllows it. Up to this time many causes have sisted to prevent rather than to encourage mining enterprise. ‘Though the law in New Mexico was geverally very liberal in granting lots for mining, the instability of Mexican laws, and their see be scrape ed have neu- tralized pnd annihilated it. When a New Mex wants to work a gold or other mine, not yet sea: poms by another, he aks 4 to a piF- = the nearest alealde; (justice of peace of the district,) who, according to the means and —_ work of the individual, allows him a smaller or larger tract of 7 urces of the country, so few : a a in tthe two Placers seems to vary consid- 6 in eee es M TE Se oY eee ee te oe ee , 33 [ 26 1 erable. In some years it was estimated from 30 to eee in others from 60 to $80,000, and in latter years even as high as $250,000 per annum. July 11,—Loaded with. pests of gold ore, I started this m orning to join the caravan which expected to reach Albuquerque within four days. 'The Alea'y fee here to of Bead leads at first through a cafion ina SSE. direction, because a chain of granitic mountains to the west does not allow a more direct course. Tall pines, cedars, and sometimes a small oak tree, grow in the narrow valley, and all over the ria aa mountains. After having travelled six miles, I passed by a small or village or pueblo; they cultivate some fields by way of irrigation, but loo exceedingly poor. The entrance to their tam USES WaS,aS fergie hole aoe top, to which they climb on a ladder. Riding on through a Pi ce I met ik a Mexican soldier, who estan! me at, me 2 a ‘Pej ve and, professing t friendship, bothered m with his Spanish I calls orse 3 trot sud ian him, with nee behind. » About 10 miles ee I reached a Mexican town, San Antonio; my“horse was tired, and I would have wished, myself, to stop; but everything looked so mean and phy that I passed through the town, and. rode ‘three ‘miles farther. I met witi a little, stream, and followed it some distance into the mountains; and grass and water being excellent, I resolved to camp here for the night. I picketed my horse to the best ass ane prepared for my- self a supper, In the night my horse, watchful as a dog, disturbed me ' several. times by getting frightened and running towards me, but it was caused by nothing but phar. deers; and other innocent animals... July 12.—Follo course of the creek, I went in a southern direc- tion about six miles throu zh the valley, hemmed in on both sides by rug- ged granitic mountains.» ring then towards the west, I left the moun- ns for a plain, at the 2 western end of which, in a_distance of 10 miles, Albuquerque andthe Rio del Norte lay before-me: ground. Albuquerque is a town. as la r d for seve miles along the left bank of the Rio del | Norte, and if not a hand: somer, is at least not a worse looking place than the capital. Jtis.the usual residence of Governor Armijo; peepee he was out. of power, he retired hither to work himself i into ergo again Ibu that the caravan had not passed yeh T retired to a rancho on mall. farm) near the town, to or its arrival, sorrel. days I looked in vain for the caravan; but as it ned a apes in es atter days, I actestuated their delay to the et ron y poor | hospitable ranchero in the me wig ety did all in-his | sare to make me comfortable. He pes my Ser to the fattest cage _ provided my- self with milk, beans, and “tortillas,’? ad libitwin. e rancheros or small farmers pecined to me generally to be more | ay cae the rest of the p ? ey do not work to excess, fel it is anti-Mexi nN; { 26] 34 éations the whole cultivated ground with the means of irrigation. ie quick this sandy, apparently sterile soil in the valley of the Rio del Norte is by affluence of water changed into the most fertile, is astonishing; and the granitic character of the surrounding mountains, whose decom parts are carried into the valley and form a portion of its soil, may have me influence upon it, as it is well known how pt decomposed granite, : and pinay Poconipoped feldspar, ne be tion; Aah oe its complete rai f cseratin for ‘levation above the sea since my excursion to the gold mines. The place at which I made the first observation again was about three a caites! north of Albuquerque, in a level plain about one mile east of the Rio del Norte, and it resulted in 4,813 feet elevation above the sea. Santa Fe I had found to be aidiated 7,047 feet. The usual road from there, by Agua Fria and Algodones, to Albuquerque , does not amount to more than 63 miles.’ In about two thirds of this distance the road descends towards: the fiver, and in the last third it leads along the river, through its é descent, therefore, from Santa Fe to the Rio del Norte (a dis- uae of about 40 miles on this road) must be very Fapid, as it amounts to t 2 Sie. 17. —Weather and a amnproved to-day. We passed Albuquerque this morning and halted two miles beyond, at Sandival’s hacienda. We had taken the aprer eastern toad, which was very sandy, but drier. From here, advised so by Mexicans, we intended also to take a higher road, leading over the hills; but when we arrived in the evening at the height of the pute, after a good deal of trouble, the road some distance ahead was , racticable. We had to camp here in a eae plain, covered with artemis and similar shrubbery, but without gra 18.—Commenced this morning with g retreat “ Saris val ’s hacien- das ‘and: travelled then on the usual road along the river three miles further before Se cups Some of the bil sew got again mired, and e ung any further. mp was close to the river, and on 4 ‘Some caravans erate to cross the river at Albuquerque, and recross it gain n ar Socorro, but we thought it best to continue alw: along the. left bank. The Rio del Norte is here about 100 yards wi 4 sual, sandy, shallow, everywhere fordable and nowhere naviga- ne r canoes. In the river we saw an abundance of geese, KS, and velans the latter bird is very common all along the water. s and shells appear to be very searee. On = Leap er the in ind, as neretofore quite onally a few trees are seen West of the river rise » light hills, while a of it, i in Sn xhe distance of 10 pte Tug! often of: granitic mountains ¢ confines the valley. Veg ; water course, is poor, the soil ce cs saily and « recgies i ca of New Mexico most various kin but the swiftness 1 rakes t very difficult to eek a [26] July 19. eile the usual road along the river, we travelled about three faites in the forenoon, and but two in : the afternoon. > ‘The caravan picturesque in the desert around us. The Indian pueblo brought some apples to our ce small and sour; but having f lasted for a long time, we relished t , July 20.—After having ‘idiedt with some difficulty a chain of said 1 hills, we reached a fine: grove of cotton trees, called bosque, or alamos de Pinos, and halted there, (five miles.) It is about one mile from the river, and quite a fine camp. The shade of the trees was the more welcome as thermometer in the few last days stood very high, generally about 95° Fah., in the afternoon. In the evening wé went but two miles, to the hutientia of Mariano Chavez's widow. ‘This. hacienda is the largest we have yet seen. It embraces a ree tract Aid land , with iva tig and an-extensive 1S ly 21.—About one mile from Chee on the 1 soa ‘Tes Ontero’s s haci- enda, or Peralta. He is another of the rich bility of New Mexico. His land is also very extensive, well cultivated and fenced in with aictee He raises a great deal of maize and wheat, and owns a stock. We passed in the morning through Valencia, and ‘having travelled about six miles, soil and road getting better, we halted at noon about one mile from thesiver, near a pond. In the afternoon we passed along-stretched town, Tomé, with extensive and remarkably fine maize and wheat gp well irrigated, but not fenced in except by a ditch. Caimped at th rt end of the town, about three miles from our noon camp. July 22.—Made five miles in the morning, and halted at noon on a sandy hill, with .95° Fah. in the shade. Our night camp was in Casas on (six miles,) a town near the river, and with high sand hills. with tolerable € gTass. hae Md us, on the right bank of the river; rises a never lost sight of eicttan riavaiiel with the river in a southern direction... he mountains on both sides are too far for me to examine them; but to Judge from their form, they are ‘granitic and basaltic. On the e river bank no rock is to be seen. Made. in- ‘the paige: 1d oat three 1 ge ee a Oe 24. Noo . sy ith ? oa ae ornee seine passed in the afternoon Joyita, a small town, and caiipad two miles Be. yond (four miles,) on the river. Near Joyita, pciainel bluffs reached 1 36 for ‘the first time the Rio del Norte; they consist of black amygdaloidai basalt. “July 2b. ar - noon in Joya, (five miles,)‘another small town, near the river. In the afternoon we had to cross a steep hill. On such occasions the teams ne to be doubled, and one wagon after the other to be pulled up, causing a delay of many hours. In the afternoon we went about three miles, and camped again on the river. ~~ July 26.—Passed in the morning through the town Sabine, and camped eo it on the river, (10 miles.) Our night camp was five miles further, The vegetable creation in the wanet of the Rio del Norte, shale ae ‘principally by a great many sand -plants, exhibits since a bs ens of days two specimens of shrub, which for their extension oe a greatest part of Mexico, and their r daily ap pearance hence, hey notice. The one is the-so-called meng 7a ebrEb, belo sis to family of the mimmosew, and a species of } earance our locust tree; is very thorny; bears Talow aitiee and long ds, with a pleasant sour, taste. The wood is compact and heavy, and be ee they grow but as oe abr ih only for fuel. "The mezquite hich I knew only by deat pect. ‘ soon go ot tired of it, “when n daily and hourly I ‘saw it ‘around me, and the more particularly when passing after- ‘Chihuahua to Monterey and Mata ag through endless chap- beets a ekg? it forms the constant compan It grows here seldom an from five to ten feet, but in the Uruihers parts I have seen mas. am trees, from 40 to 50 feet in height. "The other mee! Se ama to which I a oa is the yucca, resemblin in appearance the palm tree, and therefore commonly called. atiniller There are many species of this family, bat they all have very fibrous, Straight, pointed leaves , forming a a crown on the top, and leaving the stem bare, and a cluster of white, bell-shaped, numerous flowers, hanging down enerally , from their weight, in a bunch of from one to two feet in length. eae species of this plant, from two to three feet high, (yucca prushvates.)t seen on the Arkansas and near Santa Fe;" but here a much larger bias begins, which becomes every day now more cotn- n and taller. We see it here already at a height of from six to eight feet, while south ites Chihuahua, especially between Partas and Saltillo, a ‘still ail lange er § s found, growing as trees, of several feet diameter and ae to. Feet ae ation. ‘Phe root of the palmilla is in this country “ohn ied for washing instead of soap, and called amole; it is a fibrous, sy mass, containing mucilaginous, and probably even alkaline parts. ‘wood of the palmilla is too porous and spongy to ne very useful; less. Ly a south the poorer classes build their huts entirely of avin ‘made but two miles in the morning, we met with the river and halted, as our animals had fared very badly he afternoon w e had to ascend a steep, sandy hill; some Bete! and ‘alter feo) Bes we cone again near the 3 { Pt 6 oak: + Se “ ates ee, bs a * 37 [ 26] Chavez; and apparently a man of. pure Spee sar blood, and of education. He presented me with some apecten of very rich copper ore from the celebrated copper mines near SS heat vais of the Gila, and about 100 a southwest from Socorro. ae I understood that sonie copper ore and mines, worked in former times, were found on the mountains ee of the town, I engaged a guide and made,an pomas to the place. These mountains are about four miles from Socorro, and they consist prin- cipally of porphyritic rocks. ‘The supposed copper ore proved to be but a green trachytic rock. ‘The abandoried mines appeared to. ray been gold “mines, but probably exhausted. The ore is found with iro I found in those hills, et a new species of yucea, with large, oblong and edible fruits... The pul py mass of the fruit tastes _ like pe paupau; are larger and thicker than those of the common yucca. For the first time, also, I saw here opuntias, with ripe, red fruits, which are as sweet and refreshing as the great many small prickles with which they are coated . “are troublesome. . Crossing the river again, I met with the caravan about five miles from our last cam Bhs In the afternoon we travelled two miles more over a very sandy road, a d camped one mile north of Lopez. - ~ July 29.—Made on better toad’ this morning six miles; passed Lopez, a small town , and halted near a rancho. The mountains on both sides of the river, which generally Rereiplors were fon 10 to 20 miles distant from each other, seem to approach now. The soil, though always sandy, ex- hibits the same peculiarity as eat Strat chat when irrigated, it pro ‘duces abundant crops. Vineyards jealint to succeed very well on the hills. ‘Travelling in the evening six miles, we camped about one mile from the river, ‘To-day we Hare, passed the last settlements above the much dread- ed Jornada del Muert July 30.—Went this morning over >. saidy road : six. miles, and ot entapae in a fine grove of cotton trees near the riv g in the ng the nearest bluffs on our side, I found thent ‘to. consist of a “eS aaa ee a lar sandstone, without any connexion with other rocks. fe venin, we travelled six Ss saihes further; passed the “‘ruins of Valoerde, ** (in prosaic translation, the mud walls of , deserted Mexican village,) and camped at the foot of some sand hills, in a beautiful grove of cotton trees. By the, accession of several traders. ant travellers our caravan was cag seg to 50 ‘wagons, and made quite a respectable appearance. Whe whole caravan was encamped here under the manf broad cotton ee and the camp fires | ieestes ae different. Bronps of wagons, orses “mel od a sibs Si Ta crossing the hills this eet the deep sand, in which feo and other sand shrubs are iene a the —e rather It . (seven miles ra a the res oe formation, of the hills was the same @ lac k [26] 38. 1.—Travelled this morning about five miles, and. camped. be- tween one and two miles off the river. This camping place is known as Cristobal ; but as eve! is neither house nor settlement here, and one ay fix his camp close on or some distance from the river, the limits of wy Cristobal are not so aay defined as those of a city, and gen- erally the last camping place on or near the Rio del Norte before entering the Jornada del Muerto® ai “is Pufaeniodl b \ to be resorted to because the Rio sits Norte below Fray Cristobal takes not only a very circuitous bend, but rough mountains, too, alongside of it, make it most difficult to hae thie water-course. In the rainy season ena is generally plenty of water in the Jornada, as everywhere else, but in dry season phen not a drop is found. T ridge-like elevation of tie oman del Muerto a5 ue surrounding country, as may be seen in the barometrical profile, se allow less accumulation of water on dhe surface an on other jovalitiek: Although the rainy season had not |, some showers had already preceded it, and we expected, therefore, to find some water at least, but were prepared for the worst. Having watered our animals once more on the river, and filled all our wa- ter casks, we started in the evening, and having travelled about 12 miles over a good firm road, we ‘encamped vet water. The general direc- tion irons the Jornada is nearly due south. To the right, or west of | our road, in a poate of about five faites runs a.chain of mountains ex- tendir 2.—Started ee this catia and halted, after 10 miles, near na del Muerto, because sometimes a water-pool is lef e called haw ys the rains, but at present it was perfectly dry. About five tiles bn t from here, at the foot of the‘mountains to our right, is a good spring, running water, the sogcalled Ojo del Muerto. ‘Whenever a traveller ben 8 the Jornada will not risk to rush through it in the shortest time, us drives his animals from here to the Ojo, and back to the road, because resis ° wat Water to be coe ed upon oe of the men, in the Sale and the other’ half drove the Y sod Silom, and then through a narrow gorge, or “ cafion,”” till we the esired spring, under a cluster of cotton trees. The water » but toowann. The blufis were formed by a conglomerated ] gee rite chain was more distant. On our return to rs aS Titerally, the ue me of the dead: man, and refers toan au who attempted to sli rr ipa ‘The w palin on ‘ he [26] camp we understood that an accident had happened. . In one of the wagons a small cask of powder had, from some cause or other, taken fire, and had scattered the contents of the wagon over the plain. It was fortunate that nobody was near enough to be gs seriously, nee that the scattered goods were mostly articles of hardware; the loss therefore not so important. ‘Towards evening we s ae and oat about 10 miles before we camped, without water August 3.—Staried early, and reached within six miles Alamos, a place where sometimes ‘a water-pool is found, but which was now perfectly dry, and went four miles further before we nooned, without v plier Our samp nant by sufficient to water our animals. The eastern mountain s send here some spurs into the plain. rahe soil is ibe: and firm, and, mh more afternoon we went about 18 miles s, and e without ean August 5.—This morning, at last, after ‘raving travelled eight miles, we reached the river once more. The camping place, where we struck it, is called Robledo. 'The country here looks very mountainous. The eastern in height four feet, and in th t ; circumference six on eight inches. It had yellow flowers, and © the same time which I t along with some of the ribs; be: { really felt sorry, that and weight August 6.— Night camp near riv August 7. This ie.) Mr. Wiek, a merchant from C hihiinbjoae and myself, started ahead of the caravan, to reach el Paso some days: before it. e took our small megone along; went that morning 15 miles, and halted sii noon, near the In the afternoon we riieed = again; and travelling g through the night, we _ made 28 miles andre, and halted near the Raced crossing of the io del here, ane spon eangeE battle, th Mexicans s were in less as far as Carrizal. Our brave marcel ther Hong, eonguerng [26] - 40 Norte.” ‘The road was very good, in the latter part ceacon ee ; on both sides of Shibsiver rose mountains, which converge above el Paso, and confine: the river for several miles to a narrow pass, enka in by precipitous .. August ¢ 8.-El Paso del Norte lies about six miles foot the upper cross- ing, and two roads lead to it. One road crosses here the river, and leads over hills, covered with deep sand, to the plain, on which the town lies. The other continues on the left side of the river, ascends over a rock broken country to a considerable elevation, and descends from here to the valley of el Paso, crossing the river below, at = a We selected the first road, and crossed the river, therefore, at on The water was very ee and Ww e passed it without any difficulty. My barometrical observa- made here on the flat river bank, gave an elevation above the sea of Bi 107 feet ; about 1,000 feet lower, therefore, than 1 had found the river nearly 300 miles nort tth from here, near Albuquerque. Supposing that the circuitous course of the river in that distance amounts to 400 miles, the fall of its water would, on an average, be.2} feet per mile. After some rest on the right bank of ‘the river, we et for the sandy hills, but the sand was by far deeper, and our animals e exhausted, than we had antici- pated ; and seeing the impossibility of'e geting through on this road withottt fresh animals, we retraced our way to the river, crossed again, and took the other road, which was rough, broken and rocky, but without sand. 'To our right was the river, running through a cafion; to our left rose high, steep walls of mountains; the road always ascending from hill to hill, till we gained at last the highest point and perceived the charming valley 0 el Paso del Norte spread out before us. The pr del Norte rte, having escaped the pote pass, runs here into ‘an open, fertile plain, at the beginning .0f which el Paso is situated. The town is poneay built on the right bank of the river; but few houses are on the left. Stretched out along the river to the length of many miles, all the houses surrounded by gardens, orchards, and vineyards, and rich settlements, with cornfields, as far as the eye ( cant trace the stream sli ning its green bank—such a scenery bites Pore be ive; but to.a traveller, who has passed over the lonesome plains and through the dreary Jornada del Muerto, it appears like an’ oasis in the desert... Descending from the hills in the valley, we crossed the river on the mn ford opposite the town, and were soon in the middle of it, on the L ee in el Paso for about a week, = recruit my animals, and take . some view of the town and surrounding country. Unfortunately, the rainy - Season came on and prevented me from. ing many excursions and ob- Sate i Moe genie: however, [ was enabled to collect, I will render to he pub The setetent of el Paso was commenced about 1680, Whos Grvemer el Indian pueblos, which received ened in the fertile valley, but this seems to hav belonge vat the Spanish government to the province of New ; esent, to the State of Chihuahua. The latter State claims as th $s to’ eis New Motions already fated: 32° 30’ lati- Mexi to fall mp Robledo, © pa creas in coming out pore ty denedn: El Paso itself, — tq my own fea ey lies in 31° 45’ 50” north latitude. In 41 [26] most maps it is as many minutes north ‘of the, 324 degree as it really is south of it; a fact which may deserve fanirappetbe , if the suggestions of some statesmen , to make the 32d degree of latitude our southern line towards Mexico in wa paige rae be adbped: The position of el Paso is in many poin mportant one. It is distant about 340 miles from Santa Fe, about 240 1 ras C nihbhud. and is the largest town between ae two capitals. At the same time, the road by el Paso is the only prac- cable wagon road Jeading from Santa Fe to Chihuahua. Another Cir- bee oo road might in case of aps be taken from the right bank of the river, on the northern end of the Jornado del Muerto, to the copper mines near the sources of the Gila, and ror there, by Carmen , to Chihuahua; but it is by far more mountainous, circuitous, and diffic ficult, than the direct road by el Paso; that has oye the high road, and in fact the only thorough- © fare between these two Stat As to natural ineabhies "tok a military station, I have not seen a better point on the whole road: “from Santa Fe to Chihuahua. Appropriate forti- fications erected on the mountain pass above el Paso would command the fords of the river, and the roads leading to the north; and a garrison well provided with provisions and ammunition, could hold out there against a ten-fold stronger force. If the Mexicans, instead of attacking the Ameri- cans - ieek nae like mad-mer, and running like cowards, had prepare » Manner. But: Besides all-those advantages, the valley of el teed athe most fer: - tile country that we po seen along the river. Besides maize and wheat, they raise a large quantity of fruits, as apples, pears, figs, quinces, peaches, , &ch y oat espe cially an excellent grape, from which they prepare the fe brated “ el Paso wine,’’ and aliquor called by the Americans ‘‘ Pass key.” “The grape, which they cultivate extensively, is of Spanish ote, blue, very sweet and juicy, and produces a strong, sweet, southern wine of straw-color. For want of barrels they preserve it generally i in large earthen jars, or in leather bags of ox-skin. ‘The wine contains a great deal of body; when improved by age, it tastes like Malaga wine. Besides the blue grape, they raise sometimes also a white one, tasting like Museadine grapes, but have not seen any wine made of it. Their manner of cultivating the grape is very simple; they cover them with earth in the winter, keep the - vineyards clear from weeds, hoe and prune them at the right season, but do not stake them. The soil and climate seem to be so favorable, that less labor i is wanted than in most other countries. “A ee deal, if not most of pe ee town proper wise is pat a cota a the long line of settlements sch “eee : [ 26] 42 mines, I understand, have formerly ae wo! “ye here in the mountains; several copper and: silver one were shown me as being found there yet, but none are worked at present. ‘To examine the geological character of | the surrounding country, I Me one day, an excursion to the mountains, southwest of the town. I was astonished to find them to consist almost en- tirely of limestone, the first 2 saw in the valley of the Rio del Norte. Below the pike = the foot of the mountains were horizontal layers of com- pact qua sandstone, such as I had seen for several hundred miles in the seo timate Santa Fe, underlying the basaltic and granitic rocks. The | limestone rose upon it to the height of the mountain chain, but on its sides to find near the top of the aces some fossils in oo lca belong: ing to the Silurian system.- Where the limestone and the igneous rocks meet, a few o!d abandoned mines pao With the aid of my lazo, which J had fixed outside to a rock, 1 descended into one of the pits about 30 feet deep, and found a large vein of aga and some pieces resembling gold ore, but no further trace of it in the depth. Of the many plants growing on the mountains near Paso, I will mention but two as the most common and useful. The one is the so-called lechu- illa, a species of agave, whose long, stiff, indented leaves, somewhat sim- _ ilar to those of the common agave, a re used for making of their fibres a very | quality of ropes; the other, a ste of dasylirion, is the bushy so-called sotol, whose pulpy roots are roasted and eaten, and from which also an | alcoholic liquor is prepared. ie my stay in el Paso, General Ugarte marched through it with 400 ‘some cannon, to eppose the Americans if they should invade New M xico. This was the only hostile demonstration I saw or heard of. No further news had arrived from the ear Phe ople of Paso seemed very indifferent as to who should be the conqueror. The authorities of the place had neither asked my passport nor inspected the contents of my - wagon; and all foreigners then in Paso were treated in the most civil way. Under such ee I did not hesitate to continue journey to Chihuahua, as had been at first my intention. Mr. Speyer’s caravan had in the meanwhile oon through el Paso; but knowing that, o: account of ie large number of wagons, their progress w as very slow, Mr. Wiek and’ myself resolved to join from here to aera a smaller but faster t travel- ling a. mt that left el Paso a few days afterwards. It consisted of about and five foreigners. Most of the Mexicans were engaged by Mr. Jacques, a gentleman of Chihuahua, who travelled with his family. On August 15, we left Paso and the Rio del Norte at the same time. I had no idea then ‘of the molestation that awaited me, and that in the course of next year, instead of travelling along the Paces I should see the same a again on its mouth into the | gulf. rom el Paso there are two roads lead ding to Gaivizel, an intermediate © | see ig ahah and Chihuahua. ‘The one follows the river yet for about 40 iene unites with the other road near lake Patos; the second leaves _ the Fiver af ae leads over the so- striata at bills, to Carrizal. The ne : them water i Setikiedaios, a distance of 60 miles, —— 43 [ 26] no water can be expected in the dry season. Mr. Speyer had taken the first road; our company preferred the second, because we had but four small wagons along, and we would gain from 20 to 30 miles travelling by it. From want of water we had nothing to fear, as the rainy season had com- menced, ane daily showers provided us with a greater abundance of it than we . On the first ‘day we started rather late frora Paso, but yet made 24 miles without rest. To our right was a mountain chain running, probably of limestone: to our left, the receding valley of the Rio del Norte, which takes here a southeastern direction, and from which a high chain of mountains will soon separate us entirely. Our road passed over a wide sandy plain, covered with mezquite, and similar ead . It was strewn dey two kinds of limestone; the one of the e character as I had seen in Paso, and the other of a chalk-like pe ainrre , probably a fresh-water finest Pieces of the first were frequently enveloped by a white crust of the latter. e camped near the road in the Lecaee with tolerable grass and plenty of rain-water. August 16.