179*- On my return to the Prefidio, I was favored with a polite reply from
November, Qua(jr a . jn which he informed me, that neither the Chatham nor
the Daedalus had yet arrived at Monterrey, but that on their reaching
that port, I might rely on their receiving every afliftance and fervice in
his power to bellow; and trailed it would not be long ere the Difco-
very would rejoin them at Monterrey.
During the night, the wind from the s.w. blew a llrong gale, and
Tuefday 20. continued with much rain until the morning of the 20th; when the
weather being ferene and pleafant, we undertook our journey to Su
Clara. We called in our way on our friends at the prefidio and milfion,
with whofe company We were to have been favored; but in confequence
o f fome difpatches received by Sen'- Sal which required his immediate
attention, and of the indifpofition of one o f the fathers, they begged leave
to decline the engagement; we therefore, agreeably with the falhion of
the country, fat out, attended by a drove of fpare horfes, more than double
the number o f our party, under the guidance o f the fergeant o f the
prefidio, who was accompanied by fix llout afitive foldiers, fully accoutered
for our proteftion, and for affording us fuch afliftance as we
might require.
We confidered our route to be parallel with the fea coaft ; between
which and our path, the ridge o f mountains before-mentioned extended
to the fouth-eaftward ; and as we advanced, their fides and fummits exhibited
a high degree of luxuriant fertility, interfperfed with copfes of
various forms and magnitude, verdant open fpaces, and enriched with
ftately foreft trees o f different deferiptions. The plain on which we
rode ftretched from the bafe o f thefe mountains to the fhores o f the
port, and gradually improved as we proceeded. The holly-leaved oak,
maple horfe-chefnut, and willow, were increafed from dwarf Ihrubs to
trees o f tolerable fize, having fome of the common Englilh dwarf oak
fcattered amongft them.
Our journey was eftimated at 18 leagues, in which diftance the country
afforded no houfe, hut, nor any place of Ihelter excepting fuch as the
fpreading trees prefented. About noon, having then advanced about
twenty-three miles, we arrived at a very pleafant and enchanting lawn,
fituated
fituated amidft a grove of trees at the foot of a fmall hill, by which No‘Jc9^{,er_
flowed a very fine ftream of excellent water. This delightful pafture was >— .— '
nearly inclofed on every fide,, and afforded fufficient fpace for refting
o f ourfelves and baiting , our cavalry, The bank which overhung the
murmuring brook was well adapted for taking the refrefhment which
our provident friends had fupplied: and with fome grog we had brought
from the fhip, (fpirits and wine being fcarce articles in this country)
we all made a moft excellent meal; but it required fome refolution tq
quit fo lovely a feene, the beauty of which was greatly heightened by
the delightful ferenity o f the,weather. T o this, however, after refting
about an hour, we were obliged to fubmit, when a frelh fupply of ’ cavalry
being felefied from the drove of horfes, we mounted and purified
our journey.
We had not proceeded far from this delightful fpot, when we entered
a country I little expelled to find in thefe regions, For about twenty
miles it could only be. compared to a park, which had originally been
clofely planted with the true old Englilh oak ; the underwood, that had
probably attended its early growth, had the appearance of having been
cleared away, and had left the ftately lords of the foreft in complete poi-
feflion of the foil, which was.covered with luxuriant herbage, and beautifully
diverfified with pleafmg eminences and .vallies ; which, with the
range of lofty rugged mountains that bounded the profpell, required
only to be adorned with the neat habitations of an induftrious people,
to produce a feene not inferior to the moft ftudied effeft o f tafte in the
difpofal of grounds ; efpecially when feen from the port or its confines,
the waters o f which extend fome diftance by the fide of this country ;
and though they were not vifible to us, I was inclined to believe, they
approached within about a league of the road we purfued. Our riding
was attended with fome inconvenience, on account of the fox earths,
and burrows of rabbits, fquirrels, rats, and other animals ; but our fure-
footed horfes avoided every danger, notwithftanding we rode at a brifk
rate. Having palled through this imaginary park, we advanced a few
miles in an open clear meadow, and arrived in a low fwampy country ;
through which our progrefs was very flow, the horfes being nearly
V o l .I I . D knee-,