the former. Both are obstructed by bars which are impassable during a strong gale. The water of the Brazo is generally about ten feet over the bar; and that of Boca del Rio about six feet. As vessels cannot come up the river to the town, in one harbour they unload by means of lighters; and in the other they land their goods on the river banks. The tide has but little fluctuation. The anchorage is tolerable; but there is little security for ships during the fierce winds of August and September. There is no lighthouse; and the pilots of vessels judge of their proximity to the port by the discoloration of the water—a very dangerous and uncertain token during the hours of darkness.
Acapulco is one of the chief Mexican ports on the Pacific. It is so secure and spacious that five hundred ships can lie at anchor within it readily. The larger portion of the town is on the sea-shore, being shut in by lofty hills on almost every side: no wholesome breezes from the interior therefore can approach it, and it is in consequence excessively hot and unhealthy. The noxious vapours from the south-east brood perpetually over the town and port, so that at no period has it been a