—Travelled this morning but eight miles, and halted, with d rain-water. Ahead of us were the much-dreaded. sand hills, (Zos medanos,) an immense field of steep sand ridges, without shrub or vegetation of any kind, looking like a piece of Arabian mgt. trans- planted into this plain, or ‘like the bottom of the sea uplifted from the deep. Several springs, I am told, are found near the sand hills; ta it is not at all unlikely that this whole round was once covered by a lake. One spring in B perenlay, forming a Bs hole at the foot of the sand hills, and called 0 malayugque, is “known as a usual cam ing place on our road, but 8 ge ee before reaching it. .Though we shall pass but the lowest eparersion of the hills, near their western limit, it will neverthe- lemastei hard day’s work, and we prepared our animals for it by a ‘oe oe noon, while we were encamped, a thunder-storm. came on, usual in the rainy season. It rained awhile, and towards the end of the shower, the thunder disappearing in the distance, I perceived a most re- markable phenomenon in the mountains to our right, about 10 miles dis- tant. Three pointed sgt apparently from one to two feet high, and of whitish lustre, were seen at once on a high barren place in the mountains; they lasted for about 10, Rae » and disappeared then as suddenly. The Mexicans told me that this phenomenon is not uncommon in these moun- tains, and that such a place had Bee been examined, and a crevice found, around which the grass was bur The ular opinion amongst the Mexicans seems to be, that such eae indicate silver mines. There can be hardly any doubt that the pl ni ; but whether a th £ awe. 1S ignited ee. y light- ning, or o unusual quantity of he electricity is developed by local causes, or superficial metallic layers should have some influence in producing it, are, questions’ that can only be be solved by a repeated and careful examina-— tion of the localities and circumstances, In the afternoon we commenced - our march for the sand hills. For six miles we had to travel over a eo and hilly County, before we reached the sand hills proper, which are here ~ re ti On the first part of the road I saw rocks of a jish— bre e aEq wo pvp, we gs sometimes Abend chalk-like g limestone, t Lid 26) | | 44 o the wagon. ‘or Paseo leiit me some additional mules, anid fe rward ee moved again. In the meanwhile dark night had come on, tuiiinatel only by lightning, that showed us for awhile the most a: deren mes scene—our wagons moving along as slow and solemn as a funeral proc sion; ghastly riders on horseback, wrapped in blankets or denies some tired travellers stretched out on. the sand, others walking ahead, and tra- cing the road with the fire of their cigarritos; a and the deepest silence inter- —— only by the yelling exclamations of the drivers, and the rolling of istant thunder. The scene was impressive enough to be remembered by thes but ‘ saad a vow the same night, that whenever I should undertake The mountains are timbered with afew scanty cedars, and some pine trees; the geological formation is aye and porphyritic. The grass becomes oe day better, and looks as fresh as in spring. ‘The so-called gramma ss, which grows here tiiey ee is ee liked by 0 our rr Ad Ts In the afternoon we travelled 15 miles more and caravan, an i Wee -. disarmed before they entered the city. At first, he should not leave Chi | s Ss ‘ 5 - haranguing speeches were made, the alarm-bell was rung, and with tre- 2, tendous enthusiasm the mass moved towards the Americal hotel, selected ‘as the first point of their attack. The large front-door was forthwith bolted, and we awaited their attack within the yard. Our whole garrison, .» myself included, consisted of but four men, all well armed, and resolved to defend themselves to the last. The mob commenced by throwing rocks - against the door; but when they found it too strong, they satisfied themselves with abusive [#fguage and with patriotic songs. At last the governor in- - e '. icans for these outrages; but, at the same time, I cannot conceive why he _.. did not entirely prevent the mob, as it had become a topic of conversation | -» during the day, and he must have known about it. . ; ( .. Although the first mob had failed, the excitement continued, and new -. threats and insults were of daily occurrence. Six American residents of » Chihuahua, mostly merchants, who were princi ally exposed, applied therefore to the government of Chihuahua, which either could not or - governor of Chihuahua. ; ~~ On September 6, the Americans left Chihuahua for Cosihuiriachi, es- +» eorted there by a military detachment. | thought it time now for myself — to leave the place, which had become too hot for scientific researches, and to ; look out for some safer point; but when I asked for my passport, i was for the first time informed that I could not at present leave either the State _ _ or the city of Chihuahua; in other words, I was a prisoner of state, | ‘ was also exposed to numerous vexations. is men were all — .~ huahua at all; at last, they allowed him to go to the southern frontier of the » State, but without any Americans in his service, &c. Mr. Speyer was to0 well acquainted with Mexican manners and character, and had too much , at stake, not to hold out against all those molestations; and by manage- - ment he gained one concession after another, till hé was at last out of © their power and on his way towards the south of Mexico. But, I for my | part had no inducement to go further south. Some of my friends, respect ~~» able merchants of Chihuahua, called once more, in my behalf, on the gov" t had now bee ... September 11.— : etich. I had cer at first sight, b me disgusted with o. account of the unjust treatment from the Merida diothorities and the lieen. cage of the cowardly mobocracy. ether two _e i was at the +t my exile, in Cosihuiriachi BtGertis ader, whenever in the course of your life you should feel te mpted to pronounce a foreign, Gade: Eu word, or to visit a strang ng, Remote a awf ace, L would recommend to your kind cs ta ceive ofa combination of dicated in words, appearances, cm nake ; rosin. ‘Most willingly I would have saved to your eye the trouble of travelling so many times over the whole length of the unpronouncable word, which in old Indian language means, no doubt, a great deal more than we know ‘of; but, as ill-fortune wished me to be confined t ete for six long months, I must ask you the-favor to bear as patiently with thre name;ias i ~ did pees to spergeel with the place itself. ‘3 n of Cosih see to come to the point; is about. 90 miles-ivest from Chihuahua, in 39° 12’ latitude north. ‘The road to it from Chihua- hua is always ascending, very rough and mountainous, and leads to the very heart of the Sierra Madre. The only considerable town on the road is San Isabel, about 35 miles west = Chihuahua. wre a fag of nai a . Close to it, the road ft the a couple of miles to a soit ravine, be- __ tween high, steep, sometimes ai grea cular mountains, on both sides; poe oners oe State antl prevent them from peng peumebrible. Tivo Amer icans, Mr. Phristoe and Mr. Carlysle, happened to live at that time i Cosihuiriachi, engage ed in mercantile business; they wrens their exiled oh °Cosihuitiachi nbatbie see are tie Palewings estat East moray. _therhead, Stevenson, Douglass, and Litzleiter. Our c dmpression mouths, on account eS 26 | “32 General Wool’s marsh towards Chihuahua. - But, instead of that, ilf-for- wanted us Adios of of my aaae The day after my arrival I presented myself, with my. passport received in @hihnstua, to the prefect of Cosihuiriachi, a respectable old man, treated. - throughout very kind, and execute ted-the strict orders. which Beir atime to time arrived from 2 Chihuahua for our better control, with all the “umanity th that his official, station allowed.. Though we were not permitted to leave Cosihuiriachi for another residence, we considered ourselves at acihdiantiys to make excursions in the neighborhood. Most of us were experi- enced hunters; and as the surrounding ss Wee contained a great many . deer, Wwe roa roamed almost daily over our psig sround, to kill time as well ~ as to provide our table bey venison. On such excursions I paid constant . attention to. the botany of the cou ntry, a anes made in the first month a rich -«-eollestion of mountain plants, most of them undescribed as yet. ' But with _/the approach of winter the flowers disappeared; the geology of the coun- mést uniform. ‘To extend our excursions further was forbidden : - try was. by a new order from the Governor of Chiliuahua , which limited them to two leagues at the utmost; nearly all my books and instruments I had left be- > Uhind; society was confined to ourselves ; édeninehications from Chihnahoa ~ were but seldom received, and, accordin ng to all accounts, there was no more "prospect of General Wool’s march towards Chihuahua. So we spent the Winter in a-state of constant expectation and, weariness, interrupted some- times only, by a small patriotic excitement from a part of the Mexicans, most of whom hated us as foreigners, but did not dare to attack us. But . instead. of expatiating upon these trifles, which can afford no interest to the reader, I will rather insert here the few statistical accounts which 1 was. able to collect in relation to Cosihuiriac The town of Cosihuiriachi, or, with its full name, Santa Hosa de Gosi- laniiachiy (also written Cosiguiriachi and Cusihuisjachic,) was established beginning of ahe latter century, in consequence of the accidental dis- covery of silver m The mines must have been very ay productive, 4 _ cause the at faa or the town, in Spanish tim estima 10,700 souls; while at present, with ‘the surrounding setitemenis it Aiedly exceeds | ,000. The mountain chain on which it is situated is called Sierra s, and forms a part of the Sierra Madre, which ete whole western portion of the State of Chihuahua, The mines are allin the moun- tain chain, west of town. Renowned among them were the mines of San Antonio, Santa Rosa, la Bufa, eae: _ ofthe mines. Some of the mines. hare Bose cortege account of the Water in them. The few weal! hy families that live here, and attend to - Mining on a small scale, pear riley to risk anything by expensive ma- eiteanipioc ae foreign capita id miners have in the last 20 years i by the the rich mines of Jesus Maria, further west. ‘The ores of sie teomseiaegie sen te g yet, contain, on a in the carga, (300 pounds. oy there six long months, ‘which I consider the most ife. 4 My BENG ia eager NA ea 53 [26] that, they are afilicted with two diseases, very common among them, and not apt to promote propagation, syphilis and lepra. In Cosihuiriachi itself they cultivate only a few gardens, but in the neighborhood are some -vil- lages and settlements, with cornfields and orchards; and if it were not for the scourge of the country, the hostile Indians, all the plains: might be cultivated, and the people might get richer by the raising of stock than “4 re the mines. But the Mexicans are at present so under fear from those sa age highway robbers, that they dare not even pursue ¢ them. During ~n : stay in pina a party of Apaches stole away a drove of mules ds and killed six persons in ‘a Asighboring village, but nobody — of pur- — suing them ‘till they saw us determined to do so, A few badly armed Mexicans joined us i em we followed all day the trail of om “indies who were ahead of-us. for six hours, till we convinced ourselves’ t they had already Misated into the deepest recesses of thé mountains, where’ it would have been more than temerity to have followed:them in. the night. One company of American fiat roaming about like the Indians them- * selves, would soon sweep these enemies of all cultivated life out of the country; but the Mexicans, with the rie Anh es fatalism, it: su — than take up arms and fight to the last elevation of Cosihuiriachi above the sea is, according to-my-own The observations, 6,275 feet, and the height of the “ Buia,” the highest mouh- ~ tain in» the: chain, 7,918 feet above the sea, or 1,643 feet above Cosihuiria- chi. The climate is, notwithstanding the high: ig more temperate than cold; during the winter we had sometimesiice, but no snow n the pane of the year 1847 our p Bien bogan ¢ to brighten. ould be expected. Of the Americam troops we had no re- liable veel but on the part of the Mexicans we witnessed all the strenuous exertions which they made for a vigorous resistance They had procured a-goodly number of cannon and small arms, with ammuni-! tion; new taxes had been gathered by a forced loan; about 4,000 men were pressed i into the service; in the public press and frou: the pulpit, the a were excited against the “ perfidious Yankees; heroic deeds, and death for the fatherland, became every-day phrases. But to what, after all, could’ such theatrical display avail against the cool, —_—,, bravery ‘of the: Missouri volunteers, which sought no vent in words, but in actions !. Near the time of the expected battle, our suspense was of course on the highest» point; but only vague rumors. penetrated into our distant, isolated moun-: tains, till, two days after the battle, some fugitives of the Mexican” army returned as the first indication of a lost battle; and soon after, an ex- hi press, sent out by our friends in Chibuahua , informed us “positively of the glorious victory at Sacramento. Th . would have tried to retain us under such osprnongear A aaa quite the Mexican population, whose conscience was not clear from self. ecech, fearing seen fled even to the mountains, while we Patil while n all sy our baggage and animals, for 0 ture t@ Chihuabia.| po adhesin 5 On + ebm. r as 184i; see iheine of rele es en ren - r 26] | 54 iexe Ba SN a eeaie tinea some of. the fair sefioritas he had never given us cause for offence, we moved off in a body as happy as freemen, under such circum- stances, can be, and two days afterwards we entered Chihuahua ‘again. y looked rather differently from what it did formerly, “but not for The the worse, One half of the Mexican population had left the city, from fear that the Americans would. after their tmnt act as meanly and overbear- © ing as they had done themselves. before it; but in that they were cre , inted—no excesses were committed, ge the Mexicans were treated as mercifully as ever a vanquished enemy was by a-generous victor. But, really, ~seeh a ragged set of men those brave Missouri bout were ! There was not one, among them in complete uniform, and not two in . the whole regiment aeesed alike: each one had eoualtad other his own | fancy or necessity, in arrange the remnants of former comfort, to. produce —. appearance. Some of the resident Americans in Chi huahua, - mete the battle the first American companies entered . don town and halted on the Plaza, were so thunderstruck by the savage ir own countrymen, that they ran back to their houses to as- exterior of the — first to what tribe or nation they belonged. But, notwithstanding ness, there was some peculiar expression in their eye, meaning ~ thar zahey had seen Brazito and Sacramento, and that Mexicans could not, hten them even by ten-fold numbers. ‘es ng the troops I met with — some old friends from | Mspone and fegto our stay in Chihuahua I ‘ba came acquainted with many officers and men whose knowledge and bravery would do honor to any army, se whose gentlemanly deportment © I shall always recollect with pleasure. Bnt, for the present, we will leave , Colonel n with his regiment in their comfortable sh in Chi- huahua, and. ks. a review of the State and city of Chihu tapes return to: me United States. Statistics of the State of en. 1 Phe tet tory of the State of Ch thaahua contains an area of 17 re ,169 English pies miles, and reaches from 26° 53” square leagues, or 119 a0" 0 a 57 3! north latitude. Its boundaries are, towards the north,’ 5 towards the Last, Coshuits: and Texas; towards the south to the nort thwest, Sonora. The grea mouniain chain of Mexico, , the th Rocky moun ae of the north and. the Andes of the south of this continent, is known here ancients and occupies ehielly the western part of the See, ° where i Tt suis are intron Pai the eas t by fine vale? and plains. ‘The eastern portion of the State is less mountainous, containing wide plains, sreater part on the broad and hig h Batchit, the flattened jleras that from. Bey ged as far south as the utr t, into tl he Gulf ot acific ; thi ppnow at within the State. sb. ua, before our aun in the State of Cae * - * ant the. mountains. xperiments made on. the high : 55 [26], class blon gs the Rio det Norte, running ‘from northwest to southeast through the State, “and its two tributaries, the Rio Conchos and Pecos. ‘The water- courses that run into the Pacific all have their origin in the Sierra Madre, and are the following: the San Miguel, Refugio, “Moris, Papigochic, and Gila. Of the latter, the Gila, the State of Chihuahna'claims only the sources flowing from the Sierra de Mogoyon, until they unite with the Rio “ e San Francisco, a distance of 27 leagues. The third class of rivers dis-" arge a already in passing lake Eincinillas, above Chihuahua. The fol- lowing rivers empty into such lakes: the Rio de Casas Grandes into lake’ ha a the San Fe eas into lake Santa Maria; and the Carmen’ nto lake Patos. It appears as if those lakes are principally produced by the physical properties of the ground, to wit: a wide, very level plain and» great porosity of the soil. Sime of the lakes are supposed to have been © ormerly connecte : Common and mineral springs are very frequent i in the State; the latter are mostly sulphurous, but are seldom used for medical purposes. ue climate mgees is bem porate The influence of the more southern riety ithe seasons: hot summers, rainy se asons, a ud devebewhters, ‘often fol- low each other. But on the plains of the plaeind: between 4,000 and 5,000 feet above the sea, there prevails a delightful, constant ‘climate, with* mod erate temperature in summer and winte er, with a clear sky and dry sphere, interrupted only by the rainy season, which generally lasts mip uly and August. The thermometer in the city 0 of Chihuahua, I am told, seldom rises higher in thé summer than about 95 degrees ah., and of the moderate cold in the winter I can speak from experience. Some breezes prevail throughout the year. The barometer exhibits in the city of in ou the year. In we many ves bt I have made there in the winter and spring, t is a difererice only, between ainy season, int the highest and lowest stand of the lee sot (reduced to 32° Fah.) 0.580 i The great dryness of the nbmospicre produces, of course, a very free de- velopment of electricity. By rubbin g the hair of cats and dogs in the dark, in this w ay® Som € persons, entitled to confidence, informed me that by changing their oollen under-dress in the night, they had at first been’re- peatedly frightened by seeing themselves suddenly ‘enveloped in amass of p electrical fire. The remarkable flames that appeared after a thunder-storm gonecied with electricity. I recalléct also, from an ac count published im relation to the battle of Buena Vista,, hat during & a fine palncenne would no dou! ie ees I find a paraie Ste “The © become 39 dat mei in subj ff our es “Meets he eerie fu fluid w ould a ‘hihuahua we prepaees a bottle v | gold leaf, ; ¢ electric fluid from a pet eer PH bees nine Cou ge [26]. 56 the relative dryness of the atmosphere, my asia for the dew-point will give e some information “The productions of. the cultivated soil in the State of Chihuahua are maize, wheat, beans, peas, red pepper, apples, peaches, onions; and in the less elevated regions, figs, granates, ‘melons, grapes, &c. ‘Co tton, too, has been tried with success in the southern part of the State. Generally taken, the country seems to be more fit for raising stock than for agriculture, as.a great portion of it is either too mountainous, or too ‘scantily supplied with water, to become very productive. But notwithstanding, the State has sufficient arable land in the valleys and at along the water courses to produce all the crops that are wanted for a much denser population aon the present. In the mountains of the Sierra “M adre there is an abundance of pines, which grow the finest and tallest, at an elevation of from eight to _ nine thousand feet above the sea; while in an elevation of five and six thousand more, oak and cedar are found, and in the plains mezquite and shrubbery furnish the necessary fuel. In the city of Chihuahua oak is used, carried there on pack mules from the mountains. ‘annual produce of agriculture in the State is esumated at the value of $880,062. The following is a list of the items: . Maize - - - - 246 ,399 fanegas. ‘Barley - . < - do. - Wheat - - - - 62,660 do. Beans - - - - 30,713 do. ’ ee _— . - - 730 do. ; pepper - => = 5,694 do. é Ba - - - - 12, 957 pe . - - 23 652 fras Whiskey : - - 28, 900 do. _-More important than agriculture is the raising of stock in the State. Horses and mules, cattle and sheep, thrive and increase very rapidly, and the wealth of the proprietors of large “‘haciendas”’ consists mostly in their ble stock, which is never kept in the stables, but during the whole ; and whenever it was necessary for them to realize some mo: ney, they would send. droves to the south, even as far as the city of Mexico; and they often cleared as much as $100 00,000 i in one such trip. But since the last 20 years, the wild Indians have become so hostile, and committed so many depredations, that the stock is diminishing every year. An official ry POPs aes aaa account. valued the stock of the State, in 1633, at _ Another most important branch of industry in the State of Chihuahua is mining. Its many and rich silver mines have been celebrated for several a throughout the the length of the Sierra Madre, and in a: mean: brea leagues.» oe The silver ores occur generally as. sulphurets, with iron or lead, sometimes as native silver and muriate of silver, and are found either en-_ , yv pe ocksr See Obie: eat AK ocks, (limestone,) ‘passing in » 5 inde ta ance aan They are worked either by amalgama- ~ oe - - eens i furnaces. For process they need gen. erally an sieemiees, — (iaeiee, or ae of flea) Bb erdiech iteine, there- PON \ ‘found in the western part of Be State, dth of 30 ° a : [26] fore, a valuable article of trade. Besides the silver mines, rich mines also of copper, and some of gold, lead, iron, and tin, are found. 'The most distinguished mines of the State, of older and more recent date, are the following: he mines of Santa Eulalia, near Chihuahia, have during the last centu ury uced immense masses of mates as sheet pretties fact may Eulalia mines, by a grant of one real (12$ cents) on every marc of silver: (worth $8 25) obtained from the mines. This fund was created in 1717, and in 1789 the cathedral was finished, at an expense of $500, - "The: amount of silver taken in these 72 years from the mines would, therefore, be $52,800,000. The abundance of lead found in Santa Eulalia makes the smelting of the silver ore very convenient... The mites are at present not yet exhausted; but from intrusion of water, want of capital, and the attraction of new mines, they are but little worked. The mines of Parral (Hidalgo) are the oldest of the State, and have also been extremely productive in silver; but for want of regular mining, most of them, though not exhausted, are made inaccessible and worthless The mines of Santa Barbara, discovered in 1547, were renowned for’ both silver and gold ores, but are now entirely abandon e mines of Batopilas were see ey for the large masses of native sider, and the unusual richness of the o South of Batopilas lies the rich sain of Morelos, ake in 1826, where one mass of native silver was found weighing»2: ~The mine of Sierra Riea, west of the old Presidio de (San Carlos, was begun to be-worked by a company in 1829. ‘The prospects at first were most flattering: the superficial layers of the silver ore produced from one to hundred mares in the carga, sometimes 150, and in one instance even 327 mares; but at the depth of 80 varas the mine seemed to give = the invasions of hostile Indigns became at the same time so trouble some, that the mine was abandoned. Such extreme richness of the ore is of course nots common: occurrence; and the result, mind by comparison of Mexican and European mines, that the mines in Mexico are generally poorer as to the relative amount of silver, but far superior aan to abundance and extent of the ofe, seems also to Cor respond with the mines in the State of eeetnes because a aivee mine furnishing from three to four ounces of silver in the carga, is generally considered good enough to be worked with advantages and many with less ~ per cent. are rendered profitable. In recent times, the mines of Guazapares and of Jesus Maria acid attracted most of the capital of the State. The latter, southwest from Chi- — huahua, on the height of the Sierra marens were discovered in 1821; and so many valuable silver mines, and some gold mines, too, have since a time been opened, that it promises to be for a long: time one of the ric mining igi in the State ~ Of the copper mines in the State a Ghibushans the most celebrated ns the‘ Simtu Rida de Cobre,” in. the -westem angle of the Se: iy = near the pe ofthe te bas ioe Sen saan ft for —: r t s of seve prietors, till/in — ps arene passed oug ib Chi- a French er rar — who. ieetwnce onl eee ie to have cleared in seven — * 58 years about half. a million of dollars from it. The ore looks extremely rich; 1 it is a remarkably pure oxyde of copper, accompanied sometimes with» the native metal, and said to contain some gold. Mr. Coursier soon monop- olized the Ww hole copper trade in Chihuahua: and as the State at that time — coined a great deal of this metal, he made.a very profitable business of ‘it: but at last the mine, which seems to be inexhaustible, had to be abandgned on account of hostile Indians, who killed some of the workmen, and at- tacked the trains. , These ore mines are claimed by the sas, $ of Chi: of Chihuahua 1 had b well decennial by the Mexicans astronomical observ stiont may perhaps prove that they fall within ee “a rite i of New Mexico is question may nate e of importance, because but Pe aitive is known in relation to Coal has been found at present only on ex places in the State, near the mines of Carmen and near the mines of Sierra Rica; but it wilt ene 34 oceur in other localities. After this short review of the mines in the State of Gikiaalitens the question of course will arise, hae is the annual production of these mines? he only data to which I ¢ n refer, are the following: _In the 24 years. from 1738 to Pi jdet the ninbitit of silver. produced i in the State of Chihuahua was 3,428,278 mares, or $28,283,293; and in the 17 years i from 1777 to 1793, 1 394, 16L Beet or B12, Sel 828. The J flowing is the - estimated amount for later years In 1824... - - - : 69, 816 ee, or ae 982 dollars. 1826 cms - I '¢ 138,015 i. 1] (623 _ oe ‘ 1827 . . ~ 129,402 ~ os ;p66 — 1828 c= - & << LASS SDE bg eae SASIO ng ctw nes : - 128,747 | _ 1,062,163 ~1851 - * - 138,916 1,146,057 : » 1832. - . Hee - 117484. 