er of so many laurels-this diffuser of the Christian faith, and vanquisher of its ene mies-died poor, in a rustic hut. While he lived, no one imagined that after his death it would be discovered that he possessed scarcely money enough either to defray the ceremony of his sepulture, or to furnish his few retainers with suitable mourning!"* The adventurers in America were, doubtless, enriched, and duly reported their gains to friends at home; but Spain itself was not improved by their acquisitions. The general metallic production of the country, which was of course impeded by the revolutionary state of New Spain between 1809 and 1826, has arisen refreshed from its slumber, so that, according to the last accounts, it has ascended to perhaps twenty millions annually in total production, in consequence of the prolific yield of the workings at Fresnillo, Chihuahua, and Sonora, independent of the abundant production at Zacatecas.t discovery of New Spain until its independence, about $2,028,000,000, or two fifths of all the precious metals which the whole of the New World has supplied during the same period, were furnished by Mexico alone.* It appears, from these data, that the exhaustion of the mines of Mexico is contradicted by the geognostic facts of the country, and, as we shall hereafter show, by the recent issues of Mexican mints. The mint of Zacatecas alone, during the revolutionary epoch from 1811 to 1838, struck more than $66,332,766; and in The rise in the prices of grain and other the eleven last years of this period from four products of agriculture or human industry, to five millions of dollars were coined by it about the middle of the sixteenth century, every year uninterruptedly. and especially from 1570 to 1595, indicates the true beginning of the plentiful flow of the precious metals to the Old World, in consequence of which their value diminished, and the results of European industry increased in price. This is accounted for by the commencement of the beneficial working of the American mines about that period. The real opening of the mines of Potosi, by the Spanish conquerors, dates from the year 1545; and it was between this epoch and 1595, that the splendid masses of silver from The Mexican mines were eagerly and even Tasco, Zacatecas, and Pachuca, in New- madly seized by the English, and even by the Spain, and from Potosi, Porco, and Oruro, people of the United States, as objects of in the chain of Peruvian Andes, began to splendid speculation, as soon as the country be distributed more uniformly over Europe, became settled; but, in consequence of bad and to affect the price of its productions. management, or the wild spirit of gambling, From the period of the administration of which assumed the place of prudent commerCortez to the year 1552, when the celebrated cial enterprise, the holders of stock were mines of Zacatecas were just opened, the either disappointed or sometimes ruined. Subexport from Mexico rarely reached annually sequently, however, the proprietors have in value 100,000 pesos de oro, or nearly learned that prudence and the experience of $1,165,000. But from that date it rose rap-old Mexican miners were better than the idly, and in the years 1569, 1578, and 1587, theoretical principles upon which they deit was already, respectively, 931,564, 1,111,- signed producing larger revenues than had 202, and 1,812,051 pesos de oro.† ever been attained by the original Spanish During the last peaceful epoch of the Span-workmen. Their imported modern machinish domination, Baron Humboldt calculates the ery and engines for voiding the shafts and annual yield of the mines of Mexico at not galleries of water, are the chief beneficial immore than 23,000,000 of dollars, or nearly provements introduced since the revolution; 1,184,000 pounds avoirdupois of silver, and but the enormous cost of transporting the 3,500 pounds avoirdupois of gold. From heavy materials, in a country where there are 1690 to 1803, $1,330,772,093 were coined in no navigable rivers extending into the heart the only mint of Mexico; while, from the of the land, and where the usual mode of transportation is on the backs of mules, by wretched roads over mountains and through ravines, has often absorbed large portions of the original capital, before the proprietors even began to employ laborers to set up their foreign engines. Many of the first British and American adventurers or speculators have thus been ruined by unskilful enterprises in Mexican mines. Their successors, however, are beginning to reap the beneficial results of *Pet. Mart. Epist., lib. xxix., No. 556, 23d January, †The peso de oro is rated by Prescott at $11.65, and 1516. by Ramirez at $2.93. See M. Ternaux-Compans's Original Memoirs of the discovery