jQQ MEXICO. 
This vessel, which is of a beautiful yellowish clay, tempered almost as 
finely as porcelain, and perfectly smooth and hard, is 9^ inches high^7 
in di'ameter, and ^of an inch thick. It was found in the Cerro del Te- 
soro, or " hill of the treasure," in the prefecture of Tula and Department 
of Mexico. - . ., 
I have desired to place it before you for the purpose of comparmg the 
fieures engraved on it with the style of the figures drawn by Mr. Cather- 
wood in Mr. Stephens's travels in Yucatan and elsewhere. Although 
there are no figures to which I can at once and entirely assimilate these, 
yet there is a general resemblance which cannot fail to strike the most 
careless observer. • j e 
It will be recollected that Tula was the head-qu-arters, at one period, ot 
the tribes which afterward penetrated into the Valley of Mexico, and some 
of which even continued still farther to the southward. May they not 
have been the parent stock from which sprang the builders of the nume- 
rous cities which now lie in ruins in Yucatan ? And may not this vase 
serve to show a connection between all the people who, at the time of the 
conquest, dwelt on the narrow land which connects the Northern and 
the Southern portions of our Continent? ^ , ^ ^. -. r .-u 
I recollect very well, with how much gusto Mr. Gondra brought it forth 
for my inspection, after he had seen the designs of Mr. Catherwood, and 
how perfectly his mind seems to be satisfied of the identity and charac- 
ter, origin and habits, of the people who formed this vessel and reared the 
Temples of Palenque. 
Beyond the room in which we have been so long detained, there is still 
another apartment, devoted to Natural History. But the Present fares 
no better than the Past. The birds and beasts are badly stuffed, badly 
mounted, badly arranged ; and when I hoped to find a collection of miner- 
als, or, at least some rare specimens of the splendid ores of Mexico, sys- 
tematically arranged, I regret to say that I met with equal disappoint- 
"" The last time I visited the Museum, I found on the centre table of the 
saloon of antiquities, the armor of Alvarado. It was pleasant to know 
that it had at length reached so appropriate a destination, after havmg 
been hawked about the Capital by various brokers, who were atone period 
on the eve of selling it to me, together with the hero's commission, signed 
by the Emperor, for the sum of one hundred dollars ! The Government 
gave one hundred and forty dollars for them, or I have no doubt that these 
relics of one of the bravest of the conquerors, and the next m repute to 
Cortez, would now adorn the walls of our National Institute. 
