3e>e 
 
 T 23o 
 cop. 2 
 
 GARAY 
 
 ACCOUNT n F TH£ ISTHMUS 
 OF TEHUANTEPEC. 
 
■1 
 
ill? 
 
 6-7 2 .-) 
 
 THE 
 
 COMMUNICATION 
 
 BETWEEN 
 
 ATLANTIC AND PACIFIC OCEANS 
 
 
 THROUGH THE 
 
 ISTHMUS OF TEHUANTEPEC. 
 
 ■V 
 
AN ACCOUNT 
 
 OF THE 
 
 ISTHMUS OF TEHUANTEPEC 
 
 IN THE REPUBLIC OF MEXICO ; 
 
 WITH PROPOSALS FOR 
 
 ESTABLISHING A COMMUNICATION 
 
 BETWEEN 
 
 THE ATLANTIC AND PACIFIC OCEANS, 
 
 BASED UPON THE SURVEYS AND REPORTS OF A SCIENTIFIC COMMISSION, 
 
 APPOINTED BY THE PROJECTOR 
 
 DON JOSE DE GARAY 
 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 PRINTED BY J. D. SM1TPI AND CO., 
 
 7, EAST HARDING STREET, GOUGH SQUARE, FLEET STREET. 
 
 1846. 
 
LONDON: PRINTED BY J. D. SMITH AND CO., 
 
 7, EAST HARDING STREET, GOUGH SQUARE, FLEET STREET. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 . . 7 
 
 Preface . g 
 
 Introduction . 
 
 CHAP. I. 
 
 Advantages of an Oceanic Communication through the Ame 
 rican Isthmus, and preference which ought to be given to 
 the Territory of Tehuantepec over those of Panama and 
 Nicaragua . 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 The Isthmus of Tehuantepec had been decreed to be opened by 
 the Spanish Cortes, 30 April, 1814. Proposals of Don Jose de 
 Garay to the Mexican Government, and terms of the grants made 
 to him.—Scientific Commission of Survey appointed by Don J. 
 de Garay,—departure of the Commission from Mexico —motives 
 of Confidence to be placed in the Reports of the Commission . . 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 
 Notices of different Authors, ancient and modern, who have spoken 
 
 of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec,—Cortes,—Dampier,—Cramer,— 
 Humboldt,—Robinson,—Tadeo de Ortiz,—Orbegoza .... 
 
 CHAP. IV. 
 
 Proceedings of the Commission of survey of the Isthmus,— 
 measurement of a base line on the beach between St. Mateo and 
 Santa Maria.—Examination of the district of Tehuantepec, Las 
 Ventosas and near the Morro unfit for Anchorages, trigono¬ 
 metrical operations at San Dionisio, Camotepec, and Juchitan. 
 Examination of the Upper and Lower Lagoons, the Bocabarra, 
 
VI 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 —the river Ostuta,—its waters to feed the proposed Canal,—the 
 ground north of Chivela, Guichicovi, and Boca de Monte,—first 
 sight of the Coatzacoalcos at Mai Paso, its transparency, firm Clay 
 banks, slow current,—its borders lined with thick woods.—Excur¬ 
 sion down its course to its mouth,—weather then unfavorable for 
 observations.—Visit to Acayucam,—the Jumuapa.—Return to 
 Tarifa,—Venta de Chicapa,—ground examined from San Miguel 
 to the river del Corte,—the Upper Coatzacoalcos.—Cerro de 
 Albricias,—the view from this fixes the choice for the passage 
 of the Canal over the Gap of Tarifa,—its minute description.— 
 Departure of Capts. Robles and Gonzales to survey the Coat¬ 
 zacoalcos,—the river Chicapa.—Tarifa and the Ultimo Rancho 
 have the same level.—Volume of the waters of the Chicapa below 
 its junction with the Monetza.—Cerro delConvento.—Source of the 
 Monetza and river at Tarifa, same level,—also the Portillo ;—the 
 Ostuta examined and practicability of joining its waters by a 
 conduit to those of the Chicapa.—Capt. Robles completes the 
 survey of the lower Coatzacoalcos, and examines the upper waters 
 to the Sarabia.—Sr. Moro explores the ground from Tarifa to the 
 confluence of the Malatengo with the Coatzacoalcos, also from 
 Tarifa to the Rio del Corte.—Re-inspection of the proposed line of 
 Conduit for the joint waters of the Ostuta and Chicapa to Tarifa by 
 Messrs. Moro and Robles and their confirmation of its practica¬ 
 bility,—final return of the Commission to Tehuantepec, the explo¬ 
 ration of the Isthmus being completed.33 
 
 CHAP. V. 
 
 Survey of the Coatzacoalcos, rises in the Sierra Madre—examined 
 from the confluence of the Chimalapilla all the way to the sea.— 
 
 The streams of importance are, (on the right bank), the Chimala¬ 
 pilla,—del Pina],—Clialchijapa,—at the Horqueta the right branch 
 is called Apotzongo—branches re-unite near the Rancho del 
 Mariscal—Coacliapa—Uspanapan—Creek Coatajapa and several 
 useful Lagoons—(left bank) the Milagro—Escolapa—Malatengo 
 —Sarabia—Jumuapa—Jaltapec—the Naranjo and Penas Blancas 
 —the river divides at the Horqueta; to the left is the Mistan 
 forming the Island of Tacamichapa—Creeks, Tacojalpa, Ojazapa, 
 Cuamecatan, and Tacateno—the river Calzadas—which branches 
 off and enters the sea at the Barilla—The borders of the Coatzacoal¬ 
 cos and its tributaries covered with dyewoods, mahogany and 
 other fine trees and forests of timber fit for ship-building—the 
 Upper Coatzacoalcos abounds in lofty pine trees—Coatzacoalcos 
 navigable for the largest ships for 34i miles—the bar does not shift, 
 and leaves two entrances—has 20^ feet over its western passage— 
 
 This Harbour the finest in the Gulf of Mexico. 49 
 
 CHAP. VI. 
 
 Statistical notes of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. 
 
 58 
 
 Southern division in the department of Oajaca—the northern in that 
 of Vera Cruz—Inhabitants—Climate—Minerals—Vegetables— 
 Animals—Agriculture—Cattle—Salt—Industry—Antiquities 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 vii 
 
 CHAP. VII. 
 
 Projects. page. 
 
 Correction and clearance of the course of the Coatzacoalcos—closing 
 the entrance of the Mistan—Clearing entrance to the Bocabaira— 
 deepening the Channels of the Lagoons—first project—Waters of 
 the Ostuta and Chicapa led by watercourses to Tarifa—summit 
 level between the Monetza and Tarifa—line of cutting on both 
 sides, through argillaceous rocks, marl, clay, sands, and slates— 
 second project—to the Portillo the summit level and descent to the 
 Chicapa using its Channel.—Third project—summit level at Tarifa, 
 thence by the beds of the Chichihuaand Malatengo to the Coat¬ 
 zacoalcos ; and by the Monetza and Chicapa to the Lagoons . 82 
 
 CHAP. VIII. 
 
 Estimates of Expenses. 
 
 All materials upon the spot—calculations based on the first project— 
 Caledonian Caftal taken as the model—cost of 120 locks—50 miles 
 of Canal—watercourses of 18 miles between the Ostuta and Tarifa— 
 Correction of the Coatzacoalcos—total calculated cost £3,380,000. 
 
 —Sales of lands and produce will aid in carrying on the work— 
 provisional train and railways during the formation of the Canpl. 88 
 
 CHAP. IX. 
 
 Estimate' of Returns. 
 
 The Isthmus the nearest unoccupied tropical Country to Europe— 
 the nearest and safest route to the Pacific and Chinese seas—the 
 voyages to the West coast of America shortened by 6500 to 
 12,000 miles—Enumeration of the products of the Isthmus—pri¬ 
 vileges of Colonists—steam navigation and Coals—Salt—Free 
 Laborers—Commercial movement round Capes Horn and Good 
 Hope—transit dues—produce of Land—Steam navigation—dye- 
 woods, timber, and fine woods—value of other articles—total an¬ 
 nual receipts on the completion of the communication calculated at 
 £1,200,000.—Extract from a Report made to the Congress of the 
 United States in 1839 . 94 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 No. 1. Memorial of Don Jose de Garay soliciting the privilege of 
 
 opening a communication between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans 
 
 through the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.102 
 
 No. 2. Edict ordering the opening of the Isthmus with the grants 
 therein specified, and Contract between the supreme government 
 
 and Don Jose de Garay.104 
 
 No. 3. Deeree by which the government declares that all lands 
 granted previous to the decree of the 1st of March, both to Natives 
 and Foreigners, and which are neither tenanted, nor cultivated, 
 belong to Don Jose de Ge.’ ay.107 
 
Vlll 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 No. 4. Communication from Don Jose de Garay, informing the 
 supreme Government that the survey of the Isthmus was con¬ 
 cluded,—and answer to the same from the government.108 
 
 No. 5. Decree granting to Don Jose de Garay, the term of a year, 
 
 according to his request for the commencement of the works. . . 109 
 
 A. 
 
 OBSERVATIONS. 
 
 Table I. Latitudes astronomically determined.Ill 
 
 „ 2. Geographical positions of the principal points of the Trian¬ 
 gulation ib. 
 
 Table 3. Altitudes from Trigonometrical measurements . . . . 113 
 
 ,, 4. Barometrical altitudes.ib. 
 
 „ 5. Heights above the level of the sea on the road from Tehu¬ 
 antepec to Puebla.114 
 
 B. 
 
 GEOLOGY. * 
 
 Catalogue of the Geological collection founded in the Isthmus by the 
 Commission. 115 
 
 C. 
 
 STATISTICS. 
 
 Table I. Notices of the towns and villages in the southern divison of 
 
 the Isthmus with their population.119 
 
 “ 2 Notice of the principal Haciendas and Ranchos of the 
 
 southern division with their number of cattle.120 
 
 “ 3 Towns and Villages of the Northern division, population 
 
 and cattle.121 
 
 “ 4 Haciendas and Ranchoes of the northern division— 
 
 population and cattle.122 
 
 “ 5 Summary of Inhabitants and cattle.123 
 
 D. 
 
 Table of distances to the principal ports in the Pacific and Indian 
 Oceans, compared with voyages to the same, via the Isthmus of 
 Tehuantepec .125 
 
 E. 
 
 Table of various canals in the United States—Canada—France— 
 Holland—and Great Britain.128 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 In presenting this account of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec to 
 the Public, the Editors deem it necessary to premise that it 
 has been principally compiled from two reports published in 
 London, in the year 1844, by Sr. Gaetano Moro, the Engi¬ 
 neer, under whose superintendence the Survey was executed; 
 and it has been their endeavour, in all statements of facts, to 
 give them as near as possible, in the words of Sr. Moro, as 
 found in his publications. 
 
 They have, however, thought it advisable to re-arrang«. the 
 materials in their present order, differing in this respect from 
 the work of Sr. Moro. They have omitted such parts as 
 purely described the scientific methods adopted by the engi¬ 
 neers, but the results are carefully preserved in the Appendix, 
 in a tabular form, as given by theirtselves. 
 
 The Comparison of the various proposed lines of Commu¬ 
 nication across the American Isthmus has been stated, with 
 some additions, not given by Sr. Moro, but which are ren¬ 
 dered necessary in consequence of a Report by M. Garella, 
 on the Isthmus of Panama, having appeared in the Journal 
 des Debats in Paris, on the 15th January, 1846, while this 
 work was still in the press. 
 
 The chapter of Estimates of Returns did not appear in Sr. 
 Moro’s first work. The materials he collected in his addi¬ 
 tional Report have, however, been made use of by the present 
 Editors, with some modifications. 
 
10 
 
 A Comparative Table of Distances which would result from 
 opening a Ship Canal across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, prov¬ 
 ing at one view the palpable advantages of such an enterprise 
 being accomplished, is now given for the first time ; as also 
 a Table of various Canals in different countries, shewing that 
 the proposed Canal of Tehuantepec differs in no extraordinary 
 degree in any of its dimensions of length, depth, breadth, 
 lockage, or summit level to be crossed, from similar works 
 already executed in Great Britain, France, Holland, or the 
 United States—these will be found in the Appendix, such 
 additional information being deemed useful to the public for 
 forming a correct estimate of all the bearings of the present 
 Project now submitted to its judgment for approval. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 On inspecting the map of the American isthmus, the idea 
 naturally suggests itself that the narrowest portions of it are 
 those which would probably offer the greatest facilities for 
 the opening of a communication from the Atlantic to the 
 Pacific Ocean, and from this circumstance they have always 
 attracted a greater share of attention. Repeated surveys 
 having, however, proved that under these deceptive appear¬ 
 ances were concealed difficulties almost insurmountable, the 
 public mind has, at last, become accustomed to consider the 
 enterprise as one of the most gigantic. 
 
 The recent survey of the isthmus of Tehuantepec, ex¬ 
 ecuted under the direction of the engineer Sr. Gaetano 
 Moro, has proved beyond all doubt, the fallacy of this 
 opinion. He was well aware, notwithstanding, that a deeply 
 rooted prejudice is not easily eradicated, and he felt the more 
 anxious, when the truth of the practicability of the work 
 presented itself forcibly to his mind, after the most careful 
 and oft repeated observations, to impart to others the intimate 
 conviction which he felt upon the subject; and in this spirit 
 he penned his Reports which were published in 1844. His 
 efforts have not been altogether fruitless—public feeling 
 in favour of a work, anxiously looked for during three cen¬ 
 turies, has been once more revived by the prospect of in¬ 
 creased facilities for its attainment—men of science and prac¬ 
 tical knowledge in various countries, both of the Old and the 
 New world, have given their careful attention to the subject, 
 and freely expressed their unqualified assent to his views 
 through the medium of the public press—and the probabilities 
 of success no longer rest on his bare assertion, unsupported by 
 
12 
 
 the testimony of high authority. It has been seen that the 
 work proposed, far from exceeding the ordinary means of 
 attainment, falls considerably short of such as are the object 
 of daily enterprise, so much so indeed, that it is not even 
 beyond the reach of individual exertion. The outlay of a 
 comparatively insignificant sum would be sufficient to meet 
 the first expenses and establish in the Isthmus a temporary 
 line of transit. The produce of the country would subse¬ 
 quently furnish the necessary means, to complete the work 
 in a few years. 
 
 Bat this ’would entail a delay to which it is more than pro¬ 
 bable there will be no necessity to submit. Works, which 
 though of great magnitude are of undoubted and acknow¬ 
 ledged public utility, fail only to be undertaken whilst there 
 exists a doubt of their practicability; the latter once esta¬ 
 blished the execution must follow, sooner or later, in the 
 natural and infallible order of things. The opening of the 
 Isthmus of Tehuantepec is in the number of such under¬ 
 takings ; the question, therefore, is not whether the work can 
 and will be accomplished, but who shall undertake it; and 
 under these circumstances, it should be borne in mind that 
 the nation whose subjects shall have more immediately con¬ 
 tributed to the accomplishment of this great work will natu¬ 
 rally acquire in the Isthmus the largest share of its advantages. 
 
 It is, therefore, with a view to incite our countrymen to 
 the undertaking of so great and important an enterprize that 
 the present account of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec is now 
 placed before them, in the firm conviction that the statements 
 therein contained merit every confidence, and which, when 
 more generally known, will be fully appreciated, and receive 
 the patronage of an enlightened and discerning Public. 
 
CHAPTER I. 
 
 Advantages of an Oceanic Communication, through the American 
 Isthmus; and Preference which ought to he given to the Territory 
 of Tehuantepec over those of Panama and Nicaragua . 
 
 The project of a communication between the Atlantic and 
 Pacific Oceans, has been the object of scientific investigation 
 ever since the discovery of America, and had always attracted 
 the attention of the Spanish Government during the pe¬ 
 riod that a great portion of that country formed an integral 
 part of the monarchy. 
 
 Christopher Columbus was the first to estimate the great 
 importance to the whole world of a maritime communication, 
 across the American Isthmus. The advantages that would 
 result from it are indeed so evident, and the lucid observations 
 of Humboldt, are so well known and appreciated, that it ap¬ 
 pears to be needless to repeat them in this place; we will there¬ 
 fore only add a few other remarks which will give them a 
 more extensive application. 
 
 It is generally acknowledged that if the communication be 
 once effected, all the vessels which from their ultimate desti¬ 
 nation are now compelled to double Cape Horn, would, 
 of course, pursue their route through the Isthmus. It is also 
 admitted, that in consequence of the favourable winds and 
 currents, this voyage would be preferred to that round the Cape 
 of Good Hope, even for vessels proceeding from Europe to 
 China and Japan ; but it is believed that it would be by no 
 means equally convenient for their return from China to Eu¬ 
 rope, still less for the voyages to and from the East Indies. 
 
14 
 
 If, in order to solve this problem, we were to consider only 
 the positive distance that separates the extreme points of these 
 navigations, only about 1000 miles would be gained in the lat¬ 
 ter case by following the course through the Isthmus in pre¬ 
 ference to that at present adopted round the Cape of Good 
 Hope; but if, on the one hand, we take into consideration the 
 difficulties and dangers to be encountered in this navigation, 
 and on the other the advantages which might be derived from 
 making a halt half way, in a country undoubtedly destined by 
 its natural wealth to the highest future prosperity, as well as 
 the additional and incalculable advantage of being enabled to 
 estimate beforehand the probable length of the voyage, it can¬ 
 not be doubted for an instant that the course through the Isth¬ 
 mus ought at all times to be preferred. This opinion, which 
 may now appear doubtful, will certainly cease to be so on that 
 day, probably not far distant, when the progress of mechani¬ 
 cal science will enable the mariner to disregard altogether the 
 uncertainty of the wind, and when that route will be deemed 
 the best which offers the safest navigation. 
 
 The American isthmus extends from the Gulf of Darien, 
 where it is united to South America, as far as Tehuantepec, 
 where North America may be said to commence. Different 
 parts of this isthmus have appeared to offer advantages in their 
 topographical form, and have invited attention to their fitness 
 for the desired communication. It was however soon observed 
 that only three of these localities were worthy of consideration; 
 namely, those which from the principal towns in their territory 
 are designated by way of distinction, isthmus of Panama, of 
 Nicaragua, and of Tehuantepec. 
 
 In respect to the first of these named places the distance 
 between the two oceans is only 41 miles. It is impossible 
 therefore to examine the map of the American isthmus with¬ 
 out being inclined to consider this point as the most eligible. 
 The distance that divides the two seas is greater at Nicaragua, 
 namely 93 miles, but being intersected by a lake of vast dimen¬ 
 sions, this point would also appear to offer considerable advan¬ 
 tages. Lastly, the territory of Tehuantepec, forming a conti¬ 
 nued line of 136 miles is that which upon a superficial exami- 
 
15 
 
 nation seems to present the greatest obstacles for the accom¬ 
 plishment of the object contemplated. 
 
 However, notwithstanding these appearances, as a greater or 
 less distance is not the only circumstance to be considered, it 
 precisely happens in the three above-mentioned instances that 
 the practicability of the work is in an inverse ratio to the short¬ 
 ness of the distance; and thus, whilst in the present state 
 of our knowledge its execution is apparently impossible at 
 Panama, and attended with immense difficulties at Nicaragua, 
 we find it practicable and easy at Tehuantepec, 
 
 The isthmus of Panama has been from the time of the con¬ 
 quest the object of the most diligent investigations, and it is 
 an error to suppose that the Spanish Government never paid 
 any attention to this subject. Unfortunately not one of the 
 explorations which were made offered any satisfactory result, 
 and the silence relative to this subject, which was maintained 
 by the celebrated astronomers who at the close of the last cen¬ 
 tury resided for some time in these regions, is the greatest 
 proof that they had no favourable tidings to communicate to 
 the world upon this important matter^ 
 
 The form and topographical aspect of a country so limited 
 in extent, and which had attracted a considerable share of 
 public attention, could not possibly remain unknown during 
 three centuries, and it was very evident that there were not in 
 either of the two opposite coasts any natural harbours to which 
 the extremities of a canal could be directed. It has been lately 
 asserted that all difficulties had disappeared, and that it would 
 be as easy to construct a canal in Panama as it would be in 
 Holland. The most recent report, however, of intelligent en¬ 
 gineers purposely sent thither to ascertain the facts seems on 
 the contrary to point out the great obstacles which the terri¬ 
 tory presents to an enterprise of this nature ; but even suppos¬ 
 ing that the topographical aspect of the ground offered no 
 difficulty whatever, there are others quite sufficient to render 
 it impracticable, and which unfortunately cannot be remedied. 
 
 Monsieur Michel Chevalier, while examining the circum¬ 
 stances which ought to be kept in view T in selecting the most 
 
If) 
 
 appropriate place for an oceanic communication, very justly 
 observes that one of the most important is its salubrity. He 
 says : 
 
 “ However great might be the saving of time effected by 
 “ steering through the Isthmus, it would always be shunned by 
 “ vessels if it were to prove a charnel-house.” 
 
 The climate of the isthmus of Panama is acknowledged to 
 be dangerous, a fact confirmed by the accounts of Humboldt 
 and other writers. The fear of its unhealthiness was one of 
 the causes that prevented the assembling of a Congress there, 
 after the emancipation of the States of Spanish America, in 
 order to establish a system of general policy suited to the 
 interests of the American nations. The same fear pre¬ 
 vented the engineers, Lloyd and Falmarc, remaining in the 
 Isthmus a sufficient time to complete the labours of the 
 exploration, which they undertook in 1827 and 1828 by order 
 of General Bolivar. To this grievous cause is likewise to be 
 ascribed the paucity of population and the want of the neces¬ 
 sary means of existence in that isthmus. 
 
 The Isthmus of Panama has been lately explored by M. 
 Garella, an Engineer appointed b}' the French Government, 
 and, (whilst this work was still in the press) the results of his 
 investigations have been given to the public in the Journal des 
 Debats dated the 15th January this year, (1846). 
 
 The following are the most remarkable facts contained in 
 that Report, and they decidedly confirm the opinions now ge¬ 
 nerally entertained that the cutting of a Ship Canal is an im¬ 
 possibility across the Isthmus of Panama. 
 
 M. Garella first, gives his opinion that a Ship Canal across 
 the American Isthmus at any of the points spoken of can 
 alone satisfy the wants of Commerce and the just expectations 
 of the civilized World; but if such a work cannot be accom¬ 
 plished, then he says distinctly that it would be money and 
 pains thrown away to do anything more than to keep open a 
 common well constructed road. A railroad would be quite 
 preposterous over such an unhealthy country as the Isthmus 
 of Panama. The only interests to be benefitted by such an 
 
17 
 
 arrangement might be respectively the mail and passenger 
 steam boats on the Atlantic and the Pacific ; but would not 
 be of the least utililty to the general trade of the world. 
 
 A railroad would at first sight appear to offer facilities for 
 the transit of goods across the Isthmus, but it at once involves 
 the necessity of every cargo requiring two vessels before it 
 could be delivered at its port of destination, one for the Pacific, 
 the other for the Atlantic. Next, even were that thought 
 no difficulty, these two vessels must be so exactly timed as 
 to be on the respective sides of the Isthmus on the same day 
 and that would be out of the question to combine for China or 
 New Zealand voyages; nor could such a railway be of the 
 slightest use to the vessels destined for the Fisheries and other 
 traffic over the immense Pacific ocean. Warehouse-room for 
 goods would have to be provided for an indefinite time on both 
 sides the Isthmus; passengers would run the risk of fever dur¬ 
 ing this delay; and although it may be said the mail boat steam¬ 
 ers might almost calculate to an hour their respective arrivals 
 yet even this only takes place once in the month, and how is 
 such a limited traffic to pay the cost of maintaining the rail¬ 
 way the whole year round ? and what is to be the fate of all 
 the officers and workmen who must remain at their posts every 
 day in the year in the deadly marshes of Panama ? 
 
 Even for the full security of passengers, mails, and treasure, 
 costly harbours must be formed on both coasts which will 
 greatly add to the extravagant expenses; so that with all these 
 accumulations of charges, difficulties, and dangers, with the 
 tolls of transit, and duties to the government superadded, there 
 would be less expense and risk after all by the old route of Cape 
 Horn! therefore Mr. Garella is quite right in asserting that 
 the present mode of transit across the Isthmns of Panama by 
 mules and horses, or perhaps common carriages on a macadam¬ 
 ized road, is all that can be done even for the sole advantage of 
 the mail steam-boats that visit this Isthmus 12 times in the 
 year. 
 
 Mr. Garella next proceeds to investigate the possibility of 
 forming a Ship Canal across the Isthmus of Panama, and with¬ 
 out detailing all his plans and calculations, we extract the fol- 
 
 B 
 
18 
 
 lowing to shew what difficulties such a project has to en¬ 
 counter. 
 
 Having examined all the passes, he made choice of the route 
 commencing at the little Bay of Vaca de Monte 20 Kilo¬ 
 metres (12 miles) west of Panama, he makes it 54f Kilo¬ 
 metres (34 miles) to the river Chagres; passing over the gap 
 of Ahogayegua 140 metres (or 460 feet) above the sea level; 
 and continuing 9^ Kilometres (5j miles) in the bed of the 
 Chagres as far as Gatun, he then goes direct to the Bay of 
 Limon a distance of \2\ Kilometres (7f miles) being a total of 
 76 Kilometres (47-J- miles) from sea to sea. 
 
 Mr. Garella admits the impossibility of any supply of water 
 being conveyed to the summit level of the gap of Ahogayegua 
 though it be no more than 140 metres (460 feet) high. The 
 greatest height to which water could be conveyed by trenches is 
 41 metres (131 feet). 
 
 This suggests the necessity of adopting one or other of the 
 following plans. Either to make an open cutting at the gap 
 of Ahogayegua to the level to which water can be conducted 
 which would require locks for every 3 metres of height—there 
 would be on one side lockage for 48 metres, and on the other 
 54 metres, on account of the difference of tides in the two 
 oceans. Or to pierce a tunnel at the same elevation, of dimen¬ 
 sions sufficient to let ships of 1200 tons burthen pass through 
 with their lower masts standing ! of these two projects Mr. 
 Garella inclines to the latter if the public could at all be led 
 to contemplate the possibility of its execution. And these are 
 the dimensions he deems sufficient for the object. 
 
 Height from the bottom of Canal to crown of the Arch 37 metres (122 feet.) 
 
 Breadth.21 „ ( 69 feet.) 
 
 Total length 5350 metres or 5900 yards. 
 
 This would further require approaches of open cuttings 45 
 to 50 metres deep (165 feet). 
 
 This tunnel M. Garella thinks would be cut through a solid 
 rock of porphyry therefore probably not exposed to the chance 
 of falling in and possibly requiring little or no masonry. 
 However, allowing that this last might cost 14 millions of 
 
19 
 
 francs (£560,000), he calculates the total expense of such a 
 tunnel at about 50 millions of francs, or £2,000,000. 
 
 The two trenches required as water conduits would be of 62 
 and 37 Kilom. that is 38J and 23 miles long, and it is further 
 thought that reservoirs might be formed in the gorges of the 
 neighbouring hills at small expense. 
 
 The cost of constructing harbours at Vaca de Monte, and 
 the Bay of Limon enter into Mr. Garella’s calculations for the 
 sum of 12 millions, or £480,000. 
 
 Mr. Garella makes the grand total for the canal, tunnel, 
 conduits, and ports, amount to the sum of 139 millions of 
 francs, or £5,560,000. 
 
 Upon this statement we have the following observations to 
 make : 
 
 First , Mr. Garella abandons at once the first project of an 
 open cutting as an impossibility, from the vastness of the di¬ 
 mensions to be excavated, which would be of three times the 
 size of the tunnel, even supposing it to admit of being per¬ 
 pendicularly wall-sided. 
 
 Secondly , Supposing a tunnel could be cut as stated, all ves¬ 
 sels would have to strip their masts and rigging at the port of 
 arrival, and replace them at the port of departure, operations of 
 great difficulty and delay in any place, and dreadful risk of the 
 lives of the crews in such a pestiferous climate as Panama. 
 
 Thirdly , The breadth of the proposed tunnel and lockage at¬ 
 tached to it would only accommodate one vessel at a time, and 
 sufficient breadth of towing-path is not allowed for; light and 
 ventilation are not alluded to. 
 
 Fourthlyy The dimensions given by Mr. Garella make 
 the excavation about eight times that of the Box tunnel 
 on the Great Western Railway; and the solid contents of 
 4,156,950 Cubic Metres, is calculated to cost only 12 francs 
 each Cubic metre. Now we happen to know by long expe¬ 
 rience of mining operations within the tropics, that in cutting 
 through such a porphyry rock as Mr. Garella describes, each 
 Cubic metre would cost at the lowest estimate 60 francs, or 5 
 times more than Mr. Garella’s estimate that is nearly 250 mil¬ 
 lions of francs, or £10,000,000 for the tunnel alone. 
 
 jb 2 
 
20 
 
 Fifthly , The calculation of Mr. Garella takes no account of 
 the time required for the execution of the work ; the expense 
 of conveying European Artizans to the spot, and the heavy sa¬ 
 laries they must receive to compensate the risk of life they run 
 at Panama; nor the cost of transmission of funds to pay the 
 expenses ; nor the weight of a heavy administration to super¬ 
 intend the works. 
 
 It may therefore be taken for proved from Mr. Garella’s 
 report ; first, that a railroad over any one of the proposed com¬ 
 munications across the American Isthmus would be profitless 
 to all the world, even to the Atlantic and Pacific Mail Packet 
 Companies; and secondly that the cutting a Ship Canal across 
 the Isthmus of Fanama is not only beyond the resources of na¬ 
 tions such as England, France, or the United States, but it may 
 be said to be almost an impossibility. 
 
 The isthmus of Nicaragua possesses a fertile territory, a 
 healthy climate, and is not deficient in population. Towards 
 the north, the lake of Nicaragua communicates with the Atlan¬ 
 tic by means of the river St. John, and to the south, only a 
 small distance separates this lake from the shore of the Pacific. 
 Thus the isthmus of Nicaragua seems to offer many advan¬ 
 tages ; but upon a more minute examination there appear 
 many difficulties, and these of an almost insurmountable 
 nature. 
 
 From the report published by command of the government 
 of the state of Nicaragua in reference 4o the exploration of that 
 isthmus, effected during the years 1837 and 1838 by Mr. J. 
 Bailey, it seems that the course of the river St. John with all 
 its windings is about 93 miles in length, six and a half of which 
 are obstructed by four rapids, caused by ledges of rocks stretch¬ 
 ing across the whole width of the river. These obstacles, and 
 the long course of the river were considered suph formidable 
 impediments as to suggest the construction of a canal as an 
 easier operation than that of rendering the river itself navi¬ 
 gable. 
 