969,24 PAB de: “ - > 116,802 * 963,616 1884. z . - 109,419 902,707 More recent sri I was unable to get, though I understood from ¢ com:: tent persons that the amount of silver had in the last 12 years considera- bly increased. he computator of the above tables estimates that the annual average amount of the production of silver and gold in the State of Chi- huahua is 125, 000 marcs, or $1,031,251; but he supposes that but 100,000. hat sum pass through the mint, and that 25 000 mares are pared Bim, Das: nt ou ty. 4 Sale mint (ater le dHiotedays in n Chihoabvs , coining a Te 3 Potts and brother are the present proprie- contain at least 16. grains : é ies be said at present. A a 59 [26]. State so isolated in the interior of a large country, with a very thin popu- lation, without any navigable river, receiving most of its. merchandise either by the long Santa Pot irail from the United States or far from the inte- rior of Mexico, or but occasionally by direct importation om the eee on the Pacific, a certainly no cluim to commercial advantages. But if, in the course of years, a shorter se ria ope should = opened i . the seashore by a good, direct road to the Rio Grande; if the indolent Mexieans should be spurred on -to saionses industrial energy by their go- neighbors; if the Indians, the very scourge of the country, shou f ps driven out or ‘extirpated by some companies of ‘Texas rangers; if : pressive laws and monopolies should be supplanted by free competition oo industry, the State would soon be productive and rich enough to exchange ever year many millions of goods with the seashore, as well as with the interior. em population of the State, exclusive of; the wild ‘Indians, was In 1927 = “ - - “ = - 120,157 1839 6us x é “3 “ eae 138,133 1833 - P _ “ mewigge ts 439,081 "4 1842 ‘ ie “ ie ig om. - 147,600 At present it is estimated at fom 150. to 160, 000 inhabitants, which - number would give about 1.3 for each English square milé.. ‘The greater _ ctl of the people are of Indian descent, though some have preserve ire. Castilian blood. 'The settlements generally commenced and pepgriive with the discovery of mines.. The oldest town in the State is, Santa Sea (near Parral,) whose mines were discovered in 1556. About 1600, the town contained 7,000 inhabitants, who were mostly oceupied . in the gold mines, which produced then from 12 to 14 ounces of gold in the. carga. Afterw. ards’ Parral was settle d, Santa Eulalia, Cieneguilla, Cae heteeee ete, "The numerous Initians that in — years occupied others ers natalie yet, and roam restless aicun ae by tne and depredations upon the Mexicans. Those hostile Indians are principally the aga ver general de en compriaee the a. related, 400; nevertheless, this small number g mi = ae . asd impeded the progressof the State so completely, that 11 more ener getic i acon taken, the Mexicans will ye become the vassals ée these sa hordes ‘In the northwestern pat of the: State of Chihuabua § some old ruins. are, found, set no doubt, bya cultivated Indian tribe that has passed away. ‘knowns Casas s Grandes, and lie near the village and creek of ame, between Janos and Galeana. Ruins of large novaeets is Wr in the upper stories om. oa ted doleeatianmene abe lower ‘canal ane — metsteiailiaiiaiibie stands tw [ 26 ] 60 leagues southwest of it, on an elevation commanding a wide view. Along, -the ereeks Casas Grandes and Janos a long line,of Indian mounds ex- tends, in some of which earthen vessels, painted white, blue, and violet, have been found; also weapons, and instruments of stone, but none of iron. The same artificial construction of houses is yet found amongst the Moqui _ Indians, northwest of the State of Chihuahua. But an old tradition re- rts that the Aztecs, in their migration from the north to the south of ico, made three principal stations—the first-on the lake de 'Teguyo, (great Salt lake?) the second on the Gila, and the third at Casas Grandes. — ‘he ruins of Casas Grandes are only distant about four days’ travel from Cosihuiriachi, and 1 felt very anxious to examine them; but as the gov- ernment of Chihuahua, following the edent of Dr. Francia, in Para-. - ars guay, considered a scientific exploration of the country as endangering the » welfare of the republic, I had to forego the pleasure, and to confine myself . . to the reports given to me in relation to it.* Finally, let us look into the capital, the largest and finest city of the State. Chihuahua was settled about 1691. The number of its inhabi- tants is said to have been much greater about the middle of the last cen- tury than now; at present it is estimated at from12 to 15,000. Chihuahua has a most beautiful situation in a valley, open towards the north, and sur- rounded on the other sides by the projecting mountains of the Sierra Madre. The city is regularly built; has wide and clean strects—in some of them quite handsome and convenient houses; plenty of water from the Chihua- hua creek, and from an aqueduct; fine gardens around the town, and a de- lightful public wallx, (Alameda,) shaded with cotton trees. The finest place of the city, as usual in Mexico, is the Plaza, or public square. It isvery spa- cious; has a public fountain in the middle, and foot walks on the side, wi benches and pillars.of a white porphyry, which is found in the neighbor- ood. Three sides of the square are occupied with public buildings and g ual and p allel steeples in front of it are elevated 52} varas above the Plaza. Another expensive work of architecture, erected in Spanish times, is the aqueduct, guilt of rocks, with arches; it extends 6,533 varas, and provides the south- ern part of the city with water, while on the north side the Chihuahua runs, which unites below with the ‘‘ Nombre de Dios,’’ and falls into Conchos. Another remarkable building in town is the church of San, Felipe, commenced by the Jesuits, and left unfinished after, their expul- sion. In this building the patriotic Hidalgo and his associates were con- fined before their execution; also the Texan officers of the ill-fated Santa Fe expedition, on their march to the south; and in more recent times it was converted into a foundry, at which were cast the cannon taken by Colonel Doniphan’s regiment at the battle of Sacramento, and since trans sae By ‘ ) blic square, a sunple monument, in honor of Hidalgo, Allende, and Jimenez, the revolutionary heroes that were shot here by the Spaniards : rake e es .- in Mac: Se SP ie A hie ee sey - “Ss i ey count of these ruins is given. © 61 : [26] The elevation of Chihuahua above the sea is, according to my numer- ous conan 4,640 feet. Its geographical latitude I determined to be in 28° 3 its longitude, according to lunar observations made by Gregg, is i n 106° 30’ w of Greenwich. The climate is delightful. Of diseases I tens seen eer dysenteries in summer, typhoidal fevers and rhaiihaitie affections in the winter. Intermittent fevers and scurvy, which prevailed then among the: aiorro es troops, are not common to the Mexi- - cans. Part of the population. are very wealthy, but the majority are quite poor. The lower classes are ragged and filthy, and as to thievishness they might excel in London or Paris. ‘The manners of us people are gener- ally oh Co in patriotic paroxysm;) the: sefioritas are celebrated for their a Satara grace; and fandangos: pr aad ge cock- fights. and os flourish as well here as over all Mexic Let us return now to the icin troops in Chihuahua. When Colo- nel Doniphan’s regiment left Santa Fe for this place, it was done in con- huahua, General Wo ol’s destination. was afterwards changed, but -n news of that event nor contrary orders reached the troops at Santa Be, and the ‘¢ lost?” regiment marched towards the south to meet with General Wool, in Chihuahua or spiidtr hele’ else. In el Paso they ascertained, for the first Heres be the General had not yet come to Chihuahua, and’ that the gi of that State had made formidable preparations. for de- fence. At Ue same time, news reached them of the revolution in New Mexico, exaggerated, for purpose, by the Mexicans. ‘In this dilemma— ded in the rear and. front by enemies—thrown in the middle of a hostile country—cut off from all communication and support of their own count they took the only ae that could avail | in such ee: rched on, to conquer or die. > Alaeltig conquered. Ohititistita’ and not t finding General Wool there; an express was sént from heré to his camp near Salti filo to ask further orders. John Collins, esq., of Boonville, Missouri, a trader, who had volunteered ‘in the battle of Seat undertook the dangerous excursion with only 12men. The regiment was stationed jn t the meanwhile in Chihuahua, and indulged in the luxuries of the town. Towards the end of March the first news of the battle of Buena Vista was received. Although Santa Anna claimed, in his official report that reached Chihuahua, a victory on his part, the American $ were too well versed in translation of Mexican re- ports not to consider themselves privileged to fire a salute on the Plaza in honor a our victory. , ; “: Fa 7K. x ‘i 2 po S Z thorities of se eon who had’ fled fled in f this ee led to ates ny result; kept up, on the soitary a shadow of 3 exican gt ae in the south =e ae State, a t Parral. ’A march of the American {roops there would have broken up ‘hat government at once, and being nearer to the seat of war, the regiment might rar to Recibiere have either 1 itself u e of Durango or marched to towards mn the St * On April 5, 1847, 600 men, with 14 cannon, left tececatiad a that pone while about 300 men, with some pieces of artillery, we . hind for the safekeeping of the city. As there was at that time ren of surgeons,in the regiment, an appointment to that effect was offered to me which I accepted. I left Chihuahua with the troops, moving towards’ the south. _ . Passing through Mapul ula and Bachimba, we reached within Sites days San Pablo, 50 railes southeast of Chihuahua. Here we were met by an express, sent from Americans below, and reporting’ that a large Mexican — force was approaching from the south to reconquer Chihuahta, that ‘the Mexican government had fled at the first news of our march, and that _ General Ta aylor had left Saltillo, ete. Upon these reports Colonel ‘Doni- _ phan resolved to return to Chihuahua, and defend that place at all ee With some reluctance the troops return ed; the chivalric sons of Misso relied so much upon their own bravery and good fortune, that ee disliked every eyiverade move; although policy might command it. Two” _ days afierwards we entered Chihuahua a ain, to the sstonigtiaiert ot friend ted foe. Many Mexicana eonsliee that had stayed in town left it — now, from fear of a new battle. But, for two weeks we waited in vain for the large army from the south, till we e became convinced at last that it was but a hoax—invented , perhaps, in Chihuahua, by some persons whose in- terest it was to keep the troops there as long as possible. — os the 8 gpm of a battle diminished, the regiment, whose term of service came near piting, and which during the campaign had received aan enough, but neither pay nor dove became every day more anxious to return to the © United States, and a day was at last fixed for the final departure of the whole regiment, if the express sent to General Wool should not retum u to that time. Our route in that case would have been” by Presidio del | Norte and the Red river, to Fort Towson. But in due time Mr. Collins. made his aga ‘In about 30 days he had travelled, with a _ | pS 5 ae in Chiktuahaa « with aah joy. He. Acari us Me ) - nite orders from General Wool to march at once, and on the most direct illo. Within two dayea ou t troops were on the march. Colo- nel Doniphan, before he lef called the Mexican authorities of the place | 2m promise to treat the American residents of Chihuahua in 2 | oe eaneeat manner, and threatened theta, in case of disorder, ae a return of | _ the American ge s and a severe chastisement. The Mexicans promi eas Many ” neat and other fofeign residents, Newstex; had _ 80 sg eonfidence i in Mepeat so that they oer to notin os Me? yi Ghat aa started in the mornin ng of 26, to meet the troops in Bachimba. When, in the datas P| Ww sie in crossing a chain of | hills that encompass er | A sao — flowers 63 £26] on the south, I lgokked for the last. time over the interesting city in which ‘§. had seen within the last eight months a whole dra a performed, and ~ had aie forced myself to act a rather passive part in it s could not help admiring once more its rontantic situation, and my first, “favorable itn pres- gion returned. But there was no time now for ced BY bidding farewell to the fair valley and to the distant Sacramento*mountain, that rose like a massive tombstone over the battle-field, I crossed the hills and was soon in another valley, through which the road runs in a southeastern direc- tion. This valley was ‘about 10 miles wide, with a mountain chain to- wards the east and»west, and but a few settlements on the right, (Mapula ‘and Coursier’s hacienda.): The grass was /very dry, and the bed. of ‘pivot abe which. I passed contained not one drop of «water, © About 20 _ miles from Chihuahua the mountains, projecting from east to west, hem- med in the valley and changed it abru y into a narrow pass (cation) of five to six miles in length, and from ha mile to one mile in breadth. ‘The pass is in some places so narrowed 6: ‘steep rocks on both sides; that with some fortifications it could be made impreguable; but Iam informed aetithe eafion would be evaded by taking a moun ntain road west of it that leads also to Chihuahua. Nearly. in the middle of the pass lies a rancho, with a spring, but too scanty water. ‘Lower down we passed a -- a -rancho destroyed by Indians. Several Mexicans, killed by them, w buried here so superficially, with rocks heaped upon them, that their limbs "were sticking out. At the other end of the cafton another much wider » walley. opened, throu h which: we have now to travel. Bachimba lies ts png restate er gates, in the phrase it isa pecan with about “night cee “Apri il a7. = Marched: @ oe 20 rails to. Sante Cruz, through the same wide valley, running from northwest to ‘southeast. ‘The mountains to the “tet of our road, towards the east, are about 25 ies distant; the Conchos »- iver runs along that chain. The mountains to the right, or the west, are - from five to 10 miles off. ~The whole wide plain is covered with mezquite and other shrubs, forming the so-called chaparrals. Walking and riding are both difficult through those thickets of thorny brush, and aman lost ina chaparral is by far worse off than one lost in the prairie. In the ot nad arate. ter rae of cabs @ — asmall odd tree, el a : lent ” a; - shrub already in vada det Dhipep, ee el Paso, but not in blossom. gpa d obnoxio us plants i in the continued ehaparrils which will now Pe cand. us daily in pear march to Monterey, I - owill give a short description of it. It grows in long branchless stalks , but ae a dozen of them standing sometimes togethers covered all over with thorns, with few and ae small pom; and at the upper end of the stalk a cluster ee w generally from 10 to 20 feet high; sonte- [have seen them to. ie e heint of 30 t feet. t.. Their peculiar appearance, their their eet and ed flowers, make them woRF conspicuous objects in the aparrals. .. The ry ea them sometimes = eye : atta _ ae: rather sand eee fond poor, but the read. aro AD miles + fom 2 eh forks: oe to the [26] | 64 Both. roads meet again before Saucillo. The San Pablo road is several br miles nearer; but as we understood that amiry plain near San Pablo, covered with i Alea ea — by rains Decne Serpe we took the Santa Cruz ‘road, arrived there in good tim ped about one mile south of the ‘town. Santa Cree is a tolerabl pep a he town, and is said to contain, with the ere ke heen arenes Saharan, The San Pe- ‘dro creck runs @ townsit is a clear am, that comes. from the western ouhtaitt Bbedk 100 ues west ast of Sat ta , Omuz Ly and fakes a seml- rders. San Pa blo 0, the town 1 Ww Scie we. had pate i sion from Chihuahua, lies about eight miles below Santa acer ,on - Pedro, and seems to be a flourishing place, with about 4,000 ‘the ritants. | There is rich cultivated Jand along the stream, upon. which they raise a | good deal of maize and some cotton. Near our camp s stand a flour. mill _ and a cotton-gin. The latte ‘seemed tobe abandoned, buta basin in which “the cotton used to be washe with a water: fall of about 10 feet, afforded “usa weiter shower-bath. "We st iayed bi ere also the next day. we left for Saucillo, (23 miles.).. We travel. our day’ s march always Piha a noon-halt, which i is certainly the most convenient for an army. Our way led through the same valley, covered with chapar- ral; the road was good, but not quite so level as heretofore Near Saucillo the mountains approach each other, and form south of ita re gap lead- “ing into another valley. Saucillo itself i is atown on the Conchos.. ‘This ‘river, whose water-cours 2s extend ovet one- th id of the State of Chihuahua, Bis from “a north western height f e Sierra Madre, takes first a ‘south- hen an eastern and northeastern, ae at last a ps rh disectiony. and - fallg; néar Presidio ss piu ues eau also. called, Presi sid de las. untas into ‘the Rio Gra ts : eS, alt its chara ter as changeable as s that of the ees riverss at present it was rather a small st : ie some b ailvor mines are worked, the ore of P which i is ata here; it is eae with lead, send affords bu’ ne to one anda be ounce of silver in the carge a, but the a af "taneous § production of‘ a” (oxyde of lead) makes it erthcless quite able. Gt a eine ww lime- since we. left. Rate oe ig ‘here I saw Bie. er chdad ‘of prevailing porphyritie rocks. o i] 30.— Went 30 miles to-day, to. oy A a _ from the former valley to a new one, is about five miles 4 an “over it is hilly. Nearly half way we passed through paisa town, and further below. through las Garzagpa smaller pla we crossed the Con ache) sore followed a haba up to the re the Florido river flows into There opposi i to by the” Mexicans for cubes and, . ‘Yjsit them, but Dr. G thle temperature of the di 65 [ 26] phur are found at the bottom of the springs. The miountains‘at the eastern side of the valley are more distant, about 10 miles.’ The intermediate plain is for the greater part covered with chaparral. The Rio Florido, which comes from the State of D , and takes generally a a northern. course, runs here in a northwest direction through the valley pe the Conchos, from the southwest. Santa Rosalia is a town of about 5 000 inhabitants; : hes on a hill about 100 feet higher than the river; and towards the’ south eading out in a small plateau. Here, on the southern énd of the town, the Mexicans had erected a fort against General Wool, when his division bie expected to march towards Chihuahua. The forti ifications consist of very spacious square, built of sun-dried bricks or adobes, with redoubts, ‘ice holes, and trenches. Such fortifications of adobes have the advantage, that cannon balls will pass through them without making a The paid Fa: ue ered on the road leading to the eae a y favorable but a hostile army might turn th entirely, awe a vik $1 lain east of it, though they would have to mach throli oh apar- — On May 1, we rested on the same camping pee 8 to give to the last — companies that left Chihuahua after us a chance to come up wi swith, the army May 2.—The whole regiment being together, we left this morning | our camp at Santa Rosalia for la Ramada, (24 m mileay Lieutenant- Colonel Mitchell went to-day ahead with a small party, to reconnoitre the country between here and Saltillo; the road was more sandy, but nevertheless firm and easy to travel. Our direction was ESE.: prtiaae Florido — our left, and chaparral all around us. In the eve had a May 3.—Made a strong march to-day of 33 miles, to yjuquilla. : The road was constantly winding itself through endless Sant: the Rio Flo- rido on the left, and mountains and hills east and west, in the pares from 10 to 20 miles, About half way we passed a ran chewith some wa seh thre b Nasa nd ve io ie nity Segue te pane iuough na ac fers muidnight in a small valley without walsh one te [es . 66 from accident, or if Ugarte’s bands had raised it to molest us; or if, perhaps a disciple of grass. We pitched our camp in this plain. We have travelled to- day, according to my estimate, about 40 miles. The long distance, as well as the want of water, the excessive heat, and especially the tremendous dust in the narrow road between the chaparrals, made to-day’s march one of the most fatiguing. foe? os _.May 6.—We started late to-day, and made but 10 miles, to the Cerro Gordo, or el Andabazo creek. Having crossed the mountain, at whose foot San Bernardo lies, we went for a mile through a cafion, with moun- tains of limestone on both sides, and from there into another valley, water- ed by the el Andabazo. This considerable creek seems to run from south- . west to northeast; but whether it is connected with the Nasas river, or, what is more likely, runs into lake Paloma, a small lake northeast from the large Laguna de Tlagualila, I was unable to ascertain. The Mexicans ge _are generally so indifferent as to the geography of their neighborhood, that a traveller is often at a loss how to reconcile the many different statements. On the left bank of the river was a deserted rancho: we crossed the water and enca on the other side, amidst chaparral. May 7.—Made 25 miles to-day, to the hacienda de José de Pelayo. The country over which we travelled is a wide plain, with distant hills C il shrubs, towards east and west. Cha and on the higher places a great deal of lechugui | size é 67 a, Sane zontal branches, grew as a tree of from 20 to 30 feet in height; and its nu- merous red flowers and unripe yellow fruit gave it the gay appearance of a large Christmas tree. A erties Pelayo is a small village, or hacienda, with several ‘gpd springs around it; some of common, others of higher temperature. ‘The creek formed by them is, according to the Mexican statements, afterwards lost in the sand. Pelayo belongs to the State of Durango; but I am not sure whether the el An- dabazo, or some other point, forms here the boundary line between the State of Chihuahua and Durango. In Pelayo,*a small but steep hill was forti- fied on the top, by walls of stone. This fortification was probably intended inst General Wool’s army. 'T'wo days before us, Lieutenant Colonel Mitchell had arrived here with the vanguard, and seeing the inhabitants of the place organized as a military compan » he made 30 of them prison- ers, and took their arms from them; but upon their representation that they would by this act become a prey to the surrounding Indians, he re- Stored them their arms, under the condition that they be used only for defence against Indians. Me a ley, in which Cadena lies, a large hacienda belonging to the Governor of valley, about 20 miles broad, and about 35 long from north to south, en- circled on all sides by high mountains. This whole part of Mexico over which we travel at present, seems, as it were, but one large network of sisted of a very compact limestone, dipping from west to east, at an angle of about 30 degrees. A Frenchman, an old resident of the country, in- formed me that he found coal in this mountain range; but while I passed throdgh I could discover neither fossils nor coal. From the pass, the road turns through the level valley, due east, to Mapimi,21 miles from Cadena. This town lies in an eastern corner of the valley, surrounded by high mountains, in which silver mines are worked. Two springs, called Espi- ritu Santo and Agua de Leon, form here a creek, which runs through the ing establishment for silver ores, found in the mountains near Mapimi- he silver is combined with lead. The poorest ore, f was told, contains three ounces, the richest one mare of silver, in the carga; besides which, they make at the same time much greta, and sell it at $12 per carga. = f Mapimi was rather deserted. In the evening our artillery in honor of the anniversary of the battle of Palo Alto. a a [26] . 68 the right of on road, or east, at the distance of from three to five miles 58 ep and. untain chain o: stone rises; and another chain to ‘ett, distant | oom 10 to 15 miles. Both chains gradually Ei bait = y the eastern, which seems to. run towards the northeast, and to “mp2 thence. to s the southwest, at an angle, leaning a large cul de or pouch, Pe the sonata, ft an which form the country has probably Sa its name,.as Bolson means. pouch, or pocket. ‘The barometrical profile will rant it » better Ss a description, this pouch-like slope of the country, which extends most kkely as far a ee the north as the » Grande. . Passing over a ridge, on our road, I enjoyed me ais distant present travelling. All around us was.an immense ¢ aa lain and in the distance of from 15 to 20 miles ahead of us the Rie Nasas, which runs ae north, into the abovementioned pouch, and forms there the large . Suna lagualila, (on maps generally called lake Cayman.) Neither the lake nor the northern end of the Bolson. was to be seen from the place of my observation; but the outlines of the mea toead oe moun- tains, disappearing in the most distant horizon, , seemed to extend towards the north to about 80 miles in length, and towards east and west to an average breadth of 30 miles. The limits of the Bolson have never been clearly defined, either in. geographical or political regard. The northern part, Rs it belongs to. the State of Chihuahua; the southern, to that of Du- rango; but no certain boundary line seems to exist. As to the physical properties of the Bolson, the general impression is, that it represents a low, flat, swampy country, and.a mere desert, which is but posiy: Ke The two terminating points of our march through the Bolson are Mapimi, where we entered it, and el Pozo, or rather a point eae Pozo, and Parras, where we. left it.. At Mapimi, the elevation above the sea was 4,487 feet; in oy valley of the Nasas, at San Sebastian, 3,755; at San Lorengo, 3 815; at San Juan, 3,775; eo towards the eastern edge of the Bolson, I found el Pozo 3, ,990, and Parras 4,987 feet above the sea. We perceive, therefore, that the valley of the Nasas river, which may the vein and centre of the Bolson, has a mean elevation of 3,80 feet; and. though from 500 to 1,000 feet lower than the surrounding coun- try, it occupies. nevertheless a considerable absolute elevation above the sea. The soilin the Bolson is less sandy and better than in the higher country; in the valley of the Nasas, especially, is a black rich soil, and _most luxuriant, vegetation, as we shall see hereafter. From the ridge, from whence I overlooked the valley, the road descends _ slightly aboutfive miles to q hacienda, where formerly sil ores used tobe _ smelted. They have a large and deep well here, from which the water is drawn by a mule, and in peaceable times sold 12 the fe eal we ~ of course refreshed ourselves, gratis. Some miles further, two more ranchos lie on the road, where, also, wells have beensunk. Although the Pea Hh dgoks everywhere “dry, and the nearest. water-course is the distant a Water is got everywhere i in this valley by digging to a certain opt en Near these ranchos the road forks, and. a Tagre northern or south- ern route pen taken from here. The northern To leads by Alamito, San Lorenzo, and San Juan, (all settlements on the aes . el Pozo; @hile me southern goes to San on the Nasas,) and by Mata- de si 1. Th route is considered the shortest; we selected it, fiat 4 nare d on the nig hand zoad as 69 [ 26} far as San Sebastian, where we encamped. The nearer we approached San Sebastian and the river, the richer became the nth though scarcel anything was to be seen but weeds and mezquite. The | ater had chan here from shrubs into trees, reaching to the height of from 50 to 60 feet, and with trunks of a man’s size. San Sebastian is a che ae the left bank of the Nasas river, and about 35 miles from Mapi Ph sts is here quite a deep and respectable stream, while farthier d8wi it es flat, and disappears re even entirely in the sand. It comes Ms chook. 