of America (Conquest of Mexico, page 451.) Compans publishes in this, for the first time, an official list, sent between 1522 and 1587, by tlie viceroys of New Spain, to the mother country. The pesos of gold must be multiplied by a mean of $11.65, in order to give their value in dollars. See Banker's Magazine, ut antea, page 594, in note. See Prescott's History of the Conquest of Mexico, vol. 1, page 320. Ramirez, in his notes on the Spanish translation of Prescott's History of the Conquest, rates the peso de oro at $2.93. This result is reached by a long financial calculation and course of reasoning. See La Conquista de Mejico, vol. 2, at page 89 of the notes at the end of the volume. This is Humboldt's estimate in the essay cited in this section. We think it rather too large, yet give it upon such high authority. See our general table of Mexican coinage. It will be recollected, that all that is extracted from the mines is not coined. this expenditure; and throughout the repub- families of Mexico will consequently be found lic steam engines, together with the best in her mines; and an interesting summary of kinds of hydraulic apparatus, have superseded this aristocracy is given by Mr. Ward, in his the Spanish malacates. "Whenever these superb countries, which are so greatly favored by nature," says Humboldt, in his essay on gold and silver in the Journal des Economistes, " shall enjoy perfect peace, after their deep and prolonged internal agitations, new metallic deposits will necessarily be opened and developed. In what region of the globe, except America, can be cited such abundant examples of wealth in silver? Let it not be forgotten that near Sombrerete, where mines were opened as far back as 1555, the family of Tagoaga (Marquises de Apartado) derived, in the short space of five months, from a front of one hundred and two feet in the out-cropping of a silver mine, a net profit of $4,000,000; while, in the mining district of Catorce, in the space of two years and a haif, between 1781 and the end of 1783, an ecclesiastic named Juan Flores gained $3,500,000 on ground full of chloride of silver and of colorados!" "Mexico in 1827," to prove the fact. The family of Regla, which possessed large estates in various parts of the country, purchased the whole of them with the proceeds of the mines of Real del Monte. The wealth of the Fagoagas was derived from the great Bonanza of the Pavellon at Sombrerete. The mines of Balanos founded the Vibancos. Valenciana, Ruhl, Perez-Galvez, and Otero, are all indebted for their possessions to the mines of Valenciana and Villalpando, at Guanajuato. The family of Sardaneta, formerly Marquises de Rayas, took its rise from the mine of that name. Cata and Mellado enriched their original proprietor, Don Francesco Matias de Busto, Marquis of San Clemente. The three successive fortunes of the celebrated Laborde, of whom we shall speak hereafter, when we describe Cuernavaca, were derived from the canada which bore his name, at Tlalpujahua, and from the mines of Quebradilla and San Acasio, at Zacatecas. The beautiful estates of the Obregones, near Leon, were purchased with the revenues of La Purisima and Concepcion, at Catorce; as was also the estate of Malpasso, acquired by the Gordoas from the products of La Luz. The Zanbranos, discoverers of Guarisamey, owned many of the finest properties in Durango; while Batopillas gave the Bustamentes the opportunity to pur chase a title and to enjoy an immense unincumbered income.* One of the most flourishing establishments, in 1842, was the Zacatecano-Mejicano mining company of Fresnillo. Its one hundred and twenty shares, which originally cost $22,800, were still held by Spaniards and Mexicans. These mincs were originally wrought by the state of Zacatecas; but in 1836 Santa Anna took possession, by an alleged right of conquest, and rented them for twelve years to this successful company. In the first half year of 1841, they produced $1,025,113, at a Nevertheless, some of the large fortunes of cost of $761,800, or a clear profit of $263,313. Mexico were made either by trade or the Mexico, under the colonial system, with the possession of vast agricultural and cattle immense product of her mines, and notwith- estates, in sections of the country where there standing the richness of her soil for agricul- were either no mines, or where mining was tural purposes, became almost entirely a sil- unprofitable. The Agredas were enriched by ver producing country. The policy of Spain commerce, while the descendants of Cortez, was, as we have already often stated, to be who received a royal grant of the valley of the workshop of the New World, while Mex- Oajaca, together with some Spanish merchants ico and Peru were the treasuries of