Viewing page 15 of 77

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

[[blank page]]
[[end page]]
[[start page]]

[[underlined]] Brownsville [[/underlined]]  

[[underlined]] May 2. [[/underlined]]  Drove into Brownsville in forenoon & in PM went across to Matamoros with Capt. Smith who showed us interesting parts of the town & country & introduced us to Miss A.E. Dysart, the local botanist & other interesting people.  Went up in the tower of the Cathedral where we could see for miles up & down the river & over the perfectly flat country on all sides.  For 30 miles to the west the country is said to be the same flat, mud soiled river bottom with the same fauna & flora as [[strikethrough]] here [[/strikethrough]] on the east side around Brownsville.

Cotton & corn & sugar cane are the chief crops on both sides of the river.  Oranges & lemons & bananas & guavas do well but there seems to be no enterprise or energy in the people about raising fruit or crops.  The climate is extremely enervating.

It is 30 miles from here to the coast and harbour, reached by a little narrow gague R.R.  Yesterday at the Rio Coloral we were 12 miles from the coast.