The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-10-11
ADDITIONAL FROM MEXICO,
OUR Correspondence Received by the Flash
Tran Station from the Organ or the Co
ycYnTneHt.

OUR correspondence Received by the Flash
Tran Station from the Organ or the Go.
vernment.
OUR MEXICAN CORRESPONDENCE
! ToTAIsINrLA, Mexico, Aug 90, 1882
The Nets Ronie totks Pacifc-Swpey of sAe MuscaL,
Ripe- Fifteen days from Nep York to San Fran
cisco, Sc, &c.
Possibly, from the date Of this letter you ,y wish
to know whs-s am, ard before proceeding further
it oulc be well state that Totasintla is On the
huscala river, stream which takes it's rise i, the
territory Of Floscala north Puebla thence flo wing
south for $50 mites. turns to the west and for $50
miles runs that course till it emptes into the Pa
oi6c ocean at Zaoatu,a, $40 miles north or west Of
Acapulco. Totalsinta is 100 miles north Of Acs-
pulco, and $50 miles south OF the city o. Mexico and
here the road between these two cities crosses the
| Muscala river.
Last winter you made some kind of prediction
that by this river the shortest, cheapest aud most
expeditions route to California would be found, and
the distance made from New York 10 San Francisco
| be realized, and that speedily. Now will tell you
how come to be here You are a ware OF the grant
made TO Colonel Ramsay for the exclusive naviga-
ton of the Muscaa river from it's m0ath II ZaeatuIa
to the boundary line Of the State Of Pusbia, 45O
miles above. The company in New York, With whom
Colonel Ramsay is connected, have. determined to
make careful survey of this river to fnd ou. 40
far 1T is navigabe, and for what kind of seambo ats
For that purpose party has been sent out to make
careful exploration Of the river, and see
the grant TO Colonel Ramsay is worth improving
| Consequently that gentleman, along with Captain
Reynolds, OF Flushing; MIR, Fasnum, of New York
! Captain Holtzinger of the Mexican navy, aud N.Y.
| self, with several servants, now here on that
work Our boats-metais life boats, built by
Francis In New 1ork-our instruments, stores, Sc,
were permitted to enter the port Of Vera Cruz free
of duty The government further offered to assist
/ in any other way possible. The Governor Of Pueba
| proposed to have the boats, s., transp )rted from
the city Of Puebla to the boundary line, ut his sn
expense and he gave letters to the projects along
our route, by which we were furnished with every
kind of assistance needed. From the city OF Pdeba
we drove SOUTH down through of the most eau
tiful and rich valleys in the world, in high state
OF cultivation, with its haciendas of corn, CATTLE 81
gar and cotton The ro1d is excellent at all Seasons
tor stages, winding down with slight grade so that
Mt fourteen leagues from Puebla we were in tho hot
country. At this distance our road turned abruptly
to the west which brought the Snow mountain Of
Popocatapel (Which is 2 600 feet higher than Mont
blanc) the north Of instead of the west
| bad been the day before. Still driving do vn the
valley for fourteen leagues the road continuing
to be excellent throughout, we came within five
leagues of the State line For all this distance the
country is thicky Inhabited, and some of tho nacien
das or plantations, are valued at from $500,0o0 to
$SOO,000 Wherever we stopped at any of these, we
were handso mely entertained.
We were now Eve leagues from the point on the
| river where Ramsey's grant commences, and rs
there was carri,ge road, although one could ca.