150 leagues from the western part of the State of Durango, the so-called Sianori hGuntatbe! Tana runs in a northwestern and Ronh dee re in the opts de + Ok a a as a lake The Nasas ae feraity: Besides wheat and corn the aia a bd deal of cotton in the valley of the river, and wine has bee ried, too, with success. ‘The climate, I understood, is so mild, that the Pout of the cotton shrub is seldom patel Bah in the winter, and continues to thrive for many years. In San Sebastian we were informed that, for the want of water, it would be im- as uaa to ee the southern’ route, which would have passed poi here to el Gatufio, Matamoras (la. Bega de ae, ) Santa ’ yara, Alamo de Pa arras, St. Domingo, and Peta, to el ‘The Laguna de Guanabal river, but was then entirely dry. It was there ore resolved to turn back itito the ap oye route, by going from here, along the Nasas, to San Lorenzo. We shall lose in this way about 12 miles. -~ The inhabitants of San Sebastian had been hostile towards Mr. Collins’s party, when they passed ae on their express trip; trip; they were punished for it, by a taking a lot of maize for our animals without pay. May 11 —We crossed the Nasa’ below San Sebastian, on a good ford, and marched on its tight bank, though generally a great distance from the river, 24 miles, to San Lorenzo. Our road went t mostly through a4 mez- quite timbér. Several settlements are along the river, as Rancho del Mu- ‘erto, Hacienda de Concepcion, and Alamito. The latter lies about half way between San Sebastian and San Lo orenzo, on the oe and six miles north of our road; it is the point where by ee to = amped last night, on the tthern route. T haga evans Sefior de Gaba pointed out a greet to me e where some years ago a atkable tpovey had been made. In the yeat jap a ea ca : e enter the secs They were dressed bat fin 7 hlantets SS oe aa soe ‘ore Pt with sandals made ofa iphcies of liana, on their an mented wi ay rin a et tape. rier “thea eee | ed bones, a a a e . 70 which from time yee oe has roved and is yet roving over the Bolson de Mapimi. I had already heard in Chihuahua of this discovery, and was panes enough ei to secure a skull that a gentleman had taken, m the cave. . At present, I was told, the pr is pilfered of everything; nevertheless, had I been at leisure, I would h e made an excursion to it. enzo is a town of about 1,000 opel tion, and lies on the right bank of the Nasas; but the waters of the river had here so far disappeared that only some pools were left, and in the dry sandy bed of the river some wells had been dug. . In these wells, from 10 to 20 feet deep, I saw below the sand a layer of clay; Artesian wells might therefore succeed here Such PREPERERS: ane reappearance of a river in the sand is a very common occurrence in Mexico, and seems to depend mostly upon the greater or less absorption by the soil. ‘The course of the river is not inter- rupted thereby; it runs Pas deeper tugven the sand—perhaps, too , frou crevices, instead of on the surface; and with the rising of the r the water returns as Sig as it has baie Most of the caper a San fame belongs to a Sehor Sanchez, a rich Mexican, who received us well and seemed to be favorable to the Americans. While we were encamped at San Lorenzo, a rumor reached us that the Mexicans at San Sebastian had cut off some of the American traders in the rear of the army. A party at once started back; the more willingly, as an interesting and in ac 0 American lady, sharing all the hardships and dangers of such a expedi- tion, sae her husband, were concerned in it; but fortunately, all desea to be am. Some other rumors were spread, about a Mexican arm g against us from Duran We gave, then, very little credit to the Pe a) but ascertained afterwards from the public papers that they really had sent a force against us; but being informed that we turned, in- stead, to Durango, in the direction of Saltillo, they presumed, of course, that their unknown and distant presence had frightened us out of the State of Durango, and published a gasconading report. about their bloodless vic- tory. Some su spicious Mexicans, prowling about our camp fedayy were made prisoners May 12 — Starting this morning for San Juan, our vanguard ‘Bissoveded : three armed Mexicans running from us. After a short steeple-chase through the chappar4l, the Mexicans were made prisoners, and, as no plaus- ible account could be elicited from th em, taken along to our ye cep San | Paks: ealled San Nicolas; from there it runs yet about eight or ten ues, till it spreads out at last into the Laguna de Tlagualila, a lake of water, but without outlet. In the dry season, this lake often con- while in others it forms a sheet of water of thirty and more atest dimensions, from south to ae 4 ae —— ees de San icolas, de las as, is lake Tlagualila. “The de leagues di us t; and ‘starting from haste 1 [ 26 ] circuit of the lake, and return, may be made in four days’ travelling (of Mexican riding.) About 16 eecwen northwest from lake Tlagualila two other smaller lakes lie in the Bolson, called Laguna de Palomas and Jacque; their water is salty, and the salt coud on the shore is used i in the amal- gamation process of silver mines. May 13.—We travelled to-day 25 miles, from San Juan to ef Poz The soad was more gravelly than sandy, at first quite — afterwards slightly ascending. A few miles to our right a steep mountain chain was running parallel with our road; to the left rose more a mountains. The mountains are formed ef a compact gray limestone, without fossils, intersected with large veins of calcspar. About half way we passed by a deserted. rancho, ‘‘Refugio,’’ with a well. ei. el Pozo the valley A comes narrower; its width there i is eee five [ had been riding ahead this morning, anid ee Pozo early, though not in time te take part in a skirmish between our vanguard and a pa of Indians. When I arrived, some Mexicans were engaged in lazoing several dead bodies of yen Bi and disasin ng them into a heap together. The skirmish had taken place under the following circumstances: Tw days before, a party of Lipan Indians, upon one of their predatory excur- sions, had stolen from a hacienda nea red mules and horses, and killed several men. The propiietor of the hacienda, Don Manuel de page “gt ve to Captain Ried, of our regiment, (who was then ahead of u h Lieut. Colonel Mitchell’s party,) for aid against these Indians. The captain, one of our@most gallant officers, took but eight men along, and, accompanied by the: Don himself, we back to: el Pozo, where the Indians , on their march to the mo eee expected, about 20 men of our vanguard came very early this morning to el Pozo, and increased their party to 30 men. Soon afterwards the Indians appeared—from 40 to 50 warriors. When our men rushed on horseback out of the corral to attack them, ‘the Indians (probably supposing them to be Mexicans) received them with sneering and very a aa provo- se Sea and their confidence in their bows and arrows was increased n the Americans, firing their rifles from pe a killed pine 2 at the first charesi But as soon ad our men alight and took g with i dead on the field. our side, Captain Ried was wounded b some arrows, but not dangerously. Most of ve. dead Indians had fine blan- mass some even carried ; all were armed with bows and aITONSs and gold ew with elegant shields of leather; and the ‘‘ medicine-man,’’, who was eh t in the action, and fought. most bravely, wore a head -dress of i nd hors. awe men, of course, took of t curiosities Ww proportioned a: y ul aces bo: ; mah the Indian race, but their skin looked whiter than 1 * * [26] 72 ever. seen it in Indians. ‘The dead me 588 were lying there all oe Americans nor Mexicans seemed to care ut them, and thei ‘was no doubt left to the wolves. I rt, thereto, no eae 3 Sekine « nother curiosity along for scientific purposes— t, the skull of the tolicine man, which I have, since. my return, tnecsniiase, that dis- The mabe is distinguished for its ingenious water- orice: It consists fof a deep and very —— s well, from which the water is drawn by mule power in the following way. ‘Over a large wheel in the upper part of the well a strong and ‘bread band of leather is stretched, moving around with the wheel; to the band, in regular distances, many buckets of leather are attached, which, by the equal circular motion of the wheel and the band, are descending on one side to the well, and fill themselves with water, while they are drawn up on the other side, and, emptying their water into a basin, return again to the well. To receive the drawn water, two large basins of stone, about 40 feet wide and 100 feet long, have been made, and on the outside of the basins runs a long line of troughs, all of stone, for the watering of the animals. Part of our vanguard have been ordered ahead this morning to see the basins filled; and when the regiment arrived; ail our animals were watered in less than an hour. The same Indians which our men fought here, the Lipans, used to frequent this well very freely, and carried their impudence even so far that they notified the Mex- icans at what time they wanted to have the basins full, and the Mexicans cid: not dare to disobey. Although the idea of this waterwheel is by no means a new one, it is certainly very simply and well executed, and the more gratifying to the traveller, as this is the only watering place between pa Ju ae tras, a distance of oon 50 miles. On the threatened in- army to 6 expose them to starvation for want of water. This would sata have proved a most wanton destruction, as the Mexicans must have found out by this time that a Jornada of 50 miles is not capable of stopping an an army. May 14.—We left this morning for Parras, in the State of Coahuila. On most maps the Laguna de Parras is laid down as the western bound between Durango and Coahuila; some Mexicans told me thatin the Bolson de pecan the Rio Nasas is considered as the boundary line. Our road anear mountain chain to the right, and was mostly as- nanan In the latter part of our march we saw from a hill Parras, at the phar ieng same chain, which makes — a bend —— southeast. The 4 73 £264 much if the wine would stand a long transport by land. I tried, at least, with a friend of mine, to take a sample of it to the States, but from some cause it had nearly all evaporated when we reached Saltillo. ‘The popu- lation of Parras is estimated at from 8 to 10,000, and with the surrounding settlements at nearly double that number. General. Wool arrived here last year, the citizens of Parras were very well treated, and formed a very favorable opinion of the Americans; but those friendly relations came near being interrupted ’at present by a fatal accident. One of our wagon drivers, a-very quiet man, had been assaulted by a Mexican loafer, and received several wounds, from the effect of which he afterwards died. As the prefect of Parras was not able to find out the guilty person, the friends of the wounded man took revenge on some Mexi- cans, and more disturbance would have grown out of it if we had stayed longer. “We rested in Parras two days, and left it on the morning of May 17, on our road to Saltillo. From Parras we mare about five | miles in.an eastern direction, through a plain, to or, as It is San Loren commonly called, Hacienda de abajo, a large, splendid hacienda, belong- i el de Ibarra) The road from el dechuguilla, and very large palmettos, a the crown. Some miles from our camp, in a corner, amidst mountains, which a tx s Sa et eae tee east. . Pe (re grees pee (ee i Syd ae [ 26] “4 Teed 19. pains im miles mone ,a small place on a creek of the very tortuous road led over a hilly and broken cna oa mn of the hills vi anion towards the ENE., the — distant mountains of Saltillo. About five miles from Vequeria we passed a creek with very clear water, the San Antonio, which unites below, near Patos, with the Vequeria creek. ’ In several places to day, but principally in small valleys, we met with groves sh yuccas, or palmettos, of unusual height, exhibiting sometimes a dozen branches in the emo WNy and grow- ing from 30 to 40 feet high. Northeast from Vequeria is an openi ng in the surrounding saomntains, through wha the mountain chain of Saltillo appears agai through this pass is the shortest and most direct for Saltillo, but csr wagons one has to take a southeastern course to avoid the mountains About one mile from Vequeria, in the pass leading to Saltillo, - Patos, a small town. May 20.—Made 22 miles to-day, from Vequeria to San deans Having ascended for some time, we came to an elevated and wide plain, sur- rounded on all sides by high mountains. Towards the east we distin- guished already the mountains of Encantada and Buena Vista. We passed several ranchos and haciendas on the road, among them the Hacienda de los Nepteasios, where all the houses of the. “ péons”’ were built en- tirely of the yucca tree. From the thickest trunks they had made the doors; from the smaller and the branches, the walls; and the roof was covered with the leaves. While I stopped in one of the huts to taste some tortillas, my horse came near unroofing another by eating itup. Sucha simple ang primitive structure of houses would authorize us to presume a very mild ee but I am told that the winters are generally very rough in this high plain We encamped at San Juan , a place renowned by the battle fought here in the revolutionary war against Spain. At present, nobody lives here. On a hill of limestone stands a deserted rancho, and below is a green spot, _ with fine spring-water, and some miry places around it. Here we camped. eral Wool’s camp is about 15 miles from here, in Buena Vista. May 21.—As we expected to meet General Wool to-day, there was a general brushing up this morning in the camp; but as it was impossible to create something out of nothing, we looked as ragged as ever. In the marching line, too, an improvement was tried. Usually, during the march, the —— selected their places more according to fancy than military rule was not uncommon to have our line stretched out to five miles, or fanee-teanbia of the regiment marching in the vanguard. But, to-day, to my utter astonishment, the heroes of Sacramento fell into regular line line, and - marched so for nearly half an hour, till the spirit of independence broke loose, and the commanding voice of Colonel Doniphan had to restore order again. However, after about’10 miles march over the plain, we arrived in “‘ Encantada,”’ where some Arkansas troops were encam Accord- ing to orders A headquarters, we encamped here also. The battle-field and General Wool’s camp at Buena Vista were five or six miles from here, and visits were soon exchanged. between the two camps. With some friends from the Illinois seieents , L rode in 1 the afternoon over the battle-— field and to General Wool’s camp. _ Encantada is the ania. opening of 8 a pass that is here about five miles wide, and narrows itself towards the battle-field to about two miles. il 75 [ 26 ]. On the east side of the pass a steep and rough chain of limestone rises, that may be about 1,000 feet higher than the pass, while towards the west a chain of hills, connected with more distant mountains, forms a barrier. A wagon road leads through the narrow valley, and between this road and the western chain of hills runs at first a small creek that comes from En- cantada, and nearer the battle-field a deep, dry ravine, formed probably by torrents of rain. Towards the battle-field the high mountains on the east form at their foot a small table-land, ending in many gullies towards the road, or west. On_ this small table-land, from half a mile to a’mile wide, the battle was fought; but in the narrow gullies and precipitous ravines the bloodiest mélées took place. ‘This locality was certainly the most suitable for a small army against a far superior force, and the selection of the battle- field bestows as. much credit upon General Wool, as does the battle itself, which has been sufficiently commented upon .by eye-withesses, upon General Taylor and the whole army. The Mexicans call the place, very appropriately, Angostura. Buena Vista is a rancho about one mile north- east of Angostura, on the road to Saltillo. General Wool had fixed his camp there since the battle. May 22.—The General, with his staff, rode to-day to our camp to review our regiment. A salute was fired, and he expressed himself highly satis- fied with the martial appearance of the great marching and fighting regi- ment of Missouri, though he seemed not to admire our uniform. We re- ceived orders to march from here to Saltillo, Monterey; and Matamoros. _ Before leaving Encantada I will remark, that the elevation of this camping place is 6,104 feet, which is the highest point on our road from Chihuahua. From here we shall descend very abruptly. to Monterey, which is but 1,626 feet above the sea, and may be considered as the eastern limit of the high plains-and mountains of this part of Mexico. May 23,in the morning, we left. Encautada, pass he battle-_ field and General. Wool’s camp, and marched through Saltillo and six miles beyond it before we encamped. In Wool’s camp the old American cannon belonging to our regiment were left, while the conquered Mexican pieces were taken along as trophies, to Missouri. : Saltillo, or Leona Victoria, the capital of Coahuila, lies at the commence- ment of a wide plain, covering the sloping side of a hill which hides the view of the city in approaching it from the southwest. The city is very compact, shows half a dozen steeples, has clean streets, 2 beautiful church, &c.; but at the same time it has something narrow an gloomy, and the wide plain around it does not improve its rather awkward position. The Population of the city was in 1831 about 20,000, but it seems to have dimin- ished since that, and at present a considerable portion of the inhabitants had absented themselves. I stopped for some hours in the hotel of the - “ Great Western,’”? kept by the celebrated vivanditre, honored with that nom de guerre, and whose fearless behaviour during the battle of Buena Vista was highly praised; she dressed many wounded soldiers on that day, and even carried them out of the thickest fight. _ Through a Jong, sloping, ill-paved street we proceeded on our way to camp, which was near some ranchos,onadam. In going there, I per- ceived for the first time a plantation of maguey, (agave am ,) the same plant which we had seen, from Chihuahua down, often enough used or garden fences, or growing wild on dry and sunny places; but here it as raised and planted for the especial. purpose of preparing pulgue, a 126] 16 whitish, slightly aleoholic beverage, which I had already tasted in Sal- tillo and found it quite palatable. Some of the plants were just in the state of production. The white liquid was collected in the heart of the plant, where, by cutting the stem out in the right season, a cavity is formed, into which every day about one gallon of a sweet, saccharine juice exsu- dates, from which, by short fermentation, the pulque is prepared. By a more protracted process they obtain from it also a spirituous liquor, that is very freely used in Mexico, and called Mezcal, (Mezical.) From the fibres of the thick blades of the agave americana the old Mexicans pre- pared a very fine paper, on which they printed their hieroglyphic figures. At present they work these fibres into ropes, bags, and thread, though for the latter purpose a smaller and related species of agave (lechuguilla?) is mo juic deserted ranchos which had been destroyed by a f the American troops. From here the road winds itself through a mountain pass, with precipitous mountains of limestone on both sides; the pass is, on an average, two miles wide, and a creek with clear water runs through it. The way commenc ere some fortifications by throwing up redoubts and other works; and from the narrowness of the pass, and the steepness of the roa battle of Monterey, the place was abandoned by the Mexicans the garden. descended from Encantada, within 48 miles, 2,723 feet. : May 25.—Always descending, we still marched for some time through the pass, which widened successively into a large valley, surrounded to- wards the north and south by high barriers of mountains. Passing by Santa Caturina, a village to the right of our road, and by a large mill, Moleno de Jusus Maria, we encamped within about four miles of Monte- : a" M asl (24 from Rinconada,) with the bishop’s palace in sight. In the after- mn we had a thunder storm, with rain, the first good shower since we left: Chihwahiiq: an : S . , the celebrated capital of i ! e is road, but very steep sid wots General Wotth’s charge upon this fort does not stand the lowest among the many gallant deeds which this Murat walls and retrenchments were erected. The hill which ‘it occupies is a , 77 . a of the American atmy has performed in the present-war. From the height of the bishop’s palace a beautiful view is enjoyed over Monterey, lying 15 to 20,000. Many of the houses are built of limestone, instead of adobes; in the suburbs they are generally covered with stone. ‘The climate of With “black fort,’’ a strong fort in the plain, northeast from the city, command- ing the main road and a great part of the city. The fort had been repaired Wh came to camp, a crowd of officers and men was collected about a simply dressed and plain looking individual, covered with a straw hat, that could not belong to any other person than to the “old Ranchero”’ himself, as the Mexicans used to call him—to the hero of Palo Alto, Mon- terey, and Buena Vista. When introduced to him, I found him as plain and easy in his conversation as in his appearance; and he was so kind as to give us some interesting details in relation to the battle of Monterey. General Taylor seems to be very partial to his camping ground, on the Walnut Springs; and the fresh spring water and fine timber are sufficient reasons for it. _ t=) wh ry io) ~ 6 E's 38 oS Le Te villages on the road, as San EF a, which were inhabited, and others that had been destroyed by the American troops. Marin is a small town, on an eminence near the Rio Meteros, which seems to be the northern headwater of the San Juan. On May 28, we mar 33 miles, to Carrizitos. The country was hilly, and all around us thick chaparral; but the chaparrals in the lower country, from Monterey to the sea-shore, are, rather different from those on the high plains and mountainous, parts of Mexico. Although ‘sundry Species of mezquite prevail in both of them, other shrubs disappé AES cab , or diminish at least, while new shrubbery and small trees ke their place. So, for instance, disappears here the Fouquiera splen- wo * [26 , a. panes the mineral raugaan, I have to mention that we saw in the plain, east of Monterey, the American partridge, or quail, Se Virginiana) again, which is never found in the higher regions of n stead of it, a related bird, the ortyx squamata, Vigor 5 About six miles from Marin is the spot where General Canale’, with his guerilla bands, had captured, some months raat a rich train of the Ameri- ean army, and killed most of the unarmed wagon drivers. The bones of these ill fated men, which were either not buried at all or dragzed out by “the wolves, were scattered about in all directions. Another more horrid spectacle offered itself to our eyes near Agua Negra, a deserted village, where a man (and, to judge from pieces of slotting an American) had been burnt to to ashes, some bones only being left. In seeing such re RS known only in old Indian warfare, can any one blame the Amer troops for having sought revenge, and burning all the villages and rated on their route which gave refuge to such bands of worse than highway rob- bers? The right of retaliation, as well as expediency, command, in my opinion, such measures against such unusual warfare; and when carried out with some cireumspection, it will break ay these guerilla bands much sooner than too lenient a About half way on our ad we passed a deserted rancho, with water; but we marched on to Carrizitos, a place with several burnt ‘ranchos, but with a fine creek, excellent stile , and plenty of wood. ay 29.—In the forenoon we went but seven miles, through chaparral plain, to Cerralbo, a tolerably good looking town, with many houses of stone, and some silver mines in the neighborhood. We made a noon halt to-day. Some troops of North Carolina and a company of Texan : oe were stationed here. The latter had captured this morning a well- known chief of a guerilla band, who was said to have committed many a against st Americans. He was sentenced to be shot, but refused to smoking it died ° aunts His name was Nicholas tet ie and iwtether Pabst or innocent, he died like a brave man. Some rumor was afterwards started that he was the brother of General Canales, but in Cerralbo I understood that a was well known there; that his mother lived there yet, and that he had no other connexion with Canales than having belonged to his bands. From Cerralbo we. marched that afternoon 15 miles, to Puntiagudo, a burnt village on a creek, which is one of the headwaters of the Alamo. Cerralbo is 1,000, Puntiagudo but 700 feet above the sea. Since our de- scent from Monterey, we have constant east ‘and southeast winds comin; from = Le, heavy dews wet our blankets every night. Since we e high rc 5 a ore we aha de often in, we ‘sandy parts of the : = road a very large black spider, reminding me of the bird-catching spider of South America; the Mexicans consider it poisonous. May 30.