feet above the gulf, near the eastern limit of the table land. An early march of a few hours the following morning brought us to the crest of the Pass, to the north of the Coffre de Perote, and to the commencement of the great descent to the coast.
Our journey thus far from Perote had been rather barren of interest, but upon gaining the elevated alpine village of Las Vigas, it was far otherwise. The sandy route now gave place to a steep Calzada, over which the unwieldy coach came lumbering down, with many a jog and many a jolt, to the great discomfort of the occupant, and the apparent peril of the train of mules. The upper part of the road crosses the flanks of the Coffre de Perote, a mountain so called, from a square, chest-shaped eminence which crowns its long ridge, and contains the crater of a volcano, which, however long dormant, must once have been the vent of tremendous eruptions, judging by the signs scattered over the neighbouring country. Las Vigas lies at the height of 7820 feet above the gulf, and consequently within the limit of the tierras frias. The forests in the vicinity are chiefly pine. At this elevation we were enveloped in cold driving mist, worthy of the Alps; and though its partial clearance before we descended to Jalapa, three thousand five hundred feet lower, gave us many a glimpse of the magnificent scenery around, yet it must be conceded, that we lost much by not having a brighter and less clouded view. Some distance below Las Vigas, we entered upon a pedrigal covered with scanty vegetation; and we continued for many miles to descend over slopes covered to a great depth by volcanic deposits; here thick beds of black cinders and scoria, coating the rock with a thick stratum, and lying just as they had rained from the heavens; there floods of black lava, hard as adamant, and yet bearing upon their unequal surface abundant signs of the liquid state in which they had poured down from the mountains above. As usual, the surface of the lava was never smooth, even in places where it had met with the least obstruction, but displayed an infinity of sharp wrinkles overlapping each other, or rather, I should
