¦¦;.,:.-' .-.'.:' -, --:^:^;;;:;5;-? - ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ , , H* ^^™ -T4\jr:> /A./ .'U/:/iV//J ?:s(t/tfi ///. //?* GEOGRAPHICAL AND STATISTICAL NOTES ON MEXICO BY MATIAS ROMERO G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS NEW YORK AND LONDON Zbe fmtcfcerbocRer press 1898 Copyright, 1898 BY MATIAS ROMERO Ube Tftnfcfcecboclier press, mew Korft PREFACE. I am printing in book form the several articles that I have pub lished from time to time during my many years' residence in the United States, with a view to dispel errors prevailing here about Mexico, and so promote the good will and increase the commercial, political and social relations between the two countries. Those papers are preceded by one containing geographical and recent statistical in formation on Mexico, that I have not seen collected in any single book in the English language. To answer a great many demands for infor mation that I constantly receive from citizens of this country, I have concluded to give at once that paper to the public. Washington, January 31, 1898. CONTENTS. GEOGRAPHICAL AND STATISTICAL NOTES ON MEXICO Part I. Geography . Location, Boundaries and Area . Location .... . , Boundary with the United States . Boundary with Guatemala Boundary with Belize ..... Cession of Mexican Territory to the United States General Characteristics ... Geology ... .... Mining .... .... Silver Real del Monte Company .... New Mines, Topia Li Hung Chang and the Mexican Silver Mines Gold Coinage of the Precious Metals Coinage of Mexico from the Establishment of the in 1537 to the End of the Fiscal Year 1896 . Iron Iron Foundries Mints Copper . Quicksilver . Coal Mexican Miners . Mining Laws . Mints and Duties on Silver Smelting Plants Mexican Metallurgical Company National Mexican Smelter at Monterey PAGE I 55566 7 8 1213 13 !S17l819 2121 2122 22 23232525 272S2828 VI Contents. Central Mexican Smelter ..... Velardefia Mining Company ..... The Chihuahua Mining Company The Mazapil Copper Company, Limited Sabinal Mining and Smelting Company, Chihuahua La Preciosa . The Boleo Smelter Orography . Hydrography Climate Summary of the Meteorological Observations Taken Several Cities of Mexico during Several Years Summary of the Meteorological Observations Taken in Several Localities of Mexico during the Year 1869 Mexico as a Sanitarium Flora . Coffee . Sugar-caneTobaccoIndia-rubberCotton . Agave . Henequen Pulque . Cactus . Cocoa . Vanilla . Silk Culture . CochinealRiceChicle, or Chewing-gum Yuca Ginger . CanaigrePeppermint . Cabinet and Dye Woods Grasses . Alfalfa . Cattle-raisingSheep . Products of Cold and Temperate Regions Fruits . Oranges Lemons . FAGS 29 292929 292929 29 32 353839 4i424445 45 46 484849 495r5152 5353535354 5555 55555656 56 535353 59 60 Contents. Vll PAGE Limes and Shaddocks . . . ..... 61 Bananas 61 Pineapple 62 Cocoanut . ......... 62 Mangoes 63 Alligator Pear 63 Mamey 63 Zapote ........... 63 Papaya . 63 Flowers ........... 63 Irrigation ........... 64 The Nazas Irrigation ........ 67 Fauna ............ 70 Ethnology . . 72 Mexican Indians . . . . . . . . .72 Increase of Mexican Population ...... 76 Decrease of the Indian Population 77 The Spaniards in Mexico 78 English and Germans in Mexico ...... 79 Americans in Mexico 79 Ruins ........... 80 Uxmal .......... 80 Palenque . . . . . . , . . .81 Cholula ........... 81 Teotihuacan 81 Mitla 83 Languages 85 Synopsis of the Indian Languages of Mexico according to Don Francisco Pimentel ...... 86 Population 89 Classification of Mexican States ...... 90 Area and Population of the United Mexican States . . 91 Religion 92 Protestantism in Mexico . 95 Political Organization 98 Political Division 99 Army and Navy 99 Education 100 Universities Established by the Spanish Government . .101 School of Medicine ........ 102 School of Engineering 103 Mexican Technical Schools in the Present Time . . . 103 Reorganization of the Technical Colleges .... 104 Primary Education ........ 104 Vill Contents. Part II. — Statistics Revenues and Expenses .... Revenue and Expenses of the Federal Government of Mexico in 1808 and from 1822 to June 30, 1867 Revenue and Expenses of the Mexican Government from July 1, 1867, to June 30, 1888 Revenue and Expenses of the Mexican Government from July r, 1888, to June 30, 1896 Federal Appropriations during the Fiscal Years from 1868 to 1895 Sources of Revenue Import Duties . . . . 107 noin 112"3 U5 117118 119 120 School Statistics *c5 Libraries io6 Newspapers . 106 The Valley of Mexico 106 The City of Mexico Climate ........ • Mortality in the City of Mexico Climatological Data of the City of Mexico .... Summary of the Meteorological Observations of the City of Mexico in 1896 . ...... Railways ...... ¦ ¦ President Diaz's Railway Policy President Diaz's Statistics on Mexican Railways . Financial Condition of Mexican Railways . Annual Buildings and Earnings of Mexican Railways Approximate Tonnage Moved by Central, National, Inter- oceanic, and Mexican Railways for Ten Years ended December 31, 1896 Telegraphs . Postal Service Public Lands Immigration .... Immigration from the United States Public Debt . Banking .... Patents and Trademarks Patents .... Trademarks . Shipping and Communications Money, AVeights, and Measures Non-Official Publications (English) 121121123 124 125 126 129 131 132132132 133 133134 135 137139 140 141 142 M3M3 Contents, ix PAGE Additional Import Duties 144 Export Duties .... .... 144 Amount of Import Duties ....... 144 Custom Receipts from 1823 to 187s 145 Internal Revenue . 146 Receipts of the Custom Houses during the Twenty-seven Fiscal Years Ending June 30, 1896 .... 147 Internal Revenue Receipts from January 1, 1875, to June 30, 1896 ...... . . 148 Direct Taxes ......... 148 Receipts from Direct Taxes in the Federal District during the Twenty-seven Fiscal Years Ending June 30, 1896 . 149 Revenues of the Mexican States from 1884 to 1895 . . 150 Expenses of the Mexican States from 1884 to 1895 . . 151 Revenues of the Municipalities of Mexico from 1884 to 1895 152 Expenses of the Municipalities of Mexico from 1884 to 1895 153 State and Municipal Finances ..... . 154 Foreign Trade 155 Imports 155 Mexican Imports and Exports from 1826 to 1828 . . 155 Imports in Mexico from July 1, 1872, to June 30, 1875, and in the year 1 884-1885 .... . 156 Imports in Mexico from July 1, 1885, to June 30, 1886, and from July 1, 1888, to June 30, 1890 .... 157 Imports in Mexico from the Fiscal Year 1 892-1 893, to the Fiscal Year 1895-1896 158 Exports . 159 Imports in Mexico by Countries in the Fiscal Years 1888-1889 and 1889-1890, and Imports and Exports by Countries and Custom Houses in the Fiscal Years 1894-1895 and 1895-1896 . 160 Exports of Mexican Commodities from July 1, 1886, to June 30, 1896 162 Statement of Exports of some Agricultural Products during the Fiscal Years from July 1, 1877, to June 30, 1896 . 164 Value of Imports from Mexico from July 1, 1882, to June 3°, l892 165 Resume of Total Imports . 167 Destination and Value of Exports from Mexico in the Fiscal Years from 1882 to 1892 168 Total Exports 169 Trade between Mexico and the United States . . . .170 Total Imports to Mexico and Imports from the United States for the Fiscal Years 1872-1873 to 1895-1896 172 Contents. PAGE Total Exports from Mexico and the Exports to the United States from 1877-1878 to 1895-1896 . . . . 173 Statement of the Commercial Transactions between Mexico and the United States from 1826 to 1850 . . . 173 Commerce in Merchandise between the United States and Mexico by Years and Decades from 1851 to 1897 . 174 Total Commerce between the United States and Mexico by Years and Decades from 1851 to 1897 . . . 175 Quantities and Values of the Principal and all other Articles of Imports into the United States from, and of Exports from the United States to, Mexico, 1858-1883 . . 176 Quantities and Values of the Principal and all other Articles of Imports into the United States from, and of Exports from the United States to, Mexico, from 1889-1897 .* 181184184184 Increase of Trade during the year 1896-1897 Leading Merchandise Imports from Mexico Exports from the United States to Mexico Tropical Products Supplied by Mexico to the United States 185 186 186 Cattle Exported to the United States .... Coinage .......... Coinage by the Mexican Mints from their Establishment in 1535 t0 June 3°, l895 . 187 Production of Gold and Silver in Mexico in 1879-1880, 1889- 1890, and 1894-1895 ....... 188 Export of Precious Metals and Minerals from Mexico in the years 1879-1880, 1889-1890, and 1894-1895 . . 188 Exports of Silver from July 1, 1872, to June 30, 1896 . . 190 Mexican Gold Exports . . . . . . . .190 Mexican Gold Exported to the United States . . .191 Imports of Gold Bullion, Ore, and Coin from Mexico into the United States from 1891 to 1895 .... 191 Imports of Gold Bullion, Ore, and Coin from Mexico into the United States from 1892 to 1896 .... 191 Gold Exported from Mexico to the United States from 1891 to 1896 ......... 192 Railways 193 Statement by the Department of Communications of Mexico of the Railroad Mileage in Operation on October 31, 1896 193 Resumd of Railways in Mexico in 1895 . . . -195 Mexican Central ......... 196 Mexican National ......... 196 Earnings and Expenses of the Mexican National from 1889 to 1896 . . 198 Contents Mexican International . Mexican Southern . Other Railroads . Mexican Railroad Interoceanic Railway Sonora Railway . Hidalgo and Northeastern Railway M6rida and Progreso Railway . Tehuacan and Esperanza Railway Merida and Peto Railway ... Sinaloa and Durango (Altata to Culiacan) Railway Merida and Campeche Railway .... Merida and Valladolid Railway Tlalmanalco Railway ...... San Juan Bautista and Carrizal Passenger Railway San Andres and Chalchicomula Railway . Orizaba and Ingenio Railway .... Santa Ana and Tlaxcala Railway Cardenas and Rio Grijalva Railway . Toluca and San Juan de las Huertas Railway . Vanegas, Cedral, Matehuala, and Rio Verde Railway Me>ida and Izamal Railway San Marcos and Nautla Railway Monterey and Gulf Railway Cordova and Tuxtepec Railway Maravatio and Cuernavaca Railway . Salamanca and Santiago Valley Railway Monte Alto Railway .... Valley of Mexico Railway . Puebla Industrial Railway Mexican Northern Railway Mexico, Cuernavaca, and Pacific Railway Federal District Tramways Veracruz and Alvarado Railway Total Traffic and Receipts of Mexican Railways Traffic and Receipts of the Mexican Railways Railway Subsidies Paid by the Mexican Government . Subsidies Paid by the Mexican Government to Railway panies up to June 30, 1896 Detailed Statement of the Subsidies Paid by the Mexican Government to the Railway Companies 1. Mexican Railway ..... 2. Hidalgo Railway ..... 3. Veracruz & Alvarado Railway Com 199 200 201 201 202 202202203203203204204204205205205206206 206207207 207207208208208208209 209209 209 209 210 210 210211 211 213 213213213 Contents. 4. Merida & Peto Railway 5. Interoceanic Railway . 6. Occidental Railway 7. Mexican Central and sundry branches 8. Mexican National and branches . 9. Sonora Railway with a branch 10. Merida & Valladolid Railway with a branch n. Merida & Campeche Railway via Kalkini 12. San Marcos & Nautla Railway 13. Toluca & San Juan de las Huertas Railway 14. Vanegas, Cedral, Matehuala, & Rio Verde Railway 15. Jimenez & Sierra Madre Railway 16. Mexican Southern Railway . 17. Tonala & Frontera Railway . 18. Monterey & Mexican Gulf Railway 19. Tecolula & Espinal Railway 20. Pachuca & Tampico Railway 21. Maravatio & Iguala Railway 22. Mexican Northeastern Railway 23. Veracruz & Boca del Rio Railway 24. Tula, Zacualtipan & Tampico Railway 25. Matamoros, Izucar, & Acapulco Railway 26. Lower California Railway 27. Monte Alto Railway 28. Tehuantepec Railway . 1. Contractors, Edward Learned & Co 2. Contractor, Mr. Delfin Sanchez 3. Mac-Murdo Contract 4. Stanhope, Hampson, & Corthel Contract Public Debt .... ... Statement of the National Debt of Mexico to June 30, 1896 Statement of the Federal Public Debt on June 30, 1896 Post-Office and Telegraph Service ... Post-Offices in Mexico in 1895 by States Earnings and Expenditures of the Post-Office and Telegraph Services from July 1, 1869 to June 30, 1896 Number of Pieces Transported by Mexican Mails from 1878- 1879 to 1894-1895 . .... Banks . . . . .... List of Mexican Banks ....... Situation of the Mexican Banks on December 31, 1894 Public Lands ......... Free Titles of the Indian-town lands issued to the inhabitants from 1877 to 1895 . PAGE 213 214 214 2142152l62l62l62l6 217 217 217 217217 2l82l8 2l8 2l8 2l8 219219219 219 219219 219220220220221 221 222223223224225225225 226226227 Contents, Titles issued for unwarranted possession of Public Lands by Private Parties in 1894 and 1895 Titles of public lands issued to Private Parties in 1894 and 1895 • Titles issued in 1894 and 1895 to Surveying Companies Education Newspapers Published in Mexico in 1895 Public Schools supported by the Federal, State, and Muni cipal Administrations in 1895 Schools supported by Private Parties . Public Libraries in Mexico Manufacturing Establishments in Mexico in 1893 Summary of Factories existing in Mexico in 1893 Navigation Vessels arrived at Mexican Ports in 1895 Vessels departed from Mexican Ports in 1895 Resume' of arrivals and departures from 1885 to 1895 Foreign Passengers arrived at Mexican Ports in 1895 Foreign Passengers departed from Mexican Ports in 1895 General resume' of Passengers arrived and departed by Port and Rail in 1895 Vessels arrived at and departed from Mexican Ports during the Fiscal Years 1894-95 to 1895-96 . Agricultural Products : Resum6 of Agricultural Products in Mexico Conclusion ......... 227 227228228228 229 231 233 233236237 238 239239240241 242243243244 ADDENDA 245 Federal Revenue and Expenses of Mexico in the Fiscal Year 1896-97 .... 245 Imports and Exports of Mexico by Countries and Custom- Houses in the Fiscal Year 1896-97 ..... 246 Trade between Mexico and the United States during the first nine months of the Calendar Year 1897 .... 247 Mexican Exports to the United States 247 Mexican Imports from the United States ..... 248 APPENDIX . Mexico as a Central American State . Five States of Central America . Mexico . Geographical Extension of Central America 249249 250 251251 Contents. Mexican Profiles .......... From Veracruz to Mexico by Orizaba, by the Mexican Railway From Apizaco to Puebla, a branch of the same road . From Veracruz to Mexico, by the Interoceanic Railway From the City of Mexico to Morelos, a branch of the same road ..... .... From Puebla to Izucar de Matamoros, a branch of the same road ..:....... From Mexico to El Paso del Norte or Ciudad Juarez by the Central Mexican Railroad ...... From Aguascalientes to Tampico, a branch of the same road. From Irapuato to Guadalajara, a branch of the same road . From Mexico to Laredo Tamaulipas by the Mexican Na tional Railway . . ... From Acambaro to Patzcuaro, a branch of the same road . From Piedras Negras or Ciudad Porfirio Diaz to Durango, by the Mexican International Railway From Sabinas to Hondo, a branch of the same road From the City of Mexico to Cuernavaca and Acapulco From Puebla to Oaxaca, by the Mexican Southern Railway. From Coatzacoalcos to Salina Cruz, by the National Te- huantepec Railway ....... From the City of Mexico to Pachuca, by the Hidalgo and Northeastern Mexican Railway . Northeastern Railway from Mexico to Tizayuca Hidalgo Railway to Tuxpan ... From Tepa to Pachuca, a branch of the Hidalgo Rail way . . ..... From San Augustin to Irolo, a branch of the Hidalgo Railway ... . . Bridie-Path from Durango to Mazatlan Wagon Road from Manzanillo to Guadalajara Wagon Road from Tehuacan to Oaxaca and Puerto Angel . THE VALLEY OF MEXICO'S DRAINAGE Topographical Conditions of the Valley of Mexico Work done by the Indians Work done by the Spaniards Work done by the Mexican Government The Tunnel . .... The Canal The Sewage . Completion of the work PAGE 253 253253 *54- 254- 255255257-25a258 261261262262263.263264. 264. 264.264.264.265 265 266266267267 269- 274-276277 279 279 GEOGRAPHICAL AND STATISTICAL NOTES ON MEXICO GEOGRAPHICAL AND STATISTICAL NOTES ON MEXICO.1 (Corrected to June jo, i8gl.) FOR a long time past I have felt the need of a short treatise con taining geographical and statistical information about Mexico, to answer the many queries received on that subject by the Mexican Legation in Washington. A statistical abstract about Mexico, such as most nations publish every year, is greatly needed, especially now when the attention of business men and young men is awakening to the possibilities of Mexico. It was partly with the purpose of supplying that need that I prepared this article, which will, I hope, at least serve ' This article first appeared in the Bulletin of the American Geographical Society of New York of December 31, 1896. A club of the City of Washington requested me, in January, 1888, to deliver a lecture on Mexico, and, as I had not time to prepare one, I consented to give an informal talk on the subject, which I did on January 16th of that year. Most of my talk was taken down by a stenographer, and was the basis of the article which appeared in the Bulletin of the American Geographical Society of New York. That Society did me the honor of electing me one of its honorary members, at the request of Honorable Frederick A. Conkling, on January 25, 1870, and I have ever since felt that I owed it a debt which I could only pay by sending it a contribution about Mexico. The pressure of my official duties in Washington on the one hand, and my inability to treat properly the many subjects connected with a description of Mexico, added to the difficulty of compressing them into a few pages ; on the other, delayed that work much longer than I desired or expected. I have added considerably to this article in the present edition, especially in that part which embraces statistical information about Mexico, and I am sure that in so far as concerns the fulness of that information and the most recent data, my article stands above any previous publication on the subject. I 2 (Beograpbfcal ano Statistical Botes on dDejico. to call attention to that country, and awaken a desire for reading other and better monographs and books on Mexico written by more com petent men. I have borrowed from the descriptions of others, espe cially in what appears under the heading of Geology, Geography, and Fauna. PART I. GEOGRAPHY I. GEOGRAPHY. location, boundaries, and area. Location. — Mexico is situated between 140 30' 42" and 320 42' north latitude, and between 86° 46' 8" and 117° 7' 31" 89 longitude west of the meridian of Greenwich, embracing therefore 18° n' 18" of latitude and 30° 21' 23" 89 of longitude. It has an area of 767,326 square miles. It is bounded on the north by the United States of America, on the southeast by Guatemala and Belize, on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean, and on the north and east by the Gulf of Mexico and the Carribean Sea. Boundary with the United States. — The boundary with the United States is fixed by the treaties of February 2, 1848, and December 30, 1853, and begins at the mouth of the Rio Grande River on the Gulf of Mexico, follows the river for 1136 miles, beyond El Paso, Texas, to the point where it strikes parallel 31° 47' north latitude, and from there runs along said parallel for a distance of one hundred miles, and thence south to parallel 31° 20' north latitude ; from there west along this parallel as far as the 111th meridian of longitude west of Greenwich ; thence in a straight line to a point on the Colorado River, twenty English miles below the junction of the Gila ; thence up the middle of the said River Colorado to the intersection with the old line between Upper and Lower California, and thence to a point on the Pacific Ocean, distant one marine league due south of the southern most point of the Bay of San Diego ; the total distance from El Paso to the Pacific being 674 miles. The whole extent of the boundary line between the two countries is 1833 miles. The boundary line with the United States runs from southeast to northwest, the mouth of the Rio Grande being in 25° 57' 14" 74"' north latitude ; while the line reaches on the Pacific latitude 320 32' 1" 34"' ; the point where the boundary line strikes the Colorado River is farther north, reaching 32° 42' of north latitude. Mexico has, therefore, on the western, or Pacific side, 6° 34' 46" 20"' of latitude more than on the eastern or the Gulf of Mexico side. 5 6 (Seograpbfcal motes on flDejtco. Boundary with Guatemala. — The boundary with Guatemala is fixed by the treaties of September 27, 1882, and April 1, 1895, and runs from a point on the Pacific coast three leagues distant from the upper mouth of the River Zuchiate, and thence, following the deepest channel thereof, to the point at which it intersects the vertical plane which crosses the highest point of the volcano of Tacana, and distant twenty- five miles from the southernmost pillar of the gate of Talquian, leav ing that gate in the territory of Guatemala ; the determinate line by the vertical plane defined above until it touches the River Zuchiate at the point of its intersection with the vertical plane which passes the summit of Buenavista and Ixbul ; the determinate line by the vertical plane which passes the summit of Buenavista, determined by the astro nomical observations, and the summit of the Ixbul hill from where it intersects the former to a point four kilometres beyond said hill ; thence to the parallel of latitude which crosses the last-named point, and thence eastward until it reaches the deepest channel of the Chixoy up to its junction with the Usumacinta River, following that river until it reaches the parallel situated twenty-five kilometres to the south of Tenosique in Tabasco, to be measured from the principal square of that town ; the parallel of latitude referred to above, from its inter section with the deepest channel of the Usumacinta, until it intersects the meridian which passes at one third of the distance between the centres of the Plazas of Tenosique and Sacluc, this distance being calculated from Tenosique ; from this meridian, from its intersection with the parallel above mentioned to the latitude of 17° 49' ; and from the intersection of this parallel with the latter meridian indefinitely toward the east. The southern end of the Guatemalan line on the Pacific is in 14° 24' north latitude, while the northern end, on the Caribbean Sea, is in 17° 49' north latitude, being a difference of 3° 25' in favor of the latter. The calculated length of the southern boundary is 642 miles. Boundary with Belize. — To the southeast of Yucatan extends the territory of Belize, occupied by a British settlement under a permit granted to them by the Spanish Government to cut wood within the limits mentioned in the treaty concluded between the Kings of Great Britain and Spain on November 3, 1783, and amended on July 14, 1786. British Honduras, according to Mr. George Gil, F.R.G.S., in his book, " British Colonies,'' published in London in 1896, was declared a separate colony of Great Britain, under a Lieutenant-Governor sub ordinate to the Governor of Jamaica, in the year 1862, previous to which time it had been a dependency of Jamaica. In 1884 a Governor and Commander-in-Chief was appointed, by Letters Patent, and thus the colony became independent of Jamaica. On April 30, 1859, Great aiocation, Bounoaries, ano Hrea. 7 Britain signed a treaty with Guatemala, within whose boundaries most of British Honduras was situated, defining the boundary of that colony. The limits between Mexico and Belize are defined by a treaty signed at the City of Mexico on July 8, 1893, and ratified by the Mexican Senate on April 19, 1897, and begin at the mouth of Bocalarchica — a strait which separates the State of Yucatan from Ambergris Key and adjacent islands, runs along the centre of the channel between said islands and the mainland, in a southeasterly direction, until it reaches the parallel 18° 9' north latitude ; thence northwesterly at an equal distance between two keys marked on the map annexed to the treaty, to meet the parallel 180 10' north latitude ; thence, turning toward the west, along the neighboring bay, as far as 88° 2' west meridian, thence toward the north until it reaches the parallel 18° 25' north latitude, thence it runs toward the west as far as meridian 88° 28' 32" north, this point being the mouth of the Hondo River ; thence following its deepest channel, passing to the west of Albion Island and running up the Arroyo Azul until the latter stream crosses the meridian of the Garbutt Falls at a point north of the boundary lines of Mexico, Guatemala, and British Honduras ; and from that point following the meridian of Garbutt Falls, running in a southerly direction up to 17° 49', north latitude which is the boundary line between Mexico and Gua temala, leaving the so-called Snoska or Xnobba River in a northerly direction and in Mexican territory. Cession of Mexican Territory to the United States. — Mexico has ceded to the United States, by the treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo of February 2, 1848, and the Gadsden Treaty of December 30, 1853, 930,590 square miles, comprising over one-half of her former territory. The same cession is considered in the United States under three heads — first under the boundary treaty signed in Washington on April 25, 1838, between the United States of America and the Republic of Texas, under which Texas was annexed to the United States in 1845; second, under the cession of the Guadalupe-Hidalgo Treaty, and the third under the Gadsden Treaty. As Mexico did not recognize the independence of Texas until the treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo was signed, we consider that she only gave her consent to that annexation by said treaty, and therefore that the •cession of territory made then to the United States embraced also Texas. Mr. S. W. Lamoreaux, former Commissioner of the General Land Office, published in 1896 a map of the United States, which contained in detail the different sections of territory annexed to the same in dif ferent periods from France, Spain, Mexico, and Russia, where the Mexican annexations are clearly defined. From official data of that office, I take the following figures representing the area of each of the Mexican cessions : 8 ©eograpbical "Motes on flDejico. First, annexation of Texas, which embraces in whole or in part the following States and Territories : Sq. Miles. Texas 265,780 Colorado, in part 18,000 Kansas, in part 7;7^6 New Mexico 65,201 Oklahoma 5,74° Total 362,487 Second, cession by the Guadalupe-Hidalgo Treaty, em bracing in whole or in part the following States and Terri tories : Sq. Miles. Arizona 82,381 California i57,8oi Colorado, in part 29,500 Nevada 11 2,090 New Mexico 42,000 Utah 84,476 Wyoming, in part i4,32° Total 522,568 Third, cession by the Gadsden Treaty, containing ad ditions to the following Territories : Sq. Miles. Arizona 3I>535 New Mexico 14,000 Total 45>535 Grand Total in Square Miles 93°,59° General Characteristics. — Mexico is bounded on the east by the long curve of the Gulf of Mexico and by the Caribbean Sea, and its eastern coast is 1727 miles long ; on the west it is washed by the Pacific Ocean, its coast describing the arc of a still larger circle, for a length of 4574 miles ; but after passing the latitude of the City of Mexico, about the meridian 19° of north latitude, going south, the continent makes a decided turn towards the east, the Gulf of Mexico forming the northern border, and the Pacific Ocean the southern border. Mexico has the shape of a cornucopia, with its narrowest end tapering toward the southwest, its convex and concave sides facing ^Location, Bounbartes, ano area. 9 the Pacific and the Atlantic, respectively, and its widest end toward the north, or the United States. I look forward to the time, which I do not think far distant, considering our continuity of territory to the United States and our immense elements of wealth, when we shall be able to provide the United States with most of the tropical products, such as sugar, coffee, tobacco, india-rubber, etc.,1 which they now im port from several other countries. The widest portion of Mexico is, therefore, its northern extremity,. or its boundary with the United States. The narrowest point is the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, about one hundred miles from one ocean to* the other ; and after passing it the country expands again to the south east towards Yucatan and Chiapas until it reaches the boundary with Guatemala and Belize. Yucatan resembles but little in its configuration Mexico proper, as- it is a level country formed by coral reefs and beds, and whose ruins show it to have been the seat of a high civilization and an advanced people. Although the greater part of Mexico is on the North American con tinent proper, as the Isthmus of Panama divides North from South America, a large portion of it lies in Central America. Geographically speaking, Central America is the portion of North America embraced between the Isthmus of Tehuantepec and Panama, and of this vast territory Mexico holds about one-third. In a paper published in the Bulletin of the American Geographical Society of New York, of March 31, 1894, I dealt especially with this subject. 2 The broken surface of Mexico formerly made travelling there very difficult, for which reason the country was but little known, even by Mexicans themselves, as its configuration did not allow of the building of good roads, and to travel any considerable distance it was necessary to go by mule paths, without comfortable inns, and running great risks, owing to the disturbed condition of the country. It required, there fore, time, expense, endurance, and an object in view to travel widely there. I was always desirous of knowing as much as possible of the country, and I have made long trips, many of them on horseback, solely for the purpose of studying certain regions, and I think that before the railway era, I was perhaps one of the Mexicans who knew 1 In his Notes on Mexico, Lempriere, a distinguished traveller and historian, says : " The merciful hand of Providence has bestowed on the Mexicans a magnificent land, abounding in resources of all kinds — a land where none ought to be poor, and where misery ought to be unknown — a land whose products and riches of every kind are abundant and as varied as they are rich. It is a country endowed to profusion with every gift that man can desire or envy ; all the metals from gold to lead ; every sort of climate, from perpetual snow to tropical heat, and of inconceivable fertility." 2 A copy of that paper is appended to this article. 10 Geograpbical IRotes on flDejico. most of the country and who could, therefore, most clearly realize the difficulty of knowing it thoroughly. From this it can be readily under stood how difficult it would be for a foreigner, without any previous knowledge of the country and ignorant of its language, to know it by a few days' sojourn there. Yet many travellers who have been in Mexico only a few days write about it on their return home, just as if they knew it perfectly, making necessarily many serious and sometimes laughable mistakes. The natural beauties of Switzerland are well known ; but to me that country is hardly to be compared with Mexico, as everything in Mexico is on a much grander scale. In the latitude in which Switzerland is situated the snow line is quite low, and, therefore, most of the peaks of the Swiss mountains, while not so high as the Mexican mountains, are covered with perpetual snow, which embellishes the country, and which, melting in summer, supplies the beautiful lakes of that country with fresh water. Therefore, only in the beauty of many snow peaks, beautiful fresh-water lakes, good roads, and fine hotels has Switzerland the superiority over Mexico. Historians, travellers, and writers of the present day compare Mexico with Egypt. There is no doubt that between the legends and romance with which the history of each of these countries abounds there is a striking resemblance. The pyramids and ancient relics in the form of buildings, images, and undeciphered hieroglyphics on stones, coins, etc., found in both countries, all contribute to the general belief that, centuries ago, the people of Mexico and Egypt were connected by some tie, were in some way of the same race and had the same ideas. To-day in Mexico, the manner of living, of cultivating the soil, and many other peculiarities in the manners and customs of the Mexican people forcibly remind the traveller of Upper and Lower Egypt.1 1 In a very bright article about Mexico by Mr. Charles Dudley Warner, published in Harper's Illustrated Monthly Magazine for June, 1897, 1 find the following sentence supporting my assertion : " In the cities he is reminded of Spain, and often of Italy (since the Catholic Church prevails), but in the country and in small towns the appearance is Oriental, or rather Egyptian. This resemblance to Egypt is due to the color or colors of the inhabitants, to the universal use of the donkey as a beast of burden, to the brown adobe walls and mud huts covered with cane, to the dust on the foliage, the clouds of dust raised in all the highways, and to a certain similarity of dress, so far as color and rags can give it, and the ability of men and women to squat all day on the ground and be happy." Mr. Theodore W. Noyes, of Washington, in a descriptive article on Mexico, pub lished in December, 1895, makes the following parallel between Mexico and Egypt : ". . . The Egyptian shaduf finds its counterpart in the well sweep of Irapuato where strawberries are grown and sold every day in the year, and where irrigation is jesorted to, systematized, and on a grand scale. In the absence of trees and rocks ^Location, Boundaries, ano Hrea. n I, myself, although I have only visited Lower Egypt, and that as a tourist in a very hasty manner and for a very few days, was greatly struck by the great similarity that I found between the two countries and between the habits of the native Egyptian and the Mexican In dians. The Egyptian plows are used by the Mexican Indians, and they are drawn in Mexico as in Egypt by oxen whose yokes are fast ened to their horns, while in other countries they are fastened on their necks. Several of the agricultural products of Egypt and Mexico are exactly the same, and the way in which foods are prepared in both countries is, too, very similar ; and I also found similar traits and race characteristics between the Egyptian Copts and some tribes of the Mexican Indians. The great difference between Egypt and Mexico is that Mexico lacks " irrigation," which has made Egypt — that small corner of the earth — the most remarkable and productive country in the world. Owing to the great stretch of latitude from the Rio Grande to the Guatemala boundary, everything that grows in Egypt, and in fact in any other part of the world, can be produced in Mexico by the aid of irrigation. the Egyptian shaduf is small, is composed of prepared timbers, and the counterpoise to the well bucket is an immense chunk of dried, hardened Nile mud. The Mexican shaduf utilizes a forked tree and swings across it a long tapering tree trunk or branch, and the counterpoise consists of a large sink stone or mass of stones fastened together. Although Mexico stretches farther south than Egypt, the two countries lie, generally speaking, between the same parallels of latitude, but the altitude of Irapuato is 5000 feet above the sea-level of the Nile, so that the same degree of undress is not expected or found in the Mexicans as in the Egyptian shaduf workers. I saw, how ever, in the neighborhood of Irapuato two Indians at well sweeps working side by side who were dressed only in white cotton loin cloths, who looked like the twin brothers of shaduf workers whom I have seen photographed on the Nile. . . . The water- carrier of Cairo is much like his brother of Guanajuato, where a long earthen jar is used. The groups about the fountains with jars of water bodily borne on the women's heads or on a protecting turban-like ring, or balanced on the men's shoulders, are also Oriental. Corn is ground between two stones in Asiatic fashion. " Egyptian sand spouts are common. Also Egyptian types of domestic utensils of pottery. The Mexican woman with a baby at her back securely fastened in the Teboso, which throws the infant's weight on the mother's shoulders, is to be compared with the Egyptian woman whose reboso covers her face while the child straddles her shoulders, holding to her head and leaving her hands unfettered as in the Mexican fashion. There are no Egyptian camels, but even more numerous donkeys, the patient burros. The Indian villages, either of adobe or bamboo, the thatched roofs and organ cactus fences, and alive with goats, donkeys, or snarling curs, are African in effect. There Aztecs picture writings resemble the Egyptian, the paper being made from the maguey instead of the papyrus. The Aztecs employed captives on great public works as in Egypt. Mexico thus has pyramids with much broader base than those of Egypt, though not nearly so high, and idols quite as ugly. Gold ornaments, beads, and other highly prized antiquities are found in the tombs as in Egypt." 12 ©eograpbical "Motes on /IDejico. GEOLOGY. The geology of Mexico has been but imperfectly studied. In the higher ranges the prevailing formations are granite, which seem also to form the foundations of the plateaus, above which rise the traps, basalts, mineral-bearing porphyries, and more recent lavas. Hence, Lyell's theory that Mexico consisted originally of granite ranges with intervening valleys subsequently filled up to the level of the plateaus- by subterranean eruptions. Igneous rocks of every geologic epoch cer tainly form to a large extent the superstructure of the central plateau. But the Mexican table-land seems to consist mainly of metamorphic formations which have been partly upheaved, partly interpenetrated, and overlaid by igneous masses of all epochs, and which are chiefly represented by shales, greywacke, greenstones, silicious schists, and especially unfossiliferous limestones. All these formations are alike remarkable for the abundance and variety of their metalliferous ores, such as silver, silver glance, copper, and gold. Gneiss and micaceous schists prevail in Oaxaca and on all the southern slopes facing both oceans. But the highest ranges are formed mainly of plutonic and volcanic rocks, such as granites, syenites, diorites, mineral-bearing trachytes, basalts, porphyries, obsidian, pearlstone, sulphur, pumice, lavas, tufa, and other recent volcanic discharges. Obsidian (itzli) was the chief material formerly used by the natives in the manufacture of their cutting implements, as shown by the quarries of the Cerro de las Navajas (Knife Cliff), near Real del Monte and Pachuca in the State of Hidalgo. Vast deposits of pumice and the purest sulphur are found at Huichapam and in many of the craters. But immeasurably the most valuable rocks are the argentiferous porphyries and schists of the central plateau and of Sinaloa, unless they are destined to be rivalled by the auriferous deposits of Sonora. Horizontal and strati fied rocks, of extremely limited extent in the south, are largely devel oped in the northern states, and chalk becomes very prevalent towards the Rio Grande and Rio Gila valleys. To this chalk and to the sand stones are probably due the sandy plains which cover vast tracts in North Mexico, stretching thence far into New Mexico and Texas. Here the Bolson de Mapimi, a vast rocky wilderness inhabited until recently by wild tribes, occupies a space of perhaps 50,000 square miles in Coahuila and parts of the surrounding States. None of the horizontal layers seem to be very rich in ores, which are mainly found in the metamorphic, paleozoic, and hypogene rocks of Durango, Chihuahua, and the south. Apart from Sinaloa and Sonora, which are now known to contain vast stores of the precious metals, nearly all the historical mines lie on the south central plateau at elevations of from 5500 to 9500 feet. A line drawn from the capital to Guanajuato, and thence northwards to the mining town of Guadalupe fIDtning. 13 y Calvo of Chihuahua, and southwards to Oaxaca, thus cutting the main axis of upheaval at an angle of 45°, will intersect probably the richest known argentiferous region in the whole world. Of other minerals the most important are copper, found in a pure state near the city of Guanajuato, and associated with gold in Chihua hua, Sonora, Guerrero, Jalisco, Michoacan, and elsewhere ; iron in immense masses in Michoacan and Jalisco, and in Durango, where the Cerro del Mercado is a solid mountain of magnetic iron ore ; lead associated with silver, chiefly in Oaxaca ; tin in Michoacan and Jalisco ; sulphur in many craters ; platinum, recently found in Hidalgo ; cin nabar, also recently found in Morelos and Guerrero ; " steppe salt " in the sandy districts of the north ; "bitter salt" at Tepeyac and many other places ; coal at various points ; bismuth in many parts ; marble, alabaster, gypsum, and rock-salt in great abundance throughout the plateaus and the sierras. MINING. Mexico is, perhaps, the richest mining country in the world, and the production of silver — notwithstanding the imperfect methods and other drawbacks with which it has contended — represents over one-third of the product of the world, according to official statis tics. Almost all the mountains of Mexico are of the metalliferous character, but those which seem richest in mining deposits are the western cordillera, extending from the State of Oaxaca to Sonora, a distance of about 1600 miles from northwest to southeast. Humboldt gave as his opinion that Mexico would be " the treasure house of the world." Subsequent history has, in a great measure, con firmed the opinion of the great savant of his time. Still a more con servative authority has quite lately asserted that only one-tenth of the mining resources of Mexico is known. This last estimate, I am sure, is inside rather than outside of the facts. Mexico has always been considered the great silver producer, and, considering her area, and taking the century as a measure, she is the greatest silver producer of the world. Silver. — The central group of mines in the three mining districts of Guanajuato, Zacatecas, and Catorce, in the States of Guanajuato. Zaca- tecasandjjian Luis Potosi, which have yielded more than half of all the silver heretofore found in Mexico, lies between 210 and 240 30' N., within an area of about 13,000 square miles. Here the Veta Madre lode of Guanajuato alone produced $252,000,000 between 1556 and 1803. In the beginning of this century Humboldt found two Guanajuato mines — the famous " Conde de Valenciana " and the " Marques de Rayas " — producing annually 550,000 marks, 4,400,000 ounces, of silver, 14 (Beograpbical Botes on /IDesico. one-seventh or one-eighth of the entire American output. From Janu ary i, 1787, to June 11, 1791, the Valenciana yielded 13,896,416 ounces of silver, its ore averaging a little over 100 ounces to the ton. Though flooded, this fine old mine is still far from exhausted. Gold occurs chiefly, not on the plateau in association with silver, but on the slopes facing the Pacific, and apparently in greatest abun dance in Sonora, near the auriferous region of Lower California. The production would have been larger if an improved process of reducing the metals had been used, but during the whole colonial period and up to the present time, we have used the patio system, which consists in grinding the ore, stirring it until it is reduced to a fine dust and mixing it then with salt and copper amalgam ; after the paste dries somewhat, salt is added in proportion to the amount of silver supposed to be in the ore ; the material is then mixed with shovels and trodden by mules, and, after a day or two, another mixture of copper, vitriol, and salt is added ; after that it is mixed and trodden again ; then quicksilver is finally added, and then more mixing and treading. This process is repeated from five to fifteen times until the silver and quicksilver unite to form an amalgam, which is gathered into bags, and that requires about forty days. Most of the quicksilver is squeezed out and the rest is evapo rated and run off into tubs. This method saves 50 or 60 per cent, of rich ore and, besides being very long, is rather imperfect, as it leaves a great deal of silver in the ore, and only rich ores could be treated by it ; but it was on the whole the easiest and cheapest. Some of the old mines were worked until finally they became so deep that, with the methods then used, as buckets were employed instead of pumps, and steam had not been employed as power, it was impossible to drain them. Naturally in a deep mine the water flows in from springs, and the deeper a mine becomes the more water it has. These mines were worked until it was seen that it was impossible to drain them, and then they were abandoned, even though they were rich in metals. During our war of independence almost all the mines were abandoned for the want of guarantee to life and property, and the mining industry, therefore, declined considerably ; but recently the old mines have been worked again and the production of silver has in creased very considerably.1 1 Mr. J. A. R. Waters of the firm of Waters Bros., Mining Engineers of the City of Mexico, said of his visit to the Jesus Maria District of the State of Chihuahu, where he went to examine the mine worked by the Pinos Altos Co., as follows : ' ' The district is very thoroughly mineralized and is pierced by veins more frequently than any district I ever saw. The general formation is very similar to that of Cripple Creek, with the exception that it is not traversed by the great porphyry dikes that occur there and in other parts of Colorado. The country formation is largely braccia. The ore is generally free milling, and is treated with stamps and pan amalgamation, the finer ores being treated with Huntington mills. There is little waste of values." /BMntng. 15 Real del Monte Company. — It would be interesting to refer briefly to the ups and downs of one of the mining enterprises of Mexico — the Real del Monte — as a typical case which exemplifies what has happened with many other of our mines, namely, that sometimes they yield large profits, and soon afterwards they cause tremendous losses. The Real del Monte is located about three miles from Pachuca, a large mining centre and the capital of the State of Hidalgo, distant about sixty miles . southeast of the City of Mexico. In 1739, a Biscayan, by the name of Don Pedro Jose Romero de Ter- reros, came from Santander and settled in Queretaro. He acquired a fortune of $60,000 in a small store in 1749, closed up his affairs, and started to return to his native land. On reaching Pachuca he met an old mining friend, Don Jose Alejandro Bustamante, who called his attention to the Real del Monte. In company with Bustamante he staked out the Biscaina, Santa Brigida, and Guadalupe mines and began to get the water out, but they soon exhausted their united funds. How ever, they succeeded in raising money in the City of Mexico on hard terms and drained their properties by a tunnel, which started at Moran, on the northern slope of the mountains, and, running 9000 feet through hard porphyry rock, struck the vein at a depth of 600 feet. This was accomplished a few years later in 1759. Bustamante by this time had died, but Terreros continued the work. On striking the vein he drained it, and in 1760 began the erection of the Hacienda de Regla, to work the rich ore he was taking out. He took out $15,000,000 at a small cost, repaid his advances, built and presented to the King of Spain a man-of-war and 4700 bars of silver, for which he was created Conde de Regla. He lived in grand style in the City of Mexico, and built a palatial residence on Cadena Street. He died in 1781, and was succeeded by his son, the second Conde, who from 1774 to 1783 struggled with the water, which, as depth was attained, was very severe ; according to Ward, twenty-eight horse-whims were employed in the drainage at great expense and unsuccessfully. However, they had gotten down to 324 feet below the Moran adit on the Biscaina vein in the Guadalupe and Santa Teresa shafts. The production was $400,000 per year, drainage costing $250,000 per year, and sinking was abandoned, and the work was confined to drifting above water level. From 1801 to 1809, $300,000 per year was taken out, but the cost of extraction was severe. Humboldt visited the property, and in 1810 the war of independence broke out, and all operations were suspended. Meanwhile the water rose and the Moran tunnel caved in, and so allowed the water to rise to an enormous height, and the district went to rack and ruin. In 1822 the Conde's administrator, Don Ignacio Castelazo, made a 16 ©eograpbfcal Botes on rtDejico. report, and by his Italian mining friend, Rivafinoli, sent it to the ¦Conde, who was living in England. That country was only too anxious to reap for themselves some of the spoils that Spain had gleaned from Mexican mines. Here was their opportunity, many became interested, and the celebrated mining expert of that day, Mr. John Taylor, the founder of the present Lon don firm now so heavily interested in South Africa, Taylor Bros., was sent to make an examination, and in 1824 the English Real del Monte Company was formed on the following terms : — The company leased the mines and haciendas for twenty-one years : 1st. The capital in vested was to be returned from the products of the mines with interest ; 2d. The Conde was then to have one-half of the remaining proceeds yearly ; 3d. Meanwhile he was to receive $16,000 per year as an ad vance against his portion or anticipated profits. In case of failure of this third clause the lease would be cancelled and everything revert to the Conde. As the outlay amounted to over $5,000,000 and no profit ensued, it amounted to a rent of $16,000 per year. In 1824 Captain Vetch, of the Royal Engineers, was sent out as manager. He brought three ships filled with one thousand tons of machinery, pumps, etc., and after untold trials in transportation and erection, finally got them to their destination. All this was done by English engineers, machinists, miners, and workmen, nearly all Cor- nishmen, under the direction of Colonel Colquhoun, a Peninsular veteran, who finally died of yellow fever with over fifty of his men. After unheard-of troubles they got everything by 1826 safely landed in the Real del Monte. The magnitude of the task may be understood when the almost roadless condition of the country is considered, and the bringing up of the machinery from the coast was a splendid exam ple of British tenacity and pluck. Captain Vetch had now cleaned out the Moran adit and the Dolores shaft, and the machinery was at once erected. The stock now rose from $500 to $8000 per share. The Conde had, in the meanwhile, borrowed money from the company and made the twenty-one-year lease perpetual, the annual rent of $16,000 remaining in force. By 1829 Captain Vetch had grappled with the water question, and with an annual cost of $30,000 had accomplished what the first Count had paid $250,000 for,and extracted metal 324 feet below the Moran adit. Captain Tindall, R.N., succeeded Captain Vetch, and a new shaft (1830) was commenced on the Santa Teresa and called the Terreros shaft. It was n 40 feet to the vein and was started at four points, and was connected in 1834 by drifts run from several levels, and then raised and sunk on. The work came out as true as if it had been done from the surface, thanks to the correctness of the plans of the English mine surveyors. flDtning. 