—We marched to-day through endless chaparral 30 miles, to Mier, celebrated by the Texan invasion in 1840. It is a town with from 2,000 to 3,000 inhabitants, and has many stone buildings, while others are mere huts covered with straw. It lies on the right bank of the Alamo or Alcontre, a small river that runs, five miles below, inté the Rio Grande. On the Plaza, the corner house was shown to us where the Texans, in their memorable expedition, fought against the ten-fold number of Mexicans. road left bank of the Rio San Juan, opposite Camargo. The San Juan, whose headwaters we passed at Monterey, is here a broad and respectable stream that falls into the Rio Grande about nine miles below Camargo, near San Francisco. In high water, steamboats drawing five feet go from the mouth of the Rio Grande up to Camargo, and a large depot has therefore been es- tablished here by the War Department; but at present. the water was too low for such craft, and we were told that we would have to march, prob- the eyes; on both sides of the narrow road was thick chaparral. a pee ; e, \ pon the good chance that the guerillas would have to put an end to my scie ae sect I was met by a return party of our regiment, reporting that one of our men, MiGweails wht dityed behind the troops, had just been killed by some [ 26] ee most suspicious circumstances on the nearest rancho, had been made pris- fc er found, which were also taken to our camp. ‘They were examined there by some of the officers; and as only strong circumstantial evidence, but no di- rect proof, was found against them, they were acquitted. Some friends of the deceased, I understood afterwards, dissatisfied with the decision, fol- lowed, the Mexicans on their way home, killed four or five of them, and burnt their ranchos. . San Francisco is a small village on the Rio Grande. No steamboat was in sight, but we were informed that there were several in Reynosa, 39 miles below, . We left, therefore, San Francisco in the evening, and marching all night, we arrived next morning, on June 2, in Reynosa, a small town on the Rio Grande. The river is here quite considerable, about 200 yards wide, and six or more feet deep. .’Ehe banks are low, sandy, barren, and covered with chaparral, like the sur- rounding plains.. A barometrical observation which I made here, about 10 feet above the level of the water, gave an elevation above the sea of 184 feet, so that the fall of the river from here to the mouth, a distance by water of from 300 to 400 miles, would on an average be one foot in two miles. ‘The long wished for sight of steamboats at last greeted our eyes; two were lying in the river, and others were coming up. The Roberts and the Aid were engaged for our regiment, and everybody prepared for embarking. Our wagons had to be driven back to Camargo, and all our riding animals sent by land, through Texas, to Missouri; but as the latter was considered tantamount to a loss, most of us gave their horses away for a trifle, or made them run off. A great many of these animals, after a rest of some months, would have been better for service than imported ones, yet unused to the climate and country; but as there was no provision made for it, the men as well as the government suffered a loss. . On June 3, i near the river the soil. seemed to be very good; but very few set- | seen; the chaparrals seemed:to grow, 81 [ 26] weed, most of which was mezquite and black ebony. During the whole day we saw six steamboats; in the night we laid by again. On June 5, about noon, we reached Matamoros, As the city is half a mile from the river, and we staid but half an hour, I could get. only a glimpse of it. It is built on the plain, ata trifling elevation; the houses are either of stone or adobes; the plaza and the principal streets were occupied by Americans, and the rest of the city seemed rather deserted, As to beauty of situation or*imposing buildings, it cannot compare with any of the larger cities we have met with on this route. ° From Matamoros we passed by Fort Brown, where the star-spangled banner was flying, and the battle-fields of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma were pointed out to us in the distant chaparrals towards the north. The river was here ina very navigable state, but continued to be as crooked as ever. Isaw many palm trees of small size; more settlements along the banks; sugar and cotton plantations among them, but chaparral always in the back ground. We laid by in the night, but after midnight we started again with the rising of the moon, and arrived in the morning of June 6 at the “ mouth of Rio Grande,’’ and encamped on the left bank of the river. About one mile from our camp was the high sea and the embouchure of the river. On the left side of the mouth were some com. missaries’ and private stores established, and the place is known as “ Mouth of Rio Grande.”’ i [26] — — We soon-reached. the harbor, where many * vessels were anchored; aay a number of fraine houses, with commissaries’, stores, groceries, etc., formed a villagé around it. "This was the last place we saw on this side of the gulf,and no doubt the meanest which I have seen during the whole trip. 'The whole island is but one wide sheet of sand; never a tree or blade of grass has grown here; no other water is found but a brackish, half fresh, half salty liquid, from holes dug into the sand; no other faces are seen but those of stern officials, or of sly speculatorg, a would as soon go to Kamtschatka if.they could make money there. In short, it is an awful place, where nobody would Jive, but from necessity or for _ money. Fortunately, our-stay was notlong. We slept but one night on the sand of the island, and went next day June 10, on board of our ships, a ‘Republic and the Morillo, both sailing vessels, , for New Orleans embarked with He Ree on bo ag the latter, and we cleared in the afternoon of the same day. After voyage of seven days x not, interrupted by any anual accident, we carat ’ ‘safely in New Orxlea he noise and Baste of a large city confused me, as it were, for a short time; but those impressions from the lonesome prairie and. desolate chapat- rals were soon overpow. ered by the enjoyments and luxuries of cultivated life. Our regiment was discharged and paid in New titans and from .a Leet set of boys, they turned at once into “gentlemen.” Having aby ished my own business in New Orleans, I started for St. Louis, my hom and arrived there early in July, to rest. awhile from the hardships of the expedition. After an absence of 14 months, I had travelled from fndependengs to Reynosa, on the Rio Grande, about 2,200 miles by. land, and about 3,100 by water, and had been exposed to many privations, hadi s, and dangers; but all of them I underwent, for the scientific purpose of my ex- pedition, with pleasure, except the unjust and arbitrary Beataeht from the government of the State of Chihuahua, which deprived me for six months of what I always valued the highest, my individual liberty, and prevented Re in this way from extending my arg eae: as aya as I at first intended, of making its results More general and u __At the conclusion of my journal, it may not be amiss to oid some gen- eral remarks i. At relation. to Northern Merico. New. o and Chihuahua, which I consider here incipally, be- cause they fal fell eae my immediate Sbaersatign: are nel et the aches nor the poorest States of Mexico; but both of them have resources that never have been fully developed. A, ture, as we ha is seen, is the least promising branch of industry. The want of more water-courses, and the necessity of i irrigation, are the principal causes; but on ertheless, they raise’ every, year more shan suffi- cient for their own consumption; and failure people, is less common here than in many other coun ne ular system of irrigation itself prevents it. Besi ere are of land in the country fit for agriculture, but allowing no Teolitel settle account of the Indians. Another reason, 100, why farming s ~ Se - £26] vate generally less ground than many smaller but independent farmers. razing country, both States are unsurpassed by any in the Union. Millions of stock can be raised every year in the prairies of the high table- land and i in who chiefly in the last ten years have crippled all industry in stock taising, have first to be subdued. ie ata ining, another main resource of the country, needs to some degree, also, protection from the Indians, because valuable mines have some- times been given up, from their incursions; and other districts, rich in min- erals, cannot be even explored, for the same reason, _ "The silver mines of the State of Chihuahua, though worked for cen- turies, seem to be inexhaustible. ‘The discovery of new mines is but a common occurrence; and attracted by them, the mining population moves generally from one place to another without exhausting the old ones. _ make the mining more effectual, onerous duties and. partial restrictions ought to be abolished, and sufficient capital to work them more thoroughly and extensively would soon flow to the State. New Mexico seems to as rich in gold ore as Chihuahua is in silver; but yet, less capital and greater insecurity have prevented their being worked to a large extent. To develop all those resources which nature has bestowed upon these two States, another condition of things is wanted than at present prevails | beral. ©. eg? Is there at present any prospect of such a favorable change? a. The Mexicans, since their declaration of independence, have been 1n- they have not learned yet to-govern themselves. It co ardly pected, too, that a people composed of two ‘diferent races, who mixed: but not assimilated themselves, should, after an Oppression of three centuries, at once be fit for a republic. Fanaticism alone may overthrow an old government, but it wants cool and clear heads to establish a new = = (267, si amongst the great mass of the people; they had neither time nor money for it, and it did partly not suit their ambitious plans to govern a more en- lightened p Poors Where shall the enlightening of the masses and the stability of govern- ment now come from? I cannot help thinking that if Mexico, debilitated by the present war, should afterwards be left to itself, the renewal of its internal strifes will hurry it to its entire dissolution; and what the United States may refuse at present to ia as the spoils of ‘the war, will be offer- ed to them in later years as a boo The fate of Mexico is sealed. "Unable to govern itself, it will be gov- erned by some other power; and if it should not fall into worse hands than those of the United States, it may yet congratulate itself, because they would respect at least its pene and Sth to it what it never had before, a republican government. That the whole of Mexico would as well derive advantage from such a change as the whole civilized world, if this wonderful country should be opened to the industry of a more vigorous race, there is no doubt in my mind; but I doubt the policy on the part of the United States to keep the whole of Mexico in their possession, even if they could, because a hetero- geneous mass of seven or ef millions of Mexicans, who have to be con- verted from enemies into friends, and raised from an ignorant and op- pressed condition to the level of republican citizens, could not be as easily assimilated to the republic as a similar number of European immigrants, that arrive here in great intervals of time, with more knowledge, and with the fixed intention to live and die as America . in the end of this war the United States will probably be bound to in- emnify themselves for the large expenses of the war, by some Mexican provinces; but the more valaatle the tetttory and the fewer Mexicans they acquire in this way, the more will the new acquisition be useful to the United States. In the northern provinces of Mexico both those con- ditions are united. Let us suppose, for instance, that from the mouth of the Rio Grande a boundary line should be drawn up to Laredo, the headpoint of steam navigation on the Rio Grande, and in the latitude of Laredo a line from thence west to the gulf of California, that territory would embrace, besides the old province of ‘Texas, a small portion of the States of Tamaulipas and Coahuila, the greatest eet of the State of Chihuahua, the State of Sonora, exico, and both Californias. The Mexican population of those States—if we except the highest probable estimates, and inclade a Sinstoad of the small slice of ‘Tamaulipas and Coahuila, the whole population of the State of Chihuahua—is the following: Chihuahua - - - - - 160,000 inhabitants. nora - - ne - - - 130,000 Ge : New Mexico - . - a - 70,000 & Upper California - - ‘ - 35,000 « Lower California - : — 3 - 6,000 ce ¥ é i _ 400,000 as The whole population of those States amounts, therefore, only to about 400,000 souls, while this territory, according to to the usual Mew call esti- Fc [26] mates, embraces an area of : about 940,000, or, including the old province of ‘Texas, already lost by Mexico, of about 1,200,000 English square miles.* : mit to, which never was very great, and dragged them as far as possible into the revolutionary vortex in which the South of Mexico was constantly whirling; but it never afforded them any protection against hostile Indians; never stopped their internal strifes, or ever promoted the spread of intellect or industry—in short, it heaped, instead of blessings, all the curses of the worst kind of government upon them. : Should the United States take possession of this country, the official tain chains are wanted as the best barriers between States, this line affords both these advantages by the Bolson de Mapimi in the east, and the ex- tensive Sierra Madre in the west. On the gulf of California, the important harbor of Guaymas would fall above that line. What sort of communication between Guaymas and the Rio Grande might be considered the best, ‘a closer exploration of the coun- try must decide; but a railroad would most likely in the course of years connect the Rio Grande with that harbor, and give a new thoroughfare m the Atlantic to the Pacific, for commerce as well as for the emigration to California and Oregon. The distance from Laredo to Guaymas, in a straight line, is about 770 miles. The plan of such a railroad, even if the height of the Sierra Madre in the west would not allow it to be carrie a straight line to the Pacific, but from Chihuahua in a northwestern direc- tion to the Gila, would therefore be less chimerical than the much talked of __*The territory of the whole republic of Mexico, including the old province of Texas, is variously estimated at from 1,650,000 to 1,700,000 English square miles. [ 26] 86 great western yailroad told the Winteei ieee to the Columbia river; and if / the above mentioned country should be er ae to the United States > we per military stations at the Rio Gran ile an bd near the cult of California, would secure the terminating points of that line; some fortifications erecte in the mountain passes of the Sierra Madre, where but one main road con- ' nects the State of Chihuahua with ips South of Mexico, would prevent in- vasions from that direction, and some smaller forts in the interior would be sufficient to check and control the wild Indians. la [26] BOTANICAL, APPENDIX. Pr. Wislizenus has intrusted to me his very interesting botanical | col- lections, with the desire that I should describe the numerous novelties included in them. Gladly would I have done so, had not leisure been wanting, and were'I not here (in St. Louis) cut off from large collections ¥ and libraries. As it is, [ can only give-a general view of the flora of the re- In examining the collections of Dr. Wislizenus, I have been materially aided by having it in my power to compare the plants which Dr. Josiah ries,” has gathered between Chihuahua and the mouth of the Rio Grande, but particularly about Monterey and Saltillo, anda share of which, with great liberality, he has communicated to me. \ His and Dr. W.’s collec- tions together, form a very fine herbarium for those regions. 4 The tour of Dr. Wislizenus encompassed, as it were, the valley of the Rio Grande and the whole of Texas, as a glance at the map will show. His plants partake, therefore, of the character of the floras of the widely different countries which are separated: by this val Indeed, the flora of the valley of the Rio Grande connects the United States, the Califor- nian, the Mexican, and the Texan floras, including species or genera, or families, peculiar to each of these countries. gee ie f The northeastern portion of the route: traverses the large western prai- ties, rising gradually from about 1,000 feet above the gulf of Mexico, near Independence, Missouri, to 4,000 feet west of the Cimarron river. The plants collected on the first part of this section, as far west as the cross- ings of the Arkansas river, are those well known as the inhabitants of our western plains. I mention among others, as peculiarly interesting to the botanist, or distinguished by giving a character to the landscape, a i i i arista- ta, Oenothera missouriensis, serrulata, speciosa, &c. 00 Astragalus caryocarpus, (common as far west as Santa Fe,) Delphinium azureum, Baptisia australis, va Papaver, Schrankia.uncinata and angustata, Echihacea angustifolia, Aplopappus spinulosus ,Gaura coccinea, i eria dactyloi la,* Argemone Mexicana, (with very hispid stem and large white flowers.) kansas and C *e and farther down the Rio Grande; Cucumis? perennis, James, found Ce a eae bundant in th ras feo the Arkansas river, with beantiful Jowers, but only about 6 [26] 8B also near Santa Fe and about Chihuahua, and by Mr. Lindheimer, i Texas; the petals wene united about two-thirds of their length, it cannot be retained under the genus Cucumis ; Hoffmannseggia Jamesii . T. and G., was also gathered on ‘his part of the journey ; several species of Psoralea, Petalostemon a:id Astragalus; also 'Torrey’s Gaura villosa and Krameria lanceolata; Erysimum asperum, which before was not known to grow so far south; Polygala alba, Lygo desmia juncea. Here we also, for the first time, meet with Rhus irilabata; Nutt., which, farther west, becomes a very common plant.* A new Talinwm, which I have named 7’. ¢ ealycinum,* was found in sandy soil on the Cimarron. This plant has, like the nearly allied 7. teretifolium of we United exci) a remarkable ‘tena HY of tee so much so that specimens collected, pressed and ‘‘ dried,”’ in Jur when they reached me in August, 147, 14 months later, grew are after being planted. Psoralea hypogea, Nutt. nWis collected near Cold spring, and Yucea an- sueaefenta, from here to San rom Cedar creek the fies region commences with an eleva- ie "of | near 3. ,000 feet above. the Gulf, and extends to Santa Fe to about 7,000 feet. With the mountains we get also to the region of the pines, and of the cacti. Dr. Wislizenus has here collected two species of Pinus, both of which appear to be undescribed, so that I venture to give now a short account of t € most interesting one, on account of its use- ful fruit, as well as ie botanical associations, is the nut pine of New Mexico, (afer ,) Pinus edulis,* nearly related to the nut pine of north- 1 Talin chictadic: num, 1. sp.; rhizomate erasso, caulibus demum ram foliis subteretibus elongatis, basi triangulari productis; pedunculis pte gatis nudis; cyma_ bracteosa; sepalis 2 ovato-orbiculatis, basi productis, cuspidatis, persistentibus; petalis fugacibus — superantibus; stam- inibus sub 30; stylo elongato, stigmatibus 3 abbreviatis. In sandy soil on the Cimarron , fl. in June. Differs from T’. terettfolium by its larger leaves, larger flowers, much larger Lory wh nies: larger fruit and seed. Leaves 1} to 2 inches long, flowers 10 to 11 lines in di- ameter; capsule and seeds twice as large as in 7". teretifolium. * Pinus id n. sp. -—Squamis turionum ovatis acutis adpressis; laci- nis Vaginaru to—revolutis, demum deciduis; foliis binis brev ihe. rigidis, curvis, tenuissime striatis, margine laevibus, supra oaee glaucis, subtus convexis viridibus; strobilis sessilibus erectis, s0-conicis, squamis apice dilata ~ Speomerens inermibus; semini- Bris obovatis, apteris, magnis, testa ater Not rare from the Cimarron fee, vet in ton ee ak is ay? —— the case. Dones about 18 es long, and 4 in sper wen . *Like Powe ote plants mentioned here, it has been collected in abundant and bea er h pe eimens by ‘ Fendler, a young German who has investigated Santa Peps ena sit) ey hee has made most talnabie and hee preserved (oii some e offers shall repeatedly be obliged to to en speak~ ing of the flora of Santa Fe. oe [ 26] astern Mexico, Pinus osteosperma,* (specimens of which were sent to me by Dr. Gregg, as collected on the baitlefield of Buena Vista,) and to the nut pine of California, P. monophylla, Torr. and Frem.—these three species being the western eteaeh dates of Pinus Pinea and Cembra o the isso continent. second species, Pinus brachyptera, * is the most common pine of New Mexico, and Bel most useful for timber. A third species, Pinus flexi- pe Jam en) vat overlooked by Dr. Wislizenus, but has been collected in s, by Mr. Fe adler, about Santa Fe. Its leaves in fives and eainlons cyiidneal squatrose cones ppt it to Pinus strobus; but the seed is large and edible, as Dr. James has rage 9 NG sondekod. and the leaves are not serrulate ail much stout. The Pinones, so much eaten in Santa Fe, fet principally to be the product of Pinus edulis. I shall have occasion to speak of three other pines when I come to the flora of the mountains of Chihuahua. Linum perenne makes its first appearance here, and continues to Santa Fe, as well as the justly so-called Lathyrus ornatus. Several species of We (Enothera, Artemisia, and Pentstemon, were collected in this istrict Among the most remarkable plants met with were the Cactacea. After having observed on the Arkansas, and northeast of it, Sai aie but an opuntia, which probably is not different re 0. vulgaris, Dr. W. came at once, as soon as the mountain region and the pine seek commenced, on several beautiful and interesting members of this curious family, an evi- dence that he approached the favorite home of the cactus tribe, Mexico ‘aggon-mound the first (flowerless) specimens of a strange opuntia were found, with an erect, ligneous stem, and cylindrical, horridly spi- *Pinus osteosperma, n. sp.—squamis turionum olongato-acuminats, Mconthie borders, near Buena Vista, and about Saltillo. A small tree, 10 to 20 feet high; leaves in threes, more rarely in twos, | to 2 Bis longs much more slender than in the foregoing species; nut of the but much harder. Pinus monophyilla has broadly ovate, obtuse, adaeeed scales "of the young shoots = mostly single, terete leaves; cone and og S are similar.to both other 4nUs brachyptera, n. Sp. —squamis turionum longe acuminatis, ‘$a. tiie squarrosis, longatis suggest foliis seem q ;va (raro_ binis s. quaternis) utramque a vdibus et aspero striatis; strobilis erectis, ovatis s. elongato conicis, squamis recurvo aculeatis; seminibus obovatis breviter alatis. untains of New Mexico, common. A large and fine tree, st 80 to 100 feet high, 2 and even 3 feet in diameter; sheaths 6 lin mostly black; leaves —_—, in threes, ig ee 3} to 6 inches laiedit in the specimens before me, crowded towards the end of the branches; cones 2} lt Mie inches long seed larger than the wing, without this 3 ae long and 2 wide. o [ 26} 90 nous, horizontal branches. ‘The plant was here only 5 feet Hist but ows about Santa Fe to the height of 8 or 10 feet, and continues to be yund as faras Chihuahua and Parras. In the latter more favorable cli- mate it grows to be a tree of 20 or 30, and perhaps even 40 feet high, as Dr. W. informs me, and offers a most Ipedtutifal aspect when covered wit its large red flowers. It is‘ evidently the plant which Torrey and James doubtfully, though pintaite © refer to Cactus Bleo HW. B. K. It is nearly allied to Opuntia furiesa, Willd., but well paar age from it; and as it appears to be tiglase ped. T can give it no more appropriate name than O. arborescens,* the tree cactus, or F poe 4 as called by the Mexicans, according to Dr. Gregg. The stems of the dead plant present a most sin- ar appearance; the soft parts having Sue away, a net work of woody fibres remains, formin ng a hollow tube, with very regula rhombic meshes, which correspond with the tubercles of the living plan he first Mammillaria was also met with on Waguen- age a Species hoes related to M. vivipara of the Missouri, and also to the Texan M. wosa, (Engelm. in Plant. Lindh. inedit.,) but sibably ot from either. Mr. Fendler has 2 ge the same species near San ¢ On Wolf creek the curious and beautiful Fadlugia Spore Endl., looking like a shrubby Géulke. was found in flower and fruit; also a (new?) species of Streptanthus, and an iuteresting Geranium, which I named agynum,*® because of its having its five styles only slightly united at 5 Opuntia arborescens, n. sp., caule ligneo erecto, ramis horizontalibus, ramulis cylindricis, tubereulats aculeatissimis ; areolis oblongis, brevissime tomentosis, aculeo 0 corneos, stramineo. -vaginatos. teretes undique rrectos gerentibus; ram versus apicem floriferis; ovario tuberculato, tuberculis sub-20 apice sepala subulata et areolas tomentosas cum setis ucis albidis gerentibus; sepalis interioribus 10 to 13 obovatis; petalis obovatis, obtusis s. emarginatis; stigmatibus 5 i Fesgevmes bacca flava ing ovato-globosa, tuberculata, profun = umbilicu eataanmars of New Mexico to Chihu ua, Parras, sat Saltillo; flowers in and June; fruit, at least about Santa Fe, ripening the second year (Fendler;) in the north 5 to 10, south 20 and more feet high, 5 to 0 inches in diameter, last branches 2 to 4 inches long; spines of the speci- on-mound 20 to 30 in each bunch; further south only 12 6 Geranium sees » perenne, caule erecto wassignto cum peti- olis Speedie. : foliis sinaceeabenanthin inferioribus 7—, superiori- bus 3-5-partitis, segmentis inciso-lobatis; pedicellis ec age glanduloso pu- bescentibus sciepalis glandulosis, longe ‘atistatis; petalis basi villo brevi instructis, ad venas pilosiusculis, obovatis integris; filamentis SC aeeily cone glanduloso ; stylis ima parte solum connatis; eapsula gla pu On Wolf creek, flowers in June. Several stems 1 foot high from a bigs lieneous rhizoma; similar to G. maculatum, but easily distitanishen from this and most other species by the styles being u united only for dor 2 of their length; ‘flowers of the same size, but ariste of sepals much larger; leaves only 2 or 21 inches wide. “34 -— 91 [26] base, while most other Gerania have them united for about two-thirds or more of their length. n the prairies “about Wolf creek, in an elevation ot pelyeen 6,000 and 7,000 feet, the smallest of a tribe ‘of cactacew was overed, numerous species of ‘which were ga in the course of the j pricy south and south- east: sare others have also been discovered in Texas. I mean those dwarfish Cerei, some of whi ich, have been described with the South Ameri- can ae Ecchinopsis, or have been referred alternately to Cereus or Echi- nocactus, and which I propose to distinguish from all these under the name of eesti indicating their intermediate ppation, between and Lchinocactus: they approach more closely to Cere ich genus they ty as well as sett genus “chinopsis, should Pes be ‘neluded as sub- A careful noone of the seeds of numerous cactaceae, has indicated to me two cipal divisions in that family: 1. Cotyledons, more or les Hokie. itscied with their edges to the edge, (or towards the umbibens,) and wi ith their faces to the flattened side of ne seed; when curved, accum- bent. 2. Cotyledons, mostly very distin t, foliaceous, direct with their edges to the faces, and with their faces to the edges of the seed, (or towards the umbilicus;) when Meh incumbent, and often circular or spiral. The first class comprises Maramillari, wihy a penn embryo; and - Pitsioceres, n. gen. Perigonii tubus alti germen productus, abbre- u viatus. Sepala exteriora s. tubi subulata, in axillis tomentosis se cu- 4 Ss. la intericra subpetaloidea et petala longiora plurise a corollam breviter ph ela ae s. sub-campanulatam Saute amina numerosissima tubo adnata, limbo breviora s. eum subaequa Stylus stamina vix iperine. tigma multiradiatum. Bacca puluilligera setosa s. oi perigonio coronata. Seminum testa dura tuberculata nigra. ah vix cutvatus cotyledonibus brevibus contrariis. l mostly ovate; simple, or mostly branching from the base or pg tubeeles, forming few or niostly a great many ribs; bunches of short or long spines, distant or approximate, = Ned, crow og vertex never woallys’ flowers lateral, produced from last year’s growth, open- ing only in airs! but for two or three days in succession ; "elseel at night, or in dark weather N Etchinocereus vu cores n. sp. ovato-globusus, humilis, sub-13-costa- tus; areolis lanceolatis, approximatis, junioribus yillosis ; aculeis 16-18 rec- tis, radiantibus, lateralibus longioribus fuscis, reliquis albidis, centrali nullo s. elongato robusto, apice fusco; floribus lateralibus; tubo pulvillis 25—30 ais ineniact setas albas 5-10 gere iribus stipato; sepalis interonbug, Rigi | sub-10; petalis 12-15 lineaci-obleliis, obtusis; baccis ell cis vir Hite oe seminibus parvis tuberculatis. on Wolf creek, flowers in June; Santa Fe, flowers in. May, anne ) Body 1 to 1} ‘inch h igh, oval; spines 1 or 1} to 3 lines long; pa spine when present 6 to 7 lines long; flower 1 inch pre and wide, e green ikea inside yellowish green; petals only 2 lines wide, be- ig kbbet 5 lines long. ® [26] 92 amined by me; and E£chinocactus, mostly with a curved embryo. The - second class includes Eechinocereus, with a nearly straight embryo, and the direction of the cotyledons,) or C. apici florae, (from the position of the flowe e second class can be named, i Cactaceae contrariae, or C. lateriflorae. Echinocereus is principally distinguished from Cereus proper by its low ted States, where the cactus family is represented only by some Opuntiae and Mammillariae. The southern limits of chanocerei are un- known to me, but I doubt whether they extend far in that direction ; the nearly-related Echinopses, on the contrary, appear to be exclusively inhab- i outh America, especially the La Plata countries. n Texas. Only