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204 kilometres). The pines, spruces, and other trees of a stunted character, remind the traveler that he has ascended to a great elevation. Leaving the valley and going through several cuts in the solid rock, the train arrives at Cima, or Summit (39•12 kilometres). This is the highest point of the railroad, and would be called the "divide" by Americans. Its elevation is 9,974 feet above tide-water. It is the highest railway-station in Mexico. The brook on the south side of the track, which the tourist has just passed, is the Rio Hondo. It flows into the valley of Mexico; while the little stream on the north side of the railroad is the south fork of the Rio Lerma (one of the largest rivers of the Republic), which, after traversing the States of Mexico, Michoacan, and Guanajuato, empties into the Lake of Chapala.

The rock at Cima is a reddish trachyte, and is used to ballast the track. The road now crosses a flat, grassy plateau. The next station is Salazar (41•29 kilometres). There is a bar as well as a lunch-room in the station. The scenery in the vicinity closely resembles that of the Rocky Mountains. The pines and spruces attain a considerable height. The grade soon begins to descend, and the view henceforth is better on the right-hand side of the car. The train follows the course of the Rio Lerma, crosses the old stage-road, and arrives at the station Camino de Toluca (44•51 kilometres). The tourist may now see the majestic snow-clad mountain, the Nevado de Toluca, an extinct volcano, 15,156 feet high, and about twenty miles distant. The track crosses a bridge built over a ravine. An aqueduct is being constructed at the bottom, to carry the water of the Rio Lerma to the flour-mill at Jajalpa. Soon the station of Jajalpa (51•24 kilometres) is reached. Here the elevation is 8,872 feet. It is worthy of remark that one of the few steam flour-mills in the country is found at this town. Wood is brought from the neighboring hills for