 Towards the south, a distance of nearly 17 miles between 
 the lake and the Pacific, the territory is occupied by a chain 
 of mountains which, although not very elevated, would occa- 
 
21 
 
 sion works of extraordinary magnitude. It would be neces¬ 
 sary to excavate a considerable portion of it to a depth much 
 greater than has been hitherto customary in works of this kind 
 and throughout more than 3J miles it would be indispensable 
 to bore the mountains, and open a tunnel of sufficient dimen¬ 
 sions to admit the large vessels employed in transatlantic navi¬ 
 gation. The impossibility of attaining such an object we have 
 already shewn above, in speaking of the proposed tunnel at Pa¬ 
 nama, especially if the nucleus of the chain to be pierced through 
 consists, as well as the Andes of which it forms a part, of gra¬ 
 nite or ancient porphyry, as there is every reason to believe 
 notwithstanding the superficial experiments made by Bailey. 
 
 On the side of the Atlantic the port of San Juan de Nicara¬ 
 gua, into which the river San Juan empties itself over a bar 
 with only 3 feet water upon it, now only affords anchorage for 
 a few vessels drawing 10 feet water; and could not be formed 
 into a harbour for large ships except at an enormous expense. 
 
 The port of St. John south, which would be reached on the 
 Pacific side, is not adequate from its very small dimensions to 
 the required object, and moreover it appears that with the 
 prevailing north and north-east winds its access is not only 
 difficult but even dangerous. 
 
 In the isthmus of Tehuantepec, the greater part of the dis¬ 
 tance which separates the two seas is occupied on the south by 
 lagoons and extensive plains, and on the north it is traversed 
 by the river Coatzacoalcos; so that the principal works to be 
 executed would be comprised within a space of about 50 miles 
 in length. 
 
 The present project is the formation of a Ship Canal calcu¬ 
 lated for the passage of vessels drawing 20 feet water ; it will 
 have excellent ports at its extremities; and the materials for 
 construction cannot be more abundant, superior in quality, or 
 better distributed. A climate remarkable for its salubrity fa¬ 
 vours also the isthmus of Tehuantepec, and the departments 
 of which it forms a part, number a population of seven hundred 
 and fifty thousand inhabitants. 
 
 The admirable fertility of the soil, and the abundance of cat¬ 
 tle and resources of all descriptions would enable the vessels 
 
22 
 
 to renew their provisions at easy prices at the Isthmus, there¬ 
 fore they might devote a greater portion of their hold to the 
 storing of merchandise. 
 
 Besides these purely local advantages, the isthmus of Te¬ 
 huantepec offers over those of Nicaragua and Panama others of 
 a more general nature for navigation, affording to vessels pro¬ 
 ceeding to Asia or the N.W. coast of America, a communica¬ 
 tion more direct and through a more genial climate. On their 
 return, they are now obliged to keep in northern latitudes, and 
 direct their course towards the Californias, in order to escape 
 the influence of the trade-winds, and for these also the route 
 through the isthmus of Tehuantepec would be much less cir¬ 
 cuitous. Lastly, the fresh but not dangerous north and north¬ 
 easterly winds are common to the whole of the American isth¬ 
 mus, but Tehuantepec is not subject to the protracted calms 
 which at some seasons of the year paralyse navigation at 
 Panama. 
 
 The table D in the Appendix, shews a comparison of the dis¬ 
 tances of the voyages to the principal places in the Pacific and 
 Indian Oceans affected by the opening of the proposed Tehu¬ 
 antepec Ship Canal, ‘the immediate advantages of which to,* 
 Navigation are palpable without further demonstration. 
 
23 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 The Isthmus of Tehuantepec had been decreed to be opened by the 
 Spanish Cortes.—Proposals of Don Jose de Garay to the Mexican 
 Government:—terms of the Grants made to him.-—Scientific Com¬ 
 mission of Survey appointed by Don Jose de Garay .—-Departure 
 of the Commission from Mexico.—Confidence due to the Reports 
 of the Commission. 
 
 The Spanish Cortes, having in view all that had been written 
 upon this subject, and the various reports presented by persons 
 charged with the surveys of the principal points suggested 
 for the communication, by a decree of the 30th April 1814, 
 authorised the opening of a canal across the isthmus of Tehuan¬ 
 tepec in preference to those of Nicaragua and Panama. 
 
 Since the declaration of the Independence of Mexico, no 
 doubt from the distraction of political contests engrossing all 
 other thoughts, the Government has been unable, until very 
 lately, to turn its attention to the realization of this grand 
 enterprize. 
 
 However, in the year 1842, propositions were submitted to 
 the Mexican Government by Don Joseph de Garay for the 
 opening of a communication over this Isthmus. (Appendix 
 No. I.) 
 
 These propositions were declared to be accepted, by a decree 
 of the first of March of the same year, and on the following 
 day an edict was published, proclaiming that on such commu¬ 
 nication being effected, the transit should be open to all nations 
 not at war with Mexico. 
 
 This decree concedes to Mr. Garay the exclusive privilege 
 of executing the work; and as a remuneration grants him the 
 establishment of the means of transport, with the right of tolls 
 
24 
 
 for fifty years; and the proprietorship of the waste lands, 
 comprising a breadth of ten leagues on either side of the 
 line of communication. It further authorizes, with ample 
 privileges, the settling of colonies within fifty leagues on both 
 sides of the line; and concedes the exclusive employment of 
 steam locomotive power within the Isthmus for the period of 
 sixty years: adding also in the same, as well as subsequent 
 decrees, many other concessions of importance. (See Ap¬ 
 pendix, No. II. and III.) 
 
 Mr. Garay, being bound, at his expense, to make all the 
 surveys necessary for the execution of the work, named the 
 following scientific Commission for that purpose, viz :— 
 
 Director. 
 
 Signor Gaetano Moro. 
 
 Engineers. 
 
 Lieutenant-Colonel De La Troupliniere, 
 
 Captain Gonzalez, of the Staff Corps. 
 
 Secretary and Treasurer. 
 
 Don Pedro Garay, First Officer of the Ministry of War. 
 
 Assistant. 
 
 Don Mauro Guido, Lieutenant of the Navy. 
 
 This Commission set out for Tehuantepec on the 30th April, 
 of the same year amply provided with every thing requisite; 
 and as the following Memoir is compiled from the reports al¬ 
 ready presented to the Public in the past year by Sr. Moro, this 
 chapter cannot more appropriately be concluded than by inser¬ 
 ting verbatim the last few sentences from his work. 
 
 “ I may perhaps be allowed, in presenting this Report, to ex- 
 “ press my ardent wdshes that our labours in the isthmus may 
 “ not be considered in reference only to whatever scientific me- 
 “ rit they may possess, but as the means by which a most im- 
 “ portant fact has been ascertained, and which I have described 
 “ with the strictest conscientiousness. Should it be so, I am 
 “ not without hopes that the great work which has been dur- 
 “ ing three centuries so anxiously desired, and which the 
 
25 
 
 “ present commercial and political state of the world loudly 
 “ demands, will at length be undertaken. 
 
 “ Many circumstances concur at the present moment high- 
 “ ly conducive to its execution, and which ought to be made 
 “ available. 
 
 “ The zealous interest which the Mexican Government 
 “ has taken in the matter is clearly demonstrated by the libe- 
 “ ral concession made to the Projector, and by the promptness 
 ‘ ‘ with which all his applications have been favourably answer- 
 “ ed, as may be seen by comparing their dates with those of 
 ‘‘ the corresponding decrees inserted in the following Appen- 
 “ ’dix. 
 
 “ The Government of Mexico had undertaken to afford 
 “ every protection and assistance in its power to the enter- 
 “ prise of Don Jose de Garay, and all the orders issued with 
 “ this view were punctually fulfilled. The Commission owe 
 “ their most sincere acknowledgments to the local authorities 
 “ of the isthmus. Ail the public officers vied with each other 
 “ in affording every possible assistance to the Commission ; 
 “ forwarding their object by means of circulars and orders to 
 “ the inferior authorities, and readily furnishing all the infor- 
 “ mation and particulars concerning their object which might 
 “ be useful and interesting. 
 
 “ The inhabitants of that territory evinced the greatest de- 
 “ sire for the realization of this great undertaking, and the 
 “ Commissioners were never compelled to make use of the 
 “ armed force which had been placed at their disposal. This 
 “ favourable disposition was never so apparent as during the 
 “ act by which Don Jose de Garay was legally put in posses- 
 “ sion by order of the Government of the territories granted to 
 “ him, since besides its having been effected with the greatest 
 “ order, the proprietors of the adjacent lands who were present 
 “ declared before the civil and judicial authorities, that they 
 “ had no objections whatever to offer to the concessions, as 
 “ they did not at all affect their property. 
 
 “ The Commission, fully impressed with the importance of 
 “ their mission, did not wish to assert any thing on mere con- 
 “ jecture, nor to be guided by report which so frequently 
 
26 
 
 “ proves erroneous. They would not, in fact, venture a single 
 " assertion beyond what they could affirm to have seen and 
 “ investigated by their own observations. In so doing they 
 “ acted in accordance with the wishes of the projector, Don 
 “ Joseph de Garay, who conceived the undertaking with the 
 “ grandeur it deserved, nor would they otherwise have accept- 
 “ ted the trust with which they were honoured. 
 
 “ The public, to whom this report is addressed, may there- 
 “ fore trust the correctness and fidelity of the assertions which 
 “ it contains, ascribing only to inefficiency whatever errors of 
 “ calculation may have been committed, but by no means to a 
 “ want of zeal and conscientious diligence on the part of the 
 “ Commissioners. 
 
27 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 
 Notices of different Authors , ancient and modern , who have spoken of 
 the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. — Cortes. — Dampier. — Cramer .— 
 Humboldt. — Robinson .— Tadeo de Ortiz. — Orbego^o. — Balbi. 
 
 The first point to which the Commission directed its atten¬ 
 tion was the investigation of all the former data upon the 
 subject of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. 
 
 I. 
 
 With the great Hernando Cortes originated the idea of 
 a communication by this isthmus between the two oceans. 
 Its topographical advantages evidently did not escape the per¬ 
 spicacity of that extraordinary man ; for it cannot be ex¬ 
 plained why, in the midst of a country in general so pro¬ 
 digiously fertile, he should have chosen for his own domain 
 the only portion of it comparatively unproductive, unless he 
 clearly saw that any mode of communication to be hereafter 
 carried into effect must necessarily be executed over this 
 ground. 
 
 It appears from many passages in his celebrated letters to 
 the Emperor Charles V., to have been an object of intense 
 interest with Cortes to discover some strait which might natu¬ 
 rally unite the two seas. In the outset he was encouraged 
 by brilliant expectations, and he announced that he had al¬ 
 ready directed several vessels “ to run along the Bay of As- 
 “ cension in search of the strait, which it was supposed was 
 to be there found.” 
 
 In the meanwhile as his hopes of finding a strait were wan¬ 
 ing, the isthmus of Tehuantepec necessarily acquired greater 
 and new importance in the eyes of Cortes. And it was he who 
 
28 
 
 conceived the idea of a lucrative speculation by means of a 
 road over the Isthmus, to supply Spain with the spices of the 
 East Indies and the products of such new regions as he ex¬ 
 pected to discover. 
 
 II. 
 
 Towards the end of the seventeenth century Dampier, 
 speaking of the Coatzacoalcos, said—“ This is one of the prin- 
 “ cipal rivers of this coast; it is not half the breadth of the 
 “ Tabasco river, but deeper. Its bar is less dangerous than 
 “ any on this coast, there being fourteen feet of water, and but 
 “little sea: within the bar there is much greater depth, and 
 “ a bed of soft oasie ground.” * * * * “ This river hath 
 
 “ its rise near the South Sea, and is navigable a great way 
 “ into land, especially with boats or small craft.” 
 
 III. 
 
 The oldest amongst the documents of greatest importance 
 which have been obtained, is the narrative of a voyage of dis¬ 
 covery which the engineer, Don Augustin Cramer, governor 
 of the castle of San Juan de Ulua, performed in 1774, by 
 order of the Viceroy, Don Antonio Maria Bucareli. His 
 report, although so brief as scarcely to occupy one sheet of 
 paper, is nevertheless a proof of sound judgment, and of the 
 professional views of a man of great capacity. 
 
 After his arrival at the isthmus, by the gulf of Mexico, he 
 commences with this important notice :—“ The bar of the 
 “ river Coatzacoalcos has on it at half-tide, 24 palms of water, 
 “ excepting a very small portion of its length, on which there 
 " are only 18 palms.” 
 
 “ These soundings correspond with those taken on the first 
 “ survey, and afterwards by me ; for which reason, and as fre- 
 “ quent soundings taken by the present pilots during the last 
 “ thirteen years agree with them, it may be inferred, that the 
 “ said bar is permanently in the same state, or that if any 
 “ variation occurs, it is so inconsiderable that it has escaped 
 " notice.” 
 
 “ After passing the bar, the river is six to eight fathoms 
 
 “ deep.” 
 
29 
 
 Cramer continues his narrative briefly describing, but with 
 admirable exactness, the course of the river up to Mai Paso, 
 and demonstrates the facilities which the country presents for 
 making a good road from this point to Tehuantepec, conclud¬ 
 ing with the remarkable observations here literally tran¬ 
 scribed. 
 
 “ The river-courses, with the mountain-chain interrupted 
 “ between Santa Maria Petapa and San Miguel Chimalapa, 
 “ and the evenness of the grounds, plainly indicate that it 
 “ would not be a work of great difficulty, nor excessively 
 “ costly, to effect a communication between the two seas 
 “ across this isthmus. In the supposition that the waters of 
 “ the rivers Almoloya and Citune were held back, a canal 
 “ might be opened to join them with those of the San Miguel 
 “ or Chicapa, the course of which into the Pacific Ocean, by 
 “ the bar of San Francisco, passes by the Venta de Chicapa, 
 “ and from this spot forwards there are no further difficulties, 
 “ because it is one perfect plain as far as Tehuantepec.” 
 
 An examination of the topography of the isthmus, will shew 
 how rational was this project, bearing in mind its application 
 to a canal of small dimensions, such as was contemplated by 
 Cramer. 
 
 IV. 
 
 It was with reference to these results that Baron de Hum¬ 
 boldt, after having very properly asserted that until his time 
 “ the topography of the isthmus of Tehuantepec was quite 
 “ unknown in Europe,” adds, “ we cannot doubt that this 
 “ point of the globe deserves no less attention than the lake 
 “ of Nicaragua.” However, it is evident that if the illus¬ 
 trious traveller ever saw any of the writings of Cramer upon 
 the subject, it could not be the one just mentioned, for there 
 is no allusion in it to the possibility alleged by the Baron, of 
 a canal “ without locks, or without inclined plane.” 
 
 y. 
 
 In 18^0 Robinson, speaking of the Coatzacoalcos, says, 
 “ it is the only port in the Mexican Gulf where vessels of war, 
 
30 
 
 “ and others of a large size, can enter, and is far superior ei- 
 “ ther to Pensacola or Espiritu Santo. There are at all sea- 
 “ sons on the bar, at the mouth of that port, twenty-two feet 
 “ water.” 
 
 VI. 
 
 When the Mexicans had established the independence of 
 their country, their first natural desire was to promote the 
 development of the various elements of prosperity which their 
 territory possesses. 
 
 In the year 1824, the state of Vera Cruz and the Federal 
 Government, appointed each a commission to survey the isth¬ 
 mus : the former chose Don Tadeo de Ortiz, and the latter 
 selected Colonel Don Juan de Orbegozo of the general staff; 
 but it was only after the return of our commission to Mexico, 
 that the reports of Senor Ortiz could be obtained. 
 
 His attention was especially directed to the promotion of 
 colonization, and the cultivation of these fertile and favour¬ 
 ed districts of the republic, upon all of which topics he enlar¬ 
 ges with much enthusiam ; but on what relates to our purpose 
 he furnishes no light whatever, and his plans are not admissi¬ 
 ble, excepting only in so far as they propose to render the 
 Coatzacoalcos navigable to the confluence of the Malatengo. 
 He also observed the facility with which the Boca Barra of San 
 Francisco might be opened for the admission of large ships. 
 
 In the sequel we shall advert to these observations, but li¬ 
 mit ourselves at present to quoting those which refer to the bar 
 of the Coatzacoalcos, and which are very important. 
 
 “ The bar of the Coatzacoalcos is permanent and constant, 
 
 <e forming two canals or channels; that to the left or the 
 “ west, has on it in the rainy season (that is, from the begin- 
 <( ning of June to the end of February) 3J fathoms of wa- 
 <c ter, or 21 feet, these being increased to 23 at high tides. 
 
 “ That on the right or to the east, has 2\ fathoms, or 15 feet, 
 
 “ and both during the dry season lessen three or four feet, the 
 “ principal channel maintaining itself at not less than 18 feet, 
 
 “ except perhaps under extraordinary circumstances. When 
 a vessel would effect an entrance, with a view only to grea- 
 “ ter security, the 15 feet channel should be preferred, because 
 
31 
 
 “ it has less current in it, and is probably wider, and because 
 “ when the sea-breeze blows hard, the currents are rapid in 
 “ the great channel setting from east to west, and without ta- 
 “ king a pilot it would be difficult if not dangerous to be en- 
 “ tered by vessels of great draft of water.” 
 
 “ Since the direction of the channels is from north to s'outh, 
 “ we are of opinion that vessels can enter with the wind from 
 “ north, north-east and the easterly and southerly monsoons, by 
 “ keeping to the wind. The prevailing winds offer no difficulty 
 “ with the same precaution, only attending to the currents, 
 “ which, as before said, run with rapidity from the east to the 
 “ west, and might cause vessels to be stranded. However, 
 “ there are probably some periodical variations to the pheno- 
 “ mena, which mariners would be the most competent to ap- 
 “ preciate for their guidance.” 
 
 “ The departure of vessels by both channels cannot of course 
 “ take place with the above winds, but easily with those from 
 “ the south and west, and off the land. The latter of which 
 “ almost every day prevails, at least during the rainy season, 
 “ from after midnight till eight or nine in the morning, when 
 “ the sea-breezes commence; on which account vessels should 
 “ proceed to sea after five o’clock a.m., until seven, but not 
 “ later than eight, which is allowing sufficient time for vessels 
 “ to be beyond the danger of drifting into the dangerous iron- 
 “ bound bay which is formed by the ridge of San Martin, run- 
 “ ning out to a promontory.” 
 
 It is evident that all these difficulties, described by Sehor 
 Ortiz for the entrance and exit of vessels, will completely 
 disappear by stationing steamers at the mouth of the harbour. 
 
 VII. 
 
 The survey of Senor Orbegozo was made contemporaneously 
 with that of Senor Ortiz, but he admits that he was in want 
 of many things, and that on this account the results of his 
 rapid examination must be defective under the unfavourable 
 circumstances in which he was placed. 
 
 The report of Senor Orbegozo commences like that of 
 Senor Cramer with a description of the course of the Coatza- 
 
32 
 
 coalcos; and he states that it has 14 feet water upon its bar; 
 but it is to be observed that probably he did not enter by the 
 deepest channel. Besides, it was the month of May, the ordi¬ 
 nary dry season, which had succeeded a year of notable 
 scarcity of rain. 
 
 Senor Orbegozo found, as well as Senor Ortiz, that it would 
 be both easy and advantageous to render the Coatzacoalcos 
 navigable as far as the confluence with the Alaman (or Mala- 
 tengo); and from this point he proposes a carriage-road to be 
 made as far as the lagoons, passing by the Chivela instead of 
 by the Portillo de Tarifa, as proposed by Ortiz. 
 
 “ Possibly,” he say, “ it might not be very expensive to 
 u excavate a haven on the opposite side of the bar of Santa 
 “ Teresa, for vessels drawing 20 and more feet of water, and 
 “ also to deepen the principal bar.” 
 
 VIII. 
 
 We must not conclude this enumeration of the data which 
 have been collected relative to the topography of the isthmus 
 of Tehuantepec, without quoting the opinion of the first 
 geographer of our times, the judicious Balbi, who considers 
 the Coatzacoalcos “ as the finest port of all the rivers which 
 “ discharge themselves into the Gulf of Mexico, not even ex- 
 “ cepting the Mississipi itself.” 
 
CHAP. IV. 
 
 Proceeding of the Commission of Survey at the Isthmus.—Measurement 
 of a base line on the beach between St. Mateo and Santa Maria .— 
 Examination of the district of Tehuantepec.—Las Ventozas and near 
 the Morro unfit for anchorages .— Trigonometrical observations at San 
 Dionisio, Camotepec, Juchitan.—Examination of the upper and lower 
 Lagoons—The Boca Barra.—The River Ostuta.—Its waters to feed 
 the Proposed Canal.—The ground north of the Chivela, Guichicovi, 
 Boca de Monte.—First view of the Coatzacoalcos at Mai Paso, its 
 Transparency, firm clay banks, slow current, its borders lined 
 with thick woods.—Excursion down its Course to its Mouth ,— 
 Weather then unfavourable for Observations .— Visit to Acayucam, 
 
 ■—The Jumuapa.—Return to Tarifa.—Venta de Chicapa.—Ground 
 examined from San Miguel to the Rio del Corte (the upper Coat¬ 
 zacoalcos.—Cerro de Albricias, the view from this fixes the choice 
 for the passage of the Canal over the Gap of Tarifa.—Its minute des¬ 
 cription.—Departure of Captains Robles and Gonzalez to survey 
 the Coatzacoalcos .— The River Chicapa .— Tarifa and the Ultimo 
 Rancho have the same level ,— Volume of the waters of the Chicapa 
 below its junction with the Monetza.—Cerro del Convento,—Source 
 of the Monetza and the river at Tarifa, same level; also the Por¬ 
 tillo .— The Ostuta examined and practicability of joining its waters 
 by a Conduit to those of the Chicapa.—Captain Robles completes 
 the Survey of the lower Coatzacoalcos, and examines its upper waters 
 down to the Sarabia. — Sr. Moro explores the ground from Tarifa 
 to the confluence of the Malatengo with the Coatzacoalcos;—also from 
 Tarifa to the Rio del Corte. — Re-inspection of the proposed line of 
 conduits for the waters of the Ostuta and Chicapa to Tarifa by 
 Messrs. Moro and Robles, and their confirmation of its practicabi¬ 
 lity—Final Return of the Commission to Tehuantepec the explora¬ 
 tion of the Isthmus being completed. 
 
 The Commission arrived at Tehuantepec on the 28th. May, 
 
 c 
 
34 
 
 and the preliminary arrangements occupied it until the 2nd of 
 June. 
 
 The possibility of effecting a communication between the 
 two oceans through the Isthmus may be considered under four 
 different aspects. 
 
 1. By a road. 
 
 2. By a canal for barges only. 
 
 3. By these two means combined. 
 
 4. By a canal of great dimensions, which would afford a tran¬ 
 sit to the loaded vessels themselves from sea to sea. It is 
 natural to suppose, that this plan being by far the most ad¬ 
 vantageous was that to which attention was chiefly directed. 
 
 All accounts agree in the facility with which the river Coat- 
 zacoalcos might be rendered navigable, at least so far as its 
 confluence with the Sarabia; therefore the space which it was 
 most important for the Commission to explore was that inter¬ 
 vening between this confluence and the shores of the Pacific. 
 
 The rains appeared to have set in on the mountains (Sierra), 
 which prevented the possibility of exploring them, and as 
 time was limited, it was resolved to take advantage of it by com¬ 
 mencing proceedings on the southern side of the Isthmus. 
 
 With this view a rapid excursion on the coast was made, and 
 the ground that divides the villages of San Mateo and Santa 
 Maria, appeared well calculated for the measurement of a line 
 to be used as the basis of the trigonometrical operations; and 
 consequently the exploring party established their residence 
 at San Mateo. 
 
 Messrs. Ortiz and Orbegozo had discontinued the soundings 
 of the lakes and the Boca Barra (bar entrance) of St. Francisco, 
 because they could not find a boat for the purpose. This 
 want was at once provided for by adapting a sail, oars, and 
 helm to a common canoe. 
 
 Landmarks were erected in those places which appeared the 
 most fit as vertexes of the primary triangles. The ground for a 
 base line was finally selected on the beach, which happening 
 to be remarkably level, was admirably adapted for the purpose. 
 
 The tracing of the base was an operation attended with im¬ 
 mense difficulty. The rainy season had commenced and fre- 
 
35 
 
 quently impeded the prosecution of the survey. An almost 
 incessant wind either blew down or inclined obliquely the 
 landmarks, or causing the instruments to oscillate violently, 
 disturbed the observations; and lastly, with the exception of 
 a few moments before the rising of the sun and after its set¬ 
 ting, a dense flickering vapour hid from view the objects which 
 served as guides, whilst the refractions, especially the lateral 
 ones, produced the most strange illusions. 
 
 The Zapoteco soldiers, who carried the chains, evinced a 
 wonderful degree of intelligence, and in a very short time they 
 became as proficient as could be wished. 
 
 After the necessary corrections to the mean sums of the sepa¬ 
 rate measurements, the total length of the base was obtained, 
 showing an aggregate distance of 16,930 metres or 10J miles. 
 
 The survey commenced at the villages of St. Mateo and San¬ 
 ta Maria, referring to the points trigonometrically fixed. The 
 same was afterwards done with the coast of the Pacific as far 
 as the Morro, and the tract of country between the sea and 
 the town of Tehuantepec, including the course of the river by 
 which it is watered, and which flows afterwards into the ha¬ 
 ven of Las Yentosas. 
 
 It has been suggested that this bay might be used for the 
 purpose of anchorage ; but, on examination, it was found that 
 its small size, as well as its exposure to the prevailing .winds, 
 made it totally unfit for such purpose, even supposing it were 
 deep enough. The other haven to the west of the Morro is also 
 too much exposed, and filled with dangerous reefs; and though 
 it be true that Cortes launched a few vessels in the first of 
 these coves, it is well known that in those times vessels were 
 built of small dimensions ; and probably he made use of that 
 spot, not because he considered it fit and safe for such an ope¬ 
 ration, but simply because it was the only one near at hand 
 where it could be at all accomplished. The sands carried down 
 by the waters of the Tehuantepec are now fast accumulating 
 in the bay, and before long it will be completely obstructed. 
 
 The Commission then proceeded to San llionisio Tepehua- 
 zontlan, and Sr. Moro carried on his observations in Camote- 
 pec and Juchitan, and proceeded to reconnoitre new points, in 
 
 c 2 
 
36 
 
 order to extend the triangulation. He then sailed from the 
 quay of Salina, near the Estacada, in the canoe fitted out as 
 before-mentioned, and passing between the islands of Monapos- 
 tiac and Natar-tiac he arrived at San Dionisio, the sounding line 
 constantly showing nearly six metres (20 feet) depth of water, 
 the bottom being mud and shingle, both easy to remove. 
 
 It was supposed before this exploration that the lower lake 
 extended as far as the bar of Tonala about 38 miles to the east 
 of the Boca Barra leaving between the lake itself and the Pa¬ 
 cific a narrow strip of land, designated by the name of the is¬ 
 land of St. Francisco. It was believed, also, that the whole of 
 the lake was nothing else but a creek of little depth and of no 
 importance, as is the western part of it, known likewise by the 
 names of lagoon of Tilema, and Dead Sea. However, on as¬ 
 cending the hill of Umalalang, which overlooks the village of 
 St. Dionisio, this erroneous impression was soon dispelled, by 
 observing that the ground to the east of Boca Barra extends 
 itself considerably, and contains other lakes of some extent. 
 
 On proceeding thither, the eastern part of the lower lagoon 
 attracted Sr. Moro’s attention, as he could not but observe 
 that its vicinity to the Boca Barra and the canal of Santa Te¬ 
 resa, its considerable depth and excellent bed, and the circum¬ 
 stance of being so well sheltered from the prevailing winds, fit¬ 
 ted it admirably for a commodious and safe anchorage. 
 
 Whilst Captain Robles, an officer of the Engineers, who had 
 lately joined the Commission, was surveying a portion of this 
 lake, Si. Moro proceeded with Lieutenant Guido to explore the 
 Boca Barra. The tide, which was beginning to ebb, produced 
 a current that did not allow them to steer their imperfect craft, 
 and was carrying them towards the sea with such force, that 
 they clearly saw by the effort necessary to keep their position, 
 that it would be impossible to surmount its impetus so as to 
 effect their return, should they be carried out. The tide was 
 too strong to use the sounding line, but it was evident that a 
 sand bank obstructs internally the Boca Barra throughout its 
 whole length from east to west, and it appeared to be impor¬ 
 tant to investigate the cause which might have produced it. 
 
 As the idea that a canal of great dimensions was the only 
 
37 
 
 advantageous means of effecting the desired communication 
 every endeavour was made to ascertain the course and volume 
 of the waters of the several rivers, without being deterred by 
 their distance from the localities pointed out hitherto as the 
 most favourable for the purpose. Amongst them all, particu¬ 
 lar attention was directed to the river Ostuta, remarkable for 
 the volume and regular course of its waters, which were said 
 to flow into the Pacific by the bar of Tonal a. 
 
 The origin of this river is unknown and has never been ex¬ 
 amined from the popular belief that it proceeds from a spot 
 so rugged among the mountains as to be almost inaccessible. 
 
 In the course of the operations it was found that the river 
 Ostuta does not discharge itself into the Ocean by the bar of 
 Tonala as had been supposed, but that after having formed the 
 lagoons, situated in the neighbourhood of St. Francisco, it 
 flows through the Barilla and the mouth of Lagartero, in the 
 Duic-nahuanot. 
 
 It may be well to observe, that although the waters of the 
 Chicapa and of the Ostuta are always limpid, this is only to be 
 understood of the upper part of their course, for in the plain 
 during the rainy season they often gather the sands of the al- 
 luvious soils through which they flow. 
 
 On entering the eastern lower lagoon, the currents of the 
 Ostuta flow along the southern shore, and decreasing gradually 
 in their impetus they reach the Boca Barra so pow'erless as to 
 deposit there the sands they bring with them ; these are after¬ 
 wards shaped into a large sand-bank by the waves, kept in in¬ 
 cessant agitation by the northerly wind which prevails almost 
 constantly in those regions. 
 
 In the plans which will be proposed, it is intended to make 
 use of the waters of the Ostuta, taken from the sierra, in order 
 to feed the canal, by doing which the principal cause of the 
 formation of this bank would be removed; but as it would not 
 be possible to prevent the waters that join the Ostuta in the 
 plain from flowing in the same channel, and as this river did 
 formerly flow into the lake of Tonala, it would be advisable to 
 shape again its course in the primitive direction, an operation 
 which offers no difficulty whatever. 
 
