Year: 1871

I


From the San Francisco Bulletin.l


Perhaps the most attractive resort for


the stranger on the Pacific Coast, and


the best place for the weak-lunged inva-


lid, will be. found in the little State Of


Colima, just within the tropics. A six


or seven days sail will carry the traveller,


on frst-class steamer, to Mantinello,


where at the close of the rainy season,


say about the middle Of October, his


eyes will be delighted with the rank veg


citation and glorious fora of the tropics.


From thence a ride of couple of hours


by steamer will take him or her up the


palm-fringed laguna of Cayutian---a dis
tance of thirty-six miles. He will then


over fine new road leading across the


plain and ancient battlefield of San Bar


tolo, past the great sugar estate of La Ca


lera, over wooded mountains where the


whole air is fragant with the


breath of countless varieties of flowers,


besides which those of our own cline


are dull of hue and devoid of odor, and


where every turn discloses some new


scene OF enchanting beauty, for sixty


miles to the ancient city of Colima.


There no cold north wind ever blows,
the sea-breeze merely tempers the heat,
and from October to April he may bask
in the soft, warm air, luxuriate on all the
fruits of the tropics, from the orange to
the chirimoya, and ride every day among
the gardens, rice-felds, and great nat
ural attractions of the vicinity from
morning to night. The great volcano of
Colima, $4,000 feet in height a perfect
cone, when viewed from the west, now
pouring forth dense volume of smoke,
and rolling out millions of tons of red
hot rocks from a new crater which was
formed last year, preparatory TO deluging
and desolating the surrounding country
with rivers of lava, will look down
upon him in majesty indescribable.
A days ride will carry him to the
foot of the mountain, and two more
will enable him, if he has the physical
strength for the trip, to stand beside the
crater at its summit. The discharge of
rocks from the new crater is constantly
increasing, as we are informed by a re-
cent letter from Colima, and the lava
flow will probably soon commence.
Then the great bdrrdRcds Of Beltram and
Alenquiqui, Yosemite, clad in everlast
ing verdure, gemmed with flowers, and
brilliant with the plumage Of parrots and
other gaudy-hued tropical birds, will
claim the attention for weeks in success
sion, and furnish an endless feast for the
lover of the grand and beautiful in ma
ture. He will find poor hotel accommo-
dations, but cheap house rent and ser
wants iii Colima. Eggs, butter, milk,
fruit of all kinds, poultry, vegetables,
and all the necessaries of life, are cheap
and plenty. The people excel in pre-
pairing the native cacoa bean, from
which they make the most delicious
chocolate in the world; the coffee of the
country is fully equal to the finest
good judges say far supe-
rior; and sugar, vanilla, and many other
luxuries are attainable at low prices. In
short, we know of no place on earth
where one can enjoy such advantages of
climate in the winter season and see so
much OF nature in all her native grand
eur at so small cost, comparatively, as
in and around Colima. 1t wants but
few intelligent travellers to go ahead and
break the way, and in a very short time
Colima will become, as it deserves to be,
one of the most famous health and
pleasure resorts in the world, infinitely
superior in its natural attractions to any
point in Italy, France, Spain or Ger
many, with the great advantage OF being
new to the great mass of the travelling
public, fresh, unhackneyed, and unique.