64 
bling that of the parks in Europe. The flowers in some of 
these localities are of astonishing beauty. 
Between the coast and the Sierra the plain is partly 
covered by acacias, which, as we shall presently see, might 
furnish a considerable quantity of gum. 
On approaching the Sierra the vegetation is more vigorous, 
and the Brazil-wood tree (coesalpinia crista), of which con¬ 
siderable fellings might be effected, becomes very common. 
The granadillo, the mahogany tree, (swietenia mahogani), the 
copalchi (croton cascarilla) the bark of which is a well-known 
febrifuge, and the dragon-tree (pterocarpus draco) begin to 
make their appearance as well as many other shrubs that yield 
resins and balsams, to which the natives ascribe the most mar¬ 
vellous virtues. There are also the fustic (morus tinctoria), 
the log-wood (hoematoxilon campechianum), as well as a con 
siderable number of other trees both picturesque and useful 
for their flowers and the hardness and durability of their 
wood. 
Both the soil and the climate are favourable to the cultiva¬ 
tion of indigo and the sugar-cane; and those tracks of land 
which are protected from the winds produce cotton of supe¬ 
rior quality. 
The table-land and hills between Tarifa and the Barrio 
appear covered with good grass which affords an excellent 
pasturage for cattle. The dales are covered with palm-trees, 
and a little higher up we find the ocote pine (pinus reli- 
giosa ?) which has some affinity with the pinus picea. The 
latter tree is also found on the summits of the hills between 
the above mentioned places and Santa Maria Chimalapa alter¬ 
nately with the tropical plants which grow in the lower por¬ 
tions of the ground. 
It is impossible to describe with effect the luxuriance of 
the vegetation in the latter places; but among the prodigious 
multitude of plants, however, the guayacan (diospyros lotus), 
the cedar, the mahogany, the rose-wood, the gateado , and the 
ebony, are particularly abundant. No less worthy of notice 
are the amber-tree (liquidambar styraciflua), from which is ex¬ 
tracted the resin of the same name, and the tree yielding the 