38 
 
 The sand-bank of the Boca Barra, however, may be attribu¬ 
 ted to another and more powerful cause. The river Tehuan¬ 
 tepec flowed not many years ago into the western lower la¬ 
 goon, as may be seen by the map of the southern division of 
 the isthmus. The opposing currents of both rivers destroyed 
 reciprocally their strength, and caused the deposit in that par¬ 
 ticular spot of the matter they bring with them. Fortunately 
 the river Tehuantepec spontaneously abandoned this direction, 
 and care should be taken to preserve it in the course which it 
 has now adopted. 
 
 Taking advantage of a calm, between two tides, Messrs. Ro¬ 
 bles and Guido succeeded in going out to sea through the Bo¬ 
 ca Barra, and executing the soundings indicated in the plans. 
 They found that immediately after passing the bank there is a 
 channel, the depth of which, even in the shallowest part, is of 
 nearly 19f feet, this depth increasing afterwards rapidly. 
 
 The exploring party concluded operations in this part of the 
 isthmus, and returned shortly afterwards to San Dionisio. 
 
 The party assembled at Juchitan towards the end of Octo¬ 
 ber. This spot proving to be the centre of several trigono¬ 
 metrical operations had been selected for the purpose of refer¬ 
 ring to it the position of all the other points, after having 
 previously ascertained its exact latitude and longitude. 
 
 The season being now sufficiently advanced the exploring par¬ 
 ty was divided into two sections, one of which was entrusted to 
 Captain Robles, in whose abilities complete reliance could be 
 placed. This section established themselves in the Yenta de 
 Chicapa, which from that moment became the meeting point 
 of the Commission until the close of their labours in the 
 isthmus. 
 
 Mr. Moro and his party proceeded northward, passing 
 through Chivela, Guichicovi, and Boca de Monte. Guichi- 
 covi is situated at the commencement of the rugged part 
 of the sierra; and the gentle hills in the neighbourhood of 
 Chivela, approaching this spot, are, at intervals, interrupted 
 by precipitous ravines, through which several rivers and streams 
 find a passage for their waters. The surface of the ground be¬ 
 comes more level receding from Guichicovi towards Boca de 
 
39 
 
 Monte, from whence, as far as the Mai Paso, it finally becomes 
 a perfect plain, occupied by a forest of useful and precious 
 timber. 
 
 On arriving at the Mai Paso, they were surprised at the view 
 presented by the Coatzacoalcos, which from the transparency 
 and slow progress of its waters had more the appearance of an 
 artificial canal than that of a mighty river. Its banks of strong- 
 clay, are firm and easy of access, with an almost uniform ele¬ 
 vation of a few metres, which leads to the supposition that the 
 river runs along a level surface, although the thick woods that 
 line its shores conceal from view the topographical aspect of 
 the land covered by them. 
 
 This excursion along the river scarcely deserves the name 
 of an exploration, especially as the weather was so unfavour¬ 
 able as not to allow of making any kind of observation. Nei¬ 
 ther was it possible to take soundings of the bar on this occa¬ 
 sion ; but it was only a few years ago a French vessel drawing 
 18 feet water entered it; and from the battery situated at the 
 left entrance its principal channel appeared more gentle and 
 clear than any other with which Sr. Moro was acquainted. 
 It is well known that bars owe their formation to the mate¬ 
 rials conveyed by rivers, hence the unobstructed regularity of 
 the bar of the Coatzacoalcos is simply accounted for by the 
 clearness and limpidity of its waters. 
 
 A short exploring expedition was made from the Fabrica 
 or Mina-titlan, to Acayucam. After the return to Mina-titlan 
 the Coatzacoalcos was again ascended as far as its confluence 
 with the Jumuapa, and this was also ascended as far as the 
 Paso de la Puerta. From this place the party took the direc¬ 
 tion of Chivela, passing by Guichicovi. 
 
 From Chivela, Sr. Moro proceded towards Tarifa along a 
 table-land covered with a great number of gentle and inter¬ 
 rupted declivities, and along a road so level, that it inspired 
 him with the most flattering hopes. From Tarifa the ground 
 continues to be still more favourable as far as the Portillo or 
 gap, from which a rapid descent leads to the plain, in which is 
 situated the Yenta de Chicapa. This tour had lasted a month, 
 during which Messrs. Robles and Gonzalez had actively con- 
 
40 
 
 tinued their operations, not only in the lower part of the coun¬ 
 try, but also in that which extends from the- village of San 
 Miguel to the hills of Petapa. Captain Robles had likewise 
 examined the ground from San Miguel to the river del Corte, 
 in the neighbourhood of Santa Maria Chimalapa. 
 
 Sr. Moro now resolved to reconnoitre the points which had 
 been fixed during his absence. On arriving at one of these, 
 on the summit of a hill about one mile to the north of the vil¬ 
 lage of San Miguel, which afterwards received in commemo¬ 
 ration the name of Cerro de Albricias (Reward hill), Sr. Moro 
 saw the problem at once solved. 
 
 The Sierra Madre (or principal chain of the Andes) appears 
 to be interrupted, as the engineer Cramer judiciously obser¬ 
 ved, between Santa Maria Petapa and San Miguel Chimalapa. 
 On the western side it descends rapidly as far as the first of 
 these villages, and proceeds again suddenly towards the east 
 of the second, leaving in the middle a surface comparatively 
 level. To the south the small chain of Masahua and Espinosa, 
 of moderate elevation, forms a barrier between this hilly tract 
 of ground and the true plain, terminating at their extremities 
 in two openings or gaps, through the westernmost of which 
 descends the road from Chivela leading to the plain, and ano¬ 
 ther through the eastern from Tarifa to the Venta de Chicapa. 
 On the north, the table-land extends itself, gently descending 
 as far as the Coatzacoalcos, and from thence to the Atlantic. 
 
 The river Chicapa reaches San Miguel, occupying in its course 
 from east to west the bottom of a straight dale, between two 
 uninterrupted chains of mountains, and then suddenly turns 
 in a southerly direction towards the plain wherein is the upper 
 lagoon which receives its waters. 
 
 Running in a line diametrically opposite to the first course of 
 the Chicapa, namely, from west to east, the stream of Monetza 
 joins the above river near San Miguel, by another dale, which 
 in reality is only the continuation of the first, and would lead 
 directly to Tarifa were it not divided from the plain on which 
 this estate lies by a small chain, of which the Cerro del Con- 
 vento forms a part. 
 
 The village of San Miguel is situated in a small valley, lower 
 
41 
 
 than the plain of Tarifa, by more than 264 feet; but as the 
 most northern of the two chains between which the rivers Chi- 
 capa and Monetza are enclosed has no interruption whatever, 
 Sr. Moro thought it possible to convey along its side the waters 
 of the first of those two rivers as far as Tarifa, from whence 
 they might be distributed to both seas; neither did he consi¬ 
 der it difficult to surmount the natural barrier formed by the 
 small chain of Convento, between the valley of the Monetza 
 and the table-land of Tarifa. The hill of Convento rises al¬ 
 most isolated, and the gaps on both sides, especially the nor¬ 
 thern, is of so trifling an elevation above the ground, that a 
 cut through the latter would be an almost insignificant under¬ 
 taking. 
 
 This discovery induced Sr. Moro at once to give up the idea 
 of his returning to the Coatzacoalcos with the view of surveying 
 its course, and this operation was entrusted to Messrs. Robles 
 and Gonzalez, who immediately proceeded thither for the 
 purpose. 
 
 Meanwhile Sr. Moro directed that Lieutenant Guido should 
 station himself at Tarifa with a barometer, whilst he, following 
 the dale of the Chicapa, took with him another to the place 
 called the Ultimo Rancho. 
 
 Two series of barometrical observations performed simul¬ 
 taneously in two successive days, and under the most favour¬ 
 able atmospherical circumstances, showed that these two points 
 are on the same level, whilst about 1 \ miles higher up from 
 the spot in which Sr. Moro stationed himself, the river forms a 
 cascade of nearly 23 feet high. 
 
 From San Miguel to the Ultimo Rancho five constant 
 streams join the Chicapa, and having measured the waters of 
 this river in a point below its junction with these streams 
 they were found equivalent to more than 5 metres or 176 
 cubic feet per second, so that by adding to it the Monetza, 
 and the stream which runs through San Miguel, called Xoxo- 
 cuta, a body of waters of about seven cubic metres or 247 
 cubic feet may be reckoned upon. According to all the 
 information collected, these waters were then in a state which 
 
42 
 
 might be considered the minimum of their quantity, and they 
 are always exceedingly clear and pure. 
 
 This satisfactory result induced Sr. Moro to undertake with¬ 
 out loss of time the inspection of the hill of Convento, in order 
 to judge of the magnitude of the difficulties that might offer in 
 that quarter. 
 
 In that part where the hill of Convento is most depressed, 
 namely, the northern side, the river Monetza takes its source, 
 and following along a dale in the centre of the hill itself, 
 penetrates under it, and crossing it entirely, comes out in the 
 small valley in which it runs to San Miguel. The point of 
 the opening in which the river has its origin is entirely hollow, 
 since the gush of water which forms it, issues from the walls 
 of a cave or fissure about 23 feet high, and the thickness of its 
 vault is perhaps another 3 feet. Besides, the situation of the 
 hill and the rock of which it is composed, which being of pure 
 marble is admirably calculated to procure beautiful building 
 materials as well as excellent lime to cement them, are all in¬ 
 viting circumstances to convert it into a quarry ; thus, even 
 were it considered necessary to make a cut in this part of the 
 hill, the work would be accomplished whilst opening the 
 quarry to procure the necessary materials. 
 
 The river Monetza in running under the Cerro del Convento 
 has only to cross a distance of about a hundred and ten yards, 
 although it passes through the very centre, and consequently the 
 thickest part of the mountain. 
 
 Another barometrical level obtained from observations per¬ 
 formed simultaneously at Tarifa and at the source of the 
 Monetza showed that the level of this river is nearly the same 
 as the stream adjoining Tarifa, the waters of which run to the 
 Coatzacoalcos. The ground that lies between Tarifa and the 
 source of the Monetza although level, is now and then inter¬ 
 sected by torrent streams, the waters of which flow into the 
 Monetza; and as these streams have their origin at a short dis« 
 tance from Tarifa, this ought to be considered as the proper 
 spot for the division of the waters in the canal. 
 
 The houses of Tarifa are somewhat elevated in the midst of 
 
43 
 
 a ground so level, that in the rainy season it becomes inundated, 
 for which reason this plain has been called the lake of Tarila. 
 Sr. Moro took advantage of this circumstance to save the trou¬ 
 ble of a new levelling between the latter place and the Por¬ 
 tillo, or opening of the road to the Yenta, since the line left by 
 the waters on subsiding clearly shows that the two points are 
 nearly on a level; thus, with a cut a foot or so deep in the 
 edge of the Portillo, the waters to the south of Tarifa would 
 proceed towards the Pacific, whilst those on the northern side 
 naturally run towards the other sea. 
 
 All that now was wanting was to find the manner of increas¬ 
 ing the volume of available waters, and to avoid having re¬ 
 course to the expensive means of constructing great reservoirs. 
 
 The waters of the Almoloya, Citune, and other streams on 
 the side of the Chivela were calculated, but their distance from 
 Tarifa, and the difficulties of the ground they would have to 
 cross, would make their conveyance somewhat expensive; and 
 therefore Sr. Moro resolved to examine the great river Os tuta. 
 
 At Zanatepec he experienced some difficulty in fording the 
 river, which was rather swollen, notwithstanding which its 
 waters continued to be perfectly clear as far as that spot. The 
 documents deposited in the archives of the village, were ex¬ 
 amined, amongst which he found a few fragments of a map 
 of the land comprised in its jurisdiction. This interesting 
 document, almost entirely destroyed, may be inferred to have 
 been executed during the first period of the Conquest; for 
 whilst^it is painted on paper, made of Maguey (agave Ameri¬ 
 cana), and preserves all the characteristic signs of the Aztec 
 works of this kind, there is on it a figure of a Spaniard by whose 
 order the map was probably drawn; but that which most par¬ 
 ticularly attracted attention w r as to find noted down the tra¬ 
 ditional opinion that the river Ostuta takes its source in a lake. 
 
 It was with the greatest difficulty that he found any one 
 able to accompany him in the exploration of the river. Amongst 
 the inhabitants of the town, there were only two old men who 
 remembered having visited a small portion of its course, and 
 pictured with the blackest colours the dangers and difficulties 
 of the undertaking. It would be tedious to enumerate those 
 
44 
 
 which existed in reality ; suffice it to say, that after several 
 vain attempts, he succeeded, by following up the banks of the 
 river, in reaching the f<;ot of the high hills from whence it 
 proceeds. Throughout the whole distance the river receives 
 no constant tributary, and its waters increase as they approach 
 their source, which shows that a portion of them becomes 
 absorbed in the lower part of the course of the river. 
 
 The waters of the Ostuta were not measured, not only on 
 account of the difficulty of doing so, but because they often 
 vary in an extraordinary manner; but it may venture to be 
 asserted that they are never less than three times as copious 
 as those of the Chicapa, and frequently more than six. 
 
 The wild state of the country compelled Sr. Moro to cut his 
 way through the woods when he could not take advantage of 
 the pathways or tracks formed by the numerous tapirs which 
 inhabit those regions. For this reason, and also on account of 
 the rugged hills between which the river is imbedded, it was 
 impossible to discover the adjacent grounds ; but the direction 
 in which he had constantly proceeded, namely, towards the north 
 and inclining afterwards to the west, as well as the distance he 
 had gone, made him suppose that he was near the upper 
 course of the Chicapa. He was not mistaken, for he perceived 
 suddenly at a short distance to the west, the Cerro Atravesado, 
 an eminence which he had reconnoitred before to its very 
 summit. 
 
 The elevated situation in which he was, and the proximity 
 of the two rivers, seemed to promise that there would be no 
 great difficulty in effecting their junction ; but the intervening 
 woods, by concealing from view the topographical aspect of 
 the ground, did not permit a fair estimate being formed of 
 the difficulties there might be to encounter. 
 
 The river came down precipitously from the mountains, and 
 for a considerable distance had ceased to be fordable. It was 
 every moment more and more difficult to ascend its course 
 along the same bank, and at last it became evident that, in 
 order to estimate correctly the obstacles which might oppose 
 themselves to the projected junction, nothing else remained 
 but to reach, if possible, the very spot where he then was, by 
 
45 
 
 descending along the craggy side of the Cerro Atravesado 
 which lay opposite. 
 
 Meanwhile it appeared evident to him that both the Chicapa 
 and the Ostuta proceed from that portion of these territories 
 where the Sierra Madre is highest, which explains why these 
 rivers increase and diminish simultaneously, without its being 
 at all necessary to suppose that they owe their origin to a lake. 
 
 On his return from this expedition up the Ostuta he went 
 to Niltepec, and ascended the Atravesado. The bad weather 
 overtook him on its summit during the night, and the follow¬ 
 ing day, finding it impossible to withstand its inclemency with¬ 
 out a shelter, he was about to abandon the undertaking, when 
 an interval of hope encouraged him to persist, and the weather, 
 becoming more genial, rewarded his perseverance. 
 
 On arriving at the north-eastern extremity of the table-land 
 the party found it necessary to alight from their horses and 
 undertake the descent of the hill on foot,%s they did when ex¬ 
 ploring the course of the Ostuta. 
 
 The Cerro Atravesado stands completely isolated on every 
 side, except here where it ends in a kind of ridge, and which 
 descending to the valley is joined by another, proceeding from 
 the summit of the Sierra Madre. 
 
 Resolving to follow the first of these ridges, in order to ex¬ 
 plore the ground which divides the two rivers, Sr. Moro was 
 not long in reaching the point where it is most depressed, and 
 from which the relative position of both rivers was perfectly 
 clear and obvious. 
 
 Near to the west, was the deep ravine through which the 
 Chicapa runs, and to the east the elevated grounds of the bed 
 of the Ostuta, which had just been visited, and which he re¬ 
 cognised perfectly at a distance of less than a league. The 
 difference of level between these two points is so considerable, 
 that there cannot be a doubt of the facility of effecting the 
 junction of the two rivers ; and it is no less evident that, in 
 the short space which intervenes, there is no obstacle what¬ 
 ever to prevent it. The weather clearing up he was enabled 
 to make several observations from points still more elevated, 
 by means of which he ascertained beyond all question the 
 
favourable nature of the ground, and, as no doubt remained on 
 his mind on the subject, Sr. Moro considered the exploration 
 of these parts quite completed. 
 
 In these expeditions, as well as those to the Coatzacoalcos 
 and others no less toilsome, Sr. Moro was accompanied by his 
 friend and countryman, Don Estevan Maqueo, one of the 
 present proprietors of the Haciendas Marquesanas, in whom 
 the Commission found a most useful and willing assistant. 
 
 Whilst Sr. Moro was engaged in these explorations, Cap¬ 
 tains Robles and Gonzalez had returned from the Coatzacoal¬ 
 cos, after surveying its course from the confluence of the Sarabia 
 to the sea. 
 
 Captain Robles went to ascertain the latitude and fix the 
 situation of Santa Maria Chimalapa, which had not yet been 
 obtained, and afterwards to note the course of the river del 
 Corte from the most elevated point he could reach, as far as its 
 confluence with thelSarabia. 
 
 At the same time Sr. Moro undertook to explore the coun¬ 
 try between Tarifa and the confluence of the Malatengo and 
 del Corte. This part of the country is the most fertile and 
 pleasant that it is possible to imagine. Shortly after leaving 
 Tarifa it is truly interesting to observe, mixed together, the 
 spruce fir-tree of the cold climates, the oak of the more tem¬ 
 perate, and the palm-tree of the warm regions. Further on, 
 these trees as well as beautiful green meadows of vast extent 
 occur alternately with woods of a luxurious tropical vegetation. 
 Trees of precious woods, wild cocoa, vanilla, &c., are every¬ 
 where seen. The plains near the rivers, cultivated by the in¬ 
 habitants of Barrio, Santa Maria Petapa, and San Juan Gui- 
 chicovi, give an idea of the astonishing fertility of the soil, 
 since the natives only come in time to burn down the brush¬ 
 wood, and sow without cultivation, scarcely ever revisiting 
 their corn-fields until the harvest time. 
 
 These very circumstances made the exploration difficult. 
 It being often impossible to examine the ground in any other 
 way but on foot, Sr. Moro found himself beset by the tall 
 shrubs of a luxuriant vegetation, which did not allow him to 
 see any of the surrounding surface. 
 
47 
 
 Sr. Moro’s principal object bad been to find out the best line 
 through which a canal might be opened from Tarifa to the 
 river del Corte. From Tarifa the waters descend naturally to 
 the Coatzacoalcos through grounds by no means too rugged, 
 whilst the very existence of a labyrinth of hillocks, almost all 
 individually isolated, or else joined together by ridges of an 
 insignificant thickness, are sufficient to prove the practicability 
 of the work, but most probably presenting numerous solutions 
 of the problem. 
 
 Sr. Moro ascertained the situation of various points, rectified 
 some erroneous notions previously admitted, respecting the 
 course of the principal rivers which flow into the Malatengo, 
 and followed the course of this river from its junction with the 
 Chichihua for about two-thirds of the distance which separates 
 it from the river del Corte. Throughout the whole of this 
 space its course is neither rapid nor tortuous ; and although it 
 was the season when its waters are lowest, it carried a volume 
 of more than fifteen cubic metres per second. 
 
 Captain Robles accomplished also satisfactorily the explora¬ 
 tion of the river del Corte, although the bad weather and other 
 unfavourable accidents had molested them both considerably. 
 His reports form the subject of the next chapter. 
 
 Sr. Moro immediately set out again and reached the river 
 del Corte, passing through San Miguel and Santa Maria 
 Chimalapa with the view of inspecting that part of the country 
 which he had not yet visited. 
 
 He next went in company with Captain Robles to San 
 Miguel, and again examined the brow of the Sierra, which 
 limits towards the north, the course of the Chicapa and that of 
 the Monetza, in order to become positively assured that they 
 had not left unobserved any part which might offer an obstacle 
 to the execution of the work. After this last inspection its 
 accomplishment appeared to them even more easy than they 
 had hitherto considered it. 
 
 The Commission definitively left the Venta de Chicapa 
 where they had fixed their residence, and afterwards visited 
 the Hacienda de Santa Cruz, the village of Chihuitan, and the 
 Rancheria de Comitancillo, the situations of which they fixed on 
 
48 
 
 the map, and with these last operations Sr. Moro had the satis¬ 
 faction of knowing that none of the places which had been the 
 object of research in the Isthmus had escaped his personal 
 notice. 
 
 On the 25th of March, 1843, after nine months of toilsome 
 labours, all came back to Tehuantepec, to prepare for the re¬ 
 turn to Mexico, as the Commission considered the explora¬ 
 tion of the Isthmus to be now quite completed. (Appendix 
 No. IV.) 
 
49 
 
 CHAP. Y. 
 
 SURVEY OF THE RIVER COATZACOALCOS. 
 
 Rises in the Sierra Madre—examined from the confluence of the 
 Chimalapilla all the way to the sea .— The streams of importance 
 are, (on the right bank) the Chimalapilla—del Pinal — Chalchi- 
 japa—at the Horqueta the right branch is called Apotzongo — 
 branches re-unite near the Rancho del Mariscal—river Coachapa 
 — Uspanapan—the creek Coatajapa, and several useful Lagoons. 
 ( Left bank ) the Milagro — Escolapa — Malatengo — Sarabia — 
 Tumuapa — Taltepec—the Naranjo and Penas Blancas—river di¬ 
 vides at the Horqueta, to the left is the Mistan, forming the island 
 of Tacamichapa—creeks Tacojalpa, Ojozapa Cuamecatan and 
 Tacoteno—the river Calzadas branches off and enters the sea at 
 the Barrilla .— The borders of the Coatzacoalcos and its tributaries 
 covered with dye-woods, mahogany, and other fine trees, and forests 
 of timber fit for ship-building .— Upper Coatzacoalcos abounds in 
 lofty Pine trees .— Coatzacoalcos navigable for the largest merchant 
 ships for 34 £ miles—the Bar does not shift, and leaves two en¬ 
 trances—has 20£ feet water over its western passage — this har¬ 
 bour THE FINEST IN THE GuLF OF MEXICO. 
 
 The river Coatzacoalcos takes its rise in the unexplored 
 part of the Sierra Madre, and the highest point in its course 
 which we visited was at its confluence with the Chimalapilla, 
 from whence we examined it all the way to its mouth in the 
 Gulf of Mexico, situated in 18° 8' 30" north latitude, and 94° 
 17' west longitude from Greenwich. 
 
 The Chimalapilla falls into the Coatzacoalcos on its right 
 bank, 4| miles to the S. S. E. of the village of Santa Maria 
 Chimalapa, and this confluence is 393 feet above the level of 
 the sea. We were assured by the Indians that they had as- 
 
 D 
 
50 
 
 cended the river still higher than that point on their rafts, 
 during six days, which may he reckoned about 56 miles, until 
 they came to the junction of two small streams forming the 
 river, and the courses of which were too precipitous to allow 
 of being followed in their rafts. 
 
 On the same side, and at a short distance below the Chima- 
 lapilla, is the confluence of the river del Pinal, so called be¬ 
 cause it flows through mountains whereon the pine-timber 
 was cut by the Spanish government to be sent to the Havannah 
 for the masting of large ships, and for this reason this part of 
 the Coatzacoalcos is still called the river del Corte (of the 
 cutting). 
 
 As far as the confluence with the river del Milagro, which 
 enters on the left bank at 1J miles to the W. N. W. of Santa 
 Maria, the Coatzacoalcos takes a precipitous course through a 
 deep ravine, with a descent of 132 feet in the space of 12 miles. 
 The mountains which border the channel are at first very high 
 and precipitous, but gradually lowering and softening in their 
 character as the mouth of the Milagro is approached, they then 
 appear only as hills of moderate elevation, and the river has 
 changed from being a rapid torrent, in which the rafts could 
 with difficulty float, into a quiet stream, with only occasional 
 rapids of small extent. The rocks on the banks of the river 
 are of sand-stone, calcareous spar, and slate, although this last 
 but rarely occurs. The limestone is excavated by the river, 
 w T hich thus appears to pass under the ruins of a bridge. 
 
 In the few small patches of level ground, on the borders of 
 the river, the Indians of Santa Maria plant maize, tobacco, 
 and cocoa ; some of these tracts of land being only accessible 
 in rafts, and others only by very craggy pathways. 
 
 The volume of water now filling the river is considerable, 
 for as Sr. Moro descended, he found it to be about 57 cubic yards 
 per second, and the Indians assured him that it was rarely less. 
 
 Beyond the confluence of the Milagro, the river, hitherto 
 running from east to west, follows a general direction towards 
 the S. W. as far as the mouth of the Escolapa, and after that 
 to the N. W. as far as that of the Malatensro. Both these 
 
 o 
 
 rivers flow into the Coatzacoalcos by its left bank ; and the 
 
51 
 
 Escolapa as well as the Milagro, and the streams which unite 
 with it, have their sources in the desert part of the Sierra to 
 the east of the road which leads from San Miguel to Santa 
 Maria Chimalapa. The course of the Malatengo and its tri¬ 
 butaries are laid down upon the map. 
 
 The hills on either side become gradually depressed, and at 
 a short distance from the Escolapa they are very insignificant; 
 nevertheless the rocks before mentioned frequently show 
 themselves, forming the rapids already spoken of, and which 
 give rise to many windings, so that the course of the river be¬ 
 tween the confluence of the Milagro and that of the Malatengo 
 is 28| miles. 
 
 Half way between the Escolapa and the Malatengo is the 
 station of. the Angostura, so called from two beds of greenstone 
 rock rising in the middle of the river, whilst the banks of the 
 stream, also of the same formation, are very precipitous; so 
 that the channel, which above this spot was 33 yards wide, 
 becomes divided into three, the widest of which is only 5J yards 
 broad. This same rock is found in some of the rapids below 
 this, but they considerably diminish in importance. 
 
 As the Malatengo is approached, the hills reappear with 
 more elevation and frequency on the borders, and con¬ 
 tinue the same beyond its confluence. The accession of 
 waters to the Coatzacoalcos is now more perceptible in its 
 greater depth, which from this place to the mouth of the Sara- 
 bia is generallyfrom 5 to 8| feet and sometimes even 16J feet 
 deep whilst in its breadth, it does not exceed 44 yards. 
 
 Next after the Malatengo the rivulet of rio Chico joins on 
 the right bank coming from the Sierra of Chimalapa ; and at 
 no great distance on the other side enters a stream, near which 
 is an ancient wharf called Mai Paso, so named on account of 
 a strong rapid a little below it, and which caused it to be 
 abandoned. At the present day another loading place is call¬ 
 ed by the same name, but this is 220 yards above the Paso del 
 Sarabia close to the mouth of the river of the same name. 
 
 This rapid, which is the strongest to be found after leaving 
 Angostura, is formed of various ridges of calcareous spar and 
 granite, and occupies a space of 200 yards. The first of these 
 
52 
 
 rocks frequently occurs at the base of the hills, and often forms 
 smaller rapids. 
 
 After the junction of the Sarabia the hills become inconsi¬ 
 derable, and almost entirely disappear a little below the river 
 Jumuapa (or de la Puerta) ; the rapids also are less frequent 
 and the last of them, called the Suchil, is seen just before 
 reaching the mouth of the river Jaltepec (or de los Mijes). 
 
 The rivers Sarabia, Jumuapa, and Jaltepec enter the Coat- 
 zacoalcos on the left bank, and next to them the Chalchijapa 
 on the right hand. The two first descend from the sierra of 
 Santa Maria Guienagate, and although the Sarabia has much 
 water it is not navigable, on account of its course being too 
 precipitous, and having near its mouth a fall which impedes 
 the entrance of canoes ; but the Jumuapa can be ascended by 
 them, in the rainy season, to the point named the Paso del la 
 Puerta; from whence the road to San Juan Guichicovi is 
 shorter and better than the one from the Paso del Sarabia. 
 The river of Miges has its source in the sierra of the same 
 name in the district of Villa Alta; and notwithstanding the 
 rapidity of its current, it is navigable all the year round for 
 canoes to a spot called Tutla, distant 7J miles from the vil¬ 
 lage of Trinadad. The distance from Tutla to the mouth, 
 calculating by the time occupied in ascending it, may be rec¬ 
 koned at 50 miles. The river Chalchijapa carries also much 
 water; the Indians of Santa Maria ascend it for five days with 
 rafts, and then cross by land to their village, which is 38 miles 
 distant from the point where they leave their rafts. 
 
 Between the confluence of the Chalchijapa and the point 
 of Horqueta, where the river is divided into two branches, 
 the stream Colorado, the rivers Naranjo and Penas Blancas, 
 and the stream Cuapinoloya join the river by its left bank, 
 and the brook Churriagao by the right; the latter and the 
 Penas Blancas come from large lagoons not far distant. 
 
 The general course of the Coatzacoalcos from the conflu¬ 
 ence of the Malatengo to that of the Jumuapa is from S. to N.; 
 then it runs N. W, until it meets the Jaltepec; and thence to 
 the bar its course is N. E. The length from the mouth of the 
 Malatengo to the Sarabia is 22 miles; from the' Sarabia to 
 
53 
 
 the Jumuapa, 17; from the Jumuapa to the Chalchijapa, 22\ ; 
 and to the Horqueta 40 J more, being a distance of 102 miles } 
 between the Malatengo and the Horqueta. 
 
 The banks of the river, after quitting the hills, are gene¬ 
 rally from 10 to 17 feet high, without being steep; yet they 
 are sometimes so low as to be covered in times of flood. At 
 some few spots called cerritos or hillocks, the banks are from 
 40 to 66 feet high, and are composed of beds of clay. Among 
 them, only the Oajaqueha, Tecolotepec, Churriagao, Penas 
 Blancas, and Cuapinoloya, are worth mentioning. Below 
 those of Tecolotepec, at the bend of the Cascajal, the river 
 overflows its right bank, and the waters that escape, join the 
 river Coahuapa, which unites with the Coachapa of which men¬ 
 tion will be made hereafter. 
 
 In consequence of the low and sloping banks which here 
 suffer the river to spread out laterally, and the slowness of the 
 current, which after the confluence of the Jaltepec is scarcely 
 apparent, the depth of the stream does not increase so much 
 as might be expected; and during the dry season, shoals are 
 even to be met with covered only by 20 inches of water. 
 These shoals are formed of sand and gravel, and almost all of 
 them are small. Those of any extent are, one commencing 
 below Tecolotepec, which occupies the greater part of the 
 bend of Cascajal; another between the river Naranjo and the 
 brook Churriagao; another that of Cuapinoloya between the 
 island of this same name and one a little lower down ; and lastly, 
 that of Horqueta obstructing the entrance of the two branches 
 of the river which is divided at this point. 
 
