TO SALTILLO. } AQT 
plaza, is a noble edifice, though its exterior is yet 
unfinished. Its interior surpassed any thing we had 
yet seen, not excepting the cathedral at Chihuahua. 
It abounds in pictures, some of which are very fine, 
and are doubtless the work of the old masters. The 
architectural ornaments, sculptures, gilding, etc., ex- 
hibit much taste, and are in fine preservation. We 
went to the roof and towers, which enabled us to see 
the thorough manner of its construction. Our New 
York builders might obtain some useful hints by exam- 
ining this edifice, the walls of which are double in thick- 
ness that of any similar building in New York city. 
December 9th. rode this morning with Dr. Hew- 
ison, an Irish gentleman long resident in Mexico, to 
visit his cotton factory about three miles distant. It is 
a neat building of adobe and stone, two stories high. Its 
power is obtained from a spring of water about a mile 
distant, in the direction of the hills. This water is 
first collected in a reservoir, and propels a grist-mill; 
from this it is carried through an aqueduct, and fur- 
nishes the power for three small cotton mills, of which 
that of Dr. Hewison is one. When these have used it, 
it is conducted to other small grist-mills; and when it 
has been made to do all this work, and has reached the 
level plain, it is led by acequias to irrigate the gar- 
dens and fields of maize and wheat. So careful are 
the mill owners of this water, that 1t is not allowed to 
escape and run off at night, or when the mills are not 
in operation. At such times the gates are closed, and 
the water collected in a stone reservoir above. 
I was enabled to ascertain the exact quantity of 
water from which all this power is obtained. The 
VOL. I1.—32 _ 
