PACIFIC AND BEERING’S STRAIT. 
587 
Maruli, 
1828. 
Tepic there are very few above seventy-two. The Spaniards are fully CHAP, 
aware of this difference of climate, and often send invalids from Tepic 
to Xalisco to recover their health ; yet they continue to reside, and 
even to build new houses in the unhealthy spot their ancestors have 
chosen. 
I had the good fortune to procure at this place, through the kind- 
ness of a gentleman who was residing at Tepic, a curious hive, con- 
structed by bees, which had never been described, and of which an 
account will be found in the Appendix by Mr. Edward Bennet, to whom 
I am also indebted for his remarks upon the fishes we collected, which 
will appear in the natural history of the voyage. 
The 1st of March was the day appointed for the embarkation of 
the specie at San Bias, but it was the 6th before it arrived, and the 8th 
before we could put to sea. On my way to the southward it became 
necessary to call at Acapulco for the purpose of securing the bowsprit 
previous to the passage round Cape Horn, as this could not be done 
conveniently in the open road of San Bias. While we were at anchor 
we received very distressing accounts of the state of affairs at Acapulco, 
and several vessels arrived from that place with passengers, who had 
been obliged to seek their safety by flight. It appeared that shortly 
after the revolt of Bravo, the Spaniards, with certain exceptions, were 
expelled from the Mexican territory; and that Montesdeoca, a re- 
publican general, who was deeply indebted to some Spaniards at Aca- 
pulco, took advantage of this proclamation to liquidate his debt by 
marching against the town with a lawless troop of half-cast Mexicans, 
and by obhging the Spaniards to take refuge on board the vessels in 
the harbour, or to secrete themselves in the woods. 
On putting to sea from San Bias, we kept along the land ; the next' 
day we determined the position of Cape Corrientes, a remarkable pro- 
montory on this coast, and on the 10th were within sight of the 
volcano of Colima. This mountain, by our measurement from a base 
of forty-eight miles, is 12,003 feet above the sea ; and is situated in 
latitude 19“ 25' 24" N. and longitude 1“ 41' 42" E. of the arsenal at 
San Bias. On the 1 1th, in latitude 1 7“ 1 6' N ., our temperature underwent 
a sensible change : previous to this date the thermometer had ranged 
4 F 2 