 These two branches again unite after having formed the is¬ 
 land of Tacamichapa. The one to the west called Mistan is 
 longer and narrower than that to the east called Apotzongo; 
 the length of the first is 34 miles, its width between 100 and 
 110 yards, or about 20 to 30 yards less than the river was be¬ 
 fore it became divided : and the depth is about 13| feet. 
 Several streams fall into it, and near the extremity is the creek 
 of Monzapa which has from 10 to 13J feet of water at its en¬ 
 trance, and reaches nearly to the village of Tesistepec. In 
 this creek is found the Paso de la Cienaga which is only two 
 
54 
 
 leagues distant from the village of Jaltipan ; and in this same 
 branch of Mistan is the pass of Blancos, at a distance of 1 3 
 miles from the large town of Acayucam, the capital of the 
 district. 
 
 The branch Apotzongo is 25 miles long, and on its right 
 bank, 18 miles from Horqueta, is the village of San Miguel 
 de los Almagres (or Hidalgo-titlan), the first inhabited place 
 met with, proceeding down the river. Below this point the 
 water in this branch is constantly 20 to 23 feet deep; but a 
 little above los Almagres between the strands of Mistan-grande 
 and Gaviota, it is impeded by a considerable shoal. 
 
 After the junction of the two branches, the Coatzacoalcos 
 receives on its right the rivulet Ishuatepec, the stream of Otapa, 
 and the river Coahuapa, the mouth of which is 10 miles from 
 the lower end of the island of Tacamichapa. The source of 
 this river is unknown, and the district it traverses is a desert; 
 it has been ascended in canoes for twelve days, which is the 
 same time as that employed in going up from the bar of the 
 Coatzacoalcos to the pass of Sarabia ; schooners have also 
 sailed up it to a sugar plantation 7\ miles above the entrance. 
 At a spot three leagues higher up, it receives the river Coa- 
 chapa, which, as already mentioned, collects the waters that 
 leave the Coatzacoalcos at the turn of Cascajal. The stream 
 Otapa comes from some small lagoons producing salt in abun¬ 
 dance. 
 
 Four miles and a half below the confluence of the Coachapa, 
 but on the opposite shore, is the village of La Fabrica of 
 Mina-titlan; and at 4^ more below this, the river Uspanapan 
 joins the Coatzacoalcos by its right bank. 
 
 Half way between the river Coachapa and Mina-titlan is 
 situated on the left bank in front of an islet, the common en¬ 
 trance to the creeks Tacojalpa, Ojozapa, and Cuamecatan, in 
 which the pine logs destined for the arsenal at the Havannah 
 were formerly deposited. 
 
 Of all the villages named by Don Tadeo Ortiz, only Mina- 
 titlan and Hidalgo-titlan now remain, although their situations 
 are indicated on the map. 
 
 The Uspanapan is the most considerable of all the numerous 
 
55 
 
 tributaries of the Coatzacoalcos ; its course is wide, spreading 
 through an uninhabited country; and although its sources are 
 unknown, they are generally supposed to come from a range 
 of mountains, which is often visible to the S.E. from the upper 
 part of the Coatzacoalcos, This range has the reputation of 
 being rich in gold and silver minerals / and has been explored 
 by several expeditions, which ascended the river in canoes 
 for sixteen to eighteen days, and some of them are said to 
 have done this even for twenty-six days. On the banks of 
 this river, at 2S\ miles from its mouth, Mr Baldwin of Mina- 
 titlan built a schooner a few years since. 
 
 Below the Uspanapan, near a spot named Paso Nuevo, 
 through which runs the high road leading to Tabasco, the 
 rivulet of San Antonio joins the Coatzacoalcos, proceeding 
 from some marshes 15 J miles above its mouth. 
 
 Finally, at 10J miles below Uspanapan, and 5% from the 
 bar, is found on the left the confluence with the river Tierra 
 Nueva, or the Calzadas, this being the channel by which the 
 Coatzacoalcos unites with the river Huasuntan, which empties 
 itself into the sea by the mouth of the Barrilla, not practicable 
 for large vessels. 
 
 The banks of the river here are very low, and frequently 
 flooded, and there are many creeks ; the most remarkable of 
 which are, that of Tacoteno on the left bank, below Paso 
 Nuevo, which reaches back to near Mina-titlan, and that of 
 Coatajapa on the right hand, which flows near the village of 
 Yshuatian. 
 
 The depth of the Coatzacoalcos, from the separation of 
 the branches which form the island of Tacamichapa to the 
 mouth of the Coachapa, is 26\ feet, and from this to the 
 bar not less than S3 to 40 feet. Its breadth, where 
 narrowest, is from 130 to 170 } r ards; and in some places 
 below the mouth of Tierra Nueva it is nearly 770 yards. It 
 will therefore be seen that as far as the island of Tacamichapa, 
 a distance of S4\ miles (13 Mexicans leagues nearly), or at 
 least up to the confluence of the Coachapa, the Coatzacoalcos 
 is navigable in all seasons and for every class of ships, forming 
 a convenient as well as most secure harbour. Schooners might 
 
56 
 
 ascend as far as Horqueta by the branch of Mistan, and to 
 Hidalgo-titlan and somewhat higher by that of Apotzongo. 
 
 From the battery on the left shore at the entrance of the 
 river, a clear channel is to be seen through the break in the 
 bar, which we were informed never varies in position; and 
 although we knew well that there is a sufficient depth of 
 water for large ships (since but a few years ago two large 
 French vessels with colonists had entered the channel), we ex¬ 
 amined it ourselves in an open boat, going out to the distance 
 of 2 miles, where we found 50 feet of water with a rapidly in¬ 
 creasing depth. The shallowest water we found on the bar 
 was 20 t> feet, and we were not certain that we had gone over the 
 deepest part of it.* A North American pilot, who resides in 
 the establishment of Mr. Baldwin, assured us that he had many 
 times crossed the bar, and that he had never found less w r ater 
 upon it than 21 English feet. This account nearly agrees 
 w 7 ith our own observation, and confirms the old opinion that 
 the bar does not shift, a circumstance easily explained, since 
 the current of the river is slow, its waters limpid, and the 
 tides are almost imperceptible at its mouth. 
 
 The abundance of ship timber which is to be found on the 
 borders of the river itself, the convenience and security of the 
 port, the facility of defending its entrance by placing batteries 
 at the points of the river facing the channel, and which from 
 the nature of the ground might be rendered unassailable from 
 the land side, are all so many combining circumstances to ren¬ 
 der the Coatzacoalcos the fittest place in all the gulf of Mexico 
 for the establishment of an arsenal. These advantages were 
 first pointed out to the Spanish government by the engineer 
 Cramer, in the year 1774. In 1778 another engineer, Don 
 Miguel del Corral, submitted to the Viceroy a plan for the 
 construction of an arsenal, with two building slips for vessels 
 of every size, and a fort to defend the entrance of the river. 
 
 In making our survey w 7 e descended the river in canoes 
 
 * When we reached the greatest distance from the land, the rusty shanks 
 of the rudder of our boat broke, and this compelled us to return inmediately* 
 without taking any other soundings, as we had intended. 
 
57 
 
 from the Paso of the Sarabia to its mouth: from the confluence 
 of the Chimalapilla to that of the Sarabia we floated down on 
 rafts ; and, in laying down the course, we determined astrono¬ 
 mically the latitudes of five points. The intermediate places were 
 observed by compass, estimating the distances by the time em¬ 
 ployed in passing along them, which was the only method we 
 could adopt, owing to the matted state of the forest along the 
 banks; and in those places where some of the loops made by 
 the river approach each other in the branch of the Apotzongo, 
 the ground was examined on foot by paths which we had to 
 cut for ourselves. 
 
 Not being enabled to determine by observations the position 
 of the mouth of the river, we have adopted that laid down by 
 the Spanish naval officers. 
 
58 
 
 CHAP. VI. 
 
 STATISTICAL NOTES OF THE ISTHMUS OF TEHUANTEPEC. 
 
 Southern Division in the Department of Oajaca—the Northern in 
 that of Vera Cruz — Inhabitants — Climate — Minerals — Vegeta¬ 
 bles — Animals — Agriculture — Cattle — Salines—Manufactures and 
 Industry — Antiquities. 
 
 The isthmus of Tehuantepec belongs to the Mexican Re¬ 
 public, and forms part of the departments of Oajaca and Vera 
 Cruz. According to the official reports, published by the 
 Mexican Government in December 10th, 1841, as a basis for 
 the elections, the former department contains a population of 
 500,278 inhabitants, and the latter, 250,380. 
 
 The two extremities of the isthmus are the only inhabited 
 portions, and they are separated from each other by an im¬ 
 mense forest of astonishing beauty, which, from the richness of 
 its natural produce contains evidently treasures of incalculable 
 value, but which with its luxuriance conceals the aspect and 
 form of the hitherto unexplored soil, on which it stands. 
 
 SOUTHERN DIVISION. DEPARTMENT OF OAJACA. 
 
 This part of the Isthmus is topographically divided by 
 nature into two sections. The first occupies the plain which 
 extends from the Pacific Ocean to the foot of the Sierra, and 
 the second belongs to the Sierra itself. 
 
 Politically, the southern grounds of the Isthmus constitute 
 the greater part of the district of Tehuantepec, and comprise 
 twenty-four municipalities; the town of Tehuantepec, which 
 the Spaniards call also Guadalcazar, is the head of the dis¬ 
 trict ; and the residence of a Prefect, a Judge of first instance, 
 a military Commander, and a parish Priest. Juchitan and 
 Petapa are the heads of two sub-districts with their respective 
 Sub-prefects. 
 
59 
 
 Ecclesiastically this portion of the Isthmus is dependant on 
 the diocese of Oajaca, and in addition to the parish of Tehuan¬ 
 tepec it has five Rectories. 
 
 INHABITANTS. 
 
 The whole of the southern territory of the Isthmus contains 
 about 31,000 inhabitants, as may be seen in'the Appendix C. 
 
 The population of this division is composed of Europeans, 
 Huaves, Zapotecos, Mijes, Soques, and Zambos. 
 
 The Europeans, as regards numbers, constitute an insigni- 
 cant part of the population, and are disseminated over various 
 localities. 
 
 The Huaves are in all little more than three thousand, and 
 occupy the four villages of the coast called San Mateo, Santa 
 Maria, San Dionisio, and San Francisco. 
 
 These natives are easily distinguished by their aspect, 
 which differs materially from that of the other inhabitants of 
 the Isthmus. They are generally robust and well-formed; 
 some among them evince a high degree of intelligence, but 
 the majority are grossly ignorant. 
 
 The Huaves of both sexes are habitually in a state of al¬ 
 most complete nudity. Their industry consists of little else 
 than fishing, and even this they can only do by means of 
 sweepnets: with the produce of their fisheries, however, they 
 carry on an extensive trade, although not possessing proper 
 vessels to venture into deep water, and being ignorant even 
 of the use of the oar, they only frequent those spots which, 
 from their shallowness, offer little danger, such as marshes, 
 and the margin of the lakes and of the sea. It is a singular 
 fact that although the Huaves are chiefly fishermen, very few 
 among them know how to swim. 
 
 The Zapotecos constitute the greater part of the southern 
 population of the Isthmus, and almost exclusively that of six¬ 
 teen villages out of twenty-four. 
 
 The aborigines of Tehuantepec are by their civilization in¬ 
 comparably superior to those of any other part of the Repub¬ 
 lic; their intellectual qualities are of no mean order, and 
 
60 
 
 they are generally found intelligent, industrious, docile, and 
 lively. 
 
 In point of personal appearance the Teliuantepecans are 
 vigorous, and of a pleasing aspect, and among them there are 
 many with light hair, and a complexion comparatively fair. 
 Speaking of the women of this part of the Isthmus, they are 
 also noted for their graceful carriage, and the regularity of 
 their features : their gala costume is picturesque, rich, and ele¬ 
 gant, as well as the head-dress which they generally wear. 
 
 In Tehuantepec, in particular, there are bakers, carpenters, 
 smiths, tinkers, silversmiths, tanners, shoemakers, saddlers; 
 and every family, whatever may be their circumstances, 
 manufacture the soap necessary for home consumption. The 
 clothes woven by the women from the wild silk and cotton, are 
 really admirable, particularly considering the very imperfect 
 instruments which they possess for the purpose. 
 
 The Mijes constituted formerly a powerful nation, and 
 they still occupy the land from the Sierra, north of Tehuan¬ 
 tepec, to the district of Chiapas. In the Isthmus they only 
 inhabit the village of Gruichicovi, and a small portion of the 
 Sierra, which is never visited. 
 
 Physically and morally speaking the Mijes are a degraded 
 race, of a repulsive aspect, and most grossly ignorant. They 
 are, however, given to agriculture, and they grow plantains, 
 maize, beans, and sugar-cane, from the latter of which they 
 extract an impure kind of sugar, and they may be said to 
 supply with these articles the southern division of the Isthmus. 
 
 A favourite object of the ambition of the Mijes of Guichi- 
 covi is that of possessing the greatest possible number of mules, 
 a circumstance not easily accounted for, considering that they 
 make no use whatever of these animals, not even for the car¬ 
 riage of their goods, which they prefer bearing on their own 
 shoulders. 
 
 The Soques, who came originally from Chiapas, inhabit in 
 the Isthmus only the villages of San Miguel and Santa Maria 
 Chimalapa. They are easily distinguished from the other in¬ 
 habitants of these regions by their peculiar features. 
 
 In point of morality the Soques appear somewhat more 
 
61 
 
 rational than the Mijes ; and contrary to these they are naturally 
 kind and obliging. 
 
 They cultivate the scanty supply of maize required for their 
 own consumption, a small quantity of tobacco, and two plants 
 belonging to the family of the bromelias, from which they ex¬ 
 tract the iztle and th q pita, the fibres of which they can bleach, 
 weave, and dye of different colours. Their spun materials, 
 and the hammocks which they weave with them, constitute 
 their chief industry and commerce. 
 
 The inhabitants of Santa Maria extract also some annotto, 
 and supply the whole of the southern part of the Isthmus with 
 the delicious orange, which grows abundantly about their set¬ 
 tlement. 
 
 The Zambos , are a half-cast between the Indian and the Ne¬ 
 gro. They are robust and industrious, working as labourers in 
 the fields, and applying themselves to the cultivation of wheat, 
 indigo, and cochineal. Unfortunately neither the Zambos 
 nor the other natives of these districts are remarkable for their 
 sobriety. 
 
 CLIMATE. 
 
 The climate of that portion of the country, which in this 
 part of the Isthmus extends from the shores of the Pacific to 
 the foot of the Sierra, is in general warm and dry, a circum¬ 
 stance to which no doubt it owes its salubrity. 
 
 The heat is not equally intense in every part of the plain. 
 Tehuantepec, situated in a sandy ground, open to the south 
 and encircled on everyother side by hills which prevent the 
 approach of breezes, the coolness of which mitigates the heat 
 of a burning sun, is without doubt the hottest spot in the 
 Isthmus. We have often seen the centigrade thermometer at 
 seven o’clock in the morning rise to more than 33° (92° of 
 Fahrenheit.) 
 
 Zanatepec is also subject to excessive heat in consequence 
 of the proximity of the mountains which shade it on the 
 northern side. The other villages, especially those near the 
 sea, being at a greater distance from the mountains, are freely 
 exposed to the northern winds which blow almost incessantly 
 
62 
 
 in these regions, and they consequently enjoy a much milder 
 temperature. The winds proceeding from the north, being as 
 it were confined within the great valley formed by the inter¬ 
 ruption of the grand chain of mountains between Tarifa and 
 Petapa, descend with considerable force through the gaps of 
 Tarifa and Chivela. The Yenta de Chicapa, situated opposite 
 the former, receives these currents at times with great force 
 and they are also often felt by travellers on arriving in front 
 of the Portillo de la Chivela. 
 
 The climate of the elevated section of this part of the Isth¬ 
 mus is so different from that of the plains, that when the 
 thermometer stands in the latter place at 30°, it scarcely rises 
 to 13° at Chivela or Tarifa. In all the heights surrounding 
 these estates, we find the pine ocote , the presence of which 
 clearly indicates a very temperate climate. This considerable 
 difference of temperature appears much more strange con¬ 
 sidering that the absolute elevation of Taiifa is not more than 
 650 feet, whilst its latitude is less than 17°. Our surprise 
 ceases, however, when it is remembered that Tarifa partici¬ 
 pates in the temperature of the Sierra, which, near to it, 
 reaches suddenly an elevation of more than 7,500 feet. 
 
 The summits of the Sierra Madre are almost constantly 
 enveloped by the clouds, which, coming from the Atlantic 
 there discharge themselves, a circumstance that accounts for 
 the rivers of the Isthmus having an almost constant body of 
 water during the greater part of the year. At Guichicovi 
 and Santa Maria Chimalapa it rains almost incessantly, and 
 often also at San Miguel. Whenever such is the case the 
 table-land of Tarifa is covered with a kind of thin mist, which 
 disappears upon reaching the Portillo where the reigning wind 
 becomes more powerful. This phenomenon may be con¬ 
 sidered permanent, the suspended mist rarely extending be¬ 
 yond the table-land of Tarifa. Thus the Yenta enjoys an 
 almost constant unclouded atmosphere, and rain seldom falls 
 in the plains. 
 
 It cannot fail to be observed, that among the advantages 
 offered by the isthmus of Tehuantepec for the execution of 
 the proposed work, that of a mild and healthy climate, pre- 
 
63 
 
 cisely in those localities where the assistance of European 
 workmen would be required, is of the greatest consideration. 
 The small rains of Tarifa and of the valley of San Miguel are 
 not of sufficient consequence to impede the continuation of 
 the work during a considerable portion of the day. 
 
 During the long sojourn of the Commission in the Isthmus, 
 they had often to undergo hard and severe toils, and were 
 frequently exposed to the most trying inclemencies of the 
 weather, and yet neither themselves nor their numerous atten¬ 
 dants experienced any illness indicative of an unhealthy cli¬ 
 mate. 
 
 MINERALS. 
 
 The geological collection will give a sufficiently clear idea 
 of this department of the subject. Iron is found in abun¬ 
 dance in many points of the Isthmus, and that of Tarifa espe¬ 
 cially appears to be of excellent quality. As regards the 
 precious metals, which made the department of Oajaca once 
 so famous, there is a tradition still prevalent from the time of 
 the conquest that the mountains of Mijes and the upper 
 Uspanapan contain very rich gold and silver mines. 
 
 VEGETATION. 
 
 The mangrove tree (rhizophora mangel) of sinister omen is 
 not so common on the coasts of the Isthmus as on others of the 
 Republic. In the southern division, it can only be found in 
 the neighbourhood of San Francisco and of the Morro. 
 
 In the peninsula of San Mateo and Santa Maria the most 
 remarkable plants are the tamarind, the palm, and the cocoa- 
 nut trees, besides which the ground is also covered with vege¬ 
 tation. Three different species of the sensitive plant are here 
 found in abundance, one of which attains to nearly a metre in 
 height. 
 
 The land to the north of the lower eastern lagoon, in which 
 the Haciendas of San Dionisio and San Francisco are situated, 
 appear clothed with a luxuriant vegetation somewhat resem- 
 
64 
 
 bling that of the parks in Europe. The flowers in some of 
 these localities are of astonishing beauty. 
 
 Between the coast and the Sierra the plain is partly 
 covered by acacias, which, as we shall presently see, might 
 furnish a considerable quantity of gum. 
 
 On approaching the Sierra the vegetation is more vigorous, 
 and the Brazil-wood tree (coesalpinia crista), of which con¬ 
 siderable fellings might be effected, becomes very common. 
 The granadillo, the mahogany tree, (swietenia mahogani), the 
 copalchi (croton cascarilla) the bark of which is a well-known 
 febrifuge, and the dragon-tree (pterocarpus draco) begin to 
 make their appearance as well as many other shrubs that yield 
 resins and balsams, to which the natives ascribe the most mar¬ 
 vellous virtues. There are also the fustic (morus tinctoria), 
 the log-wood (hoematoxilon campechianum), as well as a con 
 siderable number of other trees both picturesque and useful 
 for their flowers and the hardness and durability of their 
 wood. 
 
 Both the soil and the climate are favourable to the cultiva¬ 
 tion of indigo and the sugar-cane; and those tracks of land 
 which are protected from the winds produce cotton of supe¬ 
 rior quality. 
 
 The table-land and hills between Tarifa and the Barrio 
 appear covered with good grass which affords an excellent 
 pasturage for cattle. The dales are covered with palm-trees, 
 and a little higher up we find the ocote pine (pinus reli- 
 giosa ?) which has some affinity with the pinus picea. The 
 latter tree is also found on the summits of the hills between 
 the above mentioned places and Santa Maria Chimalapa alter¬ 
 nately with the tropical plants which grow in the lower por¬ 
 tions of the ground. 
 
 It is impossible to describe with effect the luxuriance of 
 the vegetation in the latter places; but among the prodigious 
 multitude of plants, however, the guayacan (diospyros lotus), 
 the cedar, the mahogany, the rose-wood, the gateado , and the 
 ebony, are particularly abundant. No less worthy of notice 
 are the amber-tree (liquidambar styraciflua), from which is ex¬ 
 tracted the resin of the same name, and the tree yielding the 
 
65 
 
 balsam of Peru (myroxylon peruiferum) and the ocozotl pro¬ 
 ducing a gum very similar to the true amber. 
 
 Innumerable species of fruit trees also luxuriate here, 
 among which are found two kinds of vine bearing fine fla¬ 
 voured grapes, the plantain, the orange tree, two species of 
 spontaneous cocoa (theobroma cacao) and the sapota tree of 
 various kinds. The abundance of these is so considerable, 
 especially that of the mammee sapota, that the Indians are 
 accustomed to cut down the tree to gather the fruit more 
 readily. 
 
 There are likewise several kinds of indigoferas; the bixa 
 orellana, from which the annotto is extracted, the sarsaparilla 
 (smilax sarsaparilla), the ginger (amomum zingiber), and two 
 kinds of vanilla, very common, and of which no use whatever 
 is made. This precious plant is also found in great abun¬ 
 dance on the hills west of Petapa. 
 
 The Cerro Atravesado has on its summit a table-land, at 
 the northern extremity of which rises an isolated peak. It is 
 covered with excellent pasture grass, and a splendid wood of 
 ocotes. The fissures by which the table-land is intersected 
 are constantly supplied with delicious water by the frequent 
 rains, and when these are considerable, the superabundant 
 water falls perpendicularly over the western side, forming a 
 cascade nearly three thousand feet in height. The edges of 
 the fissures are richly ornamented with zamias, ferns, and 
 orchidacias of great beauty. 
 
 The southern side of the most elevated portion of the chain 
 is profusely covered with majestic oak trees. 
 
 To the right of the upper Coatzacoalcos, or river del Corte, 
 are found in astonishing abundance various kinds of pines, 
 and among them it would appear is the pinus abies which the 
 Spanish Government used to send to the dockyard at the 
 Havannah for the construction of masts for ships. According 
 to Don Tadeo de Ortiz many of these trees are from six to 
 twelve feet in diameter, and of a prodigious height; they are 
 found at the very banks of the river. The plains watered by 
 the rivers Malatengo, Chichihua, and Almoloya (the latter of 
 which takes in its lower course the name of Guelaguesa) are 
 
 E 
 
66 
 
 noted in the Isthmus for their delightful aspect. The vegeta¬ 
 tion in them is similar, and perhaps even more luxuriant than 
 that of the low grounds on the road to Santa Maria. The 
 soil and climate are likewise peculiarly adapted to the growth 
 of maize, coffee, cocoa, tobacco, rice, and the sugar-cane. 
 
 On the road from Boca de Monte to the Mai Paso the vege¬ 
 tation begins to assume an aspect peculiar to the plains of 
 the Coatzacoalcos. The laurus sassafras, the fern tree, an 
 infinite variety of palms, and the plants of the tropical re¬ 
 gions already alluded to, united and interwoven with passion 
 flowers, and innumerable filamentous reeds, or richly enve¬ 
 loped and crowned by a multitude of exquisitely beautiful 
 orchidacise formed an admirable and sublime spectacle. But 
 the peculiar characteristic of these shrubberies is, that the 
 plants concealed in the midst of this luxuriant vegetation 
 appear desirous to reach as soon as possible an elevation where 
 they may enjoy the rays of the sun, thus acquiring an extra¬ 
 ordinary height, and their stems being remarkably straight. 
 
 The Sarabia also runs through groves and woods of great 
 beauty, the soil of which seems to be waiting only for the 
 helping hand of man to yield with profusion the natural 
 riches it contains. 
 
 ANIMALS. 
 
 The wild beast most common in the Isthmus is that which 
 is improperly called a tiger by the inhabitants of the Republic, 
 it being in reality the ounce (felis uncia); after this comes the 
 American lion or puma (felis discolor) : they are both nume¬ 
 rous, although they are said never to attack a man, probably 
 because they have other prey in abundance. The ocellots or 
 small tiger (leopardus pardalis), the wild cat, and particularly 
 the American fox (vulpes fulvus) are also very numerous in 
 the Isthmus; but their skins are not turned to any account by 
 the natives. 
 
 In every one of the different estates of the Isthmus a tigrero 
 (tiger-hunter) is kept, who with a numerous pack of hounds is 
 exclusively engaged in destroying the wild beasts which cause 
 serious damage among the herds of cattle, notwithstanding 
 
67 
 
 the immense number of deer, hares, and rabbits on which they 
 could and do also prey. As soon as the dogs discover one of 
 these animals they set off in pursuit, and soon compel him to 
 climb a tree for protection, where he is quickly dispatched 
 by the tigero’s rifle. 
 
 The most remarkable animal in this country, in respect to 
 its size, is the tapir (tapirus terrestris), which is found in 
 great numbers in the upper course of the rivers Chicapa and 
 Ostuta, as well as in all the wild spots of the Sierra affording 
 good pasture and an abundant supply of fresh water. The 
 flesh of this animal has an agreeable taste. 
 
 In the upper Ostuta there are also considerable herds of 
 wild cattle, proceeding no doubt from those which escaped 
 into the woods from the old estates called Erailescas. 
 
 In the river just mentioned, as well as in all the others 
 above named, there are a great number of martens of a par¬ 
 ticularly beautiful species. 
 
 In this part of the Isthmus two kinds of the hog are very 
 common, one called the wild boar throughout the Republic, 
 although it bears no resemblance to the animal known by this 
 name in Europe; the other, the pecari, dicotyles tayacu of 
 zoology. The male of this last has on the back a gland that 
 contains a fetid humour, but its flesh, especially that of the 
 female, is delicious food. 
 
 The woods swarm with an immense number of monkeys 
 of the genera lagothrix and ateles. 
 
 The deer, rabbits, and hares are innumerable in the Isthmus, 
 and the quantity of the latter which are constantly passing by 
 the traveller in the plains of the southern coast is almost in¬ 
 credible. 
 
 From what has been already said of other animals, the 
 abundance of the feathered tribe in these regions will naturally 
 be inferred. Of these the crax alector, improperly called phea¬ 
 sant ; the wild turkey (meleagris gallo pavo); the chachalaca 
 (ortalida garrula); the partridge, the quail, the wild pigeon, 
 and ducks of various kinds are particularly remarkable. 
 
 Among the birds the most deserving of attention for their 
 beautiful plumage are those of the parrot kind, the toucan 
 
 e 2 
 
68 
 
 and on the shores of the lagoons the plataiea ajaja of a beauti¬ 
 ful rose colour. 
 
 Among the reptiles are found the iguana, the flesh of 
 which is considered by the natives delicate food. Unfortu¬ 
 nately too there are also the most dangerous kind of serpents, 
 such as the rattle snakes (crotalus horridus), the coral coloured, 
 and many others. 
 
 Lastly, of the natural products of the country those yielded 
 by the Insects of the Isthmus ought not to be overlooked. 
 The most remarkable of these are the honey and wax with 
 which the bees fill the woods, and the enormous bags of raw 
 silk suspended by small worms from the branches of trees 
 which the women of Tehuantepec turn to no small account. 
 
 AGRICULTURE. 
 
 Appendix C. Table 2, exhibits the private landed property 
 existing in the southern part of the Isthmus. 
 
 The produce most in requisition with all the inhabitants of 
 Isthmus, and in general of the whole Republic, is maize, of 
 which they make the tortillas (small cakes), and which is their 
 principal food. 
 
 The Indians of Guichicovi are the most active cultivators of 
 maize ; but the harvest, which in proportion to the quantity 
 sown they reap in great abundance, is due much more to the 
 fertility of the soil than to the intelligence or art of the 
 cultivator. Tehuantepec and San Miguel are the only places 
 in the Isthmus where the maize plantations are artificially 
 watered. 
 
 Some attention is also paid in this part of the Isthmus to 
 the cultivation of the sugar-cane. There is a sugar factory 
 in the neighbourhood of Chihuitan, belonging to Messrs. H. 
 Gobert and Olivier Gourjon, the former a German and the 
 latter a Frenchman. According to the note taken by Don 
 Pedro de Garay, this establishment, founded but a few years 
 ago, can yield 100,000 lbs. of sugar, representing there a value 
 of £1800, and £800 more for the brandy distilled from the 
 molasses. 
 
69 
 
 The consumption of the whole district of Tehuantepec, may 
 at present be considered to amount to about 250,000 lbs. 
 
 The Indians of Guichicovi especially, manufacture an im¬ 
 pure sugar, used for the confection of brandy. This spirit is 
 chiefly distilled at Tehuantepec, Juchitan, and Itztaltepec. 
 The total value of the brandy consumed in the southern part 
 of the Isthmus is estimated at £1600 to which ought to be 
 added £1200 more for the mescal , a kind of brandy extracted 
 in those places from the leaves of the American agave. 
 
 The most important agricultural produce in this part of the 
 country is that resulting from the cultivation of indigo. 
 
 It is of such excellent quality as to be in request in all 
 parts of the Republic, and it is also exported abroad. An 
 average crop will produce about 120,000 lbs. representing a 
 value of £24,000. Its cultivation demands scarcely any at¬ 
 tention, as the plant continues to be productive for the long 
 period of three years. It has been often calculated that the 
 expense of the producing of indigo in fruitful years, does not 
 exceed Is. 6d. per lb. whilst its value is never less than 4s. 
 per lb. 
 