two species of true Ceret were seen; one of a peculiar type about Chihuahua, and another near the mouth of the Rio Grande, which does not appear to differ from the wide-spread C. variabilis, - Pfeiff. tiae. ellipticae, as well as cylindraceae, were observed from New Mexico to Matamoros, and species of both are also found in Texas. lelocacti, locacti, and other genera of Cactaceae, not mentioned above, were not met with viz: that most species of this family have a very limited geographical range, the most striking exception being those belonging to the genus 93 : ™ along the Rio Ras, "the ¢ untry was saad mountainous Pa rocky; partly, and he eat along ‘the river, sandy; on an average between 4,000 and 5,000 feet above the ocean. Her sae again some of the Hoffmanseg, Famesii, T.and G. An intereetd Prosopis with screw- shaped ioe nearly allied to P. odorata, Torr. and Frem., of Califor- nia, was the first shrubby mimoseous plant observed during the journey, a tribe which hereafter ia tay more and more abundant; Mentzelia sp. Cosmidium gracile, Hus , Heliotropium currasavicum, Maurandia antirhinifiora, a beautiful tiene flowered Datura, Abronia, Hendecandra’ te and many others. Near Olla the first specimens appeared of a exensis, new species of Larrea,'® the first and most northern form of the shrubby ° Echinocereus triglochidiatus, n. sp. ovato-cylindricus, 6-7 costatus, , undulatis, acutis; areolis sparsis, orbiculatis, junioribus albo-lanatis; is 3-6, plerumque 3, rectis compressis angulatis, cinereis, suo-deflex- 74 pate ‘lateralibus, tubo pulvillis 15-20 albo-tomentosis setas spinosas apice fuscas 2-5 gerentibus stipato; sepalis interioribus sii 12 oblongo- linearibus obtusis; petalis 12-15 obovatis obtusis; staminibus petala subae- uantibus; stigmatibus 8-10 virescentibus On Wolf creek, in pine woods, flowers in n June; Santa Fe (Fendler) 4 to 6 inches high, 2 to 23 ms diameter; spines in young specimens 4 to 6,in er ones generally 3. two lateral ones 8 to 14 lines long, one bent down only 6 to 8 lines long. Flowers 2 to 24 inches long, 2 inches in diameter; setose spines of tube 3 to 6 or 7 lines long; petils deep crimson, 6 to 7 lines wide; filaments and anthers red. In specimens from Santa Fe, col- lected by Mr. Fendler, the flowers are near 3 inches long, the otal 8 to 9 lines wide, and the setae on the tube are spinous, with brownish points. Echinocereus nec ag n. sp. globoso ovatus, 9-11 costatus, costis tu- berculosis subinterruptis; areolis ovatis junioribus albo-tomentosis; aculeis radialibus 9-10 albicis, ‘rectis, oblique porrectis, superioribus brevioribus; : amass ves 1-3 ener ribus albidis s. corneis; floribts masa pamper ; tubo gle or anal een ee from the base and g irae sometimes orcas — clusters of 10 to 15 heads. tap og all yee or less erect, none Lo e; Slarnente ts red, anthers eae “ plas The flowers resomnble was those of the last pas but the aie is very different. follis breve’ Soren bifo Das io, folios oruaee Sealis ranean: ner ims 94 Zygopluyllaceac F pore abundant farther south. In the same. neighborhood the ae. tree — ub was first met with, probably Algarohia glandu- losa, dG. m here the mezquite was abundantly found down to cars, but the : =peeiTasus collected appear to indicate that there are at least two oe rEg ies On the next day, ne ar S: abino, an interesting bignoniaceous shrub was collected for the first time, undoubtedly the Chilopsis of Don, which farther south appears more abundantly. Its slightly twining branches, willow-lixe slender glutinous leaves, and large paler or darker red flowers, render it a very remarkable shrub. Dr. Gregg mentions it under the name of ‘‘Mimbre,’’ as one of the most beautiful shrubs of northern Mexico. The character given by Don, and that of eo appear pyran though J cannot doubt that both had our plant in From the very complete specimens epee a og by Dr. Wiliceniss. ‘ann Dr. Gregg, Tam enabled to correct those Near Albuquerque a ¢ “Gini was observed; it evidentiy belongs to Opuntiae eg but has short clavate joints, which make the wosis, Coriaceis, adpresse pilosis glutinosis; floribus inter foi opposita solitariis; Bape 5-cocco Vi ommon from Olla and Fins) Cristobal, in New Mexico, to Chihuahua atid Saltillo; also about Presidio, (Dr. Gregg;) flowers in March and April; fruit ripe ‘Jaly. Shrub 5 to 8 feet high, very much branched, very glu- tinous; used as a sudorific and diuretic, and called gobernadora, or in the north evemis, according to Dr. Gregg. Leaflets 3 to 6 lines long and half as wide, ¢ uspidate or mucronate; ovary 5 celled, each cell with 3 or 4 ovules; "frit 3 lines in diameter, globose, attenuated at base; seeds by abortion only one in each cell, falcate, smooth, shining. 11 Chilopsis Don, char. emend. Calyx s plus minusve bilobus, lobo altero breviter 3, altero 2 dentato; aeaie ay tubulosa, curvata, fauce dilatata, companulata, limbo. 5.lobo, cri ene ens ; stamina 4 fertilia didynama, ant ee rum nudarum lobis ovatis, obtusis; quintum = ai bre- vius nudum; ovarium ovatum; stylus filiformis, stigma bilamellatum; cap- cis Minekioiais: elongata, bilocularis, septo contrario placentifero ; ; transversa margine utroque comosa. wet erect Mexican shrub, 8 to 12 feet high, ends of branches often slightly twining; branches smooth, and glutinous or rarely woolly; lower leaves somewhat opposite, upper ones sparse, lanceolate-linear, long-acu- minate, glabrous or glutinous; racemes compound, terminal, pubescent; pedicells bracted, corolls rose-colored or deeper red or purple. long water-courses or in ravines, from Sabino, near Albu uquerque to Chihuahua, Saltillo and Monterey. Leaves 2 to 4 inches long, 1 to 3 lines wile flowers at to 14 inch long; fruit 6 to 10 inches long; seeds with e coma 6 lin ie are ] taro species—one from the neighborhood of vale» with larger, tek: flowers, broader, not glutinous leaves, a branchlets, perhaps the Ch. sali, Don; the other from Ne exico eat Chihuahua, with lon er glutinous leaves, perfectly glabrous, bese us ee A ag Sy dace aa small flowers; may be Ch. one + OF & NeW species, Ch. The y2 is variable in both. — ast eres : 95 £ Reg name of.O. clavata'*most appropriate...A singular plant, with the habit of a sibeciabe bie: nearly related. to Saururus, was also found in this neighborhood. among grass.on the banks of the Rio Grande. The genus has been described by Nuttall wg s eperinens poligried by him in Califor- - nia, but whether his Anemopsis californ s_ specifically identical with the new Moceak lant, posi to be oa as this last has regularly 6-leaved involucres, about 6 stamens, and is perfectly glabrous e last mentioned plants indicate that we sich 5 ‘another bo- tanical region, we are surprised to meet here with Polygonum amphibium, common in the old and in the new world, and Cephalanthus ocoulentalks, so widely diffused in the United States. The famous desert, the Jornada ie Muerto, farnished, as was to be expected, its quota of interesting plan A Crucifera near Biscutella, of Europe, but with very short styles ‘and white flowers, was here met with abundantly. I had considered it as the type of a new genus, when I found in Hooker’s London Journal of Botany of February, 1845, Har- vey’s description of his new Californian genus yrea,*® which proba: bly must ‘be made to embrace our plant as a sect species. 12 Opuntia clav n. sp. prostrata, ramulis ascendentibus, obovato- clavatis, ne. “areolis orbiculatis albo-tomentosis, margine superiore setas albas spine: escentes gerentibus; aculeis albis complanatis, radiantibus, 6-12 minoribus, centra nah beg 4-7 majoribus, longioribus deflexis; floribus terminalibus; areolis ovarii 30-45 albo- tomentosis, setas albas 10- i geren- tibus; is inte prone ovato-lanceolatis acuminatis s. cuspidatis; petalis obtusis, erosis sae mucronatis; Paar ate ie brevibus erectis; pace elongato-clavata, pollens umbilicata, setaceo-s About Albuquerque (W.,) about eis Fe, on hs high plains, never on the mountains, (Fendler.) Mr. Fendler informs me that the ascending joints sprout a or near their base, and that. in this manner they finally form a large spreading ‘mass, often 2 and even 4 feet in diameter, to which the wilite Hine spines give a very pretty appearance. Joints or branchlets 14 to 2 inches long, tubercles at their base smaller, with pa spines, towards the upper and thicker end larger, with stouter and longer spines; radial spines 2 to 4, central ones from 4 to 9 or 10 lines silis, biscutata, basi et apice b opgataee: a latere Ra compre ssa. Semi- na in loculis solitaria, compressa, Immarginata, horizonta alia. Cotyledones planae radiculae descendenti septum goes accumbentes. “ A oe / 4 scence, me goa leaves, yellow © or white flowers es. el terminal racemes. [ 26 ] 96 A new species of Talinim; with ingle antag flowers, was found for the first time in the Jornada, but was again collected further ,south, to- wards Chihuahua. Dalea lanata, Centaurea ge Sapindus mar- ta, and a Bolivaria, probably identical with a new Texan species, rought to mind the flora of Arkansas and Texas, While the gigantic Eichinocactus Wislizeni,'* reminds us again that we ate approaching the ter petiolatis repando-dentatis, racemo umbelliformi, demum laxo elongato; pedicellis eglandulosis, horizontalibus, flore longioribus, sepalis. calycis aperti posal petite (albis) obovatis, unguiculatis basi pei :aNRROE- datis; stigmate cordato conico; siliculis basi preendias emar. ommon in Sas soil near Valverde and Fray Cristobal, i of the Jornada del Muerto; flowers in July. Plant about 1 foot high, annual or biennial; leaves ovate:la neeolate, attenuate in the short rt petioles , closely resembling those of some species of Gaura ; pedicells filiform, longer than the flower or fruit; flowers rite, about 3 lines i in diameter, open; ease in the fruit, which i to 6 lines in transverse diameter, ae t half as much from a im top; the shit appear to bé closed a pate attachment to the subulate solid dissepime . yrea californica, Harv., pedicellis basi bi pana ilosis horizontalibus, flore multo brevioribus; sepalis caleyeis cylindrici clausi erectis; pe (aureis?) ee stigmate bilobo; siliculis apice profundius emargina Easily dis stinguished by the characters just enumerated from the New Mexican plant; tho sein the difference in calyx and stigma will not permit a generic separatio 14 Echinocactus wiice N. Sp., giganteus, vertice Siiges formants ; costis .. . . acutis crenatis; areolis oblongis, approximatis, junioribus fulvo- sengepyon Sts radialibus flavis, demum ci Bene cae rrectis; Thieiatibas sub 15 setaceis elongatis laeviusculis, summis infimisque 5-6 brevioribus Saocbun, annulatis; centralibus rubellis giinwlene 3 rectis sursum versis, 1 inferiore robustissimo, supra plano, apice reflexo-hamato; poe sub verticalibus, ovario et tubo brevi campanulato sepalis imbricati is, culato-cordatis 60-80 stipato; sepalis interioribus 25-30 ovatis Sbtisis, petalis lanceolatis mucronatis, Sark ; Stylo supra stamina numerosissi- ma brevia longe exserto; stigmatibus filiformibus 18-20 erectis; bacca ovata, lignosa, imbricato-squ ei N fiana, serie in August with buds, open flowers, young and ripe fruits on the e specimen. It belongs therefore to those Eichino- cacti which flower eisbiagh the whole season, like H. setispinus, Engelm., Qn Plant. Lindh.) = Texas, had $m are in flower only during a week or two in spring, e. g. #. terensis, Hpfr. In the latter, the young Relics of spines, together with ‘eas flower buds in their axills, come out at once in spring, and n ae more are formed during the season, while in 97 [ 26 ] Mexican plateau. ‘This enormous cactus attained generally a heii of i to 2 feet; specimens 3. feet high were rare, but one paasne which measured 4 feet i in height, and near 7 feet in irenahfeaie nce; its oa was covered with ne flowers, and fruits, in all : supra_albo lineatis, carinatis, subtus convexis, margine tenuissime pei ace ; strobilis $, squamis. obtusis inermibus, demum rec est peaks about Cosihuiriachi. ‘The | largest pine in mele esioll 100 eit anti = 108 [26 ] cones, resemble the common white pine of the north, but the cones» are two or three times as large, not to speak of the other differences. » It on} grows on the highest mountains of this — of a ed feet olevgs tion, and attains the height of 100 to 130 feet _ Pinus macrephylla,** another inhabitant of the higher ‘mountains of Ghikgshass: is more common than the last; like it, it closely resembles well-known oan of the United States, P. australis, from which it aif bark, bearing in November and December red edible pion If it is at all distinct from. A. Menziesii, Pursh, of the northwest coast, which it closely resembles, it ought, from the color of its bark, eae a name of to 130 feet mehs Sheaths 6 es long, very deciduous, leaves 2 ‘to 34, mostly 3 inches long; cone about 10 inches in leng th, very a This species forms with Pinus strobus and Pinus flevilis a peculiar s tion, distinguished by their 5 leaves, and their cylindric pendulous or rose cones; the leaves of P. strobus are the most slender, concave on back, and strongly serrate; those of P. strobiformis are somewhat more rigid, convex on the back, and ey. aig ; those of P. flerilts are still 2+ Pinus macrophylla, 0. Sp., Goin s turionum longe acuminatis, fim- briato laceris, squarrosis, tone vaginis elongatis, adpressis, lace- tis; foliis ad apicem ramulorum congestis ternis, quaternis (rarius quinis) longissimis, margine carinaque serrulatis, utrumque as ro-striatis, sub- glaucis; strobilis “ovato-conicis; sqamis tubereulo conico, apice spinifero, recurvo instructis; seminibus parvis, alatis ‘Common on the higher mountains of Gosiniinchi 70 to 80 feet high; Sheaths415 to 20 lines long; leaves 13 to 15 inches long in the specimens before me; in fours as well as in threes; rarely in fives; cone 4} inches long. Exidently near P. australis, Mich., but well distinguished by = characters enumerated. . 26 Pinus Chihuahuana, n. sp., squamis turionum acuminatis, adpressis; vaginis adpressis, elongatis, laceris, deciduis; foliis ternis (rare quaternis) supra glaucis, subtus virescentibus, leviter. striatis, margine Sesame one strobilis ovatis, a abbreviatis; ‘squamis transverse ovatis, The common pine of the mountains of Chihuahua, at an elevation. about 7,000 feet; a tree of only 30 to 50 feet in height; leaves ret inches long; serrulate on the i margin, but with pent ages cca sone in the specimen before me 1} inch long. ~ pd [ 26] ~ A, sanguinea. 'These, together with a low scrubby oak tree, with small perennial leaves, were the only trees collected about Cosihuiriachi. A species of Juniperus , With red berries, a Thuja, and a “ese leaved Co- awania (?)27 all of them in fruit, were also brought from t Between Chihuahua and Cosihuiriachi, but Spoil abet the latter place, the porphyritic soil produced a number of Cactaceae, some strang Echinocacti, several 'Mammillariae, a few Opuntiae, an principally a great variety of E'chinocerei. One of the latter is completely covered with stout and long spines;** ano ther has short radiating pint, closely ad- pressed to the plant;*® a third has short radiating spines, with single, stout black central ones, which project from the plant in all directions;*° a fourth is distinguished by its longer and curved reddish radiating spines, with a stouter one projecting from their centre.*! I have all of these in - an iz hru abby leaves crowded, small, cuneate three- toothed at apex, revolute , tomentose below, glabrous and glandular above, sweetscented; turbinate tube of calyx, as well as the oblong lobes, 1 line me's si stamens, persistent; about 5 woolly ovaries Compare e below note 51. Behind polyacanthus, n. sp., elongato-ovatus, 10-costatus; areo- lis elevatis, ovatis, subapproximatis, junioribus s albido 4-tomentosis; aculeis radialibus 10-12 ayONs apice adustis, plus minus porrectis; lateralibus majoribus, demum subadpressis, superioribus minoribus; c entralibus sub-4 corneis, apice fasdin, 3 os rioribus sursum versis, inferior singulo lon- giore: porrecto, demum deflex Cosihuiriachi.—Several oat stems, 4 to 5 inches fit and 2} to 3in diameter, from one base ; upper radial spines 4 to 5, lateral and inferior 8 to 10, upper central 9 to 12, lower one 15 to 20 lines long. Spines at last ashy-gray. - *° Echinocereus adustus, 1. sp., ovatus, 13-15-costatus; areolis elevatis, lanceolatis, approximatis, yinibebue albo-tomentosis; aculeis radialibus 16- 18 adpressis, albis, apice adustis; 4-5 superioribus brevibus, setaceis, late- talibus inferioribusque longioribs , tobustioribus ; centrali nullo. hi.—Plant 14 to 4 inches high, 1 to 2 in diameter; sppes spines 1G rlewer about 2, ae lateral 4 to 5 lmes long. °° Eichinocereus radians, 0. sp., ovatus 13-14-costatus, sroclia elevatis, ovatis, subapproximatis, junioribus albo-villosis; aculeis radialibus 16-20 us apice adustis, superioribus brevibus setaceis, anes bus sinferoribusque loneiobil robustioribus; centrali singulo porrecto usto, ft Cosihuiriachi.--2} inches high, 2 in diameter; upper radial spines 1 to es 3, ae ot about 5 lines loug; central spines brown or black, much 31, to-ovatus, Elisoutst tus; areolis radiali- S, , elonga' elevatis say le cowie juniorbas albido-villosis; aculeis bus 16-18, ep ema at adpressis, intertextis; 3-5 superioribus setaceis, brevi- bus, albi dis; lateralibus elongatis s fuscis, recurvis, centrali singulo, robusto, ‘Cosihuiriachi.—Stem 4 inches high, below 2 in diamters ‘upper radial 105 [ 26 ] cultivation, but have not seen as yet flowers or fruit from any of them; still they cannot but ae to my genus chimoceretts , to judge- from analo Some Mamunillariae of Cosihuiriachi are distinguished by their compact shape; the tubercles are very short, globose, or even hemispherical, the spines strong, numerous, rag ‘and adpressed, the fruits central from a woolly vertex: Mammillaria compacta.** Another, M. gummifera,3* belongs together with two tpévies from Texas, and from the mouth of the Rio Grande to the section Angulares, with pyramidal 4-angled tubercles, and milky juice, which, hardening, forms a gum. A third species belongs to Crinitae, and is a most elegant little plant with numerous hairlike shear ating and one stout, hooked central spine; I have nashee it M. barbata —-—— spines or bristles 1 to 2, page about 4, and lateral 7 to 9 lines long; central spine much stouter, 1 inch long. 2 $ Mammillaria compacta, n. sp., simplex, hemisphaerica, s. depresso- globosa; tuberculis abbreviatis , ovoideo-conicis, sulcatis; areolis ovato-lan- ceolatis, junioribus albo-tomentosis; aculeis omnibus radialibus, 13-16 subaequalibus, robastis, recurvatis, adpressis, intertextis, albidis, superiori- _ bus apice fuscis; sulcis tuberculorum axillisque junioribus et vertice tomen- tosis; floribus in vertice congestis; baccis ellipticis perigonio coronatis, viridibus; patina obovatis, laevibus, fulvis. =7iDoaiheielatdak —Plant 2 to 3} inches in diameter and 1} to 24 inches high; tubercles in 13 rows, 4 lines high, 6 lines wide at base; spines in- terlocking, and thereby often deformed and twisted, stout, 7 ‘to 10 lines ng. $8 Mammillaria feet n. sp., lactiflua, simplex, hemisphaerica, bs etn quadrangul ato-pyramidatis ; Pag areo - sque ems albo- s files | in Tones} and M. heap aaerdo ngs, ined., from whe mouth of the Rio Grande; both are also simple, lactescent, with pyramidal tuber- cles, and both have small reddish white flowers, and long clavate scarlet berries, without the remnants of the flower. Tt is a fact which I have repeatedly observed, and in a considerable number of species, that rin or clavate-berries of the n sammillariae cop ne destitute of the ohne gg 500 haben: n. Sp., simplex, iota depress; ne axillis nudis; aculeis radialibus numerosissimis pluriserialibus, cree piliformibus -sub-40; intevioribus paulo “sobustioribus fulvis 10-1 centrali wigrehs roles ; uneinato, fused, ¢ erecto ; baccis oblong; viridibus, apice floris rudimento ‘coronatis. ss [26] 106 The specimen communicated by Dr. Wislizenus, the only one found, was dead when it arrived. here, but many fruits were adhering " the plant, and I was thus fortunate enough to cultivate it from the see Other remarkable cactaceae from the State of Chihuahua, atic have en communicated to Dr. Wislizenus by Mr. Potts, of Chihua hua, are not described here, as it is believed that Mr. P. has sent them already to England, where, no doubt long before this, they have been published. Amongst the other distinguished plants of Cosibuiriachi and Llanos, I eer omit to — a beautiful Delphinium,?* which grew abundantly here; a Silene, which i rhaps new, but comes near to S. multicaulis, Natt ; mn the ear mountains, a and 8. Moginiana, DC of Mexico; a new Bowvardia,** which is remarkably distinct from all the other Mexican species of this genus by its sommes an Elcheveria perhaps identical with the Californian #. caespito . DC.; veral Gerania, which appear. to be undescribed, one of them with white y settee an Eryngium,'” with Cosihuiriachi.—The only specimen seen was about 2 inches in diame- ter; tubercles 4 lines long; spines 3 to 4 lines in length; fruit 5 to 6 lines long, in a circle around. the younger tubercles; seeds ‘obovate scrobiculate, dark brown, minute. $5 Delphinium Wislizent, D. sp., perenne, erectum, simplex, glabrum ; petiolis elongatis, infimis basi dilatatis ; foliis pedatifide 5-7-parutis, laci- ii , segmenti cs Sar sce sone Beavee: longe pedicellatis ; calcare sepal o supera alis 2 exterioribus acutis, 3 ecoioctor ras ae bra ‘he de diy acuminatis; ovariis elaber- ne: e Bufa, a porphyry rock near sAagepes tis 8,000 feet high, in tower i in Septem mber. Stem 2 to 23 feet high, slender, glabrous, glau- ; flowers sparse, with the spur Ll} inch long, beautifully blue, on the witaile hehe puberulent. 86 Bouvardia glaberrima, n. sp., glaberrima, caule erecto terete ; foliis ternatis, breviter peticlatis, ovatolanceolatis, ultrinque acuminatis, patenti- eflexis; cyma composita, foliacea; calycis segmentis tubum bis su aperantibus ; corolla calyce quintuplo s. sexuplo longiore, i glabri- uscula, intus parce barbata. Cosihuiriachi, aake September. Perennial; 2 feet high, leaves 3 to 34 inches long, 8 to 10 lines wide; flowers bright crimson, 12 to 15 lines long. Apparently one of the lar shoe ane of the genus; leaves entirely glabrous, not revolute on the mar °" Eryngium heterophyllum, n. sp. “ slaerrimam, caule anal poe radicalibus oblanceolato-linearibus, acutis, penni-nerviis, serratis ris: cartilagingo-marginatis, aristatis ; ‘folie caulinis inferioribus pina pinnati. rioribus palmati-partitis, segmentis linearibus incisis; foliis involucralibus 10-13 linearibus acuminatis, spinoso- bidentatis, rarius ‘integris, capitulum ovale longe superantibus;.bracteis coeruleis subulatis own ‘superantibus, interioribus longioribus. hi; flowers September. Biennial, _. feet high; radical leaves 2 inches lange 2 iinet wide; involucral fees oct ee, Pine ine heads a 4 lines in diameter. 107 [ 26} the lowest leaves most elegantly pectinated, and the upper ones Palarely divided; a Zinniv,** intermediate between hia > meters and Z. elecans, and which last season grew finely near St. Louis ep seeds picked from hides specimens. Many other Uonnetias pt not yet been examined ; a Centaurea may be found to be distinct from C. Americana, so far the only pence species of that genus, wbink is so extensively pes a in the old world. Leaving aside several Daleae, Lapini, ise a Gentiana, Buchnera Castillein a number of Labiatee, Gramineae, and many others, I will only mention a — ew more, which v had time to study more closely, First of all, the beautiful and delicate Heuchera sanguinea,*® probably the most southern, and certainly the most ornamental species of that genus. Next i in beauty comes the bright-flowered Pentstemon cocecineus ;*° Lobe- Near two other Mexiean species, FE. Carlinae, Lar., atid £. Haenkei, Presl., distinguished from the first by the larger number of li inear, not ovate serrate involucral leave’ from the other a ae the larger number of those leaves which are generally toothed, note $8 Zinnia intermedia, n. sp., caule erecto, ramoso, parce adpresse pilo- 80; follis scabris, inferioribus ovatis, basi obtusis, superioribus subsessili- bus ovato-cor atis, acutis; pe unculo apice vix mb gett ‘igulis.obl ovati ig arist Cote about. Cosihuiriachi, eee in Sepigaber Annual, 1 to - feet high ; leaiebs Linch long, 8 wid 5 awering: | heads 1 o 20 ed in dia The cultivated pas ns grew igh ; ie eaves 20 He ie saiiguinea, N. sp., petiolis povnle pilosi; foliis sinu latis- simo cordatis, orbiculatis, 5-7-lobatis, lohis ineisis sisltaueg m dentatis, ciliatis; junioribus pilosis; scapo nudo, infra si e piloso, KES cum pedicellis calycibusque soloraie: Seaaegi floribus lax xe gidler tac posaeaig sistentibus, cum staminibu us pist ‘iis ie inclusis. g closed petals 1 eeadd below the throat of the calyx; stamens still lower; filaments Ait in length to ie igi cordate red anthers. *° Pentstemon coccineus, 0. sp., glaberrimus, glaucus, follis infimis cbowatis,. chatias inferioribus oblonga, linearibus, superioribus linearibu us utis; racemo laxo, pedicellis oppositis, elongatis, 2-bracteatis, 1 -floris ; alge glandulosi segmentis ovatis; corollae tubo superne dilatato, limbo bilabiato, labio superiore ad medium bilo ie aoe divaricatis, filamen- to sterili i glabro, Cag: dilatato ; yea yi Llanos, flowers in Septe ember ab Ogehe. an 1 to 2 feet high, nearly a f 26 j 108 lia aaerohoee. 41 with fine red, and ZL. pectinata, 42 with blue flowers ana the most curious plants collected here is also to be mentioned Eriogonum,*? with inflated clavate Parent and dark red POWER PRieckes bilobatus,** is ae interesting plant 4 x naked above, pitts filiform, lower Ones much longer than the flower, which i is 15 to 18 lines in length; bright scarlet or crimson. Next to P, imberbis, Steud., but easily distinguished. 