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On arriving at Cuernavaca I presented my letter of introd. from the Secy of State in Mexico to the Gov. of Morelos. The latter was absent so I looked up the sec'y of state. The latter was profuse and voluble in his expressions of desiring to aid my work in any way that lay in his power. When I put him to a practical test by asking him if he could aid me to secure a reliable guide & hopes for me to visit the ruins of Xochicalco. This was another matter, - he replied by asking if I could not secure them myself!

To this I replied that probably I could, but I supposed by presenting my letter I should be able to secure better facilities than I could by myself, a stranger. With a very ill grace, he then sent a messenger to look up a man & hopes to report to me in the morning (at my expense). In the morning the outfit showed up & I found myself riding one of the thinnest, worst riding animals it had been my misfortune to ride in Mexico. When we reached the ruin I examined the part that was apparent & asked the guide concerning some other part that I had been told existed. He denied this claiming that he knew all about it & there was nothing else to be seen. On my return to Cuernavaca I was told that extending down from the mts from 8000 to about 4500ft the barrancas are cut through a deep formation of coarse conglomerate of rounded fragments of volcanic stone. The city of Cuernavaca contains about 12000 or 15000 people & is built on an arid open grassy plain sloping to the south with deep barrancas cutting their way down from the mts. following the slope. The bloodsucking bats (Desmodus) are common close to the town in a damp cave, with a loose crumbling roof, where I secured some. Many small, blue, jack-winged bat were also