THE COAL-FIELDS OF SONORA. 161 
the most important of these districts is the Monte Diabalo 
basin, near San Francisco. The best proof of the quality of 
' this coal is that the annual production has not yet reached 
100,000 tons ; it is only fit for consumption in private houses 
and for a few other purposes. All the coal used for shipping, 
blacksmiths’ forges, steam engines, &c., is imported into San 
- Francisco from Vancouver’s Island, where there is an abun- 
dance of the best qualities. 
Now in Southern Sonora the true carboniferous strata are 
to be found, and with them an abundance of coal. It lies, 
unfortunately, too far from the sea-coast to be of any practical 
value at present; still it isthere. I examined specimens from 
several localities, but cannot say much for the greater num- 
ber. San Marcial, sixty miles from Guaymas, is the nearest 
_ poimt to the coast where large quantities are to be found. 
What I saw from that place, however, was not good. The 
good coal lies far away in the interior, upon both sides of the 
Upper Yaqui River, and from some spots there I obtained 
specimens equal in every respect to the finest coal of New- 
castle or Pennsylvania. The future of Sonora depends, of 
course, greatly upon her coal. There can, in fact, be no 
doubt but that Sonora contains much mineral wealth; she 
cannot vie with such States as Guanaxuato or Zacatecas, nor — 
have any veins been yet discovered equal to that of the Real 
del Monte, the Sombrerete, or La Luz; but so uncertain is 
mining, and so little known is Sonora, that, any day, some Vita 
Madre or Vita Grande may be discovered which will rival 
those of the above-named States. 
As regards her sister State, Chihuahua, it was my opinion 
on leaving Mexico that the eastern State was the richer of the 
two; the mineral wealth is more concentrated, and some of- 
the veins near the city of Chihuahua, although abandoned 
VOL. II. 