silly be made, the boats had to be tran ported on
the shoulders of natives. who were ordered to thus
work by the PIetect. No less than LAO msu ware
thus employed, at eighteen cents per day, the price
fixed by the Alcalde In two days we had cur boa.s
in the water, and we made starting poiat from
Mesquitelan which is the Grst viilage in the State
Guerrero. on the river bank We had expected TO
meet with many impediments, for some leag lss in
the shape of ro;ks rapids and shoal wa.er, for, al
though this is the rainy season, the weather hls
IN hn nrp and riN.ra aslx Ea.tt
above low water mark. We showed OF frum the
shore at Mesquitelan with all party on boa ID;
and Captain Pacbeco, who WAS ordered up the river
to join us, as commissioner the part of the State
OF Guerrero The people turned out ID full force to
us oil, and to cheer us on our voyage Our course,
Tor four lesgres lay to the south. and then westerly
between high aud precipitous, well wooded mouo
tains, some Of them nearly | 900 feet high Their
sides were covered with dense forest, in " lich
were noticed, in great abundance, Brazil aud MICA
rauga wood. mahogany aud many other dye or
choice trees. The river was about ono hundred
yards wide, seven feet deep, with taree knot cur
rent The rapids and rocks spoken of so frequently,
were but trinlDg impediments to steamboat uaviga-
ton We came about eight leagues the FIRST d ~.
where $500 will remove all obstacles in q week
You may form some estimate how careful our
survey. when il takes eighteen pages of writing to
record the observations made.
We put to shore at the village of Slal co so titan,
where spent the night. The next oay we arri-
we'd here, making fifty milesn the two days About
one league below the village mentioned the river
At8naugo enters from the north, and is as large as
the Muscaia. All map nskers have mace the IA IS.
take OF mo1ling the Atanango for the Muscaia, and
above the mouth OF the Atanapgo they have IN 4ds
the Musc0a flow TO the souIh and east nsteqI Of to
The west and south Dissurnel's map of Mexico of
s50. the only correct printed map Of the c3urse
Of the Muscala or Zacatula
Below the mouth Of the Atanaugo, the depth Of
water varies from twelve 20 twenty feet without in
cieasing in width No improvements of aay coase
quence sie zee ded from mat river to this Ssce
9lren0v nnsSuU called
bad places in tue river exc pt one, few leagues
further down, which sm informed s not worse th
those above. We now faly sIlsfed that this
river Is navig8be for stearup0stS Mt oil stages OF
water for $50 miles This will bring rs within 100
miles of Prebla, and lT0 to Vera Cruz al ex-
celenstage road which can be driven over in thirty
SIX hours so chat you mey cllcuats aS folls VS. six
days from New York 10 Vera Cruz IN steamer,
thirty SIX houIs. land to the Muscala river,
forty eight hours down to the month OF the river;
aud five day from thence TO San Franc 'sco-heing z
lts than fifteen days from New York to San Frau
cisco.
The river Muscaa is the largest and longest river
exclusively IN tle republic Of Mexico. The port Of
IscatuJ0 at its mouth, js tho oldest port tue Pa
chc ocl an, being the place where Cortez butt his
INST ships on that lea, Is mentioned by all
tbcrs, reiudrg Prescott, IL his history ofshc con-
quest. Among the old archives record - MADE OF
tbe fact that Cortez transported iron. cordaye aud
other articles from Vera Cruz the heal waters of
the Muscala, and hoaed them down the river, 50 rs
to coup he FIRST feet built on the Pacific, Gt the
port Of Zacaiuia The hero Morelos, il the Of
indeI eDdenoe, improved on this inf)rultion, and
brought up RATS bis artillery TO Mesqu,tsan,
which village he was captured rnc survey
made by order OF the state of Pueha in ths dry
IN 1850 reports three ard half feet of
in the cbonuel from Mesquitelan TO The Atanango
river and four and half tee from thence for fifteen
leagues then six feet, then twenty feet then forty
feet and for the last hundred miles. sixty feet
Of water in the channel. beautiful bay exists
near the mouth. and Humboldt, in his WORK on no "
Spain, frequently notices the port of Zscatala
Yet with all this, the impressios has prevaied that
the river not navigable, frsl originating ia the
fact that il is not adapted to sa vessels, without
rejecting that il might he for steamboats, In the
second place. the river has been properly laid
down on the charts and all information of the
courses, distances, depths and currents, confined
to The simple natives on the banks who only knew