VOLCANO OF COLIMA. 



185 



dom that a day passed without our seeing some 

 remarkable peak, or range of mountains, the 

 sketchers and surveyors were never idle. We kept 

 sight of one grand peak, the Volcano of Colima, 

 for no less than five days, during which it was 

 drawn in every point of view, and its true geogra- 

 phical place ascertained within very small limits, 

 by means of cross bearings and astronomical ob- 

 servations. But in the whole range we had not 

 the satisfaction of discovering one volcano in ac* 

 tion, nor even one emitting smoke, which was a 

 considerable disappointment. At night we fre- 

 quently saw brilliant fires on remote and very ele- 

 vated spots, and sometimes bright reflections from 

 the sky, of great illuminations beneath, which 

 were invisible to us ; but we were always incre- 

 dulous as to their originating in volcanoes. 



The only distinct snow we saw was on the top 

 of Colima. The temperature of the air, for the 

 first ten days after leaving Acapulco, was always 

 considerably above 80° even at night. It after- 

 wards fell to 72^, a diminution in temperature 

 which was sensibly felt by every one. 



On the 28th of March, at three o'clock in the 



