purchased by its present owner about four years before for $130,000, and now yields an annual income of from twenty-five to thirty thousand dollars.

There is another large wine manufacturer in Parras, Don Jesus Campus, whose establishment we also visited, and which like the former, was kept in fine order. I bought a keg of wine of him, which was said to be ten years old, and a superior article. It was put up with great care; yet, on arriving at New-York, it was found to be sour. All others who have attempted to transport this wine to the United States, have been equally unsuccessful.

Parras contains three churches, which were shown to us by the cura, Juan B. Bobadilla, a courteous and intelligent gentleman. Two of them abound in pictures of a higher standard than any we had seen. More care, too, was taken of them, as well as of the churches, which were in good condition, and exhibited none of those symptoms of decay prevalent every where, except in Chihuahua.

The cura manifested much interest in scientific pursuits, and was quite desirous to know what we had collected. He presented us with some specimens of minerals, reptiles, and insects, and promised to send me a larger collection as soon as he could procure them.

I have omitted to speak of two fine Alamedas, the fashionable promenades of the town. These are beautifully shaded with long rows of large cotton-wood trees, while flowers and lesser plants ornament the walks.

We made several pleasant acquaintances here, and found that Americans were much respected. Many

inquiries were made about General Wool and his officers, who were here during the war, and who seem to have made a favorable impression on the people.

December 2d. Our repairs being completed, we left in the afternoon, and proceeded as far as the Hacienda abajo or San Lorenzo, a large and elegant establishment surrounded by lines and clusters of old cottonwoods. Vineyards and corn-fields extended far and wide over the plain. The owner, Don Manuel de Ibarra, being absent, we did not visit the interior. The whole constitutes a large village. It derives its supply of water from springs in the hills. Don Manuel treated General Wool and the officers of the American army with great respect when here; in return for which, they sent parties against the Indians who had committed depredations on his herds. To this gentleman also belongs the hacienda at El Pozo, where the fight took place between Captain Reid and the Lipans, before mentioned.

December 3d. Our route to-day was hilly and tortuous. We made twenty miles; which brought us to a cluster of houses known as the Cienega Grande (Great Marsh), belonging to Don Rey de Guerrero. Fields of wheat were near, with acequias from springs in the mountains.

December 4th. We travelled to-day eighteen miles over a rough and hilly country, the road much cut up with ravines and deep with dust. Saw no cultivation or arable land until we reached Ceguin, where there was a cluster of houses, with fields of maize and wheat; but the people were too lazy to bring us corn-stalks for our animals. They said it was too much trouble.

Fortunately we brought a little from Cienega Grande, or we should have been badly off for fodder.

December 5th. The country was much the same today as yesterday, with low hills and valleys alternating, and intersected with arroyos which required much care in crossing. Passed several cornfields, with which exception all was barren and desert-like. At sunset reached Vequeria, a hacienda near a spring, twentyfive miles from our starting place. As we passed along, I noticed many gigantic yuccas growing in the form of trees with trunks and branchés.

The different species of yucca, of which frequent mention has been made, form a conspicuous feature in the vegetation. They present a great variety of foliage, some narrow and grass-like, and others rigid and firm enough to serve for a "Spanish bayonet," a popular name given to the larger kinds. All are furnished with a sharp hard point at the end of the leaf, which is capable of inflicting a severe wound, and which soon teaches the incautious traveller to give them a wide berth. While some have no stem at all, others have a trunk twenty-five or thirty feet high and from two to three feet in diameter. The largest specimens we saw were near Parras, where the table-lands are covered with them. This species throws out at the top ten or a dozen branches which are bent in all possible directions. A plain covered with yuccas presents a beautiful appearance when in flower with their pure white blossoms arranged in pyramidal spikes several feet in length. The Mexicans and Indians put the different species to various domestic uses. The leaves of the narrower kinds are made into baskets, and the

The

fibres of the leaves are twisted into coarse ropes. trunks of the large species are used in the absence of other timber as palings for making inclosures, or are split into slabs to serve for covering the rude houses of the rancheros.

Yucca Tree.

Some species bear an edible fruit called by the Mexicans latiros. These are about the size and shape of the banana, and when fully ripe are very sweet and palatable. The tender portion of the stem near where the leaves are produced is roasted and eaten under the name of quiote; but it is rather stringy and insipid. One of our party saw at an Apache camp a pot-full of

the flowers boiling for food. The uncooked flowers have quite a bitter taste; but this may probably be removed by boiling. The roots of a narrow-leaved species called amole are used, instead of soap, for washing clothes; bruised between stones, they afford a mucilage when rubbed upon the clothes, which seems to possess considerable detergent properties. The root is generally kept for sale in the towns, and, where soap is so very dear, affords an economical substitute.

December 6th. Our intention was to reach the rancho of San Juan to-day. Soon after leaving, we saw through an opening in the hills on our left, about a mile distant, the Hacienda de Patos. This place is the property of Don Jacobo Sanchez, and is said to be the finest in the State of Coahuila. This gentleman is said to be the owner of three quarters of the landed property in the State, including several large and valuable haciendas, well stocked with cattle, mules, and horses. He has lost large numbers by the Indians, and, I am told, has made a claim on the United States for a million and a half of dollars as an indemnification for these losses. Yet he takes no pains to protect his property, not even arming his herdsmen, and never pursues the Indians or makes any efforts to recover what he has lost. In entering into a compact with Mexico for the protection of her frontier, the United States certainly expected either the Mexican government or the proprietors to do something for their own protection. The lands of Don Jacobo extend in a continuous line more than a hundred miles. Such a landholder could well afford to support a body of expert riflemen or rangers, who should be always on the alert