 The settlements where this important cultivation is most 
 flourishing are Juchitan, Itztaltepec, San Geronimo, Chihuitan, 
 and generally throughout the whole districts of Tehuantepec. 
 
 After the indigo, the iztle and pita are among the most 
 considerable productions, but we are without sufficient accurate 
 information to venture an assertion respecting their true value, 
 which is also the case respecting tobacco, annotto, wax, honey, 
 and wild silk. 
 
 It is ascertained that the cochineal insect of these parts is 
 the best in quality of any known, but its cultivation is almost 
 entirely abandoned. Gum is so abundant, that according to 
 the assertion of Don Pedro de Garay the neighbourhood of 
 Juchitan alone will furnish 600,000 lbs. valued at about 
 £3200. 
 
 CATTLE. 
 
 Formerly numerous herds of cattle grazed in the southern 
 division of the Isthmus. Don Tadeo de Ortiz says that in the 
 Frailescas estates alone there were more than 30,000 head of 
 
70 
 
 horned cattle, besides a considerable quantity of horses. At 
 present they have not more than 1500 of the former, and only 
 a few hundreds of the latter. 
 
 Table No. 2 shows that the whole of the black cattle in this 
 district amounts to some 44,000 head, one-fourth of this num¬ 
 ber occupying the Marquesanas estates. 
 
 The number of horses and mules may be estimated at 
 25,000, and that of the sheep at 1500. No use whatever is 
 made of the wool. 
 
 FISHERIES. 
 
 The lagoons, the rivers, and the ocean contain a variety and 
 quantity of fish truly astonishing, as well as a considerable 
 number of tortoises of various kinds. The divers of other 
 parts are in the habit of coming to the neighbourhood of the 
 Morro in quest of the valuable tortoise-shell, coral, and pearl, 
 which these coasts contain in abundance. The alligator in¬ 
 habits the lakes near the coast. The natives of Tehuantepec 
 find also near the Morro a kind of purple shell-fish, from 
 which they extract a substance which is much in use among 
 them as a dye. 
 
 The shrimp and dry fish prepared by the Huaves in the 
 four villages of the coast, besides providing for the consump¬ 
 tion of the inhabitants of the country, are sent in rather large 
 quantities to Oajaca, and other points of the Republic. 
 
 SALT PITS. 
 
 Salt pits are so numerous, that it would be difficult to de¬ 
 termine the quantity they yield; but from a proximate calcu¬ 
 lation, made with the assistance of some well-informed persons, 
 their produce may be estimated during the period when they 
 were worked on account of the government at 75,0001bs; and 
 it may be asserted with truth that the whole of their produce 
 was not turned to account, since it is no exaggeration to say 
 that from Huamelula to Tonala the entire intervening space is 
 one continued salt mine. 
 
 This salt is highly esteemed in various parts of the Repub¬ 
 lic, both for its purity and its whiteness. The principal con- 
 
71 
 
 sumption takes place in the departments of Chiapas and Oaja- 
 ca, the annual produce derived from it being about £8,000. 
 This salt was sold at the public administration of Tehuantepec 
 at 2s. 5d. per lb. Its cost to the government was not more 
 than 6d. for every 100 lbs. since being of spontaneous forma¬ 
 tion, and not requiring any operation whatever, the expense was 
 limited to the mere carriage from the works to the place of 
 deposit. 
 
 MANUFACTURES. 
 
 Those for which th e inhabitants of the Isthmus are more 
 distinguished are leather-dressing and saddlery. At Tehuan¬ 
 tepec and Juchitan doe-skins are prepared of any colour requi¬ 
 red, and with a degree of skill which entitles them to the high 
 repute they have attained. Other kinds of skin are also tan¬ 
 ned there, and the sole-leather and dressed ox-hides of Tehuan¬ 
 tepec are much esteemed. . Shoes and saddles manufactured 
 of them are occasionally sent to Guatemala and the interior of 
 the Republic. 
 
 Another produce of the industry of the inhabitants of the 
 Isthmus consists in cotton stuff, woven with an admirable de¬ 
 gree of fineness, considering the imperfection of the looms 
 employed for its manufacture. 
 
 NORTHERN DIVISION OF THE ISTHMUS. 
 
 DEPARTMENT OF VERA CRUZ, 
 
 This portion of the Isthmus belongs to the district of Aca- 
 yucam, which was formerly one of the most densely populated 
 of the Mexican empire. 
 
 The government of Vera Cruz published, in 1831, the statis¬ 
 tics of their own territory, and Don Jose M. Iglesias edited 
 with accuracy and tact the portion relating to the district of 
 Acayucam. Since 1831 the condition of this country has 
 considerably improved, as may be inferred by the buildings 
 
72 
 
 now in progress in the chief town of the district, as well as 
 by the flourishing plantations of cotton and tobacco, not one 
 of which existed at that time, but which have since acquired 
 some importance. 
 
 The topographical knowledge of these regions is necessarily 
 very limited where forests of immense extent and almost im¬ 
 penetrable thickness render the work of exploration difficult. 
 It is, however, particularly characterised by the course of the 
 Coatzacoalcos, which the Commission examined, and it is 
 known that the ground on both sides of this river is tra¬ 
 versed by streams of scarcely less importance, the waters 
 of which might be advantageously employed to facilitate the 
 communication between this fertile territory and the adjacent 
 districts. 
 
 After the river Coatzacoalcos, the next in importance is 
 the Uspanapan, which according to Ortiz “runs through a 
 “ pleasant and picturesque region of temperate climate, and 
 “ once thickly populated. ” This region, he thinks, is that 
 which Cortes and Clavijero called Chimatlan and Quiexula. 
 
 “ It is very probable, ” says Ortiz, “ that this district, 
 “ which is now deserted, may afford a short and regular tran- 
 “ sit to the beautiful plains in the centre of the Isthmus, as 
 “ the conquerors penetrated through it into the Upper Tabasco 
 £ 1 and Guatemala. ” 
 
 Besides the Uspanapan, the rivers Coahuapa, Coachapa, 
 San Antonio, Tancochapa, and Zanapa, water also the plains 
 lying on the right of the Coatzacoalcos: all of them are more 
 or less navigable, and the latter discharges itself into the At¬ 
 lantic, about 25 miles eastward of the mouth of the Coatza¬ 
 coalcos, through the bar of Toneladas, which the mariners of 
 old mention in their writings as a frequented port, and which 
 is well worthy the attention of modern navigators. 
 
 The territory w T est of the Coatzacoalcos is also intersected 
 by large rivers, among which the Jaltepee and the San Juan 
 are the most remarkable. The former, which as we have seen 
 joins the Coatzacoalcos, runs through a country remarkable 
 for its magnificent vegetation ; and Ortiz is of opinion that a 
 great portion of its course might be navigable for steamers. 
 
73 
 
 The latter tails into the Atlantic by Alvarado, and the Aca- 
 yucans follow its course, when going to Vera Cruz, between 
 which port and the Coatzacoalcos it is asserted that a water 
 communication might be very easily established. 
 
 In the district of Acayucam there are sixteen municipali¬ 
 ties. 
 
 The town of Acayucam, situated at about 17° 50 ‘ 30" north 
 latitude, and 0° 5' 45" east of the meridian of Juchitan, is the 
 head of the district of the same name, and the residence of a 
 Prefect, a Judge of first instance, a military Commander, and 
 a parish Clergyman. 
 
 Acayucam, before the conquest, was the court of one of the 
 most powerful caziques among the tributaries of the empire 
 of Mexico. Cortes, however, diminished its importance by 
 founding the town of Espiritu Santo, which during one hun¬ 
 dred and thirty-six years was the capital of the province; but 
 the latter having subsequently been abandoned by its inhabi¬ 
 tants in consequence of the frequent pillages to which it was 
 subjected about the middle of the seventeenth century, Aca¬ 
 yucam, recovered a small portion of its former importance. 
 
 The district of Acayucam, as regards the ecclesiastical divi¬ 
 sion, belongs to the diocese of Oajaca, like the rest of the Isth¬ 
 mus. 
 
 ' INHABITANTS. 
 
 The tables formed upon the data afforded by the statistics 
 of Senor Iglesias show that the population of this district, even 
 if we suppose it not to exceed that of 1831, amounts to 21 
 thousands inhabitants, divided into Europeans , Indians , and 
 Mestizos , or mongrels. 
 
 The Europeans are a limited number, and chiefly occupy 
 themselves in commerce and the public administration of af¬ 
 fairs. 
 
 The Indians constitute more than three-fourths of the 
 whole population, and apply themselves to agriculture. These 
 Indians are almost all Mexicans, and although very ignorant 
 and superstitious, do not evince any perverse inclinations. 
 Their manners and customs are somewhat loose; they are 
 
74 
 
 little inclined to work, but their natural docility leads us to 
 believe that it would not be difficult to make them industrious 
 and useful. They have not the disagreeable appearance of 
 the Mijes and Soques, and if they are not to be compared to 
 the Zapotecos, the difference is chiefly owing to the excessive 
 use of strong spirits, as well as the habit acquired from child¬ 
 hood of eating earth, which deforms them, and imparts to their 
 complexion a sickly hue. 
 
 Jaltipan is celebrated among the Indian villages of this 
 territory for having been the birth-place of the enchanting 
 Malinche (Dona Marina), who by her fidelity and sagacity 
 materially assisted the conquests of Cortes. 
 
 The women of this village are famed, and not undeservedly 
 as the handsomest throughout the district; but in common, 
 with the rest of their sex in the Isthmus they cannot boast of 
 very strict ideas of propriety. It is also said that the male 
 population, instead of watching them with a jealous eye, carry 
 their ideas of hospitality to a very peculiar length. 
 
 A singular circumstance, deserving the attention of the eth¬ 
 nologist, is the existence of a race of dumb people, of which 
 there are numerous families in Jaltipan. However strange 
 this may appear it is nevertheless certain, and the Rancho de 
 los mudos (settlement of the dumb), established a few years 
 since near the lower part of the island of Tacamichapa, owes 
 its designation to the fact that the individuals are all dumb 
 who inhabit the three or four houses which form this settle¬ 
 ment. 
 
 The Mestizos are a mixed race of Europeans and Indians. 
 They are in general more rational and industrious than the 
 latter; but, like them, indulge in intemperate habits, and are 
 much more turbulent. The number of Mestizos exceeds that 
 of the Europeans. 
 
 CLIMATE. 
 
 The climate of this part of the Isthmus is damp, but its 
 temperature being generally low, compared not only with the 
 southern division of the Isthmus but even with the other coasts 
 
75 
 
 of the Atlantic, it is by no means unhealthy, as its position 
 would lead one to suppose. The centigrade thermometer 
 does not reach in these regions more than 30 degrees; the 
 most prevalent diseases are intermittent fevers, but no instances 
 have thitherto been known of the yellow fever, endemic in 
 other countries. 
 
 By means of considerable felling of timber and the cultiva¬ 
 tion of the ground, the climate of this portion of the Isthmus 
 will no doubt be considerably improved. 
 
 MINERALS. 
 
 Information purely traditional supposes the existence of rich 
 mines of precious metals at the head of the rivers Jaltepec, 
 Uspanapan, &c. 
 
 In the statistical account of Don Jose Maria Iglesias men tion 
 is made of two mineral veins in the neighbourhood of the 
 village of Joteapa, which were “ denounced ”* in 1597 as being 
 of silver, but the exact nature of which in reality is not yet 
 known. It is stated in the same work that the calcareous 
 rocks found in several parts of this territory might furnish ex¬ 
 cellent building materials ; that in the settlement of los Que - 
 mados there is beautiful alabaster, and near Jaltipan gypsum 
 of excellent quality. Lastly, it is stated in the villages of 
 Sayultepec and Moloacan there are fountains of petroleum ; 
 in the last mentioned place and Almagres are sulphureous 
 springs, and in the village of Chinameca a fountain of mineral 
 waters, without mentioning its qualities. 
 
 Sr. Moro has been fortunate enough to be the first to find 
 in the Mexican Republic mines of coals of a superior quality, 
 which he has already legally “ denounced,” and the circumstance 
 of their being situated in the neighbourhood of a great river 
 would render the conveyance of their produce very easy. No 
 indication has been seen in the Isthmus of the existence of 
 this valuable fossil, but certain analogies of geological forma¬ 
 tion suggest the probability of its being found in a particular 
 spot between Tehuantepec and Oajaca. He did not wish to 
 
 The legal term for demanding the grant of a mine. 
 
76 
 
 omit these observations, on account of the importance of the 
 subject in connection with our main object. 
 
 VEGETABLE PRODUCTIONS. 
 
 All the plants mentioned, speaking of the southern division 
 of the Isthmus, are also found in the northern, but with a 
 profusion incomparably greater. The luxuriance and majestic 
 appearance of the forests of the Coatzacoalcos are beyond all 
 description, and as Don Tadeo de Ortiz well observed, they 
 exhibit “ a truly monstrous vegetation, of which ocular inspec- 
 “ tion alone can give an adequate idea.” 
 
 In the description of the course of the Coatzacoalcos, all 
 the large timber fit for ship-building has been already noticed. 
 
 In almost all the rivers, and especially in the Jaltepec and 
 Uspanapan, the pine is found in the upper part of their course; 
 then comes the majestic oak, and in the lower part the most 
 precious woods. Among those used in construction, the cedar, 
 the sapota, the oak, the yellow-wood, the ebony, the javicue , 
 macayo , and above all th e paqui (iron-wood), which from its 
 extreme hardness is also called there quiebra hacha (break- 
 axe). 
 
 Along the whole coast of the Atlantic the tree which pro¬ 
 duces the kind of pepper known by the name of myrtle 
 (myrtus pimenta) is found ; and according to the calculations 
 of Senor Ortiz, this fruit might be gathered annually to an 
 amount of £10,000. 
 
 In various parts, but particularly in the neighbourhood of 
 Jaltipan, the Jatropha elastic a has been observed, from which 
 the caoutchouc, or India rubber, is obtained. In other spots 
 the cassia is also very common. Fruit trees are almost in¬ 
 numerable : the sapotas of various kinds, the lemon, the orange, 
 and the wild cocoa tree being remarkable among them, as 
 well as two kinds of vine. The vanilla, the indigo plant, and 
 the sarsaparilla are also very plentiful. 
 
 In the neighbourhood of Mina-titlan are found two species 
 of the sensitive plant one of which is the common mimosa 
 pudica so generally known, and the Other grows as a bush 
 
77 
 
 upwards of two metres in height. It would be useless to add 
 that the most beautiful flowers are everywhere to be found, 
 and that a great quantity of gums, resins, and balsams form a 
 part of the rich produce of this magnificent vegetation. 
 
 ANIMALS. 
 
 The quantity of wild animals which infest these territories 
 is almost innumerable, particularly in the neighbourhood of 
 the settlement of Teposapa, according to Senor Iglesias. 
 The tapirs, the deer, the rabbits, &c., are still more abundant; 
 but surpassing all in number, is the tribe of monkeys, that 
 delight in a plentiful harvest from the constant profusion of 
 fruit by which they are surrounded. Many of these belong 
 to the classes before named when speaking of the southern 
 division of the Isthmus, while others are peculiar to the woods 
 of the Coatzacoalcos, among which are some nocturnal spe¬ 
 cies, and the stentor ursinus that frequently breaks the silence 
 of the forest with his shrill and powerful cries, so loud indeed, 
 that, judging only by its power, any one not seeing the insig¬ 
 nificant little animal from which it emanates, would suppose 
 it to be of considerable size. 
 
 Following the course of the Coatzacoalcos, its banks abound 
 with the so-called pheasants, the wild turkeys, the pigeons, 
 partridges, ducks, and many other fowl, the flesh of which 
 furnishes wholesome and delicious food. 
 
 The multitude of parrots which inhabit this country is 
 really astonishing. There are also a great number of toucans, 
 especially as the inhabitants of the Isthmus include among 
 these, without any distinction, the ramphastos and the ptero- 
 glossus. As regards other kinds of birds, their variety almost 
 baffles calculation; some of them being remarkable for the 
 beauty of their plumage, and others for the melody of their 
 song. 
 
 The waters of this district abound in excellent fish. In 
 the lower part of the Coatzacoalcos the manatus, called, from 
 its size, the sea-cow, is frequently found. A peculiar kind 
 of fresh-water tortoise deposit on the banks of these rivers 
 great quantities of eggs quite different from those of the sea 
 
78 
 
 tortoise, and very similar to those of the hen, both in appear¬ 
 ance and flavour. 
 
 The coasts of the Atlantic belonging to the Isthmus are 
 celebrated for the abundance of tortoise-shell they afford, 
 the fishery of which gives employment to the industry of the 
 inhabitants of Campeachy. 
 
 The iguanas, the flesh of which is a delicious morsel to the 
 natives of the Isthmus, differ in the southern and northern 
 divisions. In the former they inhabit the dry and barren 
 spots, and are of a dusky-brown colour, whilst those of the 
 Coatzacoalcos are of a light green, variegated in the males 
 with beautiful red spots. 
 
 In the oak forests of this district there are vast quantities 
 of bags of wild silk, and everywhere wax and honey in abun¬ 
 dance. 
 
 INDUSTRY. 
 
 Agriculture, however, which in 1831 might be considered 
 almost nugatory, has made some progress of late years, and 
 several of the inhabitants have applied themselves to the cul¬ 
 tivation of cotton and tobacco, although I am unacquainted 
 with the respective amount of these products. 
 
 The cotton grown here appears to be of excellent quality, 
 and also the tobacco, which is especially cultivated in the ter¬ 
 ritory of Jaltipan, where the natives understand well its 
 management. The grains more generally sown are maize, 
 beans, and rice, but only in sufficient quantity for home con¬ 
 sumption. 
 
 The soil is so fruitful that both Don Tadeo de Ortiz and Don 
 Jose Maria Inglesias assert, that the efforts of the cultivator 
 are in some places rewarded with five annual crops of maize; 
 each of these crops is distinguished by a different name, being 
 respectively called tornamil, tepachole, temporal, tepeta, and 
 etopil. Senor Ortiz, speaking with enthusisam of this fer¬ 
 tility, says : “ that which most particularly characterizes this 
 <e privileged region, however, is the singular fact that one 
 <e single sowing of rice, will yield successively two large crops 
 ee without the slightest additional labour, as I had an oppor- 
 
79 
 
 t{ tunity of observing in the rancho de Gavilanes situated in 
 « the strand between the rivers Coatzacoalcos and Toneladas.” 
 
 The sugar-cane, coffee, and cocoa prosper throughout this 
 district, and are cultivated in the neighbourhood of almost all 
 the settlements, although in very limited quantities. 0^ the 
 Coatzacoalcos, the only plantation of any importance is one 
 of coffee and cocoa, which an European settler established a 
 few years ago, near Hidalgo-titlan, on the banks of this river, 
 opposite to this village. 
 
 The iztle is chiefly cultivated at Jaltipan, Soconusco, Tejis- 
 tepec, Oteapa, Ishuatlan, and Moloacan. In 1831, Senor 
 Iglesias numbered 1221 iztle plantations, the produce of 
 which, generally sent to Vera Cruz, he estimated at upwards 
 of £4,000. 
 
 ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 The southern division of the Isthmus is particularly rich in 
 antiquarian remains. 
 
 1. The road which leads from Mexico to Tehuantepec, on 
 arriving in front of the Mistequilla, crosses a defile overhung 
 by an eminence, called in the Zapoteco language Guiengola , 
 which means large stone. In the historical manuscript, which 
 has been alluded to, it is observed that when king Cosijoeza 
 began his struggle for dominion against the emperor Montezu¬ 
 ma, he made on this hill, which he had previously fortified and 
 well supplied with arms, ammunition, and provisions, the bril¬ 
 liant defence which secured to him the sovereignty of these 
 lands. It appears that in those times there were in the hill 
 several springs of water, of which not the slightest trace now 
 remains; but there are still to be seen, as Sr. Moro was infor¬ 
 med, splendid ruins of fortifications and vast barracks. There 
 is no doubt whatever of the existence of these ruins, and the 
 Commission intended to have visited them had not other du¬ 
 ties of more importance prevented it. 
 
 2. The hill of Coscomate, near Zanatepec, is also called the hill 
 of the sun and moon, from two colossal representations of these 
 heavenly bodies carved in the solid rock, which are described 
 as illustrated by an inscription in unknown characters. The 
 
80 
 
 name of Cerro del Venado (deer hill) is likewise attributed to 
 an effigy of this animal being hewn out of one of the rocks. 
 
 3. The old men who accompanied Sr. Moro in one of his 
 expeditions to the upper Ostuta, pointed out the situation of a 
 valley about nine miles east of the Cerro del Venado, where 
 they found the remains of a large town with buildings of stone. 
 None of these spots were visited by the Commission. 
 
 4. Any object which has been shaped by nature into a fan¬ 
 tastic form is considered as enchanted by the inhabitants of the 
 Isthmus. Thus they designate with this epithet the caves of 
 the cerro del Convento and of the upper Chicapa; the Cerro 
 Atravesado ; the problematical lake of Ostuta ; and above all, 
 the island of Monapostiac, more generally known as the En¬ 
 chanted Hill . 
 
 In the manuscript just alluded to, it is mentioned that king 
 Cosijopi at the beginning of his reign offered up a solemn sa¬ 
 crifice to the greatest idol of the Zapotecos, called the Heart 
 of the Kingdom , wdiich was placed in this island. 
 
 From the commencement of operations the highest point 
 of the Monapostiac was fixed upon as the vertex of one of 
 the first triangles of the trigonometrical net. The intelli¬ 
 gence of the determination to proceed thither and fix upon it 
 a signal, caused the greatest astonishment and terror among the 
 natives. It was said a furious storm was sure to arise on nearing 
 the island, and the loss of the party was considered inevitable. 
 
 Nor is it surprising that these ignorant people should en¬ 
 tertain superstitious ideas respecting this island, since the for¬ 
 mation of it naturally excites considerable wonder, even in the 
 minds of the well-informed. From the summit, to the base 
 which lies in the waters of the lake, it is composed of huge 
 blocks of green sienitic stones, confusedly thrown one upon 
 another, as if a heap of rubbish; and when these stones are 
 struck together they emit a sound not unlike that of a large 
 bell. In Sr. Moro’s account of the Survey, an hypothesis was 
 ventured upon the singular structure of this island, supposing 
 that it came out in a state, if not of positive fusion, at least one 
 of incandescence, and that it broke into pieces by the uneven 
 contraction of the matter caused by the surface, from being ex- 
 
81 
 
 posed to the air, cooling sooner than the centre. The move¬ 
 ment of the successive strata might afterwards have displaced 
 the upper fragments, giving to the whole its present aspect. 
 Should this be a mistake, it is, however, that which naturally 
 occurs on seeing the Monapostiac, and its regular formation 
 appears difficult of explanation in any other way. 
 
 The idols which were found in this island are of terracota, 
 and have been deposited in the national museum of Mexico. 
 Their character is very different from those made by the Az¬ 
 tecs, and some of them are not without artistical merit. Un¬ 
 fortunately during their removal the best were broken in such 
 a manner as to prevent the possibility of joining the frag¬ 
 ments. 
 
 It was asserted that the island of Tilema possesses also 
 several objects of archaeological interest, and that in the island 
 of Arrianjianbaj, which signifies old city, the remains of an 
 abandoned small town are still to be seen. 
 
 k 
 
 p 
 
82 
 
 CHAP. VII. 
 
 PROJECTS. 
 
 Correction and Clearance of the Course of the Coatzacoalcos—closing 
 the entrance of the Mistan—Clearing entrance to the Boca Barra 
 —Deepening the Channels of the Lagoons.—First Project—Waters 
 of the Ostuta and Chicapa led hy water-courses to Tarifa — sum¬ 
 mit level between the Monetza and Tarifa—Line of cuttings on both 
 sides through Argillaceous rocks , marl, clay , sands , and slates .— 
 Second Project—The summit level at the Portilla, and descent to 
 the Chicapa , using its channel.—Third Project—Summit level at 
 Tarifa, thence by the beds of the Chichihua and Malatengo to the 
 Coatzacoalcos; and by the Monetza and Chicapa to the Lagoons. 
 
 The various plans which Sr. Moro has submitted are formed 
 on the supposition of the Coatzacoalcos being rendered navi¬ 
 gable as far as its confluence with the Malatengo; and the 
 Boca Barra of San Francisco being cleared for the admission of 
 large vessels; and both these ends are, in his opinion, attainable 
 without having to overcome extraordinary difficulties. 
 
 The favourable and useful pecularities of the Coatzacoalcos 
 soon attracted the notice of its early discoverers. Cortes 
 speaking of the country of which the Isthmus forms a part 
 says: 
 
 “ I had heard that in a very great river which runs through 
 *■ f the said province and falls in ;o the sea, there was an excel- 
 “ lent harbour for vessels; because Ordaz, and those who ac- 
 “ companied him had examined it, and as the country appeared 
 “ particularly fitted for colonization, and there being on tliis 
 “ coast such scarcity of harbours, I was desirous of finding one, 
 “ and establishing there a settlement.’’ 
 
83 
 
 Subsequently, by order of Cortes himself, Ordaz founded 
 the town of Espiritu Santo, four leagues from the mouth of the 
 river, of which only some slight traces now remain it having 
 been ruined by the ravages of the Buccaneers. 
 
 No one ever visited the Coatzacoalcos whether acquainted 
 with these matters or not, without being impressed with the 
 facility with which the whole of it might be made navigable. 
 
 The stability of its bed is owing both to the slowness of the 
 current, which prevents its excavating the bottom and banks, 
 and to the clearness of the waters, which carry no materials 
 down to make new deposits. The gentleness of the current 
 may be inferred from the fact that its course, with all its wind¬ 
 ings from the confluence of the Malatengo to the sea, measures 
 160 miles with a fall of only 130 feet. 
 
 It has been observed that the bar of the Coatzacoalcos is per¬ 
 manent, and in the survey of its course, in 1825 by General 
 Oibegozo, we find, after a lapse of eighteen years, that the 
 same windings exist throughout. The islets and streams are 
 also identical both in number and importance, wdiich seem to 
 promise that whatever w r orks may be necessary to give greater 
 depth to the river will have a permanent result if they are well 
 conceived and properly executed. 
 
 The usual engines might be used, as well as the power of the 
 river itself, by narrowing temporarily its bed. This object 
 might be effected by means of dikes constructed with solid 
 piles, taking advantage for the purpose of the useful materials 
 which nature herself offers profusely in the large trees and ex¬ 
 cellent clay that cover the banks of the river. 
 
 In some of the upper parts of the river it may perhaps 
 be necessary to straighten its course, checking the increased 
 current by means of a lock, and in others to construct solid 
 embankments so as to limit the width of its bed; but any at¬ 
 tempt to determine at present the number and magnitude of 
 these works would only evince either want of good faith or 
 presumptuous ignorance. 
 
 To change the established course of a mighty river is one of 
 the most delicate operations in hydraulics, and requires not 
 only much skill and tact, but a careful study of local circum- 
 ‘ ' * f 2 
 
84 
 
 The two most difficult points are the rapids of the old and 
 the new Mai Paso, where the river runs upon a rocky bed; 
 but these are of limited extent, and the many efficient means 
 employed in similar cases are too well known to allow of much 
 importance being attached to such obstacles. 
 
 With these two exceptions the remaining rapids are gene¬ 
 rally caused by shingle and sand-banks, and diminish gradually 
 in number until they become very rare below the river 
 Jumuapa. 
 
 After passing the small hill of Cuapinaloya, the Coatzacoal- 
 cos divides itself into two branches called Apotzongo and Mis- 
 tan. If the former of these were straightened, compelling at the 
 same time the whole of the waters of the river to run through 
 its channel, and obstructing the entrance of the other arm, the 
 shoal of Horqueta would be removed, and the river become na¬ 
 vigable for large vessels to a point beyond Cuapinoloya, namely, 
 more than 62 miles from the mouth of the Coatzacoalcos. 
 
 Before dismissing this subject it is necessary to make one 
 other observation. The various authors, who have spoken of 
 the Coatzacoalcos, differ in their statements as regards its 
 depth, 
 
 Dampier states it to be 14 English feet. 
 
 Cramer „ 18 Castilian feet at mid-tide. 
 
 Orbegozo „ 14 Castilian feet. 
 
 Robinson „ 22 English feet, and more in the rainy 
 
 season. 
 
 The last Commission 6,40 metres, or 21 English feet. 
 
 These apparent contradictions will disappear if we observe 
 with Don Tadeo de Ortiz that the bar has two channels, the 
 depth of one varying at different seasons of the year from 18 to 
 23 feet, and that of the other from 12 to 15. It is not likely 
 that all have measured the deepest channel, besides from the op¬ 
 portunity which Sr. Moro had of examining the plan of the 
 soundings made by Cramer, he thinks he may with certainty 
 assert that the bar has increased in depth. 
 
 If regulating the course of the Coatzacoalcos may be pro- 
 
85 
 
 duclive of some trouble, there would at all events be very lit¬ 
 tle in opening the shoal of the Boca Barra of San Francisco, 
 and giving more depth to a canal in the lakes, the bottom of 
 which is nothing but mud and shingle. 
 
 These difficulties once conquered, nothing remains but to 
 convey a sufficient quantity of water to an elevated point from 
 whence it may be distributed and directed on the one side to 
 the Coatzacoalcos, and on the other to the upper lagoon. Both 
 objects may be attained by different means. 
 
 FIRST PROJECT. 
 
 This would be to open a trench that would lead the waters 
 of the Ostuta to the valley of the Chicapa; and another, which 
 beginning a little above the “ Ultimo liancho, ” would direct 
 the waters thus collected to the table-land of Tarifa, following 
 the brows of the hills to the north of the valley watered by the 
 Upper Chicapa and the Monetza. These two proposed trenches 
 are shown in the plan of the southern part of the Isthmus. 
 The point of distribution of the canal would be placed between 
 the Cerro del Convento and the estate of Tarifa, from whence 
 it would descend on the one side to the Coatzacoalcos follow¬ 
 ing nearly the natural course of the waters, and on tne other 
 would reach the upper lagoon, descending along the eastern and 
 southern sides of the hills of Masahua by means of proper 
 locks. By the annexed geological plan it will be seen that 
 the proposed canal would have to be cut through a soil formed 
 in some parts of an argillaceous rock of excellent quality, and 
 in others of marl, clayish sand, and slates. All these rocks 
 are easy to excavate, and of sufficient consistency to require 
 no revestments. Now and then among the slate, the quartz 
 makes its appearance, but we have always found it so broken 
 as to cause no difficulty whatever. 
 
