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greater than at the fort, where meteorological observations are kept, under the direction of Dr. McGraw, to whom I am indebted for a copy of observations kept in 1872, '73 and '74 to 1st of August, 1875. The mean temperature of the thermometer in the summer is less than seventy-five degrees. In the warm season, it is a delightful climate, amid fine mountain scenery, a portion of which resembles towers, domes and precipices of more than one thousand feet in height, perpendicular. In 1872, the amount of rain fall there was 12.16 inches, of which more than half fell in the months of July and August. In 1873, it was 17.65 inches, more than half of which fell in June, July and August. In 1874, it was 20.11 inches, more than half of which fell during the months last named. For the past seven months of 1.875 the rain fall was 18.38 inches, fifteen of which fell in July and probably an equal amount fell in August, about the middle of which we left that region, amid rains and floods, which made the Limpia unfordable. These summer rains make plenty of grass and good crops. The annual rain is Increasing in that region.

The usual annual rain fall at El Paso is about 8 inches. Last year it was more. At Fort Griffin, there is an average annual rain fall of about 20 inches. It is about the same at Fort Richardson, at Jacksboro. In the north eastern part of the State the annual rain fall is about 30 inches. In the southeastern portion about 40 inches. At Ringold Barracks, a few miles above Brownsville, the average annual rain fall is less than 20 inches. At Fort Duncan, Eagle Pass, about 20 inches. At Fort Clark, average about 25 inches. At San Antonio, a little less than 30 inches. At Austin, the average rain fall for the last five years has been about 35 inches, showing an increase from the preceding five years, when it was about 33 inches, and the preceding five years still farther back, it was a little less than 30 inches. This is from observations kept by Prof. Van Nostrand, principal of Deaf and Dumb Asylum, at Austin.

The increased rain fall in the western part of the State may be partly owing to increased area of land in cultivation, and also to increased growth of the mesquite and other trees in the prairies. What were prairies fifteen years ago are many of them no longer such, but covered with a thick growth of mesquite (algorobia), elm (ulmus crassifolia), and other trees. This may be seen on the road