17 A 54-inch engine was erected, and with it they sank to 720 feet below the Moran adit. At this point water overpowered them. This •was in 1838, and Captain John Rule, who had succeeded Captain Tin- dall, put in a 75-inch engine at Dolores, and removed the 54-inch one to Acosta. Captain Rule enjoyed a salary of ^10,000 per year, and all other payments were in proportion. He struck two bunches of rich ore, one on the Santa Brigida, near Acosta, and the other on La Biscains, near Dolores. From these two and one at Torreros they had produced $10,481,475 at a cost of $15,381,633 or nearly $5,000,000 loss in twenty-three years. By 1846 the stock had fallen to $12.50 from $8000 a share. In 1848, Mr. J. H. Buchan arrived, representing the English stock holders. He found water in the mines and increasing ; a heavy debt of $5,000,000, bearing a tremendous interest ; no money on hand and no ore. So in October, 1848, by order of the bondholders he turned over the business to a Mexican company — the present one — composed of Manuel Escandon, Antonio and Nicanor Beistegui, Mr. Mackintosh, and others for the paltry sum of $130,000. The haciendas, stock, and ores on hand were worth millions, but the English company could not dispose of them. This was the end of the famous English Real del Monte Company. Their Mexican successors reduced expenses, completed the adit from Omotitlan commenced by the first Conde, which, running 13,500 feet, •cut the mines 11 10 deeper and struck immediately the bonanza in the Rosario, which tradition says had previously been discovered and covered up by Captain Rule. New Mines, Topia. — We have now a great many districts that were not known by the Spaniards and have recently been discovered. No table among them is the Sierra Mojada district in the State of Coahuila. The State of Durango has, on the west slope of the Sierra Madre mountains, the mining camps of Topia, Sianori, Birimoa, Gusanillas, Canelas, Ventanos, El Pando, Rodeo, and San Fernando ; and with - the exception of San Fernando they are close together, a square, one of whose sides is forty miles, would almost cover them all. This section has all the elements to form the basis of a great mining and smelting centre, as is evident by the great deposits of galena in the Topia dis trict ; in fact, this is the only place on the coast where lead ore is found in abundance ; and smelting, if done at all, must rely on Topia for its supply of lead ores. In no other part of Mexico are lead ores so cheap, because of the fact that to realize on them at all they must be transported on mule-back to Culiacan in the State of Sinaloa, a dis tance of 106 miles, at a rate of $26.40 silver per ton, and from there by rail to Altata, a distance of thirty-nine miles ; and from Altata by .steamer to San Francisco, or to Guaymas, and thence by rail to the 1 8 (Beograpbical Botes on flDejico. smelters in the United States, very much at the same cost. La Liona mine of this district is a very rich mine, its vein being almost vertical, and is tapped from both sides of the mountain, with tunnels at right angles to the vein. Where the tunnels intersect the vein, the vein is driven on in both directions from the tunnels ; stopes are opened, and chutes for ore are put in every seventy-five feet. The vertical distance between the tunnels is 125 metres. This mine can easily produce one thousand tons per month of clean galena, and would produce that much metal if there was a market for it. There are other mines as large and perhaps better than La Liona, as,. for instance, La Madrugada mine, formerly owned by Santa ¥6 Railroad employees, but now controlled by Mr. Charles Miller, of Franklin, Pa., connected with the Standard Oil Company. Topia is a great dry-ore camp as well. One thousand tons of dry ores can easily be mined there per month, were there a market for them, such as a commercial smelter located centrally to treat the ores of this and adjoining districts. Such smelter would have the advantage of an inexhaustible supply of good water the year round, fine iron ore, and limestone for fluxes. At Topia there are four mills for the treatment of zincy ores, and dry ores assaying below one hundred ounces silver per ton. The lixiviation process by hyposulphite of soda is employed in the four mills or haciendas, two of them employ occasionally the patio process as well. Two of the mills and two mines are lighted by electricity ; the dynamo that furnishes light for one of the mills and both of the- mines is driven by water power. Below the mills operated by water power, there is sufficient fall and sufficient water to furnish the power to operate compressed-air drills in all the large mines. The other mining camps of this district, although not so well devel oped as Topia, are also in process of development and in a very good condition. Velardena is also in the State of Durango, but on the other or eastern side of the mountains, and is located in a comparatively new district, where the previous owners had failed. Mr. James F. Mathews purchased the Velardena property, erected a smelter after the Interna tional Railroad Company had extended their main line from Torreon to the city of Durango, passing near the mine, and from the beginning has run five of the six furnaces almost continuously. During 1896 the Velardena smelter smelted on an average 175 tons of ore per day. Li Hung Chang and the Mexican Silver Mines. — When Li Hung Chang, the Chinese Viceroy, was in Washington, in August, 1896, he inquired of me about the production of the Mexican mines, and I, trying to be conservative, informed him that they produced about $50,000,- 000 a year. He then inquired how long they would continue yielding that' amount. I answered that it was uncertain, but that, judging from present appearances, it could safely be said that it might be for one- flDining. 19 hundred years. This seemed incredible to him, and he said that I had been so long absent from Mexico — for he had previously asked me how long I had been in this country — I could not know the real wealth and abundance of our mines, and he was very positive that I had made a mistake. He assured me that the silver mines in China yielded occa sionally something, but soon were exhausted, and it was impossible to get any silver out of them, and judging the Mexican silver mines from those he had seen at home, he was, of course, incredulous as to their yield. Some years ago, and when the Mexican mines only yielded about $20,000,000 a year, I predicted that their annual yield would reach $100,000,000, and that prediction is about being verified, as the present product exceeds $60,000,000. Gold. — Gold was used freely in Mexico before the Spanish con quest, and history teaches us how Cortez induced Montezuma to deliver to him his gold treasury. As soon as Mexico was conquered, Bernal Diaz del Castillo, one of the cotemporary historians, tells us that Cortez inquired very carefully about the place where the Indians obtained their gold, whether there were placers, mines, or washings, and his agents were taken to some localities in the State of Oaxaca, where they were told was the gold supply, but, whether the Indians concealed the real location of the gold deposits, or for other reasons, the Spaniards did not obtain much gold. I have known recently of unavailing efforts having been made of persons from the United States who have tried to ascertain the localities where the Indians obtained their gold, that is — the places which were shown to Cortex in Oaxaca as gold deposits. There is a river in the State of Guerrero which flows over a coun try with hills abundant in gold formation, which carries nuggets that the natives find without any difficulty, and it is called for that reason the Gold River. That river passes over some mountains where gold is found, and then comes to a place where a natural dam is formed, and the gold carried by the washings in the rainy season sinks when reaching that place, and every indication shows that there must be a very large deposit of gold there. A military engineer suggested, the last time I was Secretary of the Treasury in Mexico, that the bed of the river be changed by the Mexican Government, a work which did not present serious obstacles, and thus allow excavations to be made and the gold deposits found. It was thought advisable to make some preliminary examinations in the way of boring, and for that purpose the necessary orders were issued to send soldiers there, but I under stand the project was given up and nothing was accomplished. I have no doubt that at some future time that matter will be taken up, and a great deal of gold will be found there. 20 (Beograpbical Botes on /iDejico. Our production of gold has so far been comparatively small, be cause the mining and reduction of gold are more difficult and expensive than the same operations in silver, and our gold production has really been the amount of gold which has been found in our silver. For many years, when the amount was small, it was not separated, and for that reason old Mexican dollars have in China greater value than newly coined ones; but recent improvements have made it easy and cheap to make the separation of the two metals. Now that gold has risen so much in value, its mining is beginning to be developed in Mexico on a comparatively large scale, and I have no doubt that before long Mexico will be one of the largest gold producers of the world. Mexico is an undeveloped country, in fact there are parts of Mexico as unknown as was Central Africa a few years back. From the Sonora gold district, south, on the west side of the Sierra Madre, to the State of Oaxaca, there is a gold belt as rich as California, Alaska, and South Africa combined. It is known that in the State of Sinaloa there are gold placers and gold washings, and that they are also found in every State from there south on the line of this belt.1 The gold output of Sonora, now beginning to attract attention, is only the first contribution of Mexico to the world's stock of the yellow metal. The west side of the Sierra Madre has a belt rich in gold, and when the world discovers this fact capital will flock to Mexico to dig it out, and Mexico will become one of the first gold producers of the world, as she has been in silver. Specimens of " float " rich in gold have been brought from the State of Guerrero. These indications of gold have not been followed up, because no one has been progressive enough to advance the means necessary to prospect this belt. To prospect in a country where often water fit to drink must be carried, where food for man and beast must be carried, and where in many places roads must be cut with machete and axe, cannot be done without the spending of money in outfit and expenses. The principal gold-producing States will be Sonora, Sinaloa, Guer rero, and Oaxaca, but in all of them gold-mining is yet in its beginning. 1 I take from a report of Mr. Cramer, a mining engineer sent to Mexico by the Geological Society of Washington, D. C, as Commissioner to explore the gold fields of that Republic, the following, which refers to only one of the many new gold fields that are being found there : " There exists an extensive ' gold placer ' situated about thirty miles from Durango in the mountain devoid of vegetation ; the rock that is found in greater quantities is porphyry. I estimate that one ton of ore will yield at least $50 of gold. " Gold is found all over the mountain, though in such imperceptible filaments that it is hard to recognize it with the naked eye ; however, every piece of stone con tains the same proportion of gold." /iDlning. Coinage of the Precious Metals. — Mexico has produced about one- half of the silver supply of the world. In the statistical portion of this paper I shall give full details of the production of gold and silver in Mexico, coinage, etc., and here I will only append the total coinage of gold and silver according to official statistics of the Mexican Govern ment, which is the following : COINAGE OF MEXICO FROM THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE MINTS IN 1537 TO THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR OF 1896. COLONIAL EPOCH. GOLD. SILVER. COPPER. TOTAL. 19,889,014 40,391,447 $ 752,067,456 441,629,211 888,563,989 $ 200,OCO $ 760,765,406461,518,225 929,298,329 342,893 INDEPENDENCE. $68,778,4" $2,082,260,656 $ 542,893 $2,151,581,960 $ 557, 392 45,040,628 $ 18,575,569 740,246,485 $ 19,132,961 790,522,200 $5,235,177 REPUBLIC. $45,598,020 $ 758,822,054 $5,=35,I77 $ 809,655,251 Eagle coin, from i July, 1873, to 30 June, i8g6 $11,561,080 $ 557,581,600 $ 203,296 $ 569,346,066 SUMMARY. Colonial Epoch 1537 to 1821 $2,151,581,960 Independence 1822 to 1873 809,655,251 Republic 1873 to 1896 569,346,066 Total $3,530,583,277 Iron. — Iron, the most useful of all the metals, is found in such vast abundance in Mexico that, could it be even partially utilized, that Re public would become one of the wealthiest of modern communities. One of the largest mines was discovered by Gines Vazquez del Mer cado, in Durango, in 1562, and its appellation of " Cerro del Mercado" still preserves his name. The hill, which is 4800 feet long by 1100 feet in width and 640 feet in height, is almost a solid mass of mineral, aver aging about seventy per cent, of metal and from which could be ex tracted more than 300,000,000 tons of solid ore ; this only to the level of the plain, beneath which it probably extends to an unknown depth. The iron is also magnetic to a high degree and its power is greater when the grain is fine. This may delay fusion, but the result is an ex cellent wrought iron, with none of the inconveniences caused by earthy substances mixed with the iron. I have no doubt that when the coal mines are developed the iron industry will make great strides and that we will be able to manufacture most of at least the low grades of the iron goods required for our comsumption. In several other places besides our Iron Mountain we have iron with very little phosphorus, which makes first-class steel and is as good as the best produced in Cuba or Spain. 22 (Seograpbical Botes on flDejtco. The deposits of iron in Mexico are sufficient to supply the universe for centuries to come. There is but one thing lacking, and that thing is — cheap fuel. Nature never works by halves ; those immense de posits of iron never were put where they are without the means near at hand for their utilization. Coal exists, but it has not been mined yet on a large scale, as it will be hereafter. But even at the present time the principal supply of pig-iron comes from native ore, the output being consumed by the producers in the manufacture of iron goods. The main iron mines now being worked are located at Durango, Zimapan, Zacualtipan, Tulancingo, and Leon. For the most part these mines are found in the midst of great forests, in consequence of which cheap fuel is found in the form of charcoal, the iron made from which being of very superior quality, free from phosphorous, and, price and other things being equal, is always pre ferred to the imported pig. It is manufactured in charcoal furnaces exclusively. There is, however, quite a considerable amount of pig imported, principally from Alabama, and Scotch pig from England. The great drawback to importations heretofore has been the immense quantity of scrap iron, which, during the lapse of centuries, had accumulated, un used, throughout the Republic. This, however, is becoming well-nigh exhausted ; and for that reason the demand for imported pig is increas ing, the native output not keeping pace with the need for it. Much scrap iron also has come from railroads, another source of supply which is not increasing with the demand. Imported pig ranges in price in the City of Mexico from $50 to $60 silver per ton,. the native producers aiming to keep their price just about the same. Iron Foundries. — There are in the City of Mexico, in addition to several small ones, seven large foundries, as follows : the Mexican Central Railroad foundry, the Mexican National Railroad foundry, the Artistic, the Delicias, Charreton Bros., V. Elcoro & Co., and Hipolito David. There are also large foundries at Pachuca, Puebla, Chihuahua, Durango, and Monterey, as well as smaller ones at Irapuato, Guanajuato, Zacatecas, "Veracruz, Guadalajara, Mazatlan, Oaxaca, and Morelia. Copper. — Copper is now quite an important product of Mexico, and is used to a certain extent in the country, but as the supply far exceeds the home demand, it is exported to the United States and Europe. That which finds its way to this country enters chiefly in the form of matte, and is refined into casting or electrolytic copper. What goes to Europe is blister copper, or approximately so, from the Boleo mine in Lower California, where a French company is working a large group of copper mines. The point of most activity is Santa Rosalia, on the flDfntng. 23 Gulf of California, where the company treats the ore in its own smelt ing plant adjoining. The matte, or black copper, is sent to Europe in the same vessels that bring out coke. The company gives employ ment to thousands of hands directly and indirectly, owns its own steamers, and solicits workmen all along the coast. But this enter prise, large as it is, shows the progress that has been made and the difficulties overcome by individuals. The country itself is arid and sterile, and there is little encouragement for others to prospect, or even develop, when found, apparently good prospects, owing to the natural difficulties to be overcome and the vast capital necessary to successfully carry on mining operations ; as success is hardly to be obtained except by treating the ores on the ground, as the Boleo Com pany has done. At the same time the enterprising firm of Guggenheim has estab lished its works at Aguas Calientes, adding very considerably to the copper product, and the increase of matte shipments from San Luis Potosi and Monterey makes a large difference from former returns. To judge from the official figures, the amount of copper produced in 1896 was not less than 22,000 metric tons, the greater production being from the Boleo mines. Quicksilver. — The production of quicksilver can only be approxi mated from imports, as the native production is far short of the re quirements of the country. In 1895 the amount imported was 818,704 kilos, with a value of $541,664, while during the past year the amount imported was 854,526 kilos, with a value of $574,153. The only infer ence to be drawn from these figures is that the production in Mexico in the past year as compared with 1895 has not increased, and the figures of production given in the Engineering and Mining Journal of 1895 may be accepted as correct for 1896. Coal. — Fuel is perhaps the greatest and most pressing need of Mexico. For centuries the population of the whole country has used wood for fuel, until the most thickly inhabited portions of the country are completely destitute of trees. This condition of things is a very serious objection to the increase of manufacturing, as it is impossible to manufacture cheaply when fuel commands a very high figure. Coal, which has to be transported sometimes for thousands of miles before it reaches the centre of the country, becomes very expensive. At present rates the cost of wood in the City of Mexico is equal to $14 a cord, while coal ranges from $16 to $22 per ton according to grade, and one source of supply is the artificial fuel of compressed coal dust brought from England, and in use not alone on the Veracruz Railway, but in various local industries, while coal also comes from West Virginia, Alabama, etc. The distances of the sources of coal supply and its consequent cost led to the attempt of utilizing the peat deposits which 24 ©eograpbical IRotes on /IDejico. are of great extent and practically inexhaustible within ten miles of the City of Mexico. In the Tlahualilo district of the State of Coahuila, for instance, owing to the distance from the nearest coal mines, the question of fuel is very important, as there are at present more than three hundred horse-power in constant use, and the amount is steadily increasing. The main supply is from the mesquite brush, which is cleared from the new lands as the work of ditching and preparation advances. The hulls of the cotton seed also make a hot but quick fuel for some of the larger stationary engines. The wheat, straw and cotton bushes are utilized for brick-burning and for the domestic purposes of the labor ing population. Those acquainted with industrial conditions in Mexico and making investigations with a view to the establishment of new industries in that Republic, are consequently impressed with the fact that, in spite of the cheap labor, favorable climatic conditions, and good home markets, the lack of cheap fuel is exceedingly detrimental to a large proportion of the industries of this country ; but fortunately large de posits of coal are now being discovered in the Republic. At Salinas, in the State of Coahuila, a large bed of coal is being worked by the International Railroad Company, which furnishes fuel for that road and even for a portion of the Southern Pacific Railroad and for some of the manufactories in Monterey. In the district of Tlaxiaco, in the State of Oaxaca, a very rich coal-field has been discovered, but for the present it is inaccessible and before a railroad can be built to tap it it cannot be used, as the expense of transportation would be exceed ingly high. Sonora contains a carboniferous area, several miles in ex tent, with innumerable veins from five to sixteen feet in thickness, of hard, clean, anthracite coal, carrying as high a percentage in fixed car bon as the best coal mined in Wales. The ledge is thirty miles in length and averages sixteen feet in width, showing a quantity sufficient to supply the entire Pacific coast with anthracite coal of the first quality for years to come. The configuration of that State and the proximity of the sea make it comparatively easy to work it. At Jiquilpan, State of Michoacan, almost immediately south from Negrete station on the Guadalajara branch of the Mexican Central Railroad, a large coal-field has been discovered. While it is not prob able that either anthracite or first-class bituminous coal will be found in these fields, still the great value of even an ordinary class of coal will be appreciated by those acquainted with industrial conditions in Mexico. The coal measures of the Chapala district probably belong to the tertiary period, and lie in stratified rock overlaid by an outflow of basalt or lava, at an elevation of 250 or 300 feet above Lake Cha pala. The general series of rocks has been examined and pronounced flDining. 25 as coal-bearing by an eminent geologist. The measures are quite ex tensive, being easily traced from Yurecuaro to near Ameca with oc casional interruptions through volcanic intrusion. The developments already made, show that the coal or lignite veins extend over perhaps thirty square miles. How much beyond these limits, it would be im possible to state. It exists in considerable quantities. There are a number of veins overlying each other, and varying from two inches to fifty inches in width ; but, as the explorations have not yet found the veins in place, it is impossible to say exactly what their condition will be. A feature which adds considerably to the value of these deposits is an extensive deposit of bog iron in the immediate vicinity. If further exploration discovers considerable quantities of commercially valuable coal, it is easy to estimate the results to the industries. Other beds of coal have been discovered but of less consequence, and in several of the northern states of Mexico there are known to exist large deposits. Mexican industries will be completely revolutionized when they can use cheap coal instead of wood for all purposes, thus cheapening the cost of manufacturing by using cheaper fuel, which is so important an item of expense in manufacturing. Mexican Miners. — While the laborers employed in Mexico will not compare in efficiency with the labor of the miner in the United States, jt must be borne in mind that the American miner works eight hours and receives $3 per day, or $6 in Mexican money, and $6 in Mexican money will employ from eight to twelve Mexicans, wages varying from 50c. to 75c. per day. As for the climatic conditions, it is only necessary to say that in all the mining districts of Mexico a miner can, work 365 days in the year. There is never any snow or cold weather in winter, and the heat in the summer is not so extreme as in St. Louis, Chicago, or New York, and never enervating,. A pair of ManketS-at night are- indispensable every night in the year. Mining Laws. — The mining laws of Mexico issued during the Spanish rule, which were kept in force until 1884, were both liberal and wise, and were intended to encourage mining. The domain of the mines remained in the Government and it gave temporary titles to any body who discovered one, and who was willing to work it, but only as long as work was done in the mine. When the discoverer or owner could not for any reason continue to work it, and allowed a certain time to elapse without doing any work, the mine reverted to the Government and anybody else willing to work it could obtain a tem porary title over it. This_system was changed, by our Mining Code of 1884, to the effect of giving the mines in fee simple to the discoverers of the "same^^TfetneTl'Hey were worked or not by those who_jdejuuuw;ed them, and the only cause for forfeiting the title is the failure to pay a *6 ©eograpbfcal Botes on flDejico. tax of $10 per pertenenciaj a " pertenencia " being our unit of a mining property and consisting of a hectare or a square ioo metres on each side, equivalent to 2.4.7 acres. The rights of the owner of the' land are not interfered with, and in case anybody discovers a mine upon another man's property, the landlord continues to own the surface, and all the discoverer is entitled to is the mineral underground and so much of the surface as is necessary to work it, for buildings and other mining requirements, and for that the owner of the ground is compensated by agreement, or, if no amicable agreement can be reached, by arbitration. Mining litigation is quite rare in Mexico, and it does not take long to get a final decision, as mining cases are tried before a single judge, and appeals lie to the Supreme Courts of the different states, and to the Federal Supreme Court in Mexico. To the honor of the courts in Mexico be it said, as may also be said of the judiciary in the States and the United States Federal Courts, they are above reproach. A concise statement of the provisions of the present mining laws of Mexico will not be out of place here. The law grants to all inhabitants of the country the right to acquire and work mines. He has to denounce a new mine. A denouncement means making a location. When the location of a claim has been determined upon, all possible data are obtained concerning it before the denouncement is made. It may be a rich old mine, and yet if the law has not been complied with it is subject to relocation. The law grants -to any inhabitant of the Republic the right to explore for mineral. All districts have their mining agents and all the prospector has to do is to have the regular form of petition used in making out a denounce ment, as it is called, made out and submitted to the mining agent of the district. If there does not happen to be a mining agent in the district, the petition is presented to the local postmaster. The expense of registering the petition is $1. After registering the petition, the mining agent has thirty days in which to appoint an expert to examine the property, who has eight days in which to reply to the summons, and if he accepts the service, the mining agent issues in duplicate a document stating that the claim has been denounced and directing ¦objecting parties to make known their prior claims within a period of four months from the date of the denouncement, or forfeit any right to the property. The charge of the expert for making a report upon the claim, to gether with the plans, is about $15 per claim and travelling expenses. The expert has sixty days in which to send in his plans and report. The notification that the property has been denounced is published in the official journal of the district, the cost of which varies in the • different states, from $2 to $4 being the usual fee. flDining. 27 The cost of making up a mining title is from $10 to $12. Titles, when once granted, unless fraud is shown, are irrevocable so long as the taxes areTpjiid, which are ten dollars per year oiLeacli."_pettejaen,G-ia," and no work or manual labor is necessary to hold the same. The taxes may be paid quarterly or annually, at the discretion of the holder, to the mining agent of the district in which the property is denounced, or by special arrangement they may be paid at the office of the Fed eral Treasury in the City of Mexico. After the title is granted, it must be registered in the district where the denouncement is made, and also entered upon the books of the stamp office, for which no fees are charged. MINTS AND DUTIES ON SILVER. Under the Spanish laws all silver paid a duty ; and as most of it was coined, that duty was levied on coinage, and the exportation of bullion was prohibited ; but of course a great deal was smuggled, both during the Spanish rule and still more when Mexico was opened to foreign trade after our Independence. When I occupied for the first time the Treasury: Department of Mexico in 1868. it seemed to me an outrage against the mining industry of the country to require the miners — especially those who were far removed from the mints — to take their bullion from the mints, at a heavy expense and risk, coin it there and take it back to the mines, and from there to the ports to be exported to London, where it was often again turned into bullion ; and as the contracts made with the lessees of the mints did not allow the free exportation of bullion, I proposed and succeeded in having en acted a law for the purpose of allowing bullion to be exported, pro vided that it paid the coinage duty at the respective custom-houses for the benefit of the mint's lessees ; and this condition of things, extra ordinary as it may seem, was a great relief to the silver producers, and continued until the Mexican Government could recover all the mints and be free to legislate on the subject, which it was able to do par tially during my last incumbency of the Treasury Department ; they all since having been recovered. We had thirteen mints in the countryjto coin the jjilyer_ extracted from our mines, which, in. the .precarious condition of the Mexican Treasury, were sometimes rented to private parties who advanced a sum that seemed large at that time, although it was a trifle in compari son to their profits, as they collected a duty of nearly 4^ per cent. upon the amount of bullion coined, and they credited to the Govern ment only i£ per cent, of the same, the laws requiring that_only coined silver could be exported. But now that silver can bejtransported easily from the mine to the mint, since a railway system_h.as_.bee.n built, the mints have D'eerf re'duced" to' four, — one in. the. City .of -Mexico, which 28 Geographical Botes on flDejtco. is the principal one ; one at each of the cities of Guanajuato, Zacatecas, and Culiacan, the last being the capital of Sinaloa. Besides the mint or coinage duties, silver was laxed-in. Mexico with an export duty which sometimes was as high as-twelve per. cent,. on the value of the silver, which, together with the mint duty, amounted to seventeen per cent, not taking into account-Other taxes and local duties. Only the rich character of the Mexican mines could stand that burden. The duties on silver have been readjusted and reduced consider ably, until now they only amount, as established by the law of March 27, 1897, to a coinage duty of two per cent, and a stamp duty of three per cent, which are paid at the Assay Office of the Mint when coined, or at the custom-house when exported in bullion, ores, or. other com pounds. When exported in ores in their crude condition, the duty has a rebate of ten per cent. A small duty representing the cost of the operation is also charged for assaying, refining, smelting, and separat ing the metals. SMELTING PLANTS. The Tariff Act of October 1, 1890, having levied a duty upon lead ore, which prevented that Mexican product from coming into the United States in the shape it had come before, the American com panies, who had been developing the lead ore in Mexico, established smelting plants in the country for the purpose of treating there the lead ore, and sending it as pig-lead to the United States. The smelting plants that have been established in Mexico, and their capacity and output, taken from official data received from the Mexican Government, up to December 31, 1896, are the following : Mexican Metallurgical Company. — This company, of which Mr. Robert S. Towne is president, obtained a charter from the_Mexican Government on March.20, 1890, to establish five smelting plants in Mexico, two with the minimum capacity of 200 tons a day, two of 150 tons, and one of 100 tons. The first one is located at Morales, five kilometres west of the city of San Luis Potosi. During the fiscal year 1895 to 1896, this plant received 62,370 and 020/1000 metric tons of ore from the States of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Mexico, Michoacan, Nuevo Leon, Queretaro, San Luis PotosiA and Zacatecas. This plant yielded during the same year 16,019 and! 070/1000 metric tons of base lead bullion, with 3,198,924.14 troy ounces of silver, valued at $4,882,177.50 ; and 8268 and 37/100 troy ' ounces of gold, valued at $161,338.63. National Mexican Smelter at Monterey. — This company, whose .president is Mr. Daniel Guggenheim, obtained a charter from the .Mexican Government on October 9, 1890, to establish three smelting plants in Mexico, two with a minimum capacity of 300 tons per day, ©rograpbE. 29 and one with 100 tons. The first plant is located in the outskirts of the city of Monterey, has ten furnaces of the water-jacket system, and seven smelting furnaces for lead ore. From July, 1892, to June, 1896, this plant has smelted 521,809 and 769/1000 metric tons of ore, yield ing 78,067 and 141/1000 tons of lead, with 515,382 kilograms of silver, with a value of $21,824,597.93, having used foreign coke to the value of $1,474,385.81, and Mexican coke to the value of $73,268.08. Central Mexican Smelter. — The second smelter of the Guggenheim Company is located at Aguascalientes. It has a department for con centrating copper ores, one for smelting the same ores, consisting of three furnaces, and another with four furnaces for smelting lead ores. This plant smelted from the 26th of December, 1895, 606 and 190/1000 tons of lead, containing 6502 kilograms of silver and 28 and 71/100 kilograms of gold, with a value of $341,091. Velardena Mining Company. — This company, whose president is Mr. Edward W. Nash, obtained a charter from the Mexican Government on May 15, 1893, for the construction of two smelting plants in Mexico, with a capacity of 200 tons a day each. From November 30, 1893, to June 30, 1896, this plant smelted 110,000 tons of ore, yielding 9069 and 680/1000 tons of lead containing 1,850,685 troy ounces of silver and 6192 ounces of gold. The Chihuahua Mining Company. — This company, whose president is Mr. John B. Shaw, obtained a charter from the Mexican Govern ment May 26, 1893, and is located near the city of Chihuahua. Up to July 28, 1896, it had smelted 28,555 tons of lead ore, yielding 3761 tons of lead and 529,450 troy ounces of silver. The Mazapil Copper Company, Limited. — This company established a plant at Concepcion del Oro, Zacatecas, and has smelted 5000 tons of lead ore containing silver. Sabinal Mining and Smelting Co??ipany, Chihuahua. — This company owns the mines of Santa Juliana and Santa Inez, which yield 30 per cent, of lead, with a mixture of silver, and smelts their ore, notwith standing that the cost of a ton of coke amounts to $37.50. La Preciosa. — A smelter under that name has been established at Tepeyahualco, State of Puebla, but I do not have any data about the company owning it, and the date of its contract with the Mexican Government, nor the amount of ore smelted there. The Boleo Smelter. — I have already spoken of this plant, which smelts copper ores at Santa Rosalia, Lower California. OROGRAPHY. Mexico is traversed by two cordilleras or high ranges of mountains running almost parallel to the coast, one along the Gulf of Mexico and the other along the Pacific Ocean. The former runs from ten to 30 Geographical Botes on /IDejico. one hundred miles from the coast, leaving an imperceptibly inclined plane from the sea to the foot of the mountains ; while the cordillera on the Pacific side runs, on the whole, very near the coast, leaving a very narrow strip of land between the same and the sea, and from this run several branches in different directions. The most continuous range is the Sierra Madre of the Pacific, which may be traced, at a mean elevation of over 10,000 feet, from Oaxaca to Arizona. Parallel to this is the Lower Californian range (Sierra de la Giganta) 3000 feet, which, however, falls abruptly eastwards, like the Atlantic escarp ments. The California peninsula seems to have been detached from the mainland when the general upheaval took place which produced the vast chasm now flooded by the Gulf of California. Corresponding with the Sierra Madre on the west are the more interrupted eastern scarps of the central plateau, which sweep around the Gulf of Mexico as the Sierra Madres of Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas at an elevation of about 6000 feet. These are crossed by the routes from Tula to Tampico, the highest pass being 4820 feet ; from Saltillo to Monterey 3400, and at several other places. Of the central cross ridges the most important orographically and historically is the Cordillera de Anahuac, which surrounds the Mexi can (Tenochtitlan) and Puebla valleys, and which is supposed to cul minate with Popocatepetl and Ixtacihuatl. But these giants belong to a different or rather more recent system of igneous upheaval, running from sea to sea between 180 59' and 190 12' N. in almost a straight line east and west, consequently nearly at right angles to the main axis of the central plateau. The line is clearly marked by several extinct cones and by five active or quiescent volcanoes, of which the highest is Popocatepetl, lying south of the capital, nearly midway between the Pacific and the Atlantic. East of the central point of the system are Citlaltepetl, better known as the peak of Orizaba, on the co.ast south of Veracruz, to which correspond on the west the recently upheaved Jorullo in Michoacan, Colima (12,800) near the coast in Jalisco, and the volcanic Revillagigedo group in the Pacific. South of this line and nearly parallel, are the sierras of Guerrero, and south east of the Tehuantepec Isthmus those of Oaxaca and Chiapas towards the Guatemala frontier. In the same direction run the islands of Cuba and Hayti, which probably belong to the same Central American system. In the course of centuries these high mountains have become dis integrated by the rains and other natural elements, and a great many spaces between them filled up, forming a series of valleys and other spots quite delightful in climate and very rich in agricultural resources. This series of valleys, which we call the central plateau, runs from about one hundred and fifty miles east of the City of Mexico, travers ing all of Mexico in a northwesterly direction. So level is the plateau- ©rograpbg. 3> that even when there were no wagon roads in Mexico one could travel in a carriage from the City of Mexico to Santa Fe\ Baron Humboldt and other geologists considered the Cordilleras of Mexico as a portion of the Andes of South America, which originate in Patagonia, extend ing over the whole of that continent ; but researches were made spe cially by a corps of engineers, who surveyed Mexico during the French Intervention, arrived at a different conclusion, and consider that the Andes proper end in Panama, and that the Mexican Cordilleras are entirely independent from that lofty chain of mountains. In contrast with the plains and at times barren districts of the central plateau, it is occasionally broken by depressions of the soil, known as barrancas, descending sometimes one thousand feet and measuring several miles across, which are covered with a luxuriant vegetation of trees and shrubs, and watered by small streams running through the middle of the valley. Among the most remarkable ones are the barranca de Beltran descending the western slope from Guadalajara to Colima, and the barranca de Mochitilte from Guadalajara to Tepic. One of the pre-eminently interesting features of Mexico is the mountain of Jerullo, in this section, which has been born within recent times. The natives described to Alexander von Humboldt the con vulsions of the earth during its birth, and the frightful spectacle of the huge mass thrusting its giant shoulders among its neighbors, making room for itself in their ranks. The best way to illustrate the broken surface of Mexico is to give the altitudes of some of the principal localities, both from the coast to the interior and from the interior back to the coast, taken from the measurements made by the railroad companies and by the engineers of the Mexican Government in the national wagon roads where railroads are not yet running. I append to this paper a list of such altitudes, with their distances, whenever I have been able to find them, which I consider the best illustration that could be presented on this subject MOUNTAINS. Popocatepetl Orizaba Toluca Ixtacihuatl Colima Zapotlan San Martin or Tuxtla. Tancitaro Jorullo Tacana or Soconusco . Guarda Ajusco Cofre de Perote Zempoaltepec Pico de Quinceo Veta Grande Mexico Veracruz and Puebla. Mexico Mexico and Puebla. . . Jalisco Jalisco Veracruz Michoacan Michoacan Chiapas Federal District Federal District Veracruz Oaxaca Michoacan Zacatecas ELEVATION IN FEET. 17,54017,362 I5,OI9 16,07614,303 12,743 4,921 12,467 4,265 7,436 9,73i 13,628 13,41511,141 10,905 9,140 32 ©eograpbical Botes on flDejico. The above are the principal mountain peaks of Mexico, the first ten being volcanoes, with their heights according to the most recent measurements : HYDROGRAPHY. The eastern Mexican coast, washed by the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, is low, flat, and sandy, except near the mouth of the Tabasco River, where at some distance from the coast appear the heights of San Gabriel, extending northeast and southwest for sev eral miles ; but the majestic mountains of Veracruz, especially the volcano of Orizaba, visible for many leagues to seaward, form a pictur esque background which relieves the monotony of the shore region of that State. On the Pacific side the coast, although generally low, is here and there roughened by spurs extending from the cordillera to the ocean. The principal gulfs are those of Mexico, California, and Tehuante pec, the first of which ranks among the largest in the world. We are not blessed with good harbors on the Gulf coast. Vera cruz is an open roadstead, and we are now spending large sums of money in trying to make it a good port. Our best harbors are on the Pacific coast, as Acapulco, which is a large one ; Manzanillo, a very fine although a very small one ; and La Paz, on the Gulf of California. By artificial means we expect to improve our harbors considerably. The development of the harbor of Tampico is remarkable. A short time ago the depth of the bar roadstead was only eight or nine feet. Now steamships drawing twenty-four feet of water enter the port. The deepening of the entrance to the harbor has been accom plished by means of jetties, just as the mouth of the Mississippi was deepened by the Eads jetties. A very large part of the imports of Mexico enter now by the port of Tampico. The more noteworthy bays are those of Guaymas, Santa Barbara, Topolobampo and Navachiste, in the Gulf of California ; Concepcion, La Paz, and Muleje, on the west coast of the same gulf ; San Quentin, Magdalena, and Amejas, on the Pacific coast of Lower California ; and San Bias and Valle de Banderas, on the coast of Tepic. We have no lakes as large as those with which the United States is favored, and the Lake of Chapala, a beautiful spot where country houses are now being built, is the largest lacustrine basin in Mexican territory. The Valley of Mexico has six lakes, two of fresh and six of salt water. The other lakes in Mexico are Catemaco, in the State of Veracruz ; Cairel and Carpintero, in the State of Tamaulipas ; Encan- tada, in Tabasco ; Bacalar, in Yucatan ; Alcuzague, in Colima ; Cuit- zeo, Tacascuaro, and Patzcuaro, in Michoacan ; Yuriria, in Guanaju ato ; and Meztitlan, in Hidalgo. IbS&rograpbg. 