Page:Vol 6 History of Mexico by H H Bancroft.djvu/703

Rh direction of the Chimalapa Mountains. Señor Moro says: 'The Indians of Santa Maria ascend it on rafts to a point 38 miles distant from their village.'

Although it may be possible to utilize isolated portions of the river for the canal, even in these high points, it is my opinion that flood-gates and other accessory works will overbalance the economy of excavations. Be it as it may, future surveys must determine these points, with the study of details.

We then passed the Jaltepec, or 'Rio de los Mijes,' which, although 300 feet wide at its mouth, has an extended bar, with a channel 12 feet wide at its mouth, and less than G feet deep. A short distance above this river, on the Coatzacoalcos, we encountered the first dangerous rapids having a very strong current, which spends its force in lateral deep holes, with extensive whirlpools.

The river Jaltepec has its source in the Mije Sierra, a district densely wooded, and originally inhabited by the powerful Indian tribes whose few [sic]ramaining descendants are now passing away. The remnants of these races are only found here at San Juan Guichicovi.

The Coatzacoalcos widens, and again has the appearance of a great river, until after passing Súchil.

At Mal-paso it again contracts; the channel is narrow, tortuous, and filled with large stones.

'Súchil,' which, translated from the Mexican, means 'a flower,' is the head of canoe navigation in the dry season. This small settlement is on the left high bank of the river, and from this height an extensive view can be obtained over the low banks of the opposite shore. Above Súchil, and until we reach Mal-paso, the river remains wide, and the banks are generally formed by green slate.

The first hills become visible on the right bank, between the Jumuapa and Chalchihalpa rivers.

They are low and broken in outline, and from among them flows a brook, latitude 17° 22' north, longitude 94° 35' west of Greenwich, which Don Benito Suarez says is fifteen miles long, and whose waters in times of flood run through the bed of the Chalchijalpa. One mile and a half above this brook, we left the Coatzacoalcos, and entered the Jumuapa River. Its appearance is different from that of the Coatzacoalcos, though with [sic]indentical geological characteristics. It is about 300 feet wide at its mouth, with deep banks, and so shallow that our canoes could hardly get along through its tortuous channel filled with snags. A few days later in the season, travel by water is interrupted, and canoes can ascend as far only as Súchil.

After passing the Jumuapa's mouth, the average width of the river cannot exceed 100 feet, with a current of three and a half miles per hour at this season, and a general depth of from 3 to 5 feet; but the channel is traversed by innumerable sand-bars, with only a few inches of water over them. The waters of this river are about 2° colder than those of the Coatzacoalcos, and as we ascend the stream the bottom looks blacker, the texture of the clay is coarser, the rocks on the banks more granular, red clay becomes more abundant than green, and many patches of oil, from vegetable distillation, are seen floating over the water. On our first camping out on the Jumuapa, latitude 17° 18' 30" north, longitude 94° 33', I picked up from the beach several pieces of water-worn lignite.