41 Lobelia a, n. sp., perennis, caule simplici erecto, glabro, infra folioso, supra nudo; foliis lineari- lanceolatis, elongatis, acuminatis, argute denticulatis ; floribus laxe spicatis ; bracteis linearibu s gla nduloso- dentatis, inferioribus pedice llum superantibus, superioribus eum aequantibus; caly- cibus hemisphaericis et pedicellis hirtis; lobis calycis subulatis tubum duplo superantibus, tubum corollae dimidium aequantibus ; lobis corollae | Superioribus la anceol:.tis, inferrioribus ovatis nuecronatis. Cosihuiriachi along rivulets; flowers in September. Stem 1 to 2 feet high; racemes short, few (3 to 12) flowered; color of flower darker red than in LZ. cardinalis, more like L. fulgens ; ‘distinguished from all simi- lar ones by the short lobes of the calyx, and the ovate mucronate lower segments of the c insert here oy description of a nearly related species from the coun- try below Mont onge su jtiperantibus, superioribus pedicello saat ter calycis alata bre laciniis subulatis corollam vix aequantibus s. ea vioribus; laciniis. iad superioribus linearibus, sferbilius lanceolato-linearibus, acumi- na ti between Monterey and Cerralbo; flowers in rel? ee i. tevensis, Raf., but distinguished by its entire smoothness b ong iB the ca 127 ~— ,) thick and foliaceous spike, and by the shorter women of the calyx. “*? Lobelia pectinaia, n. sp., caule erecto, scabriusculo, folioso; foliis, practey et ibis calycinis pectinato-dentatis, seabris ; foliis inferioribus oblongo- linearibus sessilibus, superioribus e basi lata cordata, decurrente in ers 6 lines long: are with 3 silts cos ‘hb 43 Bri atrorubens, n. Sp., perennis, foliis adialibus a petiolatis lanceolatis, : atis, villous ‘caulis glabri glau ci eey supern e u- midis, cla ian caule iteratim dichotomo, ad bifurcationes biked eis subi latis pilosis instructas involucrum alare m elon £6: padi oot eren involucris campanulatis 5-dentatis, ma nie itoais. ae eh ; Cositiiriachi on the bo 8 of of streamiets, owers i aaa. Peren- Septe nial, 14 to 2 feet high ; leaves all —" 5 to 6 shiettes long, 9 lines wide, \ 109 [ 26 ] In the following spring Dr. Wislizenus accompanied the Missouri vol- unteers, under Colonel Doniphan, from Chihuahua to Parras, Monterey, and Matamoros. / Zealous as ever, he again made large collections on this tour, but his duties as a military surgeon occupied his time rather more than the nat- uralist should have desired. Nevertheless his collections are very full. Fortunately Dr. Gregg accompanied the same expedition, and also made rich collections in that almost unknown region, which we may consider as the southwestern limits of the valley of the Rio Grande. Before going into detail I will only remark here, what a reference to the map and sections will more fully present, that the country between Chihuahua and Parras has a general elevation of from 4,000 to 5,000 feet; between Parras and Saltillo it rises from 5,000 to 6,000 feet, and thenice it rapidly descends towards the lower Rio Grande. South of Chihuahua, a curious leafless Euphorbia was collected, with species, which has been confounded with it, to be entirely distinct. The _ description of the plant, (which died without producing flowers,) found in several works, as well as in the latest publication on Cactaceae, before. me, of Foerster, Leipzig, 1846, was made, as Prince Salm informed me, from specimens sent font Chihuahua by Mr. Potts; it entirely agrees with my specimen from the same region. Butthe description in Foers- ter’s work of the flower of a specimen in Cassel, flowering In 1843, (not on shorter petioles; some of the lower joints about 6 lives in diameter, the upper ones much less tumid; pedicells 1 to 3, lowest even 4 inches long; involucrum about 1 line long and wide, always 5 toothed, including 25 to 30 deep red flowers; lobes about equal; nut olive green acuminate three winged. Singularly near EZ. inflatum, . and Frem., perhaps too near to be specifically separated; but apparently distinct by the hairy leaves and bracts, the furcate division of the stem, the large number of flowers in each involucrum, and perhaps their purple color, (not men- . Sp. foliolis adpresse pilosis reticulatis, lateralibus subsessilibus inaequaliter bilobatis, terminali petiolulato, lineari-oblongo; pedunculis folia longe Superantibus multifloris; culycis hirsuti lacinis subulatis tubum aequan- tibus ; leguminibus compressis, hirsutis, curvatis ; seminibus | Common about Cosihuiriachi, fowers in September. Resembles Ph. wus, T'. and Gr., but the brown-red flowers, and legumes much smaller; shape of the leaves very characteristic. Legume ¥ HI and 1 line wide, seed very small ; Lf ee ep [ 26} - known from where pisined) shows ‘that to be identical with a Texan, species, common between the Brazos‘ and Nueces rivers, which I have described in Engelmann and Gray’s Plantae SANE SE SAE, Boston Journal of Natural History, v, page 247, under the @ of Lereus caespi- tosus, and which shou nef Ke hamed Bihinocceak caespitosus. Fichi- nopsis pectinara, 8. set Monv., and y. Reichenbachiana, Salm, e perhaps forms of this Pernt plan : which varies considerably in its native country. Dr. Wislizenus has sent me a living specimen and dried flow- ers of £. pectinatus; ee the plant met with a similar fate to those sent to Englan a mt os and there is none now in cultivation, if f am correctly inform t I preserve the dried specimen in my her- barium, and have basi eatbiad to draw up from it the description.‘ +“ ~~ _ ros centralibus 25 brevissimis, uniseriatis; tubo floris palvillis 60-70 ere ee tomentosis aculeos albos s. apice roseos 12-15 gerentibus stipato; sepalis interioribus 48-20 cbiauctoltis petalis 16-18 oblongis, obtusis, eroso- pp saa. mucronati Bac south of Chihuahua; flowers in April. Stem 7 inches high, below 33, apeve 24 inches in diameter; u upper and lower spines 2 lines, Jateral 4 ines long; central oe mostly 3, sometimes 2, and below as much as 5, in one vertical row, 4 to 1 line in length. Flowers about 3 inches long and ite: red or purpl e, spiny bristles on the tube 2 to3 lines oe: the uppermost 3 to 5 lines long, only 3 t og It will not be amiss to introduce rere again a more complete and cor- ‘Tect description of its Texan relativ Echinocereus caespitosus mihi, (Exchinopsis ii smal authors in pach re bgp Spapalccus: Engelm, |. ¢.,) ovatus, caespitosus, 13-18-costatus, areolis elevatis, linearibus, approximatis, junioribus et villosis ; paras tadialibus 20-30 subrecurvis adpress sis, pectinatis, albis (nonnunquam Toseis, tad) saperioribus ane tas eat ae Sater lateralibus ds longe. ciner nio coronata fie setosa, demum nudata ; enineae Adee tubercu- latis, nigris. From the Brazos to the Nueces, in i Texas, Lindheimer; flowers in May longer Taceeal Spines in different specimens 2 to 4 nes long ; flowers in, the northern specimens, from Industry, 2 inches BS and wide, in those from New Braunfels 2} to 3 inches in diameter and length; generally a little wider than tong mee os . Brown or black bristles on the ‘fon nded 7 wool, which is often 3 lines i in 111 . (26 j Near San Pablo another Echinocereust® was foiygd, and dried flowers as well as living specimens have saftly arrived here! ‘A large Behincoas! tus*? was collected near Pelayo ; unfortunately no flowers wer Z oll but the specimen brought to St. Louis is so far in fine condition. Of another smaller, but most elegant species of the same genus,** Dr. Wis- 46 Fchinocereus enneacanthus, n. sp., ovato- eylindricus 10-costatus ; areolis elevatis, orbiculatis, distantibus, junioribus breviter albo-tomento- sis; aculeis angulatis, compressis, rectis, albis; radialibus 8 subaequal- ibus, centrali singulo longiore, demum de exo; floris tubo pill ella 30- wep tied saat eas albidas: fuscatasque inferioribus 6, CDRRMAE, lateral spines 9 to 16, central one 18 to 22 lines long. Flowers 2} to 3 inches long, red; spiny bristles in the axills of the low- est sepals (on the ovary) four brown 2 to 4 lines long, and two white 3 to 4 lines long; higher up the number of the brown bristles diminishes, and on the upper part of the tube we ‘find only two white bristles of 6 line es length in the axills. 47 Fichinocactus flerispinus, 0. sp., globosus, pilen subnudo, costis 13 obliquis, tuberculato subinterruptis ; areolis ovatis, junioribus a tomentosis, distantibus; aculeis junioribus rubellis de mum cinereis; ra- dialibus 9-11 rectis s. subflexu osis, pp eiuiaAin | infimo bre- viori, curvato, lateralibus longioribus compres annulatis, rectiusculis ; centralibus 4 angulatis compressis annulatis, superioribus rectiusculis 8. eurratis inferiore longissimo flexuoso, hom ‘Se uncinato, de- 10 inches high, and the same in diameter ; sibs thick but not rounded; areolae oo the floriferous areolae, which. are 3 to 4 lines long,) 6 Pipe upper central spines 24 to inehes long ; lower spine stoutest, t pede or even hooked at the mity, much compressed, 4- angled, Perely, carinate above and ‘halon ‘slightly annulated. uncuispinus, n. sp., depresso-globosus, costis 21 inter- it Anebinoanctns nisp ’ mai c= pte se 8 entosis ; “oh DUS: ; shigmupiest Vi O18 sulcato, (s. s. patti About Pelayo, flowers in Maye, Avery. eas ee th , specimen f [26] . 12 lizenus collected thg living plant and flowers, and Dr. Gregg the ripe fruit. It is distinct fm the other Hehinocacti found in those regions by the membranaceous verysthin sepaloid scales on the tube of the flower and the juicy glabrous fruit, in which respect it resembles my EH. setispi- nus from Texas; 4. terensis, Hpfr., has a juicy fruit, covered with woolly and spiny scales; £. Wislizeni and others have a dry fruit, covered with hard scales. My Opuntia frutescens (Plant. Lindh. |. c. p. 245) which had been col- lected by Mr. Lindheimer along the Colorado and Guadaloupe rivers, in Texas, was also found south of Chihuahua by Dr. Wislizenus, and again along the route near Parras, and below Monterey. The suggestion made in the Plant. Lindh., that it may be a southern variety of O. fragilis of the Upper Missouri, has proved to be erroneous, as they belong to quite distinct sections of the genus Opuntia; O. frutescens, together with O, vaginata, (vide note 18,) is one of the Opuntiae cylindraceae graciliores, — and is apparently nearly related to O. leptocaulis DC., but is easily dis- tinguished by its strong, white, single spines, while O. lept. has 3 short blackish bristles. Agave Americana, with several relatives, was found in abundance on this part of the route; Argemone Mezicana, white, yellow, or rosecolored, was frequently met with; Samolus ebracteaius occurred in moist places so far inland, and on such elevations, while before it was only known as a litoral plant; Malvaceae, Oenotherae, Asclepiadaceae, Giline, Solaneae, Justiciae, shrubby Labiatae, were collected of many different species ; but the great characteristic of the country were the shrubs forming the often impenetrable thickets, called “chaparrdls.”” They are mostly spinous, before me 4 inches in diameter, 3 inches in height; the large recurved Spines, especially the stoutest central one, which is of a blnish horncolor, a int, and iseurved and bent downward like a large fang, cover the whole surface of the plant, and give it a very pretty appearance. wer radiating spines 6 to 10, upper 12 to 15 lines long; upper central spines 12 to 18 lines long, but lower stouter one only 10 to 12 lines in length. Flowers described from the shrivelled specimens found on the living plant; about 1 inch in length, and probably pale red. I have little doubt that some fruits collected in the same region (about San Lorenzo) ad been packed up for eight or ten months, mostly do very well now. ’ sonte te have cerniliaad ool * + # r ~ in a Lindh. |. c.,) was found, w extends from here to Mata- ma <«. (oe > ; very much branched, often with remarkably small leaves, ‘arid not rarely. with edible fruits. Amon ug them many rhammaceous and celastraceous ~ shrubs, and some Euphorbiaceae, were particu ot conspicuous, as well as some Wimoseae, one of which I saws not forget to mention, because it is perhaps the smallest shrub in this family; not more than one or two inches high, with tits aos. aa large purple flowers; it was col. # lected near Chihu ne of the most oseawive of these chaparral-shrubs was the Koeberli-. nia, Zuce., calied here Junco, (Gregg.;) a smail, tree rathér than a shrub, about 10 feet high, stem 4 to 6 inches in diameter; wood hatd, dark brown. with white "jae rte Bos branches green, with a. dark. brown. spinous termination, 1 to 2 inches long, and 14 to 2 lines in diam- eter; very small subulate leaves soon deciduous; small white flowersin. short lateral racemes ; fruit not seen; in flowerin May. It was frequently seen from south of Chihuahua to Monterey, (and Matamoros, Gregg.) 3 We find here again the interesting Chilopsis mentioned above, (see. note 11,) also Larrea glutinosa, (note 10,) and,another zygophyllaceous shrub, a true Guajacum,*® which aBbears to be an undescribed species ; it belongs to those plants that connect the Mexican with the Texan flora, as we find it extending from Parras to Monterey, and from there to the Upper Colorado, in Texas. Tecoma stans reappeared here with smaller pubescent leaves and more alate opie though probably not distinct’ froin the larger and smoother plant found below Paso. The beautiful Fouquiera spenden. (see note 16,) with its panicles of ous ge crimson a 8, rose here above all other shruvs; in some stances:it- reached a h eight of from 20 to 30 feet, and perhaps more, al- _ age in single. stems. ; -A few species of Yucca, together with Opuntia arborescens, (note 5. ? formed almost the only trees on the arid plains. But in the valley of the | Nazas occur stately trees of a species of Alearobia, dietinte from the A. — i Mat of the —— with brendiibtogennd larger seeds, and few or no glands on the leav About Saltillo aes terensis, sa (B. Lindheimert, Engelm., . Guadaloupe and oaade in Texas. The ‘pr dag Mateniliane strobiliformis,* ° grows on rocks near Rinconada. Hunne- ? cd *Guajacum angustifolium, n. sp., foliis sub-5 (4-8) jugis glaberrimis, foliolig oblongo- linearibus, Le segaan . pedicellis et basi calycis Pe ubescen-— tibus ; ovario bilobo, pubescente ; capsula bivalvi, seminibus 2 ovatis. “About Parras ; collected "also by Dr. Gregg, who has found Ke plant - common from Monclova to Parras, Monterey, and Camargo; found we f 5 or 6 irs, only on ng vigor h oO lines et ey to 3 Li ine dee réicultied on "bod sides. Pp lines in diameter; seeds llow, of Nag? size of smal -° heavy yee sist bro “ Gucjoras” A :° Mammillaria strobiliformis, n. sp,'8 pas: ped conics ul eat is ao applanatisy sulcatis ;, aculeis rectis. [26] os 114 aefolia, Sweet, was’ collected near nese with a ihoneve; (13 na In diameter,) and near Rinconada, with larger ones, (3 inches in diameter ;) an interesting plant, the eastern i pmensesniee “of the — Eschscholizia, but: perennial, with a small torus, a different etc, pathos omit to introduce here a beautiful shrub discovered on the rocks about Agua Nueva and Buena Vista by Dr. Gregg. Depending upon Don’s a of Cowania as correct, I must consider this plant w genus, which I have great pleasure to dedicate to its po discoverer, my friend Dr. Josiah Gregg, whose — has uently mentioned in these pages.°! Greggia stris ie a lovely, cto) eae’ shrub, with flowers resembling roses in a and color, so that Dr. Gregg was inden to name it the * Cliff ro: orth and northeast of Monterey we reach the lower country, seer with ita different vegetation; here is the home of the shrubby Cassieae (Par- ia, Casparea, etc.,) and Mimoseae; Sephora, Dios; m cies of essine and Rhamnus are common here, as ‘walk as a climbing a iraea the table- inde near Parras. One of the most beautiful shrubs of ie district is Leucophyllum texanum, Benth., —- its whitish tomentose leaves and sweetscented blue flowers. It is is mon from San Antonio, in Texas, to Monclova, and from Cerralbo te: Camargo, but is not seen on the table-lands. sub-10 albidis, somes ot 3 fusco-atris, 2 minoribus sursum versis, sin- gulo longiore porrecto; floribus in vertice lanato centralibus, ovario lano- 80; sepalis sub-10 lancicluiis, acutis, integris; petalis sub-24 ovato-lanceo- latis, mucronatis, integris vel versus apicem erosis; stigmatibus 7 flavis erecto-patentibus exsertis. inconada, on rocks; flowers in June. About 3 inches high, and 2 inches in diameter below ; tubercles in 10 to 13 oblique rows closely ad- so as to give the whole plant the appearance of a pineapple or cone, sowie _ the groove and the axills, about 6 lines long; radial spines 3 to 5, central 5 to 8 lines long; flowers central, 3 to 5 in a cluster’ together i ake in long and dense wool, about 15 lines long and wide; _petals deep eats: 5! Greggia, n. gen., (Greggia, Gaertn. = Eugenia, Mich., fide Endli- cher,) calyx tubulosus, 5-lobus, ear nd petala 5 calycis fauci inserta ; stamina numerosissima cum petalis inserta; ovaria plura fundo calycis in- 1-rarius 2-ovulata; stylus vahesas deciduus, stigma nudum; ovulum supra basin ovarii placentae laterali insertum, anatropum; achenia villosa, ecaudata; semen unicum erectum, embr o radicula infera A Mexican shrub with small cuneate truncate detiinta ‘leaves with ad- nate stipules, and a, rose-colored or purple sweetscented flowers. reggia rupestris, n. sp., cliffs about Saltillo, Buena Vista, and Agua Nueva, flowers January to March; several feet high, much branched, leaves about 6 lines long, and at the apex 3 lines ee crowded ; revolute on the margin, glabrous above, tome entose Tr. to Cowania, but distinguished by the imbrieate, not reg — not yellow flowers, and the deciduous, not persistent s * 115 [26] Vitis bipinnata and V. incisa, well known in the southwestern the United States and Texas, were also found here. Remarkable herba- ceous plants were a Ni icotiana, an Orobanche (on the seacoast,) an Eusto- ma, several Asclepiadaceae, Malvaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Labiatae, and others. Lobelia phyllostachya has already been mentioned above. ” (See note 41. Hasty and imperfect as this notice of the collections of Dr. Wislizenus is, it cannot but impress the botanist with the richness and novelty of the flora of these countries, and invite the arduous explorer to further ex- ions. GEORGE ENGELMANN, ™. D. Sr. Louis, December, 1847. Upon the authority of Professor John Torrey, of New York, who has done me the favor to look over the botanical manuscript of Dr. Engel- mann before its going to press, I add here the following two corrections : Larrea glutinosa (n. sp., No. 10) seems to be ea Mexicana e gc described and figured in a work to which Dr. E. had no — anium pentagynum (nN. sp., No. 6) seems to be Geranium Frémontii (Tom) of Frémont’s second report. wv [26°], — -edaae ‘ohte: aie METROROLOGICAL TABLES ~ Ares papreperea from my meteorological journal, kept on the road. Some of the columns may require an explanation. : The column “ boiling point of water,” refers to my observations with ° two thermometers, constructed by my order, b by J. W. Edmonds, of Boston, each varying from 85 to 100° Celsius, and every degree divided i in tenths. made many experiments with them on the road, to find the relative dif- . ference Aa the boiling point of water and the mercurial column of ’ my barom From about 50 such observations, made within the range of from 23 ss 29 Rictivs of the barometer, I abstracted the general result, that 1 inch of my barometer at the temperature of 32° Fahr., was = 1°.04138° boiling point Therm. Cels., and 1° Th. C. = 0". 96026 of the barometer. But, at the same time,'I have come to the conclusion, as — others before me, that the determination by the boiling point of water can never in correctness equal the barometrical measurement. A differ- ence in fuel, in water, in the size of the vessel, in draught of air, &c., is apt to produce such a discrepancy in the relative boiling point, that © _ ~ this method will answer well enough as a correlative eee a +5 aie ter, and for heights, where several hundred feet, m matter of consideration, but that it will never be caabts of sippy oe place of a barom 3 w-point, mend by excess of temperature of the dry over the wet bulb, is Salculated according to “tables for the determination of the dew- point, ” siven in the Encyclopedia Britariica, and republished in the “Report to the Navy Department of the United States on American coals, by Professor Walter R. Johnson: Washington, 1844.” Observations be- yond the reach of these tables, I calculated according to the rule given by Professor Espy : “The dew-poiit, when it is not very low, may be nearly obtained by multiplying the difference between dry and: wet bulb temperature with 103, dividing the result by the wet-bulb temperature, and subtracting the quotient from the dry-bulb temperature; the remainder will be the dew point.” In the colunin “ wind,” the force of the wind is sal gt as recom- mended by Professor Espy, by numbers from 0 to 6; 0 being a calm, 1 avery gentle breeze, 2a gentle breeze, 3a fresh wind, A a Strong wind, | 5 a storm, and 6 a hurricane. clearness of the sky is also marked in numbers from 0 to 10; 0 Tepresenting entire cloudiness, and 10 entire clearness. : METEOROLOGICAL TABLE. re ) ; | ppose , Thermometer, Fahrenheit. | Ther. dist’ces in bened 7 g Eng. miles. £3 —=— Qu Hour. | Barome- 4 $ 3 €amping places. q 3 Remarks. ™ ii 4) 3s Fes a ae 2 = tog ws 33 z as 3 Be 1S a bB] 8 2 gu < Fila ia Ee la] a cle “a 5 A. | 28.850 | 73.0 | 74.0] - - 5 | 1,040) Independence, Mo., in No- land house. 9 M.| 28.955 | 67.0 | 69.0 - - ~ - - | Do. do. do. 12 28.960 | 70.0 | 75.0 - - | 99.60 - - | Do do. do. 3 A. | 28.915 | 73.0 | 76.5 - - ~ - | Do do. do. 9 M.| 28.970 | 68.0 | 68.0 - - - - | Do do. do. fons 12 28.970 | 73.0 | 79.5 - - | 99.60 - - | Do. do. do. . onal 3 A. | 28.945 | 76.0 | 84.0 - a - - : - | Do do. do. @ 9 M. .880 | 70.0 | 72.0 - - - = é - | Do do. do. 12} A. | 28.845 | 77.0 | 79.0 - - | 99.45 ~ é - | Do. do. do. 3 28.775 | 77.5 | 79.0 - - - - 1 - | Do. do. do.| - - |Onthenightof12th,anddu- . , ring 13th, constant rain. Sunrise = ~ | 44.5 | 44.0 | 42.7 - |se. 3} 5 | 1,020) Bigbluecamp, 3miles west| - 0 of Big Blue river. 9 M.| 29.190 | 66.0 | 65 55.5 | 47.0 3} 5 - | Do. do. do. 12 29.215 | 73.0 | 73. 60.0 | 62.3 | 99.85 4/10 - | Do. do. do. 3 29.135 | 75.0 | 70. .5 | 66. 4| 5 - | Do. do. do 16 | Sunrise - - | 52.0] 51.0 | 49.8 - ~ - | Do. do. do 9 29.200 | 72.5 | 71. | 63.0 | 58.1 4) 8 - | Do. do. do 12 29.175 | 82.0 | 80.0 | 68.0 | 62.4 | 99.80 £i5 - | Do. do. do A. | 29.155 | 84.5 | 80.0 | 68.0 | 62:4 -! 4| 5 - | Do. do. do 8) 4 A. | 29.245) 71.0 } 67. 63.0 | 60.5 | 99.85) ne. 3) 1 - | Do. do. do e 9 | Sunrise - - | 52.5 | 51.0 | 48.1 - 4) 0 - | Do. do. do 9 M. | 29.265 | 68.0 | 64.0 | 56.0 | 49.0 OE a ee - | Do. do do 12 29.950 | 77.5 | 72. 62.0 | 55.1 oboe - | Do. do. do 3 A. | 29.175} 76.0 | 75.0 } 67.0 | 63.0 | 99.80 Hrs - | Do. do. Sunrise - ~ {62.01 61.0! 60.3 - 2* @ - | Do. do, do, Es 8 & a cone 2 12} A. 3} Sunrise Q A. Sunrise 3} A. 6} Sunrise 12 5 M. 5 As Sunrise 28.785 28.560 28.390 28,255 28.290 28,585 28. 525 28.290 \ - 88.0 59.0 73.0 0 | 50.0 | 73. 0 57,0 z Oo mite o San’ co a & eaamwanm! o © om w= OO HO ee is ee 1, 100 1, 190 1, 138 1,245 1, 122 1,195) 1, 043 1,047 Do. do. do. Do. do. do. Do. do. do. Do. do. a Do. ‘do. do. Do. do do. Do, do, Do. do o. do. Night camp, in shai do. Noon cam , fe Rednd rove,” , m. Night camp in prairie, ona water pool, Noon eaenns; at Black Jack cnn Night camp at Wackarussi points past Hickory airy ight camp, - Rock er 0. Noon camp, om 110 Miles creek. Night camp, on Bridge er. 1,158) No 1, 143 1,343 1, 420 1,170 1, 190 1, 502 Noon camp, on Pleasant Valley creek. N ie t = oe in prairie, with- do, No oon camp, ed Blof creek Night camp, in Council Fe oon camp, on Diamond sprin pring. Night campin prairie, withe | out water. ; on camp, on Switzler’ser. Night camp, on Fish creek * “— | ee he ea with rain; about Thunder ‘storm and rain in Rain in the night. Wind storm from NE. in the night, arain shower on next — a withoutrain, in Thun . ‘storm,. with light rain, from 3 to 7 o'clock, A. 6lf Loz] _ TABLE—Continued. Remaiks. ee? ag titen with hail n, from n vr mor rning, ve ee rae v = S Thermometer, Fahrenheit. Lig “ melhaote | 2. 4 @; | : Eng. miles, ” wlan “Ere s 5 Py eae ram Date. | Hour. | Barome- s | Camping places. gj, ‘ ter, — | = > : ob ee a8 : Ss Bes: ~ us oc oe nae pee . & 3 a x |e gles ® May 31 | 43 A. | 28.240 | 58.0 | 54.5 - - |e. 4 | 0 | 1,526) Night camp, on Willower. | 14 | 179 kas $ e+ ae s | June 1] 7 M. | 28.440} 54.0 | 53.0 | 50.0| 46.2) - Z|} 9 |Do: do. do. 42° A. | 28.465 | 65.0 | 68.0 | 52.5 | 36.3 / 99.15 w. 3 | 21 3, 580 ga arg 6) 185 , ji | creel 2 | Sunrise - - | 44.5 | 438.5 | 40.2 Be 4 et annie pritirie, ona] 6] 19} "| 2 A. | 28°300 | 80.0 | 80.0} 72.0} 68.8 3. 8) ft, TH Noon" eam near ‘Little 12} 903 urkey cre 8 | Sunrise | 28.255 | 60.0 | 58.0 | 56.0 | 54.2 EP}. 8) by 188 oe with- | 10 | 913 | ou w 2 A. | 28.300 | 70.0 | 67.0 | 59:0 | 53:0 4|\ 1) 4,798 pe camp, on Little Ar-| 19 | 998 } | ansas. 4 | Sunrise | 28.340 | 49.0 | 43.0 | 46.0 | 42.9 2g 1, 603 Nighteainpin prt with- 6} 299 8 A. 420 | 70.0 | 67.0 | §3.0 | 38.8 Q 1, 609) D AA on Bile er: 14} 9243 6 | Sunrise | 28.175 | 45.0 | 44.5 | 43.5 | 40.2 1, 750 pi meh age 9 16 | 259 he ae Op ansas river. 10; M. | 28.130 | 73.0 | 75.0 0 | 64.6 1, 920 Rat camp, an Walnut or, | 8} 267 6 | & M. | 27.985 | 52.0 | 52,0 | 48.0 | 42.4 1,970 Night camp, pear Ashers- | 19 | 286 (| WPA. | 27.980 | 83:0 | 19.0 | 61.0 | 49.6 2,109 aie camp, on Pawnee| 6 | 992 ‘ 7 | Sunrise | 28.090 | 55.5 | 54.0 | 52.0 | 49.7 1, 878 Hh caeap MPrnirie, with-| 16} 308 ; e) yut water. P 121 A. | 27.875 | 80.0 | 80.0 | 65.0 | 57.1 | 98.6 2, 216 Bese comp, on LitleCoon| 6! 314 ; - F - ‘ creek, ; naoy till “= 5 M. BULA, Sunrise we Sunrise 12) A. Sunrise eS 5 M. 27. 875 27.825 27.700 20). 585: 27.445 27.02, 26.750. 26.710 26. 690 26.475 25.465 25 370 25.135 24,735 73.0 78.5 52.0 74.0 75.0 63.0 64.0 51.0 59,5 61.5 49.5 59.0 56.0 64.0 50.5 65.0 53.0 67.0 53,6 66.5 60.0 59,0 62.5 57.0 n 64.0 / 57.0. 62. 0 Sh mo fw HO 50. § | 49.3 53.0 tra cron OA Wr ao © ~~ 98. 20: 98. 10 oOo MOM mw. 2 ee Pe FORE OF EW Keo we PF Mw = wm C3 tn @2t © OWSeH OMS @Me- com — =] 2, 180/ 2, 264 2,705 9,311 N 3,131 2, 923 3, 120} Noon 2, 953 3, 455 3, 313 3, 533! Noo 3, 557 3,749 Noo 3, 830 4, 250 4, 275 4,848 4,763 5,203 5,429 pS brie in prairie, on a . 2, 279 Noon soi i r Arkansas Night « ca on Caches of Nigh oon a at crossing ot ‘ain Do. do. Night camp, und, Neon Beal in prairie, with- Niv ste Sati on Sand creek ar Cimarron si camp in praitiag with- water. on camp, on Cimar Night camp, at iaedg of Imarron. Do. do. Noon ws. 2) on 1 Cold Spring Nightca sg prairie, with- . Out Noon on on Cedar creek Night camp, on McNees’ cr. Noon camp, on Cottonwood ranch, Night camp, on Rabbit-ear ~ ereek, ” do. g on Battle 20 12°] 12 -| The barometrical obgerva- m level of the water. -o fo sight rain, Very In the evening thunder and lightning, without rain. 1c) ie Loa] 'TABLE—Continued. “ya ; ged Thermometer, Fahrenheit. Ther | 4 Phe Apo i. C. g Eng. miles. Pre ss Ee a ne ar Date, | Hour. | Barome- 3 | 2 = 4 Camping places. g x Remarks. oo hak e& be bm | Be a3 g|2: a a a Re as 3 ig S tx] r ¢ o slglelaia | & léle 6) s. = EF lai8 = ia | fe | fe Ph 19 BE A. | 24.150} 79.0 | 75.0 |57.0| 40.8, - |e. 3] 5 | 6,202| Nightcamp,onRockereek | 20 | 581 20 | 45M. | 24.140 | 55.0 | 54.0 | 53.0 | 51.9 A, Nes ai - _ : Oo. 12 24.105 | 76.0 | 77 3 54 94.70, 8. 4] 5 | 6,360, Noon camp, on Whetstone! 6 | 587 | Inthe afternoon thunder and creek. lightning bige rain, but ‘ with strong s wind, 21; & M.| 23.915 | 59.0] 57.0 - - - | sw. 3} 0; 6,412 Night camp, on Point of} 14 | 601 | Very foggy, and. drizzling. Z OCKS. 12 24.015 | 78.0 | 79.0 | 64.5 | 54.7 | 94.75) ssw. 3| 6 6, 486} Noon camp, inacafion -| 8 | 609 | Intheafternoon thunder and lightning, with light rain. 92 | Sunrise | 24,520 | 50.0 | 49.0 | 49.0; - - 0 | 10 | 5,642) Night camp, on Rio Colo-| 12 | 621 . rado. 12 24.405 | 80.0 | 76.0 | 66.0 | 62.5 | 95.00, w. 4) 8 | 6,012) Noon camp, on Ocatécreek | 6 | 627 | In the afternoon thunder and lightning without Moons in the e evening a hail s 93 | 5) M.| 23.965 | 60.0 | 57.0 56.5 | 56.0 - 2) 2) 6,356 Melvenont prairie, with-| 12 | 639 out wate 43 A. | 23.995 |-80.0 | 78.5 | 63.0 | 53.0 | 94.50 sw. 4 8 | 6,511) Noon camp at at = oe 12 | 651 near Wagon m 24| 1 A. | 23.900 | 78.0/| 78.0 | 63.0 | 54.2 | 94.40 s. 3) 6) 6,616 Noon camps on Wolt eresk 13 | 664 5 M.| 23.755 .0| 54.5 - w. 1 | 10} 6,583) Night Pe ns in prairie,| 14 | 678 i pass ora. 2) A. | 23.860 | 82.0 | 82.5 | 64.5 | 53.9 | 94.40 w. 4 4 | 6,705 — camp on ey es 12 | 690 | Towards evening thunder of Las Vegas on ew with rain 26 | 5 M./| 23.875 | 60.5 | 62.0 | 58.0 | 54.8 se. 1{ 0} 6,357) Night a in a cafion 6 | 696 1] A. | 24.050 | 85.0 | 84.5 | 65.5 | 55.0 | 94.55, sw. 2) 4) 6,499 eo bee pong creer: near | 7 | 703 ' is ocalote [92] pd July 1 ao & M. — _ oe — pr g> EE> Zp ere sr > oY Nie o = i a a 24.115 24.140 23.590 23.135 23.520 23.440 23.205 od _ 25. 085 25.410 SCoanwen M~Is3-7 J 2s) +3 -+) SsSaSsres S 3 on ee ee Spe See ee ee. 50.9 42.9 33.6 40.8 40.3 31.5 > a3 is 2) ‘23 £1 56.7 50.3 94. 25 0; 10] 6, 188) Night carap, enst of Sain Mi- ue. w. 3 nw. 3 1 C PWNDEWNRK Ce wowwonww ' & 5 7 eo @ —_ — ond Co CKRMOCOOHACMCCUNWBW-3Im ol ae we @ 6, 431 7,098 7, 250 7,176 7, 184) 6, 723) Noon 7 7, 047 6, 732 4,813 _ 4,860 5, 048 yea camp, west igi Mi- nel. aon cam Pecos Heros Mi illage. Night camp, on Cotton- Wot branch. ee aly in a cafion, on do. Night cam i i aad: near mae eas ak. 3 "s camp.) Santa sr thi dw: 6 miles west of Ab out 3 miles NY. of Albu- querque, in a level ov r er the se del Nor 0. Nook cam a Sandival’s Hacienda, 2 miles N. of Albuquerque. Night Ne s on ale 2 miles the f Sandi 4,754 Nig s S. of eoaivere cece near E "del N. prings, aaa es the old |: ot oe From Santa Fé. The barometrical observa- Drizzling rain. Do. [92] ;, _ TABLE—Continued. — “| phermémeter, Fahrenheit, | Ther. ’ ibe "ph ts Eng. miles. es Ee pain j tes 2s a a.) Ad gy ee (Bidet + 1.2 ‘Ss m : Fry Date. | Hour. |Barome- : a’ra 2a Camping places. F ‘a Remarks. ter. : 3 Et Ss 2 e 8b = S i 6 [eB |B | Be BE «| 6) ge a| 2 # Beto |g Ble hele Ee (a Vee eile oe ee E| é yen jee ae es rt vaca Sunrise 25.460 | 61.5 | 60.0 | 57.0 | 54.4 0| 7 - | Night camp 3 miles S. of 1. Sandival’s, near Rio de : : orte. 3 A. | 25.300 | 95.5 | 96.5 | 66.5 | 51.7 | 96.00) ww. 3| 5 | 5,070) Noon camp 6 miles S. of} 3) 71 t andival’s, near river. oF 20 Sunrise 25.290 | 66.0 | 64.5 | 57.0 | 50.8 = 0}; &| 4,872 N ight jot near river, op-| 2 vis ; ee ; osite isieta —| 8 Av | 25.245 | 97.0 | 93.5 | 64.0 | 52:1 | 95.90) nw. 3 | 8 | 5,122) Noon camp i pers or} 5 78 Spt ee alamos de los Pino 91 | 5 M.