n
the chapter upon mining will be found the names of some of the
principal enterprises in operation.

The state suffers from lack of railways, as is natural from its
mountainous character, there being but one--that from Nogales, at the
boundary with Arizona, to the port of Guaymas on the Gulf of
California, about 255 miles long, connecting to the north of Nogales
with the Southern Pacific Transcontinental Railway of the United
States. There are several good roads and a telegraph system. Timber and
water are plentiful in some parts of the state; in others scarce or
absent. The capital of the state is Hermisillo, with a population of
11,000.

Leaving for a moment the Mexican mainland and crossing the Gulf of
California, we come to the remarkable peninsula of Lower California, or
Baja California. This great tongue of land, isolated almost from the
rest of the Republic, extends paralleling the coast of the mainland at
a distance of 60 to 100 miles therefrom, with a length of more than 900
miles and a width varying from 25 to 125 miles. Its area is 48,300
square miles, supporting a small population of about 50,000
inhabitants. On the north it is bounded by the United
States--California; on the east the Gulf of California, and on the west
and south by the Pacific Ocean. There are, in addition, numerous
islands which fringe the coast.

A range of hills traverses the peninsula longitudinally, paralleling
and near to the Gulf coast, with a highest peak of 4,230 feet above
sea-level. Of granite in its highest portion, the range is of volcanic
origin mainly, and gives an arid and desolate character to the land.
Naturally, from its topography rivers are almost nonexistent except for
a few small streams, the Colorado River, dividing it from Arizona and
Sonora, being the only one of importance, and indeed this is a river of
the United States, simply forming the boundary of the peninsula for a
short distance.

With so limited a hydrographical system and a scarcity of rainfall,
irrigation and agricultural possibilities are but limited. In the humid
portion of the territory sugar-cane, tropical fruits, vines, _maguey_,
cereals, and other products are, however, raised. There are some
natural products, especially the _orchilla_, or Spanish moss, which
grows profusely in some parts of the west coast and is gathered and
used commercially for dyeing. The climate in the north is hot, but dry
and more temperate towards the south. The _fl