 General Orbegozo saw in the ordinary fissures of the shite 
 a considerable obstacle, supposing that through them the wa¬ 
 ters might escape, but it would not be at all difficult to reme¬ 
 dy this inconvenience by stopping such joints as might require 
 it both in the bed and sides of the canal with a good hydraulic 
 
86 
 
 cement, or still better, by taking advantage of the prodigious 
 quantity of asphaltum found in the environs of Alvarado, which 
 the sea is continually casting on the banks of the Coatzacoal- 
 cos. 
 
 The alluvial soil, which extends from the foot of the Sierra 
 as far as the lagoons, being for the greater part sand, might 
 offer another obstacle, were it not that the observations which 
 were made in two different points at a considerable distance 
 from each other in the grounds of the Ventade Chicapa, show 
 that at 13 feet from the surface, that is, at a much less depth 
 than that required for the canal, there is found a very consis¬ 
 tent clay upon which might be erected the re vestment walls 
 and other necessary works. 
 
 No less firm is the earth that w r as lately found on opening a 
 well in the village of Juchitan at more than 36 feet from the 
 surface. 
 
 SECOND PROJECT. 
 
 The second combination, undoubtedly easier and more econo¬ 
 mical than the preceding, would be to direct to the Portillo 
 of Tarifa, that part of the canal which goes towards the Paci¬ 
 fic, and from thence along the brow of the hills to the east, 
 join the canal to the river Chicapa, which would be made na¬ 
 vigable as far as the plain. 
 
 THIRD PROJECT. 
 
 After having conveyed to the immediate neighbourhood of 
 Tarifa the waters of the Ostuta and Chicapa, by the means 
 shown in the first project, the next consideration would be to 
 take advantage of the beds of the rivers, which from that point 
 proceed towards both oceans, regularising their courses so as 
 to make them navigable. The stream of Tarifa, and the 
 rivers Chichihua and Malatengo, might be followed on the 
 one side, and on the other the Monetza and the Chicapa. 
 
 It would not always be possible or convenient to follow the 
 windings of the rivers, but by carefully observing the ground 
 considerable saving of labour might be effected in the work 
 
87 
 
 of excavation. The windings of the Monetza and Chicapa, 
 judiciously turned to account, would give to the canal a 
 more extensive line in which the locks could he better distri¬ 
 buted. The solid rocks, through which these two rivers run, 
 would afford both at the bottoms and sides a firm foundation 
 to the necessary works. 
 
 The Commissioners do not pretend to have indicated the 
 only means of effecting the desired canal transit, much less do 
 they flatter themselves of having proposed the best, and only 
 hope to have been the means of showing the practicability of 
 the undertaking. With regard to its advantages as a com¬ 
 mercial speculation, the following estimate of the necessary 
 expense will afford the best means of calculating them. 
 
88 
 
 CHAP. VIII. 
 
 ESTIMATES OF EXPENSES. 
 
 All materials upon the spot.—Calculations based upon the first project. 
 —Caledonian Canal taken as the model—Cost of 120 locks — 50 
 miles of Canal—Water courses of 18 miles between the Ostuia and 
 Tarifa—Correction of the Coatzacoalcos—Total calculated cost 
 £3,380,000. —Sales of Land and produce will aid in carrying on 
 the work—Provisional train and railways during the formation of 
 the Canal. 
 
 Dutens, speaking of the Caledonian Canal, which he 
 visited before its completion, observes, that “ in a great un- 
 “ dertaking of this kind it is impossible to pre-estimate the 
 “ cost of every part.’’ And so it is: the amount of expense is 
 mostly influenced by eventual causes, by the mode of husband¬ 
 ing the funds, and by the skill with which the engineer con¬ 
 ducts the work. 
 
 If in Europe, where it is comparatively easy to obtain cor¬ 
 rect data in these matters, it is considered venturesome to 
 name beforehand a sum as the probable cost of an undertaking 
 of this nature, it must necessarily be more difficult to do so 
 in the present case, from the want of the requisite particulars. 
 However, by making use of proper investigations, and tending 
 to over-estimate the expense rather than to diminish it, more 
 cannot be expected in our present disadvantageous position, 
 than an approximation to the truth. 
 
 It would be an error to suppose that every portion of the 
 work must, in our case, cost more than it would in Europe. 
 The prodigious quantity of timber of the best quality which 
 the projector is authorised to use at pleasure, in virtue of the 
 
89 
 
 grant made to him by Government, and which lies profusely 
 in every part through which the canal would pass; the ex¬ 
 cellent kinds of building stone, the lime, bitumen, clay and all 
 other necessary materials which nature seem to have taken 
 pleasure in scattering in the most convenient spots; and, lastly, 
 the ground and the waters, the acquisition of which occasions 
 often considerable expenditure, and which, in our case, if it 
 did occasion any at all, would be so trifling as not even to be 
 worth mentioning, are all advantages in favour of the under¬ 
 taking, and which very few of the same kind in Europe could 
 easily command. 
 
 Sr. Moro does not take into consideration these advantages, 
 supposing them to be counterbalanced by other circumstances, 
 and he therefore takes as a guide in his calculations the cost 
 of an analogous undertaking, generally admitted to have been 
 exceedingly expensive by a combination of adverse circum¬ 
 stances. He does still more: he applies these calculations 
 to his first project, which as has been mentioned may be con¬ 
 sidered as the most costly, and he supposes the necessity of 
 excavating the whole of the canal from the confluence of the 
 Malatengo to the lagoons, without taking advantage of any of 
 the favourable accidents of the ground. 
 
 Sr. Moro says, “ the canal which I have taken as a model, is the 
 Caledonian, the dimensions of which appear to me sufficient.*' 
 To alter them much would occasion a considerable increase in 
 the expenditure, perhaps without a suitable compensation, 
 whilst the alteration required in the dimensions of some of its 
 parts for the admission of steamers destined to a transatlantic 
 navigation, would not make it much more expensive. 
 
 “ Although the Caledonian canal measures less than 22 En¬ 
 glish miles of proper channel, if we add to it the cost of cleans¬ 
 ing and deepening the lakes, it may be considered as 25 miles 
 long. The declivity from the top of the canal is of a medium 
 height of 95 feet on each side, and it has in all 27 locks. 
 
 “From the statement in the Encyclopaedia Britannica (7th 
 edition, vol. 19, page 750) if would appear that the above- 
 
 * Excepting the length of its locks which are too short for the vessels built 
 at the present day. 
 
90 
 
 named canal cost up to 1822, when it was opened, the sum 
 of £905,258, but as I find in other works that its total cost 
 was £986,924, I will proceed with my calculation upon this 
 last amount, although less favourable. The writer in the 
 Encyclopaedia has probably excluded from the total expendi¬ 
 ture the cost of collateral works, such as bridges, roads, &c., 
 which, strictly speaking, do not belong to the canal. 
 
 “ Each lock of the Caledonian canal cost, upon an average, 
 £8,000 and therefore the whole 27 amounted to £216,000. 
 
 “ Deducting this sum from the total cost, it will appear that 
 the 25 miles of canal cost, exclusive of the locks, £760,000 
 and each mile £30,400. 
 
 “ Selecting the proper ground, the fall of the proposed 
 canal is : 
 
 From the table-land of Tarifa to the Pacific. 660 feet. 
 
 From the same point to the mouth of the Malatengo .... 525 feet. 
 
 “Given to it a number of locks proportionate to that of the 
 Caledonian canal, there would be required: 
 
 On the side of the Pacific.89 locks. 
 
 On the side of the Atlantic.72 ditto. J 
 
 Total number of locks.161 
 
 “ But the number of locks depend in a great measure on the 
 accidental form of the ground; and, these permitting, there 
 might be given to each lock a fall of 10 feet in which case 
 their number would be reduced 
 
 On the Pacific side to.67 
 
 On that of the Atlantic to.53 
 
 In all.120 
 
 “ However, to come nearer to the existing data, and because 
 it might be necessary to put one or more locks below the con¬ 
 fluence of the Malatengo, we will suppose that the total num¬ 
 ber of necessary locks is 150. 
 
 “ The length of our canal would be fifty miles. 
 
91 
 
 “ The trench, intended to convey to Tarifa the united waters 
 of the Ostuta and the Chicapa, would be about 15 miles in 
 length, and we will give to the section of its excavations 430 
 superficial feet front. According to what is actually paid 
 in Mexico and the United States for a similar work in soils 
 analagous to that of the Isthmus, its total cost will be about 
 £400,000. 
 
 “ The trench necessary to join the Ostuta to the Chicapa might 
 be 3 miles in length at the utmost, and allowing for unfore¬ 
 seen obstacles in this part of the country on account of the na¬ 
 ture of its rocks, we will suppose it to cost £120,000. 
 
 “ Lastly, let us apply £160,000 more to regulate the course 
 of the Coatzacoalcos and to excavate the lakes and the Boca 
 Barra. 
 
 “ Then, summing up the preceding calculations, the total 
 amount of the work will be found to consist of the following 
 
 sums: 
 
 Cost of 150 locks at £8000 .£1,200,000 
 
 ,, 50 miles of canal at £30,000 . 1,500,000 
 
 „ 15 miles of trench. 400,000 
 
 „ 3 miles of trench . 120,000 
 
 Regulation of the Coatzacoalcos lakes, and Boca Barra . 160,000 
 
 Total cost . . . £3,380,000 
 
 Sr. Moro here adds some important observations to the pre¬ 
 ceding estimates which we quote in his own words:— 
 
 “ I said at the commencement that it was my intention to 
 “ exaggerate the cost, and it cannot be objected that this pro- 
 “ mise has not been fulfilled in the preceding calculations; for 
 “ not only have I laid aside the real advantages which the na- 
 <e ture of the ground offers to the execution of the work, by 
 “ adopting the least favourable project, but I have also fixed 
 “ prices, certainly exaggerated, and by no means probable. 
 
 “ 1. The ravines, which from the neighbourhood of Tarifa 
 “ convey the waters of some torrent streams to join the river 
 “ Monetza, and with it enter the valley of San Miguel, would 
 “ decrease the work at the point of distribution. 
 
 “ 2. I have calculated as having to open the whole of the 
 “ canal, whilst, as we have seen, advantage might be taken 
 
92 
 
 “ of part of the beds of the rivers which run towards the two 
 “ opposite seas from Tarifa. 
 
 “ 3. Both the length of the trenches and the section of their 
 “ excavation may be greatly diminished by constructing some 
 “ dike across the valley of the Chicapa, and taking advantage 
 “ of the favourable shape of the brow of the Sierra in some 
 “ parts. 
 
 “ 4. In the Caledonian canal it was found necessary to 
 “ build a considerable number of bridges, whilst none are re- 
 “ quired in our case, therefore it is evident that the average 
 “ cost for each mile of canal which I have adopted is exces- 
 “ sive. 
 
 “ 5. It must have been observed that I do not pretend to 
 “ attach any importance to the traditional notion of the exis- 
 “ tence of a lake, which gives origin to the rivers Ostuta and 
 “ Chicapa; but if this were true (and it must be admitted that 
 “ there is nothing impossible in the assertion) the union of the 
 “ two rivers might probably be accomplished at their source, 
 “ causing thereby an economy of many thousand pounds. 
 
 “ 6. Among the expenses of the Caledonian canal there was 
 “ a sum of £47,956 paid for the acquisition of the grounds 
 “ occupied. In the Isthmus those which are not lay or waste 
 “ lands, and therefore the only portions that do not belong by 
 “ right to the Projector, are in their present state insignifi- 
 “ cant as to their value : and 1 will only say that if it were de- 
 “ sirable to turn into a lake the valleys of Chicapa, Monetza, 
 “ and even that of the village of San Miguel itself, the amount 
 “ of indemnifications to be paid would be considerably under 
 “ any supposition that might be made in Europe, however un- 
 “ derrated it might appear. 
 
 “ From all the circumstances just mentioned, and from the 
 “ knowledge I have of the localities, I am authorised to infer 
 “ that the preceding estimate may be considerably modified, 
 “ and the valuable produce of the country which from this 
 “ moment might be turned to account, would procure annu- 
 “ ally no small portion of the funds requisite for the work. 
 “ Neither would it be necessary to wait until its completion to 
 
93 
 
 “ establish a commercial communication between the two 
 “ oceans; for the river Coatzacoalcos might soon be made na- 
 “ vigable and the Boca Barra of San Francisco fitted for im- 
 " mediate use.” 
 
 “ A lateral line of rails for the conveyance of mails, pas- 
 “ sengers and merchandise might also be added to that which 
 “ must at first be laid down for the progress of the work.” 
 
94 
 
 CHAP. IX. 
 
 ESTIMATE OF RETURNS. 
 
 The Isthmus the nearest unoccupied tropical country to Europe—The 
 nearest and safest route to the Pacific and Chinese Seas—The voy¬ 
 ages to the West Coast of America shortened by 6,500 to 12,000 
 miles.—Enumeration of the products of the Isthmus.—Grants of 
 Land and privileges of Colonists.—Steam Navigation and Coals — 
 Salt — Free-labourers.—Commercial movement round Capes Horn 
 and Good Hope.—Transit dues—Sales of Land: and Steam Navi¬ 
 gation — Dye-woods, timber, and fine woods—Value of other articles 
 — Total annual receipts on the completion of the communication cal¬ 
 culated at £1,200,000.— Extract from a Report made to the Con¬ 
 gress of the United States in 1839. 
 
 The territory of Tehuantepec, from its position, its popu¬ 
 lation, and its produce, offers peculiar facilities for the opening 
 of the Isthmus. 
 
 The advantages, which would result from the opening of 
 the Isthmus, are so numerous and considerable, that it would 
 be impossible to name the total amount of the returns which 
 might be realised ; but it would not be difficult to prove that 
 even were we to adopt for our calculations only a limited 
 number of those advantages, the value of which is incontro¬ 
 vertible, the result would exceed in the most extravagant 
 degree that of any other speculation, even those generally 
 considered as the most profitable. 
 
 1st. It is the nearest country to Europe, yet unoccupied to 
 any great extent, yielding every tropical produce. 
 
 2nd. It is universally admitted that in consequence of the 
 favourable direction of the winds and currents, ships proceed¬ 
 ing from Europe to China, the Phillipine Islands, and the 
 
great Pacific Ocean, through the Isthmus, would perform the 
 voyage in a much shorter period than those following the 
 present track by the Cape of Good Hope, and it is equally 
 well known that this voyage would be performed through 
 regions always exempt from dangers, and at all times of the 
 year, which is scarcely practicable round the Capes. Its local 
 resources would enable ships to renew their provisions half¬ 
 way to the Indian Seas, and thus allow them to take on board 
 a greater quantity of merchandise. 
 
 3rd. Ships from Europe, bound to the north-western coast of 
 America, would save a distance of nearly 6,500 miles, and those 
 of the United States from 9,000 to 12,000. And the coasts of 
 the Oregon territory, the Californias, Mexico, Peru, and Chili, 
 that is, an extent of nearly eight thousand miles, from Nootka 
 Bay to Cape Horn, would receive a new existence, and be easily 
 accessible to the superabundant population of all the world. 
 
 4th. The cerealia which those countries can produce, the hides, 
 fish oil and whalebone, cotton, indigo, sugar, coffee, cocoa, cochi¬ 
 neal, sae-morse ivory, rich furs, precious metals, &c. present so 
 many branches to the speculator. And the spontaneous pro¬ 
 ducts of the Isthmus, are wax, silk, caoutchouc, pepper, sarsa¬ 
 parilla, vanilla, gums, and resins, tortoise-shell, coral and 
 pearls. But among all these productions, the timber of its 
 immense forests deserves particular mention. Its abundance 
 is such, that the only limit which can be assigned to the supply 
 it may yield is the demand for centuries to come. From the 
 fir, the oak, the cedar, and every description of building timber, 
 to the dye and fine woods, their profusion is absolutely incre¬ 
 dible. None of the countries which at present supply these 
 species of woods could compete with the Isthmus, where they 
 are found on the very banks of the rivers which serve for their 
 transport, 
 
 5th. The territories, assigned to the Projector in fee simple 
 by the Mexican government, occupy an extent of 56 Mexican 
 leagues in length by 20 in width; that is, 1,120 square leagues, 
 each containing 4,310 acres, thus making a total amount of 
 nearly five millions of acres. This with the right of making 
 settlements within 50 leagues on either hand of the com muni- 
 
96 
 
 cation (also comprised in the grants) presents an opportunity 
 of establishing one of the noblest Colonies the Civilized 
 world has ever yet witnessed. 
 
 6th. Steam navigation through the Isthmus is an exclusive 
 privilege of the enterprise during sixty years. The quantity 
 of coals existing in the Republic, and the facility with which 
 they might he conveyed to the Isthmus, would offer also con¬ 
 siderable advantages to all vessels proceeding through the 
 Isthmus. 
 
 7th. Salt pits are extremely abundant, which might he 
 turned to profitable account without any other outlay than the 
 bare expenses of conveyance. The N. W. Coast of America 
 receives at present its supply from the United States by way 
 of Cape Horn. Salt might be sent to the countries in the 
 neighbourhood of the line of communication, such as Chiapas 
 and Guatemala; as well as to the Havannah and New Orleans, 
 where the price generally averages eight or ten dollars per ton. 
 
 Lastly, the country itself can supply thousands of workmen 
 at moderate wages, all free labourers, for there is not a single 
 slave in all the Republic of Mexico . 
 
 From the consideration of these favourable circumstances 
 just enumerated, it is fairly presumable that the communica¬ 
 tion, once opened would be adopted by nearly the whole of 
 the vessels which at present double the two Capes. 
 
 A most careful investigation shews that there left the ports 
 of Great Britain, during the year 1843, 
 
 To double the Cape of Good Hope, 
 
 417 vessels of the aggregate burden of 164,447 tons. 
 
 To double Cape Horn , 
 
 300 vessels, of the aggregate burden of 110,040 tons. 
 
 which, supposing the number of arrivals to equal that of de¬ 
 partures, gives a total amount of 
 
 1,434 vessels . . . and .... 548,974 tons. 
 
 This amount agrees with the results given in the Documens 
 sur le Commerce exterieur , published by the minister of com- 
 
97 
 
 merce of France, and according to which, including only the 
 four principal maritime powers, namely, England, France, the 
 United States, and the Netherlands, the movement out and 
 home was 
 
 In 1839 . . 2,453 vessels. 983,890 tons. 
 
 1840 . . 2,532 1,000,995 
 
 1841 . . 2,996 1,203,762 
 
 The changes, which have taken place in the mutual relations 
 of Europe and China, must have considerably increased these 
 numbers, and there is no doubt that the amount of tonnage 
 conveyed by these four nations alone, exceeds at present one 
 million and a half. To this amount must he added the naviga¬ 
 tion of the other maritime powers. 
 
 After what has been said, it is no exaggeration to suppose 
 that, in consequence of the opening of the Isthmus, the com¬ 
 mercial movement would soon reach two millions of tons. 
 Let it however be calculated that only three-fourths of that 
 traffic passes through the new channel, namely one million 
 and a half. 
 
 1. By exacting from the vessels the moderate transit duty 
 of 2 dollars per ton, the million and a half would yield a sum 
 of £600,000. 
 
 2. The sale of lands, and the privilege of steam-boats, may 
 yield (say only) £50,000. Lands analogous to that of the 
 Isthmus but less advantageously situated, would be worth in 
 Cuba more than £2,000 per square league. 
 
 3. The consumption of dyewoods, mahogany and other fine 
 woods, such as the Isthmus can supply, amounts, for London 
 and Liverpool alone y to upwards of sixty thousand tons, the 
 value of w r hich, at the present market prices, exceeds £300,000 
 nett of all charges, and when the demands of every other 
 country are taken into account, it is but reasonable to put 
 down under this head the sum of £500,000. 
 
 4. We will give to the other produce a value of only £50,000 
 nett, although it is evident that such a sum is considerably 
 below the real valuation; indeed, from what is said on the sub¬ 
 ject in Sr. Moro’s Report, it may be inferred that the article 
 pepper alone would yield £10,000 ; the gums and resins more 
 
 a 
 
98 
 
 than £20,000 ; and salt if managed by the proprietors, a sum 
 equal to the latter. The immense quantity of vanilla which 
 might be collected is of great value; and a considerable fishery, 
 including that of tortoise-shell and pearls, would give results 
 no less surprising. Lastly, we count for nothing what might be 
 derived from the mines which must exist in the mountains of 
 the Isthmus, since they are only a continuation of the rich chain 
 of Oajaca. 
 
 Adding together these sums, we have, 
 
 For transit duties.£600,000 
 
 Sale of lands, and Steam Navigation .... 50,000 
 
 Timber, Mahogany dyewoods, &c. 500,000 
 
 Other produce. 50,000 
 
 Total : . £1,200,000 
 
 Calculated receipt when the canal shall have been completed, 
 subject only to the annual expenses of management and repairs 
 of the canal, and the nett one-fourth of the transit dues 
 payable to the Mexican government. 
 
 We cannot now better conclude this subject than by giving 
 the following extract from a Report made in the year 1839 
 to the congress of the United States, shewing of what im¬ 
 mense importance the opening of any ship Canal across the 
 American Isthmus would be considered in that country ; and 
 we give this verbatim as Sr. Moro has inserted it in his work. 
 In the United States, where the advantages offered by such 
 a project are generally better understood than anywhere else, 
 its probably results have been very carefully investigated and 
 studied; and in the Report, No. 332, presented in 1839, dur¬ 
 ing the third sessions of the twenty-fifth Congress, we find, 
 at pages 111 and 112, some very remarkable observations. 
 The author, formerly consul of the republic at Lima, supposes 
 the opening of the Isthmus (without fixing upon any particular 
 locality) to cost twenty millions of dollars, or £4,000,000 
 sterling; and upon this basis he reasons in the following 
 manner :— 
 
 “ Suppose the work to cost twenty millions of dollars, the 
 “ interest thereon, at four per cent, per annum, would be 
 
99 
 
 “ eight hundred thousand dollars annually. But in order to 
 “ present sufficient inducement to advance the capital re- 
 “ quired, and suitably to reward contributors to an object so 
 “ beneficial to the world, a higher compensation ought to be 
 “ allowed, and, as far as possible, to be guaranteed; limited, 
 “ however, from considerations of general equity and policy, 
 “ to a rate that would not be extravagant. Without assigning, 
 “ at present, more particular reasons, it will be assumed that 
 “ the rate of interest should be about double the usual value 
 “ of money; that is, about eight per cent, per annum on the 
 “ capital invested, and never allowed to exceed that rate; 
 “ payable half yearly from the period when the income of the 
 “ canal shall be sufficient to meet it, with an accumulation 
 “ on the advances of four per cent, per annum until that 
 “ period arrives. This would require a revenue from the canal 
 “ of one million six hundred thousand dollars annually. 
 
 “ It is easy to show how that amount, and a great deal more, 
 “ would be produced, or rather would be saved, by means of 
 “ the canal, upon the present commerce of the world that 
 “ would flow through it, whenever opened, without calculating 
 “ its certain and almost unlimited increase, and consequent 
 “ larger savings in time. 
 
 “ The mere difference in the amount of insurance paid, the 
 “ interest of money invested, and the expenses of navigating 
 “ vessels employed between voyages from the United States 
 “ and Europe to the Pacific Ocean, and all the countries 
 “ bordering on it, by way of the canal, or by Cape Horn and 
 “ the Cape of Good Hope, would far exceed annually the one 
 “ million six hundred thousand dollars required for interest on 
 “ the cost of the canal. But it is impossible to make esti- 
 “ mates, from present information, more precise or accurate 
 “ than as approximations towards correctness, of which the 
 “ following is a specimen ; viz., 
 
 “ The average length of voyages from the United States 
 “ round Cape Horn to the principal ports on the west side 
 “ of America, and to the whaling districts of the Pacific is 
 “ above four months ; while, by way of the canal, it would not 
 “ exceeed one month, making a difference of three months 
 
 g 2 
 
100 
 
 “ each way, and six months on a voyage out and home, usually 
 “ performed in about a year, except by whaling vessels; con- 
 “ sequently there would be a saving effected of insurance on 
 “ vessels and cargoes, and of interest in the amount of their 
 “ cost, and of expense in navigating those vessels, just in pro- 
 “ portion to the saving of time on the voyages. This saving 
 “ would be about one-half, or one per cent, both on the in- 
 “ surance and on the interest, as is usually paid, and conside- 
 “ rably more on the expenses of navigation, making not less 
 “ than ten per cent, per annum. It is estimated there are at 
 “ least one hundred ships or vessels of the United States sail- 
 “ ing annually from home ports for the Pacific, and as many 
 “ returning thence, including those employed in whaling; the 
 “ aggregate value of all which, with their cargoes, may be esti- 
 “ mated as high as five or six millions of dollars, and ten per 
 “ cent, saved thereon would be at least half a million of 
 “ dollars. 
 
 “ The British and Europeans exchange annually with the 
 “ western side of America to a much larger amount, and carry 
 “ on also considerable whaling business in the Pacific. As, 
 “ from the relative distances, the time to be saved in their 
 “ voyages would be rather less than those from the United 
 “ States, and the saving of insurance, interest, and navigating 
 “ expenses, of course proportionally less, yet, as the amount 
 “ of their exchanges is so much larger than ours, it may be 
 “ about correct to estimate the whole saving on the trade of 
 “ Europe with the Pacific through the canal as at least equal 
 “ to that on the trade of the United States through it— viz., 
 “ half a million of dollars—making together, therefore, at least 
 “ one million annually. In addition to this must be estimated 
 “ the saving on the whole trade of the United States and of 
 “ Europe with China and the neighbouring countries and 
 “ islands of the Pacific, which would be carried on by way of 
 “ the canal, because that route would be above four thousand 
 “ miles shorter than by the Cape of Good Hope, without 
 “ crossing the equator or reaching high latitudes, and would 
 “ reduce the length of voyages out and home at least two 
 “ months on an average; consequently as much as three per 
 
101 
 
 “ cent., if not more, on the aggregate amount of that trade 
 “ must also be estimated as to be saved by the canal: but the 
 “ amount of that trade is almost incalculable. 
 
 “ From official reports to Congress it appears that the ex- 
 “ changes between the United States and Canton alone amount 
 “ to above ten millions of dollars annually. Those between 
 “ Europe and China and neighbouring countries must be a vast 
 “ deal more, perhaps four or five times as much; but suppose 
 “ only a little above twice as much, and that the whole amount of 
 “ exchanges of both Europe and the United States with China 
 “ and the neighbouring countries was only thirty-three millions 
 “ and a third of dollars, then the saving thereon by means of 
 “ the canal would be as much as one million of dollars annually, 
 “ thus making altogether two millions. 
 
 “ Thus it appears that if the present commerce of the United 
 “ States and of Europe with the western side of America, the 
 “ islands of the Pacific and China and neighbouring countries, 
 “ should be carried on through the canal, the immediate 
 f( annual saving thereon, upon the ground stated, without re- 
 " ference to other great benefits, would not be less than two 
 “ millions of dollars (and it might be a great deal more), while 
 “ the whole revenue required to pay the interest of the cost of 
 “ the canal, at the high rate of eight per cent., would be only 
 “ one million six hundred thousand dollars; consequently 
 “ there can be no doubt of sufficient remuneration for the 
 “ capital to be employed. But this calculation does notcom- 
 “ prehend ail the sources of revenue to be derived from the 
 “ canal: it merely shows the saving to be made in effecting 
 " the present exchanges between certain parts of the world by 
 “ means of the canal, and the amount which might, of course, 
 “ be levied for the use of the canal, without adding at all to 
 (i the present charges on the same commerce. Other advan- 
 “ tages would justify additional charges if more income were 
 “ required; but the natural growth of commerce, together 
 i( with that resulting from the increase of facilities, would soon 
 “ produce an immense addition and a vast surplus of income 
 “ from the canal, unless limited by previous restrictions, as 
 i( proposed, and as it ought certainly to be.” 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 Memorial of Don Jose Garay, soliciting of His Excellency the Presi¬ 
 dent of the Mexican Republic, the privilege of opening a Communi¬ 
 cation between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, through the Isthmus 
 of Tehuantepec . 
 
 Sir, 
 
 Your Excellency has caused the Mexican public to look forward 
 to the present epoch as one of improvement and gigantic advancement in the 
 career' of national aggrandizement. 
 
 No measure can be more fruitful in prosperous results,—none more remark¬ 
 able or more glorious than that which shall form a junction between the two 
 oceans, without the necessity of doubling that stormy cape, discovered by a 
 Hollander, |and to which he gave his name, which forms the Southernmost 
 extremity of the American Continent. 
 
 Thousands of ships yearly perform this difficult and tedious voyage, passing 
 twice through the tropics in the midst of innumerable and imminent dangers. 
 
 The mind is bewildered with the difficulty of embracing in one comprehen¬ 
 sive view, the astonishing consequences that would result from a communication 
 between the two oceans, by means of which ships sailing from Europe will save 
 two thousand leagues, and those from North America, three thousand one hun¬ 
 dred leagues, in their voyage to the coast of China. What an economy of time 
 and money ! And how far will these advantages extend now that the lines of 
 Steam Boats established upon the high seas have so prodigiously shortened 
 distances ! 
 
 A great revolution will take place in the commercial and even in the politi¬ 
 cal affairs of all nations, the instant America shall open the passage through 
 any of her Isthmuses. The epoch which shall see this effected will be more 
 memorable than that of the discovery of this Continent; and the name of him to 
 whom the world shall owe this event will be at least as glorious as that of 
 Columbus. 
 
 If your Excellency is ambitious of this glory for yourself and your Country 
 
103 
 
 you should now dedicate your attention and the powerful mind with which you 
 are endowed to the execution of the Enterprise contained in the present repre¬ 
 sentation and to which is annexed the project I have conceived for forming a 
 communication between the two oceans. 
 
 By this your Excellency will see that I propose to execute this gigantic work 
 in a very short time, considering the magnitude of the Enterprise; and I ask 
 not the least pecuniary assistance from Government, and from the commence¬ 
 ment, 1 offer to the National Treasury, a considerable revenue, viz. one fourth 
 of the transit duties on the line of the route; and these will, after the term of fifty 
 years, belong wholly to the Republic. 
 
 What I ask as an indemnification of expenses is certainly not much, when it 
 is considered that it will be necessary to form forts, raise fortifications, and other 
 edifices, and open roads or canals ; and when it is borne in mind that the indem¬ 
 nification does not consist in any funds of which the government is at present 
 possessed, but in property to which I am about to create a value. 
 
 The value hereafter of the lands of which I solicit a grant, will be the conse¬ 
 quence of my efforts, for at the present day they have none whatever. 
 
