than 300 locks to bring vessels from the sea to the level of the lake of Tezcuco, which is 7,467 feet higher than that of the sea. Salt Lakes.] In addition to the large salt lake traversed by the Buenaventura, Humboldt has placed another very large lake, called Timpanojos or Timpanogos, in his map, extending from the 40th to the 43d parallel of latitude, to the N. of the Buenaventura, and to the W. of a chain of mountains called Sierras de Timpanojos. This large inland sea is pretended to have been discovered in 1777, by fathers Font and Escalante, in the course of a journey which they made from Taos, to the N.E. of Santa Fé, in New Mexico, across the country to Monterey in New California. If such a lake really does exist, it has never been since seen; Pike heard no word of it while he was in New Mexico, and considers its existence as totally fabulous; and the American hunters who since the expedition of Lewis and Clarke have traversed its supposed site, have not met with it. A small lake, 60 miles north and south, is placed on a southern branch of the Multnomah, by Mr Melish, in his large map of the United States, which may perhaps answer to that of Tiinpanojos, as it occupies part of the space allotted to it in Humboldt's map. CHAP. III-CLIMATE-SOIL AND PRODUCTIONS. Climate. If the extent of Central North America, combined with the extraordinary nature of its configuration, be considered, the variety of its climate must evidently be very great-embracing the extremes of equatorial heat and polar cold. The south-east portion, containing the republic of Guatimala, and part of the old viceroyalty, are far from being healthy, especially on the coasts. If climate were to be regulated by the mere circumstance of latitude, then the whole of Guatimala, and the greatest part of the former viceroyalty of Mexico, comprehending a space of 487,000 square miles, would feel the heat of the torrid zone; whilst the internal provinces, the Californias,-the unoccupied tracts,-and the northern parts of the viceroyalty,-embracing a surface of nearly 1,012,000 square miles, would enjoy a moderate temperature. But this is not the case. Climate is affected by a variety of causes, and is regu lated more by elevation than by latitude. Of this truth, Mexico affords a striking illustration. The whole of the coasts, along with the provinces of Guatimala, possess a warm climate, adapted for West Indian productions; the temperature of the plains, elevated not more than 984 feet above the sea, and within the tropics, is from eight to nine degrees of the centigrade thermometer greater than the mean heat of Naples, or 77° of Fahrenheit. These regions are denominated by the Spaniards, tierras calientes, and produce in abundance sugar, indigo, cotton, and bananas ; when Europeans, unseasoned to the climate, remain in these low tracts for any time, especially in populous cities, they become the victims of the yellow fever, known under the name of vomito prieto, or the black vomit.' The port of Acapulco, and the valleys of Peregrino and Papagallo, are among the hottest and unhealthiest places of the world. On the coast of the Mexican gulf, the great heats are tempered occasionally by streams of cold air brought by the winds from Hudson's Bay, towards the parallel? of the Havannah and Vera Cruz, and blowing from October to March. On the declivity of the table-land of Mexico, at an elevation of from 3,936 to 4 963 feet, there reigns a perpetually soft spring-temperature, which never varies more than four or five degrees of Fahrenheit. The extremes of heat and cold are thus equally unknown. This region is denominated by the natives, the tierras timpladas, or the temperate regions,' where the mean heat of the whole year is from 68° to 70° of Fahrenheit, the temperature of Xalappa, Tasco, and Chilpansingo, three cities celebrated for their salubrity, and the abundance of fruit-trees in their vicinity. Unfortunately this mean elevation of 4,264 feet is the height to which the clouds ascend from the sea; consequently these temperate regions are often involved in thick fogs. The third temperature is that of the table-land of Anahuac, or elevated plains of Mexico, and denominated the tierras frias, or 'cold regions,' by the inhabitants. This elevated tract, comprehending a space of 23,000 square leagues, or upwards of 176,000 British square miles, within the tropic of Cancer, and embracing plains whose altitude is more than 7,217 feet above the sea, has a mean temperature of 62° of Fahrenheit. In the capital of Mexico, the centigrade thermometer has been known to fall several degrees below the freezing point; but this is a very rare occur rence, and the winters are usually as mild as at Naples. In the coldest season, the