that the Priest of Gavilanes was the best man in the world, though I had never seen or heard of such a person. I stayed here all the next day to rest my mules, and was really astonished when the people related to me stories which they had heard of the English. I found this place half-way between Guarisamey and Papasquiaro, two celebrated mining districts, and met a quantity of quicksilver and other materials, going to Guarisamey. The arrieros told me that they should return to Durango with silver bars. I was now on the Table-land, in the State of Durango, and in every direction I saw great herds of cattle, for which Durango is famous, with herdsmen, called Vaqueros, mounted, and always on the full gallop, but could see no houses. They told me they had their habitations at a great distance from the road, in situations where the cattle came to water, when they could count them, &c. &c.
Twelve leagues from San Antonio, there are an immense number of large caves, which surround a circular valley about one hundred yards in diameter. The road lies down a cañada, through which a fine stream of water runs. I found, from the remains of old fires, that this was a regular stage for travellers, and I accordingly got a comfortable cave prepared for my own lodging. I have often met with and heard of echoes, but nothing that at all resembles this. The caves are of different stories, some a little distant, and the voices re-echoed a hundred times. At night I sung, and played the flute, and was wonderfully struck with the effect. The cave which I slept in, was one hundred and fifty-six feet in length, ninety-six in height, and forty-five in breadth.
Fourteen leagues more brought us to the great caves, called Las Cuevas de San Miguel. In this day's journey, I found the daisy, meadow-boat, lupins, marsh-mallow, crocus, daffodil, and a variety of English flowers, with white clover, and a herbage which had in general the appearance of the herbage in England, in April or May, except that in this country and climate nature displays a greater variety of flowers at the same time. The large cave of San Miguel I found to be two hundred and forty feet in length, eighty in height, and one hundred and fifty in depth, with a regular arched roof. In the back wall
