"The general was not satisfied with the result. Two years after he sent up another party, under Francisco Montano, a cavalier of determined resolution. The object was to obtain sulphur to assist in making gunpowder for the army. The mountain was quiet at the time, and the expedition was attended with better success. The Spaniards, five in-number, climbed to the very edge of the crater, which presented an irregular ellipse at its mouth, more than a league in circumference. Its depth might be from 800 to 1000 feet. A lurid flame burned gloomily at the bottom, sending up a sulphureous steam, which, cooling as it rose, was precipitated on the sides of the cavity. The party cast lots, and it fell on Montano himself to descend in a basket into this hideous abyss, into which he was lowered by his companions to the depth of 400 feet! This was repeated several times, till the adventurous cavalier had collected a sufficient quantity of sulphur for the wants of the army." The more tranquil state of the volcano in modern times having rendered the summit no longer so difficult of access as it was in those days, the ascent has been several times achieved--twice in 1827, and again in 1833 and 1834. The crater is now a large oval basin with precipitous walls, composed of beds of lava, of which some are black, others of a pale rose tint. At the bottom of the crater, which is nearly flat, are several conical vents, whence are continually issuing vapours of variable colour, red, yellow, or white. The beds of sulphur deposited in this crater are worked for economical purposes. Two snowy peaks tower above its walls. Not less magnificent in its proportions is the volcano of Orizaba, which is nearly of the same height as Popocatepetl. It was very active about the middle of the sixteenth century, having had several great eruptions between 1545 and 1560; but since then it has sunk into comparative repose. This mountain was ascended by Baron Muller in 1856. A first attempt proved unsuccessful; but by passing a night in a grotto near the limit of perpetual snow, he was able on the following day, after a toilsome ascent, to reach the edge of the crater--not, however, till near sunset. His experiences, and the scene which was presented to his wondering gaze, he describes in the following terms:-- "I have achieved my purpose, and joy banishes all my griefs, but only for a moment; suddenly I fell to the ground, and a stream of blood gushed from my mouth. "On recovering, I found myself still close to the crater, and I then summoned all my strength to gaze and observe as much as possible. My pen cannot describe either the aspect of those regions, or the impressions they produced on me. Here seemed to be the gate of the nether world, enclosing darkness and horror. What terrible power must have been required to raise and shiver such enormous masses, to melt them and pile them up like towers, at the very moment of their cooling and acquiring their actual forms!