Page:Vol 6 History of Mexico by H H Bancroft.djvu/708

688 The Xoxocuta comes from the mountains north of San Miguel and flows to the Pacific, while a small stream on the north slope of these same mountains flows to the Atlantic. The sources of this stream, which are quite near, were explored; and since San Miguel is so low, and the streams are so short, I conceived the hope of finding here a low pass to bring the Corte waters to the east end of Cerro Albricias, using the Lower Chicapa Valley for the canalbed. The San Miguel Pass was subsequently levelled, and found impracticable.

We spent two days in San Miguel, weather-bound, but making short excursions in the surrounding country. Afterward, we here obtained, in fair weather, five long series of barometric observations, and found the altitude to be 403 feet above the ocean. The same, as given by the level, is 404 feet. On December 24th, Chimalapa Indians were engaged to accompany us into the woods, and early on the morning of the 25th we started up the Chicapa Valley, with the intention of testing the practicability of joining the Chicapa and Ostuta rivers, as suggested by Señor Moro

It will be well to say that, from San Miguel to Mr Scarce's rancho, bearings were taken with the compass, and the distances were estimated by the watch, keeping a uniform gait in our walk. All I can claim for this exploration is, that it is a very conscientious reconnoissance of the ground, giving an accurate idea of its topography. It has been platted with the bearings taken all along, and the latitude of three points, after calculating our rate of travel. It is also abundantly checked by the bearings of prominent points, taken from Tarifa, Convento Summit, San Miguel, Xoxocuta, Palmar, near an indigo plantation, before descending to Ultimo rancho, at Rosetta Hill, on the Espiritu Santo Hill, and on the Traversal, at three different points. This route can be said to have been surveyed by intersecting bearings from known points.

The whole Chicapa River can be ascended to its source without great difficulty, through a wild and uninhabited region.

The only remarkable feature of this stream is its extraordinary rise, which takes place at the rate of one foot in a hundred, since it falls 1,000 feet in less than 18 miles.

Mr Scarce's rancho was found to be 616 feet above the Chi vela station; and the Chicapa at this point passes less than 50 cubic feet of water per second.

At the end of four days we again started up the stream, following the bed of the Chicapa with the compass, and levelling by angles of elevation and depression, and reducing to the horizon the distances as given by the micrometer. About 1,700 feet from Scarce's rancho we came to the main source of the Chicapa. The water pours from among the crevices of very large bowlders, which have fallen over the bed of the river, from a cliff about 800 feet high. Prom this point forward, the river, which delivered about 50 cubic feet at Scarce's rancho, hardly carries two or three cubic feet of water.

Beyond this point, and about 1 £ miles from Scarce's, the little water that flows, and the reduced size of its bed, made me abandon this thalweg for that of a dry brook with a very wide bed, whose direction seemed to lead toward the Atravesado Mountain. This brook was named Arroyo Providencia.

The small tributary of the Chicapa, just abandoned, turned toward the