the Old. in Jalapa and Vera Cruz, derived the chief The consequence of this was natural. Mexico, part of their fortunes from landed estates, one of the finest agricultural and grazing cultivated carefully during the period when lands in the world, but with no temptations the Indians were under better agricultural to export her natural products, (for she had subjection than at present. no markets for them elsewhere,) and no roads, Thus the mines and the mining districts, by canals, or rivers, to convey her products to sea- aggregating a large laboring population in a ports for shipment, even if she had possessed country in which there were, until recently, consumers in Europe, at once devoted herself but few manufactures, and in which the main to her mines, which were to her both wealth body of the people engaged either in trades and the representatives of wealth. Her agri or in tending cattle, became the centres of culture accordingly assumed the standard of the mere national home consumption, while the pastoral and horticultural interests followed the same law, except, perhaps, within late years in California, where a profitable trade was carried on by the missions in hides and tallow. From this restrictive law of exportation, we, of course, except vanilla, cochineal, and a few other minor articles. The sources of the wealth of the principal some of the most active agricultural districts. "The most fertile portions of the table-land are the Baxio, which is immediately contigu ous to Guanajuato, and comprises a portion of Valladolid, Guadalajara, Queretaro, and Guanajuato, the valley of Toluca, and the southern part of the state of Valladolid, which both supply the capital and the mining districts of * Ward's Mexico in 1827, vol. ii., p. 151. of this tempting character of mines, or of the money they create as well as circulate, is exhibited very remarkably in the rapidity with which the shores of California have been covered with towns, and filled with industrious population. Tlalpujuhua, El Oro, Temascaltepec, and An- to Mexico what the manufacturing districts gangeo; the plains of Pachuca and Appam, are to England and the United States; and which extend on either side to the foot of they must be considered the great support of the mountains upon which the mines of Real the national agricultural interests, until Mexdel Monte Chico are situated; Itzmiquilpan, ico becomes a commercial power, and sends which owes its existence to Zimapan; Aguas abroad other articles besides silver, cochineal, Calientes, by which the great mining town of and vanilla; the two last of which may be Zacatecas is supplied; a considerable circle regarded as her monopolies. The operation in the vicinity of Sombrerete and Fresnillo; the valley of Jaral and the plains about San Luis Potosi, which town, again, derives its name from the mines of the Cerro de San Pedro, about four leagues from the gates, the supposed superiority of which to the celebrated mines of Potosi, in Peru, gave rise to the appellation of Potosi. A little further north we find the district of Matehuala, now a thriving town with more than seven thousand inhabitants, created by the discovery of Catorce; while about the same time, in the latter part of the last century, Durango rose into importance from the impulse given to the surrounding country by the labors of Zambrano, at San Dimas and Guarisamey. Its population increased, in twelve years, from eight to twenty thousand, while whole streets and squares were added to its extent by the munificence of that fortunate miner. To the extreme north, Santa Eulalia gave rise to the town of Chihuahua; Batopilas and El Parral became each the centre of a little circle of cultivation; Jesus Maria produced a similar effect; Mapimi, Cuencame, and Inde, a little more to the southward, served to develop the natural fertility of the banks of the river Nazas; while in the low, hot regions of Sonora and Sinaloa, on the western coast, almost every place designated on the map as a town, was originally and generally is still a real or district for mines."