| 25.430 67.0 65.0 | 60:0 | 56:4 0 | 2) 4,693) Night camp, at ayer 2 80 ’ ee bs Chovez’s Hacienda. 3 A. |. 25.240 | OF. 5 89.5 | 66.0 | 54.6 “je #8 091} Noon camp, nearriver -| 5 85 % 6 99 | 6M. | 25.290 | 67.0 | 67.0 | 57.5 | 29.9 - |e. L{ 9 | 4,861) Night cama, near bigs -| 3 88 | 3 A. | 25.855 | 97.0 | 95,0 | 61.5 | 38.9 - | nw. 2} 9 | 5,002) Noon camp, in n plain 5 93 99 | 5 M.| 25.290 1.5 58.0 |) 51.0 | 42.9 - * I | WO} 4,804 Night ans, at Casas ooh 6 99 Ra i eee : i 3 A. | 25. 265 96.0 96.5 | 63.0 | 41.8 ee Ce ie 117 | ane camp, Near river 4; 103 94 | 5 M.| 25.245 0 | 61.0 | 49.0 | 33.2 Sth BE eé 875 | Night cant nearriver -| 3 | 106 3 te 95.385 | 93.0 | 91.5 | 61.5 | 41.3 eae ee 2 939) Noon camp, near river 34 |., 109 25 | 5 M.| 25.440 | 67.0 | 64.5 | 54.5/ 46.6 = 0| 1} 4,679 Night on river, two] 4] 113 miles 8. 0 ita, 2) A. | 25.475 | 90.0 | 90.0 - - - |s. 3] 0 | 4,820) Noon camp, in oye -|' 5] 118 yh nar adage and lightning, with eas es . rizzlin 96} 5 M.| 25.575 | 61.0 | 61.0 | 58.0 | 55.5 - |g Lt 6 | 4,497 Night’ camp, on river Si 18h waits 3 A. } 25.555 | 82.0) 83.0) - - + jnw. 2) 0 4, 674 Noon cam porgretet mila 104 SE t) Q7 | 54 M.\ 25.600 | 65.0 | 64.0 | 62.5 | 61.5 ~ Gt BLE Night saan, eae Parida -| 5 | 136 bk Ay 28} 3fA 29} 6 30 | 4) M. 2: A. a) 5M. 2 A. Aug. 1| 7M it oR a 22 o. As 3} 12 4| & M 12 6) 5M ¥ 8 “eG } 8M 3} A. i &. M. 3 A. 8| 9 M 9 9 M 12 ye | 5 M. dies ae a 11 | Sunrise 25.610. | 87.0 - 595 - 560 95, 385 95. 575 25,730 95.945 5, 830 26, 270 26. 240 26.179 | 96, 230 |, 96.380 | 26. 435 100.0 67.5 65.0 86.0 63.0 69.5 53.5 | 96.20) nw. 63.6 57.1 53. 4 59:9 46.2 8. “MWe “ODD eee rw WO — rOAweo a se 4, 644 4, 733 4,545 ~ cage Noon mp, Dear river. « Noon poi near river - Night camp, about 1 mile ON. of iDhed Night camp, near river - Noon camp, near river i amp, in a Cotton- wood grove, (passed ruins verde. ) 8} Noon wnt ta Gane - [=] is} ie 58 t=] 3 pi] = oO on camp, on a hill with- out arnt: in Jornada del Night. ca ty Nyon on in Jornada del Mu il oa Nooncamp ag Wei ol ag in Jornada del Mue Night camp, na Papeete in Jornada del Muerto. ee same at Robledo, near Nigh ean camp, 2 miles south on a water pool nearriver = “ern camp, near riv., (Bra- Weep crossing of Rio del orte, El Paso del Norte - — In the al thunder storm, with ra The observation is made on ow river bank. most every day, tho’ more in evening than morning. TABLE—Continued. Thermometer, Fahrenheit. | Ther * are ¢-. g Eng. miles. | n 23 Tg Hour. | Barome- . ae | 2 a5 Camping places. § 3 Remarks. ' ter, $ 3 : g a he b= Bien] +2 3 Bi 2.8 rd q a a| & 3 Ble A | & 5 g < Fla ia FE lala c | oe 11 M.| 26.935 | 82.0 | 89.0] 73.0| 67.2} - 0| 7| = | El Paso del Norte -| -| = |The mean of all my b 4 A. | 26.310 | 77.5 | 76.5 - - eo gs RD metrical and Eo hari 54 M.| 26.370 | 75.0 | 72.5 | 68.0 | 64.9 ~ 0| 4 cal observations made i 9 26.375 | 79.0 | 84.0] 69.5) 63.3 > iw’ 24.8 ! is: , 12 26.340 | 81.8 | 87.5} 71.0 | 62.3 ~ 0; 6 26.372; Thermometer at- 3 A. | 26.315 | 82.0} 81.0] 71.0] 64.7] = = 5 d, 77.6; 'Thermome- 5 M.| 26.395 | 77.0 | 71.0] 68.0 | 66.5 - ~ 2 ter detached, 73.5: or, Ba- 9 26.440 | 77.5 | 80.0 | 72.0 | 68.8 - - 4 rometer, (with temper’ture 12 26.375 | 80.0 | 84.5 | 72.5 | 67.2 - ~ 4 of mercury reduced to 32° 26.935:'| 80.5 | 84.0 | 72.5) 68.1 - - 1 Fahrenheit, ) 26.360. Sunrise | 26.370 | 77 0 | 69.5 | 67.0 | 64.9 iw 31 5 2 A. | 26.265 | 81.0 | 92.0 | 71.0 | 62.9 | 97.00 2) 2 6} M.| 26.295 | 76.0 | 74.0 | 67.5 | 64.3 - |nw. 3] 9 , 12 25.890 | 90.0 | 89.0 | 74.0 | 68.8 -. | sw. 1] 5 | 4,445) Noon camp, north of Sand| - 82 | From E] Paso to Chihuahua ; hills. e had every day about 6 M.| 25.875 | 66.5 | 67.5 | 66.0 | 64.4 ne. 1| 1 | 4,306 Night camp, at the south-| 12 44 sai thunder and light- ern end of Sand hills. ning, with more or less 12 95.950 | 88.0 | 85.0 | 73.0 | 68.5 - |w 2] 3 | 4,855 _ camp, south of Sand} 12 56 | rain; it rained sometimes hills. all night, but generally M. | 26.085 | 69.0 | 68.5) - - - 0| 0 | 4,085 Night c amp,in prairie -| 15 | 71] cleare hey in the morning. A. | 26.120 | 83.0 } 80.5 - - - O07 2 4,38 ie nem by gies 15 86 | We are amidst the rainy e Patos M. | 26.050 | 67.5 | 66.0; - - ~ 0| 5 | 4,110 Night. camp, in Carrizal -| 12 98 5} M. | 25.960 | 68.5 | 67.5 ~ - - 0} 0} 4,219) Nig oe “A ita penis, be-| 15} 113 “— ; 1} A. | 95.075 | 84.5 | 79.0 | 69.0 | 64.5 - | se. 2] 0} 5,317 Hons “cio 50 | 163 , (passed d Gallejo ainiaas — % Coa] = Ps . -_ i OPK OMe Oo wSmwonrnweneo bs ~ | 25.215 25.275 25 250 25, 110 25.265 25.455 a} o) 3 3 +3 +) 2} BwewarVnss: wooenc]ecsc 61.0 70.5 60.0 76.0 60.0 79.5 76.0 rH] MW 2a SCucuo m9 a3 ay 29 REIBAVVIAsy = booumocoso & us-l coc oS 4 ‘i 42° pet lth BD AO $4) eee of S | ote E—r) amo on 0oO J Zz eB % x eZzz 25° ee ee ee aD | BD LD eer tec e ae 5,004] Night camp, near north end of laguna de Encinillas. neinillas, Ms 953) Night camp, in el Pegnol - oon camp, In prairie bas Night camp, on Sacramento river, Noon camp, 8 miles north | _ of Chihuahua, Chihuahua - Der -.~ ” . - Do = - - — All barometrical observa- ions in Chihuahua are made on the “ Plaza.” Thunder and lightning and rain, in the evening, Thunder storm, and rain. Lol [96] ‘ = ’ A ; : : . * — i... eas “a 7 ? : [262] | q ee Bb Contnged. ‘ : Observations in ‘Chihuahua—Continued. Thermometer, Fahrenheit. * 4 Date. | Hour. | Barome- wate 3 = Remarks. ; ter. ~o a eee o) 3 3 a as era 3 / . s g 3 Sj 85. se Page | nT Be ee 1846. a Aug. 31 9 .M.| 25.480 | 73 0} 75. 65.0 | 59.5 | we. 1 aT 12 25.455 |-75.0°| 78. 6 Sak eee 3 3 A. 4 25.385 76.5 | 78. ~ - |. 11] 8 | Rain im the evening. — Sep. 1) 9 M. | 25.505 | 74.0 | 75. aoe 60.1 | sw. 1 9 A es roe (25.470 | 79.0 | 81.0 | 66.5 | 59.4 | uw. 1 4 =! ss 95.415 | 80.0°| 82.0 | 66.01 58.01 x. 11 4] ~ 2 | Sunrise Se ee se 65S : . ee 12 5.460 | 79.5 | 81.0 | 66.0| 58.5 | we. 1| 5 ee 3 A. | 25.430 | 80.0.) 81.0 | 65.01} 56.614 sm. 29| 4 Thunder and hight- a8 | ming, without rains — 3| 9 M.| 25.440 |-74.0-| 76.0 wer 1 | 10h ae 2: 2 25.405 | 79.0 | 81.0 | 65.01 56.6be. 11 Sf sis 3 Ax |-255370 te 33.0 | 66.5 | 57.8 | sw. 1 5 |. 4| 9 M.| 25.395 | 76.0 | 80. sw. 1| 1 % 12 25.400 | 78.0 | 81.0 - = tgp, 9S ie eo i S dp A. | 25.315 | 77.0.) 79.0 - —- | nw. 1] 0) Rain, with thunder & - : lightning, ‘all night. ~ oe M. .385 | 73-5 | 73.0 | 63.0 | 57.0 | ww. 3 i 1 355 | 7750) 78.( a iis red 6 Dec. 23 M. -765 | 53.0 |. 53.0 ein —*-| BE. 10 ; 12 116 | See GkS- | ee. be 9 o yA: / 95.605. 61.0} 61.0|- s.r .1 ». 8 24 |} *9 M.| 95.730 | 49.54 49.5; =| & aw 10 rp) -660 | 61.0 | 61. ss Le 8 A. -645 62 62. Sei ~ NE. 9 a 25 M. -760 | 48.5 | 48. =f ' | wep! 9 t 12 -685 | 61.5 | 61. _ - | sw. 10 A. ». 655 | 65. : See oe tS 26 M. 615 | 50. PS Se een Oe 1 580 | 62. ,. “at — fee 2 oe A. 67. : re Sees Be 4 se ee M. 49. ot ae $. ts 1 Shoe oe a OS A. ‘ =. =| .swe $ 5 said 28 M. 0 = a fp wwe 7 xo 2 2 Ce eee ere ee ” — 24 ‘< * 4 = oa. ta A. ey, as eget Si 8 ate 9 a a | 7M. |. fo ess She Oe ES ae — 1 Tt Se Le oe S - = pA. 0) Sto le ot eee “ 30] 9 M. Pop ae Le 2 ee 3A Piet top thet . f 31 ) M. : sil Gace ates a, Toes. Se eg Kap 12-5 . Se ec al ye 2 3 847. : ees tae S Se bee ih 3G 5 ine ‘Mar. 22 = a 78.0 | 55.0 =f Wee BY} 3+ 23) 9 M. 0 | 47. | 34.0 | + | xnw.1 10 , 12 59.01 4001 - Im 1! 10 Bs * : i ¢ / a. ate Me “129 r £26] TABLE—Continued. Observations in Chihuahua—Continued. * e t 4 > TSR ca « | Thermometer, Fahrenheit. , Date. | Hour. | Barome- fe Pe rs Remarks. ter. 2 2 Ss € ; 5 3 a {> = 8 Ss 3 2. S&S > «. Pa | eile ele 1847. oF Re: “Mar. 23 { 3° A. 520 5 | 67.0) 44.0} °- | ww. 1] 10 ial “99 8 MP 1°25 :415 ) 57.5 | : 40.0) = | 9 egg © | 95°370 | 274.0 52.04 hi Pak | Bis yA. 4°95-300 | 77. 52.0] | sw. e 25 M. | 25.585 : i. || NNE. 1 12 25.595 AG. — | NNE. 1 1A. | 25.615 4 67. 46. mH in 1 9/1 25.570 : 44. - | Hie, @Y.¢ A. | 25.675 : 45. -in 2 a M. | 25.690 ; 399.5), - |B 1 Ee ae OF 12995265630 ; 0 |-48 — | ESE. 1 og Rtas A. | 25.605 : 0 |-49 — || ESE, i : 98 .M. } 25.640 | 47.0" — || 85. : 1 25.625 j 54 Siete Ge ; ‘ A. | 25-560 a 15 — | fae. THO } 19°99 F ii 25 490 : § 55.0 ° hi NE. 2 | 3 Ab | 25.385 : 56.0) - |B Qt 30'| 99° M. | 25.420 | 68. 51.0) - [we 1} s ots - 4 AL | 25.410 E 55.0 — | sw. € : | 3 AL 7 95-340 | 85. 54.0) - uw. Vs - 31 M. | 25.462) 69 51.0} - | sw. : 1 25.460 } 84. 5) .55.04 <- UNE. ‘ A. | 95.375 1 84 .0 | 58.0}. — | NE. ; April 1 M. | 25.570 | 72.4 0) 53.0) - | w e ‘ 25.530 | & 5} 56.0} - || sw. E es ; R .490 } 88.0 | 86.0 1.55.0 1 Sew. y cae | ae ko eee rik wee Last night fell the first Oe kK, a. 685 54.5 | 49. | 47.5 NE. sagt : ; aa the rainy sea- ino ai meitsb Pers! Pet eae ara i a Dorot lai year. eg 25.670 | 56.0 | 50.5) 47.0) - |. uw. 1} 1 “Phe mean of all my. barometrical and Slercocmbiscal ae seal _ in Chihuahua, is a Barometer, 25’.5097 ; Thermometer attached,. 68.82; Thermometer detached, 69-93: or, rometer, (with temperature of mercury reduced to 390° Hakiechbic ‘ 95". 42608." ees stand of nar (reduced to 32° Es aa 25" 717. Lowest stand of Barometer, (reduced to 329 Fahren .137. To the favor 0 eG J. Potts, in ac uahua, [ am indebted iy oe De eile of the quan- tity (in inches) of rain that fell in the any of Chihuahua in the years 1 igo 1844, and 1845: January x = 0.17 eeece. 83332 SWOWANSSO Pr oOSomeS SSVauswssonwe © | 9: 2: sl he ee eee eee eee #2 ~ fears Sef Ssxsasa |: SrA SHosons ui eSsGenueenis § 8 a £ 26 ] 130 TABLE—Continued. Thermometer, Fah. € Date. | Hour. |Barome-| _. : ~ s Remarks. ter. 3 2 3 Ss 1°s 2 S Si |} 28) jse S ee 4) ca | Se ita 1847. “ut Jan. 6}| 9 M.| 23.840 | 48.0 |-4 340480 8 Observations: made in Cosi- .3 A. | 23.805 | 50.0 | 56.0) 388.0) n. 3 huiriachi, about ninety miles 7{ 9 M.} 24.040 | 47.0 |.43.0 | 34.0} sw. 1 w. of Chihuahua, im the 125 A. | 23.955 | 45.5 | 46.0 | 35.5 | sw. 1 i dre. 3 23.925 | 48.0 | 47. 38.0 | sw. 8 |10 M.| 23.830 | 46.5 |52.5| 4 | se. 3. 12 23.745 | 50.0 |.57. 39.5 | nw. 2 3 A. | 23.740 | 58.0 |60. ‘“- |ww. 3] ¢ 9} 9 M.j 23.825 | 47.0 | 48. 26:5 | sn. 2b. f é 123 23.720 | 54.5 {2 39.0 {Nn 3 3 A. | 23.720 | 52.0 | 50. - |. ) | The mean. of all my baro- 10 | 10 M.| 23.840 | 49.0 | 4 - metrical and thermometri- 3 A. | 23.760 | 50.0 | 53: 39.0 | ». 1 ations made in Ni] 9 M.| 23.980 | 44.5 | 44. * 1B ri) sihuiriachi, is:—Barometer, 12 23.875 | 49.0 | 50. 40.0 | ne. 1 23"'.898 ; Thermo. attached, 12 | Sunrise - -— | 34. S|) we 51.05; Thermo. detached, 9 M.| 23.960 | 46.0 | 44.0 | 38.5 | s. 53.3: or, Barometer, (witl: 12 A. | 23.895 | 48.5 | 53.5 | 42.0 | s. temperature of mereury re- 3 A. | 23 885 | 48.5 |-£ 41.0 | s. duced to 32° Fahrenheit,) 13 | 9 M.j 24.010 |.46.0 |-49. 40.0 | wn. == 29" 867. 123 23.930 | 49.5 44.51. § 3 A. | 23.920 | 53. 47.0 | s. 14] 9: M.| 23.945 | 52. 47.0 | 123 A. | 23.870 | 57. 49.0 | s. F 23.870 | 57. . 47.0 | w. > 15] 9 M.j| 23.880 |. 53. . 47.0 | sz 8 abe 23.840 | 57 5 |.60.0 | 49.0 | we ) 18 . 3 A. | 23.810 | 57. . - 3 {In the afternoon, drizzling ea rain. 16} & M.| 23.985 | 51.5 | 53.5 | 46.0} s. 11 10 | Observation in Cosihuiriachi- 12 22.640 | 61.5 |.59.0 | 43.0 Zin Oh ation made on sum- : mit of “ Bufa,” the highest = in - # 0 ii 5 3 A. | 23.910 | 58.5 | 64.0 | 45.5} s. 2) 9 | Observation in Cosihuiriachi- ‘N Gi J [26 ] $ 131 ‘I9ALI 8B “S8y Wo Somuaiory cng uy dmg upg ese. | .|.sIs‘e |8 | t “| o'¢6 | o'I6 | Ole'9s\ ‘wg | tt : . Ryo ig iN | ; , ae : me ‘. an _ . 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B00 sb3 135 ~ | : [26]- THE GEOLOGICAL SKETCH, Which I have drawn, does not make any pretensions to a geological map, which even a more able geologist than 1 am could not give in the short time and haste, in which I travelled through that country, but it may elucidate and concentrate at least what little information I have ac- quired in relation to that object. To make it more intelligible, I will add yet a short summary of the various geological observations,spread over the whole extent of the journal. Independence, near the western frontier of the State of Missouri, is situated in the great Missouri coal basin, which occupies more than one- third of that State. The first rock in situ which I saw in the prairie, after leaving Inde- pendence, was on Rock creek, (about 79 miles from Independence.) It was a yellow-brownish compact limestone, with encrinites, and similar fossiis of the carboniferous limestone, as found in Missouri. ; On Pleasant Valley creek (125 miles) the bluffs are formed by two differ- ent limestones: the one is white and compact ; the other grayish, soft, and argillaceous. The first contained some indistinct fossils, but in too im- perfect a state to determine what formation they indicate. _ In, Council grove (143 mules) a horizontal, grayish, argillaceous lime- stone prevails, without fossils. ving Cottonwood. creek (185 miles,) irregular heaps of bog-ore are seen in the prairie, and a ferruginous sandstone 0! yellow, brown, and blue color,extends from here to Pawnee fork, (a distance of about 00 miles. ; : The bluffs of the Little Arkansas consisted of a spotted, yellow, cal- careous sandstone, and isolated pieces of ferruginous sandstone. Between Camp Osage (the first camp near the Arkansas river) and ferruginous sandstone. | Most likely a large coal-field lying beneath here Pawnee rock (between Walnut creek and Ash creek) consists of the same ferruginous sandstone, changed by fire, On Pawnee fork (292 miles) I saw the last of it; the ferrvginous sandstone there was more compact, an ep red. On a branch of Big Coon creek (332 miles) found the bluffs to con- sist of common standstone below, and a white, ne-grained marl above it. This marl resembles very much some from the cretaceous formation of the Upper Missouri; but finding no fossils, I could not ascertain it. Two miles beyond that place (341 from Independence.) I had the first chance to examine the bluffs on the yaa : . was * Es acter i ith a few ssils, that were er t, glomerated limestone, with ea eae age elien pn have, therefore, About 20 miles higher up on the Arkansas, I saw, upon a secon eae nation, but a-coarse conglomerate of sand and limestone. At the u fording place (373 miles,) where I left the Arkansas for the Cimarron, no rocks were in situ. : : a . _ * #° -- Having érossed the Arkansas, I met with the first rocks again, on the “middle springs of Cimarro n,” (468 miles ;) it~ was a sandy limestone above common sandstone. +» Six’ miles west of the Crossing of Cimarron (500 miles from Independ- ence,) light bluffs rise in the prairie, of a yellow, reddish, and s otted sandstone, combined with lime and argile. A few miles beyond them’a large, isolated mountain of boulders stands in the plains, composed of heavy blocks of quartz and ah sand-" stone, and mamy erratic rocks were afterwards found’ on our roa n Cedar creek, McNees’ creek, and Cottonwood branch, a yellow saitaatbine prevailed. rae On ina ear creek I met for the first time with amygdaloidal basalt, a black, heavy, basaltic rock, with a a great many irregular, vesicular cavi- et thatiar are generally hollow—sometimes, ee filled with lime ; ; in rare instances, with sae This rock is most common throughout the high mountains of M Tt occurs in init irregular masses, in whole - mountains, as wrall as in millions uf pieces strewn over the surface of the country. Here it rose in high perpendicular walls, as bluffs of the creek, © and a very compact quartzose sandstone was below in horizontal layer. The Round mound, a ntain in the prairie about three miles further west, which | precited ib aitiied of a brown, decontposed basaltic rock. On Rock creek, and Whetstone creek, the amygdaloidal basalt with un- pee sandstone was found. n going from there to “ Point of Rocks,” (600 miles,) extensive strata of a yellow, compact quartzose sandstone are passed, dipping gently to- wards the east. Point of Rocks — a dad of the western mountains, is a mass of sienite. . ‘Some 12 miles beyond it, rises a hill in the. plains, composed of ‘very compact, black basalt, with "underlaying white sandsto The bed and bluffs of the Rio sheet ge and Ocaté Neral (627 miles,) are formed by quartzose sandston The Wagon mound, an ieutasst mountain in the om plain, consists of @ compact, black, and s spotted basalt, rising in colum shape. ‘On Wolf creek = miles) the amygdatoidal on fa a sand- " stone reappeared, both in horizontal layers. Reaching the Gallinas creek, near las Vegas, (690 miles,) T met, after’ long interval, with limestone again. “It was a dark blue, with casts of Inoceramus of the cretaceous series. From here we penetrated into the very heatt of the mountains. A . first we met but with sandstone, common and quartzose, and of most aif ” ferent col Near San San Miguel (707 miles,) a coarse eonglometate was foiina of Bex’ composed granite; sandstone, and lime, and large blocks of decomposed gtanite lined the Pecos river, opposite the old’ Pecos village, (737 miles.) In the caiion leading from here to Santa Fe , at first sandstone is found, | ommon, ‘quartzose, and calcareous, of various colors and granulations, til afloat 15 miles from Santa Fe, granite in sitw appears, and continues all the way to Santa Fe. Near where 1 met for the first hve with granitein sit, the sand po may judge from a very limited examination, was West of Santa Fé, granite seems also to prevail. In. my Sxeraenionel to the Placers, southwest of Santa Fe, I found sandstone below, and on. the height of the mountains granite and trap ro rocks. ca a oa In the moutitains ‘of that neighborheod common, limestone and sul- phate of lime’are said. to exist ; saa on the road. over which I travelled I had no chance to see an Granitic and trap formations seem. to pred minate, too, in the valley of the Rio del Norte below Santa Fe ; but as the road leads always along the the ‘tant, E could pot examine them as I wished ‘to do, had often to de- pend alone upon the external form of the mena spel apparently i in- dicating unstratified and igneous S00 are er the maqntains ap- preached the river, | gained more infor 0, for none I found betweeu re pi ba (about 115 He ae “Santa Fe). quartzose sand-_ Stone and quariz in a spur of the eastern mountain chain; and in Joyita itself, bluffs near the river of amygdaloidal basalt. ome miles west of Socorro, (140 miles,)on the right bank of the river, i { seamed the western mountains, and found porphyritic and trachitic rocks Near the ruins of Valverde (165 miles) I met with bluffs of a dark. brown, nodular, “sreeeagel and about eight miles beyond, with Suny Eien loidal basalt agai In the cee del Muerto granitic and basaltic formation, to judge from their shape, exists in the distant mountain chains; partof them in the eastern chains is called, for their basaltic appearance, Organ mountains. elow Donana I perceived some primitive rocks again, near the river, resembling a Socom poned porphyry The mountains above el. Paso else maialy to the trap fo mation. ‘Durip i my short ‘in el Paso 1 made an excursion to the ,south- western car BEAae of be walley, oad was rather Astonlenye to oe ae tains of limestone:..'The foot-of the mountains was by..a hori. zontal quartzose brandnehtings similar to that underlaying an amy gdaloidal basalt. ‘The very compact and. gray ligated s intersected with many white veins ef, calespar, rose upon it to the crest of the mountains; but sils, and though much. injured and imperfect, they a9 Lag hana suf- ficient e setae tie the age of this fermation. The. & ils are a coral: , and a bivalve shell of the genus Pter Th is limestone is therefore 7. Silurian. rock. ‘Several’ mines have eaily been worked ini On the road from el Paso to Chihuahua I met in the first day of two. with the same limestone. The pieces lying on the. road were gone that —_ are the result of aici sprip . ut 50 miles south of el Paso the pee Oe seems to cease, and por- phytic rocks of the most varied colors and combinations continued from here as far as Chihuahua, interrupted sometimes only by oe rocks. pb ig) 7 A. C Bo: =a S =~ = i) 2 +: oO ot & oS +) © Cal a] om a : S - ia ts) S jon) 3 n oc a) = | =e we be 5 forasni-d in ‘them Near C Chihuahua, I understood, about 12 miles northeast of it, moun- . iaei ? [ 26] a 138 tains of limestone appear; and through the favor of Mr. Potts, in Chi- nae aoc a piece of limestone from there, containing some casts - of the chambers of an Orthoceras, proving that this limestone belongs also to the Sitarias system. Mines are als o foun Another fossil I received in Chihuahua, ia: i come from the limestone near Corralitas, a mining place about 250 miles northwest of Chihuahua. It is a Pecten quinquecostatus (Sowerby,) of the cretaceous series ; but not having travelled through that part of the State, 4 am not able to give any comment u From Chihuahua to Matamoros, travelling with the army as a surgeon, my time was so occupied that 1 could not make any distant excursions _ from the road ; but sporseritad — the geology of the country seemed to be very uniform and uninteres P ihuahua some apes south, the porphyritic rocks continued. In Saucillo (70 miles from Chihuahua a) I perceived the first limestone ao tinued to be so througheut the whole eastern ramification of the Sierra Madre, over which we travelled from here down to Saltillo and Monterey, where the low country begins. ‘This limestone forms steep, often rugged mountains, rising on an average 2,000 feet above the plain ; it is metallif- erous, and has all the appearance of the Silurian limestone, found at el Paso and Chihuahua, but I was never able to discover any fossils on oom route. Silver and lead mines are of various occurrence in it; in the lim Stone surrounding rete coal has been found, I was informed, but 1 had no time to veri From Monterey to shes seashore | made but one interesting discovery ; near Mier. On the bank of the Alamo river, about four miles above its mouth into the Rio Grande, I found an extensive bed of large fossil shells of Ostrea, belonging to the TRE formation. As the same formation has late ely been discovered by Dr. Roehmer, of Berlin, as extending in cate om the San Antonio to the ae this cretaceous bed’ near Mier 7h. “entire hills are to be seen, ¢ composed almost wholly of what appears to be a collection of large sea oyster-shells.” I presume, therefore, that the same + Spacey se formation extends in this direction higher up on the Rio 139° [ 26] THE MAP. The map which accompanies this work is based, as far as my own route is concerned, upon astronomical observations made at the principal places, upon daily observations of the compass, and in regard to localities which I have not visited, upon the best authorities in existence. The latitude and longitude of many places in Mexico will be found to differ often widely from their positions on Mexican maps, which lay the latitudes gen- erally too far north ; the longitudes too far east. Being rather poorly provided with astronomical instruments; occupied, besides that, in the most various pursuits, and having no scientific assist- ance whatever, I had to confine my astronomical observations only to th principal stations. But as on the northern part of my route many points ad bee already determined by former explorers, and in the southern part I enjoyed the valuable aid of Dr. J. Gregg, (as mentioned in the preface,) sufficient points have been ascertained for the practical purposes of a map, whose principal object is to enable the reader to follow my route and to correct the many gross errors, not only in minutes but even in degrees, that are commonly found in Mexican maps. In connecting my daily sketches, I have laid down the country only as far as it fell under my own observation, leaving to future explorers to ascertain the regions beyond that. : Taken as a whole, therefore, I believe that this map, though by no means as tas I wish it fo be, will at least be found more correct 7 rest to the public. Besides that, I have laid down the march of General Fort to Santa Fe, according to the unofficial memoranda of several offi- cers of those corps, (I claim, therefore, no authenticity for them,) and have added all the rest of the most interesting routes that have ever been trav- elled from the United States and Texas, to New Mexico and Chihuahua. oa” agli’ Si i eens [ 26] — 140- THE-BAROMETRICAL PROFILE. “ If the elevation above the sea-affords in other countries so probable a by myself on the road, and cotemporaneous observations made by Dr. G Engelmann in St. Louis, and by Mr. Lilly in New Orleans. My barometer was a syphon barometer of 30 English inches. After having been filled with purified mercury, and boiled out several times, I ‘compared it before my departure with Dr. Engelmann’s, and found mine to be U''.139 higher than the latter: After my return to St. Louis, another comparison proved. it to be only 0.123 bigher: it had during the whole time changed but 0”.016—a most favorable result, if the long transportation of it by. water and land, in. carriages and on pack-mules, often over the. roughest road, is considered. . ; the geometrical. measurements in the city are at. present reduced. It is Pp to be 38 feet 1 inch above the lowest water-mark of the river, _. and 7 feet 7 inches below-the highest water-mark in 184 * 141 [ 26) MEXICAN COINS, MEASURES, AND WEIGHTS. . i onza (gold) == 16 dollars. 1 peso (silver) == 1 dollar. 1 real (silver) = 12} cents. : 4 real (silver), == 6) cents. 1 quartillo (copper) = 3} A 1 tlaco (copper) = 1,% cent. - > : . 1 foot Mexican = 0.928 foot English. 1 vara (3 feet Mexican) — 2.784 ft. Eng. = 2 ft. 9.3141 inches Engl. 1 legua (26.63 to 1 meridian) = 5,000 varas = 2.636 miles English. 1 onza(Sochavos) = _ 1 ounce. * 1 marco (8 onzas) = 4 pound. 1 libra (2 marcos) == | pound. 1 arroba (25 libras) = 25 pounds. 1 quintal (4 arrobas) = 100 pounds. | carga (3 quintals) = 300 pounds. 1 fanega (140 pounds) = about 2 bushels. 1 almuer (almuerza) = jy of a fanega. 1 frasco = about 5 pints. 3 ERRATA. _ . Pace 4, line 26from top, _ for I. Gregg read J. Gregg. ies 8 ciisict 5; je ma ae a Willowgreen, « Willow creek. ee “mirage, “the mirage. “ 44, “ 7 from béttom, “ Salvador, : “ Salvator. ne Seas ae “¢ Armija, « Armijo.— « 4g, “ 6 from top, “ or the Rio, “on the Rio es last line, “ 27 miles, “27 leagues “ 36, ‘¢ 15 from top, “ mimmoseae, ‘© mimoseac. “ 45, “ 2from bottom, “ ij, a oe eee, eke ee “effervescence, «efflorescence « 56, “ 15 from top, “ feet more, ‘feet, more. * 66, ‘“ 12 from bottom, “ northeast, * northwest. Gg Oe s “ 94 miles to San Lerenzo, “ to San Lorenzo, (24 miles.) eon. “ youthern, « northern. _ “ 71, “ 22&43 from top, “ Captain Ried, “ Captain Reid. “ 76, ‘ 11 from bottom, “34 oleno de Jusus, «“ Molino de Jesus. “« 77, ‘ 15 from top, “stone, “ straw. a oF. ** tree; a mimosea, “ tree, a mimosea. a oS Ds “mineral, « animal. s we 4 Poe ae ; : : b _. a ae Senate, Mis* doc.N? 26 39 38)}— 37 \36 sone 1 Felipe 35 Casas lorad bbe: 34 | 4 33 32) 29 Zell = We quayr . ri 3 i Rio Concho, ee ; = 4 Ca note } rf # «ora ei er aa ee My on de Mapi Sau keg a StH os aa PS arp i 0. a €. ara s ape Se 2a | Red forks . a te —_-- ~ 5 ee | i . ee ee -+- sa 5 i bes. ee False Washita ,, Gwe [os Te ye }riedrichs burg, 5 ema iy A eee AY - “nut es Lt ; us ee ai: de? Bastro Washi | Gonzales 14 i eee Corpts Chpisti a = \ RY “s Poncinghn do Point @ whe 2nd. IO+7 Jeabel@i ‘= vi : 1 Ohi a Reynosie ? ae doyaNede® Marin Bo spr. ere oo WS ‘o--— pil’ Pig eS Url, “23 ol =Z t Gib sop Taly equal Se Aug ast ° Nacogdoches tour from Independence to FE, CHIHUAHUA YA.WISLIZENUS in 1846 and iat. hith. by E. Weber & Co.Balto = senda: and Bicishas | ete Ds