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534 distant from us. We had again to make a road by which the carriages might descend,—worked the greatest part of this night, and by nine the next morning had formed a sufficient pass for our train, which at ten o'clock began to proceed.

On arriving at the foot of the hill, the road was found to be excellent, and continued so for four leagues. We started early on the following morning, and accomplished three leagues and a half during the day. We should have gone to Aguayo, but our cattle could take us no farther, although the road was a continued descent. On the 22nd, we started at eight o'clock, found the road rather uneven, and crossed by several rivulets. We broke one of our carriages during the journey, which circumstance detained us a little, but did not prevent us from entering Aguayo at an early hour. Aguayo, distant fourteen leagues from Croix, is a large town of some consequence, lying on the eastern side of the Sierra Madre; it contains a good many respectable inhabitants.

We met with fruit in abundance at this place, but made a very short stay there, and arrived on the 24th at Las Misiones, a small village about five leagues distant from Aguayo, where we stopped two days, and proceeding on the 27th, travelled two leagues through a thick wood, in which we halted for the night. The next day we stopped at Caballero, a considerable Rancho, or rather a sugar plantation, four leagues from Las Misiones. On the 29th we reached San Pedro, another Rancho, two leagues from the former, and stopped there five days to refit; from Las Misiones to San Pedro the road is generally pretty good; and all the way from Aguayo to the latter place, the soil appeared to be extremely fertile, and cultivation pretty general.

On the 4th of August, we again began to move. On leaving San Pedro, we crossed a river, and drove on over a very tolerable road to Santa Gracia, (three leagues from San Pedro, and fourteen from Aguayo,) where we met with a broad but fordable river, which we crossed on the 6th, and halted on the opposite bank to repair some carriages that were injured. On the 7th, we left Santa Garcia, having previously made every inquiry respecting the road, and ascertained that, as far as Hoyos, we should find it very good. After having proceeded a league, however, we were stopped by an arroyo, six or