136 
great resemblance to the Egyptian paper, made 
with the fibres of the reed ( cy perns 'papyrus) , 
The plant, which was employed in Mexico for 
the fabrication of paper, is known in our gardens 
under the name of aloes. It is the jozYc (agave 
Americana), called me^/, or maguey^ by the 
people of the Aztech race. The mode of 
making this paper was very similar to that em- 
ployed in the South Sea islands with the bark of 
the paper mulberry tree ( hroiissonetia papy- 
rvfera ). I have seen pieces three metres long 
and two broad. The agave is cultivated at 
present not for paper-making, but for preparing 
with its juice, at the unfolding of the stalk and 
flowers, the intoxicating liquor called octli^ or 
pulque ; for the pite or metl may be used as a 
substitute at the same time for the hemp of 
Asia, the paper reed of Egypt, and the vine of 
Europe. 
The painting, a copy of which is at the bottom 
of the twelfth plate, is five decimetres long and 
three broad. It is well preserved, the colours 
are vivid, and the agave paper yellowed by 
time is of a very fine and equal texture. It ap- 
pears that this fragment of hieroglyphic writing, 
which I purchased at Mexico, at the sale of 
Mr. Gama’s collection, was formerly a part of 
the museum of the chevalier Boturini Benaducci. 
This Milanese traveller had crossed the seas with 
no other view, than to study on the spot the 
