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which is in the [?] about 85 miles above here. Having spent considerable money while [not?] well, and not wishing to draw too heavily on my small remaining [source?] I purchased a specimen of the genus [?], packed my wordly goods and his book and started for this place. We – for there were two of us – carried our rations with us. During the day we drove [Domingo?] [the?] [horse?] before us, and at night lit a fire and slept under no other roof than the firmament afforded. We accomplished the distance in a little more than four days and should have made it much quicker but for the deep sand in some parts of the journey. It was a new form of [?] and I should enjoy it immensely with a congenial companion,
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or even alone.
The Rio Grande valley, which is the only valuable land in the country so far as agriculture is concerned, is from one to two miles in width in the southern half of the territory, and is pretty well [covered?] with trees, almost all of which are cottonwoods, with great bushy tops like large apple trees. Since the Rail Road has [arose?] into it most of the [land?] [?] takes possession of [by?] [?] and white [?], although very little of it is under [cultivation?]. But there can be no doubt as to its fertility, and [did?] the Rio Grande but [?] water [enough?] the valley might sustain our immense population. I have never seen more [sound?] corn stalks or better ears of corn than here. What produces at
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the rate of from forty to sixty bushels per acre and is the finest I [have?] ever seen, and as for onions and cabbage I can [only?] say that they grow larger and [nicer?] than I ever knew they could. I have only seen one variety of apples here and they were very small but very pleasant to the [taste?] and I suspect that if the right kind of fruit could be introduced it would succeed very well. Pears thrive wonderfully and the trees attain great size. All along the lower part of that valley the [?] is successfully cultivated although I am told that the grape crop is not always a [scarce?] one. The Mexicans manufacture some from them and it is one of the
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principal beverages of the country. The grapes are very sweet and even at this late date I can buy them in a state of good preservation but somewhat dried up. They taste more like raisins than any thing else – so sweet are they. Citrons and melons and such things grow in great abundance with little care.
But everything has to be irrigated and the ditches have [?] [canals?] in size. [So?] great is the drain [on?] the [river?] that it has been known to go dry down here. In fact such was the case last year and consequently the [crops?] failed and when at last the water came down the [river?] there was such universal
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rejoicing among the poor half famished Mexicans as has never been seen before in this country. Men, women and children left everything and gathered on the banks – they bathed in it, the threw it into the air and screamed with delight and seemed [crazed?] with joy. I doubt whether the inhabitants of Memphis were more jubilant after the epidemic than were these simple Mexicans at the return of water to the bed of the river.
I rather like the Mexicans. They are more [?] [or?] [?] than [?], I think. It really is a disgrace to the people of the United states the way in which they treat them, especially the women. This country is filled with [desperados?] – men who have