33 Mexico has a great many islands, situated near the coast, although not any of very great area, the greater number being uninhabited, although some of them are very fertile, and could be the seat of a large population. Among the most important are : El Carmen, the largest in the Gulf of Mexico ; San Juan de Ulua and Sacrificios, opposite the port of Veracruz ; Mujeres, in the Caribbean Sea ; Guada lupe, about seventy-five miles from the west coast of Lower California; the Tres Marias group, about thirty miles from the same coast ; the Revillagigedo group, not far from the coast of Colima ; and adjoining the coast of the State of Michoacan, the Alcatraz Island. As I have already stated, Mexico has a very broken surface, with high mountains, causing streams to run down a very inclined plane, forming torrents with rapid cascades, which contribute to embellish the natural features of the country. These conditions, however, pre vent us from having large navigable rivers, and furnishing a cheap way of transportation, which is one of the greatest advantages the United States enjoys, and which so largely contributed in its early days to the development of the country, making transportation to long distances both easy and cheap. While the torrents descending from the mountains afford an immense water-power — which, in the course of time, may be used as a motor for industrial purposes — they meet when they reach a valley and run smoothly there through a ravine until finally they reach the coast, and it is therefore only at a compara tively small distance from the sea that they can be made navigable. Our principal rivers, measuring their positions from north to south, are the Rio Grande — which from El Paso, Texas, to the sea, is the boundary line between the two countries, and which used to be a large river ; but as it rises in Colorado and passes through New Mexico, and the inhabitants of both have taken for irrigation purposes most of the water that it carries, it becomes entirely dry during the dry season after the freshets, very much to the distress of the inhabitants of its borders from El Paso to Ojinaga, especially on the Mexican side, which has been inhabited for three hundred years, the people using the water for irrigation — on the other side there being hardly any population, — and now they find that their farms are entirely worthless for want of water. After passing Presidio del Norte, now called Ojinaga, the Con- chos River and other tributaries of the Rio Grande River supply it with water, although not to the extent it had before the water was taken in Colorado and New Mexico. The Mescala, or Balsas River, rises in the central plateau near the Valley of Mexico, passes by the State of Puebla to the southwest, by Mixteca of Oaxaca, and finally empties into the Pacific at Zacatula. As indicated by its name, it is, to a lim ited extent, navigable along its lower reaches ; above the bar it is accessible to small craft, which, higher up, are arrested by rapids, VOL. I — 3 34 (Beograpbical Botes on fliejfco. whirlpools, and a high cascade. The Panuco River rises north of the Valley of Mexico. Under the names of Tula and Montezuma it de scribes a vast semicircular bend towards the west across the Hidalgo^ uplands and collects the waters of the Huasteca of Veracruz and Ta- maulipas, beyond which it is joined by the various streams flowing from Queretaro, and finally empties into the Gulf of Mexico at the port of Tampico. The Tampico bar, improved by jetties, is now the best harbor on our Gulf coast The Rio Lerma or Santiago, the Tololotlan of the Indians, is also a considerable stream. By the riverain populations it is, in fact, known as the Rio Grande, while the inhabitants of Michoacan call it also Cuitzeo, from the large lake situated in their State. It rises in the State of Mexico in the very centre of the Anahuac plateau, and its farthest sources, issuing from underground galleries, descend from the Nevado de Toluca down to the twin lake of Lerma, the remains of an inland sea which formerly filled the Upper Toluca valley north of the Ne vado volcano. At its issue from the lake, or rather marshy lagoon, the Lerma stands at the great altitude of 8600 feet, and during its winding northwesterly course across the plateau, the incline is very slight. In this upland region it is swollen by several affluents, some of which, like the main stream itself, flow from lakes dotted over the table-land. After completing half of its course at La Barca, the Ler ma is still 5600 feet above sea-level. Here, some 280 miles from its source, it enters the large Lake Chapala, near its eastern extremity ; but about twelve miles below the entrance it again emerges through a fissure on the north side of the lake, and still continues to flow throughout its lower course in the same northwesterly direction. The Grijalva and Usumacinta rivers, rising in the State of Chiapas, after being joined by many others, some of them coming from Guate mala, empty into the Gulf of Mexico by one of its mouths at the city of Frontera in the State of Tabasco. The Papaloapam River rises in the State of Oaxaca, passes through the State of Veracruz, and emp ties into the Gulf of Mexico at the town of Alvarado, a few miles south of Veracruz. The rains increase considerably the amount of water in the rivers, but as their duration is not very long this soon subsides. When the streams rise near the sea, as is the case on the coast of Chiapas on the Pacific, they become so swollen immediately after the rains that it is impossible to ford them, and as there are no bridges, it is necessary to wait until early the next day when the freshet has subsided. Springs are rare, and some of the rivers run in deep mountain beds,, without receiving smaller tributaries, while the rapid evaporation on a. light soil, covering porous rocks, leaves the surface dry and hot and unable to support much vegetation beyond the cactus and low grasses. Climate. 35 We are blessed with quite a number of mineral springs, although very few of them are used, most of them being at places not easily ac cessible ; but in this regard I do not think we have any cause to envy any other country. CLIMATE. By looking at the map it will be perceived that Mexico, being inter sected by the Tropic of Cancer and stretching across eighteen parallels of latitude, must, from its position alone, necessarily enjoy a great diversity of climate. But from its peculiar configuration this feature is affected far more by the altitude of the land than by its distance from the pole or the equator. This is especially true of the more fertile and populous section lying within the torrid zone, where three distinct climatic regions are distinguished, not according to their hori zontal, but according to their vertical position. The warm climate has the heat of the torrid zone and prevails on the sea-coast in the sandy and marshy tracts fringing the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean, in other low places below 3000 feet above the level of the sea, and in some of the valleys higher than that, but protected entirely from the winds. But the night breezes refresh the temperature in the even ing and make it bearable during the day, the heat never being so oppressive as it is in summer in the more northern latitudes. This region is also much refreshed in summer by the rains, which are abundant and fall regularly during that season. The heat of the sun increases considerably the evaporation from the sea, and when the evaporation reaches the cool atmosphere of the sky, it is naturally con densed into water and falls in this region. The rains begin generally in June, increase considerably in July, and end in November, although this varies in different regions, the rains lasting longer in those near the sea than in the inland districts. They are so abundant that they form the main reliance of the agricultural industry, and there are few regions which use water for irrigation, depending entirely upon the rainfall ; therefore, when in a year by some atmospheric phenomena, the rains are late or very scarce, we had a famine in Mexico, which can now be averted by importing cereals through our railroads, as was the case in 1893. The rains fall regularly and at fixed intervals, that is, about from one to three hours every day, and after the rain is over, the atmosphere is clear and pleasant, and in well drained places the ground becomes dry, so that it causes no inconvenience to the in habitants. The rains have such a decided effect on the atmosphere that in most of the country the seasons are divided into the rainy and dry season, and very few realize what spring and fall mean. As our climate is so even, the trees do not lose their leaves at any given time, but one 36 Oeograpbical Botes on /IDejico. by one as they grow old and die ; and as the leaves die they are re placed gradually and imperceptibly by new ones, so that the phenome non familiar to northern latitudes, of trees losing all their leaves in the autumn and regaining them in the spring, is quite new to anybody going to a temperature that has both extremes. The differences of climate depending upon the different degrees of altitude are so great in Mexico that the vegetable products of this vast country include almost all that are to be found between the equator and the polar circle. The mean temperature in the hot region varies from 77 to 82 de grees, Fahrenheit, seldom falling below 60, but often rising to 100 degrees, and in the sultry districts of Veracruz and Acapulco occa sionally to 104 degrees, although the heat is not oppressive as is the summer heat of the eastern portions of the United States. The vege tation is, of course, in consequence entirely tropical. In the southern region the climate on both seaboards may be described as humid, hot, and rather unhealthy, and in places where stagnant water and marshes exist — which are often found on the coast on account of the sea water flowing in and remaining there — intermittent and remittent fevers pre vail, and in some localities during the summer yellow fever and black vomit are endemic. These conditions could easily be remedied by proper drainage of the swamps and marshy districts. The heat of the Gulf of Mexico when the atmosphere begins to cool in the polar regions causes a depression in the barometer, and conse quently very strong north winds, which sweep over the coast with ter rible force, causing great havoc. They generally begin in September and last until the winter season sets in about December. As the country is narrow, the effect of the north wind is felt all over it and that is the prevailing wind. In the City of Mexico, for instance, not withstanding its altitude and that it is protected by high mountains from the northern winds, the temperature falls when the northerns prevail on the Gulf coast, and it becomes cloudy and drizzly, and the same effect is felt, more or less, in other portions of the country. As the country narrows towards the southeast, especially at Tehuantepec, the northern wind blows with but small obstacles, and its force and effects are felt all over it. The districts in the mountains bordering the Pacific are affected in the same way as the City of Mexico. From 3000 to 5000 feet above the level of the sea is located our temperate zone, which succeeds the hot zone in a verticle position, and embraces all the higher terraces, and portions of the central plateaus themselves. The mean temperature is from 62 to 70 degrees, Fahrenheit, varying not more than 4 to 5 degrees during the season, thus making one of the very finest climates on the face of the earth. In this privileged region both extremes of heat and cold are unknown, Climate. 37 and it has several cities — Jalapa and Huatusco in the State of Vera cruz, Chilpancingo in Guerrero, Ameca in Jalisco, and many others too numerous to mention here. As these places are generally located on the slopes of mountains and not far removed from the ocean, the evaporations from the sea form clouds which are detained in their course by the high peaks and are precipitated into rain. In this region the semi-tropical productions are abundant, and with them are often combined the products of tropical and cold regions. I have seen in my own native place, the city of Oaxaca, located in the temperate region, a farm where wheat and sugar-cane were growing on the same piece of ground. The cold region is located from 7000 feet above the sea-level up wards, and has a mean temperature of from 59 to 63 degrees, Fahrenheit. Most of the grand central plateau is located in this region, except in such places as are in a great depression of ground and in deep ravines, where a warm temperature and tropical products are found. The rainfall is about five times less than in the temperate zone. This region, of course, produces all the growths of the cold latitudes, as wheat, oats, apples, etc., etc. The portion of the country that is most thickly inhabited lies in the central plateau, and is quite high above the level of the sea, and so sheltered from the winds and storms by the mountains as to make the climate even, temperate, and delightful. The impression pre vails in the United States that Mexico, lying to the south and run ning towards the equator, must be much warmer than this country ; but this is not so. Even in warm places, like the lowlands on the coast, we do not have the extreme hot weather that is experienced in summer in the United States. The sea breezes refresh the atmos phere at night and cool it considerably, making, therefore, a very great contrast with the summer heat in this country. The medium climate of the Valley of Mexico, for instance, which is the one that has been best observed and understood, varies comparatively little between summer and winter, its greatest variations being between day and night on the same day. The climatic conditions of Mexico are undergoing great changes on account of the destruction of the forests. The country had formerly a great deal of rain and much humidity in the atmosphere, being covered with thick forests ; but with the difficulty of transporting the coal already found, the population has had to depend entirely for their supply of fuel upon charcoal, and this has in the course of time denuded the mountains, changing very materially the climatic con ditions of some regions in the country. But in the lowlands, being thinly inhabited, the case is different, and the country is still so thickly wooded that it is impossible to pass through it, unless an open path 38 (Beograpbfcal Botes on flDejico. is made with a great deal of difficulty, by felling very high trees and low brush and weeds. In this region abound forests of mahogany, cedar, rosewood, etc. I will later state more in detail the conditions of the fuel question in Mexico. As a whole, the Mexican climate, if not of the most invigorating nature, is certainly one of the most delightful in the world. The zone of temperate lands, oceanic slopes, enjoy an everlasting spring, being exposed neither to severe winter, nor to intolerable summer heats ; in every glen flows a rippling stream ; every human abode is embowered in leafy vegetation ; and here the native plants are inter mingled with those of Europe and Africa. Each traveller in his turn describes the valley in which he has tarried longest as the loveliest in the world ; nowhere else do the snowy crests or smoking volcanic cones rise in more imposing grandeur above the surrounding sea of verdure, all carpeted with the brightest flowers. In these enchanting regions there is still room for millions and millions of human beings. The following table prepared by the Meteorological Observatory of the City of Mexico shows the meteorological conditions of the principal Mexican cities during several years, their elevation upon the sea-level being marked in metres and the temperature under the Centigrade scale. SUMMARY OF THE METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS TAKEN IN SEVERAL CITIES OF MEXICO DURING SEVERAL YEARS. LOCALITIES. Monterey, N. L Saltillo, Coah Culiacan, Sin Mazatlan, Sin Zacatecas, Zac San Luis Potosi, S. L. P Pabellon, Ag Aguascalientes, Ag Huejutla, Hid Leon, Gto Guanajuato, Gto Tuxpam, Ver Guadalajara, Jal Queretaro, Que Pachuca, Hid .......... San Juan del Rio, Que.. Patzcuaro, Mich Mexico, D. F Tacubaya, D. F Puebla, Pue Tlacotalpam, Ver. . . . Oaxaca, Oax 25 40 25 =5 24 48 24 II 22 46 22 9 22 4 21 53 21 41 21 7 2120 59 20 41 20 35 20 7 19 4g 19 31 19 26 19 12 19 03 18 36 17 04 E ° J5° 495 1633 34 4 2496 18901924 1861 376 1798 2060 1567 1850 2460 19762138228223222172 3 IS4I 7°9 632 754-9 759-3573-4613.4607.8605 7^5-1 617 601 763.0 636.2613." 574,8 586.4583.6 593-2 760.4 636.6 TEMPERATURES IN THE SHADE. 33-234-0 35-934-121.833-9 24.0=9-S 34.0 35.6 3°-7 35-5 33-1 27.2 31.628.6 ¦7 —2.8 12.510.3 6.1 -1.8 12.2 -4-5 —'¦7 0.8 — 1.1 "k'.'n' 16.8 25.625.2 13.217.418.2 18.6 23.0 18.917.624.5 1Q.7 20.6 N. N.W. S.E. W. S.S.E. S.W. N.W. 4.14.2 S.W. 3-5 E. 4-3 E. 5.0 S.W. 4-7 E.N.E. 4.8 N. S.E. N. N.W. S.E. E. W.S.W. N. N.N.W. W. E. N.E. N.E. W. N.W. N.W.N.E.N.E. W. mm. 3413-5 5^7-3 125.2 519-2819. 1 389.0 537 -° 542.2 2019.3 729.8 964.5 1654-3 861.9602.2436.8 567.1 1110.4 614.8 668.1926.0 2264.0 649.3 SUMMARY OF THE METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS TAKEN IN SEVERAL LOCALITIES OF MEXICO, DURING THE YEAR 1869. LOCALITIB5. 2I°4Q 19°!! 210 g 21° 1 19° 31 2I°2I21° 7 30° 38 23° 13 2o°55' 1 90 26 Aguascalientes Colima (Seminario) Colima Guadalajara Guanajuato Jalapa Lagos Leon Magdalena.. Mazatlan Merida Mexico (Central Observat.). Mexico (National School of Young Ladies), Monterey 25" 40 Morelia 190 42 Oaxaca 17"" Pachuca 200 7 Puebla (Catholic College). . . 190 2 Queretaro 200 36 Real del Monte 200 8 Saltillo 250 25 San Luis Potosi 220 9 Silao 200 56' Toluca I9°I7 Trejo (estate ofl 200 56 Veracruz igr Zacatecas 220 46 Zapotlan i9°36 1939 .0 487.7 1580.8 2060.8 1450.0 1912.51798.61508.0 7-5 15-3 2277.5 BAROMETRICAL PRESSURE REDUCED TO O0. mean. max. mm 71S.3 634.7601.6649.36135617.3 495-6 1951.0I574-I 2425.0 2167.7 1850.0 2772. 2[ '645-5 189O.31848.O 2625.O I4.6 2443.OI562.O 759-8760.5586.2586.2714.9 608.8636.9 573-5594-o 616.0548.6632.3556.1 616.2 556.6 762.5572-9636.8 mm. 610.1 639.7606.5 618.6 622.8 764.9 769.9 591-9 591-5 728.7613.3 642.2578.9598.0621.4552-3 636.5 560.3 621.9560.5 766.1 577-4 640.4 mm. 601. 1 630.1 596.1 607.9611. 2 749-3749-4580.5580.5703.4 604.1 632.5569.1 589.0609.6543.0 624.1 551-9 609.3551-9 760.4568.0633,6 TEMPERATURE IN THE SHADE. m n mx. mm 24.8 25.8 19.9 18.4 18.518.4'9 22.025.425-8 16.816.3 22.9 16.8 25.0 16 34-437 363433-534.034-740.033-540.531.831.0 43.8 3i-5 36.0 30.73i-534-526.534-328.2 32.428.7 -0.8 9-4 31 32.035-9 2.95-6 -3-6 2-4 1. 1 11. 7 12. 1 i-51.0 —3-5 i-5 3-i 0.2 1.81.0 O. I —4.2 -3.8 4.0 -3.8 15.9 —5-2 6.0 a 749-2 1597-8 504.2 J779-4 395-J314.0 594914.7452.0 424 628619 700.226 687. 289 435713618,347- 618647, '539- 473610. Rainiest Month. July, Oct., mm. 17.6 206.7 Aug., June, June,Oct.,July, Aug., July,June,Oct., 379.0 100.3 396-4 87.8 113.4 417.0180.9 294.0 105.0 July, July, Sept., Sept., June,Sept., 106.0 i3J-9112. 2 89.7 146.7 74-5 Oct.,Sept., July, July, Sept., July, Nov., July, 216.0 41.4 86.4 164.0183.4 359-1J77-5 260.5 Highest rain fall in 24 hrs. 13 Oct., 8 Oct., 31. 1 4 Oct., 5 June, 7 April, 21 June, 8 Aug., 16 Sept., 6 Oct., 23 June, 18 July, 23 June, 2 April, 37-4 47-6 36.6 50.424.8 47.0 93.040.5 33-240.576.8 7 Oct., 19 Aug., 34 o 78.6 5-i5-2 4,84.06.23-94-9 3.24-9 5-i 5-o 4.6 5 5 4-5 3-83-74-i3-74.63-54.6 5-25-6 Dominant direction. W. S. W. E. *N. E. S. E. S. W. S. W. N. E. N. E. N. W. W. N. E N. E N.E.iS N. N.EN.EN.E E. N. E. 1-5 2.1 1-7i-9 1-4 i-53-3 o-5 i-4 i-4 2-30.7 2.2 2.92.6 Prevailing direction. E. & N. W. S. W. N.E. E.N. E. N. N. E. S. S. w. w. N. E. N. * N. W. N. W. N. E. S. S. W. N. W. N.E. E.E. N. N. E. N. *S. S.E. W. W. * W. S. W N.E. S.W. S.E. ex 16.7 6.7 36.0 15-6 6.2 15.0 11. 3 .8.7 20.0 18.0 20.0 12.211. 7 10.016.7 17. 1 18.0 EVAPORA TION. *3sr 4.6 4.0 3-22-3 3-9 2-32.0 2-3 4-8 6.96.1 4-1 1-7 2.4 1-7 4.0 2. 1 7-7 7-9 8.2 =J ..... ja 6.9 »-t- 7.8 o 6.0 6.0 9.6 3-3 3-o 4© Geographical IHotes on flfoejico. The table on page 39 shows the results of the meteorological ob servations taken in the principal cities of Mexico during the year 1896. Professor Mariano Barcena, director of our National Meteorological Observatory or Weather Bureau, furnished me the following data about the maximum and minimum of temperature and greatest oscillation both in summer and winter of several cities in Mexico, located both at the sea-level like Merida and Mazatlan, at different altitudes like Jalapa, San Luis Potosi, Oaxaca, and at the highest level like the cities of Mexico, Pachuca, and Zacatecas, showing the mildness of the Mexi can climate. CITY OF MEXICO. Maximum temperature in the shade in summer 84.9, May 5th. Maximum temperature in winter 72.0, December. Minimum temperature in winter 32.9, January and February. Greatest oscillation in one day in winter* 13.7 Greatest oscillation in one day in summer 32.9 PUEBLA (STATE OF PUEBLA). Maximum temperature in the shade in summer 83.8, April. Maximum temperature in winter 74-7, February. Minimum temperature in winter 32.9, January. Greatest oscillation in one day in winter 36.3 Greatest oscillation in one day in summer 34.4 OAXACA (STATE OF OAXACA). Maximum temperature in the shade in summer 93.7, May. Maximum temperature in winter 83.1, February. Minimum temperature in winter 39-2, January and December. Greatest oscillation in one day in winter 39. 1 Greatest oscillation in one day in summer 37.8 JALAPA (STATE OF VERACRUZ). Maximum temperature in shade in summer 89.6, April. Maximum temperature in winter 87.1, December. Minimum temperature in winter 33.8, February. Greatest oscillation in one day in winter 35.3 Greatest oscillation in one day in summer 32.0 QUERETARO (STATE OF QUERETARO). Maximum temperature in the shade in summer 90. 1, April and June. Maximum temperature in winter 80.4, December. Minimum temperature in winter 32.9, January. Greatest oscillation in one day in winter 39.4 Greatest oscillation in one day in summer 34,7 Climate. 4* GUANAJUATO (STATE OF GUANAJUATO). Maximum temperature in the shade in summer 91-9, April. Maximum temperature in winter 82.0, February. Minimum temperature in winter 36.0, January. Greatest oscillation in one day in winter 36. 7 Greatest oscillation in one day in summer 36.7 LEON (STATE OF GUANAJUATO). Maximum temperature in the shade in summer 91.6, May and June. Maximum temperature in winter 77-°, February. PACHUCA (STATE OF HIDALGO). Maximum temperature in the shade in summer 80.2, May. Maximum temperature in winter 770, December. Minimum temperature in winter 32.4, December. Greatest oscillation in one day in winter 33.3 Greatest oscillation in one day in summer 28.6 REAL DEL MONTE (STATE OF HIDALGO). Maximum temperature in the shade in summer 80.2, March. Maximum temperature in winter 74. 1, January. Minimum temperature in winter 31.6, January. SALTILLO (STATE OF COAHUILA). Maximum temperature in the shade in summer 89.6, April. Maximum temperature in winter 75. 7, January. Minimum temperature in winter 12.2, February. Greatest oscillation in one day in winter 32.8 Greatest oscillation in one day in summer 25.6 MERIDA (STATE OF YUCATAN). Maximum temperature in the shade in summer 103.6, April and June. Maximum temperature in winter 92.8, January. Minimum temperature in winter 47-8, February. Greatest oscillation in one day in winter 37.1 Greatest oscillation in one day in summer 38.7 MAZATLAN (STATE OF SINALOA). Maximum temperature in the shade in summer 91.0, September. Maximum temperature in winter 84.0, December. Minimum temperature in winter 15.8, February. Greatest oscillation in one day in winter 16.9 Greatest oscillation in one day in summer 17.5 MEXICO AS A SANITARIUM. Although the City of Mexico, on account of its present unsatisfac tory sanitary conditions, of which I will treat in speaking of that city and which I am sure will be remedied before long, cannot be consid ered now as the best place for invalids, there are many other localities in the country presenting great advantages as sanitariums. 42 (Seograpbical IRotes on flfcejico. The mild nature and evenness of most of our climate is very favor able to certain diseases — especially pulmonary ones — and when that advantage becomes well known the central plateau of Mexico will be the best sanitarium for lung diseases, and especially for tuberculosis. Other lung diseases requiring a warmer climate could find desirable places in certain valleys in the temperate zone like Cuantla, Cuerna vaca, Tasco, Iguala, and others. These very conditions, namely, the even and mild climate both in summer and winter, will make it a coun try visited by thousands of pleasure or health seekers who wish to escape both extremes of the northern climate. Even now we would have a much larger travel from this country if we had convenient ac commodations for travellers, but our hotels are not yet as comfortable as those in the United States. FLORA. The short and imperfect description of the climate of Mexico, made above, will show that we can raise all the products of the three different zones into which the earth is divided, and the most re markable thing is that we can raise them almost on the same ground. By going only a few miles, for instance, travelling on horseback four or five hours from a low to a higher locality, we change from the torrid to the temperate zone, and therefore we can have the products of both with comparatively little trouble ; and by going four or five hours higher still, we change from the temperate to the frigid zone, and these are advantages of our geographical position which can be appreciated only by those who have experienced them.1 1 Mr. Charles Dudley Warner, editor of Harper's Monthly Magazine , in a brilliant article published in the July, 1897, number of that periodical, gives the follow ing description of the rapid descent from the cold to the temperate and hot regions of Mexico, which may be considered as a specimen of the scenery in many other localities of that country. In many other places, where there are no wagon-roads, but only a footpath, the descent is a great deal more rapid, often 5000 feet in four or five miles, and then the contrast is still greater. At Maltrata for instance, an Indian town about 5000 feet above the level of the sea, the natives offer their tropical fruits to the passengers of the Mexican Railway going from Veracruz to the City of Mexico, and they leave with what they have left after the train starts to climb the mountains to the Central Plateau to an altitude of about 9000 feet, and they reach Esperanza, the first station on the Central Plateau far ahead of the train, which has to describe a long, zigzag course before getting there. I have selected the following ex tract from Mr. Warner's article because it relates to one of the historical places of Mexico : "Cuernavaca is distinguished as the actual meeting-place of the pine and the palm. It lies only a little more than fifty miles south of the City of Mexico ; but in order to reach it there is a mountain to be crossed which is at an elevation of over ten thousand feet. A railway climbs up this mountain, over the summit, to a wind-swept plain, in the midst of pine forests, called Tres Marias — marked by the sightly peaks of the Three Marys. By long loops and zigzags it is crawling down the mountain on fflora. 43 The Mexican Southern Railway, from Puebla to Oaxaca, descends in a few hours, by a series of fertile terraces, from an elevation of seven thousand feet to one of about seventeen hundred and fifty feet, when ths wonderful Canon de los Cues is reached, a region of cocoa-nuts and bananas. But all the valleys and terraces in March are green or yellow with wheat and corn and sugar-cane. It confuses one's ideas to pass a field of wheat, the green blades just springing from the ground, and then a field ripe for harvest, and then a threshing-floor where the grain is being trodden out by mules. This means that you can plant and reap every day in the year, if you can obtain water in the dry season, and do not wait for the regular and copious summer rains. The magnificent arboreal vegetation embraces one hundred and fourteen different species of building timber and cabinet woods, includ ing oaks, pines, firs, cedars, mahogany, and rosewood ; twelve species of dyewoods ; eight of gum trees : the cacao and india-rubber, copal, liquid-ambar, camphor, turpentine, pine, mezquite yielding a substance the other side to Cuernavaca. Mexico City has an elevation of seven thousand five hundred feet, Tres Marias of about ten thousand, and Cuernavaca of five thousand. The descent by the wagon-road is in length only twelve miles, but the drop in that distance is five thousand feet, so that the traveller passes very quickly from temperate to tropical conditions. ' ' From the heights Cuernavaca seems to lie in a plain, but it is really on a pro montory between two barrancas, and the whole country beyond is broken, till the terraces fall off into more tropical places, where the view is bordered by purple mountains. Indeed, the little city in the midst of this tumultuous plain is surrounded by lofty mountains. The country around, and especially below to the south, is irri gated, and presents a dozen contrasts of color in the evergreen foliage, the ripening yellow crops of sugar-cane and grain, the clusters of big trees here and there about a village or a hacienda, and the frequent church-towers. All this is loveliness, a mixture of temperate and tropical grace, but there is grandeur besides. Looking to the east, say from the Palace of Cortez, over the fields of purple and green and yellow and brown, where the graceful palms place themselves just as an artist would have them in the foreground of his picture, the view is certainly one of the finest in the world. There is in the left the long mountain range with the peaks of Tres Marias, and along the foot of it haciendas and towers, cones of extinct volcanoes and noble rocky promontories. To form the middle-distance mountains come into the picture, sloping together to lead the eye along from one "value" to another, violet, purple, dark or shining as the sun strikes them, while on the left is a noble range of naked precipices of red rock, always startling in color. It is some two thousand feet up the side of one of these red cliffs that there is the remains of an ancient city of Cliff-dwellers — almost inaccessible now, but once the home of a race that understood architecture and knew how to carve. The lines of this natural picture, the fields, the intervening ledges, the lofty mountains, all converge to the spot the artist would choose for the eye to rest, and there, up in the heavens, are the snow-clad peaks of Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl, about seventeen thousand five hundred feet above the sea, volcanic creators of the region, and now undisputed lords of the landscape. In the evening these peaks are rosy in the sun ; in the morning their white immobility is defined against the rosy sunshine." 44 (Beoarapbical iRotes on ZlDejfco. similar to gum-arabic, dragon trees, and the almacigo or Callitris quadvalvis, from which sandarac is extracted. Among the oil-bearing trees and plants, of which there are seventeen varieties, are the olive, cocoa palm, almond, sesame, flax, the tree yielding the balsam of Peru, and others. There are fifty-nine classified species of medicinal plants, and many more are mentioned by botanists as still unclassified by science. Of the many delicious fruits which grow in the tropical regions, only a few — the pineapple, the banana, and the cocoa-nut — are known in this country, the orange being rather a semi-tropical fruit. The others require, as all fruits do, cultivated taste, and, therefore, if im ported here would not find a market. Even those which do come here are of very inferior flavor, owing to the fact that they are cut green so as to prevent their decay during transportation, and they, of course, have a less agreeable taste than in the place where they grow. Of the banana, for instance, we have about twenty varieties, some of which — the richest in my opinion — grow to a size from twelve to fifteen inches in length and from two to three inches in diameter. We can raise in Mexico all the products of the world because we have all climates, from the perpetual snow to the burning sun of the equator ; but it would take a great deal more space than I can dispose of in this paper, to mention all the agricultural products we can raise, and I will, therefore, confine myself to only such as I think are now of more importance. Coffee. — Mexico has many localities well suited for the raising of coffee, and the production of that berry can in the future be very largely increased. In the proper locality, namely, zone, ground, and climate, coffee can be raised on a large scale at comparatively small cost, affording always a large profit, whatever may be in the future its price in foreign markets. I have had personal experience in coffee-raising, having made a coffee plantation in the district of Soconusco, in the State of Chiapas ; and I took especial interest in visiting other plantations, both in Mexico and Guatemala, where coffee had attained a large development. My experience has shown me that the best zone for coffee is located between one and five thousand feet above the level of the sea, as coffee is not a product of the hot but of the temperate zone. On the highlands, as a rule, the quality of the coffee is better and the yield large, while the lowlands give an earlier but smaller yield. There are coffee planta tions in Mexico, almost down to the level of the sea, which are yielding coffee, and from that to the elevation of six thousand feet, producing also a very good quality of coffee. For further information on this subject, I refer the reader to a treatise on coffee-raising on the south ern coast of the State of Chiapas, which I published in the City of jflora. 45 Mexico in 1874, and which contains detailed information on the sev eral factors affecting that industry. It is interesting to know the production of coffee in Mexico, taken from some statistics for 1896 : Cordoba produces 10,000,000 lbs. Huatusco and Coatepec 10,000,000 Oaxaca 6,000,000 Tabasco 5,000,000 Chiapas 3,000,000 Other districts 26,000,000 60,000,000 lbs. Sugar-Cane. — Mexico has many localities where sugar-cane can be raised at a very small cost, and where that industry can be made very lucrative, although we hardly produce enough sugar for our home con sumption. From the sea-level to the frost line, which ranges, in differ ent localities, from three to five thousand feet above the sea-level, sugar-cane can be raised in Mexico to great advantage. I have seen the cane in some places, especially in Soconusco, attain a height of twelve feet and a diameter of about five inches ; and in some localities it lasts from ten to eighteen years without need of replanting, and can be cut for grinding twice a year. When it is considered that in some places, like Louisiana, sugar has to be planted, as I believe, every two years, and that it is liable to be destroyed by frosts, the advantages of Mexico for that industry are apparent. The favorable conditions of Mexico for raising sugar-cane are so great that I have seen the natives in the Indian town of Loxicha, in the State of Oaxaca, plant a small plot of sugar-cane, grind it with primitive wooden mills moved by hand power, using very primitive earthen pans, to evaporate the juice and make brown sugar — losing of course a great part of the saccharine matter in the cane, — transport the sugar, sometimes a distance of thirty miles on mule-back, and sell it at one cent per pound, and still make a profit. For sugar-cane the lowlands are the best, and the plant is essen tially a tropical one. It will grow, however, at very considerable alti tudes, but when planted in the mountains it takes a longer time to ripen, and soon ceases to give remunerative crops. There was in southern Veracruz a sugar-cane only six months old which had a circumference of 7J inches. Where that cane grew the yield of cane per acre was about 80 tons when twelve months old. The elevation was something like 1000 feet. It is true, however, that the bulk of the cane grown in Mexico is to be found above 2000 feet, but I am convinced that a lower altitude would produce even better results. Tobacco. — Among the tropical products of superior quality that we 46 (Seoarapbfcal Botes on /IDejfco. raise in the hot zone, I should mention tobacco, the Mexican tobacco being, in General Grant's estimation, superior to the Hayana article. The natural conditions of soil and temperature are the same in Cuba and Mexico, but we had not the superior experience of the Cubans in curing the leaf until the late insurrection broke out in Cuba, in 1868, when a great many Cubans went to Mexico to plant tobacco. As the land has been planted in Cuba with tobacco for nearly four hundred years, and as tobacco is a very exhausting crop, it has become indis pensable to manure the land with guano, while in Mexico we have virgin land, and tobacco being a comparatively new industry, no guano needs to be used. General Grant, whom I consider a competent judge, detected the taste of guano in the Havana cigars, of which ours is free, and he, therefore, preferred to smoke the Mexican cigars. In Cuba the exhausted soil cannot produce all the leaves that are required for the world's supply of Havana cigars, and the want can only be filled through the use of Mexico leaf tobacco, the weed produced in other countries having similar conditions. The Marquis de Cabanas sent to Sumatra a quantity of seed when it became obvi ous that the soil of the tobacco region of Cuba was fast being worn out. He sent seed also to Java and to the United States, but it was found that it was impossible to raise tobacco of the quality of that raised in Havana anywhere but in Mexico. That raised in Java from Havana seed was very coarse and rank, replete with nicotine and meconic acid, and devoid of those delicate essential oils that give the Havana and Mexican tobacco their fine aroma. The tobacco plant is a native of the tropics, and thrives best in the hot lands. It is a hardy plant, however, and will grow well in northern latitudes in the summer time. It often happens that the land in the tropics is actually too rich for the successful cultivation of tobacco. India-Rubber. — The lowlands of Mexico, especially those adjoining the Pacific Ocean and which have a very warm and moist climate, are very well adapted for the india-rubber tree, which attains a large size and yields a considerable amount of india-rubber. We used to have whole forests of them, which fact shows that they were in their proper conditions of soil and climate, as they could outgrow the rank vegeta tion of the tropics, and prevent the growth of most of the other large trees in the forests ; but india-rubber gatherers have destroyed most of them, and I imagine that there is a comparatively small number left. I have always thought that the production of india-rubber would before long cease to be sufficient to supply the demand, and that, therefore, the value of that article would increase with the lapse of time. Now it is to be expected that the enormous expansion during the last few years of the cycle-tire, electrical motor-car, cab, and kindred industries will lead to the bestowal of increased attention on fflora. 47 the world's rubber supply, which is so intimately associated with the existence of these industries. Thinking that a plantation of india-rubber trees would be very re munerative, I devoted considerable attention to that subject, and in 1872 started one of 100,000 trees in a place admirably located for the purpose, bordering on the Pacific Ocean and between two large rivers, in the same district of Soconusco. In an article published in 1872, under the title " India- Rubber Culture in Mexico," I compiled all the information on the subject that I could obtain, supplementing it with the experience that I had acquired. Unfortunately, for reasons of a political nature, I had to abandon that plantation, and when the trees that I had planted grew large enough to yield rubber, they were tapped by the natives and entirely destroyed, but my work gave me an experi ence which I considered of great value. For further information on this subject I refer the reader to the above mentioned article. The india-rubber trees that grow in Mexico are not the Haevea guianensis that grows in Brazil, but the Castilloa elastica, and if we have any of the Haevea guianensis I have not seen them. Enough has been written lately on rubber cultivation to show that the profits, in Mexico at least, would be very great ; indeed, 300 per cent, on the capital invested is a possible return, after five years, from cultivating Castilloa elastica in that Republic. This is a return which provides plenty of margin for contingencies. Rubber-growing is no longer in the experimental stage, as witness the plantation of La Esme ralda, in Oaxaca, to which further reference is made below. Culti vated india-rubber plantations are few, for the reason that, in some degree like the coffee plant, the india-rubber tree requires a long period of continuous cultivation before making any return to the cultivator. Mexico affords excellent opportunities for the development of this admittedly profitable industry. On this point the authority of Sir Henry Nevil Dering, the British Minister to Mexico, who, in a recent report to the Foreign Office on the cultivation of india-rubber, says : " The regions most favorable for the growth of this important, yet rarely cultivated, india-rubber tree are the plains of Pochutla, Oaxaca, and also along the banks of the Copalita River where the tree is found in astonishing numbers. Few are the plantations of india-rubber trees existing in the Republic of Mexico. The principal one is La Esmeralda, in Juquila, Oaxaca, which has over 200,000 trees, eight years old." According to the same report the total ex pense for five years' cultivation of a " rubber plantation of 100,000 trees will not exceed $25,000 in silver and the yield of 100,000 trees at the first year's harvest will bring the planter f 120,000, besides the product obtained from the corn, vanilla beans, cacao, and bananas raised from side planting. The net profit on the investment, after de- 48 ©eograpbical Botes on /Ibejico. ducting the entire cost of the land and all expenses up to the first year of harvesting, will be $95,000, and each of the succeeding harvests, for twenty-five or thirty years, will bring a steady income of over $100,000." This is 400 per cent, per annum net profit on the invest ment. These calculations are based upon the production of a five- year-old tree, but the report adds that " this product will be gradually increased every year for the next four or five years." Cotton. — We have many regions in Mexico very favorably located for the cultivation of cotton. I am aware that the cotton-growers of the United States hold that what they call their cotton belt has pecul iar conditions for the production of their staple, which, in their opinion, do not exist in any other portion of the globe, and they believe, there fore, that nobody can compete with them in this regard. Without any intention of depreciating the advantages of the cotton belt of this country, I am of the opinion that there are in Mexico lands as well adapted for the production of cotton as the best in this country, and in some regions perhaps better ; yet, notwithstanding these advantages, and although our wages are low, cotton is produced cheaper in the United States, and is sold with profit by the planters for one-half the price that it commands in Mexico. So great is the difference in the price of this staple in the two countries that, notwithstanding an import duty on cotton of eight cents per kilogram, or almost five cents per pound, which is equivalent to fifty cents ad valorem, we import from this country a very large portion of the cotton we manufacture. I do not overlook the fact that cotton is raised here by negro labor, which is considerably cheaper than white labor, but, even assuming that wages in this case be the same in both countries, the difference in cost is so great that some other factor besides labor must enter into the ex pense of production. As our cotton manufactories are increasing, more especially be cause of the protection afforded to home products by the depreciation of silver, we now produce only about one half of the cotton we manu facture, and have to import the other half from the United States ; but I am sure that before long we shall not only produce enough for our own consumption but also for export. Agave. — The whole central plateau abounds in many species of agave, which are used for several purposes. In the eastern portion of the plateau, that is, from the City of Mexico towards Veracruz, in the region called the Plains of Apam, the agave yields a large quantity of a white juice, similar in appearance to milk, which when fermented is used as a tonic, and is an intoxicating beverage. The amount of alco hol it contains is small — about 7 per cent., I believe — but imbibed in large quantities it is quite intoxicating. The use of this beverage, called pulque, has become very extensive in Mexico, and it must have jflora. 49 very superior qualities both as a tonic and nutritive, when many live on nothing but corn and pulque. In the mining districts, where a great deal of nervous force is expended working in a high temperature and under very unhealthy atmospheric conditions, this drink is almost indispensable, and I imagine that when a way is discovered to keep it for some time, and its medicinal qualities become better known, it will be exported in considerable quantities and used by foreign countries. From the agave of other districts a drink is made called mescal, which has some remarkable therapeutic properties, the most celebrated being made in a district of the State of Jalisco called Tequila, from which it takes its name ; and in the very dry and stony regions of Yuca tan another species of agave grows, which seems to derive its food wholly from the atmosphere, yielding a very good fibre, much like ma- nilla, which we now export in large quantities, particularly to New York. All the agave yields a first-class fibre as raw material, either for paper or cordage — some of it being rather coarse, like the Yucatan henequen, and some of it almost as fine and glossy as silk, like pita. Henequen. — By far the most important of our fibre industries is the cultivation and preparation of the fibre known as " Sisal hemp," so called from the name of the port from which it used to be principally exported, and in the United States as " henequen hemp." The plant which produces it is a species of agave which flourishes to best ad vantage in stony and arid land at the level of the sea. The present prosperity of the state of Yucatan, a large proportion of which is too sterile to yield any other crop, is due almost entirely to the develop ment of this industry. The plant requires very little cultivation, and the separation and cleaning of the fibre is effected very cheaply. The yield of fibre is estimated at the rate of iooo to 1200 pounds per acre. Pulque. — The pulque plant is indigenous to Mexico, often growing wild on the uplands, where for months and years at a time no rain falls ; and it is also largely cultivated on the Plains of Apam, a large tract of land lying in the States of Mexico, Puebla, and Hidalgo, about sixty miles east of the City of Mexico. The plants are trans planted when two or three years old with much care, then cultivated in fields especially prepared for the purpose, each acre containing from 360 to 680 plants. Nature requires the plant to be milked, when the liquor is ready to flow, for the use of man, else the superfluity of juices will cause the growth of a thick stem from the centre of the plant, which shoots up some ten or fifteen feet, putting out branches at the top, with clus ters of yellowish flowers. These branches are symmetrical, and the effect is like a lofty, branched candlestick. When the pulque is first extracted, before the process of fermenta tion sets in, it is sweet and scentless, and in this state is preferred by VOL. I — 4 50 ©eograpbical motes on flDejfco. those unaccustomed to the drink. The fermentation takes place in tubs constructed for the purpose, and to aid or expedite the process a little " madre pulque," or pulque mother, is added, which hastens the chemical change. At times fermentation is retarded by a cold spell at the vats. When the laborer draws the sweet sap with his rude siphon, made either of a gourd or a calabash and a hollow horn tip, he dis charges the contents into a pig- or goat-skin swinging at his back. The " agua miel " in this stage is like a green water in appearance and taste. Soon carbonic acid is formed, and it becomes milky, and resembles in taste very good cider. The amount of carbonic acid contained is so great, and the decomposition so incredibly rapid, that in a few hours it would become vinegar if not closely watched. To prevent this the pulque dulce, or sweet pulque, is poured into a tinacal — an oxhide strapped to a square wooden frame, and capable of holding a consid erable amount of the liquid. These tinacals are of various sizes, to meet the emergencies of the situation. To the sweet pulque is added an equal proportion of milk, and then a slight dose of infusion of rennet. This is not enough to coagu late it, but sufficient to induce a slight amount of putrescence, as in cheese. The putrid odor and flavor of pulque as sold in the pulque shops is due to the rennet alone, for the belief that this is caused by the flavor of the pigskin, in which it is brought to market, is without foundation. From the tinacal it is poured into a hogshead by means of pigskins, and it is transferred to the barrels of venders from the hogsheads of the " haciendado " by means of the same skins. The plants are wholly independent of rain and storm, and are of a beautiful deep-green color. The pulque is carried every day to the City of Mexico, by special trains, in " barricas," or large tierces, and by " cueros de pulque," or pigskins filled with the liquid. The plant does not arrive at maturity or yield its sap before its eighth year. During the growth of the plant a central bulb is formed for its coming juices. This is scooped out, leaving a cavity or hole large enough to hold a few quarts. This cavity is made in the bottom and middle of the plant. The juice exudes into this cavity and is taken out daily by being sucked into a long-necked gourd on the siphon principle, by the Indian laborers, and then poured into the tubs taken to the fields and then removed to the vats. The outlay on each plant up to maturity is calculated generally at about $2, and the return is from $7 to $10, according to the size of the plant. Its period of production is about five months, and each plant supposed to yield from 125 to 160 gallons of liquid during that time. The principal regions for the cultivation of the maguey are the arid limestone chains of hills, and here, in many places, the hole for the iflora. 