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[ 26 ] mines, I understand, have formerly been worked here in the mountains; several copper and silver ores were shown me as being found there yet, but none are worked at present. To examine the geological character of the surrounding country, I made, one day, an excursion to the mountains, southwest of the town. I was astonished to find them to consist almost entirely of limestone, the first I saw in the valley of the Rio del Norte. Below the limestone at the foot of the mountains were horizontal layers of compact quartzose sandstone, such as I had seen for several hundred miles in the prairie towards Santa Fe, underlying the basaltic and granitic rocks. The limestone rose upon it to the height of the mountain chain, but on its sides granitic and porphyritic rocks seemed to a small extent to have burst through the limestone and overflown it. After a long search I was lucky enough to find near the top of the mountain some fossils in the limestone, belonging to the Silurian system. Where the limestone and the igneous rocks meet, a few old abandoned mines exist. With the aid of my lazo, which I had fixed outside to a rock, I descended into one of the pits about 30 feet deep, and found a large vein of calcspar, 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 lechuguilla, a species of agave, whose long, stiff, indented leaves, somewhat similar to those of the common agave, are used for making of their fibres a very good quality of ropes; the other, a species of dasylírion, is the bushy so-called sotol, whose pulpy roots are roasted and eaten, and from which also an alcoholic liquor is prepared.

During my stay in el Paso, General Ugarte marched through it with 400 men and some cannon, to oppose the Americans if they should invade New Mexico. This was the only hostile demonstration I saw or heard of. No further news had arrived from the south. The people 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 circumstances I did not hesitate to continue my journey to Chihuahua, as had been at first my intention. Mr. Speyer's caravan had in the meanwhile passed through el Paso; but knowing that, on account of the large number of wagons, their progress was very slow, Mr. Wiek and myself resolved to join from here to Chihuahua a smaller out faster travelling company that left el Paso a few days afterwards. It consisted of about 20 Mexicans and five foreigners. Most of the Mexicans were engaged by Mr. Jacquez, 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 Pacific, I should see the same river again on its mouth into the gulf.

From el Paso there are two roads leading to Carrizal, an intermediate town between it and Chihuahua. The one follows the river yet for about 40 miles, and unites with the other road near lake Patos; the second leaves the river at Paso, and leads over the so-called sand hills, to Carrizal. The first is more circuitous, but the only practicable road for loaded wagons; the second is shorter, but on the sand hills quite impassable for common teams. On both of them water is rather scarce, but more so on the first, where from the last camp on the river to lake Patos, a distance of 60 miles,