mean heat of the day is from 55° to 60° of Fahrenheit; in summer, the thermometer never rises above 75° in the shade. The mean temperature of the whole table-land is, therefore, equal to that of Rome. The plains, however, whose elevation is more than that of the capital, or exceed 8,201 feet, possess, within the tropics, a rude and disagreeable climate. Such are the plains of Toluca, and the heights of Guchilague, where, during a great part of the day, the air is never warmer than from 43° to 48° of Fahrenheit, and the olive-tree bears no fruit, though cultivated successfully in the valley of Mexico. All these upper regions enjoy a mean temperature of from 51° to 55° of Fahrenheit, and therefore equal to that of France and Lombardy; yet the vegetation is less vigorous, and European plants do not grow with the same rapidity as in their natal soil. The winters, at an elevation of 8,201 feet, are not very severe; but the solar rays are not sufficiently powerful, in the rarefied air of those plains, to accelerate the developement of flowers and, the ripening of fruit. This constant equality,-this want of ephemeral heat,-imprints a peculiar character upon these equinoctial regions, in the higher climates. Thus, the cultivation of several vegetables on the ridge of the high table-land succeeds worse than in plains situated to the north of the tropics, though frequently the mean heat of these plains is less than that of the plains situated between the 19th and 22d parallels. Hence it appears, that the climate, productions, aspect, nay, the physiognomy of Mexico, are solely modified by the degree of elevation or depression of the soil. Under the latter parallel, sugar, cotton, cacao, and indigo, are only produced abundantly at an elevation of from 1,968 to 2,624 feet. European wheat occupies a zone on the declivity of the mountains, commencing at 4,592 feet, and ending at 9,842 feet of elevation. Bananas bear almost no fruit above 5,084 feet of elevation. Mexican oaks grow only between 2,624 and 9,842 feet of clevation; and the pines never descend towards the coast of Vera Cruz, lower than 6,068 feet, nor rise, near the region of lasting snow, to an elevation of more than 13,123 feet. The climate of what are denominated the internal provinces, situated in the temperate zone, especially that of New Mexico, differs essentially from that of the viceroyalty, and from that of the same parallels in the old continent. Here, German winters succeed Italian summers. In the pro vince of New Mexico particularly, the air is much colder than in the same latitudes in the United States. The reason of this is plain: New Mexico is a long, and not very wide valley, bounded on all sides except the south by ranges of great and lofty mountains, covered with eternal snows, especially to the north of Santa Fé; and the air is pure, and not subject to damps and fogs. In the peninsula of California, the climate is mild, and the sky constantly serene and cloudless; and should any clouds appear for a moment at the setting of the sun, they display the most beautiful shades of violet, green, and purple. But unfortunately, the sky is more beautiful than the earth: the soil is sandy, and rains are very unfrequent. In New California, on the contrary, the air is obscured by frequent fogs, which however invigorate vegetation and fertilize the soil, which is covered with a black and spongy earth; and the climate is much more mild than in the same latitudes on the eastern coast of America. In the extensive province of New Biscay, or Durango, the air is dry and the heat intense, previous to the annual rains, which commence in June and continue till September. These rains, however, are but slight showers; and during the other nine months, there is neither rain nor snow to moisten the ground." In the province of Texas, the temperature of the climate is the most delightful in the world; but as this province is level, and thickly covered with timber, the new settlers are generally unhealthy. This In the interior, but particularly in the greatest part of the table-land of Anahuac, the aridity of the soil bears a resemblance to that of Tibet and the saline steppes of Central Asia. The evaporation which takes place on great plains is sensibly increased by the great elevation of the Mexican Alps; on the other hand, the country is not sufficiently elevated for a great number of summits to pierce the region of perpetual snow. region, which under the equator, is supposed (by Humboldt,) to commence at the elevation of 15,747 feet, and under the 45° of N. lat. at 8,365 feet, commences in Mexico between the parallels of 19° and 20° of latitude, at 15,091 feet of altitude. Hence, only four mountains, namely, Orizava, Popocatepetl, Iztaccihuatl, and