51 reception of the young plant is made with a sort of crowbar with a sharp point, used principally in the quarrying of tepatate, the chief building material of the Mexican capital. It is usual to aid the young plant by putting some good soil into the hole. These young plants are suckers which the mature maguey throws out on all sides, and which have to be removed before the heart is tapped for the sweet sap, which is the " agua miel," or honey water, of the pulque. The leaves of the pulque plant are long and pointed, with prickles along the edges. Sometimes these leaves are very large, and the bunches of them springing from the common stalk are enormous. The bruised leaves are made into a kind of paper — a rather tough, stiff, and hard paper — and they are also used in their natural state as a thatch for the roofs of the common huts or houses occupied by the peons. A kind of thread is also made from the fibrous texture of the leaves. A rough needle and pin are made from the thorn, and from the root a cheap and palatable food is made. Cactus. — Mexico is often called " the land of the cactus," and the multitudinous development of cactus forms in that country cannot be appreciated by any one who has not seen them in their home in the hot land. There is a species known as the giant or candelabra cactus, which has a single stem, from which spring innumerable branches, the whole plant resembling an immense candelabrum. I have seen in Oaxaca, some candelabra cacti about twenty feet in height by thirty in diameter. Some cacti shoot in single, column-like stems, others run like leafless vines, and others resemble needle cushions stuck full of needles. Cocoa. — Cocoa is produced in several localities. That of So conusco, in the State of Chiapas, is of so excellent a quality that when Mexico was a colony of Spain it was the only kind used by the Spanish royal family. On account of the expense and difficulty of transportation, and the cultivation of cheaper quality in other locali ties, the production has dwindled down to an insignificant amount, and now hardly enough is grown to supply the demand in that dis trict ; but it is universally acknowledged that the Soconusco cocoa is the best in the world. The best elevation for cocoa is from 300 to 1000 feet, and the tree seldom thrives well at an altitude exceeding 3000 feet. Warmth and moisture are necessary for the successful cultivation of this plant. The State of Tabasco produces a very good quality of cocoa, although it cannot be compared with that of Soconusco. In other places it grows very well also, but for various reasons the production, instead of being developed, has dwindled down until it is not enough for home consumption, and we have to import some, especially from Venezuela and Ecuador. One disadvantage of the cocoa industry is 52 ©eograpbical IRotes on flbejico. that the tree requires several years to reach maturity and to bear fruit, and few investors can afford to wait the necessary time. Vanilla. — The vanilla bean grows very luxuriantly on the Gulf coast of Mexico, and it has been for some time a very profitable production, especially in the counties of Papamtla and Misantla, in the State of Veracruz, on account of the excellent quality of the bean and the high price which it brings. It grows in a region which is subject to intermittent and remittent fevers, and sometimes yellow fever, and where labor is very scarce ; for these reasons it has not attained a greater development. I hardly think there is any locality where the vanilla vine grows better than in Mexico. Vanilla requires a hot, moist climate, and, therefore, the lowlands are best suited for its culture. Very little of the vanilla produced in Mexico is at present grown at an elevation exceeding iooo feet. At the same time it is claimed that in some places it thrives up to 3000 feet. The vines will usually produce considerable vanilla in the third year, and they will yield considerably more during the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh years, and the production then begins to decrease. But before this time new rootlets have been dropped from the old plants, which form new vines that take the place of the old ones ; thus the plantation is kept in a state of continued production. The central portion of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec is one of the most suitable re gions for its cultivation, as much wild vanilla is found growing in the forests there. The Mexican vanilla dealers have established five grades, namely : First, vanilla " fina," or legal, the beans and pods of six and a half inches long, or upwards, short in the neck, sound and black, and the beans which become split or open, provided they have the foregoing qualities and the split does not extend more than a third of the pod. This class is again divided into "terciada," which is composed of the shortest pods; " primera chica," " primera grande," " marca menor," and " marca mayor,'- the largest of all. Second, " vanilla chica," those pods which differ from the "terciada" only in being shorter, two of them counting as one of the first class. Third, vanilla " zacate," the pods of all sizes, which are off color through being gathered before becoming properly ripe, or being over-cured ; " pescozuda," "vana," " cueruda," and " aposcoyonada," names for pods in a more or less damaged condition. Fourth, vanilla " cimarrona," the wild vanilla in good or fair condition, three pods counting as one of the first class. Fifth, the " rezacate," composed of the very short pods ; of those split all the way up to the stalk, of the badly damaged, of the very immature, and of the greatly over-cured ; of this, six pods count as one of the first class. fflora. 53 After the sizing and classification are finished, the pods are tied up in bunches of 100-150, so as to weigh one pound, and wrapped in filtering paper and tin foil. Silk Culture. — The mulberry-tree and silkworm industries have a very great future in Mexico, and are destined to produce a veritable revolution in the industries of the central plateau of that country. The mulberry tree can be grown in Mexico almost to an unlimited ex tent, especially in the central plateau, and, as wages are low, the raw silk can be manufactured at a great profit. Several experiments have been made on a small scale, more particularly in the Valley of Mexico, by Mr. Hipolito Chabon, a gentleman of French descent, and he has obtained most satisfactory results. I have no doubt that the time is not far distant when the silk industry will assume great proportions in Mexico, and we will be able to stand among the foremost silk-producing countries of the world. Cochineal. — The cochineal is a bug which feeds on the cactus ; and which, when fully developed, is brushed off the cactus leaves and roasted to prevent decomposition, being then ready for market. It is raised to great advantage in Mexico, and especially in the valleys of the State of Oaxaca. When it was the only article used to dye red it was very valuable, commanding sometimes between four and five dol lars per pound, and it made the wealth of that State. But recent dis coveries in chemistry have supplied other substances for dyeing which are very cheap, especially aniline, and the price of cochineal has fallen considerably, so that now it is hardly raised at all. When it had a high price, it was raised in Guatemala, and it was the beginning of the wealth of that State. It is now raised, I understand, in several other countries. Rice. — Rice grows very well in Mexico, and I have not seen any district where it is necessary to inundate the fields to favor its produc tion, although I understand it is also raised in that way in some locali ties. It is generally planted just as wheat and barley are in the United States, needing no irrigation and depending entirely on the rainfall. I imagine that raising rice by inundation would be more expensive, and also be dangerous, because it could not fail to affect the salubrity of the country. Chicle, or Chewing-Gum. — This article, like many others, grows wild in Mexico, where the demand that has arisen for it in the United States has begun to develop its production. For some time past the shipments from Mexico have been on an increasing scale, owing, no doubt, to the comparatively high prices which ruled early in 1896. Every year a larger extent of forests is worked for chicle, result ing in a steady growth of the production since the gum first became an important commercial article, about ten years ago. Prior to that 54 ©eograpbical Botes on flbesico. time 7 or 8 cents a pound was considered a good price, and in 1896 it was sold at 36 cents. The importation into the United States con stitutes almost the entire production, and the amounts and values are thus officially reported by the Statistical Bureau of the United States for the fiscal years ending June 30 : 1894. 1895-96. Chicle 1,903,655 lib. 3,618,483 lib. Value $490,438 $1,167,101 Average 25^ cents per lib. 32 cents per lib. The following statement has been compiled from official data col lected by the Mexican Government, the value of the chewing-gum being in silver : Year. Pounds. Value. 1885-86 929,959 $ 156,402 1886-87 1,254,853 353,641 1887-88 1,542,794 371,673 1888-89 2,037,783 592,810 1889-90 1,827,131 714,242 1890-91 2,457,653 1,284,682 1891-92 2,494,177 703,572 1892-93 1,757,813 705,167 1893-94 2,645,722 803,019 1894-95 1,668,636 679,367 1895-96 3,297,37i 1,527,838 Total 21,913,932 $7,892,413 Yuca. — Yuca, or starch-plant, called manioc in South America, is a bush from four to six feet high, having tubers, like horse-radish, six to ten to every plant, and weighing from one to twelve pounds each. It is an important product of Chiapas and may be sown at any time, but it is better to do so from the stems when the rains begin, say in the month of May, by opening ditches five feet apart, and planting the cuttings, eight inches long, in them consecutively, leaving one foot be tween. Vegetable and sandy soil is best adapted for it, although it can be planted and will thrive in any kind of land. In arid and hard soil it needs plowing. If the land has been thoroughly cleared before planting it requires but little weeding during cultivation. A year after being sown, if the soil is rich, it will begin to yield tubers which must be dug up at the time the tree begins to flower. In replanting after digging the tubers, a slip is left standing and this will bear in twelve months. Besides extracting the starch from the tubers, the leaves are used as fodder for stock. Sir Henry Dering, the British Minister to Mexico, sent recently to the Foreign Office some practical notes on the cultivation in Mexico of the " Yuca" or cassava plant, pineapple, ginger, " chicle " or chewing- Jflora. 55 gum, sarsaparilla, jalap, licorice, canaigre, and ramie, and I shall quote here from his notes on some of those products. The yuca is to the peon, in the tropical section of the Republic, what potatoes are to the poor and working people of Ireland. Yuca is a native of the country, and its rise dates back before the conquest of Hernan Cortez, and it has always formed a portion of the food of the ancient and present Mexicans, especially those living in Veracruz, Oaxaca, Chiapas, Tabasco, and Yucatan. It has been estimated that the returns of yuca cultivation are immense ; the yield of an acre contains more nutritive matter than six times the same area of wheat. Ginger. — Ginger is found growing wild in various parts of Mexico. The returns from an acre of land vary considerably, but when culti vated under favorable conditions, the crops ought to be 4000 pounds and upward. A ten-acre patch would yield annually from $5000 to $7000. Canaigre. — Though for years canaigre has been used in Mexico, both for medicinal and tanning purposes, it has but recently attracted the attention of the outside commercial world as a valuable source of tannic acid. The result of investigations has been to create a great demand for canaigre in the tanning business of European countries, and more recently in the leather-making centres of the United States. The only supply now to be obtained of this plant is from the wild growth along the rivers and valleys of Western Texas, New Mexico, and Mexico, and a fear has been felt for some time that with the con stantly increasing demand the present sources of supply must become exhausted. Peppermint. — Water mint (menfha vulgaris) thrives very well on the central plateau of Mexico and in some sections of the warm zone, especially along the rivulets and small lakes. There is no reason why the peppermint (menfha piperita), as well as spearmint and tansy, should not grow in abundance in Mexico, as they belong to the same family and require the same climatic conditions. As the oil of pep permint is very extensively employed in medicines and the arts, the cultivation of this plant will be profitable to Mexico. Cabinet and Dye Woods. — In the low, hot countries we have all the cabinet woods growing wild and a great many dye woods, some of which are indigenous to Mexico, like the Campechy wood, not being found in other countries. It would take too long to enumerate the different kinds of cabinet woods we have, and I will only say that it happens with them as with our fruits, that only such of them as have been introduced here, like mahogany, cedar, rosewood, ebony, and a few others, are known in this country and in Europe, while hundreds of other kinds as hard as those and of as fine, if not a finer grain, are found in the wild woods of Mexico. 56 (Beograpbical Botes on /FDejico. Grasses. — In the lower regions of Mexico, especially at the sea-level, we have various grasses which can be grown at very little expense and which make very good food for cattle, fattening them very much, and in comparatively short time. While I lived in Soconusco, I used to buy lean cattle, three years old, at $10 per head ; and letting them pas ture on the grass, the expense being little more than that of a few men to take care of the cattle, without providing them with any shelter, pens, or anything of that kind, only giving them about once a month some salt, at the end of four or five months they became very fat and could be sold on the spot at $25 a head. The fattening grasses can be very easily cultivated, because they are of such rank growth that they do not allow any other vegetation to spring up on the same spot, and so save the expense of cleaning the ground of weeds ; which, in the hot regions is very great, as vegetation is there very rank. Alfalfa. — The alfalfa grows very luxuriantly in almost every place in Mexico, and it is so abundant there, that it has very little com mercial value. It is nowhere dried and kept for fodder, but of course such use can be made of it. Land good for alfalfa has a very low price, and we are greatly surprised when we hear that in California the alfalfa land is worth $100 an acre. Cattle Raising. — Mexico has special advantages for the raising of cattle, not only because of its mild climate, which renders unnecessary the many expenses required in the northern section of this continent, but also on account of the grasses that grow in several localities and that constitute very good food for cattle, as I have just stated. Mexico will be, before long, a very large producer of cattle and other animals, and they will form a large share of her exports. Mexico has sent within two years about 400,000 small undeveloped cattle to the United States at about $15, Mexican silver, per head, and has also sent nearly her entire output of cotton-seed meal to the United States and Europe at about $16, silver, per ton. The meal sent to the United States is fed to cattle. The Mexican cattle sent there take the place of the better stock which is sent to Europe, causing virtually a five-thousand- kilometre railway haul against the short haul in Mexico to reach the coast. In addition we have to pay import duties in the United States. This is a sufficient evidence that a large profit could be made by fat tening cattle with the cotton-seed meal in Mexico, and shipping the fattened cattle direct to Europe, even using the best cattle of the country. But rapid improvement should be made in the class of cattle for beef purposes. Cotton-seed meal is the feed to be relied on chiefly. The quantity of it produced already is sufficient to fatten a large num ber of stock. The cattle should also be fed with a small amount of corn along with the meal during the last month of feeding to harden and whiten the meat, as feeding only with cotton-seed meal makes the jflora. 57 meat dark, and militates against its selling value to some extent, and the corn can be easily and profitably supplied. The total cost of fat tening a steer should not reach $15 silver. There is an unlimited de mand in Europe for choice meats at about 12c, gold, per pound, and no import duties have to be paid. Poor classes of meat are a drug in all markets of the world. With these great advantages placed within easy reach, the producers in Mexico of grain and stock have a guarantee of ready sale at good prices for all they can produce. Inquiry was made in Liverpool about the possibilities of the Mexi can live-animal trade with England, and it was found that the initial difficulty is the small size of the Mexican cattle, as cattle weighing 1200 pounds are considered small by the trade there, and from 900 to 1000 pounds is therefore extremely small. The smallest Texan cattle ever imported in Liverpool averaged 1226 pounds. The best Mexican steers can be made to weigh 1200 pounds if well fattened. The difference in cost of transportation on account of lighter weight is but small in proportion to the cheapness of Mexican cattle. Cattle breeders in Mexico, on the whole, have not advanced much in developing good breeds of cattle. They do not appreciate their value, nor would they pay one-half their actual cost, though they can be had from the United States at half of what they would cost from Europe. Herefords are the best breed. I am sure that the rail roads will do all they can to encourage that industry by charging as low rates as possible, as they would thus develop an industry which in the course of time would become very profitable to them. A great need of Mexico is a reliable supply of good and healthy water through artificial means, well distributed over the stock ranges to prevent the great loss by death through lack of water, as well as the heavy shrinkage of meat and tallow, by so much unnecessary travelling of stock to water. They cannot grow fairly, much less fat ten, and over one-half the annual increase die of exhaustion, while the value of the stock lost in one year would supply permanent water at convenient distances and prevent three-fourths of the loss and shrink age now sustained. It has been amply proved that stock water can be secured under the most unfavorable conditions. It would be to the advantage of the breeder to import some Eng lish short-horn bulls, with the object of breeding larger cattle, so as to make profitable the export of cattle to England, as animals should weigh from 1200 to 1300 pounds. This has been done in Texas and in the Argentine with beneficial results, and the improvement in the cattle from the latter place has been most marked during the last five years. With the proper attention, the same good results could be achieved in Mexico. The English steamers that bring a large quantity of merchandise 58 (Beograpbical Botes on flbejico. to Mexican ports have trouble in even securing ballast to get out of those ports, and have to traverse the Gulf and United States coasts to secure loads for the return trip. Their owners are willing and ready to supply facilities for the exportation of live stock and frozen meats if assured of a sufficient traffic to justify them in the expense, for they pre fer reloading direct for Europe to going elsewhere for freight. The time required to return direct from Mexican ports is but little more than from New York and Baltimore, and is sufficiently short to warrant good service in transportation of live stock, and the cost would prac tically be the same as from United States ports. The United States is beginning to export beef and stock from Galveston to Europe, which is practically the same distance as from the Gulf ports of Mexico. Mexico could export annually and easily after the next ten years 400,000 of fattened cattle, which would increase considerably the amount of our exports, and this trade would greatly assist the develop ment of many other industries. The desired result in question could be hastened by mixing good foreign labor with the native labor. The latter would be better fed, clothed, and educated, as well as encouraged, taught, and compelled to do better work, and thus the country's physical and mental welfare would be greatly promoted. Sheep. — The same conditions apply to the sheep and wool industry. It is a great mistake for the Mexican sheep-owners to raise a class of sheep that yield each only from one to two and one-half pounds of very coarse and inferior wool, annually, while they themselves wear goods manufactured from foreign wools, and the domestic-cloth manu facturers are also under the necessity of importing largely of fine wools. Mexico possesses natural resources for producing all the wools of every grade that she needs, with a large quantity over for export, not to speak of choice grain-fed mutton for domestic and foreign consumption. The custom of killing so much poor stock is a terrible waste of re sources, as one well-fattened animal will render twice as much as a thin or poor one. Products of Cold and Temperate Regions. — I will not speak of the products of the cold and temperate regions of Mexico, such as Indian corn, wheat, oats, barley, and others, because their cultivation is well understood in the United States, and I could say here nothing new to the American reader, but will only state that they all grow very well in the proper regions of Mexico. FRUITS. We produce in Mexico a great many tropical fruits that are not sent to the United States because there is no market for them for the reason that they are not known here. Some of them are delicious, jfruits. 59 and with the facilities of communication, I have no doubt that they will become known and a taste will be developed for them in this country. I will speak here only of such of our tropical fruits as come to the United States. The advantage of tropical fruits growing in their proper zone and climate is immense, as the expense of planting and cultivating them outside of their proper limits is very great and there is always danger of their destruction. Oranges. — Orange trees, like any other fruit trees, depend in Mexico on the rain, and, except in a private garden or private grounds, are not irrigated. While the orange tree is a hardy plant, it thrives best and yields the most luscious fruit in the tropics. Elevation exceeding 2500 feet is not, as a rule, desirable for orange culture. The advantages of irrigation in orange culture are great in the sub tropical regions of Mexico. The fruit of the irrigated orange tree is of a very superior quality, while the tree itself has a longer lease of life and is less subject to attacks from insects and diseases of a fungoid nature. One of the conditions primarily requisite to the growing of a marketable orange is that the trees be watered at judiciously regulated intervals during and for a short time after the blossoming season. At tacks from insect and fungoidal pests, which are most disastrous, and to which the trees are peculiarly subject during the blossoming period, are rendered even more dangerous by the prevalence of a considerable amount of humidity in the atmosphere which is always conducive to the development of parasitic germs or fungoidal spores. An abund ance of moisture in the ground but a comparatively small amount in the air is the condition most to be desired during and just after the blossoming season. This is to be had by irrigation, but, generally speaking, not without it. Under irrigation, the soil is also much less subject to deterioration, owing to the superior fertilizing properties of water taken from wells and streams. Rain water, aside from contain ing a small percentage of ammonia, which it receives from the air, only acts as a medium to transmit the nutriment from the soil to the tree, while water taken from wells or streams holds in solution the renewing materials which are directly communicated to the plant proper. In the more elevated orange districts of Mexico, the trees should be watered about once every twenty days during the dry season. In some places our oranges are as sweet as if they had been preserved in sugar, and this, notwithstanding the fact that no attention is paid to their cultivation, that they grow almost wild, and without irrigation. I think that the distillation of orange blossoms would prove very profitable. The production of flowers per tree is given at from 22 to 55 pounds in the case of sweet oranges, and from 60 to 100 pounds per tree from the bitter variety. 60 ©eograpbical Botes on flbejico. In flavor and productiveness the Mexican orange is unsurpassed. In the majority of the districts but little care or attention is given to the cultivation of the trees. Scientific orange culture in Mexico is practically unknown. The introduction from other countries of dif ferent varieties of the plant for experimental purposes is just being commenced. The price of oranges in Mexico at the present time, in districts reasonably near lines of transportation, is about $n per thousand, Mexican money, on the tree. It is the practice of the producer to sell the fruit on the trees, the buyer picking, packing, and shipping it at his own expense. About one hundred trees are usually set out to the acre, the average yield being from 800 to 1000 oranges to the tree. I know of trees in Mexico which have a record of having produced 10,000 oranges. This, however, is very exceptional. A properly cultivated and prudently managed grove at the end of five years' growth should prove as profitably as a coffee plantation of the same size, at the end of five years. The production of the orange trees begins in the third or fourth year and increases up to the twelfth, and, in some cases, to the fifteenth or sixteenth year. It is considered best to cut the fruit up to the fifth year, not permitting it to mature. A book prepared by Frederico Atristain, entitled Cultivo y explota- cion de Naranja, and published by the Department of Fomento of the Mexican Government, contains a great deal of reliable information on the subject of orange culture in Mexico. After an orange tree has been yielding sweet oranges for many years, it very likely exhausts the substances of the earth which give the sweet taste to the fruit, and it begins to lose its sweetness, until finally, if the land is not manured, as is almost always the case in Mexico, the oranges become bitter. A recent cyclone, which lowered considerably the temperature in Florida, destroyed in one day, I understand, about 12,000,000 orange trees, thus causing ruin or serious loss to thousands of men engaged in that large industry, while the orange region in Mexico is entirely free from frosts and consequently from such dangers. Lemons. — In the hot and temperate regions of Mexico lemons grow very well. There are some districts of the country, like Soconusco, where the natives plant the lemon trees very close together, for the purpose of making a hedge or fence, and, notwithstanding that the trees have not the necessary conditions of sunlight and air for their proper development, they grow very well. I do not know of any place in Mexico where lemons have been cultivated for commercial purposes ; but I am sure they could be made a very lucrative industry. ffruits. 6 1 Limes and Shaddocks. — Lime trees prosper very well in Mexico, bearing large amounts of delicious fruit. I have not seen in the United States any of our limes, at least such as are imported here are not like ours, and I have no doubt that if known our limes would find a good market in this country. The lime should not be planted at an altitude exceeding iooo feet. We grow also a very large kind of shaddock, which we call " toronja," and which is not imported in this country, but which if known here would find a good demand. It grows very luxuriantly and attains at times a very large size, even eight inches in diameter, having a very thick peel. Bananas. — The banana thrives anywhere from the sea-level to an elevation of 5000 feet, and is one of the many Mexican fruits which yield to the planter an immense profit. The whole Mexican coast produces the banana spontaneously and in very great abundance. On the lands near the sea, at an elevation of 600 to 700 feet, large planta tions of bananas can be started at a cost of five cents per plant, in cluding all expenses. At the end of the first year, the plants begin to bear, and 1000 plants, which have cost $50, will produce $1000 as a minimum. The following year the yield is double that amount, and almost without expense. At the end of one year, the plant produces one bunch which is worth in the United States from 75 cents to $1 gold, the cost to the farmer being not more than 25 cents per bunch in Mexican currency. After the first year, the sprouts from the old plant grow up and give double the first year's yield. There is perhaps no tropical plant easier of cultivation than the banana. The suckers having been planted out at the commencement of the rainy season, they will grow vigorously, and produce fruit in about a year. The land must be kept free from weeds, and an oc casional turning up of the soil will prove beneficial. Before the plant throws out its flowering stem, suckers will make their appearance above the ground, and these will require careful attention. While the plant is young, all the suckers except one should be cut away, the best plan being to sever them with a sharp spade. Thus all the vigor of the plant is thrown into the fruiting of the first stem, and the growth of the one to supplant it, and, in this way, fine large bunches can be reckoned on. The second stem usually produces a finer bunch of fruit than the first, but, as the land becomes exhausted, the bunches of course decrease in size, and this shows the necessity for manure in some form or other. Bananas are used extensively as shade for young coffee and cocoa trees, and in places where an export banana trade has been established, the formation of a cocoa plantation is a very inexpensive matter, as the return in fruit from the bananas will pay for the cultivation of the cocoa until the trees are able to give a small crop. 62 ©eograpbical Botes on flbejico. The important feature, and the one upon which the success and profit of the industry depend largely, is that of cheap and certain trans portation facilities. That requisite is easily obtainable ; for instance, there are extensive and cheap lands for sale along the Tampico branch of the Mexican Central Railroad, from which the fruit can be shipped either all by rail, or by rail to Tampico, and thence by boat. We have many kinds of bananas in Mexico, of different sizes, colors, and flavors, ranging in length from two to eighteen inches, and from one-half of an inch to three inches in diameter. The largest, which in some places are thought unfit for food, are in others, like So conusco, considered the best ; very likely on account of their different quality. When roasted the latter are very juicy, and taste exactly as if they had been preserved in sugar. Some people on the coast live al most entirely on bananas, this fruit forming their principal food. The banana is likewise a tropical plant, and thrives best on the lowlands. Pineapple. — The Toltecs and Aztecs knew how to cultivate the pine apple, and when the Spaniards conquered Mexico, they found the fruit in the markets of the towns on their way from Veracruz to the great Tenochtitlan. "From time immemorial," Sir Henry Dering says, " the pineapple has been cultivated in Amatlan, a town five miles south of Cordoba, from where the ancient Mexicans used to get their main supply." Now it is grown in tropical Hidalgo, Puebla, Veracruz, Tabasco, Chiapas, Oaxaca, Morelos, Guerrero, Michoacan, Colima, Jalisco, and Tepic. " Besides the fruit being very delicious and whole some,'7 Sir Henry Dering says, " a fine wine and vinegar are made of the juice. The leaf furnishes a fibre of extraordinary strength and fineness, making it even more valuable than the fruit. The fibre is made into ropes, cables, binding twine, thread, mats, bagging, ham mocks, and paper. A pineapple rope three and a half inches thick can support nearly three tons. A textile fabric as fine and beautiful as silk is made of this fibre too. It is believed that the fine cloth of various colors used by the upper classes among the Aztecs was made of the pineapple fibre. The modern Mexicans do not manufacture it much now, except in the Isthmus, where the Zapotec Indians still make a cloth from it and from wild silk. One cause for its disuse is the slow and wasteful manner in which it is separated." Pineapples will grow at elevations of from 2000 to 3000 feet above the level of the sea, but the best and most delicate fruit is produced on the lowlands. Cocoa-Nut. — We have in our lowlands near the sea many kinds of palms called corozo, bearing different kinds of fruit, growing in large bunches and the fruit very abundant, being in the shape of a small egg, very rich in oils, and making also a very good food, although it is hardly used now for any purpose. The palm tree bearing the cocoa-nut grows, of course, very luxuriantly, and does not require any care after -jflowers. 6s it is once planted. The cocoa-nut prefers the sea-coast and high tem perature. The saline breezes from the sea are very beneficial to it. I have not seen in Mexico the species of palm bearing the date, perhaps because it has not been planted there ; but I am sure that we could raise it, as we have several sections with a climate similar to that of Egypt and Asia Minor, where the date palm grows so well. Mangos. — The mango is a very fine fruit, but requires a cultivated taste, and is generally disliked the first time it is eaten. It has a very large bone, although that is not the case in fine qualities, called Manilla mango, which has a very thin one and a great deal of pulp. The mango occasionally comes to the United States, but being a very frail fruit, has to be taken from the tree when very green. It does not ripen well, and, if taken when beginning to ripen, it reaches its desti nation in a decayed condition. Alligator Pear. — The alligator pear is one of the most delicious fruits that we raise in Mexico, and is properly called vegetable butter, being a good substitute for butter. It is not eaten by itself ; the most usual way to eat it is in salad. We have several kinds and sizes of this fruit. The seed of the alligator pear is oval-shaped and quite large, about 4 inches in length by \\ in diameter, and of some oily substance, which, I have no doubt, has some good medicinal properties. Mamey. — The same is the case with the seed of the mamey, a fruit unknown in the United States, having a red pulp, and a very large seed covered with a thin shell. The Indian women extract an oil from that seed and use it for their hair, and I think it must have many more useful medicinal properties. A great many other of our fruits have seeds containing substances which I have no doubt will be found, when analyzed, to be very valua ble to therapeutics. Zapote. — The zapote is one of our tropical fruits which does not come to this country. I have just heard that the seeds of the zapote have recently been found by a Mexican doctor to be a very good nar cotic, which does not produce the ill effects of the drugs now in use. Papaya. — This fruit, which grows in our hot lands resembles the melon in shape, pulp, and seeds, but its color is of a yellowish-red. It was considered a very common fruit, but recently it was found to be a powerful digestive, and it is already used in Europe as a medicine under the name of Papaine. Flowers. Mexico is a favored country for flowers. They grow wild in a great many places, and they can be raised at very little cost, as there is no need of hot-houses or any other expensive appliance to cultivate them. The Indians in the small towns around the City of Mexico 64 (Beograpbical Botes on flbejico. make a business of raising flowers, and they sell handsome bouquets, as artistically made as any in this country, for a mere trifle. A bouquet which, for instance, in New York would cost $5 in winter, could be had in the City of Mexico all the year round for 25 cents ; and I look forward to the time when flowers will be exported in large quantities from Mexico to the United States if the protective policy of the country does not interfere. IRRIGATION. At the time of the Spanish invasion of Mexico, the Indians in those parts of the country where the population was greatest were dependent upon irrigation for a large part of their cereals, and for cotton, which played so important a part in their economy. As the same method had been employed from time immemorial in Spain, it followed that on the partition of the soil among the Spanish conquerors, irrigation became an important factor in their agriculture ; but with expansion of popu lation large tracts of land have come to depend entirely upon the rain. In recent years Mexican agriculture has depended almost altogether on the rainfall, except in a few places well supplied with water, and where irrigation is both cheap and easy ; but the inhabited portions of the country have been depleted of their timber by the natives for the purpose of using the wood for fuel or lumber. In more recent years, the building of railroads has increased considerably the demand for wood both for sleepers and for fuel for locomotives, and the consequence is that a great change is taking place in the climatic conditions of the country and that fuel is exceedingly high. In no other country is there so much timber — a good deal of it not yet full grown — consumed an nually as in Mexico. The consumption of timber for railroad purposes alone, not to mention that used in mines, smelters, and as fuel in cities and towns, is incalculable. Competent authority in Mexico, among whom is the Inspector of Manufactories, created for the purpose of insuring the collection of the internal-revenue tax, considers that only in the Federal District of Mexico the consumption of wood exceeds 4000 English cords daily, used as fuel in the factories, railroads, and other plants of that city. The consumption of charcoal by private families in the old-style open cooking grates is at least 500,000 pounds in the Federal District of Mexico, which is equivalent to 2,500,000 pounds of wood taken from the scanty forests of the central plateau, and that consumption would be very much reduced if, instead of those old-fashioned grates, iron cooking stoves should be used ; and to encourage their use, when I was last in the Treasury Department of Mexico, I was instrumental in re ducing considerably the duties on the same. Another cause of the destruction of the forest in Mexico consists flrrigation. 65 in the primitive way in which the Indians raise their crops. They own in common a large tract of land, and they begin to till near their towns, commencing by destroying the forests and planting every year in a dif ferent locality, because, more especially in the lowlands, the vegetation springs up so rank after the first year's crop that it is very difficult to keep the ground clear of weeds. In this way they clear new land every year, going farther and farther from their town, until sometimes their crops are raised at a distance of as much as thirty or forty miles from their homes. The natural result is the destruction of the forests around the towns and at some considerable distance from the same, and con sequently the diminution of the rainfall. I was greatly struck, on my last visit to Mexico, in 1896, by the scantiness of water at an Indian town called San Bernardino, in the sierra district, about five miles north of Teotitlan, the county seat of the district, which I had visited in November, 1855, and found then exceedingly abundant in rainfall and consequently in water, as well as all the mountains north of that place, which extend for about eighty miles to the lowlands on the Gulf of Mexico. On my recent visit, however, I found a great scarcity of water : a small stream of probably not more than one-half an inch in diameter, carried in very primitive wooden troughs, was all the water the town had, and that only during the rainy season, the people being obliged to go a considerable distance for water in the dry season ; this being only one illustration of what the destruction of the woods is doing in Mexico. The city of Oaxaca, at the foot of the Sierra, used to be, in my young days, very well supplied with water, using for that purpose several streams coming from the mountains ; but during the last dry season the scarcity of water has been such as to cause a real water famine. The diminution of the rains, together with other atmospheric phe nomena, which takes place from time to time, produces in some years drought that prevents the crops from being raised ; as the country pro duces at present only the corn necessary for its consumption, which cannot be kept from year to year on account of its being eaten by in sects. This diminution was very disastrous before the railroad era, caus ing serious famines. Since the railways were built, we import in such years corn from the United States, spending several millions of dollars in providing ourselves with that staple. All that will be changed, and we shall be able to produce cereals enough not only for home consump tion, but even for export, when we begin to use irrigation. The con figuration of the country allows dams that will retain sufficient water both for irrigation and manufacturing purposes, to be built at compara tively little expense. Large tracts of land in Western Asia, Northern Africa, and South ern Europe — countries which, according to historians, were once densely 66 ©eograpbical Botes on flbejico. populated and gardens of the world — are now uninhabited and barren wildernesses; and this has been brought about by the wholesale de struction of the forests and the absence of any law to protect them and provide for their replanting. In the United States it has been seen that riot only does the decrease of the forest area lessen the rainfall, but also the fall of snow in the winter months, the consequence being a marked decrease in the supply of water for irrigation purposes from the streams and rivers dependent for their supply on the snowy moun tain tops. Along the Mississippi River it is a common observation of the river pilots and old steamship hands that the summers are becoming more and more dry and the streams smaller, and that the big river itself has shown a marked decrease of " navigability " every year during the past twenty years. All this is caused by the indiscriminate chopping down of the forests at the head of the principal tributaries of the big river. Statistics from Russia, Germany, Spain, Italy, Palestine, Australia, and India all prove beyond a doubt that the protection of the forests is a matter of vital importance. Mexico is not only suffering from an annual decrease in rainfall, owing to the continual decrease in the timber-bearing area, the rainfall being more and more unequal every year during the past twenty years but the winters are becoming more and more severe, and the frosts are reaching farther and farther south each year. This is undoubtedly due to the wholesale destruction of timber now going on throughout that Republic. The Government can cope with this matter only by legislation, and having before it the example of the rest of the world, the Mexican Gov ernment should act without delay and in a manner that would benefit, not only the present, but also future generations ; and I understand it has been studying the advisability of prohibiting the use of wood for the locomotives and sleepers. Experience has shown that in tropical coun tries iron sleepers last much longer, and are, on the whole, cheaper than, wooden ones, and our supply of coal will soon be ample enough to furnish all the fuel necessary for the railway and mining industries. One of the most profitable investments for capital in the near future will undoubtedly be the construction of reservoirs in the mountains, dams in the rivers, artesian-well boring, the erection of pumping ma chinery on a large scale, together with the introduction of modern devices and appliances that will facilitate the successful cultivation of the soil and assure crops of all descriptions in all parts of the country where it has been proved that irrigation must be resorted to. Not only are these requirements essential for the conservation of water for irriga tion purposes, but many large cities throughout the Republic are with out any certain water supply ; and many that have a sufficient supply flrrtgation. 67 show by their death-rates that that supply is bad, and during the greater part of the year is the cause of wide-spread disease. Again, much is to be gained by the use of these waters for the gen erating of power for the use of factories, mines, electric lighting, rail ways, and street cars, even should one hundred miles or more intervene between the generating plant and the machinery it is proposed to apply to it. It seems marvellous that the Mexico of to-day — presenting, as it does, more natural resources, a greater variety of climate, cheaper labor, and better facilities for the construction of dams, reservoirs, canals, etc., than almost any other country — should be so far behind the times in a matter that has become an absolute necessity before the greater portion of its area can be thoroughly populated. The great increase in value of a piece of land after it is irrigated ought to be in ducement enough for capital to be invested in such works. Compe tent engineers contend that Mexico, owing to its topographical and geological features, will be found to present most favorable conditions for the construction of reservoirs, dams, gravitation canals, the erection of pumping plants driven by wind, steam, gasoline, electricity, or even water power, and also for the cutting off and bringing to the surface of the underflowing waters, which are known to exist in greater abun dance there than elsewhere on the face of the globe, as nature has been very prodigal to it in these respects. Irrigation in arid countries is the corner-stone of civilization, and, to make a country self-sustaining, agriculture should be the first aim of its inhabitants. Agriculture must come first ; manufacturing and mining cannot thrive until the food supply is forthcoming. With the extension of railway lines and the notable impulse given to agricultural enterprise within the last twenty years, Mexican land owners have improved more and more upon the earlier methods, and have, to an increasing extent, applied the principles of engineering science to the methodical cultivation of the large tracts into which their holdings are usually divided. The Nazas Irrigation. — Some notice of an irrigation enterprise in Mexico will show how much we are now doing in this line. The great plan of northern Mexico embraces nearly the whole of the States of Chihuahua and Coahuila, being bounded east and west by the sierras of the Pacific and Gulf coasts respectively. It consists of two watersheds, — that of the Rio Grande to the north, and the the so-called desert of the Bolson of Mapimi in the south. It is about four hundred miles wide by six hundred long, and maintains a general level of about four thousand feet above the sea, although much broken by local mountain ranges. The Bolson of Mapimi has much the same formation as the basin of the Great Salt Lake. 68 (Beograpbical Botes on flbejfco. It receives the drainage of all the eastern slopes of the Durango sierras and the western slopes of the Coahuila ranges, but possesses no outlet. As a consequence, throughout its whole area, the rivers run into broad, shallow lakes, whence the waters are gradually lost by evaporation during the dry season. Of these rivers, the largest is the Nazas, which has a course of nearly three hundred miles from its source to where it is dispersed over the shallows, called on modern maps Lake Mayran. Sixty or seventy years ago the Nazas discharged its waters into a series of extensive lagoons, occupying what is now the fertile Laguna district of Durango and Coahuila. At that time a phenomenal and long-continued rainfall so over charged the, then, bed of the Nazas as to cause it to open a new course, and leave the Cayman lagoons thirty miles on one side. In the course of years these lagoons were converted into a mesquite wil derness, almost dead level, and composed of a deposit of the finest detritus, of unknown depth. The central depression of this lake-bed filled a broad valley running north and south, and surrounded by a parallelogram of mountains. The area thus comprised was about two hundred and ten square miles of pure vegetable loam,locally known as the Lake of Tlahualilo. This cuenca, or bowl, was the spot chosen about six years ago for the establishment of the great irrigation enterprise. The problems involved called for courage and high administrative qualities, as well as technical engineering knowledge. It had early developed that the lands left dry by the changed course of the river were of extraordinary fertility, and half a century ago these tracts, immediately adjacent to the river, had been taken up and brought under irrigation after the rough methods then practised. The result was that, by 1890, about 250,000 acres of this land were under ditch, and the region was producing the greatest part of the cotton grown in Mexico, as well as heavy crops of corn and wheat. The Tlahualilo basin was known to be the richest portion of this district, but the thirty miles of sun-baked desert separating it from the present course of the river presented an obstacle to utilization which proved too formidable for the cultivators of the Laguna country. In 1889 a project was formulated for carrying a ditch across the intervening desert to the head of the Tlahualilo cuenca, and converting the whole of the latter area into a huge hacienda. Preliminary survey showed that the lowest level of the basin to be irrigated was about 100 feet below the point on the river Nazas which it was proposed to dam ; that the main canal, on account of topographical conditions, would require a development of 39 miles ; and that the slope of the lands within the basin was such that about 175 square miles out of the 210 composing the basin could be advan tageously irrigated. A company was formed to undertake the work. Irrigation. 