* Such is the case with a multitude of other mines which have formed the nuclei of population in Mexico. They created a market. The men who were at work in the vein required the labor of men on the surface for their support and maintenance. Nor was it food alone that these laborers demanded; all kinds of artisans were wanted, and consequently towns as well as farms grew up on every side. When these mining dependencies are once formed, as Baron Humboldt justly says, they often survive the mines that gave them birth, and turn to agricultural labors, for the supply of other districts, that industry which was formerly devoted solely to their own region. The tabular statement on the next page manifests the relative production, and improving or decreasing productiveness, of the several silver districts of Mexico during the comparatively pacific period of ten years antecedent to the war with the United States, which commenced in 1846. While that contest lasted, the agricultural and mineral interests and industry of the country of course suffered, and, consequently, it would be unfair to calcu late the metallic yield of Mexico upon the basis of that epoch, or of the years immediately succeeding. From the table it will be seen (omitting the fractions of dollars and of marks of silver) that the whole tax collected during these ten years, from 1835 to 1844, amounted to $1,988,896 imposed on 15,911,194 marks of silver, the value of which was $131,267,352; the mean yield of tax being $198,889, and of silver, 1,591,119 in marks, which, estimated at the rate of eight dollars and a quarter per mark, amounts to $13,126,734 annually. Comparing the first and second periods of five years, we find a difference in the tax, in favor of the latter, of $113,130, or 905,042 marks of silver; showing that, in the latter period, $7,466,596 more were extracted from the Mexican mines than during the former. If we adopt the decimal basis of calculation, the returns show, approximately, the following results: Such are some of the internal advantages to be derived from mining in Mexico, especially when the mines are well and scientifically wrought, and when the miners are kept in proper order, well paid, and consequently" enabled to purchase the best supplies in the neighboring markets. The mines are, in fact, • Ward, ut antea. Guadalupe y Calvo ...... Rosario, Cosala, and Mazatlan. TABLE OF THE GOLD AND SILVER coined in the eight mints of the Mexican Republic, from 1st Jangary, 1844, to 1st January, 1845, according to official reports: TABLE EXHIBITING THE PLACES AND THE AMOUNT OF TAX COLLECTED AT EACH, ON EVERY MARK OF SILVER, DURING THE TEN YEARS FROM 1835 TO 1844, DESIGNED TO SHOW THE RELATIVE PRODUCTIVENESS OF THE VARIOUS SILVER DISTRICTS THROUGHOUT THE MEXICAN REPUBLIC. PLACES WHERE Product of the Product of the tax Increase of yield Decrease of Value of total Sil Mean annual of 8.4THE IMPOSTOR from 1840 to of tax during TAX HAS BEEN 1844, both inclusive. COLLECTED. Zacatecas.... Guanajuato. tax from 1835 the last five 31,074 40 yield of tax ver product in verproduct in dollars at 88 25 per mark. 28,110,838 20 2,811,083 67.2 San Luis Potosi.. $43,384,215 70 $4,338.421 48.4 1,690 34.5 10,101,7'6 79 1,010,171 56.9 Pachuca. 58.805 14 8.874.345 19 887,434 42.1 Mexico.... 31.841 20 63,472 21 18,546 65.5 6,704.804 73 670,480 41.1 6,290,691 56 629,09 14.2 8,747 23 Sombrerete.. 32,405 63 19,385 64 13,019 81 3,418,243 66 341,824 30.6 2,853,430 20 £85,343 02.4 2,643,566 6' 264,356 50.2 11,122 70.1 756 10 16,806 62.5 Hermosillo. 5,773 03 10,275 01 4,501 80 1,059,170 60 105,917 07.92 8,939 43 6,422 21 4,100 54 756,150 96 75.615 03 0 .270,644 00 27.064 32.4 Oajaca. Tasco..... 2.450 38 2,450 38 1,474 10 161,730 20 16,173 02.4 97,290 70 9,729 08.4 Totals. $937,882 78.5 $1,051,013 37.1 Deduct decrease. 196,906 06.1$83,776 25.5 3131,267,352 40 $13,126,734 18.4 83,776 25.5 of production during the last period of 5 years. $113,129 80.6 See Report of the Mexican Minister of Foreign and Domestic Relations, for the year 1846, p. 139 of Documentos Justificativos. The actual coinage of all the mints in the Republic, in 1844, amounted, in fact, to the sum of $13,732,861; but we assume $14,000,000 as a fair annual average for a perion of several years. See Table No. 1, in the Rep rt of the Mexican Minister of Foreign and Domestic Relations, for 1846. MEXICO-PRODUCTS OF. These are MEXICO-PRODUCTS of Sugar, COTTON, the department of Chicontepec very warm, we have the department of Tonticomatlan RICE, INDIGO, &C.-Agriculture is about to as sume in this country its natural position and both cold and warm. But, in order to give a importance. Heretofore it has been held in better idea of these provinces, I will here give but a secondary consideration. The cause of their boundaries. They are bourded on the this was that land was plenty and the popu- north by the district of Tampico; on the east lation small; but with the increase of popt- by the Gulf of Mexico; on the south by the lation our agricultural and horticultural ne districts of Papantla (state of Vera Cruz) and cessities have increased. Our lands have also Huanchinango, (state of Puebla ;) on the west increased, taking into the Union all climates, by the district of Hugutla. Its greatest exembracing those similar to the tropic and con- tent from north to south is seventy miles, and Three genial to the growth of tropical fruits and from west to east sixty-five