390 Report on the progress of the Horticultural Society, 



H I wrote to the company's forester here, reminding him of his 

 " offer to collect some pine seeds for me, which at my departure 

 u for Zacatecas were not then ripe, but he having neglected to 

 " answer my letter, I had no alternative left but to look after them 

 " myself, and now I am sorry to find they are all shed, nothing 

 " but the empty cones remaining. I however have succeeded in 

 " finding a few kinds of seeds, among which the white Rhododen- 

 " dron is the most valuable. I had also an opportunity of seeing 

 " in great perfection the Arbutus, of which I sent an ample supply 

 " of seeds, marked 'with pink flowers' on the seed paper; it may 

 " well be called a rival of Ribes sanguineum. 



" Agreeably to the request contained in your letter of the 27th 

 " October last, I endeavoured to procure the best information of 

 " the country I am in, and most persons (Mr. Floresi in particular) 

 " that I asked on the subject, and who have a knowledge of the 

 " greatest part of it, advised me to visit the state of Mechoacan 

 " as the most promising to answer the object of my mission, the 

 " mountains being well covered with pines and oaks, and the 

 " plains rich and well watered. In a day or two I shall proceed to 

 " Guadalajara, and return from thence to Zacatecas to prepare for 

 " the journey to Mechoacan. 



" The country from Tula del Tamaulipas as far as here, a dis- 

 " tance of more than 160 leagues, which I have run over just now> 

 " is one common plain destitute of trees, and at this season of all 

 " vegetation ; the same table land is said to extend northwards in 

 " all directions, and I was therefore very happy to learn that I can 

 " in some measure deviate from my instructions." 



No. 19. — Aguas Calie?ites, June XHth, 1838. — "A few days ago 

 " I returned to Zacatecas from the trip to Guadalajara, and pre- 

 " pared immediately for the journey to Mechoacan, where I shall 

 " arrive in about 10 days. On the road to Guadalajara I found 

 " scarcely any thing to call my attention, the country being still 

 " quite parched up, and not a green blade of grass is to be seen. 



