Page:Mexico (1829) Volumes 1 and 2.djvu/77

MEXICO. 45 whiskey is said to possess in Scotland. They call it sto- machic, a great promoter of digestion and sleep, and an ex- cellent remedy in many diseases. It requires a knowledge of these good qualities to reconcile the stranger to that smell of sour milk, or slightly tainted meat, by which the young Pulque drinker is usually disgusted ; but if this can be surmounted, Pulque will be found both a refreshing, and a wholesome beverage ; for its intoxicating qualities are very slight, and as it is drunk always in a state of fermentation, it possesses, even in the hottest weather, an agreeable cool- ness. It is found, too, where water is not to be obtained ; and even the most fastidious, when travelling under a vertical sun, are then forced to admit its merits. It is only to be met with in perfection near the places where it is grown, as it is conveyed to the great towns in skins, on asses : a tedious process, in the course of which the smell increases, while the freshness of the liquor is lost. A strong sort of brandy, called Mexical, or aguardiente de Maguey, is likewise extracted from the aloe, of which there is a great consumption in the country. Nor is the utility of the plant confined to this ; the Aztecs prepared from its leaves the paper on which their hieroglyphics were written, pieces of which, of various thickness, may be found at the present day ; and the more fibrous parts supply the country with pita, a strong thread, or twine, which is made up into ropes, and used not only in the mines, but on the Western coast, as cordage for vessels It is not so pliable as hemp, and is more liable to be affected by the weather ; but it is ex- tremely tough, and durable, and consequently of very general utility. The annexed plate contains an Aloe in full produce, with the leaves cut, the central cup displayed, and the skin, gourd, and scraper, used in extracting the sap.