69 A dam of piles and riprap was thrown across the river at a point where it is about 1500 feet wide at flood. From this dam the line of the main canal was traced to the entrance of the Tlahualilo, — a distance of 39 miles. The canal terminated in a distributing tank at the en trance to the irrigable area, whence it bifurcated, one arm being car ried along the western side of the basin. The rainfall in the Bolson of Mapimi is confined to a few days of heavy showers about the beginning of June and the beginning of De cember. But up in the mountains of Durango, where the Nazas takes its rise, the rainfall at the same season is very heavy and protracted, resulting in high water in the river, which lasts for several weeks at a time. It is during these freshets that the cultivated lands in the Nazas district are irrigated. For the rest of the year they receive no water, except from occasional brief showers. In the Tlahualilo basin, a week or ten days of irrigation is all that is needed in the course of a year, the water soaking easily and quickly through the almost impalpable silt, and the hot sun forming a protecting crust which checks evapora tion, and retains the moisture in the subsoil for a surprisingly long time. In fact, owing to their long roots, the cotton plants strictly re quire irrigation only once every other year, but corn and wheat, of course, must receive it at each planting. The distribution of the waters is regulated by government schedule, each property on the river being allotted its proportion of water, according to priority of settlement. Each canal on the river is permitted to take as many irri gations as it desires during the season of high waters, but in strict rotation. That is, after a property has taken one quota, it cannot re peat the process until all the others have taken theirs, when its second quota is available. Where another property, as often happens, does not care to use all the water to which it is entitled, its further allot ments may be used by its neighbor. The waters, on leaving the river, are heavily charged with sediment largely volcanic in its origin, and this is deposited on the lands at each flooding in the shape of extremely fine mud. Six years of experience with this property demonstrates the fact that irrigation, when applied to fertile land under a carefully planned and thoroughly executed system, where the water supply is owned by the user, puts agriculture among the least dubious of industries. The system adopted by the Tlahualilo Company is especially worthy of atten tion, because of the notable unity of plan pursued from the inception of the enterprise to its fullest development, and of its resultant econo mies. It was on this property that a disastrous experiment of colo nization from Alabama took place in the year 1896, when hundreds of negroes were taken from Alabama and other points of the southern portion of the United States under the supposition that they could 70 (Beograpbical Botes on flberjco. withstand the down-pour of the tropical sun of Mexico, and by their knowledge of the cultivation of cotton succeed in carrying out the purpose of the men who undertook the enterprise. Unused to food conditions in Mexico, especially for want of bacon and corn bread, they were infested with sickness, which caused great mortality among them, and frightened and demoralized they fled from Tlahualilo, this experiment showing very plainly that Mexican planters cannot rely for labor on the colored people of the United States. The production of cotton and corn in the vicinity of Torreon can be increased eightfold by building reservoirs in the Nazas River and its tributary canons, to hold the water back for the irrigation of the vast area of fine cotton and corn lands that are yet unproductive, simply through the non-retention of the great amount of water flowing to the sea, unused, annually, and the same result could be obtained by doing the same thing with many other rivers in Mexico. With one- fourth of the water now needed to produce a good crop, the same amount of grain can be produced by good cultivation. The reason is that by the methods now in vogue in most parts of the country, so little soil is loosened by the plow that nearly all the water runs off, where rain is relied on, and only with a great amount of rain can a crop be raised. When irrigation is used, the water required to keep the hard ground moist is entirely in excess of the reservoir, rain, and river sup plies. This is the reason of the short grain supply and of the necessity for importing during years of drought large quantities of corn. If the ground were plowed deep and well, it would absorb most of the rainfall and create sufficient surface moisture to meet the moisture from below, which would counteract the dry action of the atmosphere on the soil and roots of the grain, which, by its luxuriant growth, would soon shade the ground, and thus contribute still further to the retention of moisture. The fact is, taking Mexico as a whole, that there is not a year so dry but that with good cultivation, sufficient grain can be raised to supply domestic demands, while all the excess above that quantity in favorable seasons should be used as feed for stock, which would supply the large quantities of lard, tallow, hard-oil, etc., now being imported, and would leave a large amount for export, together with a consider able quantity of meat for the same purpose, thus helping to cover the balance of foreign trade and keeping our silver dollars in the hands of the farmers and stockmen, to improve and increase their lands, herds, and flocks. FAUNA. The present Mexican fauna belongs, like its flora, to the North American zone, so far as regards the plateau regions, and to the An tilles in respect to the coast lands round the Gulf, while that of the ffauna. 71 Pacific seaboard is intermediate between the Californian and South American. In the general aspect of its terrestrial animals, Mexico is connected more with the United States, whereas in its marine forms the reverse movement has taken place. Thus the prevailing Species in the Gulf of Mexico as far as Tamaulipas and Texas, and the Pacific coast northwards to Sonora and Lower California, have migrated from South America. The species in the two oceanic basins differ almost completely ; and, despite the proximity of the Pacific and Atlantic shores, their shells are quite distinct. The fauna includes three species of large felidae, the puma or American lion, jaguar, and ocelot ; among the smaller is the wildcat. Wolves are common in the northern States, and also the coyote ; be sides which there are bears, wild boars, and bisons. A species of sloth is found in the southern forests, with five varieties of monkeys. Of the other wild animals the principal are hares, rabbits, squirrels, two or three kinds of deer, beavers, moles, martens, and otters. All the domestic animals introduced by the early Spanish settlers have multiplied prodigiously. The horses, though small, retain the spirit and graceful form of the Andalusian or Arabian stock, from which they mainly sprang. The waters of the estuaries and coast streams teem with fishes, all the numerous varieties of which differ on the two oceanic slopes, but still present a certain analogy in their general distribution. Turtles are taken in considerable numbers on the coast, and the carey, or turtle-shell, of Yucatan and Guerrero is the object of a trade valued at .$20,000 yearly. The ophidians are represented by a few boas in the southern forests, and several species of snakes, some extremely venomous, as the rattle and coral snakes. The largest lizard is the iguana, whose flesh is by some of the natives used as food. Noxious insects infest the hot regions in myriads ; alacranes, or scorpions, in two different varieties, are everywhere feared, and many children were every year killed by their sting in the city of Durango before the proper antidote was found and used. Scolopendras, gigantic spiders, tarantulas, and mos quitoes abound. Bees are numerous and their wax is an article of export, and the silkworm, though comparatively neglected, yields an annual profit of some importance. The birds of prey are eagles, hawks, and zopilotes, or turkey-buzzards, the scavengers of the coast towns, with three or four species of owls. Domestic fowl are extremely abundant. The parrots, humming-birds, trogons, and so forth, vie in richness of plumage with those of Brazil, and the Mexican songsters, the prince of which is the zenzontle, or mocking-bird, are unequalled by those of any other country. 72 c&eograpbical Botes on flbejfco. Of all the Mexican fauna, two only have been domesticated : the huahulotl (Meleagris Mexicana), which is a species of duck, and the turkey, introduced into Europe by the Spaniards from the West Indies, hence by the French called " coq d'Inde." The techichi, an edible dumb dog, was soon exterminated when taxed by the Spanish authori ties. The other farmyard animals have all been introduced into Mex ico by the conquerors. In the Gulf of California, and especially near La Paz, and the neigh boring archipelagoes, extensive beds of pearl oysters are fished. Some other islands in the same gulf are frequented by myriads of various species of aquatic birds, and have already yielded many hundred car goes of guano. It is noteworthy that the Pacific islands, lying at some distance from the coast, have all a fauna different from that of the mainland. Thus the little Tres Marias group, about sixty miles off the coast of Jalisco, has a special species of humming-bird. The Revillagigedo Archipelago also forms a separate zoological zone, and the island of Guadalupe, over one hundred and fifty miles distant from Lower Cali fornia, has eleven species of land birds, every one of which differs from the corresponding species on the adjacent continent. ETHNOLOGY. Mexico is inhabited by native Indians found there during the Span ish conquest, by descendants of the conquerors of Mexico and other European races, and by a mixture of the two. There are so few in habitants of African descent that it is hardly worth while speaking of them. The proportion of this population is about as follows : Of Eu ropean descent, 19 per cent. ; native Indians, 43 per cent. ; mixed races, 38 per cent. Mexican Indians. — The native Indians found by the Spaniards be long to several nations and tribes, having different features and entirely distinct languages. The principal of these tribes are the following, some of which are now extinct : Otomi, Apache, Tarahumara, Chichimec, Irritilas, Tepehuan, Huaxtec, Tamaulioecs, Sabaibos, Totonac, Zacotec, Acaxee, Mixtec, Huastec, Xixime, Zapotec, Zoque, Concho, Mahuas, Opata, Manosprietas, Toltec, Guaicuri, Comanche, Olmecs, Yaqui, Cuachichils, Xicalancs, Mayo, Tarascos, Tula, Seri, Mixe\ JEtbnologs. 7s These tribes have been classified in the following families : S Mexican Family ; Totonaca Family ; Sonorense Opata-Pima Family ; Mixteco-Zapoteca Family ; Guaicura y Cochimi Laimon Fam- Matlalzinga 6 Pirinda Family ; ily ; Maya-Quiche Family ; Seri Family ; Chontal Family : Tarasco Family ; Huave Family ; Zoque-Mixe Family ; Apache Family ; Otomi Family. There is a great deal of similarity between the Mexican Indians and the Malay Asiatic races — especially the Japanese branch — which gives foundation to the idea that the aborigines of Mexico originally came from Asia, or vice versa} Their intensely black hair and eyes, their brown or yellow color, their small stature and the slight obliquity 1 The following extracts from the San Francisco, Cal., Bulletin of June 7, 1897, confirm my views on the subject : " Information is received from Australia concerning the reports of F. W. Christian of the Polynesian Society, who has returned to Sydney after an extended tour of the islands of the South Seas, the Caroline group especially, where he has been on a suc cessful search for ethnological specimens. These reports are of great importance to the scientific world and are said to let much light on a vexed question which has puzzled the most learned savants for years. Mr. Christian has discovered extensive traces of the Chinese and Japanese in the islands of the Pacific, and claims to have discovered evi dence pointing to the existence of a civilization of nearly two thousand years ago, which is linked with the ancient civilization in Central America, and will probably explain the origin of the Aztec races. " Under the auspices of the Polynesian Society, according to advices from Sydney. via Honolulu, received per Coptic yesterday, Mr. Christian worked. The gentleman spent nearly two years looking for traces of the Chinese in the islands, and was lucky enough to find ancient records, specimens of handiwork and weapons which proved that Asiatic races were extensive traders among the South Sea group thousands of years ago. Evidence of a very decisive nature was secured which shows that a large trade was carried on via the islands of the Caroline group, between China and Central Am erica, and that the ancient Chinese were more inclined to emigrate than their latter-day brethren and colonized extensively. " Extensive inquiries were made as to the traditions of the islanders, and many discoveries were made concerning the early history of the Malays with regard to naviga tion, all proving that the Torres strait's route to the Pacific was not taken, but that voyages were made to many of the Caroline islands. " The coincidence is a strange one that a despatch from Hermosillo, Mexico, dated June 6th, reports that a rock recently discovered in the mountains of Magdalena dis trict, State of Sonora, which is covered with Chinese inscriptions, has just been visited by Sen Yup, a well-educated Chinese of Guaymas. He says the inscriptions are Chi nese, but are somewhat indistinct. He made a copy of them, and has translated enough of the lines to show that the writing was probably inscribed on the rock at least twc- thousand years ago." 74 ©eograpbical Botes on flbejico. of their eyes, are features common to the Mexican Indians and the Japanese. When I first came to Washington, at the end of 1859, not having been out of Mexico before, I retained very vivid recollections of the Mexican Indians, with whom I had been somewhat closely asso ciated ; and shortly afterwards the first Japanese Embassy came to this country and was received in a very solemn manner by Mr. Buchanan, then President of the United States. The Embassy consisted of about forty persons altogether, comprising ministers, secretaries, interpret ers, servants, etc., and were dressed in their national gala costumes, not having yet adopted the European one. The Diplomatic Corps having been invited to the reception, I attended as a member of the same, and was greatly struck by the remarkable similarity which I found between the Japanese members of the Embassy and the Mexican In dians, whom I had just left. It seemed to me that had I collected at random forty Mexican Indians and dressed them in the same gorgeous costumes that the Japanese wore, nobody could have detected the difference. Some of the Indian languages seem to me to resemble strongly the Oriental ones, though of course I cannot speak with authority, as I do not know any of those languages and have heard only the Chinese, Japanese, and Korean spoken ; but I am sure that if any educated and intelligent Chinese should go to Mexico and spend some time among the Indians, he would find traces in the language which would con tribute greatly to clear up this problem. Mr. Tateno, a former Japanese Minister, who visited Mexico, found, during his short stay in that coun try, several words that are used in Japan and that have the same mean ing in both countries. I am aware that Senor Pimentel, a very learned philologist, who made a special study of the languages of the Mexican Indians, finds no similarity at all between them and the Chinese or other Oriental languages ; and that even the Otomi language, which is monosyllabic, he finds to have no similarity to the Chinese. But, notwithstanding that great authority, I believe that the aborigines of both continents, that is, Asiatic and American, were originally of the same race, and that there must be some relationship between their respective languages. The Indians of the different tribes do not generally mix with one ¦ another, but intermarry among themselves, and this fact contributes largely to their physical decay, and makes very difficult, at least for some time to come, the complete assimilation of all the Mexican popu lation. The Mexican Indians are on the whole a hard-working, sober, moral, and enduring race, and when educated they produce very dis tinguished men. Some of our most prominent public men in Mexico, like Juarez as a statesman, and Morelos as a soldier, were pure-blooded Etbnologs. 75 Indians,1 and fortunately there is no prejudice against their race in Mexico, and so when they are educated they are accepted in marriage among the highest families of pure Spanish blood.5 I have been a great deal among them, and my knowledge of their characteristics only increases my sympathy and admiration for them. In the State of Oaxaca, for instance, where I spent the early years of my life, I have seen Indians from the mountain districts, who, when they had to go to the capital, especially to carry money, would form parties of eight or ten to make a ten days' round trip, carrying with them their food, which consists of roasted ground corn, which they take three times a day ; stopping at a brook to mix it with water, and ' Sir William Hingston, President of the Surgery Section in the Second Pan- American Medical Congress, held at the City of Mexico in October, 1896, in an in terview which was published by The Gazette of Montreal, Canada, of December 2, 1896, said, concerning his visit to Mexico, among other things : " The pure-blooded Indian was seen on all sides. " The Spaniards would seem to have pursued the same course as was followed by the original French settlers, they did not shove aside the native Indians as useless lum ber, to be gotten out of the way, as a distinguished Harvard professor puts it, but they treated them as people in possession of the soil, with whom it was not only right but proper to ally in marriage. I have always regarded our North American Indian as the best type of the aborigines in stature. I still believe he is, but not so in intellect. The broad, massive forehead of the native of Mexico, and his soft but prominent and intelligent eye, are evidences of mental power. . . ." * I take from a spicy article published by Mr. Charles Dudley Warner, in Har per' s Magazine for June , 1896, the following description of the dress of the poorer classes in Mexico : " Herbert Spencer might extend here his comments on the relation of color to sex. It is the theory that all the males of birds have gay plumage in order to make them attractive to the other sex, while the females go in sober colors. This is also supposed to hold true of barbarous nations. The men who dress at all, or use paint as a substitute, wear bright colors and more ornaments than the women, while the gen tle sex is content to be inconspicuous. Needless to say that in what we call civiliza tion, this rule is reversed. The men affect plain raiment, while the women vie with the tropical birds of the male gender. Tried by this test Mexico has not reached the civilization of the United States. The women of the lower orders are uniformly sober in apparel, and commonly wear drawn over the head a reboso in plain colors. The scant dress is usually brown or pale blue. It is the men who are resplendent, even the poorest and the beggars. The tall conical hats give to all of them an " operatic " dis tinction ; the lower integuments may be white (originally) as also the shirt and the jacket ; or the man may have marvellous trousers, slit down the sides and flapping about so as to show his drawers, or sometimes, in the better class, fastened down with silver buttons ; but every man of them slings over his left shoulder or wraps about him, drawing it about his mouth on the least chill in the air, a brilliantly col ored sarape, or blanket, frequently of bright red. Even if he appears in white cotton, he is apt to wear a red scarf round his waist; and if he is of a higher grade, he has the taste of a New York alderman for a cravat. This variety and intensity of color in the dress of the men gives great animation and picturesqueness to any crowd in the streets, and lights up all the dusty highways." 76 ©eograpbical Botes on dbejico. sleeping on the bare ground, preferring always the open air ; getting up before daylight and starting on their journey at daybreak imme diately after their early meal, speaking no Spanish and travelling about forty miles a day. When they reached the city of Oaxaca, they would remain there one or two days, and go back to their homes with out taking part in any dissipation. They prefer to live in the high, cool localities, and they have their patch of ground to raise corn and a few vegetables in the hot lowlands, sometimes thirty miles away from their homes, and carry their crops on their backs for all that distance. They make very good soldiers, and military leaders have used them to great advantage during our revolutions. Professor Starr's theory that we are all on this Continent assuming the type of the Indian, is, in a measure, true. It is nothing new, for it was already indicated by an English physician travelling in the British colonies before the United States were thought of. The great task of the Mexican Government is to educate our Indians and make them active citizens, consumers, and producers, elevating their condition. Before we think of spending money to en courage European immigration to Mexico, we ought to promote the education of our Indians, which I consider the principal public need of the country. Increase of Mexican Population. — In the beginning of the century Baron Humboldt, who visited Mexico and studied very carefully the conditions of the country, thought that the Indian race, which was then very numerous, would continue to increase and would be the pre ponderant race of Mexico, as far as numbers were concerned, as it showed a large proportion in a census made in 1810 by Don Fernando Navarro y Noriega, and which appears in Baron Humboldt's Political Essay of New Spain. According to that census the population of Mexico was then divided as follows : European and American Spaniards 1,097,928 Indians 3,676,281 Mixed races or castes 1,338,706 Secular ecclesiastics 4,229 Regular ecclesiastics 3,112 Nuns 2,098 Total 6,122,354 Including among the Europeans the ecclesiastics and nuns, the population was, according to that census : — Europeans 1,107,367 or 18 per cent. Indians 3,676,281 " 60 " " Mixed races 1,338,706 " 22 " " Total 6,122,354 "100 " " JEtbnologg. 77 In the census of 1875 the following results appear : — European race and descen dants of the Spaniards 1,899,031 or 20 per cent. Mixed race 4,082,918 " 43 " " Native Indian race 3,513,208 " 37 " " Total 9,49S,i57 "100 " " The increase of population in the 65 years which elapsed between the two censuses mentioned, deducting from the census of 1810 the inhabitants of Texas, New Mexico, and Upper California, who had passed to the United States, numbering 58,338, was Population of 1810 6,064,016 Census of 1875 9,495, J57 Increase of the population in the 65 years 3,431,141 From the preceding data it appears that the European race nearly doubled its population in the space of 65 years, and at the rate of 1.1 per cent, of increase per year ; that the mixed race trebled it at the rate of 3.25 ; and that the native race diminished it at the rate of 0.058 per cent, per annum. Families in Mexico are generally very large, often having ten or fifteen children. I remember how much surprise it caused in Wash ington, my stating in the presence of Seiior Don Jacobo Blanco, the Mexican Commissioner in the late International Boundary Com mission, who was recently here for a year finishing his office work and maps and preparing his report, that he was the twenty-fourth child in his family, his father having been twice married. Decrease of the Indian Population. — It further appears that the In dian population has been decreasing since the beginning of the present century, notwithstanding the fact that the Indian race on the whole is very prolific. The causes of the decrease of the Indian population in Mexico are various ; bad nourishment, insufficient shelter from the inclemency of the weather, wretched attendance in sickness, and many others, some of which I shall mention here, having contributed toward the degener ation and decline of the race. The small-pox, owing to the carelessness or indolence of the par ents in regard to vaccination, or their repugnance to it, causes deplor able ravages in this race, more especially among the individuals that live at any considerable distance from the cities. Indian women, even when far advanced in pregnancy, do not ab- 78 ©eograpbical Botes on /Ibejico. stain from hard labor, and, without any care for their coming offspring, continue grinding their corn until the moment of parturition. Then, before the proper time for taking the child from the breast, it is fed with food unsuitable for its age and difficult of digestion, which occa sions diarrhoea or other maladies that either cause its death or at least contribute to its imperfect development. Another circumstance which causes the degeneration of the Indians is their premature marriages. In Mexico the marriageable age for wo men has been fixed by law at eighteen years, and in the tierra caliente, or hot country, at fourteen ; but in some places Indian girls are married at twelve. Every Indian father considers it his duty to marry his children, whether boys or girls, as soon as they are of age, the parents of course making the match to suit themselves. This used to be the case not only with the Indians, but even with persons of Spanish descent. I once heard General Degollado, a very good and prominent man in Mexico, say, that the day he married he took, immediately after the ceremony was over, his bean-shooter and went to shoot birds, because he had no conception of what he had done, his parents having arranged the match for him ; but he added that he could not possibly have made a better choice of a wife. The Indians are strong by nature ; and in this is to be found the fact that so many of them reach an advanced age, in spite of their scant and poor food, their unhealthy mode of living, and their damp and un wholesome habitations, consisting of miserable huts where whole families are huddled together. The Spaniards in Mexico. — The Spaniards are a money-making, wonderfully frugal race, since they have been battling with hard con ditions at home for centuries. The Spaniard in Mexico is — as Richard Ford who spent thirty years in the peninsula, and who was a close ob server, depicts him — a hardy, temperate man, well fitted, under favor able conditions, to become a dominant influence. In Mexico, the energy of the Spaniard is remarkable. He is force ful of word and phrase, energetic in his movements, immensely vital, tremendously persistent, and wonderfully enduring. After thirty years behind a counter selling groceries, he retires, a man of fortune ; not always large, but sufficient, and is still a man of force and ready for undertakings demanding good brain power and courage. They come over mere lads, from ten to fifteen, toil and moil, feed frugally, and sleep hardly, and they become millionaires, bank directors, great mill owners, farmers on a grand scale, hot-country planters and monopolists, for the Spaniard is born with the " trust " idea ; while his sons are too often dudes and spendthrifts. The thrifty Spaniard toils and saves, and his ambition is to marry a rich girl, frequently the daughter of a Mexican landowner, and so he JEtbnologi?. 79 lays the foundation for permanent wealth ; for everywhere, the world over, the man who gets the lands and holds on to them is the wealthy man. Speculators and financiers come and go like bubbles on a river, but the landed proprietor keeps a permanent clinch on humanity. There is one check to the growth of Spanish influence in Mexico, and that is the climate. All Europeans, no matter what their nation ality, become physically modified by residence in the new world ; and nowhere is the effect of climate more noticeable than in the tropics. The children of the Spanish residents are less energetic than the parents, and the third generation are altogether Creoles. Just as the Mexican of Spanish descent is, as a rule, less energetic, not so vascular, and less vigorous than the Spaniard, so is the American less full-blooded and leaner than the Englishman. The change that takes place in the hu man organization, transplanted from the old world to the new, is a pro found one. English and Germans in Mexico. — The present century has seen many changes in the commercial world of Mexico ; the great English houses have almost all disappeared ; especially has this been marked in the dry-goods, or draper's business. The Germans, with superior econ omy, if with no more of enterprise, drove the English out of that pro fitable business, and in time themselves succumbed to the still closer methods of the Barcelonettes who gained a foothold in the business which they have successfully maintained. The dry-goods business in the Republic is largely in the hands of men who speak the French language. From the great houses of the capital go forth bright young men, trained to business habits who are established over branch con cerns in the interior and coast towns. Their employers become their backers, and a close intimacy is maintained, to the mutual advantage of older and younger merchants. Very few of the foreigners who settle in Mexico, and especially Spaniards, are educated, as most of them hardly know how to read and write. They very seldom become naturalized Mexicans, and almost always keep their allegiance to the country of their origin. That seemed natural when Mexico was in constant turmoil, and many of the foreigners going there expected to make large fortunes by means of diplomatic claims ; but that reason can hardly hold good now, when the country is at peace, and perfect security is extended to every in habitant. If the foreigners continue keeping their old nationality when they become permanent settlers of Mexico, some changes may be necessary in the legislation of the country affecting their condition. Americans in Mexico. — It will be very difficult for the fun-loving, self-indulgent, Anglo-Saxon Englishman of America to compete with these self-denying Spaniards, capable of living with the nose to the grindstone twenty, twenty-five, or thirty years, eating always sparingly,. So Oeograpbical Botes on rtbejico, drinking wine, but in moderation, spending no money, dressing poorly, and ever with a fortune accumulating. The American wants to cut a dash and so does the Englishman, else the English would have main tained their commercial supremacy in Mexico. They lost it to the more frugal and economical Germans. The American is a speculator, a dreamer of golden dreams ; he lives for the eyes of other people ; he is not capable of the patience that keeps a man tied to a desk or shop for half a lifetime, making a savings bank of himself. Some Mexicans are afraid that a free influx of citizens from this country may Americanize it. This is true as to the means of trans portation, the introduction of electric lights, improved hotel accomo dations, and where similar improvements are concerned. But there is no doubt of the persistence of traditions and habits, and the influence of climate. It is difficult to introduce the American push and restless ness in business, and to overcome the habits formed in many centuries of letting the morrow take care of itself. There must be the mid-day siesta, and the number of working days is reduced by several feast days, saints' days, and holidays, besides the Sundays. There is no doubt that the productiveness of nature is an inducement to very leisurely labor, and the lack of any sharp division of seasons is a sort of moral discipline, as well as a stimulus to extra exertion in summer to prepare for winter. What must be the effect upon character when this stimulus is wanting ? It is possible, of course, that industry will be stimulated by the inflow of settlers from the north, and that Mexico will take on new enterprise and productive vigor ; but I think it is easier for Americans in Mexico to fall into Mexican ways and Mexican moral views than it is to convert the Mexicans to the American view of life. I do not doubt that Mexico has a great industrial, agricultu ral, and manufacturing future, but I fancy that its power of absorp tion, like that of Egypt, is greater than its facility of adaptation. Ruins. — We have in Mexico some of the most ancient and remark able ruins, and although there are different surmises about the time at which they were built and the people who built them, nothing is known positively about them. The principal ones are in Uxmaland and Chichen Itza in Yucatan Comalcalco in Tabasco, Teotihuacan and Cholula in Puebla and Tlaxcala, and Mitla in Oaxaca. Uxmal. — Uxmal is not far from the city of Merida, the capital of the State of Yucatan, supposed to have been built by the Mayas, and different books have been written about them, especially one by Dr. Augustus Le Plongeon, a French savant, who passed many years in Yucatan, studying its magnificent ruins, and published in New York, in 1896, a book entitled Queen Mod and the Egyptian Sphinx, in which EtbnologE. 81 he contends that the empire of the Mayas, which had its seat at Yuca tan, was the cradle of civilization, and that from there it went to India, Egypt, and finally to Greece and Western Europe. Palenque. — Very likely the same Mayas built the large ruins which still exist in the district of Palenque in the State of Chiapas, and in some places in Guatemala. Cholula. — The great pyramid of Cholula, made known to the scien tific world by Humboldt, which is eight miles from Puebla, has been pictured and described. Its base is iooo feet on each side, and it is built in two great terraces, the first being 71 feet, and the second 66 feet, in height. The top is 203 by 144 feet. So far as investigations have revealed, the great pyramid is artificial and is constructed of sun- dried brick. Teotihuacan. — Teotihuacan, an ancient city lying twenty-five miles northeast of the City of Mexico, and occupying an area of about one and a half or two miles, contains some of the most remarkable series of ruins. To the north of the ruins is a truncated pyramid, rectangu lar in form, squared to the points of the compass, and known as the Pyramid of the Moon. South of it, at a distance of about 1300 yards, is another pyramid of similar form, known as the Pyramid of the Sun. Its perpendicular height is 223 feet, and its base measures about 735 feet from east to west. Both pyramids are united by a straight street, which starts from a circular plaza at the south side of the Pyramid of the Moon, and loses itself in the barranca south of the Pyramid of the Sun. These colossal pyramids are regarded as among the most ancient -monuments of Mexico, far antedating the civilization found by the Spaniards. They are wonderful illustrations of what perseverance and time will accomplish. Now even the means which the builders used for handling the immense blocks of volcanic stone with which they constructed is unknown. Other ruins, in the character of little mounds, are found scattered over the extensive plain in which the two pyramids are situated. The street or avenue which united the latter is called the " Road of the Dead." Along its entire length, parallel to it on both sides, there is a terrace constructed of cement, clay, and broken lava, faced with a coating of mortar or plaster, highly polished, and painted red and white. Desire Charnay removed the rubbish from one of the mounds on the side facing this road, and discovered what he calls a " palace," with two large halls and various small rooms. In 1886, Senor Don Leopoldo Batres made an excavation in one of the mounds, and found two polychrome frescos painted on the wall of the building which was laid bare. The question is naturally asked, how these monuments came to be covered ? Was it by an earthquake, or by the hands of the builders themselves? Senor Batres inclines to VOL. I 6 82 (Seograpbical Botes on /Ibejico. the latter view, as he found the roofs of the houses perfectly preserved, while the interior of the rooms was in every case filled with stones neatly fitted into the spaces, and joined with a clayish cement to form a compact mass. His conclusion as to the pyramids is, that they are two great temples erected to two old Mexican divinities. Each pyra mid consists of five terraces, which diminished in size until the height of 223 feet was reached. Each has on one of its sides a stairway six and one-half feet in width, which makes five zigzag turns, and leads to the sanctuary or shrine on the summit. The outer surface of the pyramids, and perhaps the interior as well, was plastered over with a mortar of lime, hard and smooth, and decorated with frescoes, repre senting quasi-historical events and scenes. The small mounds scattered over the area occupied by the ruins were, according to Batres, dwellings and small shrines. Each con tained from six to twelve rooms, quadrangular and rectangular in form. The cornices as well as the walls were beautifully ornamented in colors. On some as many as twenty tints had been used. The doors were rec tangular, never trapezoidal in form, although the latter style has been erroneously attributed to ancient American architecture. They meas ure eight feet in height by about three feet in width. The houses had neither windows nor balconies. The city was crossed by subterranean aqueducts constructed of stone, the walls of which were plastered with firm and smooth mortar. Near the Pyramid of the Moon, among the rubbish, there was a monolithic statue of colossal dimensions. It rep resents a woman with a characteristic head-dress, and wearing a neck lace of four strings of beads. Travellers in Teotihuacan can find countless miniature heads modelled in clay anywhere on the freshly- plowed stretches of level land that lies across the broad, straight Micoatl, or " Path of the Dead." They vary in length from one to two inches, and invariably have nothing more than a neck attached to them. They may be distinguished by this peculiarity from those that are applied as ornaments to terra cotta vases, and from fragments of " idols." The features and peculiar head-dresses that adorn these little heads of Teotihuacan vary greatly, and this diversity has given rise to, and been quoted in proof of, the migration of tribes, of the mix tures of widely differing races, or of their succession to each other in the occupation of the Valley of Mexico. Owing to the unfamiliar aspect of some of these head-dresses, it has been asserted that they could not be even " Toltec," but must be relics of still more remote and unknown races of men. Various uses have been assigned to them, the commonest supposition being that they were in some way associated with ceremonies relating to the dead. There is probably no subject connected with Mexican archaeology, except the calendar, that has given rise to more discussion. Dr. E. B. Tylor regarded them as a puzzle,. JEtbnologs. 83 and Professor F. W. Putnam has spoken of them as the " riddle of the many heads." Desire Charnay saw in some of them Chinese and Japanese masks, and even types of the white race, proving in his opin ion how many races must have been mingled or succeeded each other on this old continent. Mitla. — About twenty miles east of the city of Oaxaca is an Indian town called Mitla, near which still remain the ruins of great edifices and palaces. The temples were built, it is supposed, by the ancient Zapotecas, and are the most interesting relics of the earlier civilizations of Mexico. The first description of these ruins was given by the Spanish priest, Burgoa, who accompanied the conquerors of Monte zuma. The interior of the principal hall or room of the main palace is supposed to be the teocali of the high priest. The peculiar archi tecture and elaborate and grotesque decoration can easily be observed. It is astonishing to see the enormous size of the stones used in the walls of these temples. Professor Bickmore said that he had seen nothing to equal them except at Baalbec, in Syria. At Mitla are found some clay images, mostly miniature, doubtless of gods, but some of them no doubt portraits, and some of these bore a striking resemblance to the little heads found at the pyramids of the Sun and Moon in the Valley of Mexico ; that is, some of them had the slant Oriental eyes, and others Ethiopian features, very different from any races we now know in these regions. The ruined temples of Mitla are covered with stucco, which was painted Pompeiian red. There is a pyramid also at Mitla, and there are some elaborately wrought sepulchral chambers. I borrow from Mr. Vivien Cory the following extracts of his de scription of the ruins of Mitla. " There are four of these places ; the first is almost entirely destroyed, only some huge monolithic slabs supported horizontally upon tottering piles of broken stones re maining ; while everywhere amongst the ruins have sprung up the grass huts of the Mexican Indians, and of the fourth or one farthest from the hamlet nothing but indi cation of the site is left, upon which the Spaniards have reared a modern church. It is in the two palaces that lie between, each slightly raised above the surrounding country on a separate eminence, that the interest centres. " One of these is in the form of a double Greek cross, its stem running north and south, and its arms extended east and west. In the centre is the large court, surrounded on all sides by rising ground and ruined mounds of stones : there are traces still remain ing of the foundations, that speak of four apartments built upon these mounds to face the court, but of these those on the west and south sides have disappeared ; on the east side, only two colossal pillars and a portion of the walls remain, while to the north side the whole apartment forming the head of the cross has been spared and stands almost unharmed in its original beauty and richness. The facade of this apartment extends the whole length of the court, one hundred and forty-one feet, and its height is a little over fifteen feet : the material is freestone, the color a faint, dull, amber tint, soft as the light seen in the sky at evening. In the centre are three square portals and above these 84 ©eograpbical Botes on rtbejico. forming the head-piece to them all extends one long and narrow panel of carving, a high relief of the natural stone on a crimson ground. The whole facade is composed of a series of these panels, from the straight line of the foundation-stone to the straight line of the summit, nine panels being on each side of the entrance, arranged in three tiers, divided by horizontal bands of the natural stone. In some of the panels, the ground retains still a faint tint of its former rich vermillion, in others, all color has subsided into the soft neutral shade of the freestone. The designs are wonderfully rich and varied, thirteen different patterns being represented on this facade alone ; all these designs are remarkable for the straight lines in which they are executed and the absence of all curves. Throughout all the ruins, upon the walls of which appear twenty-three different models of carving, only two of these represent any curve in their design. In one of these two there is visible the form of the Arabic letter ' L ' placed horizontally, and in the other a double curve ' S,' possibly intended to represent or suggest the snake. With these exceptions the designs are of the Greek key pattern, variations on this, or parallelograms. ' ' Behind this facade is a narrow court, roofless as all the courts are, and empty, save for six colossal pillars standing at even distances down the centre, and giving to this chamber the name of Hall of the Monoliths. Each pillar is one solid stone, eleven feet high and eleven feet in circumference. A low stone passage leads from this chamber northward to the smallest and richest court of all, entering it at the southeast corner. There is comparatively little trace of the destructiveness of the elements or the iconoclasm of man here. The court and all the four chambers opening from it are perfect and singularly rich in carving. The court is perfectly square and the chambers are entered from it, each through one square doorway, the roof of which is formed by a huge monolith, thirteen feet long and with a richly carved face. Of these four lin tels each has a separate design. Each of the four walls has six panels, the uppermost extending the whole length of the wall, two smaller panels being on either side of the entrance, and one long narrow one above it. Between the panels stand out in high relief the horizontal and vertical edges of the freestone, forming a symmetrical frame to each panel. ' ' Within the four chambers the walls are designed differently, the carving running simply and evenly round the entire room in three straight horizontal bands, each band possessing a separate pattern and being about three feet in width. Beneath these bands of carving was originally, evidently, a dado of vermillion stucco, of such fine and delicate quality that the smooth and polished surface resembles marble. Portions of this delicate stucco still adhere to the crumbling walls in places and are of various colors, scarlet, black and white. In some instances this stucco seems to have been plain, simply bearing a brilliant polish, in others, there remains distinctly traced in white upon a crimson ground, a wierd, fantastic, yet handsome design, the head ; half horse, half dragon, repeated in four inch squares. This latter ornamented stucco, how ever, does not appear except in the fourth palace, containing the Spanish church, where it is visible on the walls of one of the courts, now used as a stable for the padre's horse. Leaving the richest of the centre palaces, passing through a gap in the ruined wall on the south side, descending the elevation on which it is placed and ascending the op posite eminence, the patio of the second palace is reached. This is almost wholly in ruins ; three of the facades that face the court remain indeed, but the great smooth slabs with which the walls were faced have been torn away at the base, and most of the beautiful panels of carving stripped from the front. Vet it is in this ruined palace that one lingers longest and to which one's feet return, drawn by an irrisistible fascination ; for this palace contains the tomb and the pillar of death. " This subterranean vault is called by general consent a sepulchre, but there is no line of history, no record, no tradition even, left to explain to us its origin and use. It ^Languages. 