the Nevado de Toluca, enter this region. To the north and south of this parallel, no mountains exhibit this phenomenon, till we arrive at New Mexico Proper. These snows, at their minimum in September, never descend below 14,763 feet in the parallel of Mexico. But in the month of January, they fall as low as 12,138 feet. While Humboldt was at Mexico, such immense falls of snow had taken place in January, that the mountains of Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl, were almost united by one band of snow. The difference between the minimum and maximum, or the oscillation of the limits of perpetual snow, is consequently, under the parallel of 19° N. lat., from one season to the other, 2,624 feet. If, however, Humboldt's statement of 15,091 feet, as the inferior limit or minimum of this region be true, he is inconsistent with himself, as the oscillation must be 2,858 feet, or 238 feet more. Nay, he affirms that in November the lowest limit of perpetual snow was 14,956 feet, or 193 feet higher than in Septemb whence we must infer, either that his hypothesis concerning the minim "The atmosphere is therefore so electric, that when Pike and hanions al at Chihuahua, in taking off the blankets, they were almost comple electric sparks. In a bottle prepared and covered with gold leaf, a sufficiency of the electric fluid was obtained from a bear-skin, as g shock to a number of persons! of descent of these limits is erroneous, or that more snow falls in September than in November, which is contrary to universal experience and his own affirmation, which fixes it in November. These eternal snows, however, must not be confounded with the snows which in winter accidentally fall in much lower regions. This ephemeral snow is commonly seen at an elevation of 9,842 feet; it has been even seen in the streets of Mexico, at an elevation of 7,470 feet, and at Valladolid, at an altitude of 6,156 feet, or 1,314 feet lower. If the cold of the high table-land be singularly great in winter, its heat is much greater in summer, than on the Andes of Quito. The great mass of the Mexican Alps, and the immense extent of the plains, produce a reverberation of the solar rays never observed in countries of greater inequality of surface. This intense heat contributes to the aridity of the soil. Rains are very unfrequent in the interior of the tableland; the great height of which, and the small barometrical pressure of the air, indicating its comparative want of condensation, accelerate the evaporation. The ascending columns of warm air from the low plains on the coasts, prevent the clouds from precipitating themselves in rain to water a land, dry, saline, and destitute of vegetation. This aridity of the central land, combined with a scarcity of rivers and a want of trees, greatly obstructs the working of the mines: however, it is happily confined to the most elevated districts. The declivity of the table-land is exposed to humid winds and aqueous vapours, and the vegetation nourished by these is uncommonly vigorous. The quantity of rain which annually falls at Vera Cruz is estimated at nearly 74 inches. Diseases.] The diseases which make greatest ravages among the population, are the small pox, the matlazahuatl, and the yellow fever, denominated, in New Spain, the vomito prieto. The first, introduced by the Europeans in 1520, appears to renew its ravages every seventeen or eighteen years. It committed terrible devastation in 1763, 1779, and 1797; and in 1779, in the capital alone, 9000 were swept off by this destructive disorder. Vaccine innoculation was introduced in January 1804, and has happily contributed here to extirpate a disorder which has swept off so many myriads of the native race, and almost depopulated the Californias. The matlazahuatl is peculiar to the Indians of New Spain, never attacking Europeans, or the mixed races. It has at different periods made great ravages among the natives, extending its baneful influence through the interior of the table-land, particularly in 1762, when the Indians of the valley of Mexico perished by thousands. Very little is known of the nature of this disease. The vomito prieto is chiefly confined to the maritime regions, where the climate is excessively warm and humid, as in the southern states of the American union. It is, however, unknown on the western coasts of Mexico. The greatest seat of its ravages is the city of Vera Cruz. Soil and Vegetable Productions.] The variety of indigenous Mexican productions is immense; indeed there hardly exists a plant on the face of the globe which is not capable of being cultivated in this country. Were the soil of New Spain watered by more frequent rains, no country cultivated by human industry in the