 The enterprise could not be undertaken by any person for less than what I 
 have solicited, because the magnitude of the works will be such as probably to 
 absorb all the resources arising from what I ask. 
 
 Your Excellency cannot fail to remark two very striking features in my pro¬ 
 ject. First: the establishment of the neutrality of the line of transit—this is a 
 point worthy of the magnanimity of government, and necessary to interest all 
 nations ; in order that the communication may not be seized by any foreign 
 power, but be ever preserved as the property of the Republic. Secondly: that 
 I^have not proposed to open immediately a Ship Canal across the Isthmus; 
 because I have seen similar proposals fall to the ground in other parts of Cen¬ 
 tral America and Columbia: Often the desire of carrying into execution a mag¬ 
 nificent undertaking is the cause why a lesser one though highly important, has 
 been neglected. 
 
 Convinced that it has been well said that by “ seeking perfection we lose what 
 may be attainable,” I have resolved to carry the latter into effect, without how¬ 
 ever renouncing my hopes of accomplishing the former; although a commu¬ 
 nication by water may not be practicable for the present, this will infallibly take 
 place when the Isthmus shall become known from the commerce of the world 
 traversing it, when the advantage of giving to this grand work all the perfec¬ 
 tion of which it is capable shall be duly appreciated, and when both sides of the 
 line shall be dotted with rich and populous cities, as will certainly happen in a 
 few years. 
 
 Let this be enumerated among the acts of your Excellency’s public life, and 
 your name will not only belong to the glory of your Country, but will be identi¬ 
 fied with the best interests of mankind, and immortalized by an imperishable 
 monument. Tiie whole world will receive incalculable benefits ; and what ad¬ 
 vantages will not accrue to Mexico in particular, when the accomplishment, of 
 this undertaking shall make her the centre of universal commerce giving a vast 
 impulse to the elements of her terrestial wealth undeveloped at present from 
 the little intercourse she enjoys with the splendour and industry of Europe? 
 
104 
 
 I beg leave, Sir, to repeat that the mind is bewildered in the attempt to cal¬ 
 culate the beneficial results that must accrue to Mexico from the facility with 
 which her native products will be exported ; and from her becoming the Empo¬ 
 rium of the Commerce of the world ; as also from deriving revenues from duties 
 not levied upon the inhabitants of the Republic, and from the vast influx of po¬ 
 pulation and capital into the country. 
 
 May your Excellency, therefore, become the Author of these great and nume¬ 
 rous benefits to your country, and by acceding to the articles of this Memorial, 
 thus sanction the most memorable act of your illustrious and patriotic career. 
 
 Mexico, February 25, 1842, 
 
 Jose de Garay. 
 
 No. 2. 
 
 Edict ordering the opening of the Isthmus , with the Grants therein 
 specified; and Contract between the Supreme Government and 
 Don Jose de Garay. 
 
 “Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, General of Division, Benemerito of tbfe 
 Country, and Provisional President of the Republic of Mexico, to all the inha¬ 
 bitants, thereof, Know ye : 
 
 That firm to my purpose of exalting the nation and of rendering the people 
 happy; and taking into consideration the propositions which Don Jose Garay 
 has presented, and considering that no means are so sure and effectual for pro¬ 
 moting the national prosperity as that of creating the Republic the centre of 
 the commerce and navigation of ail countries ; and that this must be the conse¬ 
 quence of the establishment of an easy and short communication from one ocean 
 to the other:—That nature itself offers the means of accomplishing this, without 
 opposing any great obstacle, and without the necessity of incurring any vast 
 expense, in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec ; inasmuch as there the Cordillera dips 
 to such a degree that it may almost be said to disappear ; that there are two 
 harbours in those parts, one towards the north and the other towards the south, 
 at a short distance from each other, and that a considerable portion of the space 
 between them is transitable by means of a navigable river and a lake, and that 
 the nature of the intermediate ground is favourable for carrying on such works 
 as it may be necessary to undertake, as it abounds in materials for construc¬ 
 tion :—And considering that if up to this moment public attention has not been 
 properly called to this enterprise (which alone is capable of exalting the Re¬ 
 public), this has, perhaps, happened from not having duly calculated its im¬ 
 portant consequences, or because the possibility of its execution has not been 
 
105 
 
 known, or that from a preconceived idea existing in favour of making a cut to join 
 the two oceans, the advantages of a road or canal destined for the transhipment 
 of goods has been entirely lost sight of, by which the same results might be 
 approximately obtained :—And furthermore desiring, if more cannot be done, 
 to accomplish what is practicable, but still of the greatest importance to the 
 Republic and to the world in general; and seeking, by promoting the execution 
 of what is at present attainable, to give an impulse to future attempts on a larger 
 scale, since the opening of a line of ^communication, by tending to show that 
 it is not difficult to cut across the continent, may hereafter conduce to the un¬ 
 dertaking of this great work :—Feeling, besides, that in order to encourage the 
 spirit of speculation, it is necessary to make concessions, by which alone ente- 
 prise has ever been fostered; and that by this enterprise in particular the nation 
 will obtain revenues with which it cannot reckon at present, derivable from 
 foreign trade, and immediately reap the advantages which must result from 
 universal intercourse, when its soil shall become the emporium of commerce, and 
 consequently teem with wealth and abundance, when its various products si all 
 become articles of exportation :—Therefore, by virtue of the powers and facul¬ 
 ties vested in me by the 7th article of the convention signed at Tacubaya 
 and sworn to by the Representatives of the Departments, I have determined to 
 issue the following 
 
 DECREE. 
 
 Article 1. A line of communication shall be opened between the Pacific and 
 Atlantic Oceans through the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. 
 
 Article 2. This shall be performed by water, but when this may not be 
 convenient, then railroads and steam carriages may be used. 
 
 Article 3. The passage to be opened across the Isthmus, shall be neutral, and 
 common to all nations at peace with the Mexican Republic. 
 
 Article 4. The execution of this work shall be confided to Don Jos6 Garay; 
 to whonJ is hereby granted an exclusive privilege to this effect. His obliga¬ 
 tions and indemnifications shall be as hereafter expressed:— 
 
 First. Don JostS Garay shall cause to be made at his own expense a survey 
 of the ground and direction which the route should follow ; and also of the ports 
 which may be deemed most proper and commodious from their proximity; all 
 which shall be concluded at furthest within the space of eighteen months from 
 the date hereof: and the works shall be commenced at furthest within the space 
 of ten months next thereafterand in case this shall not be performed within 
 the time specified, the exclusive privilege hereby conceded to him shall cease. 
 
 Second. The said Don Jose Garay shall cause to be made in the ports which 
 he shall select, all kinds of works that may be necessary for shelter and utility. 
 He shall construct in each of them fortresses and warehouses ; he shall carry 
 into effect the line'of communication between the two ports by means of water- 
 carriage or railroads, in both cases by means of steam ; and he shall establish as 
 many steam-boats and trains of steam-cars as shall be deemed necessary, so that 
 there shall be no delay for want of means of transport. 
 
 Third. The grantee shall pay at a just valuation for any private property 
 
106 
 
 through which the route shall pass; but he shall not demand on account of 
 public utility, more than a quarter of a league cn either side of the line, which is 
 all he can require the proprietors to sell. 
 
 Fourth. The indemnifications which are here accorded to the grantee and 
 to those who may acquire his rights, are the following:—He shall have the 
 right of collecting the transit duties for the term of fifty years, at the expiry of 
 which time they shall revert to the Government of the Republic; and for sixty 
 years the exclusive privilege of carrying on the transport by steam-vessels and 
 railroad cars, fixing equitable rates of freight. But he shall give to the Govern¬ 
 ment, from the time that the line of communication shall be made available, the 
 fourth part of the nett produce of the dues that are paid for the right of transit, 
 deducting all expenses of administration, preservation, and repairs. A similar 
 fourth part shall be given by the Government to the Negotiation for a like term, 
 when it shall enter into possession of the before mentioned transit dues, payable 
 on the line of communication. 
 
 Fifth. The Government and the Negotiation may each name their agents to 
 look into the receipts and expenditures, during the whole of the time that each 
 respectively shall be entitled to the before mentioned fourth part of the transit 
 dues. All the unoccupied lands for a distance of ten leagues on either side of 
 the line of communication, road or canal', are hereby ceded in fee-simple to the 
 Negotiation. 
 
 Sixth. All foreigners are permitted to acquire real property, and to exercise 
 any trade or calling, not even excepti: g that of mining, within the distance of 
 fifty leagues on either side of the line of transit. That territory shall be the 
 country of all who may come to establish themselves there; subject, however, 
 to the laws of the Republic. 
 
 Seventh. The Government engages to give to the Negotiation every protection 
 and assistance, as well for effecting the survey as for carrying on the works; but 
 th- remuneration of the services of the inhabitants of those parts shall be at the 
 expense of the Negotiation. The Government also engages not to impose any 
 contributions or taxes upon the travellers or effects in transitu, during tfle afore¬ 
 said term of fifty years, and not to levy upon the Negotiation or its fi nds any 
 imposts or forced loans. 
 
 Eighth. The Government shall have the right of appointing the custom¬ 
 house officers which it may see fit, in the ports and in any other points it may 
 choose, on the line of communication : but only for the purpose cf recovering the 
 duties of exportation and importation upon articles which do not come and go 
 merely in transitu, and for the prevention of smuggling. The Government shall 
 in no case interfere in the collection of transit dues, nor in the collection of 
 freights, lighterage or tonnage, or of any other class of dues, for none shall be 
 payable by vessels loading or unloading in transit, as long as the line of com¬ 
 munication shall belong to the Negotiation. The measures which the Govern¬ 
 ment shall adopt for the prevention of smuggling, shall be such as to cause no em¬ 
 barrassment or delay in the transport of effects across the Isthmus, and particular 
 regulations will be adopted and issued to this effect. 
 
 Ninth. When the works shall be completed, they shall be examined by two 
 surveyors, one to be named by the Government, and the other by the Negotia- 
 
107 
 
 tion, in order that they may declare whether the terms of the contract have 
 been complied with by the latter; and in case these shall disagree, the surveyors 
 shall nominate an umpire who shall settle the dispute. No kind of question 
 or difference shall prevent the line of communication from coming into opera¬ 
 tion as soon as it shall be ready ; nevertheless the Negotiation is always bound 
 to fulfil the contract in every particular. 
 
 Tenth. In case it should hereafter be found practicable to join the two seas 
 by a cut, and that propositions to this effeet should be made by any individual 
 or any company, they shall not be admitted during the period of fifty years for 
 which the privilege is granted to Don Jos§ Garay, without his previous consent 
 or that of those who may have acquired his rights. 
 
 Eleventh. The contract between the Government and Don Jos§ Garay shall 
 be drawn out in writing according to the tenor of the articles forming the basis 
 of this decree, with all the form lities required by the law. 
 
 Therefore I command that it be printed, published and circulated, and duly 
 carried into effect. Given at the palace of the National Government this 1st 
 day of March, 1842.— Antcnio Lopez de Santa Anna.=Jose Maria 
 Bocanegra. 
 
 No. 3. 
 
 Decree by which the Government declares that all the lands granted 
 previous to the decree of the 1 st, of March , both to natives and 
 foreigners, and which are neither tenanted nor cultivated, belong to 
 Don Jose Garay. 
 
 Office of Foreign Affairs. 
 
 To their Excellencies the Governors of Oajaca and Vera Cruz. 
 
 [Copy.]—His Excellency the Provisional President has been pleased to publish 
 the following decree: 
 
 Nicholas Bravo, General of Division, Benemeritus of the country, 
 and provisional President of the Republic of Mexico, to all the inhabitants be 
 it known :—That a grant having been made in favour of the undertaking to open 
 a communication between the two oceans, through the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, 
 of the untenanted lands lying within ten leagues on both sides of the line of 
 communication, which according to the surveys already made must pass through 
 the river Coatzacoalcos, and wishing to remove every obstacle which might 
 prevent or retard the realization of the undertaking, I have deemed it necessary 
 in right of the faculties which the 7th article of the Convention signed at 
 Tacubaya, and sworn to by the representatives of the various departments, awards 
 to the Supreme Government, to declare the following: 
 
108 
 
 All the grants of land made either to natives or to foreigners previous to the 
 decree of the 1st of March, 1842, from among the untenanted lands mentioned 
 in the 3rd article of the said decree, and which actually remain uninhabited 
 and uncultivated, are comprehended in the concessions made in behalf of the 
 undertaking for the communication of the two seas, therefore I do order this 
 to be printed, published, and circulated for the purpose of being fulfilled. 
 
 Palace of the Government, Mexico, Febuary 9th, 1843. 
 
 Nicholas Bravo. 
 
 J. M. De Bocanegra, Minister for Foreign Affairs. 
 
 A true copy of the original document transmitted to the Governors of Vera 
 Cruz and Oajaca, which I enclose to you for your intelligence. 
 
 God and Liberty, Mexico, February 9th, 1843. 
 
 O. Monasterio. 
 
 No. 4. 
 
 Communication from Don Jose de Garay to his Excellency the Minis¬ 
 ter for Foreign Affairs, enclosing a letter from the Secretary of the 
 Commission of Survey, announcing his return to the capital, and 
 repeating the opinion already expressed by him on the possibility of 
 opening the intended communication through the Isthmus. 
 
 Office of Foreign Affairs. 
 
 Most Excellent Sir; 
 
 In a letter of the I8th instant the Secretary of the Commission of 
 Survey writes as follows : “ I arrived here yesterday with the Commission, who 
 last year left this capital to explore the Isthmus of Tehuantepec for the purpose 
 of opening a communication between the two oceans, according to the decree of 
 the 1st of March, 1842. My former note informed you of the favourable results 
 of our labours in that part of the country, and nothing could be more gratifying 
 to me than to repeat my opinion concerning the practicability of the undertaking, 
 which will be ever memorable from the great good and the important changes it 
 will effect in the destinies of the Republic. The Commission will now proceed 
 to arrange the notes, observations, and plans, in which will be shown the project 
 they have conceived, and they hope to discharge this part of their duty with all 
 the exactness the great importance of the enterprise demands. It remains now 
 for me to assure you that the chief engineer, Don Cayetano Moro, and Captains 
 Don Manuel Robles and Don Jos6 Gonzalez, are worthy of the highest esteem 
 for the indefatigable activity and zeal with which they applied their scientific 
 acquirements to the attainment of our object; and the third member of the 
 
109 
 
 Commission, the navy officer, Don Mauro Guido, is no less praiseworthy for his 
 kind disposition and constant attention to every charge committed to his care. 
 Finally I beg to express my gratitude for the confidence placed in me when 
 entrusted with this Commission, and to assure you that I have sought by every 
 means in my power to justify your choice.” 
 
 In enclosing this to your excellency, that you may convey it to the knowledge 
 of his Excellency the President, I deem it my duty to call his attention to the 
 merit and zeal displayed in the fulfilment of his Office by the first naval officer, 
 Don Pedro de Garay y Garay, Secretary to the Commission, whose ability, zeal, 
 and devotedness are worthy of commendation. I have the honor to repeat to 
 your Excellency my professions of respect. 
 
 God and Liberty, Mexico, April 22, 1843. 
 
 Jose de Garay. 
 
 To his Excellency the Minister for Foreign Affairs. 
 
 Answer of his Excellency the Minister for Foreign Affairs , to the 
 above communication. 
 
 His Excellency the Provisional President of the Republic was much pleased 
 with the persual of your note of the 22d inst., in which you enclose that of the 
 Secretary of the Commission of Survey, containing a reiteration of his opinion 
 that it was possible to open a canal between the two oceans through the Isthmus 
 of Tehuantepec. His Excellency waits for the documents you have offered, in 
 order to obtain a clearer idea of the investigation which has been concluded and 
 of the great result we may anticipate from it. 
 
 I beg to reassure you of my consideration. 
 
 God and Liberty, Mexico, April 29th, 1843. 
 
 Bocanegra. 
 
 Senor Don Jose de Garay. 
 
 No. 5. 
 
 Decree granting to Don Jose de Garay the term of a year , according 
 to his request , for the commencement of the works. 
 
 Sir, 
 
 Office of Foreign Affairs. 
 
 His Excellency the President ad interim, whom I acquainted with 
 your request, that the period prescribed in the decree of March 1842 for the 
 
110 
 
 commencement of the works in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec should be postponed 
 for the term of a year, has been pleased to determine in Council this day that 
 the same shall be granted. 
 
 God and Liberty, Mexico, December 28, 1843. 
 
 Bocanegra. 
 
 Senor Don Jose de Garay. 
 
A. 
 
 ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
 
 TABLE No. 1. 
 
 Latitudes determined from astronomical observations. 
 
 Cupola of the church of Juchitan ...... 16° 2 6 1 IQ 1 ' 
 
 Church of San Mateo Huazontlan del mar . . . . 16 12 47 
 
 Id. San Dionisio Tepehuazontlan . . . . 16 16 SO 
 
 Id. San Juan Guichicovi . . . . . 16 58 35 
 
 Id. Santa Maria Chimalapa. 16 55 5 
 
 Paso de la Puerta.17 12 35 
 
 The strand on the right hank of the Coatzacoalcos below the 
 
 mouth of the river de la Puerta (or Jumuapa) . . . 17 21 5 
 
 South point of the island of Pedernal. 17 27 45 
 
 Horqueta of the island of Tacamichapa . . . . 17 43 „ 
 
 Hidalgo-titlan . 17 46 36 
 
 Mina-titlan 17 58 55 
 
 Mouth of the Coatzacoalcos Long. W. of Greenwich 94° 17' 0“ Lat. 18 8 30 
 
 Bocabarra „ 94 53 22 16 13 „ 
 
 TABLE No. 2. 
 
 Geographical positions of the principal points of the Triangulation. 
 
 The longitudes reckoned from the meridian of Juchitan, which is 95° 9 l 37,5" 
 west of Greenwich. 
 
 Cerro del Morro 
 
 Xunirahui 
 
 Daniguibixo 
 
 Town of Huilotepec . 
 
 Daniliesa (Cerro de la Cueva) 
 
 North 
 Latitudes. 
 16° 10' 24“ 
 16 12 40 
 16 14 36 
 16 14 54 
 16 20 7 
 
 West 
 
 Longitudes. 
 7 l 57“ 
 13 10 
 7 16,5 
 7 42 
 13 16 
 
112 
 
 North West 
 
 Latitudes. Longitudes. 
 
 Daniguibedchi (Cerro del Tigre) 
 
 • 
 
 
 . 16° 
 
 20* 
 
 10" 
 
 IP 
 
 55" 
 
 Parish church of Tehuantepec 
 
 
 
 . 16 
 
 20 
 
 16 
 
 12 
 
 24 
 
 Danigti or Camotepec 
 
 • 
 
 
 . 16 
 
 22 
 
 6 
 
 3 
 
 44 
 
 Church of Espinal 
 
 
 
 . 16 
 
 29 
 
 26 
 
 1 
 
 18 
 
 Id. of Itztaltepec 
 
 « 
 
 
 . 16 
 
 30 
 
 27 
 
 1 
 
 57 
 
 Daniguiati .... 
 
 • 
 
 
 . 16 
 
 31 
 
 59,5 
 
 3 
 
 50 
 
 Cerro de Laollaga 
 
 
 
 . 16 
 
 32 
 
 32 
 
 12 
 
 51,5 
 
 Church of San Gerdnimo . 
 
 
 
 . 16 
 
 34 
 
 20 
 
 4 
 
 29 
 
 Id. de Chihuitan 
 
 
 
 . 16 
 
 35 
 
 44,5 
 
 8 
 
 16 
 
 Guievichi. 
 
 
 
 
 37 
 
 26 
 
 5 
 
 30 
 
 East summit of Huacamaya 
 
 
 
 . 16 
 
 42 
 
 28 
 
 1 
 
 15,5 
 
 Guidvixia .... 
 
 . 
 
 
 . 16 
 
 43 
 
 8 
 
 5 
 
 15 
 
 Pico del Almoloya 
 
 
 
 . 16 
 
 44 
 
 8 
 
 3 
 
 48 
 
 Church of Barrio 
 
 
 
 . 16 
 
 48 
 
 40 
 
 5 
 
 18 
 
 Id. Petapa 
 
 
 
 . 16 
 
 49 
 
 36 
 
 5 
 
 48 
 
 Id. Santo Domingo 
 
 
 
 . 16 
 
 49 
 
 45 
 
 7 
 
 5 
 
 East 
 
 Longitudes. 
 
 Church of San Mateo Huazontlan del mar 
 
 16 
 
 12 
 
 52,5 
 
 2' 
 
 31" 
 
 Huachilaif . 
 
 • • • 
 
 16 
 
 13 
 
 32 
 
 23 
 
 49 
 
 Church of Santa Maria del Mar 
 
 • • • 
 
 16 
 
 13 
 
 33 
 
 9 
 
 56,5 
 
 Summit of Baxmumbah 
 
 , # 
 
 16 
 
 14 
 
 42 
 
 22 
 
 27 
 
 Id. Malumbiamlaif 
 
 • • • 
 
 16 
 
 14 
 
 59 
 
 24 
 
 31 
 
 Island of Tilema 
 
 • • • 
 
 16 
 
 15 
 
 30 
 
 7 
 
 33 
 
 Summit of Umalalang 
 
 • 
 
 16 
 
 16 
 
 39 
 
 11 
 
 13,5 
 
 Id. of Mitiachuaxtoco (cerro < 
 
 de Santa Teresa) 16 
 
 17 
 
 10 
 
 13 
 
 22 
 
 Island of Monapostiac 
 
 . 
 
 16 
 
 20 
 
 34 
 
 7 
 
 13 
 
 Mitiacix or Cerro de la Iguana (island) 
 
 16 
 
 28 
 
 9 
 
 9 
 
 28 
 
 Tiactinayix .... 
 
 . 
 
 16 
 
 26 
 
 12 
 
 13 
 
 40 
 
 Cerro del Zopilote 
 
 . • 
 
 16 
 
 26 
 
 31 
 
 31 
 
 36 
 
 Hacienda (estate) of the Venta de Cliicapa 
 
 16 
 
 34 
 
 99 
 
 12 
 
 14 
 
 Cerro del Lagartero . 
 
 . 
 
 16 
 
 34 
 
 15,5 
 
 6 
 
 25 
 
 Summit of the Pid de Banco 
 
 . 
 
 16 
 
 34 
 
 41 
 
 20 
 
 29,5 
 
 Pico de Rinconchapa 
 
 . 
 
 16 
 
 37 
 
 13 
 
 11 
 
 14 
 
 Cerro de Paloblanco 
 
 . 
 
 16 
 
 38 
 
 17,5 
 
 13 
 
 51 
 
 Id. of Zapata 
 
 . 
 
 16 
 
 39 
 
 5 
 
 15 
 
 3 
 
 Summit of Piedra Parada . 
 
 . 
 
 16 
 
 39 
 
 8 
 
 9 
 
 34 
 
 East peak of Cerro Prieto 
 
 . 
 
 16 
 
 39 
 
 41 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 The bare hill to S. S. E. of San Miguel Chimalapa 
 
 16 
 
 42 
 
 11 
 
 16 
 
 14 
 
 Summit of Paso Partida 
 
 . . 
 
 16 
 
 42 
 
 17 
 
 11 
 
 28 
 
 Church of San Miguel Chimalapa 
 
 . 
 
 16 
 
 43 
 
 99 
 
 16 
 
 33 
 
 Cerro del Convento . 
 
 . 
 
 16 
 
 43 
 
 11 
 
 12 
 
 15 
 
 Peak of the Cerro Atravesado . 
 
 . 
 
 16 
 
 43 
 
 12 
 
 30 
 
 8 
 
 Hacienda of Tarifa . 
 
 
 16 
 
 43 
 
 31 
 
 8 
 
 57 
 
 Cerro de Albricias 
 
 . 
 
 16 
 
 44 
 
 21 
 
 15 
 
 49 
 
 Summit of Chichihua 
 
 . 
 
 16 
 
 44 
 
 34 
 
 12 
 
 57 
 
113 
 
 TABLE No. 3. 
 
 Altitudes resulting from trigonometrical measurements. 
 
 Summit of Daniguiati .... 
 
 Top of the cupola of the church of Juchitan 
 Basement of the same church 
 Monapostiac ...... 
 
 Umalalang ' ...... 
 
 Daniguibixo . 
 
 GuieSvichi 
 
 East peak of Cerro Prieto .... 
 
 Guievixia .. 
 
 Masahua (the middle summit) 
 
 East summit of Huacamaya 
 
 Cerro de Laollaga. 
 
 Palo Blanco .... . . 
 
 Estate of Tarifa (the place of the habitations) 
 Cerro de Piedra Parada .... 
 Id. del Convento .... 
 
 Paso Partida. 
 
 Masahuita . 
 
 East summit of Masahua .... 
 
 Guiexila. 
 
 Peak of the Cerro Atravesado 
 
 The highest peak beyond it ... 
 
 Heights above the 
 level of the sea. 
 metres 274, 5 
 35, 8 
 18 
 111 
 218 
 298 
 416 
 460 
 598 
 687 
 775 
 . 1243 
 
 371 
 208, 5 
 416 
 446 
 466 
 615 
 696 
 . 1152 
 
 1529 
 . 2343 
 
 TABLE No. 4. 
 
 BAROMETRICAL ALTITUDES 
 
 Across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. 
 
 Heights above the 
 level of the sea. 
 
 Umalalang.metres 
 
 Mitiachuaxtoco.. . 
 
 Daniguibixo. 
 
 Venta de Chicapa (house at the estate) ...... 
 
 The river Chicapa, near the Rancho of la Puerta Vieja 
 The river Coatzacoalcos at the confluence of the Chimalapilla 
 
 Source of the stream Monetza. 
 
 Petapa (the town house) ........ 
 
 The river Chicapa at the Ultimo Rancho. 
 
 220 
 
 250 
 
 296 
 
 24 
 
 83 
 
 119 
 
 196 
 
 204 
 
 208 
 
 II 
 
114 
 
 Heights above the 
 level of the sea. 
 
 Farm of Chivela.metres 210 
 
 Source of the river Almoloya ....... 225 
 
 Santo Domingo (the town-house) ...... 226 
 
 El Barrio (idem). 232 
 
 Road from Santa Maria to San Miguel Chimalapa. 
 
 San Miguel Chimalapa (the town house) .... metres 119 
 
 Rancho de la Cofradia .. 376 
 
 The stream running towards Chichihua and often traversed . 275 
 
 Jacal del Ocotal .......... 331 
 
 Pass of the river of Chichihua.189 
 
 Pass of the river Escolapa ....... 50 
 
 Jacal del Chocolate.326 
 
 Pass of the rivers del Milagro ....... 84 
 
 Santa Maria Chimalapa (the town house) ..... 262 
 
 La Piedra del Viejo (the highest point between Santa Maria and the 
 
 river) . . .296 
 
 The river del Corte at the confluence with the Chimalapilla . 119 
 
 Tehuantepec.• 42 
 
 Zanatepec ..2.50 
 
 San Gabriel Boca de Monte ..50 
 
 San Juan Guichicovi (the town house) ..... 249 
 
 TABLE No. 5- 
 
 Heights above the level of the sea of various places on the road 
 from Tehuantepec to Puebla. 
 
 Tequisistlan ........ metres 210 
 
 Rancho de las Vacas.745 
 
 San Bartolo Yautepec. 870 
 
 Rancho Quemado 1160 
 
 San Pedro Totolapan (the lowest part of the town) .... 940 
 
 City of Oajaca ... . .... 1535 
 
 San Juan del Estado ..; . . 1680 
 
 Venta de Aragon ..1005 
 
 Cuicatlan.• . 420 
 
 City of Tehuacan.. . 1575 
 
 Tlacotepec.1905 
 
 Tepeaca 2210 
 
B. 
 
 GEOLOGY. 
 
 Catalogue of the Geological Collection formed in the Isthmus of 
 Tehuantepec by the scientific Commission entrusted with the 
 exploration of the Isthmus, and classified by Senor Don Andres 
 del Rio. 
 
 SIERRA MADRE (PRINCIPAL CHAIN) AND NEIGHBOURING 
 
 HILLS. 
 
 NON-STRATIFIED ROCKS. 
 
 1. Milk quartz with a resino-vitrous lustre and with the cleavage of the rhom- 
 
 boedron very distinct, found near Chivela. 
 
 2. Decomposed granite near the Hacienda de Tarifa. 
 
 3. Granite found in the descent from the Portillo de Tarifa to the plain of the 
 
 Venta de Chicapa. 
 
 4. Granite boulders in the upper course of the Coatzacoalcos. 
 
 5. Syenite also in boulders in the same spot. 
 
 6. Syenite at the foot of the Sierra, at little less than midway from Niltepee to 
 
 Zanatepec. 
 
 7 Dioritic prophyry, or porphyritic greenstone, in the descent from Guichilona 
 to Chihuitan. 
 
 8. Hypersthene rock found in the heights which surround the source of 
 
 the stream Zopiluapa, cutting at intervals the calcareous rock. 
 
 9. Antique porphyry with crystals of felspar, tinted with chlorite and ferruginous 
 
 clay from the hillock of Guichicovi. 
 
 10. Claystone porphyry from the summit of Cerro Atravesado. 
 
 11. Magnetic iron ore from the hills of Niltepee. 
 
 STRATIFIED ROCKS. 
 
 12. Quartz rock found in the descent from the Portillo of Tarifa to the Rancho 
 
 de la Agua Escondida. 
 
 13. Quartz of a chipped texture from the Paso del Ostuta, on the road to Zana¬ 
 
 tepec. 
 
 14. Quartz breccia, resting on the porphyry in the summit of the Cerro Atrave¬ 
 
 sado. 
 
 H 2 
 
116 
 
 15. Greenstone schist, hornblende rock of Lyell, peak of Guievixia. 
 
 16. Grey-wacke schist; descent from Guichilona to Chihuitan. 
 
 17. Grey-wacke from the hills of Barrio. 
 
 18. Clay-slate, with the appearance of pearl-stone resting on the quartz in the 
 
 summit of the Cerro de Espinosa. 
 
 19. Clay-slate from the Portillo de Tarifa. 
 
 20. Clay-slate found in the descent from the Portillo to the plains of the 
 
 Venta. 
 
 21. Clay-slate, also with the appearance of pearl-stone on the summit of Paso 
 
 Partida. 
 
 22. Clay-slate, in the gap between the above-named hill and that of Convento, 
 
 on the road from Tarifa to San Miguel Chimalapa. 
 
 23. Clay-slate on a hill on the road from Tarifa to the Cienaguilla. 
 
 24. Greenstone schist found in the summit of Palo Blanco, mixed with frag¬ 
 
 ments of quartz. 
 