85 may have been a torture-chamber, sacrificial hall, or tomb. The excavation is but a little below the surface of the court, now carried down so deeply that the light is wholly ex cluded. From the entrance there is enough to fill the interior with a sad, gray twilight. The vault is in the form of a simple cross lying north and south ; its walls are massive and heavily decorated with panels of carving let into their sides, while it is roofed by enormous monolithic slabs that reach from wall to wall. In the centre of the cross, just where by descending a few steps one enters the tomb, stands the pillar of death, round which, the Indians say, should a man clasp his arms he must shortly afterwards die. Does not this very tradition, handed down perhaps through the long file of count less years, seem to indicate that this pillar was some ancient stone of sacrifice to which human victims were bound or chained, and from which death alone released them ? As one gazes at the massive column, that one man's arms alone could not entirely en circle, the eye notices an indentation round the base where the column sinks into the floor. The stone is corroded and worn away as by the long friction of ropes or chains. "Most of the panels do not consist of actual carving, though they produce that effect at a few yards' distance ; they are formed in reality by small slabs of the freestone cut perfectly square and inserted edgeways into the wall, the remaining edges standing out at various distances from it and thus forming the different designs. This, although a work of infinite patience, does not necessarily presuppose a high stage of civilization, no instrument sharper than hard stone being required to cut the slabs of soft freestone ; and that only a stone instrument was employed by the workers seems indicated by the fact that, in the large panels where the stone is actually carved, the edges are not sharp, but rounded, as if made with a blunt tool. The effect of the panels of inserted squares of stone, however simply produced, is that of the most finished and clear-cut carving and the designs themselves are rich and elaborate. There is no crudity, no harshness in them, no suggestion of the primitive savage's scratching on his native rock ; but rather that of Greek work on some Athenian temple. The patterns have a complicated elegance and distinction of line that can only be produced by a people of cultivated mind and eye. " Evidence, too, of what high grade of civilization in some ways at least they must have arrived at, lies in the gigantic stones that they have placed as lintels over their doorways and which in their immense weight and bulk have defied the greed or rage of all the succeeding races to remove or destroy. The mystery here is the Egyptian mystery of the Pyramids ; that these enormous blocks of stone are resting here in po sitions and elevations where it would require all the modern knowledge of mechanics, engineering skill, and mechanical appliances to place them ; and, as in Egypt, so here the mystery will never be solved, as the builders have passed hence and left no clue. The solid stone rests there upon its supporting pillars before the eye as it has rested for a thousand years, but how the perished hands lifted and placed it there remains its own inviolable secret. ' ' Leaving the palace court by the south side and following the road to the dry and stony bed of a wide river, if one turns aside here a little to the eastward he finds him self facing a Zapotecan mound, a solid base composed of earth and stones, in which are visible at intervals large slabs of cement, portions of terraces and tiers that originally formed its sides. Ascending this, from the summit one can overlook the whole valley." LANGUAGES. About one hundred and fifty different Indian languages are known to have been spoken by the Mexican Indians. The Spanish monks accompanying the conquerors and who went to the country soon after- 86 Geographical Botes on flbejico. wards compiled grammars and even dictionaries of some of these languages ; but the Indians falling into a semi-barbarous state after the conquest, having lost their civilization and literature, their lan guages have either disappeared completely or become very primitive. and it is ascertained that some of them have become entirely extinct. The Spanish is, of course, the language of the country and most of the Indians speak it, although very imperfectly and incorrectly ; only a small portion of them speaking no language but their own. The chief languages spoken in Mexico proper, excluding Chiapas and Yucatan, are as follows : Nahuatl or Mexican (Aztec) with Acaxee, Sabaibo, Xixime, Cochimi, Concho and other members of the same family. Seri, Upanguaima, and Guaima. Papago, Opata, Yaqui, Mayo, Tarahumara, Tepehuan, Cora, etc. Apache or Yavipai, Navajo, Mescalero, Llanero Lipan, etc. Otomi or Hia-hiu, Pame, Mazahua, etc. Huaxtec, Totonac. Tarascan, Matlaltzincan. Mixtec, Zopotec, Mixe, Zoqu£, Chinantec. Senor Don Manuel Orosco y Berra wrote a treatise on the language of the Indian tribes in Mexico entitled " Geography of Languages," which describes the languages of the races who inhabited Mexico, and Senor Don Francisco Pimentel enlarged upon that work, making philological comparisons, and from the data collected by both authors Senor Don Antonio Garcia Cubas a distinguished Mexican geographer made the following synopsis of the Indian languages spoken in Mexico. SYNOPSIS OF THE INDIAN LANGUAGES OF MEXICO, FORMED ACCORD ING TO THE CLASSIFICATION OF DON FRANCISCO PIMENTEL. Note, — The sign * indicates that the classification is doubtful. FAMILIES. I. Mexican. LANGUAGES. ist Order. — Languages polysyllabic, poly synthetic of sub-flexion. i. Mexican, Nahuatl or Azteca *2. Cuitlateco 3. Opata, Teguima or Teguima Sonorense 4. Eudebe, heve or hegue, dohme or dohema- batuco 5. Joba, joval ova 6. Pima, nevome, ohotama or Otama 7. Pepehuan 8. Papago or Papabicotan 9 to 12. t El Yuma comprising Cuchan, Coco- maricopa or Opa, Mojave or Mahao, Die- gueno, or Cuneil, Yavipai, Yampai, and yampaio 13.* Cajuenche, Cucapa or Jallicuamay 14. Sobaipure 15. Julime. . ¦ DIALECTS. IConchos, Si- naloense, * Ma- zapil, Jaliscien- se, ^ Anualulco, Pipil, Niquiran. Tecoripa.Sabaqui. Various. ^languages. 87 GROUPS. FAMILIES. LANGUAGES. DIALECTS. 1st Order. — Languages polysyllabic, polysynthetic of sub-flexion. II. sonorense or Opata-Pima. fVaxogio or Chi- ] nipa, Guaza- | pare, Pachera, [and others. t Yaqui, Mayo, (que. f Muutzicat, (.Ateanaca. 24. Acaxee or Topia, comprising Sabaibo, Tebaca, and Xixime, the last of doubtful classi- << III. Comanche So- shone. 25. Comanche, Nauni, Paduca, Hietan or Getan. 26. Caigua or Kioway. 27. Shoshone or Chochone. 28. Wihinasht. 29. Utah, Yutah or Yuta. 30. Pah-Utah or Payuta. 31. Chemegue or Cheme-huevi. 32. Cahuillo or Cawio. 33. Kechi. 34. Netela. 35. Kizh or Kij. ¦36. Fernandeno. 37. Moqui and some others spoken in the United Various. O IV. Texana or Coa- huilteca. < X w V. ?Kbkes Zuni. Kiwomi or Ki- vome, Cochi- - teumi or Qui- me, Acoma and Acuco. VI. MUTSUN. 44. Mutsun. 45. Rumsen. 46. Achastli. 47. Soledad. 48. Costeno or Costanos and other languages of VII. GUAICURA. 49. Guaicura, Vaicura or Monqui. 50. Aripa. 51. Uchita. 52. Cora. VIII. Cochimi-Laimon. 54 to 57. Cochimi, divided into four sister lan guages, viz.: Cadegomo and the languages used in the missions of San Javier, San IX. Seri. X. Tarasca. XI. Zoque-Mixe. 88 ©eograpbical Botes on flDejico* < XII. Totonaca. XIII. Mixthco-Zapo- TECA. 68. Mixteco 69. Zapoteco. . . . 70. Chuchon . . . 71. Popoloco . . . 72. Cuicateco. . . 73. Chatino .... 74. Papabuco.. . 75. Amusgo 76. Mazateco . . . *77. Solteco *78. Chinanteco . XIV. PlRINDA OR MA- TLALZINCA. XV. Maya. XVI. Chontal. XVII. Derivatives of XVIII. Apache. LANGUAGES. 67. Totonaco (mixed language). Four. 2d Order. Languages polysyllabic polysynthetic of juxtaposition. Eleven.Twelve.Two.Two. Two. 79. Pirinda or Matlalzinca.;. 3d Order. — Languages Polosyllabic Synthetic. 80. Yucateco or Maya 81. Punctunc 82. Lacandon or Xochinel 83. Peten or Itzae 84. Chanabal, Comiteco, Jocolobal 85, Choi or Mopan 86. Chorti or Chorte 87. Cakchi, Caichi, Cachi or Cakgi 83. Ixil, Izil 89. Coxoh , 90. Quiche, Utlateco 91. Zutuhil, Zutugil, Atiteca, Zacapula 92. Cachiquel, Cachiquil , .... 93. Tzotzil, Zotzil, Tzinanteco, Cinanteco 94. Tzendal, Zendal 95. Mame, Mem, Zaklohpakap 96. Poconchi, Pocoman 97. Atche, Atchi 98. Huaxteco 'gg. Haitiano, Quizqueja or Itis, with their af finities, Cubano, Borigua and Jamaica *ioo. Chontal doubtful in its morphologic char acter *ioi. Huave, Huazonteca *io2. Chiapaneco 103. Apache XIX. Otomi. 4th Order. — Languages cuasi-mo- nosyllabic. 104. Otomi or Hiahiu 105. Serrano 106. Mazahua 107. Pame 108. Jonaz or Meco. (Perhaps the rest of th ancient Chichimeco) ( North American j Apache, Mexi- 1 can Apache, J Mimbreno, Pinaleno, Nava jo, Xicarilla or Faraon, Lipan Mescalero. Various. population. 89 POPULATION. We have until recently taken a regularly correct census of our population. The first reliable census was made in 1795, under Revil- lagigedo's viceroyalty, the second in 1810 by Don Fernando Navarro y Noriega, the third one was estimated by Mr. Poinsett, United States Minister in Mexico, in 1824, and the others have been taken by the Mexican Government. The following is a statement of the general results of our various censuses : Years. Inhabitants. 1795 5,200,000 1810 6,122,354 1824 6,500,000 1839 7,044,140 1854 •¦ 7,853,395 1869 8,743,614 1878 9,384,193 1879 9,908,011 1886 10,791,685 1895 12,570,195 The population of Mexico appears to be, from our last census, taken in 1895, 12,570,195, which would give 16.38 for each square mile ; but from my personal knowledge of the country, I am quite sure that it is not less than 15,000,000. It is very difficult to take a correct census in Mexico, because there is not the proper machinery in operation for that purpose, and especially because a great many districts are inhabited by Indians, who are impressed with the fear that if they inscribe themselves in the census they will be taxed or drafted into the military service, and they try to avoid registration. A great many of our people live in such remote districts that they are practically cut off from communication with other portions of the country, and in fact are almost isolated ; and this constitutes still another difficulty in the way of taking a correct census. These people generally raise everything they need for their living, as well as for their clothing. They also raise their domestic animals, and wear either cotton or woollen clothes, manufactured by the women. The configu ration of the country, which makes transportation very expensive, to gether with the very sparse population, has caused their isolation, and this explains why some agricultural products which are very cheap in other countries are very dear in certain districts of Mexico, as prices can be easily controlled, there being no possibility of competition. While sugar, for instance, costs 25 cents per pound in some districts, it can be had in others for one cent. This fact shows also that a year of good crops was often a real misfortune to these districts. 90 ©eograpbical IRotes on flbejfco. The upper lands being the healthiest, most of the population in Mexico is settled in the central plateau ; a relatively small portion lives in the temperate zone, while the torrid zone is very thinly popu lated. I imagine, at a rough calculation, that about 75 per cent, of the population make their abode in the cold zone, from 15 to 18 per cent. in the temperate zone, and from 7 to 10 per cent, in the torrid zone. From the synopsis of our censuses, inserted above, it appears that the population in Mexico has duplicated during the last century, and although that increase does not keep pace with the increase in the United States, because this has been really wonderful, it compares favorably with the increase in other countries. Mexico also, as a new country and one full of possibilities, ought to have increased its popu lation more rapidly, but its slow progress can be accounted for in several ways. Under the head of Ethnology I enumerated the different races inhabiting Mexico and stated the number of inhabitants belonging to each, and I gave at length the reasons for the slow increase of the In dian population, which is the largest in Mexico. I will only add here that while the Indians lead a very abstemious and simple life, marry while very young and generally have a family of several children, they are at the same time subject to epidemics. Notwithstanding that the race on the whole is sturdy and little subject to disease, the mortality is very large among the children for want of proper nutrition and care. The losses caused by our civil wars could not at all explain the slow increase of our population, and the only way in which I can account for it is that they are not so well prepared as the people of the United States and other more advanced countries, to bear the discomforts of life and climate, and that, therefore, they cannot bring up all the children born in the family, among whom there is annually a great mortality. Classification of Mexican States. Under the Spanish rule Mexico was divided into several provinces, the Spaniards trying to divide the provinces in accordance with the different nationalities of the aborig ines found there, and each province possessing a very large extent of territory. After our independence and when we established a Fed eral government, each province was made a state, and since then some of the largest states have been divided into two or even three smaller ones. In the chapter on Political Organizations I shall give further information on this subject. The Mexican states are classified in several ways, and generally as Northern, Southern, Central, Pacific, and Gulf States ; but it is difficult to make a proper division of them, because there are several included in two denominations. I will, therefore, divide them into Northern States, calling so those bordering on the United States ; Southern States, population. 91 those bordering on Gautemala and Belize ; Gulf, Caribbean Sea, and Pacific States, those bordering on their respective waters ; and Central States those which do not belong to any of the above denominations, although I do not consider this a proper classification, because the State of Tamaulias included among the Northern States, and the States of Tabasco, Campeche, and Yucatan among the Southern States, are all on the Gulf of Mexico, and are, therefore, Gulf States, the latter being also washed on their southern side by the Caribbean Sea, and the State of Sonora, classified as a Northern State, borders on the Pacific ; the State of Chiapas, included among the Southern States, also borders on the Pacific, and, therefore, is, like Sonora, also a Pacific State. Our last official census, taken in 1895, gives the following results by States, which I compared with the census of 1879. AREA AND POPULATION OF THE UNITED MEXICAN STATES. Is-nS Tamaulipas . Nuevo Leon. CoahuilaChihuahua .. Sonora I| S.§i J Campeche.' aJJ.5 3 I I Tabasco. ^1° [Chiapas.. # Oaxaca .... Guerrero.. . Michoacan..Colima Jalisco Sinaloa .... ' Aguascalientes.. . Durango Guanajuato Hidalgo Morelos Mexico , Puebla ?uer£taro laxcala San Luis Potosi. . Zacatecas .£ « ( Tepic 55 *C < Lower California. H2 ( Federal District . Islands Totals., AREA IN SQUARE MILES. 32i58524,32462,37687,820 76,922 35)214 18,091 10,075 27,230 35,39225,00322,881 2,273 31,855 33,681 2,951 38,020H,374 8,9202,774 9,250 12,207 3,558i,595 25,32324,764 11,27958,345 463 i»47i 767,226 POPULATION in 1879. 140,137203,284 130,026 225,541 H5,424 3°2i3i5 90,413 104,747205,362 542,918 744,000295,59066i,534 65,827 983,484 186,491140,430190,846 834,845427,35° 159,160 7r°,579 784,466 203,250 138,988 516,486422,506 30,208 351,804 9,908,011 in 1895. 204,206 309,607 =35,638 266,831 101,281 6-3 13-1 3-7 3-° 2.4 297,507 90,458 8.4 5-o '34,794 313,678 '3-3 11. 5 855,975 882,529417,621 889,795 55,677 1,107,863 256,414 103,645 294,366 1,047,238 548,039 159,800 838,737 979,723227,233166,803 570,814452,720 144,308 42,287 484,608 POPULA TION PER SQUARE MILE. 24.9 16.7 38.824-534-8 7.6 35-i 7-7 92.161.6 57-6 90.780.2 63-9 104.6 22.518.2 12.8 0.7 1046.7 Ciudad Victoria. Monterey. Saltillo Chihuahua Hennosillo Merida Campeche S. Juan Bautista. Tuxtla Gutierrez Jalapa Oaxaca Chilpancingo.. . . Morelia Colima Guadalajara Culiacan Aguas Calientes. Durango Guanajuato Pachuca Cuernavaca Toluca Puebla Queretaro Tlaxcala San Luis Potosi . Zacatecas Tepic La Paz and Ensenada de Todos Santos . , City of Mexico.. POPULA TION. * 4,575 56,855 19,654 18,521 8,376 36,720 16,631 27,036 i8,i73 32,641 6,204 32,287 19.305 83,870 14,205 3!>6ig 42,165 39,33752,189 8,554 23,6489!,9i732,79° 2,874 69,67640,026 i6,a66 4,737 1,259 339,935 92 ©eograpbical notes on flbejico. RELIGION. All Mexicans are born in the Catholic Church, that being the pre vailing religion of the country ; but there is no connection between Church and State, and the Constitution guarantees the free exercise of all religions. While Mexico was a colony of Spain and for many years afterwards, the catholic religion was the only one allowed in the country, and anybody professing any other would expose himself to great hardships if he avowed that he was a dissenter, especially while the Inquisition was in existence. The clergy became one of the principal pillars of the Spanish dom ination in Mexico. In the early part of the present century the Church was flourishing, and it was the high-water mark of clerical pros perity. The humble Mexican priests did the hard laborious work, while the Spanish-born ecclesiastics filled the great bishoprics and other great posts and lived at their ease, and the great convents in their most lucrative positions of control were practically in Spanish hands. Huge convents occupied a considerable part of the site of the City of Mexico, Puebla, Morelia, Guadalajara, Queretaro, and other cities. The incomes of the convents were derived from endowments, amounting to a large sum. To support the high ecclesiastics, great sums were derived from tithes. The archbishop of Mexico had an income of $130,000 a year; the bishops of Puebla, $110,000; of Michoacan, $100,000 ; and of Guadalajara, $90,000. Meantime, the parish priests, who bore the brunt of Christian work among the masses, were living on very moderate sums. The Church erected in Mexico buildings which are remarkable for their dimensions and taste.1 1 Mr. Charles Dudley Warner in the Editor's Study of Harper's Illustrated Monthly Magazine for July, 1897, speaks in the following way of the church edifices in Mexico : " Somebody of authority, by the way, ought to explain why Mexico has so many church edifices that go to the heart of the lover of beauty, and why the United States has so few that are interesting. Aside from the great Gothic monuments in Spain, Mexico surpasses Spain in interesting ecclesiastical architecture. It has more variety, more quaint beauty, more originality in towers and facades. The interiors are gener ally monotonous, and repetitions of each other. The Spaniards, in an age of faith, built churches, convents, monasteries, all over the county, in remote and unimportant Indian villages, and as far north as their patient ministers of religion wandered, even to the bay of San Francisco. In these edifices the Spanish ingenuity and enthusiasm prevailed, but they were largely executed by Indian builders and artists ; and if there is Sarasenic feeling shown, there are also, especially in ornamentation, traces of that aboriginal artistic spirit which, long before the Spanish conquest, executed both in stone and in pottery singularly attractive work. Even within a hundred years of our own time Indian genius has been distinguished. Those who think that this genius is only exhib- 1Reli0fon. 93 Not all the great dignitaries of the Church exhibited an unchristian selfishness, for many often spent their income in pious and charitable works, and in prosecuting missionary undertakings among the Indians of the remote distances. The wealth of the Church was loaned out at a moderate rate of in terest to landed proprietors, who formed the moral support of the Church among the laity and whose influence was prodigiously strong. The wealth of the Church was mostly in mortgages, while it held a large amount of real estate. In the City of Mexico and other places, the clergy owned a large portion of the real estate and held a great many mortages, and, to its credit be it said, was not at all usurious, ex acting only a fair rate of interest and being hardly ever oppressive in dealing with delinquent debtors. After the Revolution which effected the independence of the country, the ecclesiastical life began to cease having many of the attractions it had before. While many men became friars from genuine inclination and vocation, not a few went into the religious life because it gave them support without hard labor, and because it was one of the best careers opened to young men at the time. The nunneries sheltered a great many pious women, who effected some good as educators of the young, as almoners for the wealthy, and as nurses of the sick. There were abuses, of course, but on the whole the religious life afforded a refuge for many thousands of good women who felt drawn to works of charity and usefulness. Rich young girls were often over-persuaded to enter the convents, by avaricious and scheming priests, but such abuses are common to all religions. The Liberal party thought that the best way to destroy the Church influence in Mexico was to suppress convents, both of friars and nuns, because they ited in bizarre forms, and in such small details of design and color as the potter can attain, should see at Queretaro the work of Tresguerras, architect, sculptor, and pain ter. Any modern architect, who is led away by straining after effect in a grotesque combination of distinct Greek styles with mediaeval and early English, having no note of originality anywhere, could study with profit the simple elegance — as simple as the Old Louvre — of the Bishop's Palace in Queretaro, or the wood-carving in the church of the sequestered Convent of Santa Rosa. In my remembrance there is not, on such a great scale, any wood-carving in the world equal to it in freshness and largeness of execution and in beauty of design. It could not have been all done by the hand of Tresguerras, but it was all from his designs and under his superintendence. Of course, as to civic and ecclesiastic architecture, climate and lack of popular taste for the beauti ful put limits upon our architectural work, but it is worth the while of the American architect to consider whether he cannot learn more from our sister republic below the Tropic of Cancer than he is likely to get from the well-studied structures of Europe. In many petty and poverty-stricken Indian villages are charming towers and curious facades which would be a most valuable education in the principles of taste to any American community." 94 (Beograpbfcal Botes on /ibejico. were considered a nest of superstition, and they thought that the best interest of the country required to close them. During our civil wars the clergy contributed large amounts to the support of the conservative governments, which it often established. It is thought that in 1853, General Santa Anna abandoned the Con servative Government, which he then presided over, because the Arch bishop of Mexico did not give him all the money he required to carry on the war waged against him by the Liberal party. The wealth accumulated by the Church of Mexico was used for the purpose of supporting the conservative governments, whose policy was to keep the statu quo, and was therefore opposed to progress of any kind. The Church became a very prominent factor in politics, and could upset and establish governments at its pleasure, fomenting the many revolutions which were constantly breaking out. It was thought necessary, therefore, to destroy the political power of the Church before we could establish and maintain peace, and that work was done by what we call our Laws of Reform, issued in 1859, which established a complete independence between the Church and the State, and were intended to completely end the domination of the Catholic Church in civil affairs in Mexico : the Church property was confiscated, so that even the houses of worship are now the property of the government ; all convents of friars and nuns were closed, all religious ceremonies — such as processions and wearing a distinctive dress, — were ordered to be confined to the interior of the edifices ; the cemeteries were secularized, and marriage made exclusively a civil contract. No religious instruction or ceremony is allowed in the public schools, and never is a prayer offered as a part of the program of a national celebration. In an article, which I published in the North American Review, of January, 1895, entitled "The Philosophy of the Mexican Revolutions," I dwelt especially on this subject, and to that article I refer the reader who may desire more detailed information. The Liberals were not the first to dispose of the Church property and revenues, as the Spanish Government, under the rule of Godoy, in 1805 and 1806, to secure funds to form a redemption provision for the royal vales or credit notes, pounced on the property of the Church in Mexico, and that, later on, when the Mexicans rose in their war for independence, the royal authorities took another part of the Church's wealth to fight the patriots. The bigoted Catholic element which used to be decidely opposed to any liberal government and was always conspiring to overthrow it, has since the downfall of Maximilian, become satisfied that the condi tion of things has changed having accordingly changed their course, and now there are thousands of progressive catholics in Mexico sincerely devoted to their Church, who see only danger and eventual "Religion. 95 disastrous defeat in the adoption of a program of reaction. They go with the times and support the administration of Gen. Diaz because, on the whole, it suits them, and manifests no hostility to their con scientiously held convictions. The pope's influence seems to be directed to assuaging ancient rancors, and to the calming of passionate resentments, which is a great deal better for the Church. Protestantism in Mexico. — The Liberal party proclaimed as an inherent right of man, freedom of conscience and the free exercise of one's religion ; but the question was really only a theoretical one, since excepting a few foreigners, no one in Mexico had any other religion than the Catholic. The clergy, the Church party, and all strict Mexican catholics were greatly opposed to the intro duction of Protestantism, because protestants were looked upon as heretics whose purpose was to divide the Mexican people into dif ferent sects, disturbing their religious unity, which they considered a source of national strength, and ultimately aiding in what some Mexicans fear is the aim of this country, that is : the final absorption of Mexico. When the struggles between the Liberal and the Church party terminated in favor of the former in 1867, with the withdrawl of the French army from Mexico and the downfall of Maximilian, the time came to put into practice the principles of the Liberal creed, and protestant organizations in the United States sent missionaries to Mexico for the purpose of establishing and propagating the protestant religion there. The Mexican Government could not refuse to allow the missionaries the free exercise of the Protestant or any other faith, because that right was guaranteed to all men in our constitution, and also because it has been a principle for which the Liberal party had been contending during many years. But we went, then, further than allowing the Protestants the free ex ercise and preaching of their religion, and as I am in a measure respon sible for that step, I think it proper to give my reasons for the same. My opinion has never been favorable to missionary work, because al though I recognize that some religions have higher moral principles than others, I think that on the whole they are all intended to accomplish the same purpose, that all are good, when practised in good faith. It has always seemed to me that Christian missionaries sent to heathen countries would be looked upon in the same manner as would be heathen missionaries sent to Christian countries. But even supposing that it should be proper and desirable for the Christian religion, on account of its high morals and principles, to send missionaries to heathen countries for the purpose of converting them to Christianity, that principle would scaracely hold good in Christian countries of different denominations, and Catholicism is a Christian religion — what ever abuses it may have committed, — and I think the natural tendency 96 ©eograpbical "Motes on flbejico. of all religions when they are predominant is to absorb and misuse power ; but that Protestants should send missionaries to a Catholic country seems to me inconsistent. In principle, therefore, Mexico is hardly the proper field for Protestant missionaries, notwithstanding that there is a great deal of room for improvement there, in so far as religious matters are concerned. After having witnessed the terrible consequences of religious intol erance and political domination of the Catholic Church in Mexico, I was of course greatly impressed with the condition of things existing in the United States, where all religions are tolerated and none attempts to control the political destinies of the country. I thought that one of the best ways to diminish the evils of the political domination and abuses of the clergy in Mexico was to favor the establishment of other sects, which would come in some measure into competition with the Catholic clergy and thus serve to cause it to refrain from excesses of which it had been guilty before. When, after having lived for ten years in the United States, from 1859 to 1868, I returned to Mexico and took charge of the Treasury Department there, just at the time when the religious question was being solved, I, therefore, favored the establishment of a Protestant community as planned by Mr. Henry C. Riley, since made a Bishop, a gentleman of English parentage, born in Chili, who had been educated in London and New York and was graduated with high honors at Columbia College, New York, who spoke equally well English and Spanish, and eagerly desired to establish a Mexican National Church in competition with the Roman Catholic, in which undertaking, I understand, he used his own funds. He proposed to buy one of the finest churches, the main church of the Franciscan convent, which had been built by the Spaniards, located in the best section of the City of Mexico, and which could not now be duplicated but for a very large amount of money ; and with the hearty support of President Juarez, who shared my views and who was perhaps a great deal more radical than I was myself on such subjects, I sold the building which had become national property after the confiscation of the Church property, for a mere trifle, if I remember rightly about $4000, most of that amount being paid in Government bonds which were then at a nominal price. The magnificent building sold to Dr. Riley's community was bought recently by the Catholic Church to restore it as a Catholic temple, for the sum of $100,000, as I understand. My assistance was rendered to the Protestant cause for the reasons that I have stated, and not because I had adopted the Protestant faith ; therefore the action of the Mexi can Government in the matter at the time I speak of, was all the more praiseworthy. Dr. Butler bought about the same time another part of the same convent of San Francisco, where he established a Methodist Church in a very creditable building. Religion. 97 It is true that a great many Mexicans, namely the Indians, do not know much about religion and keep to their old idolatry, having changed only their idols, that is, replaced their old deities with the images of the Saints of the Catholic Church, but it would be difficult for the Protest ant missionaries to reach them. The Spaniards labored zealously to make the natives adopt the Catholic religion, and although they suc ceeded wonderfully, it was a task too difficult to fully accomplish in the three centuries of the Spanish domination in Mexico. I do not think that the American Protestant missionaries in Mexico have made much progress, and I doubt very much whether Mexico is a good field for them ; but they are satisfied with their work, and they think that under the circumstances, they have made very good progress. The number of Catholic churches and chapels in the country was, in 1889, 10,112, while the number of Protestant places of worship was 119. On August 12, 1890, there were in the municipality of Mexico 320,143 Catholics and 2623 Protestants. The American missionaries, and especially Dr. Riley, whom I con sider a very benevolent and unselfish man, have established Protestant schools and asylums for children, spending considerable money in main taining such institutions. Of course poor parents were glad to send their children to the Protestant schools and asylums when they could not afford to keep them at home or send them to more desirable places, and these Protestant institutions were of a very benevolent character and worthy, therefore, to be encouraged. Parents in such cases de clared themselves to be partial to Protestantism, but only for the sake of having their children accepted in the Protestant schools and asylums, and this made the Protestants think they were making a great many converts. Now and then a Catholic priest would renounce Catholicism and accept Protestantism, and such occurrences were always considered as great triumphs for the Protestant cause, but although in some instances such changes have been made in good faith, in others they were made for selfish purposes, and they never had any great weight with the community. I have no prejudice against Protestantism ; on the contrary, I ad mire greatly many of its principles, and in speaking on this subject I consider myself perfectly impartial and unbiassed. In February, 1888, the Evangelical Assembly, representing the vari ous Protestant denominations and Evangelical Societies conducting missionary operations in the Republic of Mexico, was held in the City of Mexico. They claimed that, notwithstanding the difficulties of language and climate and the other obstacles with which they had to contend, they found that they had over 600 congregations, 192 foreign and 585 native workers, over 7000 in the day schools, and about 10,000 98 ©eograpbical Botes on flbejico. in the Sunday-schools, 18,000 communicants and a Protestant commu nity of over 60,000 souls. Ten small publishing-houses are turning out millions of pages each year, and their church property is valued at nearly a million and a quarter dollars in silver. POLITICAL ORGANIZATION. Mexico was the largest and richest American colony of Spain, and for this reason it was called New Spain. The City of Mexico grew during the Spanish rule to be larger than Madrid, the capital of the Spanish Kingdom, the population of the country being estimated in 1810, just before the independence movement began, at 6,122,354; while the public revenue of the whole colony amounted to the very large sum of $20,000,000 yearly, the only exports of the country being silver and gold, and commodities of great value in small volume and weight, such as cochineal, vanilla, indigo, and a few others. Mexico accomplished her independence in 1821, and since then has had two Federal Constitutions, both modelled after the Constitu tion of the United States ; two Central Constitutions, which organized the country into a centralized republic, and two ephemeral empires, one under Iturbide, lasting ten months, from 1822 to 1823, and the other under Maximilian, established by French intervention, lasting from 1864 to 1867. Mexico is now organized, under the Constitution of the 5th of February, 1857, with its several amendments, into a Federal Republic, composed of twenty-seven states, two territories, and a federal district, and the political organization is almost identical with that of this country. The powers of the Federal Government are divided into three branches— Legislative, Executive, and Judicial. The Legislative is composed of a House of Representatives and a Senate ; the mem bers of the House are elected for two years and the senators for four, the Senate being renewed by half every two years. Representatives are elected by the suffrage of all male adults, at the rate of one mem ber for every 40,000 inhabitants. The qualifications requisite are to be at least twenty-five years of age and a resident of the State ; and for senators thirty years. The Executive is exercised by a President elected by the electors popularly chosen, who holds his office for four years, without any provision forbidding his re-election. He has a cabinet of seven mem bers, namely : Secretary of Foreign Affairs, of the Interior, of Justice and Public Instruction, of Fomento, which means promotion of Pub lic Improvements, and includes public lands, patents, and coloniza tion ; of Communications and Public Works, of the Treasury, and of War and Navy. No Vice-President is elected, but by an amend ment to our Constitution, promulgated April 24, 1896, in the per- political ©rgani3ation. 99 manent or temporary disability of the President, not caused by resignation or by leave, the Secretary of State, and after him the Secre tary of the Interior, shall exercise that office until Congress elects a President pro tempore. In case of resignation, Congress, accepting it, elects a President pro tempore, and in case of leave the President re commends to Congress the person to fill that office. The Federal Judiciary is composed of a Supreme Court, consisting of eleven Judges, four substitutes, one Attorney-General, and one Fis cal, chosen for six years; three Circuit and thirty-two District Courts. The States are independent in their domestic affairs, and their governments are similarly divided into three branches : the Governor, the Legislature, and the State Judiciary. As we adopted the federal system rather to follow the example of the United States than to suit the conditions of Mexico, that system did not work with us so easily or so satisfactorily as it works here ; and the tendency is rather to centralization and to the increasing of the powers given by the Constitution to the Federal Government. In the article above mentioned published in the North American Review, for January, 1896, entitled, " The Philosophy of the Mexican Revo lutions," ' I dwelt particularly on the results of our having copied al most literally the political institutions of the United States, and gave a general idea of our political condition. Political Division. — When the federal system was established in Mexico, in 1824, each of the old provinces under the Spanish rule was organized as a State, and our Constitution of October 4, 1824, enumer ated nineteen States. After the war with the United States we lost Texas, New Mexico, and California ; but since then as I stated in the chapter on population some of the larger States have been divided into two, or even three States, as was the case with the old State of Mexico, out of which were formed the three present States of Mexico, Hidalgo, and Morelos. Our present Constitution, of Februarys, 1857, enumerates twenty-four States ; but we now have twenty-seven. The tabular statement published above, under the head of " Popu lation," shows the number of States which form the Mexican Con federation, their area, population, and capital cities. Army and Navy. — During our civil wars, and for some time later, we had to keep a very large standing army, and our army acquired re cently a very high degree of discipline and efficiency. The Liberal party always favored the reduction of the army, while the Church party favored a large army, as our old regular army, on the whole, took sides with the Church. Soon after the restoration of the Republic, in 1867, the Mexican army consisted of : Infantry, 22,964 ; engineers, 766 ; ar- 1 This article will appear in this volume under the head of " Historical Notes on Mexico." ioo ©eograpbfcal Botes on /Ibejico. tillery, 2304 ; cavalry, 8454 ; rural guards of police, 2365 ; gendarmerie, 250; total, 37,103; and was commanded by 11 Major-Generals, 73 Brigadier-Generals, 1041 Colonels, Lieutenant-Colonels, and Majors, and 2335 Commissioned Officers. The total fighting strength, including reserves, is stated to be 132,000 infantry, 25,000 cavalry, and 8000 artillery. Every Mexican capable of carrying arms is liable for mili tary service from his twentieth to his fiftieth year. Notwithstanding that General Diaz is himself a soldier, he has fol lowed the policy of the Liberal party of reducing the army as much as possible, and in his report of November 30, 1896, in which he informs his fellow citizens of his results of his sixteen years administration, he gives the following figures, showing the reduction he has been able to accomplish in the army since 1888 : The army had, in 1888, according to President Diaz's report, the following personnel : Major-Generals 16 Brigadier-Generals 84 Commissioned Officers I,20S Non-Commissioned Officers 2,566 Soldiers 29,367 Total 33,238 In 1896 the personnel had been reduced in the following numbers : Generals 24 Commissioned Officers 166 Non-Commissioned Officers 299 Soldiers 8,170 Total 8,659 The Mexican navy is now in its inception, as it consists of a fleet of two dispatch vessels, launched 1874, each of 425 tons and 425 horse power, and severally armed with a four-ton muzzle-loading gun, and four small breech-loaders. A steel training ship, the Zaragoza, of 1200 tons, was built at Havre, in 1891 ; four gun-boats are building, and a battle-ship and cruiser are projected ; five first-class torpedo- boats have been ordered in England. The fleet is manned by ninety officers and five hundred men. EDUCATION. In 1521, the City of Mexico fell into the hands of the conquering Spaniards, and exactly eight years after that event there was established in the City of Mexico the College of San Juan de Letran, for giving secondary education to intelligent Indians as well as to the sons of the Education. 101 invading race. Thus, ninety years before the landing of the Pilgrims, the City of Mexico had its " Harvard." Universities Established by the Spanish Government. — The first vice roy of New Spain, as Mexico was called then, fourteen years after the conquest, petitioned the King of Spain to permit him to found a university in Mexico, and, anticipating from his knowledge of the good-will of the Spanish-rulers that the desired permission would be given, the viceroy took the responsibility of establishing certain classes in the higher learning, a fact which does not support the commonly held theory that Spain has always been the enemy of edu cation and of popular enlightenment. Owing to the slow means of communication in those days, and the legal steps necessary to be taken in the mother country, the university was not formally established until 1553, or eighty-three years before Harvard College was opened. The great event of setting on foot the university came under the enlightened rule of the second viceroy, Don Luis de Velasco, who did so many great things for Spain's new dependency. Later on, in 1573, there were founded in Mexico the colleges of San Gregorio and San Ildefonso, the latter still open, but modernized into the national preparatory school, a really great institution in that city of many schools. A few years later, long before the 17th century had dawned, came the founding of two more colleges and a divinity school, so that in the first sixty-five years of Spain's control in Mexico no less than seven seats of the higher learning had been established on secure foundations. No wonder that Mexico's capital became known as the Athens of the new world, producing men of great learning, such as Don Juan Ruiz de Alarcon and such notably erudite women as Juana Inez de la Cruz. The extensive library of " Americana," belonging to Don Jose de Agreda, of that city, containing over 4000 books, many of them invalu able, attests the literary, antiquarian, scientific and artistic activity of the Spaniards who planted there in a short space of time so much of learning and such vast institutions dedicated to the instruction in all the higher branches of knowledge. At the outset the University of Mexico gave instruction only in mathematics, Latin and the arts. Medicine and surgery were not esteemed highly during the middle ages, and it was not until long after the revival of learning in the Renaissance that the physician came to be considered as a true man of science. So it is not to be marvelled at that the University of Mexico waited until 1578 to establish a chair of medicine — the first in the new world discovered by Columbus. The first chair of medicine was a morning class, and a single professor carried his students through a four years' course unaided. In 1599, a second medical professorship was added ; in 1661, anatomy and surgery 102 (Seograpbical Botes on flbejico. were added, and, consequently dissection was authorized. At the outset the viceroys appointed the professors, but after a time the candidates for chairs had to win the coveted prizes through competitive examinations. The early students were not railroaded through. They had to study four years to obtain the diploma of a bachelor of medicine ; then went out into active life, and, on gaining practical knowledge, received, passing a fresh examination, the diploma of licentiate of medicine, and, later, that of doctor of medicine. School of Medicine. — In 1768 a decree was issued for the establish ment in the City of Mexico of a royal college for surgeons, similar to institutions in Cadiz and Barcelona. This college was a very com plete one, instruction being given in anatomy and dissection, in physiology, operations, clinical surgery, and medical jurisprudence. There were graduated also from the college all the dentists, bone- setters, phlebotomists, and midwives. A knowledge of Latin was not essential to receive a medical degree until 1803. In 1 82 1, Mexico having achieved her independence, the same care ful watch over education continued, and in 1833 a general revision of educational institutions was ordered under the administration of Don Valentin Gomez Farias a leader of the Liberal party and the univer sity was closed, because it was considered to have conservative tend encies, and a general board of education organized, which, among other things established what was called the School of Medical Science, with ten professors, giving a remarkably complete and modern course. On account of a revolution which occurred in 1834 which overthrew the Gomez Farias Government, the new school of medicine was closed, and the old university reopened ; but, as the officials of the university, on making a careful study of the conditons of the new school of medicine rendered an impartial report, setting forth its manifold ad vantages it was decided to keep open the institution. The incessant revolutions and consequent changes of government brought many evil things to pass, and the medical professors at times found themselves without salaries, and nobly devoted themselves to their classes without remuneration. They at one time were deprived of their building and literally thrown into the street. Better times came, however, the successive governments began to give substantial aid to the school, and in 1845 it took the name it still bears, the National School of Medicine. After more vicissitudes, many movings and trials which bore hard on the enthusiastic professors, the National School of Medicine finally was located where it now remains, in a part of the enormous edifice belonging formerly to the Inquisition. In the chaos of succeeding revolutions the salaries of the professors were often unpaid, but the devoted men of science struggled on, Education. 103 assisted by wealthier students and contributing often out of their own slender means to keep the school alive ; but, in 1857, a better era commenced, and not since then, with rare exceptions, have there been any interruptions in financial aid from the various governments. All the other institutions of learning suffered the same fate and were ex posed to similar ups and downs. School of Engineering. — Our mining college is the best in Spanish America, and it was established when engineering was hardly taught, and endowed by a portion of the taxes levied by the Spanish Govern ment on mines. Its edifice is one of the best built by the Spaniards in their colonies, and still stands as a great monument, embellishing the City of Mexico. The above given facts will show how early did Mexico open great schools for the higher education, and how solicitous was the Spanish government to maintain them. But, three centuries of devo tion to learning, antedating the war for independence, planted there firmly a love of knowledge which is now exhibited in the great government schools, in a city full of students, in innumerable pri vate schools, in the well-filled public primary institutions, in night schools for adults, and in the thirty-five bookstores of that city. Mexican Technical Schools in the Present Time. — The edifice of the first University in America, founded by the Spanish crown in 155 1, is to-day occupied by the National Conservatory of Music. The National Academy of Art, ancient Academy of San Carlos, stands where Fray Pedro de Gante founded, in 1524, the first school of the New World — a school for Indians. The Normal School for males, with its six hundred pupils and its first-class German equip ment, occupies the old convent of Santa Teresa, (1678). The Normal School for females has fourteen hundred pupils, an expensive building of 1648. The fine old Jesuit College of San Ildefonso, erected in 1749 at a cost of $400,000 is now filled with a thousand pupils of the National Preparatory School. The National College of Medicine is housed in the old home of the Inquisition (1732), an edifice whose four hanging arches at each corner of the lower corridor are famous. The building was taken for its present purpose in this century, the Holy Office dying in America with the Independence, but the medical col lege was established by royal decree of 1768. It has now several hundred pupils. San Lorenzo (1598) is now the manual training- school where poor boys are gratuitously taught lithography, engrav ing, printing, carpentry, and many other trades. The similar institution for girls is of course modern, dating only from 1874. The National Library, with its 200,000 volumes, dwells in the splendid sequestered Church of San Agustin. The National Museum occupies part of the million-dollar building erected in 1731 for the royal mint. And so on 104 (Beograpbical Botes on flbejico, through a list that would rival that of any other country. The School of Mines and Engineering, however, stands as one of the first. Its magnificent building of Chiluca, the nearest to granite the valley affords, was built for it by Tolsa in 1793, and cost three millions. The institu tion named the Colegio de la Paz, better known as the Vizcainas is one of the principal establishments for the education of young women, founded in 1734, at a cost for construction alone of about $2,000,000, subscribed by three Spanish merchants, who also provided funds for its support. These funds, when insufficient to meet expenses, are sup plemented by the Federal Government. We have also a very high grade Military School located at the historical grounds of Chapulte- pec, which educates fine soldiers. As late as 1824 Humboldt declared, " No city of the New Con tinent, not excepting those of the United States, presents scientific establishments so great and solid as those of the capital of Mexico." Except as to the buildings, of course, so much could not be said to day, as wealth and numbers have made other countries take more rapid strides in higher education. Some of the universities of the United States pay even $10,000 a year to professors and they there fore can secure the best talent. From the time of the Spanish domination in Mexico to but a few years ago, the Mexican Government considered itself bound to give to the people free secondary education, and for this purpose colleges for all literary and scientific professions were established in the City of Mexico, and each State did the same in its respective capital, in so far as its means allowed it, so that anybody who intended to follow a scientific career could do so without any expense to himself. The result of the free technical schools has been that most of the young men of well-to-do families in Mexico follow a literary career and that does not cost them anything, and we have more lawyers, doctors, engineers than we really need for the country. Reorganization of the Technical Colleges. — We had before 1868 sev eral higher colleges and in each of them the same careers were taught, as law, medicine, engineering, etc., but in the reorganization of our national colleges which took place in that year, it was thought proper to establish a special college for each career, and a preparatory col lege for such elementary studies as would be required for all careers, such as elementary mathematics, physics, chemistry, etc., etc., so that we now have in the City of Mexico, supported by the Federal Govern ment a special school for engineering, one for law, one for medicine, another for agriculture, etc., etc., but each State generally supports one technical college where all literary careers are taught. Primary Education. — Comparatively little attention was paid to the primary education, and the public schools were so deficient that Eoucation. 