two hemispheres would exceed it; but unfortunately, however fertile the soil, the want of water diminishes the abundance of the harvests. Only two seasons are known in the equinoctial regions of Mexico, even as far as 28° N. lat., namely, the rainy and the dry seasons; the former commencing in June or July, and continuing till the end of September or beginning of October; and the latter com. mencing in October, and continuing till the end of May, or eight months. On the proportion between these two seasons greatly depends the prosperity of Mexico. The farmer has seldom reason to complain of too great humidity; and if sometimes his maize and European grains are exposed to partial inundations in the plains, several of which form circular basins inclosed by mountains, the grain sown on the slopes of the hills vegetates proportionally with greater vigour. From 24° to 28° the rains are still seldomer, and of short duration. Happily the melting of the snow, of which there is great abundance in these latitudes, supplies the want of rain. These droughts above mentioned compel the inhabitants in a great part of this vast country to have recourse to artificial irrigations. The vegetable productions may be divided into two kinds: namely, those which serve for home-consumption, and those which furnish raw materials for manufactures and commerce. Amongst the former are the banana, the manioc, maize, European cerealia, potatoes, the oca, the igname, the batates, the cacomito, the tomatl, the chimalatl, rice, and finally, all the kitchen-herbs and fruit-trees of Europe. The latter comprehends the following plants: namely, the sugar-cane, cotton, flax, and hemp, coffee, cocoa, vanilla, sarsaparilla, jalap, tobacco, and indigo. The Banana.] The banana is for all the inhabitants of the tropics, what the cereal gramina are for western Asia and Europe, and what the numerous varieties of rice are for the countries beyond the Indus, especially Bengal and China. Wherever the mean heat of the two continents, and the islands dispersed in the immense Pacific, exceed 75° of Fahrenheit, the fruit of the banana becomes one of the most important objects of cultivation for human subsistence. Under the name of bananas, a vast number of plants, essentially differing in the form of their fruits, are cultivated in the equinoctial regions, and even as far as 33° and 34° N. lat. In Mexico, three species of the banana are cultivated: namely, the true platano or arton, the camburi, and the dominico. Notwithstanding the great height and extent of the Mexican table-land, the space favourable for the cultivation of the banana exceeds 384,000 B. square miles. In the warm and humid valleys of the intendancy of Vera Cruz, at the foot of the Alp of Orizaba, the fruit of the platano arton sometimes exceeds 112 inches, and is often from 7 to 8 inches long. Maize.] Although a number of other grains are cultivated in Mexico, yet maize must be considered as the principal food of the people, and mo the rest. Its cultivation requires but little attention: the suckers once plant d, nature does In ten or eleven months the fruit comes to maturity; the old stalks must then be cut away with the exception of the leading sprout, which bears fruit about three months after the mother-plant; and if the earth about the stems be loosened once or twice in the year, a platanar may be kept in full produce without any farther exertion. The fruit is used either fresh, or sliced and partially dried in the sun, when it is called platano passado. The difference between its produce and that of the cereal gramina of Europe is prodigious. Wheat, supposing it to be sown, and not planted in the Chinese manner, and calculating the produce at ten for one, does not produce on the same surface more than 33 lbs. of grain. The produce of potatoes, on an English acre containing 43,560 feet, will produce 60 bolls, or 40 320 lbs. of potatoes; so that the mean produce of the banana is to that of wheat as 133 to 1, and to that of the potato root as 44 to 1. But as the weights do not alone indicate the absolute quantities of nutritive matter, we must calculate according to the mass of vegetable substance necessary to support a full grown person. According to this principle, the same space of ground cultivated with the banana, will support 50 persons, which, if cultivated with wheat, would only support two persons, or 1 to 25. A Scotch acre of potatoes, according to Sir John Sinclair, will support nine persons; which is in the proportion of 9 to 2 of wheat, and of 9 to 50 of the banana. A European newly arrived in the tropical regions, is astonished at the extreme smallness of the spots under cultivation, round a cabin which contains a nùmerous family of Indians. |