29 
Cramer continues his narrative briefly describing, but with 
admirable exactness, the course of the river up to Mai Paso, 
and demonstrates the facilities which the country presents for 
making a good road from this point to Tehuantepec, conclud¬ 
ing with the remarkable observations here literally tran¬ 
scribed. 
“ The river-courses, with the mountain-chain interrupted 
“ between Santa Maria Petapa and San Miguel Chimalapa, 
“ and the evenness of the grounds, plainly indicate that it 
“ would not be a work of great difficulty, nor excessively 
“ costly, to effect a communication between the two seas 
“ across this isthmus. In the supposition that the waters of 
“ the rivers Almoloya and Citune were held back, a canal 
“ might be opened to join them with those of the San Miguel 
“ or Chicapa, the course of which into the Pacific Ocean, by 
“ the bar of San Francisco, passes by the Venta de Chicapa, 
“ and from this spot forwards there are no further difficulties, 
“ because it is one perfect plain as far as Tehuantepec.” 
An examination of the topography of the isthmus, will shew 
how rational was this project, bearing in mind its application 
to a canal of small dimensions, such as was contemplated by 
Cramer. 
IV. 
It was with reference to these results that Baron de Hum¬ 
boldt, after having very properly asserted that until his time 
“ the topography of the isthmus of Tehuantepec was quite 
“ unknown in Europe,” adds, “ we cannot doubt that this 
“ point of the globe deserves no less attention than the lake 
“ of Nicaragua.” However, it is evident that if the illus¬ 
trious traveller ever saw any of the writings of Cramer upon 
the subject, it could not be the one just mentioned, for there 
is no allusion in it to the possibility alleged by the Baron, of 
a canal “ without locks, or without inclined plane.” 
y. 
In 18^0 Robinson, speaking of the Coatzacoalcos, says, 
“ it is the only port in the Mexican Gulf where vessels of war, 