105 parents of some means did not send their children to them, but to private schools where they were better attended to. The fact that the elevation of the people depends on their primary education has caused common schools to be established in the country, and now the States vie with each other for the purpose of establishing the best system of common schools and increasing their number. The Mexican Government has been too much disturbed since its independence to earnestly promote the education of the Indians. I consider that one of the first duties of Mexico is to educate the large number of Indians which we have, and when that is accomplished the whole condition of the country will change, as it will be able in a few years to increase by several millions its productive and consuming population. In 1896 the Federal Congress of Mexico passed a law which was promulgated on June 3d of that year, making primary education obliga tory on all the inhabitants of the Federal District and Territories, and placing public education under the control of the Federal Government, having been before under the respective municipalities. In almost all the States education is free and compulsory, but the law has not been strictly enforced. Primary instruction is mostly at the ex pense of the municipalities, but the Federal Government makes frequent grants, and many schools are under the care of the beneficent societies. School Statistics. — Statistical reports on public instruction for 1876 showed an aggregate of 8165 primary schools, with an attendance of 368,754 children of both sexes throughout the Republic. Reports for 1895 show a total number of public schools for both sexes through out the Republic amounting to 10,915, in which are instructed 722,435 scholars, at an aggregate cost of $5,455,549.60. The proportion of children of both sexes attending the school is, with respect to the general population, nearly five per cent., and that of the children of school age, actually attending school about 27 per cent, with an aver age yearly outlay per capita of $7.55. The entire number of private schools for both sexes, including those supported by religious and civil associations, is 2585, with a total attendance of 81,221. Adding these to the preceding figures we have an aggregate of 13,500 schools with an attendance of 803,656 scholars. The number of schools in the country for professional technical education is 136, attended by 16,809 pupils of both sexes. In the Federal District there are 454 public primary schools with an attendance of 44,776 pupils, and 247 private schools with an attend ance of 19,334 pupils. In the matter of education Mexico now stands upon a plane as high, if not higher, than any of the Spanish American Republics, out-ranking even Chili and the Argentine Republic, both of which greatly surpassed her in former years. 106 (Beograpbical Botes on fliejico. The statistical part of this paper will contain detailed information about the number of schools established in each State, their cost, etc., during the year 1895, which complements the information embraced in this chapter. Libraries. — Many great and noteworthy public and private libraries attest the ineradicable love of learning characteristic of the Mexican people. In 1894 there were in the Republic the National Library, with 200,000 volumes, and 102 other public libraries. There were in that year 22 museums for scientific and educational purposes, and 3 meteo rological observatories. Our National Library at the City of Mexico collected all the books possessed by the libraries of the different con vents when they were suppressed by the National Government, and has therefore a very large number of rare and valuable books. Newspapers. — The number of newspapers published was 363, of which 94 are published in the capital : 4 in English, 2 in French, and 1 in German, showing that the Press has not attained there the great de velopment that it has in this country. THE VALLEY OF MEXICO. The Valley of Mexico is one of the finest spots in the world. Sur rounded by high mountains — almost at the foot of the two highest in the country, Popocatepetl and Ixtaccihuatl — with a very rare and clear atmosphere and a beautiful blue sky, especially after a rain ; it is really a centre of magnificent scenery. The rareness of the atmosphere makes distant objects appear to be very near, and when looking from the City of Mexico at the mountains which surround the Valley, one imagines that they are at the end of the City, while some of them are at a distance of forty miles. The view of the Valley from Chapultepec Hill, which is about one hundred and fifty feet high and distant about three miles from the City, towards its western extremity, where our military school now is and where the President has made his summer residence, is one of the most beautiful with which the earth is endowed. I have seen the Bosphorus, Constantinople, the Bay of Naples and other spots in the world which are considered to be most remarkable for their natural beauty, but I think the view of the Valley of Mexico from Chapultepec can be advantageously compared with any of them, if it does not excel them all. Six lakes are within the limits of the Valley, — Chalco, Zochimilco, Texcoco, Xaltocan, San Cristobal, and Zupango, the two former being of fresh water and the others of salt water — and, as they have no natural outlet the City of Mexico has been deprived for some time of a proper drainage and its health has been affected very materially thereby. But the colossal undertaking of making an artificial outlet is Ube Gits of ilbejico. 107 now practically finished. In an article which I published in the Engineering Magazine in January, 1895, I dwelt especially on the work done during four centuries to accomplish that great end.1 The prevailing wind in the Valley of Mexico is northwest and north-northwest, which blew 250 times during the year 1883 ; while the southern winds, which are very dry, are rare, as they only blew 5 1 times in that year ; but at the same time they have greater velocity than the others, and the greatest relative velocity of the winds is 3.0. The west and northwest winds are very damp. At the present stage of industrial development, speaking especially of the Valley of Mexico, the question of a cheaper combustible is the one of supreme importance. In the absence of water-power of im portance and permanence of volume, the only solution of the problem so vital to the growth of manufactures there lies in procuring abundant and cheap fuel. THE CITY OF MEXICO. The City of Mexico, located in the western end of the valley, on the Anahuac plateau, at an altitude of 7350 feet above the sea level in 19° 26' north latitude and 990 07' 53" .4 longitude west of Greenwich, covering about twenty square miles, is one of the most ancient cities of this continent, was the capital of the Aztec Empire, of the Spanish Colony of New Spain and now of the Mexican Republic, and of the Federal District of Mexico. Mexico dates either from the year 1325 or 1327, when the Aztecs, after long wanderings over the plateau were directed by the oracle to settle at this spot. For here had been witnessed the auspicious omen of an eagle perched on a nopal (cactus) and devouring a snake. Hence the original name of the city, Tenochtitlan (cactus on a stone), changed afterwards to Mexico in honor of the war god Mexitli. The eagle holding a snake in her beak and standing on a cactus upon a stone, is the coat-of-arms of the Mexican Republic. With the progress of the Aztec culture the place rapidly improved, and about 1450 the old mud and rush houses were replaced by solid stone structures, erected partly on piles amid the islets of Lake Texcoco, and grouped around the cen tral enclosure of the great teocalli. The city had reached its highest splendor on the arrival of the Spaniards in 15 19, when it comprised from 50,000 to 60,000 houses, with perhaps 500,000 inhabitants, and seemed to Cortes, according to Prescott's, " like a thing of fairy crea tion rather than the work of mortal hands." It was at that time about T2 miles in circumference, everywhere intersected by canals, and connected with the mainland by six long and solidly constructed causeways, as is clearly shown by the plan given in the edition of 1 That article is appended to this paper. 108 (Beograpbical Botes on flbejico. Cortes's letters published at Nuremberg in 15 24.1 After its almost destruction in November, 152 1, Cortes employed some 400,000 natives in rebuilding it on the same site ; but since then the lake seems, to have considerably subsided, for although still 50 square miles in extent, it is very shallow and has retired two and a half miles from the city. During the Spanish rule the chief event was the revolt in 1692, when the municipal buildings were destroyed. Since then Mexico has been the scene of many revolutions, was captured by the United States Army after the battle of Chapultepec, on September 13, 1847, and by the French Army under Marshall Forey in 1863. But since the over throw of Maximilian, and the French Intervention in 1867, peace has been established and it has become a great centre of civilizing in fluences for the surrounding peoples. The City of Mexico is 263 miles by rail from Veracruz on the Atlantic, 290 from Acapulco on the Pacific, 285 from Oaxaca, 863- from Matamoros on the frontier with the United States, and 1224 miles from El Paso. Mexico is the largest and finest city in Spanish America, and at one time larger than Madrid, the capital of Spain, forming a square of nearly 3 miles both ways, and laid out with perfect regu larity, all its six hundred streets and lanes running at right angles north to south and east to west, and covering within the walls an area of about ten square miles, with a population now of 539,935. The present City of Mexico is almost twice as large as the old one, it having increased towards the northwest, and, strange to say, the new portion is not laid out as regularly as the old one. All the main thoroughfares converge on the central Plaza de Armas, or Main Square, which covers 14 acres, and is tastefully laid out with shady trees, garden plots, marble fountains, and seats. Here also are grouped most of the public buildings, towering above which is the Cathedral, the largest and most sumptuous church in America, which stands on the north side of the plaza on the site of the great pyramidal teocalli or temple of Huitzilopochtli, titular god of the Aztecs. This church, which was founded in 1573 and finished in 1657, at a cost of $2,000,- 000, for the walls alone, forms a Greek cross, 426 feet long and 203 feet wide, with two great naves and three aisles, twenty side chapels, and a magnificent high altar supported by marble columns, and surrounded by a tumbago balustrade with sixty-two statues of the same rich gold, silver, and copper alloy serving as candelabra. The elaborately carved choir was also enclosed by tumbago railings made in Macao, weighing twenty-six tons, and valued at about $1,500,000. In the interior, the Doric style prevails, and Renaissance in the exterior, which is adorned by five domes and two open towers 218 feet high. At the foot of the 1 Reproduced in vol. iv. of H. H. Bancroft's History of the Pacific States, San: Francisco, 1833, p. 280. Ube Cits of flbejfco. io9 left tower was placed the famous calendar stone, the most interesting relic of Aztec culture, which is now at the National Museum. The east side of the plaza is occupied by the old vice-regal resi dence, now the National Palace, with 675 feet frontage, containing most of the Government offices, ministerial, cabinet, treasury, military headquarters, archives, meteorological department with observatory, and the spacious halls of ambassadors, with some remarkable paintings by Miranda and native artists. North of the National Palace, and forming portions of it, are the post-office and the national museum of natural history and antiquities, with a priceless collection of Mexican relics. Close to the cathedral stands the Monte de Piedad, or national pawnshop, a useful institution, endowed in 1744 by Don Manuel Romero de Terreros with $375,000, and now possessing nearly $10,- 000,000 of accumulated funds. Facing the cathedral is the Palacio Municipal, or City Hall, 252 feet by 122, rebuilt in 1792 at a cost of $150,000, and containing the city and district offices, and the mer chant's exchange. Around the Plaza San Domingo were grouped the convent of that name, which contained vast treasures buried within its walls, the old inquisition, now the school of medicine, and for some time the Custom House, which has now been removed to the city boundary. In the same neighborhood are the Church of the Jesuits and the School of Arts, which is, in the language of Brocklehurst, " an immense work shop, including iron and brass foundries, carriage and cart mending, building and masonry, various branches of joinery and upholstery work, and silk and cotton hand-weaving." Other noteworthy buildings are the national picture gallery of San Carlos, the finest in America, in which the Florentine and Flemish schools are well represented, and which contains the famous Las Casas, by Felix Parra ; the national library of St. Augustine, with over 200- 000 volumes, numerous MSS., and many rare old Spanish books ; the mint,1 which since 1690 has issued coinage, chiefly silver, to the amount of nearly $3,000,000,000 ; the Iturbide Hotel, formerly the residence of the Emperor Iturbide ; the Mineria, or schools of mines, with lecture- rooms, laboratories, rich mineralogical and geological specimens, and a fossil horse, three feet high, of the Pleistocene period. 1 The Spanish Government intended during last century to build a spacious, costly, and magnificent mint in the City of Mexico, and its plans and specifications were approved by the king, but by a mistake of the clerks in Madrid, they were forwarded to Santiago, Chili, instead of being sent to the City of Mexico, and it was in consequence built there. The building was so fine that, not having any mint at Santiago, it was used as the Government House, and it is now the Executive Mansion and Departments, and it is called "La Moneda," an abbreviation of "La Casa de Moneda," which is the Spanish name for mint. no (Beograpbical Botes on /Ibejico. Among the twenty scientific institutes, mention should be made of the Geographical and Statistical Society, whose meteorological depart ment issues charts and maps of unsurpassed excellence. Owing to the spongy nature of the soil, the Mineria and many other structures have settled out of the perpendicular, thus often pre senting irregular lines and a rickety appearance. Before i860 half of the city consisted of churches, convents, and other ecclesiastical structures, most of which have been sequestrated and converted into libraries, stores, warehouses, hotels, and even stables, or pulled down for civic improvements. Nevertheless there still remain fourteen parish and thirty other churches, some of large size, with towers and domes. San Francisco Street is the leading thoroughfare, and is rivalled in splendor only by the new Cinco de Mayo Street, running from the National Theatre to the cathedral. It would take a great deal more space than it is convenient to give in this paper, should I attempt to make a longer description of the City of Mexico which, being one of the oldest on this continent and the largest and principal one during the three centuries of the Spanish rule, it has quite a number of remarkable buildings and monuments and a very important history, a great deal of romance being connected with it. The City of Mexico is not only the capital of the country, but the real head of the Republic ; and the aim of all other Mexican cities is to follow in its footsteps and imitate as much as possible the City of Mexico, which to them is a beau ideal and a real paradise. The City of Mexico is now literally encircled with a belt of fac tories — cotton, paper, linen, etc., packing houses, brick works, cork factories, soap works, etc., and cheaper fuel will add largely to their number. They have been able to show profits under the load of a dear combustible, and they will welcome the introduction of any fuel, which will enable them to work even more successfully. Climate. — From the official reports of Professor Mariano Barcena, Director of the National Meteorological Observatory of the City of Mexico, of the weather conditions in 1895, it appears that there were 121 cloudy days. But the rains were mostly at night or late in the afternoon, of short duration, and immediately succeeded by sunshine showers. Long periods of rainy weather are unknown there. The total rainfall for the year, less than twenty inches, will convey a fair idea of the dryness of the climate. The mean temperature in the shade for 1895 was 60 degrees, the highest being 65, reached in April, and the lowest 53, in January, a temperature rather which avoids both extremities. The mean temperature for the summer months were : June, 64 degrees ; July, 62 ; August, 62 ; September, 61. The table on page 112, prepared by the Weather Bureau of the City TXbe Cits of /Ibejico. m of Mexico, contains the average annual climatological data of that city from the years 1877 to 1895. More detailed data about the climatological conditions of the City of Mexico during the year 1896, prepared also by our Weather Bureau, is appended on page 113. Mortality in the City of Mexico. — During the year 1896 the total mortality in the City of Mexico, under a recorded population of 330,698, was 15,567, not including 1275 still-births, equivalent to 4.70 percent. The principal diseases which caused that mortality were those affecting 1 A BRIEF HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE METEOROLOGY IN THE MEXICAN REPUBLIC. Priest Jose Antonio Alzate stands in the first place among those who have culti vated the meteorological science in our country, being he who first devoted himself to its study, and made regular observations during more than eight years, as he himself says in his Descripcion topogrdfica de Me'xico (1738 to 1799). Of these observations, he, unfortunately, only published those belonging to the last nine months of the year 1 769, in his famous Gaceta de Literatura de Me'xico, 1788 to 1795. He also published many articles describing some phenomena and instruments, climates of towns, value and usefulness of observations, as he had done in others of his publications : Diario Liter- ario de Me'xico, 1768 ; Asuntos varios sobre Ciencias y Artes, 1772 to 1773 ; and Ob- servaciones sobre la Flsica Historia Natural y Artes utiles, 1787. He was the first in determining the height of the City of Mexico. After these labors of Father Alzate, we find in the journal El Sol regular series of observations published, daily, from the 14th of June, 1824, to the 14th of January, 1828. Dr. John Burkart in 1826 ; Sr. Francisco Gerolt from 1833 to 1834, at the School of Mines ; Sr. Jose Gomez de la Cortina, Conde de la Cortina, from 1841 to 1845 ; the members of the Geographical Section of the Army Staff from 1842 to 1843 \ the Astronomer Sr. Francisco Jimenez in 1858 ; the School of Mines in the years 1850, 1856, 1857, and 1858 ; Sr. Ignacio Cornejo, M.E., at the same school from 1865 to 1866 ; and Sr. Juan de Mier y Teran at the " Escuela Preparatoria " from 1868 to 1875, respectively, made some meteorological observations. A series of observations from 1855 to 1875 were made at the Hacienda de San Nicolas Buenavista, and another one at the city of Cordoba from 1859 to 1863, by Dr. Jose Apolinario Nieto ; Sr. Carlos Sartorius at the Hacienda del Mirador (State of Veracruz) ; Sr. Miguel Velazquez de Leon, and his sons, Joaquin and Luis, engi neers, from 1869 up to the present, at the Hacienda del Pabellon ; Sr. Gregorio Bar- reto from 1869 to 1880, at the city of Colima; General Mariano Reyes, Sr. Jose Maria Romero, engineer, and Sr. Pascual Alcocer, from 1870 to the present date, at the city of Quere'taro ; Sr. Lazaro Perez from 1874 to 1885, at the city of Guadalajara ; Sr. Isidoro Epstein at the City of Monterrey, 1855 ; Sr. Vicente Reyes, a civil engi neer and architect, at the city of Cuernavaca, 1873, 1874, and 1876 ; Sr. Joaquin de Mendizabal Tamborrel, an engineer, at the city of Puebla, 1872 to 1873 ; Sr. Augustin Galindo at the same city, 1875 ; Professor Manuel M. Chazaro at San Juan Michapa (State of Veracruz), 1872 to 1873 ; Priest Pedro Spina, S. J., at the city of Puebla, 1876, and perhaps many others from whom we have no notice, have devoted them selves to making meteorological observations. The " Sociedad de Geografia y Estadistica " the most ancient scientific society in Mexico, distributed, in 1862, some instruments and instructions to observers. Finally, on the 6th of March, 1877, being President of the Republic, General Lat. N. 19° 26'. CLIMATOLOGICAL DATA OP THE CITY OF MEXICO. ANNUAL SUMMARIES AND GENERAL SYNOPSIS, 1877-1895. (ENGLISH MEASURES.) Long. W., Greenwich 6 h. 36 m. 31 s., 56 or 990 87' 53''4. Height, 7472 (Eng. feet). METEOROLOGICAL DATUM. Mean barometrical height reduced to the freezing point Maximum barometrical height Minimum barometrical height Mean temperature in shade Mean temperature in open air Maximum temperature in shade Maximum temperature in open air. . Minimum temperature in shade Minimum temperature in open air... Mean temperature of water in shade. Mean humidity of the air, per cent., in shade Mean humidity of the air, per cent., in open air Mean vapor tension in shade Mean vapor tension in open air. Mean evaporation of water in shade.. Mean evaporation of water in open air Days of rain, total amount Rainfall, total amount Greatest precipitation in 24 hours. Average cloudiness Prevailing direction of clouds Amount of cloudy days.. Amount of clear days. . . Prevailing wind Mean velocity of wind, per hour (miles) Maximum velocity of wind, per hour (miles) Direction of the wind of maximum velocity Ozone (mean) (0-10) Amount of lightning days. 1877. 23. TO 23-3122. 89 6i°9 85 106.5 35-2 28.2 0.0830.268 104 15-0.06 1.032 4.6 s. w. 88 N.W. 28.16 N. W. 4.9 77 1878. 23.09 23.28 22.87 61 88. Q 120.5 30.2 19.0 0.320 0.099 0.284 120 35-143 2.442 4.4 s. w. 108142 2.45 40.23 N. E. 3-4 118 1879 23. II 23.4022.89 59°5 106.5 30.921.9 0.306 0.1180.319 125 18.787 1.288 4.8 w. 121135 N. W. 2.23 35-76 N. W. 3,8 III 1880. 23.IO 23.3222.89 59°5 86.0 112. 8 33 26.4 0.322 0.1030.323 122 21.740 i-5i7 4.9 w. 123120 N. E. * N. W. 2.01 4°-23 N. E. 4-3 146 23.10 23.3422.84 59°9 85 100.6 29.827.0 o-35S 0.091o. 271 162 23-433 1-457 5-3 s. w. 116 99 N.W. 2.23 32.41 4.6 160 1882. 23.II 23-38 22.89 59°7 59-9 86.9 101.8 28.927.5 6061 0.3190.3190.0950.232 135 26.024 1 -575 4.8 S. W. A N. E. Il8 119 N. *N W. 1.56 28.61N. E. 4-7 164 1883. 23.0923.3222.84 59°459-586.0 100. o 32.526.055,8 62 67 o-3370.3200.087 0.209 157 23-965 1. 2215-5 s. w. & N. E. 145 83 N. W. 31.29 N. AN. W. 4.6 149 I884. 23-. 06 23.2822.88 59°459-583.3 103. 1 33-1 27.955-6 59 1.79 27.94 4-5 161 23.0723-2522.88 59°7 60. 1 84.0 96.9 36-528.8 56.8 62 62 63 0.311 O.329 0-315 0-343 0.103 O.095 0.256 O.240 123 168 16.083 26.602 1,071 1.686 4-7 5-7 s. w. w. & S.W. 107 146 113 75 N.W. 4 N. W. 1.79 30.96 N. ft N. E. 5.0 23.0723.2922.83 59°760.1 84.4 93.0 33-8 30.056.7 6062 0.3230.319 0.103 0.244 112 20.913 1. 131 4.9 s. w. 4 N. E. II4 121 I.79 46.93 1887 4,8 IOI 23.O7 23.30 22.85 59°o592 84.097-7 32.0 25.0 56-3 «365 0-3350-3390.0910.229 166 31.994 2.064 5-3 N. I42 IIO N. E. 0.S9 40.23 S. E. 4.6 .38 23.0723.2722.87 59°5 59 9 83-3 100.9 36.430.2 56.8 6464 0-347 0.348 0.0910.244 161 29.130 2.501 5-6 s. w. 158 81 N. W. 35-76 N. E. 4.2 146 23.0823.2822.87 6o°i 594 85.199.0 36-5 3>-5 57-2 6058 0.320 0.302 O.III 0.280 [9.610 1. 138 5-2 N. E. 141 99 N. W. 34-64 3-2 '33 23.0823.2822.89 58°859-484.095.033.830.055-9 6162 0.3150.320 0.095 0.252 155 25.122 1.398 4-9 N. E. 112 108 N. W. I.34 33.08 N. & N. E. 1-5150 23.0723.27 22.84 59°2 59-5 84.089.436.531.8 56.7 61 62 0.3200.3200.103 0.240 138 25.917 1-595 4-7 s. w. 105137 N. W. 2.23 i4-64I. w. 4-5 IOQ 23.O7 23 22.84 59°9 59-9 8693-9 35.628.958.5 5858 O-3'S0.312 o. 107 0.276 134 17., 1.013 4 N. i 87 136 N. W. 45-15 N. &N, 3-7 119 I893. 23.0723.29 22.89 59°5CO. 4 84.2 91.0 31.8 25.2 56.5 5959 0.315 0.320 0.0950.271 136 22.386 1. 158 4-6 N. E 109"35 N. W. 223 35-55 N.W. 3-5 142 1894. 23.08 23.30 22.87 59°9 60.684.0 95-9 34-325-556.5 59 58 o-3'S0.3150.099 0.292 112 13 . 067 1.639 4-7 N. E. 103 119 N. W. 2.68 34-41 N. E. 4.2 '57 I895. 23.0923.2322.86 6o°3 60. S S4.998.632-922.657.6 57 58 0-315o-3i50.0830.217 145 22.012 1.260 5.0 N. E. 121 IO7 N. 2.23 32-4J N. E. 3-5 155 Aver age, 1877- 1895- 23.08 23.40 22.83 59°7 59-988.9 120.5 28.9 19.0 56.7 6061 0.3200.322 0.099 0.260 138 22.915 2.5014.9 s. w. 118 114 N. W. 2.01 46.93 N. E. 46.0 138 o 10 <-tSO ts croS3«— ¦ 35 oa o at *~.r>o Mariano Barcena, Director. Jose Zendejas, Vice-Director. GENERAL SUMMARY OF THE METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS TAKEN IN THE CENTRAL OBSERVATORY OF THE CITY OF MEXICO DURING THE YEAR 1896. Lat. N. 190 26'. Long. W. of Greenwich, 6 h. 36 m. 31 s. 56 or 990 07' 53" 4. Height of the barometer above sea level, 7472.25 (Eng. feet). Mean barometrical height, reduced to freezing (inches) , Maximum barometrical height (inches) Minium barometrical height (inches) Mean temperature in shade (Fahrenheit) Maximum temperature in shade (Fahrenheit)... Minimum temperature in shade (Fahrenheit)... . Mean temperature in open air (Fahrenheit) Maximum temperature in open air (Fahrenheit) Minimum temperature in open air (Fahrenheit). . Maximum daily range in shade Maximum daily range in open air Mean temperature of soil (33.5 inches deep.). . . . Mean temperature of water in shade Mean humidity of the air, per cent., in shade. . . Mean humidity of the air, per cent., in open air. . . Mean vapor tension in shade (inches) Mean vapor tension in open air (inches) Mean evaporation of water in shade (inches).. . . Mean evaporation of water in open air (inches), . . Days of rain, total amount Rainfall, total amount (inches) Greatest fall in 24 hours (inches) Mean amount of clouds (0-10) Prevailing direction of clouds Amount of cloudy days Amount of clear days Prevailing wind Mean velocity of wind per hour (miles) Maximum velocity of wind per hour (miles) .... Direction of the wind of maximum velocity Ozone [mean] (0-10) , Amount of lightning days , Jan. Feb. March. April. 23.083 23.039 23.051 23075 23.276 23.181 23-J93 23,209 22.878 22.854 22.890 22.906 55-04 55-94 61.52 65.48 72.50 75.20 83.48 86.90 36.50 37-40 40.10 43-70 55-94 56.84 62.42 65.84 81.14 87.80 94.10 97.16 30.20 29.84 31.28 36.68 29.70 35-20 37.80 32.04 45.90 53-^8 54-36 48.60 56.3° 55-94 56.66 57-56 52.16 52.52 57-38 60.80 54 48 42 46 54 46 41 46 0.244 0.221 0.236 O.284 0.244 0.207 0.229 0.288 0.083 0.048 0.107 O. I I I 0.190 0.197 0.264 O.3H 1 6 6 7 0.016 0.039 0.039 0.721 0.016 0.035 0.024 0.296 4-i 2.8 2.3 4.1 s. w. s. w. s. w. s. w. 6 3 0 2 12 19 21 8 N. W. N. W. N. N. ¦¦79 2.68 2.68 2. go 30.96 25.25 29.05 25-25 s. S. & S. E. N. E. N. E. 3-4 3-5 3-7 3-7 0 1 4 *3 23.071 23.177 22.941 67.6489.24 50.00 67,8298.96 42.80 32.94 52.92 61.1662.60 4747 0.3110.3110,142 0.358 7 0.473 0.197 4-5 H. Bl N. W, 6 9 N. 3-35 27.94 N. W. 3-8 17 June. July. August. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. 23.079 23.106 23.122 23.071 23.071 23.091 23.071 23.248 23.240 23.240 23.150 23- '73 23.240 23.307 22.002 22.965 22.992 22.637 22.957 22.957 22.953 65.48 63.50 62.96 62.42 6i.34 58.46 51.98 83.48 81.50 78.44 77.36 75-38 71.96 71.60 42.80 51.80 50.00 50.00 49.10 47-30 34-7o 66.02 63.86 63.14 62.78 61.88 59.00 52.70 95.00 94.10 91.40 89.96 86.90 84.20 78.80 36.50 45-68 44.06 42.98 41.72 38.30 23.00 34.20 27.00 25.92 33-30 24.84 33 -3o 30.60 48.60 44.28 46.62 42.48 40.86 42.30 46.44 62.78 62.60 62.24 62.24 62.24 6i.34 58.64 60.98 60.26 59-54 59.00 57.92 55-°4 52,70 54 65 65 69 71 68 61 54 65 65 69 70 70 64 0.343 0.389 0.382 0.410 0.406 o.354 0.252 0.347 0.389 0.386 0.410 0.406 0.364 0.271 0.130 0.095 0.079 0.079 0.071 0.071 0.055 0.331 0.256 0.229 0.232 0.217 0.162 0.118 '3 22 25 22 17 "3 4 1. 170 3.919 2.555 3-324 4-135 0.795 0.615 0.433 0.787 0.394 0.914 1.181 0.300 0.528 5-5 7-i 6.3 7.2 6.4 5-9 5-4 N. E. N. E. N. B. N. K. N. E. N. E. s. w. 8 16 J3 20 15 9 13 3 I I O 2 3 5 N. N. N. W. N. N. W. N. W. N. W. 4.69 3-79 3-35 2.68 I.79 1. 12 0.67 27.27 33-52 26.37 30.17 20.33 16.76 11.78 N. E. N. E. N. E. N. B. N. H. N. B. N. W. 3-7 3-5 3-7 3-5 3-3 3.2 2 7 '9 26 26 24 21 IO O 23.079 23-307 22.854 60.9889.24 34-70 61.52 98.96 23.0037.80 54-36 59-9°57-56 5758 0.3190.3230.0910.236 '43 17.800 1. 181 5-i N. E. ill 84 N. 4 N. W. 2.68 33-52 N. E.3-5 161 cr o «-$ r>o Mariano BArcenA, Director. Jose Zendejas, Vice-Director. ii4 (Beograpbtcal "Motes on ZlDejico. the digestive and respiratory organs, the former amounting to 4472 or 1.35 per cent, of the population and the latter to 3904 or 1. 18 per cent. of the population, and both causing 8376 deaths or 53.81 per cent, of the total number of deaths. Deaths by typhus and typhoid fevers and small-pox, which are supposed to make such great ravages in the City of Mexico, were in reality insignificant, the deaths by the former amounting in that year to 480 or 0.14 per cent, of the population, and the deaths by small-pox were, in the Federal District, embracing the City of Mexico and twenty-three suburban towns, 217 or 0.047 per cent. of the population of the District which is 473,820. Small-pox only attacks the very poor people, and, strange to say, also foreigners, even in case they have been vaccinated in their country, and to be free from small-pox they must be vaccinated in Mexico. The months of the greatest mortality during the same year were from February to May, and of the smallest the month of August, show ing that the unhealthy months are the dry months, that is before the rains set in. The mortality in the City of Mexico is indeed very large, and it is due principally to two causes, first, the want of proper drainage and sewerage for the refuse of the city, a trouble which is now almost com- Porfirio Diaz, and by the suggestion of General Vicente Riva Palacio, then Secretary of Public Works, the Central Meteorological Observatory was established. From that date up to the present, an uninterrupted hourly observation is regularly taken during the day and the night in the Central Meteorological Observatory. Some mag- netical observations have also been made, and the Observatory is now thought of be ing removed to a more suitable spot. After the establishment of the Central Meteorological Observatory, some official or private meteorological stations have also been established as follows : Aguascalien tes (Instituto del Estado) ; Guadalajara (Escuela de Ingenieros), observer, Augustin V. Pascal ; Guanajuato (Colegio del Estado), observer, Genaro Montes de Oca ; Leon (Escuela Secundaria), observer, Mariano Leal ; Mazatlan (Observatorio Astronomico y Meteorologico), observer, N. Gonzalez; Oaxaca (Colegio del Estado), observer, Dr. A. Dominguez ; Pachuca (Instituto del Estado), observer, Dr. N. Andrade ; Puebla (Colegio Catolico and Colegio del Estado), observers, Priest P. Spina and B. G. Gon zalez respectively ; Queretaro (Colegio Civil), observer, J. B. Alcocer ; San Luis Po tosi (Instituto del Estado), observer, Dr. G. Barroeta ; Toluca (Instituto del Estado), observer, S. Enriquez ; Veracruz, observer, G. Baturoni ; Zacatecas (Instituto), J. A. Bonilla. Dr. Manuel Andrade, of Huejutla ; Dr. Matienzo, of Tampico ; Father Perez, of Morelia ; Father Arreola, of Colima ; Father Castellanos, of Zapotlan ; Sr. Pascual Borbon, of Tacambaro, are enlightened observers to whom the Central Me teorological Observatory is indebted for their valuable co-operation, and also to the telegraph operators of the " Telegraph system," who send, daily, some weather obser vations to this office. The staff of the Central Meteorological Observatory is now as follows : Director, Mariano Barcena ; Vice-Director, Jose Zendejas, CE. ; Second Observer, Francisco- Toro ; Assistants, Rafael Aguilar, Francisco Quiroga, Angel Robelo, Jose Torres, and J. I. Vazquez. "Katlwass. 115 pletely remedied, and the second, the unhygienic way of living of the poor classes, among whom takes place the largest mortality. The very large number of still-births which occurred in the City of Mexico in 1896, almost exclusively among the poor classes, shows the little care that the poor women take of themselves, and is enough to ex plain the present large mortality. RAILWAYS. For many years the government earnestly endeavored to further the construction of railroads in Mexico, but the broken surface of the country made the building of these roads very expensive. Until 1873 the means of internal locomotion were mainly limited to a few wagon roads, over which travelled twenty-four regular lines of diligences, under one management ; and bridle-paths from the central plateau over the sierras and terrace lands down to a few points on both coasts. In 1854 the first railroad was finished, connecting the City of Mex ico with Guadalupe, about three miles in length, and another from Veracruz to Tejeria towards the City of Mexico about twelve miles in length ; these being the only railroads that were built, up to 1861. During the French Intervention the French army extended the Tejeria road to Paso del Macho, about thirty-five miles further, to the foot of the mountain, so as to be able to transport their army, with the shortest delay possible, out of the yellow-fever zone, toward the central plateau ; and an English Company, which had a grant for a road from the City of Mexico to Veracruz, which was supposed at the time to be the only one that could be built in Mexico, extended the Guadalupe road to Api- zaco in the direction of Veracruz and not far from Puebla. No construction of consequence was done immediately after the French Intervention, because the country was generally in a disturbed condition, although several efforts were made in that direction by President Juarez, under whose administration a new and very liberal grant was given to the Veracruz railway company. The Veracruz road was finished in 1873, during Senor Lerdo de Tejada's Presidency, and when General Diaz became President in 1876 he earnestly pro moted railroad building ; and we now have two trunk lines connecting the City of Mexico with the United States — the Mexican Central to El Paso, Texas, with a branch from San Luis Potosi to the port of Tampico, and another from Irapuato to Guadalajara, which has re cently been extended to Ameca, towards the Pacific ; and the Mexican National to Laredo, Texas, with several branches. Another trunk line from Eagle Pass to Torreon and Durango, which it is intended shall finally reach the Pacific, has also been built by Mr. C. P. Hunt ington and his associates. There is besides a line from Nogales to Guaymas, built and owned by the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe n6 ©eograpbical Botes on /IDesico. Company ; and these four lines connect us with the main systems of the United States, our lines being in fact extensions of the United States railway system. We have now two lines from the City of Mexico to Veracruz, the old Veracruz road passing by Orizaba, and the Interoceanic, which runs from Veracruz by Jalapa and the City of Mexico and is intended to reach the Pacific. All of our roads, excepting the one built by Mr. Huntington, have had large subsidies paid by the Mexican Govern ment, and in one case, that of the Veracruz railroad, the subsidy paid was $560,000 per year, for twenty-eight years, or about $57,471 per English mile, although the average subsidy per mile, according to President Diaz's report, dated November 30, 1896, is $14,380. The Tehuantepec railway, running from Coatzacoalcos on the Gulf of Mexico to Salina Cruz on the Pacific, about one hundred and thirty miles in length, has been built at great expense and at a great sacrifice by the Mexican Government. I published in the Engineering Maga zine for March, 1894,1 an article stating the different efforts made by the Mexican Government to have that road built, and the advantages that we expected from it as a highway of trade between the Atlantic and the Pacific. The Mexican Government has recently made a con tract with Messrs. E. Weetman, Pearson & Son, of London, for the building of good harbors at both ends of the road, and when that is accomplished we expect that a great deal of eastern trade will pass through Tehuantepec. With the exception of the Tehuantepec road, we have not yet any road running from the Atlantic to the Pacific, although several are in process of construction. The descent of the mountains is on the Pa cific slope a great deal more difficult than on the Gulf coast, where the large centres of population are located near the Gulf, and this explains why none of the roads have so far been able to reach the Pacific Ocean. Our railway system extends now, in the direction of Guatemala, as far as the city of Oaxaca, where we are only about five hundred miles away from our frontier with Guatemala. In other directions, our sys tem reaches the principal cities and commercial and mining centres of the country. The total mileage of railway in 1895 was 6989^- English miles. President Diaz, in his above mentioned report gives, the total mileage of railways in Mexico as 11,469 kilometres or 7126 miles ; and in his message to Congress on April 1, 1897, he stated that the railway mile age had been increased by 238 kilometres 550 metres, finished and received by the Government, and 248 kilometres built, but not yet re ceived officially, making a total mileage of 11,955 kilometres 550 metres, or 7.429 miles. 1 This paper will appear in this volume. IRatlwa^s. 117 President Diaz's Railway Policy. — President Diaz deserves a great deal of credit for his efforts to promote in Mexico, material improve ments, and especially in railroad building. When he came into power, in 1877, public opinion was very much divided as to the policy of allowing citizens of the United States to develop the resources of the country by building railroads, working mines, etc. Our experience of what took place in consequence of the liberal grants given by Mexico to Texan colonists made many fear that a repetition of that liberal policy might endanger the future of the country by giving a foothold in it to citizens of the United States who might afterward, if circum stances favored them, attempt to repeat the case of Texas. President Lerdo de Tejada seemed to share such fears judging by his policy in this regard. But President Diaz, as a broad-minded and patriotic statesman, believed that the best interest of the country required its material development, and that it would not be advisible to discrimi nate against citizens of the United States, as that country was more interested than any other, on account of its contiguity to Mexico, in developing the resources of our country by building an extensive system of railways, and would, therefore, be more ready than any other to assist in building them. He trusted, at the same time, that when the resources of the country should be more fully developed, it would become so strong as to be beyond reach of the temptation by foreign states or individuals. The results of the work done in Mexico so far show that General Diaz acted wisely, and proved himself equal to the task before him. Many in Mexico, and myself among the number, thought that, as the railroads were such lucrative enterprises, especially in a country endowed with so many natural elements of wealth as Mexico, it would not be judicious to give their promoters any pecuniary assistance, in the shape of subsidies or otherwise, the more so as the finances of the country were then in a critical condition, and it would not be wise to increase its burdens by large pecuniary subsidies in aid of private en terprises. My opinion in this case was based mainly on what I had seen in the United States, namely : that long lines of railways are built in this country without any pecuniary assistance from the Govern ment, and that when the Government subsidized any one line it be came a source of great dissatisfaction and very unpleasant questions, which are yet unsettled. We feared also that such large subsidies as were asked by the railway promoters would amount in the end to so large a sum as to make it impossible for Mexico to pay it, discrediting the country. But in this case General Diaz's view seems to have been the right one, in so far as that it afforded a great inducement for the immediate building of large trunk lines of railways, which, without subsidy, might have been delayed for several years. He thought it n8 (Seograpbical Botes on flDejtco. worth while to spend large sums of money for the purpose of having railways built without delay, rather than trust to the fluctuations of confidence and credit in the foreign exchanges, that would enable the prospective companies to obtain the funds necessary to build their roads, trusting, at the same time, that the material development of the country promoted by the railroads would yield revenue enough to pay all the subsidies granted. Fortunately all railroad subsidies contracted by Mexico have been punctually paid, and their amount forms now a large item of our national debt. To pay some of them the mistake was made of negotiating a sterling loan on Europe, to pay a silver debt ; but even in that way the transaction is not altogether a bad one. General Diaz's policy was to give a railway subsidy to anybody asking for it without investigating the responsibility of the concern, with the idea that if the road was built the country would get the benefit of the same, and if it was not built nothing would be lost, as there was in all grants, a clause to the effect that if no building was done within a given time, the grant should by that mere fact be for feited, the forfeiture to be declared by the Administration. The system of subsidizing railways has a great many drawbacks, but at the same time commands some decided advantages, like giving the government the strict supervision over the roads who have to sub mit to it for its approval, tariffs for freights and passengers, the free carrying of the mails, the duty of the company to present to the government a yearly statement of its traffic, receipts, etc., and other similar advantages. In all grants to subsidized railroads there is a stipulation that at the end of ninety-nine years the road-bed would revert to the Mexican government. President Diaz's Statistics on Mexican Railways. — Before I close this chapter I think it will not be out of place to quote some remarks of President Diaz concerning our Mexican railroads, which occur in his above-mentioned report. " In 1875 we had 578 kilometres 285 metres of railway, in 1885 we had 5915 kilometres, in 1886, 6018 kilometres, in November, 1888, 7940 kilometres, in June, 1892, 10,233, and including the tramways and other local and private lines, the amount was 11,067 kilometres; in September, 1894, we had 11,100 kilometres; in April, 1896, 11,165 kilometres, and now we have 11,469 kilometres. . . . " We stand first in railroad building of all the Latin-American countries. Dur ing the years 1877 to 1892 Mexico built more railroads than any other Latin-American State, being 11,165 kilometres ; the Argentine Republic takes the second place, with 8108 kilometres, and Brazil the third, with 6193 kilometres, built during the years mentioned. The average number of kilometres built per annum in Mexico during this period was 689, the maximum having been reached in "Railways. 119 1881-82 1938 kilometres 1882-83 !727 1887-88 1217 1889 1263 The number of passengers carried in 1876 4,281,327 1890 I9.53i.395 1893 22,781,343 1895 24,269,895 The freight handled in 1876 132,915 tons 1890 2,734,430 " 1893 3,798,360 " 1895 4,117,511 " The gross receipts in 1876 $2,564,870 1890 21,019,960 1893 26,121,624 1897 28,758,450 " The subsidies paid for railroads up to December, 1892, averaged $8935 per kilo metre of road built and in operation at that date. This average is much less than that of the subsidies paid by other Latin-American countries, the Republic of Chili having averaged $17,635 per kilometre, and the Argentine Republic $31,396. " The railroad system of the Republic has given the capital direct and rapid con nection with our principal states. Throughout the length of the central plateau to the frontier, Mexico City is connected with the capitals of the states of Queretaro, Guana juato, Jalisco, Aguascalientes, Zacatecas, Chihuahua, and San Luis Potosi by the Mexican Central Railway, and with Durango by the Mexican International ; with the states of Mexico, Guanajuato, Michoacan, San Luis Potosi, Coahuila and Nuevo Leon by the Mexican National ; with the cities of Puebla, Orizaba, Cordoba, Vera cruz, and Jalapa by the Mexican Railway and by the Interoceanic, and with Tehuacan and Oaxaca by the Mexican Southern from Puebla. Three lines connect the capital with the northern frontier ; the Central, which terminates in Ciudad Juarez ; the National, which runs to Nuevo Laredo ; and the International, which, from its junction with the Central at Torreon, runs to Piedras Negras. And as to our various ports Guaymas is connected with Nogale on the northern frontier ; Manzanillo with Colima ; Matamoros with Reynosa and San Miguel ; Tampico with San Luis Potosi and Mon terrey ; Veracruz with Jalapa and Mexico ; and the first really Interoceanic railway of the Republic across the Isthmus of the Tehuantepec, united the Atlantic and Pacific oceans by connecting the port of Coatzacoalcos, on the gulf, with the port of Salina Cruz on the Pacific coast. Southward from the capital of the Republic the Interoceanic traverses the State of Morelos, and the Mexico, Cuernavaca and Pacific Railway has its line located to the City of Cuernavaca and is pushing on through the state of Guer rero to the port of Acapulco. In the peninsula of Yucatan, the lines connecting Campeche and Merida are nearly finished ; while the port of Progreso has rail com munication with Merida." Financial Condition of Mexican Railways. — Our railroads are doing remarkably well, and their traffic, especially domestic, is daily increas- i2o ©eograpbical IRotes on flDejico. ing and grows in much larger proportion than the foreign, or inter national traffic ; and they are paying the interest on their debt, which is due and paid in gold, notwithstanding that they collect their freights in silver, which has been for several years at a great discount, losing at the present rate of exchange about one hundred per cent, in the operation ; but their business is such that they can afford to suffer that loss. In the statistical section of this paper will be found a list of our railroads, their mileage, earnings, and several other data, showing that they are in a prosperous condition, all of which will be of interest to those who desire to have a more intimate acquaintance with the railway system of Mexico. I will only insert here the following statement of the annual building and earnings of the Mexican railways, sup plementing it with a comparative statement showing the tonnage moved by the principal railway lines, for the ten years ending Decem ber 31, 1896, which shows a great increase in their business, and con sequently in their earnings. ANNUAL BUILDINGS AND EARNINGS OF MEXICAN RAILWAYS. MILES OF ROADS BUILT. ANNUAL EARNINGS. Each year. Total. 