 25. Greenstone schist in the pass of the Chicapa, near the Rancho of Puerta 
 
 Vieja, on the road from the Venta to San Miguel. 
 
 26. Greenstone schist from the heights of the Upper Chicapa. 
 
 27. Greenstone schist changing to dioritic from the ascent to San Miguel 
 
 Chimalapa. 
 
 28. Grey-wacke schist from the hills between the river Malatengo and the an¬ 
 
 cient estate of Xochiapa, on the road to Boca de Monte. 
 
 29. Talcose schist from the brow of the Sierra, in the ascent from Niltepec to 
 
 the Cerro Atravesado. 
 
 30. Clay-slate from the foot of the Sierra, half-way between Niltepec and Za- 
 
 natepec. 
 
 31. a and b clay-slate and talcose schist from the banks of the Upper Ostuta. 
 
 32. Dolomite limestone found in a hillock at the foot of the hills of Laollaga. 
 
 33. Compact limestone, with veins of calcareous spar, found near the slate in the 
 
 neighbourhood of the Rancho del Zapotal. 
 
 34. Compact limestone which breaks into thin sheets in the descent from the 
 
 Portillo to the plains of the Venta. 
 
 35. Calc tuff? from the same spot. 
 
 36. Compact limestone, and occasionally stinkstone, with veins of pearl-spar, 
 
 from the Convento Chico. 
 
 37. Compact limestone of the Convento Grande : in one of the pieces there is a 
 
 vein of calcareous spar, with fragments of diorite. 
 
 38. Quartzose sandstone from Daniguiati. 
 
 39. Argillaceous sandstone from Guievichi. 
 
 40. Sandstone, partly quartzose and partly argillaceous, near the estate of 
 
 Chi vela. 
 
 41. Sandstone schist from the table-land of Tarifa; 
 
 42. Sandslone from the foot of the small hill of Guievixia. 
 
 43. Sandstone from the Piedra Parada of Daningadchi. 
 
 44. Argillaceous sandstone from the foot of the Sierra, halfway between Nilte¬ 
 
 pec and Zanatepec. 
 
 45. Claystone which may change to jasper, on the road to Santa Maria Chima¬ 
 
 lapa, between the river Escolapa and the Chocolate. 
 
117 
 
 46. Jasper found in boulders in a strand of the Upper Coatzacoalcos. 
 
 47. Argillaceous stone in layers, little inclined, resting on the porphyry, No. 9. 
 
 48. Guigosina stone. 
 
 49. Calcareous stone with a circular design, found on the brow of the hills of 
 
 Masahua, in the source of the stream Tolistoco. 
 
 50. Calcareous stone with cavities, resting upon another similar to that on the 
 
 Cerro del Convento. 
 
 51. Variegated marls resting upon sandstone, on a hillock near the Hacienda de 
 
 la Chivela. 
 
 52. Earthy marls, taken from a cavity in the calcareous rock in the ascent to 
 
 the Portillo de la Chivela. 
 
 53. Common marl lying over the sandstone, No 38- 
 
 54. Calcareous breccia on the road from the Venta to San Miguel. 
 
 55. Pearl-stone breccia, found in loose fragments in the stream followed in go¬ 
 
 ing from Zanatepec to the Upper Ostuta. 
 
 56. Lamellar specular iron ore, from the neighbourhood of Tarifa. 
 
 BANKS OF THE RIVER COATZACOALCOS. 
 
 57. Sandstone with a base of ferruginous clay, from above the confluence of the 
 
 river Chimalapilla. 
 
 58. Greenstone rock, from a rapid a little before Angostura. 
 
 59. Metamorphic, or primary limestone, from the bank of the river a little be¬ 
 
 low the mouth of the Malatengo. 
 
 60. Decomposed granite, from the great rapid below the old landing place of 
 
 Mai Paso. 
 
 61. Clay from the small hills on the banks of the river in its lower course: a 
 
 from the hill of Oajaquena ; b from that of Churriagao ; c from that of 
 Penas Blancas. 
 
 62. Clay in layers, alternating with others of sand at Juchitan, 12 metres below 
 
 the alluvial soil which covers the plain. 
 
 63. Calc tuff, from the margin of the fountain of Agua Caliente. 
 
 HILLS NEAR THE LAGOONS AND ISLANDS IN THE UPPER LAGOON. 
 
 64. Grey-wacke, very finely grained, of the island of Iguana or Mitiacix. 
 
 65. Porphyry with basis of jasper, from the Mitiacxocuen. 
 
 66. Porphyry with basis of argillaceous stone, from the summit of the hillock of 
 
 Potrero. 
 
 67. Trachitic porphyry with small veins of calcedony, from Danigu. 
 
 68. Conglomerate of argillaceous base, from the small ravine of Chico Zapote 
 
 or Endedchina, near to Danigu. 
 
 69. Jasper, from the small heights near those of the Potrero. 
 
 70. Dioritic porphyry, of the Manguixtiac. 
 
 71. Porphyry from the summit of Umalalang. 
 
 72. Syenitic greenstone from the island of Monapostiac, in large separate 
 
 pieces. 
 
 73. Stratified greenstone, from Natartiac or Cerro Prieto. 
 
118 
 
 74. Fine grained granite in veins from the same hill, intersecting the former 
 
 rock. 
 
 75. Greenstone from the same, resembling basalt, and 'taken from near the 
 
 veins. 
 
 76. Greenstone with veins of tremolite, from the hill of Santa Teresa or Huax- 
 
 toco. 
 
 77. a Greenstone from the hill near to the Hacienda de Santa Teresa, inter¬ 
 
 sected by veins of the granite b. 
 
 78. Conglomerate of fragments of greenstone from the brow of the Umalalang. 
 
 79. Argillaceous conglomerate, from the foot of the southern slope of the Ma- 
 
 loxuet. 
 
 80. Prase, found under the slate in the same hill. 
 
 81. Grey-wacke, from the small hill of Umalpotate at the foot of the former. 
 
 SIERRA DEL MORRO, AND HILLS NEAR TEHUANTEPEC, 
 HUILOTEPEC, AND SAN FRANCISCO. 
 
 82. a, Ancient porphyry, with veins b of red iron and hidrate of iron, from the 
 
 Cerro de la Cueva. 
 
 83. a and b, The same porphyry also, with veins from the Cerro del Morro. 
 
 84. Dioritic porphyry, intersected by veins of sienite 6, from the Cerro del Tigre 
 
 or Daniguibedchi. 
 
 85. Finely-grained sienite, from the hills of San Diego. 
 
 86. Sienite and another rock, composed of quartz and albite, from the Huilote- 
 
 pec or Daniguibixo. 
 
 87. Graphic'granite of the hills of Huazontlan. 
 
 88. Veins of Porphyry, altered by the fire of the hills of the Morro. 
 
 89. a, Dioritic porphyry of the Baxmumbah ; b, granite from a fragment which 
 
 intersects and partly covers the dioritic porphyry; c, new granite in veins 
 which intersect the two pervious rocks. 
 
 90. Granite and sienite from the Malnagirastiac- 
 
11 !) 
 
 c. 
 
 STATISTICS. 
 
 TABLE No. 1. 
 
 Notice of the towns and villages in the southern division of the Isthmus of Te¬ 
 huantepec, with their respective census, from the account furnished to Don 
 Pedro de Garay by the Prefect of that district. 
 
 Names of the towns and villages. Census. 
 
 Tehuantepec—town. 8934 
 
 1. Santa Catalina Mistequilla.247 
 
 2. Tlacotepec.282 
 
 3. Santiago Laollaga ’.152 
 
 4. Santo Domingo Chihuitan.532 
 
 5. San Geronimo 805 
 
 6. Itztaltepec.1546 
 
 7. Espinal.504 
 
 8. Juchitan. . 4567 
 
 9. Huilotepec ........ 185 
 
 10. San Mateo del mar ...... 1500 
 
 11. Santa Maria del mar.148 
 
 12. San Dionisio del mar.888 
 
 13. San Francisco del mar.287 
 
 14. Zanatapec . . ...... 336 
 
 15. Niltepec 626 
 
 16 Tapanatepee.321 
 
 17. San Miguel Chimalapa.318 
 
 18. Santa Maria Chimalapa.524 
 
 19. Santa Maria Petapa.1447 
 
 20. Santo Domingo Petapa ...... 626 
 
 21. Barrio de la Soledad.999 
 
 22. San Juan Guichicovi ...... 5000 
 
 23. San Gabriel Boca de Monte. 71 
 
 30845 
 
 Note .—In the census of the above places, the number of inhabitants of the 
 haciendas (estates) and ranchos (settlements) of their respective jurisdictions 
 (Table No. 2.) has been included. 
 
120 
 
 TABLE No. 2. 
 
 Notice of the principal haciendas and ranchos of the southern division of the 
 Isthmus of Tehuantepec, and of the number of horn cattle in each, calculated 
 from the most authentic information which Don Pedro de Garay was able to 
 obtain. 
 
 Names of the haciendas 
 and ranchos. 
 
 Llano . ... 
 
 
 
 
 
 Number of head of 
 horn cattle. 
 
 Mai Paso .... 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 250 
 
 San Nicolas .... 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1000 
 
 Zuleta . . 
 
 
 . 
 
 
 
 
 300 
 
 Jicaras . 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1000 
 
 Salazar. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 125 
 
 Nisabiti. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 300 
 
 Cienaga. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 60 
 
 Guigochuni .... 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 50 
 
 Rio Grande .... 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 800 
 
 Trapiche de Santa Cruz . 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 — 
 
 Nanches .... 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 150 
 
 Potrero de Santo Domingo 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1100 
 
 Barrio de Petapa 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 2000 
 
 Guichilona .... 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 200 - 
 
 Chicapa . . . 
 
 Tarifa . . . > Marquesanas 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 10000 
 
 Chivela . . . ) 
 
 Trapiche de San Pablo 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 _ 
 
 Espinal. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 3000 
 
 Mesquital .... 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 200 
 
 Los Cerrillos ... 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 400 
 
 Paso Lagarto 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 700 
 
 Huasuntlan .... 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 80 
 
 Frailescas .... 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1480 
 
 Santa Barbara 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 100 
 
 Lachilana .... 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 100 
 
 Comitancillo .... 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 120 
 
 Juchitan .... 
 
 , 
 
 
 
 
 
 12620 
 
 San Francisco del mar 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 8000 
 
 44135 
 
121 
 
 TABLE No. 3. 
 
 Notice of the towns and villages of the northern division of the Isthmus of Te¬ 
 huantepec, their respective census and the number of head of cattle in each, 
 according to the data furnished by the statistics of the state of Vera Cruz, 
 published in 1831. 
 
 1 . 
 
 2 . 
 
 3. 
 
 4. 
 
 5. 
 
 6 . 
 
 7. 
 
 8 . 
 
 9. 
 
 10 . 
 
 11 . 
 
 12 . 
 
 13. 
 
 14. 
 
 15. 
 
 Names of the towns and villages. 
 
 Inhabitants. 
 
 Oxen. 
 
 Horses. 
 
 Mules. 
 
 San Martin Acayucam (villa) - - - 
 
 San Andres Sayultepeque - - - - 
 
 Tejistepeque - -- -- ---- 
 
 San Juan Oluta ------- 
 
 Santa Ana Soconusco - - - - 
 
 Jaltipan --- ------ 
 
 Cosoliacaque - -- -- -- - 
 
 San Pedro Joteapa - ----- 
 
 Santiago Mecayapa ------ 
 
 Santa Maria Minsapam - - 
 
 San Juan Chinameca - - - - - 
 
 Oteapam - -- -- -- -- 
 
 San Cristobal Ishuatlan - - - - 
 
 Santiago Moloacan ------ 
 
 Minatitlan and neighbouring ranchos 
 Hidalgotitlan and its ranchos - - - 
 
 1902 
 
 267 
 
 1206 
 
 — 
 
 2132 
 
 — 
 
 659 
 
 ,— 
 
 1611 
 
 — 
 
 1302 
 
 88 
 
 1595 
 
 303 
 
 1665 
 
 16 
 
 736 
 
 — 
 
 773 
 
 — 
 
 779 
 
 3679 
 
 857 
 
 147 
 
 497 
 
 500 
 
 624 
 
 — 
 
 400 
 
 ? 
 
 300 
 
 ? 
 
 249 
 
 88 
 
 46 
 
 238 
 
 52 
 
 40 
 
 55 
 
 906 
 
 33 
 
 21 
 
 ? 
 
 ? 
 
 5000 
 
 1728 
 
 50 
 
 45 
 
 17038 
 
TABLE No. 4. 
 
 Notice of the haciendas and rancherias in the northern division of the Isthmus 
 of Tehuantepec, with their census and number of head of cattle respectively, 
 from the data furnished by the statistical account of the state of Vera Cruz, 
 published in 1831. 
 
 Names. 
 
 Inhabitants. 
 
 Oxen. 
 
 Horses. 
 
 Mules. 
 
 Rancheria de Michapa ------ 
 
 325 
 
 230 
 
 160 
 
 _ 
 
 Idem del Encinal -------- 
 
 382 
 
 — 
 
 35 
 
 — 
 
 Coyote 
 
 
 
 
 
 (Guellapam 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 Rancherias ■< Jalapa > 
 
 450 
 
 — 
 
 — 
 
 — 
 
 (Cosaguilapa J 
 
 
 
 
 
 Lechonal 
 
 
 
 
 
 Hacienda del Pedregal ------ 
 
 20 
 
 100 
 
 — 
 
 — 
 
 Idem del Calabozo ------- 
 
 63 
 
 — 
 
 — 
 
 — 
 
 Id. de Santa Catalina ------ 
 
 210 
 
 1000 
 
 10 
 
 2 
 
 Id. de San Juan B. Nopalapam - - - 
 
 435 
 
 30000 
 
 4000 
 
 180 
 
 Id. de Cuatotolapam ------- 
 
 716 
 
 19000 
 
 4000 
 
 285 
 
 Rancheria de la Malota ------ 
 
 287 
 
 — 
 
 — 
 
 — 
 
 Id. de Corral Viejo ------- 
 
 81 
 
 — 
 
 — 
 
 — 
 
 Id. del Paso de San Juan - - - - - 
 
 264 
 
 — 
 
 — 
 
 — 
 
 Hacienda de Solcuautla ------ 
 
 123 
 
 5000 
 
 — 
 
 — 
 
 Id. de Santa Catalina de los Ortizes - > 
 
 133 
 
 1300 
 
 360 
 
 18 
 
 Id. de San Felipe ------ j 
 
 
 
 
 
 Rancheria de los Quemados - - - - 
 
 254 
 
 — 
 
 — 
 
 — 
 
 (Camahuacapa "1 
 
 
 
 
 
 Rancherias -J Correa > 
 
 165 
 
 513 
 
 73 
 
 — 
 
 vCasas Viejas J 
 
 
 
 
 
 Hacienda de los Almagres ----- 
 
 49 
 
 2200 
 
 200 
 
 8 
 
 Idem de San Antonio ------ 
 
 9 
 
 400 
 
 90 
 
 4 
 
 Id. de San Jose Teposapa - - - - - 
 
 7 
 
 2400 
 
 10 
 
 2 
 
 
 3973 
 
 62143 
 
 8938 
 
 499 
 
TABLE No. 5. 
 
 Summary of the statistical notices respecting the number of inhabitants and 
 head of cattle in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. 
 
 
 Population. 
 
 
 Cattle. 
 
 
 Divisions. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Horses 
 
 j Sheep. 
 
 
 Inhabitants. 
 
 1 Oxen. 
 
 J and mules. 
 
 
 Southern part of the Isthmus - 
 
 30,845 
 
 44,135 
 
 11,260 
 
 1500 
 
 Northern part - - - - - 
 
 21,011 
 
 67,143 
 
 25,000 
 
 [ 230 
 
 Total - - - - - 
 
 51,856 
 
 111,278 j 
 
 36,260 
 
 1730 
 
 Note ., In all the proper names of places mentioned in the preceeding Report 
 whenever the letter x occurs it onght to be pronounced as the French ch, or 
 the English sh, this sound having been expressedjj by an x in all the Mexican 
 dictionaries from the period of the conquest. 
 
D 
 
 TABLE OE DISTANCES. 
 
 OBSERVATIONS. 
 
 The following lengths of routes are calculated for the voyages of sailing vessels. 
 It was obviously impossible to give at one view the differences of their duration 
 which must vary according to a vessel being either a Collier or a swift Man of 
 War. 
 
 To establish a comparison it was necessary to adopt some one point of de¬ 
 parture, and the Lizard has been assumed from the West of Europe, it being 
 evident that for all vessels passing the British Channel, the differences of dis¬ 
 tances in this table will still hold good; and the same may be said as to results 
 for those leaving France and the Peninsula. 
 
 These voyages have been calculated on the courses, vessels would be com¬ 
 pelled to take in consequence of the trade winds on both sides of the 
 Equinoxial Line. For places within the Straits of Sunda the parallel of 41 
 South Latitude has been kept as far as the Longitude of the Island of St. 
 Pauls, before making for Java-head. 
 
 The voyages touching at the Cape of Good Hope have not been given, be¬ 
 cause, although the distances drawn from point to point upon a Globe would by 
 that route appear to be less, still it is well known that they would really employ 
 the most time in beating against the trade winds. 
 
 As vessels from England now outward bound to China take but little cargo 
 or passengers, they have sufficient spare room for provisions and fuel, and 
 therefore they need not touch anywhere before reaching the China Sea. But 
 this is not the case with Emigrant Ships to Australia and New Zealand ; and 
 vessels bound to these places can scarcely dispense with calling at Rio Janeiro 
 both for the health and comfort of the passengers, as well as for revictualling. 
 
 From Europe to the Gulf of Mexico it has been supposed most convenient to 
 touch first at the Island of St. Thomas, and then of course the voyage will be 
 calling at Jamacia, and then round the Peninsula of Yucatan to the Coat- 
 zacoalcos. 
 
 St. Thomas has also been taken as the best point to make, for vessels from 
 New York to the Gulf of Mexico; for although to the North of Cuba would 
 appear to be much the shortest route, yet the difficulties of the Bahamas for 
 large vessels, and the constant adverse current of the Gulf-stream, would still 
 cause this last to be the most unfavourable in respect to time and safety. 
 
 It will be seen that for outward bound ships, the route through the Isthmus 
 would in every instance be accomplished in the shortest time, going before 
 favourable trade winds on both sides of the Line. 
 
TABLE OF DISTANCES 
 
 To the principal Ports in the Pacific and Indian Oceans , compared 
 with the Voyages to the same places via the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. 
 
 No. 
 
 VOYAGE. 
 
 Distance 
 Nau. miles. 
 
 | Distance 
 via the 
 Isthmus. 
 
 Difference 
 
 saved. 
 
 1 
 
 Lizard to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, 
 touching at St. Thomas, Jamaica, round 
 Yucatan to the Coatzacoalcos - - 
 
 Across the Isthmus to Bocaharra - - - 
 
 5210 
 
 150 
 
 5360 
 
 
 2 
 
 Lzard to Bocaharra, round Cape Horn, 
 touching at Madeira, Rio Janeiro, Yal- 
 paraiso and Callao ------- 
 
 11,820 
 
 5360 
 
 6460 
 
 3 
 
 Lizard to the Columbia River, by Cape Horn 
 
 to Bocaharra No. 2. -. 
 
 Bocaharra to Columbia River - - - 
 
 11,820 
 
 2320 
 
 
 
 
 
 14,140 
 
 7680 
 
 6460 
 
 4 
 
 Lizard to Tahiti, round Cape Horn, touch¬ 
 ing at Madeira, Rio Janeiro and Valpa- 
 raiso - -- -- -- -- -- 
 
 12,830 
 
 9170 
 
 3660 
 
 b 
 
 Lizard to Wellington, New Zealand, round 
 , Cape Horn, touching at Valparaiso and 
 Tahiti - -- -- -- -- -- 
 
 15,160 
 
 11,500 
 
 3660 
 
 6 
 
 Lizard to Wellington, round Cape Horn, 
 direct from Valparaiso ------ 
 
 13,990 
 
 11,500 
 
 2490 
 
 7 
 
 Lizard to Wellington, by the Atlantic and 
 Indian Oceans, touching at Madeira, Rio 
 Janeiro, to Lat. 41 S., and thence east- 
 ward - -- -- -- -- -- 
 
 15,820 
 
 11,500 
 
 4320 
 
 8 
 
 Lizard to Wellington, touching at Madeira 
 only, and crossing the equinoxial line in 
 Long. 26 W.. 
 
 14,740 | 
 
 11,500 j 
 
 3240 
 
 9 
 
 Lizard to Sandwich Islands, via the Isthmus 
 to Bocaharra, No. 1. ----- - 
 
 Bocaharra to Sandwich Islands - - - 
 
 5360 1 
 3500 | 
 
 j 
 
 8860 j 
 
 
 10 
 
 Lizard to Sandwich Islands, via Cape Horn,! 
 touching at Valparaiso ------ 
 
 14,300 | 
 
 8860 j 
 
 5440 
 
 11 
 
 Lizard to Canton, via the Isthmus to Sand-j 
 wich Islands, No. 9- 
 Sandwich Islands to Canton - - - - 
 
 8860 j 
 
 5120 i 
 
 13,980 
 
 1 
 
 
127 
 
 Table of Distances continued. 
 
 No. 
 
 VOYAGE. 
 
 Distance 
 Nau. miles. 
 
 Distance j 
 via the 
 Isthmus. 
 
 Difference 
 
 saved. 
 
 12 
 
 Lizard to Canton, touching at Madeira, 
 crossing the Line in Long. 26 W. going to 
 Lat. 41 S. and Eastward to Long, of St. 
 Paul’s, and thence by the Straits of Sunda 
 
 14,750 
 
 13,980 
 
 770 
 
 13 
 
 Lizard to Canton, touching at Madeira and 
 Rio Janeiro - -- -- -- -- 
 
 15,830 
 
 13,980 
 
 1850 
 
 14 
 
 Lizard to Manila (same route as No. 12 to 
 the Straits of Sunda) ------ 
 
 14,210 
 
 13,630 
 
 580 
 
 15 
 
 Lizard to Manila, touching at Rio Janeiro - 
 
 15,290 
 
 .13,630 
 
 1660 
 
 16 
 
 New York to Bocabarra, round Cape Horn 
 crossing the Line in Long. 26 W., Rio 
 Janeiro, Valparaiso, Callao, and Boca- 
 barra - -- -- -- -- -- 
 
 12,390 
 
 3330 
 
 9060 
 
 17 
 
 New York to Canton, by the Atlantic and 
 Indian Oceans, crossing the Line in 
 Long. 26 W., and the same course as in 
 No. 12 - -. - . _ 
 
 15,540 
 
 11,950 
 
 3590 
 
 18 
 
 iNew Orleans to Bocabarra, round Cape 
 Horn, to St. Thomas, Rio Janeiro, Valpa¬ 
 raiso, Callao, and Bocabarra - - - - 
 
 1 
 
 12,510 
 
 900 
 
 11,610 
 
 19 
 
 New Orleans to Columbia River, round Cape 
 Horn - -- -- -- -- -- 
 
 14,830 
 
 3220 
 
 11,610 
 
 20 
 
 New Orleans to the Columbia River — inland 
 journey — up the Mississippi, up the Mis¬ 
 souri and across the Rocky mountains 
 
 Note. — This has a land journey of 900 miles full 
 of difficulties. 
 
 3400 
 
 3220 
 
 180 
 
 21 
 
 Jamaica to the Columbia River via the Isth- 
 mus of Tehuantepec- ------ 
 
 In favour of New Orleans the difference 
 of----------- 
 
 
 3530 
 
 310 
 
 22 
 
 New York to the Columbia River via the 
 Isthmus of Tehuantepec - 
 Jamaica to the same ------- 
 
 
 5650 
 
 3530 
 
 
 
 In favour of Jamaica the difference of 
 
 1 
 
 
 2120 
 
 Consequently in favour of the British Establishments in the West Indies ; 
 and also for a British settlement in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec for the whole 
 trade of the China seas, the West Coasts of both the Americas, and over the 
 great Pacific Ocean. 
 
128 
 
 P.S P- 
 
 oh3 O 
 
 3 O 3 
 
 5‘ o. ^ 
 a o 
 3 l r* 
 
 . Q.- 
 
 t r% 
 2 
 
 fD o 
 
 . ft- O 
 
 Z&tttto 
 
 P 3“ 2> 3 3 
 
 ft § .2 g 
 
 *! §1 
 
 5o 
 
 w S' 
 
 g <* , , , 
 ft to 
 
 • I I I I 
 I I I I I 
 
 3 ^ p a 
 £5 SL 
 to 3 : P T 3 
 
 P 
 
 3 5" 
 
 & O <- 
 MM 1 _ O 
 
 go 
 
 Pf 
 
 
 , to 
 
 ft B 3 | 
 ft g5 ft 
 o® § S'S'S' 
 ft S'? $'%'» 
 
 n> r+ ^ 
 
 o > » 3 g* * 
 
 2. P* r+ ~ 
 
 93 3 o 3- 
 P n-,33 ,.gM- 
 P mm ^ (9 & 
 
 ■ g S 3 5 ® 
 
 . & 33 ,_ tr 1 o n 
 1 kh 2 t -1 o 3 S 
 “ to o p S 
 
 sss ^ 3 .s« 
 
 1 0 a- S « g, 2 
 
 C ° 2 = «I H 
 
 > O ft £<*5 S? > 
 
 ft) o S3 2 ►h 
 p 3 TO 00 3 ^ 
 
 1 3 = „ 00 O • 
 
 * ^- ^S' 
 
 . g-P-sg 3 
 
 3 p-p .-o 
 1 p 2 ft w Sr 
 
 , w *3 3 
 
 o'to^ ° 
 
 § o “ • °* 
 
 tel Q 
 
 *g 
 
 /rf 5 
 
 S'? 
 
 I 1 
 
 P_ C/5 
 
 O ’ 
 
 O «-i 
 
 3 to 
 
 93 
 
 03 I—I 
 
 ft ? 
 
 g B 
 
 C3 (t> 
 9" 3 
 
 CJCJO 
 
 5.2. ft 
 
 to to to 
 
 Cfi W r+ 
 
 ft. 03 ° 
 
 Sf 2 -^ 
 
 2 3 93 
 re c 
 
 g*P o 
 
 93 3 3 
 
 3 S.® 
 
 TO HrtOO 
 3- p3 p 
 TO 3* £3 
 M O (EL 
 
 ft TO H 
 
 si ft*i 
 
 S. TO OP 
 
 sq C > 
 
 cr _ 
 
 tl 
 
 93 
 
 pr *d 
 
 TO -- 3* 
 
 3 ” S 
 
 ii r 
 
 0 S' c/5 
 «-crq «■ 
 
 O w 
 
 93 3 < 
 
 £*»« 3 
 0 ~>2 
 I 
 
 S* s n 
 
 ^-N ' ft' > 
 ft 5 3 Z 
 
 o »-o e n > 
 
 0 3^0 1- 
 
 n§ _ 
 
 3 ft 09 
 
 3 O' 
 
 3 TO o, 03 2t J 
 p to " 03 3 v; 
 
 cLo 
 
 S’f s.w 
 
 2 E o o 3-3 
 
 i-^Ss 55 ' 
 
 > BO P TO 
 
 ^ O 93 TO — 
 
 ' P* &. ^ 
 
 TO ^ 
 
 3 O 
 TO 3 
 
 ^ Dcrq 
 
 “ I 
 
 C/5 
 
 *e 
 
 > a< 
 
 o' 
 o o 
 ft-p 
 
 td ’ 
 
 1 ^ «» 
 ft TO 5 
 
 I ft TO 
 
 03 I 
 
 •"d 
 
 to 
 
 TO 
 
 o 
 
 3 
 
 P P O rr 
 TO £. rt ►Oo 
 
 • p s^ 
 
 P ft 3 p 
 
 o to 3 oq 
 
 g g - ■ 
 
 <T> 
 
 +J 
 
 SD ^ 
 
 n‘ 3 
 
 td p ft; 
 
 rj’ ft. TO 
 < O t» 
 2 3 . 
 
 ' 3 
 
 X 
 
 TO I 
 
 £9- 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 H 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 \r> 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 09 
 
 <6 
 
 
 
 *-* to 
 
 on 
 
 tOMMHM 
 
 
 
 
 MM os 03 03 
 
 
 3 
 
 On 
 
 to 
 
 to 03 
 
 0 
 
 MOOOif.Cn 
 
 to 03 
 
 0 
 
 O O co 03 
 
 g 
 
 09 
 
 0 
 
 On 
 
 
 
 00 03 03 t-M O 
 
 
 t—t to 
 
 CO 
 
 00 •Ml On 03 
 
 5" 
 
 IP 
 
 & 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 0 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 H_l 
 
 
 I_1 
 
 *—» 
 
 |_l M t-M 
 
 
 
 1—1 
 
 03 to 
 
 
 3 t- 1 ? 
 
 )— 1 
 
 
 CO ^ 
 
 
 to On 00 
 
 03 
 
 
 0 
 
 Ci M Cn 03 
 
 
 Mj 0 2. 
 
 00 
 
 CXI 
 
 O 03 
 
 
 t— 0 On 03 to 
 
 03 
 
 
 
 MM to MJ O 
 
 
 2 £.»? 
 
 Cri 
 
 00 
 
 H-* CO 
 
 
 MM 00 03 On 00 
 
 0 
 
 On 
 
 co 
 
 0 CO 0 00 
 
 
 ftp ft 
 
 09 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 0 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 0 
 
 
 Mhmhm 
 
 
 
 
 M«M 
 
 
 a* 
 
 to 
 
 to 
 
 ‘i.S 
 
 <5 
 
 TO 
 
 
 03 03 mm CO O 
 
 03 
 
 
 
 to CO Mj 00 
 
 
 
 0 
 
 00 
 
 to 
 
 OOrfkQMC 
 
 -<r 
 
 -<l 
 
 0 
 
 co 00 On 
 
 
 O 3 
 
 3 
 
 TABLE OF CANALS. 
 
 The ' Efe ” ie ” to 0/w^icft are useful in the Comparison with the Dimensions proposed for the Canal of Tehuantepec. 
 
E1FU SMC A MIXICMI4 
 
 PIANO 
 
 FAME AUSTRAL BEIL ISfffiO' 
 
 f lilUAHllf i€ 
 
 BESIDE LA COSTA DEL OCEAN© IPACJEICO 
 MAST A LA 1LILAM0J1KA BEL C0ATIACOALCOS 
 
•esario dLe la olbra dLe la 
 
 ELlTA'WTEPEr 
 
 ectOo 
 
 £ . ^ 
 
 
 )