The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1903-08-14
LETTER FROM MEXICO.
Several Cities 0escribed-WiI be
Followed by Other Letters
Great Future for the Re-
public
San JUAN BCATIsTA, May S.


| To the Editor of the Oca,a Banner
| On the 26th of December last my
wife and | left our home in san Juan
Bautista, capital of Tabasco, on the
| tug Sofia for Frontera, the sea port Of
said state at l. O'Clock noon. We
arrived III FronJera at 9:l5 p. M, after
a long tiresome trip. FrOntera Is a
town of some 5000 inhabitants. We
stayed here three days, and on the
10Th of December left Frontera on
my steamboat, Canuto Bulnes, for
Laguna, state of Campeche.
This is very pretty little town of
about 1900 inhabitants. Some ten
| years ago Lsguna used to be a town
Of about 5000 inhabitants, very busy
place and there were lots of amuse-
ments going on.
On the Both we left Lsguua for
| Campeche, capital of the state of the
same name, on the dirty boat Cometa
of the COmpania de Navigation Mex
icana. Here on board the Cometa |
had row with the chief steward,
because he wanted to give my state
room to some dancing girls, but did
! not allow it.
We arrived in Campeche on the
3lst, after a very rough and Uucom.
Portable night
The crew of all the Compania
| MeXicana de Navigation are of the
toughest aud dirtiest crowds ever
saw and all of the steamers of that
line are very dirty.
| Campeche il town of about 7.000
inhabitants, very pretty and clean. L.
II now Il dead town. After spending
New Years day her., on rn- 2nd Of
January OF this year, W. left for
Merida, capital Of Iucatau 10y raIi
Merida j. a large and dirty town Of
about 10000 Inhabitants. Il has q
great bag business going on and j. h
good commercial city, but her streets
are 10 good at all. There are no
pavemeats.
We stayed in Merida a month, "a I
came to this place on business for
pleasure, would never 90. While
there | went To Progress, Tucantan's
sea port several times. PrOgreso l. n
port of about 5000 inha bttants. Ugly
aud dirty place, but good deal of busi-
Ness going on. Here | took the >. :.
Esperanga of the Ward Line for
Vera Cruz. When We got on board
this clean and handsome American
steamer thanked the LORD for being,
if not on American soil, at least, on
Ameri, an steamer once more. The
Esperanga Is very pretty and ele-
giant vessel. She Is about 5000 tons
| suppose. We were on board five
days. a. ia Progresso we were detain-
ed on board 3 days on account that
/ there were no lighters TO discharge
the cargo ashore.
On the 5th of February we arrived
in Vera Cruz at 10 o'clock. Vera
Cruz is the chief sea port of the Re-
public and a city of about $4,000 in
habitants.
Here ! stayed five days and on the
9th of February my wife and | left
Vera Cruz on board the old, unsafe
and dirty boat, Mexico, for Frontera.
This boat belongs also TO the Com
pania AIeXicana de Navigation. On
the 10th We arrived in Frontera after
a very unpleasant journey.
San Juan Bautista, capital of the
state of TabascO is pretty little city
of about 1000 inhabitants.
She has very good commerce but
a very poor and bad communication
with the rest of the Republic because
the COmpania MeXicana de Nave
gaciOn does what she pleases because
there is no opposition line.
Yours truly,
CANUTO BULNES.