is very picturesque and tempting and I would have to be off 
color indeed not to be at work. The harbor is no harbor, but — 
anchorage on the margin of the "Norther" ridden sea. We are 
fixed by three anchors under the lea of an island fortress 
prison, and feel duly thankful to be again within reach of land. 
We have had many prominent visitors among others the Minister 
of the Interior of Mexico, brother-in-law of Pres. Diaz, and we 
are invited to all sorts of Janketing and to visit the families 
of all the great notables from the President down. Thompson 
went to dinner in his dress suit with the English Consul and 
Armour took me to a highly flavored dinner with delicious cham- 
pagne (don't mention this it is of frequent occurrence) at a 
hotel in the city. | 
| I am now writing at half past ten at my desk in my 
eabin - nearly as big as our parlor but not so high - by a lamp. 
My Peanccu: formerly Millspaughs, is in front of of and behind 
the stair and with a bedroom at the left and the bath room at 
the right. | Two portholes at right, two portholes at left 
through which now are seen passing lights of boats and steamers 
but pheougn wmien I but recently watched in vain three days for 
a break in the dull gray clouds. iverything is soaked and all 
metal is rusted, but we are pretty well dried out tonight and 
pretty well polished up. My scissors cant be opened, my 
camera refuses to work, the lens box is falling to pieces and 
the microscepeshas lost its golden glitter. 
