entos de Ibarra; San Nicolas de los Angeles; La Ballena; Talpan; Hostotipaquillo; Copala; Guaxacatan; Amaxac; Limon; Tepanteria; Iocotan; Tecomatan; Ahuatacancillo; Guilotitan; Platanarito; Santo Domingo; Iuchipila; Mezquital; Xalpa; San Joseph Tepostitlan; Guachinango; San Nicolas del Roxo; Amatlan; Natividad; San Joaquin; Santissima Trinidad de Pozole ; Tule; Motage; Frontal; Los Aillo-Ezatlannes; Possesion; La Serranilla; Aquitapilco; Eliso; Chimaltitan; Santa Fe; San Rafael; San Pedro Analco; Santa Cruz de las Flores.

CHAPTER XVI.

Intendancy of Valladolid-extent-climate-Volcan de Jorullo-vegetable productions-earthquakes-volcanoes -population-principal towns-mines.

THIS intendancy at the period of the Spanish conquest made a part of the kingdom of Michuacan (Mechoacan), which extended from the Rio de Zacatula to the port de la Natividad, and from the mountains of Xala and Colina to the river of Lerma, and the lake of Chapala. The capital of this kingdom of Michuacan,—which, like the republics of Tlaxcallan, Huexocingo and Cholollan, was always independent of the Mexican empire,—was Tzintzontzan, a town situated on the banks of a lake singularly picturesque, called the lake of Patzquarro. Tzintzontzan, which the Aztec inhabitants of Tenochtitlan called Huitzitzila, is now only a poor Indian village, though it still preserves the pompous title of city (ciudad).

The intendancy of Valladolia, vulgarly called in the country Michuacan, is bounded on the north by the Rio de Lerma, which further east takes the name of Rio Grande de Santiago. On the east and north-east it joins the intendancy of Mexico; on the north the intendancy of Guanaxuato; and on the west that of Guadalaxara. The greatest length of the province of Valladolid from the port of Zacatula to the basaltic mountains of Palangeo, in a direction from S. S. E. to N. N. E. is 234 miles. It is washed by the South Sea for an extent of coast of more than 114 miles.

Situated on the western declivity of the Cordillera of Anahuac, intersected with hills and charming valleys, which exhibit to the eye of the traveller a very uncommon appearance under the torrid zone, that of extensive and well watered meadows,-the province of Valladolid in general enjoys a mild and temperate climate, exceedingly conducive to the health of the inhabitants. It is only when we descend the table-land of Ario and approach the coast, that we find a climate in which the new colonists, and frequently even the natives, are subject to the scourge of intermittent and putrid fevers.

The most elevated summit of the intendancy of Valladolid is the Pic de Tancitaro, to the east of Tuspan. To the east of the Pic de Tancitaro the Volcan de Jorullo (Xorullo, or Juruyo) was formed in the night of the 29th of September 1759. The great catastrophe in which this mountain rose from

VOLCAN DE JORULLO.

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the earth, and by which a considerable extent of ground totally changed its appearance, is perhaps one of the most extraordinary physical revolutions in the annals of the history of our planet.

This remarkable phenomenon has remained unknown to the mineralogists and naturalists of Europe, though it took place not more than fifty years ago, and within six days' journey of the capital of Mexico, descending from the central tableland towards the shores of the South Sea.

A vast plain extends from the hills of Aguasarco, to near the villages of Teipa and Petatlan, both equally celebrated for their fine plantations of cotton. This plain, between the Picachos del Mortero, the Cerros de las Cuevas, y de Cuiche, is only from 2,460 to 2,624 feet above the level of the sea. In the middle of a tract of ground in which porphyry with a base of grünstein predominates, basaltic cones appear, the summits of which are crowned with evergreen oaks of a laurel and olive foliage, intermingled with small palm-trees with flabelliform leaves. This beautiful vegetation forms a singular contrast with the aridity of the plain, which was laid waste by volcanic fire.

Till the middle of the 18th century, fields cultivated with sugar-cane and indigo occupied the extent of ground between the two brooks called Cuitamba and San Pedro. They were bounded by basaltic mountains, the structure of which seems to indicate that all this country at a very remote pe

riod had been several times convulsed by volcanoes. These fields, watered by artificial means, belonged to the plantation (hacienda) of San Pedro de Jorullo, one of the greatest and richest of the country. In the month of June 1759, a subterraneous noise was heard: hollow noises of a most alarming nature (bramidos) were accompanied by frequent earthquakes, which succeeded one another for from 50 to 60 days, to the great consternation of the inhabitants of the hacienda. From the beginning of September every thing seemed to announce the complete re-establishment of tranquillity, when in the night between the 28th and 29th the horrible subterraneous noise recommenced. The affrighted Indians fled to the mountains of Aguasarco. A tract of ground from three to four square miles in extent, which goes by the name of Malpays, rose up in the shape of a bladder. The bounds of this convulsion are still distinguishable in the fractured strata. The Malpays near its edges is only 40 feet above the old level of the plain called the playas de Jorullo; but the convexity of the ground thus thrown up increases progressively towards the centre to an elevation of 524 feet.

Those who witnessed this great catastrophe from the top of Aguasarco assert that flames were seen to issue forth for an extent of more than half a square league, that fragments of burning rocks were thrown up to prodigious heights, and that through a thick