Page:Pictures of life in Mexico Vol 2.djvu/57

Rh above them—where the burning sunshine is tempered by the clear air of the hills, and the atmosphere is uncharged by the poisonous particles generated in the vapours of the tropics.

Some portions of the country round Vera Cruz—ascending as they do with the most singular varieties of aspect to the table-land of Perote—are exceedingly rich in vegetable growth and forest trees. Cotton of the finest quality is grown on numerous flat plains; sarsaparilla-root springs up in the declivities of the rocks and mountains; and mezquite trees, with their glutinous pods, may be discovered in the verdant hollows. The pimento-myrtle grows in rich profusion in the forests; cocoa-nut trees are to be found on the open lands; and tobacco is cultivated in considerable quantities in the southern valleys. The odoriferous vanilla clings to the roots of woodland trees and the jalapæ-convolvulus plants rear their lovely heads in the neighbourhood of some of the villages. The sugar-cane grows in perfection on numerous and highly productive plantations. The scenery of the country in different districts, moreover, is so completely varied, that a traveller may pass from the