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540 reservoir, which supplies the town with water. We had generally from the coast to this place met with great civility and attention, but the inhabitants here showed us every possible mark of kindness and politeness. On the second day after our arrival, we dined, by invitation, with a cousin of Iturbide's, and met all the principal people and authorities of the town: the dinner was most splendidly served up in the Spanish style, and to us who had fared badly during five months before, was no ordinary sort of treat. We contracted for several carts to take all our castings, except the cylinder, to Catorce, which latter, together with the boilers, were all that remained for our own carriages. We left Saltillo on the 26th of October, and proceeded four leagues over an excellent road, then stopped for the night at a small rancho. Our bullocks by this time began to fail us; we consequently here contracted with a man to drive us to Catorce with his own cattle.

On the 27th, we travelled six leagues, and reached Aguanueva, where we stopped a day.

Our journey on the 29th was a continued and steep ascent, until at length we reached a plain, which lasted all the way to Vanegas, On the 30th, we drove nearly seven leagues to La Encarnacion. The next day we reached Vaca, four leagues distant from La Encarnacion, a place deserted by human beings, and infested by wolves and jackals: we rested there one day, and on the 2nd of November proceeded to Buena Ventura, four leagues from where we started in the morning. On the 3rd we reached San Salvador, after driving three leagues, and on the following morning started early and arrived at El Salado; deriving its name, no doubt, from the water, which all over the plain we found to be very strongly impregnated with salt: we fared better here, however, in other respects, than we had done since leaving Saltillo. On the 5th, we arrived at Llana Blanca, four leagues distant, and observed on the road hundreds of Perros de Campo, so small that they do not frequent the woods, but form burrows, and live under ground like rabbits. On the 6th, we travelled five leagues, and stopped at Lomo Prieto, and the next day went four leagues and reached La Punta, a large rancho, where we were invited