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590 without bearing any ill-will towards the United States, but entertaining, on the contrary, a very sincere admiration of their progress, I may be permitted, as an Englishman, to observe, that it cannot suit our interest to see their line of coast extended as far South as the Rio Bravo del Norte, which would bring them within three days sail of Tampico and Veracruz, and give them the means of closing at pleasure all communication between New Spain and any European power, with which they might happen to be at variance themselves.

I shall beg leave to refer my readers to the Appendix for any farther information that may be desired respecting Texas; and return at once to the Western Coast, in order to close my account of the Northern frontier, with some details respecting Sŏnōră and Cĭnăloă, which will not, I hope, be found devoid of interest.

For these I am indebted almost exclusively to Colonel Bourne, whose extremely curious journal I annex at full length in the Appendix. (Letter C.) I have likewise made use of the information which he has been so obliging as to afford me in order to rectify in my map the numberless errors committed in all former publications respecting Sonora; and I hope that I may by this means be enabled to throw some light upon the real character of a country, which, though little known in Europe, or even in Mexico, can hardly fail, in the course of a few years, to acquire great and permanent importance.