Mexico in 1827 . t a blade ofgrass is to be seen in its vicinity; yet fifty years agothe whole di>trict was covered with forests, whichmight have lasted for centuries, had not the impro-vident and wasteful spirit of the first adventurerswantonly destroyed these treasures, wliich to theirdescendants would have proved invaluable. Wholewoods were burnt in order to clear the ground, andthe laiger timber required for the mines is nowbrought from a distance of twenty-two leagues. At the Caiiada, where we arrived about twooclock, tiie carriage was entirely unloaded, and itscontents transferred to
Mexico in 1827 . t a blade ofgrass is to be seen in its vicinity; yet fifty years agothe whole di>trict was covered with forests, whichmight have lasted for centuries, had not the impro-vident and wasteful spirit of the first adventurerswantonly destroyed these treasures, wliich to theirdescendants would have proved invaluable. Wholewoods were burnt in order to clear the ground, andthe laiger timber required for the mines is nowbrought from a distance of twenty-two leagues. At the Caiiada, where we arrived about twooclock, tiie carriage was entirely unloaded, and itscontents transferred to a number of asses, which wehired to convey them to the town. Mr. Macartney,the managing agent of the Catorce Company, hadthe goodness to take charge of the eldest little girl,with a horse perfectly accustomed to the roads;while Mrs. Ward, with the baby in her arms, wasseated in a silla de manos, (a sort of sedan-chair,open before,) belonging to the Obregones, which wascarried by four Indians. The ascent commences. MEXICO IX 1827. 485 immediately upon leaving the Canada, where tliereare a few Haciendas de beneficio, and two solitarytrees ; and continues without interruption until thevery summit of the mountain is gained, abont 1,600feet above the level of the plain, l^he path is verynarrow and rocky, without any sort of i)arapet onthe side of the precipice ; and as in many places thereis hardly room for tuo persons to pass withouttouching, accidents frequently occur, particularly atthe hours when the mules and asses are descending:from the mines with ores for the Haciendas in theCaiiada below. With an excellent horse it took meexactly one hour and ten minutes to reach the CampoSanto, from whence you first obtain a view of thetown; and the rest of the party were much longer,particularly the Mexican maids, whose fears pre-vented them from riding, and who toiled up thewhole way on foot. On reaching the highest ridge,you see Catorce immediately below you, in a sortof hollow, beyond
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