368 VOYAGE OF H.M.S. HERALD. 
composed of North Americans, who make attacks upon the Comanches, 
and are paid, for every head they bring, 200 dollars. But the Indians 
are so numerous that little effect has at present resulted from the 
measure. 
I now took a south-western direction, the road to Tepic. Departing 
from Durango on the 2nd of January, 1850, I reached, on the 5th 
instant, San Francisco de Mesquital, a considerable village, whose inha- 
bitants, as the latter part of the name indicates, occupy themselves by 
preparing mesquitalfrom the Agaves. In proceeding I crossed the river 
Mesquital, the banks of which were shaded by huge trees of Taxodium 
distichum. This tree, called in Spanish Sabino, in Aztec, Ahoehoctl, 
always grows near running streams like the Cedro de la sierra (Cupres- 
sus, sp. no. 2000). Often have I rejoiced when, after having sought a 
long time for water, the tops of some Sabinos were descried : I had 
found the object of my search. Except this tree and the Cedro, I 
know of no Conifera that is confined so closely to the edge of the water. 
. Near the same river I observed a new genus belonging to Rosacee, 
tribe Spireacez, a shrub four feet high, with white odoriferous flowers, 
vernacularly termed Romerillo simarron, i. e., Wild Rosemary. 
As far as Mesquital there are several large estates, but, having passed 
that place, you enter a desolate district. There are no houses, no 
. people. The road becomes mountainous, and very badly marked, as it 
.. is only trodden by a few Indians ; the principal communication between 
Durango and Tepic being carried on vid Guadalajara. I collected, 
~ however, a good many specimens, the vegetation not having suffered so _ 
. much from frost as in that part of the Sierra Madre which I crossed when 
coming from Mazatlan. On the 12th of January I reached the village 
- of Santa Teresa, two days distant from Tepic. This village is inhabited 
; by the Coras, a tribe of Indians whom the religious zeal of the Jesuits 
converted to Christianity during the last century. There were only three 
persons in the place who could speak Spanish, all the rest talking a 
language of their own. They seem to be an honest people; and I 
rather offended them by sleeping in the tent and not coming to their 
houses. Several times they tried to make me understand that they were 
not like the Apaches, and had no communication with the Comanches. 
Santa Teresa is surrounded by Oak and Pine forests, but stands high, 
and I had to descend into the ravines in order to obtain specimens for 
herbarium. I remained five days, proceeded to within a day’s 