miles. It extends vegetation. We are now looking Asiaward sixty-five miles along the Gulf coast. for tea, sugar, canes, fruits, etc. Some of these rivers empty into the Gulf, off which there is articles can, no doubt, be found much nearer a good anchorage; these are Tanguino, Tushome, and can be obtained at but little cost com- pan, and Cazonis. On the latter river there is paratively. I therefore offer, for the benefit of a French settlement, having purchased their those who feel an interest in this subject, a lands under the Mexican law encouraging few agricultural statistics, collected by myself emigration and settlement. They are emat random, during the late Mexican war, while ployed raising "vanilla, sarsaparilla, sugar, cotstationed in the provinces of Tuspan and Chi-ton, rice," procuring Indian rubber from the contepec. I must here remark, that very little Palo de Ule, or caoutchouc, which grows in attention was paid to agriculture in any part great abundance, gum copal, etc. of Mexico previous to their independence, or exported to France by way of Vera Cruz. while a colony of Spain, from the fact that the Tuspan, the beautiful villa, is embraced bemother country classified her colonies, some tween three flower-clothed hills, and is built of which she devoted to agricultural pursuits, on the banks of the river of the same name, while from others she only abstracted the pre- the banks of which are covered with plants cious metals. The island of Cuba, on the At- and flowers of all varieties; the orchidea and lantic side, and Chili, on the Pacific, were en- leguminosea vex the air with their delightful couraged and directed by the Spanish crown fragrance. The soil and climate are both conto pursue altogether agriculture. It is a well- genial to vegetation; the river abounds in known fact that both Chili and Cuba contained fish; the woods resound with the sweet notes mines of copper, silver, and gold. These mines of the feathered songster. The river meanders were not allowed to be worked; but the mines through a soil not exceeded in richness and of Mexico and Peru were extensively worked. productiveness by any in the world; not exThe guava grows In the latter departments agriculture was for- celled by any of the West India islands in bidden, so much so, that in Peru wheat was its tropical productions. not cultivated, but it was supplied from wild; so do the lime and lemon. Coffee, cotChili; and Mexico was supplied in coffee and ton of two kinds, the tree grape, sugar cane, sugar from Cuba, although both these articles rice, cocoa, tobacco, vanilla, indigo, pimento, could be supplied by the former in greater sarsaparilla, are the indigenous plants of this The forest, plains, banks of quantities and of better quality. She there- department. fore rendered her colonies mutually dependent streams, and the river, are prolific in all kinds on each other-in fact, keeping the natural of woods, flowers, and beautiful birds. The resources dormant. Peru possessed naturally rich, gaudy, and fragrant plumera fatigues the a better soil and climate for agriculture than air along the upland banks of the river by its Chili; her natural manures lay in mines in- beauty and fragrance; the datura, single and exhaustible, along her coast and on her hills; double, with its bell-like blossoms, cloys the yet she was not permitted to use them abun- senses with its fragrance; and the waters are dantly. Mexico possessed naturally a better green and fragrant with the leaves and blossoil than Cuba, yet she was not allowed to cul- soms of the sea-side daffodil, lotus, and other tivate more than enough to yield sparingly to aquatics. In this, nature's favored spot, the her inhabitants; but Cuba was taxed in the shades of night are scarcely drawn over before agricultural productions to her utmost extent the ear is assailed by the sweet soft notes of to supply Mexico. The natural productions a feathered songster, which come floating in of the latter were never fully developed, but almost seraphic strains through the calm solishe was left to herself, and to run wild in a tude of the night; you are lulled to sleep improlific natural growth, without the aid of art; perceptibly, and the senses become dormant and while agricultural instruments were plenty in a gush of fragrance and music. The mornboth in Chili and Cuba, Mexico was destitute ing is ushered in by the loud scream of the of them, and the native was left his machete cojoleto, or tufted purple turkey, and the noisy only to scratch up his prolific soil. The provinces of Tuspan and Chicontepec are blessed with all climates. While we find chichilaca and chattering voluble parrot. Every tree-top soon has an occupant of the feathered tribe, making the air melodious with |