108 SEVIN'S JOURNEY IN MEXICO. [Jan. 24, 1859- 



Fifth Meeting, January 2Uh, 1859. 



Sir KODEEICK I. MUROHISON, President, in the Chair. 



Presentations. — Tlie Rev. S. W. King; Lieut. H. Lamb, i.n. ; and 

 James Allan, Valentine Labrow, Joseph Paul, and Tlieodosius Uzielli, Esqrs., 

 were officially introduced upon their election. 



Elections. — Captain Alexander BlaMey, r.a. ; Captains T. G. Mont- 

 gomerie, D. Nasmyth, D, G. Robinson, and James Walker, first assistants 

 G. Trigon. Survey of India ; Captain W. S. Sherwill, Professor of Survey- 

 ing, Calcutta ; Captain Thomas A, B. Spratt, r.n., c.b. ; Lieut. John 

 lownsend, R.N. ; Major H. L. Thuillier, Deputy Survey or- General of India; 

 Captain E. C. S. Williams, officer of the Survey or-GeneraVs Department ; 

 H. Stanhope Freeman, Vice- Consul Ghadames ; Rev. Alexander Mackay, 

 A.M. ; Clark A. Ducket, Assistant-Surgeon, r.n. ; and Hovendon Hely, T. 

 Corby n Janson, T. A. Thompson, and Arthur C. Vesey, Esqrs., were elected 

 Fellows. 



Exhibitions. — The third edition of * Siluria,' by Sir Roderick I. 

 Murchison ; Sketches of the country and towns of the route of the 

 Pernambuco Railway, by Colonel Westmacott, f.r.g.s. ; andEindlay's 

 Chart of the North Atlantic, &c., were exhibited to the meeting. 



The Papers read were : — • 



1. Journey in Meanco. By Charles Sevin, Esq., f.r.g.s. 



[The paper will be printed in the Journal.] 



Mr. Sevin left England in May, 1856, with the view of examining 

 the copper and silver mines of the north-western provinces of 

 Mexico, and of ascertaining how far the mineral wealth of these 

 regions might be worked to advantage with English capital. He 

 was accompanied by Messrs. Hickens and Schahl. The party 

 reached Mazatlan in July, and started for their destination without 

 delay. He describes Mazatlan as a cheerful, well-built town, of 

 12,000 to 15,000 inhabitants, with gardens in which the cocoa-nut 

 and banana thrive, and far in advance of any other place in the 

 northern and Pacific part of Mexico. Mr. Sevin's first point was 

 El Fuerte. He took the road that led along the flanks of the Sierra 

 Madre, travelling with mules, after the manner of the country, at 

 the rate of 15 to 18 leagues a day, and sleeping at night on rugs 

 spread on the floors of such ranches as he selected for his night's 

 quarters. Tliere is another road to El Fuerte, which skirts the 

 sea-coast and traverses the lowlands of Cinaloa. It is the easier 



