JLT. 74.] TO J. D. HOOKER. 765 



lot of things that will stand here. It is just in me- 

 dias res, two hours below Tierra Frias, two above (or 

 at Cordoba, only seventeen miles, but 2,000 feet 

 lower) true tropical. Papaya fruits here, also Persea 

 gratissima, etc. And the oranges are delicious. I 

 have passed the whole morning with the garden man, 

 while Farlow went up a small steep mountain, and 

 brought back various things. We shall drive this 

 afternoon to the Cascade of Rincon Grande (cas- 

 cades are most rare in Mexico). 



The air here suits us ; shall try to leave our coughs 

 here and at Cordoba below. 



On the way here had views of Popocatapetl and the 

 more beautiful and diversified Iztaccihuatl from the 

 sides, and wound round the base of Mt. Orizaba. A 

 true Mexican town this. Mrs. Gray enjoying sights 

 from the window ; will be able to drive out this after- 

 noon, though the clouds are sinking too much and 

 mist gathering, a great contrast to the city of Mexico. 



P. M. We went, but saw the falls (very pictur- 

 esque) in a wet mist, and for botany got a lot of sub- 

 tropical Mexican plants, the like of which I never 

 saw growing before : among Compositae, Lagascea 

 (large heads), Tree Vernonias of the Scorpioides 

 set, Calea, Andromachia, etc., etc. 



CORDOBA, March 2, 1885. 



... To continue. On Saturday, a fine and sunny 

 morning, Farlow and I drove off for the Cascade of 

 Barrio Nuevo, almost as beautiful as the other, and 

 had a long morning in clambering and collecting. In 

 the grounds on the way are planted trees of a Bom- 

 bacea, in flower before the leaf, probably Pachira. The 

 peak of Orizaba shows as a narrow streak of white 