5,393 47,087 2,2653,739 40,7489!.95° 120,328 429,858 1,204,1181,073,404 282,523 73,614 49,099 323,084 756,522 390,650 784,744 495,oi5 352,171 14,829 118,810 359,306364,699 4l8,OOI414,052417,791 458,539 550,488670,817 1,100,675 2,304,792 3,378,1963,660,719 3,734,332 3,783,432 4,106,516 4,863,060 5,253.0966,037,7526,532,7116,884,842 6,870,0156,888,811 $2,097,104.55 2,665,496.18 2,799,696.13 1876 2,563,24I.OO- 3,213,434.17 1878 3,400,799.8g 3,828,718.65 4,504,135.39 5,679,193.37 9,883,719.51 1883 12,102,583.34 II,08g,I36.39 1885 10,656,551.42 1886 11,373,667.63 1887 I3,3IO,2l8./9 1888 16,121,267.79 tS8q 18,788,142.29 20,919,287.14 I89I 23,762,172.87 25,363,922.29 25,359,244.06 ICelegrapbs. COMPARATIVE STATEMENT, SHOWING APPROXIMATE TONNAGE MOVED BY THE UNDERMENTIONED RAILWAYS FOR THE TEN YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 3 1, 1896. (Compiled from published reports and information furnished by the re spective railway companies^) YEAR. CENTRAL RAILWAY. NATIONAL RAILWAY. INTEROCEANIC RAILWAY. MEXICAN RAILWAY. TOTAL. Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. I887 1888 I889 I89O I89I I8g2 1893 1894 1895 I896 346,898 477.530 Inc. 34.4 540,479 Inc. 13. 1 609,382 Inc. 12.7 867,657 Inc. 42.3 1,091,785 Inc. 25.8 860,187 Dec. 21.2 898,484 Inc. 4.4 1,047,038 Inc. 16.5 1,231,025 Inc. 17.5 77,935 372,800 Inc. 378.3 428,314 Inc. 14.8 472,045 Inc. 10.2 502,856 Inc. 7.3 588,505 Inc. 17. 552,123 Dec. 6.5 558,382 Inc. 1.1 636,193 Inc. 13.9 782,106 Inc. 22. g 141,090197,231 Inc. 39.7 lS6,222 Dec. 5.5 281,769 Inc. 51.3 277,866 Dec. 1.3 365,191 Inc. 31.4 380,805 Inc. 4.3 444,191 Inc. 16.6 464,976 Inc. 4.4 479.744 Inc. 3.1 273,194 318,893 Inc. 16.7 354,321 Inc. 11. 1 384,584 inc. 8.2 409, 1 S5 Inc. .6 367, gSo Dec. 10. 385,923 Inc. 4.8 433,637 Inc. 12.3 453,289 Inc. 4.5 756,330 Inc. 66.8 839,H7 1,366,454 Inc. 62.7 1,509,336 Inc. 10.4. 1,747,780 Inc. 15.7 2,057,564 Inc. 17.7 2,413,461 Inc. 17.3 2,179,038 Dec. 9.7 2,334,694 Inc. 7.1 2,60I,4q6 Inc. 11. 4 3,249,205 Inc. 24.8 7,970,465 4,971,259 3,219,085 4,137,336 20,2g8,I45 (S.) A. Blake. City of Mexico, May 19, 1897. TELEGRAPHS. We have quite a number of miles of telegraph lines in Mexico, and our service is now as good as that of any other country. The first tele graph line built and owned in Mexico by a private company, liberally assisted by the government, extended from Veracruz to the City of Mexico. On November 5, 1851, the first section was inaugurated from the City of Mexico to Nopalucan, and on May 19, 1852, to Veracruz. In 1853 another company established a line from the City of Mexico towards the north to Leon in the State of Guanajuato, and in 1865 a line was finished to San Luis Potosi. In 1868 and 1869 a private company, called the " Jalisco Company " established the line between the City of Mexico and Guadalajara, which was soon afterwards extended to Manzanillo and San Bias. After the restoration of the Republic in 1867, the Mexican government began to 122 (Seograpbtcal IRotes on /iDejico. build lines to the principal centres of population of the country, and in 1890 it bought the Jalisco line, and in 1894 the Veracruz. From 1869 to 1876 the States of Michoacan, Oaxaca, and Zacate cas established several lines in their respective jurisdictions. When General Diaz became President in 1876, the National Telegraphic Lines only had 7927 kilometres. In 1885 the Federal Goverment transferred to the States, without any cost, all the telegraphic lines which were considered of local inter est, keeping only such as could be called trunk lines. In 1893 we had 37,880 English miles of telegraph lines, of which 24,840 belonged to the Federal Government, the remainder belonging in about equal parts to the States, private companies and railways. The following statement, which I take from the Anuario Estadistico de la Republica Mexicano, 18Q5, shows the telegraphic lines belonging to the Federal Government, to the States, to private companies and to railroads : Federal Lines 43, 416 k 780 m State Lines 5,544 °68 " Private Company Lines 4,73° 980 " Railroad Lines 9,761 611 " General Total 63,453 k 439 " On November 30, 1896, the total mileage of our telegraph lines was, according to the President's report of that date, 45,000 kilometres, 27,962 English miles, and that amount was increased, according to the President's message of April 1, 1897, to 45,259 kilometres, 28,123 miles. In 1 89 1 the operations of the various lines throughout the Republic involved the transmission of 1,050,000 messages, of which about 800,- 000 were private, and the remainder official. The receipts from this branch of the public service amounted to $469,305 collected at 767 offices ; the expenditure included for repairs an average of $3 per kilometre, and for salaries a total of $671,431. The proceeds of the Federal telegraphic lines were, according to President Diaz's report of November 30, 1896, as follows : Fiscal Year, 1883-1884 $239,051 1890-1891 462,076 1893-1894 524,634 1895-1896 537,3°8 In the statistical portion of this paper will be found a detail state ment of the earnings and expenses of the national telegraphic lines of postal Service. 123 Mexico for the 27 fiscal years which elapsed from July 1, 1869, to June 30, 1896, and such data as it is possible to obtain for the ten years which elapsed from July 1, 1869, to June 30, 1879. Cables. — Up to 1887 there was no communication between Mexico and foreign countries. In 1880 the Mexican Cable Co. built their cables from Galveston to Tampico, Veracruz and Coatzacoalcos, on the Gulf of Mexico, and a telegraphic line from Coatzacoalcos to Salina Cruz, on the Pacific, which was extended to Central and South Amer ica. Cables had been laid between Jicalango and El Carmen and be tween the rivers Grijalva and Coatzacoalcos, and now through those cables we are in direct communication with the United States and Europe. POSTAL SERVICE. Our postal service has improved considerably of late. It was until recently quite imperfect on account of the difficult and expensive ways of communication. It used to be slow and so expensive that it was almost prohibitory, and up to 1870 the single postage of a letter, weigh ing one quarter an ounce was 25 cents, and double for any distance ex ceeding sixty miles. After Mexico entered into the Universal Postal Union, in 1870, the postage of letters for foreign countries was reduced to 5 cents, and that reduction made it necessary to reduce the home postage from 25 to 10 cents. Recently it has been reduced again from 10 to 5 cents. There were in the whole country, in 1883, one head post-office at the national capital, 53 first-class post-offices, 265 second class, for the most part inefficient, and 518 postal agencies, little better than use less. The entire service as it was being rendered at 837 stations. The evils resulting from the very high postage were further aggravated by the insecurity of the mails. The revenue of the postal department in that year amounted to $817,244. The total number of post-offices and postal agencies in 1893 was 1448, and the mail pouches are now transported on railways over a total distance of 10,000 kilometres, or more than 6000 miles. Over the re maining distances in the interior the mails are conveyed either by stages or by foot or mounted carriers. President Diaz gives in his report of November 30, 1896, the follow ing statistics about our postal services : Post Offices. Postal Agencies. 1877 53 269 1888 356.... 7i9 1892 356 1430 1895 469 1471 1896 471 1500 124 ©eograpbfcal Motes on ZlDejico. President Diaz states in his same report that the total number of pieces distributed by our mails in the year 1878 was 5,169,892, while in the year 1896 the number increased to 24,000,000. For the purpose of communicating with foreign countries, especially before railroads were finished, the Mexican government granted large subsidies to steamship companies, running especially between Mexican and United States ports, and their amount increased considerably the expenses of our post-office department. In the statistical part of this paper I shall insert the statement of the earnings and expenses of the postal service in Mexico, in the twenty- seven years elapsed from July 1, 1869, to June 30, 1896. PUBLIC LANDS. The Spanish government considered itself the owner of lands in> Mexico, and it granted them to private parties under certain very liberal regulations. The Indians having been the original owners, and needing the lands to raise their food, and textiles for their clothing, could not be entirely deprived of them, and a large portion of the land was left to each municipality to be held generally in common by the inhabitants of the same. Large tracts of land remain, however, which . had not been granted either to the Indians nor to the Spanish settlers, and these we called vacant lands — Terrenos Baldios. The Mexican government succeeded Spain in the ownership of public lands, and with a view to make them available for colonization an easy system to dispose of them at a comparatively low price was established. The greatest difficulty was to find the public lands, as they had never before been surveyed, and a great many were occupied without title by private parties. As such survey would be very expensive, the Mexican government devised a plan of contracting that work with private companies, paying them with one-third of the land measured,. and in that way large portions of the public lands have been surveyed. It appears from President Diaz's report to his fellow-citizens, dated November 30, 1896, that up to 1888 private companies had surveyed 33,811,524, hectares of public lands, for which they received in pay ment for their work one-third or 11,036,407 hectares. In the four years from 1889 to 1892, 16,820,141 hectares of public lands were surveyed by private companies, of which 11,213,427 hectares belonged to the government, and in that way in less than ten years it was possible to survey 50,631,665 hectares. Out of this amount the government sold to private parties and to colonization companies 1,607,493 hectares, and to private companies who were in possession of public lands held by them without any title, which we call demacias, 4,222,991 hectares. At the same time the government has been trying to divide the lands held in common by the Indian towns between the inhabitants of the Hmmtgratton. 125 same, and up to 1888 it had distributed in that manner 67,368 hectares among 2936 titles, and from 1889 to 1892 180,169 hectares among 4560 titles. In accordance with the provisions of our public land Jaws we sold to private parties, who pre-empted the lands for purchase, which we call "denuncio," 3,635,388 hectares among 1504 titles, and from 1889 to 1892 1,353,137 hectares among 1218 titles. From July 1, 1891, to August 18, 1896, 9,677,689 hectares of land were surveyed, of which 6,504,912 hectares belong to the government, and the balance, 3,172,777 hectares, belong to private companies. Every year the Department of Fomento publishes under authority of law a price-list of public lands, which have different prices in each state and are sometimes divided into three classes ; the first, second, and third having each a different price. The following is the official price of public lands fixed by the Department of Fomento for the fiscal year 1895-1896 : STATES PRICE PER HECTARE STATES PRICE PER HECTARE $2.25 1.801.00 2.252.0O I. OO I. OO 3-35 1. 10 2.25 2.25 3-352.25 4-50 1. 00 $1.10 3-353-35 2.25 1. 10 Puebla 2.50 2.252.75 1.80 2.25 5.60 Territore de Tepic Territory of Lower Cal. . . 2.00 0.65 In the statistical part of this paper I shall insert some data about the sales of public lands by the Mexican government from 1867 to 1895, and a statement of the titles issued from the years 1877 to 1895. IMMIGRATION. It has always been the aim of the Mexican government from the time of the independence of the country, to encourage the immigration of foreigners, because Mexico being so large and the population so scanty, it was considered a necessity to promote the development of the country, to increase the population by inducing the settlement of foreigners, and different laws have been issued for that purpose. Since the restoration of the Republic new laws have been sanctioned to encourage colonization, which allow colonists and the companies bringing them free importation of their personal goods and such articles 126 ©eograpbfcal Motes on ZlDejico. as they may need for their subsistence and welfare for a reasonable term of years, exempting them at the same time from all kinds of taxes — federal, state, and municipal, — excepting only the stamp tax, and also exempting them from military and other personal service, and some times even going so far as to give a bounty for each colonist brought to the country. Under such laws several contracts were made with differ ent companies, and 32 colonies have been planted in different sections of Mexico, of which 13 have been established by the government and 19 by private parties. In 1892 there were only 1266 families with a total number of 10,985 colonists. On the whole, the efforts made and the expenses incurred by the Mexican government in the establish ment of those settlements of colonists, have had but unsatisfactory results, but they have paved the way for future experiments on a larger scale, especially if undertaken by private parties, and with only such assistance from the government as can be rendered by liberal legisla tion. The principle obstacle which has prevented us from having a large immigration is our low wages. Those who immigrate are generally poor wage earners, who want to better their condition, and they could not go to a country where wages are a great deal lower than in the United States, or even in Europe, as they could never compete with the native labor of our Indians. We have now a surplus of labor and a deficit of capital, and cannot have a large immigration until such conditions are changed. What Mexico needs is capital to develop her resources and give employment to labor, and then immigration will flow in as naturally as water seeks its level. Mexican credit will be established, so far as im migration is concerned, when her natural resources are developed, this being the only safe and reliable basis of such credit, and this will never be developed until those who have capital to invest are acquainted with the unparalleled opportunities for safe and profitable investment in Mexico. This will only be accomplished by plain, blunt, matter-of- fact and well-informed press agents, who lay before people who have money to invest the plain facts of the case. Immigration from the United States. — I have often been asked for my opinion of the chances of Americans going to settle in Mexico, and have always answered that while Mexico is desirous of attracting good settlers, and while that country undoubtedly offers great inducements to foreign settlers, especially to those having some means, there are serious drawbacks which ought to be pointed out to the prospective immigrant from the United States, as a warning against a possible failure and disappointment. The comforts of life in the rural districts of Mexico, where a settler from this country has the best chances, are scanty compared with simi- Ummiaration. 127 lar districts in the United States. The difference of race, language, religion, and education between a young man brought up in this country and the small Mexican farmers, are enough to create difficulties at first sight insuperable to any young man from the United States who settles there. If he establishes himself in a district inhabited only by Indians these difficulties are considerably increased. If the settler prefers the hot lands, which are the most fertile and productive, the severity of the climate is such as to challenge the courage of the bravest. The mosquitoes of several varieties, the flies, and many other insects are i ery annoying, besides the sickness inherent to such climate. The question of labor is another great difficulty in the way, because, while it is cheap and abundant in the cold regions, it is generally scarce and unreliable in the hot lands. The conditions of the two countries are so very different that the change experienced by one brought up in this country who goes into Mexico, is very apt to discourage the strongest and most sanguine, at least in the beginning, as the lapse of time makes anybody adapt him self to existing conditions and to appreciate the advantages of his new home. The land question is also a serious objection. A large portion of the public lands have already been disposed of, and comparatively little of the public and private lands have been surveyed, and cannot easily be had in small lots. The large land-holders are unwilling to divide their estates, and the Indians holding large tracts of land are very reluctant to part with them at any price. Coffee raising is undoubtedly one of the most profitable undertak ings in Mexico, but at the same time it has serious drawbacks. It takes from three to four years before the trees begin to yield, and the planter must be provided with sufficient means to defray not only his personal expenses, but also those of the plantation, like houses, machinery, cultivation, etc., without receiving any proceeds until the third or fourth year. Besides, if he makes any mistake in the selec tion of his land, his profits will be considerably reduced. The gen eral impression prevailing in Mexico is that coffee is the product of the hot lands, where the coffee trees need shade ; but a plantation in such lands would cost a great deal more money to make and to keep, and would yield smaller profits than one located in the temperate zone, that is, just below the frost line.1 1 The same views were expressed in Mexico to the State Department by the United States Consuls, and even published in the Consular Reports for August, 1894, vol. xlv., No. 167, pp. 628, 629. ' ' Consular advices received at the Department of State warn Americans about emigrating to Mexico, with a view to permanent settlement, with insufficient means or without informing themselves in a reliable way as to the prospects for earning liveli- 128 (Beograpbfcal Motes on flDestco. For the American common laborer who looks to his day's pay for his living, Mexico is unquestionably not the proper place to go. He cannot compete with the Mexican laborer, whose usual pay is from 38 to 50 cents a day in silver, and he boards himself. For the man who has no means, unless he is especially qualified in some particular branch, and knows something of the language, and will work harder and longer hours, it is no place. There is room for the steady, sober, industrious mechanic or miner or tradesman who will adapt himself to new conditions and surroundings, leave all social, political, and other ambitions behind him, and who will attend strictly to his own business. Those who are safest in going to Mexico are those who have a little capital, say from $2000 in gold and upward, which will give them about twice that amount there; who can look around and decide what they propose to do, and where they want to settle. There is an excel lent field for the small general farmer of the New England or Middle States type, who will raise a little of everything. Butter, potatoes, hogs, poultry, corn, vegetables, and small grain find a ready sale at good prices. I have seen the common article of corn, which is nearly always a sure crop, sell at from $1 to $1.25 per bushel, Mexican money. It is always best for the mechanic or miner to first secure a job before going to Mexico, and work for wages several months, and in the meantime study the situation, get acquainted with the language, the customs, and the people before going it alone. The manner of living there and the customs of the people are totally different from those of the United States. Those going there will have to work harder and longer hours than in the United States, but they can save money. Ten years ago Americans went to Mexico to make money and return to the United States ; to-day they go to find homes. I know several Americans who would not live in the United States again. The climate of Mexico permits a man to work every day in the year. The cost of living and clothing is cheap, and a dollar in Mexi can money can be made to go as far there as a dollar in American money in the United States, and a dollar there is easier to get. In mining, Mexico offers inducements superior to any other coun- hoods. While there are undoubtedly good opportunities in Mexico for enterprise, frugality, and thrift, it is like other countries, a land of varying conditions, and it often happens that disappointment is the result of emigration undertaken upon insufficient or misleading information, or without resources, which are always necessary for success in a new country. Many Americans have been induced by alluring statements as to the cheapness of coffee raising, etc. , to emigrate to Mexico within the past year, and some have lost their all by so doing. For these reasons Consuls desire to caution Americans against the representations of speculators, who are always on the watch for the unwary." public Debt. 129 try ; and whether a man has a thousand dollars or a million he can go there and make money if he exercises ordinary precaution and judg ment, and if he makes up his mind to stand the discomforts of the country. It is a good country for the prospector, too, because there are no seasons against him, and there are many new fields entirely un touched; but he needs money enough to get there with and enable him to obtain the proper kind of outfit, and time to familiarize himself with the requirements of the law and select some district in which he wants to operate. For the small capitalist, or for a small syndicate, there is no finer field for the organizing of small legitimate companies for the purposes of opening and working old abandoned mines, which are filled with debris or water, and which it will pay to clean out and work, and of which there are still many to be had. In times gone by they were abandoned because of the refractory condition of the ores, or lack of machinery, or want of transportation, all of which conditions have been removed. There is also a fine opening for capital for the exploration of the new gold-fields in the vicinity of Guadalupe y Calvo, in the range between Sonora and Chihuahua, in the State of Guerrero, and in many other localities. There are in various parts of Mexico educated, experienced, and thoroughly reliable Americans to be found, who have lived a long while in the country, and know the language, the laws, and the people, and would be willing to give reliable information to young Americans wishing to go there. PUBLIC DEBT. The public debt of Mexico is represented by bonds drawing differ ent rates of interest, some payable in gold and others in silver. In 1825, very soon after our independence, we contracted two loans in London, both for 10,000,000 pounds sterling, which we mainly used for buying war-ships and war material. On account of the disturbed con dition of the country, the interest on that debt could not be paid punc tually, and the bonds naturally fell to a very low nominal price. In 185 1, after the war with the United States, we refunded that debt in new bonds, the interest of which was reduced from 5 to 3 per cent., which we expected to pay punctually, but the disturbed condition of the country made it impossible for us to do it. Finally, in 1888, the debt was readjusted and gold bonds bearing 6 per cent, interest issued, and as we have paid since punctually the interest, they have reached par. We had issued bonds from 1849 to 1856 to pay claims of English, French, and Spanish subjects under certain conventions signed with those countries, and such bonds were exchanged at different rates for the 6 per cent, gold bonds of our foreign debt. i3° <5eograpbtcal Motes on flDejtco. To build the Tehuantepec Railway we negotiated in London, in 1888, another gold loan for 3,000,000 pounds sterling at 5 per cent. interest. The subsidies granted to railway companies were payable in sil ver, with a percentage of our import duties, but as they amounted to a considerable sum their payment reduced the revenue considerably, and the Mexican Government contracted in London in 1890 a gold loan at 6 per cent, interest, with which it paid the subsidies due up to that date to most of the railway companies. We had to issue besides in 1850 what we call domestic or interior bonds, at 3 and 5 per cent, interest in silver, and we had other indebt edness of several kinds, caused by loans and other sources when the revenue of the Government was not enough to pay its expenses. All such debts have been consolidated into new bonds of 3 and 5 per cent, interest, payable in silver. Such railway subsidies as were not paid out of the proceeds of the loan of 1890 have been paid with bonds drawing 5 per cent, interest, paying both capital and interest in silver. It is very onerous for Mexico when it is on a silver basis to pay in gold the interest of its foreign debt, because we have to buy gold at current prices, and it costs us now more than double its current price. When silver was about 50 cents on the dollar, as compared with gold, 6 per cent, interest of our foreign debt, cost us 12 per cent., and of course the further silver is depreciated the greater will be the cost of paying the interest of our gold debts. President Diaz gives in his report of November 30, 1896, the follow ing data about the cost to the Mexican Treasury of buying exchange to place in London the funds to pay us the gold interest on our foreign debt : Fiscal year 1888-1889 $ 729,178.17 1890-1891 2,314,477.77 1891-1892 3,225,246.77 1892-1893 5,101,223.57 In the second part of this paper I will give a detailed statement showing the different kinds of bonds and obligations which constitute the Mexican debt, and here will only give the figures of the total amount, which are the following : Sterling Mexican debt $114,675,895.49 Debt payable in silver 88,549,111.80 Total $203,225,007.29 It is not possible to fix the exact amount of the debt of Mexico, either in silver or gold, because of the daily changes in the price of Banking. 131 silver ; but as silver is the currency of the country, when the Mexican dollar is worth 24 pence in London, the amount of our debt in silver would be equal to our sterling debt, that is : $114,675,895.40 added to our debt will make a grand total in Mexican silver of $317,900,902.78. BANKING. Banking in Mexico is in its incipient state. The National Bank of Mexico, established in the City of Mexico in 1882, with its branches in the principal cities of the country, has a monopoly for the issuing of notes in the capital which is only shared by such banks as were in ex istence before the National Bank of Mexico was chartered, like the Bank of London, Mexico, and South America, established during the French intervention in Mexico and recently remodelled under the name of the Bank of London and Mexico. The Mortgage Bank of Mexico enjoys that privilege also. On June 3, 1896, a general banking law was issued by the Mexican Congress, which establishes the conditions under which banking insti tutions can be organized ; but, of course, that does not affect the rights of the National Bank and other banks in the City of Mexico which had been chartered before the date of that law. Formerly, owing to the expense and dangers of transportation, it was difficult to transport money from one place to another, and there fore exchange between cities in Mexico was very high, sometimes even ten per cent, from one city to another in the country. The rate has been reduced considerably since the railroads were built, but it is still quite high. To draw money from the City of Mexico to the City of Oaxaca, for instance, and vice versa, costs now one per cent, each way ; when money is required to be sent to smaller places the expenses are much higher, as it is necessary to send a man to the nearest town where the money can be placed by the banks, and pay to him a large commission — the expenses sometimes reaching ten per cent. To keep up this rate of exchange the National Bank makes its bills payable at a certain place so that they cannot be paid at any other. Banking is very profitable in Mexico. The following is a statement of the earnings and dividends of the National Bank of Mexico, which began with a capital of $3,000,000, increased since to $6,000,000, hav ing now a reserve fund of $5,500,000, and is owned almost exclusively by Mexicans, being the fiscal agent of the Government : 1891. 1892.1893, 1894. 1895- NET PROFITS. $1,813,623 1,839,418 2,355,464 1,961,801 2,200,626 DIVIDENDS. 23 per cent. 23 " " 29 " " 24 " " 27 " " I32 ©eograpbical Motes on flDejico. The following is a statement, from official sources, of the earnings and dividends of the Bank of London and Mexico. Up to 1891 it had a capital of $1,500,000, which was then increased to $3,000,000 : 1S90 1891 18921893 18941895 NET PROFITS. $243,246 569,351703,522789,967 618,653603,178 557,710 DIVIDENDS EARNED, PER CENT. 16 36 46 2620-| 20 I8A DIVIDENDS DECLARED, PER CENT. 10 2020161614 14 Recently the capital stock of this bank was further increased to $10,000,000, without any expense to the stockholders, as the reserve fund, which amounted to about $2,000,000, was used to complete the new capital, and was issued to the regular stockholders as a stock dividend. The balance to complete the $5,000,000 of new stock was offered to the public, the subscriptions amounting to $22,000,000, or $17,000,000 more than was wanted. From this statement it will be seen that the existing banks are prosperous and in a flourishing condition, but the demand for in creased banking facilities is such that new banks are being formed, and the operations of the old banks increased and extended in various directions. PATENTS AND TRADE-MARKS. Patents. — On June 7, 1890, the present patent law of Mexico was issued, and its provisions are very similar to the respective laws exist ing in this country. Since the date of that law the following patents have been issued by our Department of Fomento : 1890189118921893 1894 1895 785 63 153 90 168 15 122 125 3 154 29 DIMINUTION. 46 Trade-Marks. — On November 28, 1889, our present law regulating trade-marks was promulgated, and since then the following trade marks have been issued by the Department of Fomento : Sbipping. 133 YEARS. I89O l8gl I8921893I8941895 TRADE-MARKS. 97 112 161 108 79 91 648 15 49 DIMINUTION. 53 29 SHIPPING. The mercantile marine of Mexico in 1895 comprised 52 steamers and 222 sailing vessels. The shipping included also many small ves sels engaged in the coasting trade. In 1893-94, in the foreign trade, 1237 vessels of 1,314,625 tons entered, and 1211 vessels of 1,296,834 tons cleared the ports of Mexico. In the coasting trade 7721 of 1,623,371 tons entered and 7708 of I>592,754 tons cleared. In 1894-95, in the foreign and coasting trade, there entered 9575 vessels of 3,428,973 tons, and cleared 9557 of 3,359,684 tons. In the statistical portion of this chapter I will give official informa tion about the number of vessels and their tonnage, which have entered and cleared from Mexican ports in recent years, the nations from which they came, and other valuable data. MONEY, WEIGHTS, AND MEASURES. The standard of value is silver. There is no paper currency except ordinary bank notes. The silver peso or dollar of 100 centavos is the unit of coin in Mexico. The silver peso weighs 27.073 grammes, .902 fine, and thus contains 24.419 grammes of fine silver. The 10-pesos gold-piece weighs 27.0643 grammes, .875 fine, and thus contains 23.6813 grammes of fine gold. The weights and measures of the metric system were introduced in 1856 ; but the Indians' and other ignorant people use the old Spanish measures. The principal ones are these : Weight. — 1 libra=o.46 kilogramme, 1.014 lbs. avoirdupois. 1 arroba=25 libras, 25.357 lbs. avoirdupois. For Gold and Silver. — I marco = J libra, 4,608 granos. 1 ochava=62 tomines. 1 tomin=i2 granos. 20 granos=l French gramme. Length.— 1 vara— 0.837 metre = 2 ft. 8$, English inches. 1 legua comun (1 common league) = 5,000 yards. I legua marina (1 marine league) = 6,666f yards. 134 ©eograpbical Motes on fliiestco. NON-OFFICIAL PUBLICATIONS. The following is a partial and rather incomplete list of (principally English) books about Mexico : Abbott, Gorham D., Mexico and the United States. New York, 1869. Bancroft, H. H., A Popular History of the Mexican People. 8. London. Resources and Development of Mexico. San Francisco, 1894. Brocklehurst, T. U., Mexico To-day. London, 1883. Burke, U. R., Life of Benito Juarez. 8. London, 1894. Castro, Lorenzo, The Republic of Mexico in 1882. New York, 1882. Charnay, D., Ancient Cities of the New World. Tr. 8. London. Chevalier, Michel, Le Mexique ancien el moderne. 18. Paris, 1886. Conkling, Howard, Mexico and the Mexicans. New York, 1883. Conkling, A. R. Appleton's Guide to Mexico. New York, 1890. Crawford, Cora Hayward, The Land of the Montezumas. New York, 1889. Cubas, ANTONIO GARCIA, Mexico, its Trade, Industries, and Resources. Mexico, 1893. Flint, H. M., Mexico under Maximilian. 12. Philadelphia, 1867. Gloner, Prosper, Les Finances des Etats Unis Mexicains. Bruxelles, 1895. GOOCH, F. C, Face to Face with the Mexicans. London, 1890. Griffin, S. B., Mexico of To-day. New York, 1886. Hamilton, Leonidas, Border States of Mexico. Chicago, 1882. Hamilton, L. L. C, Hamilton' s Mexican Handbook. London, r884. Janvier, Thomas A., The Mexican Guide. New York, 1886. Kozhevar, E., Report on the Republic of Mexico. London, 1886. La Bedolliere, Emile G. de, Histoirede la guerre du Mexique. 4. Paris, 1866. Lester, C. Edwarbs, The Mexican Republic. New York, 1878. Noll, Arthur Howard, A Short History of Mexico. Chicago, 1890. Ober, F. A., Travels in Mexico. Boston, U. S., 1884. Prescott, W. H., History of the Conquest of Mexico. 8. London. Ratzel, Fried., Aus Mexico, Reiseskizzen aus den Jahren 1874-75. Breslau, 1878. Rice, John N., Mexico, Our Neighbor. New York. (No date.) ROUTIER, G., Le Mexique de nos Jours. Paris, 1895. Schroeder, Seaton, The Fall of Maximilian' s Empire as seen from a United States Gunboat. New York, 1887. Scobel, A., " Die Verkehrswege Mexicos und ihre wirtschaftliche Bedeutung." In Deutsche Geographische Blatter. Band X, Heft 1. Bremen, 18S7. Through the Land of the Aztecs ; or, Life and Travel in Mexico. By a " Gringo." London, 1892. Wells, David A., A Study of Mexico. New York, 1887. PART II. STATISTICS 135 II. STATISTICS. I do not know of any publication in which the latest statistical in formation about Mexico is compiled in a concise and complete form. One which perhaps is the fullest, published in Berlin by Messrs. Puttkammer & Muhlbrecht, entitled Les Finances des Etats-Unis Mexi- cains, written by Mr. Prosper Gloner, contains a great deal more statistical information than others, and is of later date. It has required a great deal of work, energy, and time on my part to collect the data contained in this paper, most of which is of an official character, and I am sure it is the most complete ever published, I having tried to make it very concise, so as to take the smallest space possible. REVENUES AND EXPENSES. The financial question was for many years the leading and the most difficult one in Mexico, because the urgent needs of the Treasury, especially on account of the disturbed condition of the country, made public expenses considerably exceed the revenue, and this condition did not allow of a thorough overhauling and settlement of the finances, nor did it contribute to establish the credit of the Government ; but peace having prevailed since 1877, a great improvement has taken place in the financial condition of Mexico ; the revenue has increased con siderably, and it has finally reached an amount amply sufficient to pay all our expenses. In fact, at the end of the fiscal year, ended June 30, 1896, we had for the first time in the history of Mexico since its independence, a surplus which amounted to $6,000,000. The obnoxious tax which we inherited from the Spanish, called alcabalas, or interstate duties on domestic and foreign commerce, was a great drawback to internal trade, was finally abolished on July 1, 1896 ; and the country being now in a condition when radical reforms can be introduced without serious disturbances. Our expenses as an independent nation are necessarily large, and as a comparatively small portion of our population are really producers 137 138 Statistical Motes on rtDejico. of wealth, upon them lies the whole burden of such expenses ; that is, we are a nation of from twelve to fifteen millions of inhabitants, with a very large territory and a large coast on both oceans, requiring army, revenue, light-house, and police service, and other expensive institu tions proportionate to such extent and population, when the portion which contribute to such expenses is only about one-fourth or one-third of the same. It is a very difficult task to give a complete and correct statement of the revenues and expenses of the Mexican Government prior to the year 1867. The disturbed condition of the country made it often quite impossible to keep any account at all : such was the case especially from 1858 to i860, as during that period the City of Mexico and a large part of the country was occupied by the Church party under Miramon, and from 1863 to 1867 by the French Intervention. Be sides that cause it was a very difficult matter for us to keep a correct account of public receipts and expenses, in some way for lack of a good system of book-keeping. To make a statement of the revenues and expenses of the Mexican Government since the independence of the country from Spain, I had to rely upon the reports made by Secretaries of the Treasury, which are, however, lacking for many years, and which contain rather an estimate than an account of the revenues and ex penses, and I have made in that way the statement which I append under No. 1, which embraces the revenues and expenses from the year 1808, the last of the Spanish rule in Mexico, to the year 1867. The forming of accounts was under the charge of the Federal Treasury of Mexico, and the Treasury kept its accounts with a very defective system of book-keeping, which prevented them from being correct. To remedy that difficulty, after the restoration of the Repub lic in 1867, a bureau of accounts was established in the Treasury De partment, but its accounts were seldom correct, because it did not have the necessary detailed data to make a complete account, and, as could be expected, the results in the accounts of both bureaus differ widely. In 1880 the Federal Treasury was reorganized with a large number of clerks with a view to keep a full and correct account of public moneys, and from that year until 1888 their accounts began to be better than before. In 1888 the system was still remodelled and im proved, and since then that office has been able to keep correct and complete accounts of our public revenues and expenses. I also append a statement No. 2 of the revenues and expenses of the Mexican Treasury from July 1, 1867, to June 30, 1888. The first thirteen years in that statement are taken from the data furnished by the Bureau of Accounts of our Treasury Department. The account of the year 1879-1880 was taken from the account of the Federal TRevenue ano Expenses. 139 Treasury, and the data for the year 1880-1881 from the accounts pub lished by the Liquidating Bureau established by the Mexican Govern ment to close the old accounts and open the new ones under the new system. The accounts of the year 1 888-1 889, which appear in state ment No. 3, are all taken from the Federal Treasury of Mexico, and are complete and correct. I also append a statement of the appropriations approved by the Federal Congress during the fiscal years from 1868 to 1895. The actual expenses never exceeded the appropriations and the revenue was generally below them. NO. I. REVENUE AND EXPENSES OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF MEXICO IN 1808 AND FROM 1822 TO JUNE 30, 1867. EXPENSES. 1808, Colonial period 1822, Independence period 1823 1824 1825 to Sept. 1st Sept. I, 1825, to June 30, 1826. . 1826-27 1827-28 1828-29 1829-30 1830-31 1831-32 1832-33 1833-34 1834-35 1835-36 1836-37 1837-38 1839 1840 1841 1842 1843 1844 1845 1846 1847 1848 to June 30, 1849 1849-50 1850-51 1851-52 1852-53 1853-54 1854-55 1855-56 1856-57 1857-58 1858-59 1859-60 1860-61 1861-62 1862-63 1863-64 1864-65 1865-66 1866-67 £20,075, 362 25 9,328,740 00 5,249,858 96 15,254,601 03 7,903,163 42 14,770,733 30 17,017,016 59 13,644,974 69 14,593,307 6934,490 42 12,724,686 62 17,766,262 81 19,181,138 95 26,588,305 03 27,318,729 73 21,235,097 67 22,997,220 18 30,639,711 00 34,035,277 13 31,260,225 87 19,584,812 91 27,845,487 28 31,251,467 91 19,742,876 48 17,291,233 25 14,477,369 06 10,475,686 10 16,287,532 90 r8, 726,088 00 23,396,074 75 12,920,257 65 12,977,265 90 15,927, ro2 01 16,005,536 45 16,589,034 47 12,750,500 00 15,300,600 00 17,595,690 00 6,990,000 00 5,945,000 00 5,053,250 00 8,085,200 00 140 Statistical Motes on flDejtco. OO 0000 o to w—IoH ,Jt>soH w saswt> oo ¦z<* wSwaHb.O!/lwzwA, W0¦»! Ww o in HwWft,Xa HOH m cm t+ n r-> cno mM h en r- m oco n cno cnoo en u-iw i>rr« mM o "d" *d- m in h n h o O « O O O^ oo 'tcoco co OO ¦ti'wiO H w or^-co moo N N nco r~-co uirsOoo r^-O OO Orff^OO eni-i m o O n Tj-inr^oococo ncoooco *"; O ^co^ino m o' cf in n" co** o'o" rC n" in inO MNONONOco O coo m n r-oo oo w n tj- t-i en m o ^d- h tJ-o^j-o 1--00 ino o co n en en n m en ^j- N h o ¦¦*¦ OO en in ^o"o r^oo* o~ »-i h h" en O O O i+O N O inO m rt Mi-HHMHN.NNNNNNNN*tf*«ct-U->OOHTi- SP,XV 6 ino^r'+NHOtncor^ Ienr^rj--d-^-inOoo h O OO co in ^fO en en . h enoo **«¦ O oo in rj" OoooinHNOinno *enOTt-r^NOt^«in Nenoo-1-wcoNOin .OOTfrj-NO r»o COOtTONI>.OOhu-) .ooo^-n-^-cooo (n h fC rC t^ h*co" h" inco' I O O OO" inO in N iT Tf in N enoo -t-d-NH .O0«nOcnNC0in OinocoooONOH-t- .MO^OininOin n* N* en ^f ^f ^* en in o" *-T * in rf en h o" »n O ^ w m ; H - N ^i^CO 1 w £. 3 _ K.2 w o3 ON en C^i" 't mco ino inO hco O n oo co in in in coco cOTj-oi'"'-HNHHcOMWN»-(Tt,*J- co O h to O /-¦ h co en ino oo h tj- OO co n ^t O ^-r»N OO r^-inn inooOO «oo >OH nco hicoo n enn o^ ^> rC o" t-Too*" O^'xS' t? eo o"co w n ion ^f N'twO Ooo N inooo r^>co n OeoOOoo hi OOO in oo O eoincnN O h rfco •& O inmr-Tj-H n O coinininO rococo OtsO ^1"0 r^N TfOO "d- in Hft,3o w ,-iHoH c cc c V o f r- r- - o en en n co r^M mcoco r^oo o m co r^co Ooo m tntt fiHco tj-uimoo in« 'to incoo O enoo enw tno r-o inr-o >h r^ ¦ju-jeno) (->.« enoen-Tt oo O mOmO O -3-win )N rxnNvOco Or^intn cON cnrtN NO OOhi incoco enM r^-co "TO O-^-m Ocoo -^n r^>r~*0 lO OOoo ¦'J-n t~-co inir>r--t^r>co m tnr>nr> o» • t c*lf~. O hi N r-0 i-. 'tN m coco misiriN r^"^- 'OOoo OO hi m m enoON ij~i\0 encoO entn o mwmMNNNMNNWMN-^-tJ- inO O hi in (Aso ?J Thco N h i-i p> n r-»o Th o inco r-- h« r- o nm"ttN eno 0*0 en r^- en r-oo o n o cno enco" r^o" c-T ty- S' oo en o en en rt- en n tj-o o en o O o" en n" n n~o" *£ H N B ¦" 3 3 o owoo ^Oo cno eno or^oort-eni-i enen Oinr^M Oih m oco m ocnO en-rj-co OOO en hi m o -+ o co coco ij- mco n r-» o o -h r^ t+ coTr-t -tnuiM n o enwo o-d-ooo hi cor-. ONOOCN w OWCOOhi i-oO cnN OO O Tt Oco cnu->00 f^Ooo ON ih^o Ocoo'inuiu-tNoo O r> enoo en o O^^o O t* w coco en n en r-. n o oo ho On m^ion -^- r-co OO Ht c^ -^-N or*-id- 't cno ininrNrN h,co or-*w -rfO r^oo en h N**in «©¦ 3 3 incnr^-o " co co n oo trnw ¦^¦ino^o r^-cn O in m in oco ins incntOHir^N n n r^ON n -to *i-o ^r-r^M n voiNNTtriH in-^-inoin n Oi^tnco r^r->.o "d-incnoM o»no enoo t1- cn^to r> tnO O int^-in« OO O OO ^"oo inO in O "<£ CO N l-« w"oo" >*^0 eo in 00~ o" m" 0** O"o" n" win r^-oo Nco -i tJ-ooo encoo inwoco no enr~>o r-*ri-cnHico r^-o *d"N n^cooo oh o «NNtn^cn^tcn*tOH h o n h o co n d h cncncncnNcn'^- ! 3 u enE in CCoCC 1 r- O OC oo h n nt mo r^co oo h n en'd-ino r^-co O r>.iNrNrsiNh.rNMNr>.cococococooocococo COCOOOCOCOOOCOCOCOCOQOOOCOOOCOOOCOCOOOCO 1 'OC oOC jlTiiiiiTiiiiiiiiiii Oo h n cn-t uro r^oo oo h n tn-rino r^. o 1^.1^1^.1-^1^.1^1-^.1^.1^. r^oo co co co co co co co COOOOOCOCOCOCOCOOOCOCOOOOOCOCOOCiiCOcOCO NO. 3. REVENUE AND EXPENSES OF THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT FROM JULY I, 1888, TO JUNE 30, 1896. REVENUE. EXPENSES. Cash. Bonds. Nominal. Total. Cash. Bonds. Nominal. Total. $34.3741783 32 22,478,738 14 11,934,096 II $20,427,141 26 $54,801,924 58 22,478,738 14 62,081,408 19 $49,325,109 50 $20,103,595 45 $4,493,624 48 $73,922,329 43 $50,147,312 08 13,764,47° 97 54,272,265 53 68,036,736 50 $68,787,617 57 $20,427,141 26 $50,147,312 08 $139,362,070 gi $63,089,580 47 $20,103,595 45 $58,765,890 01 $141,959,065 93 $38,586,601 69 15,849,706 41 19,608,525 81 $22,716,725 61 $605,354 23 $61,908,681 53 15,849,706 41 49,384,241 46 $51,641,115 34 $22,167,362 65 $4,35o,275 75 $78,158,753 74 29,775,7*5 65 4,163,849 84 45,016,373 95 49,180,223 79 $74,044,833 91 $22,716,725 61 $30,381,069 88 $127,142,629 40 $55,804,965 18 $22,167,362 65 $49,366,649 70 $127,338,977 53 $37,39I,8o4 99 26,645,962 80 3,328,985 36 $932,799 5° $5,818,252 12 3,614,283 94 6o,797,55i 92 $44,142,856 61 30,260,246 74 64,126,537 28 $56,928,276 11 $932,799 5o $5,144,053 °7 $63,005,128 68 10,360,242 26 65,086,034 91 75,446,277 17 $67,366,753 '5 $932,799 50 $70,230,087 98 $138,529,640 63 $67,288,518 37 $932,799 50 $70,230,087 98 $138,451,405 85 $37,474,879 20 5,485,005 10 $1,868,171 91 650,692 83 19,174,882 70 $39,993,743 94 24,659,887 80 $40,°53,99° °3 2,876,346 g4 $624,667 92 T, 243,503 99 $2,671,491 67 17,154,083 86 21,273,934 79 $42,959,884 30 $1,868,171 91 $19,825,575 53 $64,653,631 74 $42,930,336 97 $1,868,171 91 $19,825,575 53 $64,624,084 41 $37,692,293 31 4,526,983 82 5,484,854 56 $847,113 46 $ri5,363 54 $38,654,770 31 4,526,983 82 23,978,523 37 $42,813,455 71 $869,887 31 $5,271,629 41 $48,954,972 43 796,400 11 17,697,268 70 5,161,790 45 773,626 26 12,541,002 83 18,476,419 54 $47,704,131 69 $1,643,513 57 $17,812,632 24 $67,160,277 50 $47,975,246 16 $I,643,5i3 57 $17,812,632 24 $67,43I,39I 97 $40,211,747 13 6,053,794 09 2,054,225 12 $852,565 02 $152,581 36 3,300,000 00 16,421,797 23 $41,216,893 51 9,353,794 °9 18,545,822 94 $41,552,162 16 $361,887 64 $3,799,741 67 $45,7i3,79I 47 69,800 59 7,092,362 90 560,477 97 16,074,636 92 23,727,477 79 $48,3i9,766 34 $922,365 61 $I9,874,378 59 $69,116,510 54 $48,644,525 06 $922,365 61 $i9,874,378 59 $69,441,269 26 $43,945,699 °5 4,577,5°° 00 2,468,36b 68 $2,53°>5*8 70 $430,9°5 4i 2,172,500 00 29,891,060 gi $46,907,123 16 6,750,000 00 32,829,421 59 $41,372,264 63 $1,892,958 19 $2,389,803 96 $45,655,026 78 470,000 00 9,368,711 42 1,107,560 51 30,104,662 36 40,580,934 29 $50,99*, 559 73 $3,000,518 70 $32,494,466 32 $86,486,544 75 $50,740,976 05 $3,000,518 70 $32,494,466 32 $86,235,961 07 $50,521,470 42 708,277 66 $477,^33 98 5,121,667 46 $241,552 55 6,240,637 41 $51,240,056 95 12,070,582 53 $45,070,123 13 5,399,533 73 $32,727 54 5,565,973 9° $45,102,850 67 17,447,697 59 6,482,189 g6 $51,229,748 08 $5,598,701 44 $6,482,189 96 $63,310,639 48 $50,469,656 86 $5,598,70i 44 $6,482,189 96 $62,550,548 26 na S= O saC ft a-t o3u>n FEDERAL APPROPRIATIONS DURING THE FISCAL YEARS FROM l868 TO 1895. POWERS. DEPARTMENTS. YEARS. Legislative. Executive. Judicial. Foreign Affairs. Interior. Justice and Education. Fomento and Colonization. Communica tions and Pub lic Works. Treasury and Public Credit. War and Navy. 1868-1869.1869-1870.187O-187I. 1871-1872.1872-1873.1873-1874.l874-l875- 1875-1876. 1876-1877. 1877-1878.1878-1879. 1879-1880. I 880-188 I. 1881-1882. 1882-1883. 1 883-1 884. 1884-1885. 1S85-1886.1886-1887. 1887-1888.1888-1889.1889-1890.1890-1891 . 1891-1892.1892-1893.1893-1894.1894- 1895. $735,36o 00 754,300 00 760,619 99 811,920 00 811,920 00 877,100 00 842,610 00 1,074,162 00 1,044,270 00 957,3^9 « 1,051,322 00 980,242 00 1,022,842 00 990,402 00 1,071,712 00 1,015,632 00 1,087,232 00 1,007,144 15 1,052,913 45 1,002,928 75 I,°53,839 4° 1,009,036 50 1,054,030 50 1,009,036 50 1,050,638 06 1,005,638 00 1,005,638 00 $52,880 00 46,325 20 48,172 40 48,172 40 48,172 40 48,172 40 48,172 40 48,172 40 48,172 40 48,172 40 48,572 4° 48,832 40 48,832 40 48,832 40 48,832 40 48,832 40 48,832 40 49,251 50 49,25! 5o 49,846 45 49,848 19 49,849 45 49,849 45 49,977 2° 49,977 20 49,977 20 50,977 30 $488,290 00 265,090 00 280,960 00 280,960 00 280,960 00 291,680 00 313,490 00 328,228 00 328,928 00 328,228 00 332,028 00 347,878 00 355,878 00 370,976 00 389,554 00 406,652 00 429,674 00 432,392 90 436,387 80 439,994 o° 464,095 45 465,095 55 468,884 25 476,784 50 1,478,083 90 478,083 90 478,171 50 $124,540 00 148,540 00 150,160 00 150,160 00 150,160 00 260,360 00 248,560 00 209,860 00 195,160 00 189,160 00 193,660 00 176,660 00 228,460 00 317,660 00 336,280 00 367,580 00 377,680 00 418,762 60 417,726 00 434,93° 60 434,783 20 432,695 70 462,517 25 558,483 54 590,379 84 553,560 80 516,965 50 $1,025,080 00 1,437,699 84 i,447,5i2 24 1,626,146 50 1,626,146 50 1,773,886 50 1,954,151 20 i,963,475 55 2,092,951 12 2,262,165 60 2,5".i95 40 2,488,296 30 2,574,209 70 3,152,697 55 3,235,118 88 3,285,577 75 3,339,213 77 3,441,616 10 3,227,529 20 3,466,882 30 3,596,329 9° 3,553,128 89 3,678,679 70 2,480,896 76 2,564,1s1 °° 2,459,301 2° 2,560,741 70 $380,640 75 737,643 J8 844,587 99 879,127 99 879,127 99 873,127 99 890,998 So 910,533 20 906,933 20 991,513 20 1,210,035 60 1,103,862 20 1,174,345 20 1,352,820 00 1,215,473 00 1,243,510 00 1,234,718 00 1,252,376 85 1,431,081 24 1,398,850 00 1,421,204 75 i,35o,47i 10 i,393,972 4° 1,639,636 25 1,657,215 60 1,614,652 45 1,547,824 54 $2,292,932 00 3,096,180 00 4,341,77' " 4,353,4" 55 4,353,4" 55 4,557,883 00 5,127,372 00 5,623,253 00 6,070,584 41 2,777,000 00 2,722,330 00 1,849,722 00 3,57°,°77 co 6,162,627 00 7,551,683 00 11,127,600 CO 6,151,870 00 8,330,728 25 2,698,116 30 4,426,132 17 5,965,45° 54 6,M5,555 69 7,310,326 50 672,106 95 951,054 51 822,414 16 615,610 06 $5,I43,726 24 4,870,722 08 4,562,292 80 4,643,922 80 4,643,922 80 5,021,688 75 4,056,317 04 4,179,070 79 4,253,976 12 4,7I5,954 61 4,891,016 56 3,895,116 57 4,366,609 35 4,173,585 75 4,648,377 67 .4,966,261 81 4,903,438 78 11,832,644 95 10,663,485 78 11,664,391 97 12,059,535 94 11,310,380 29 11,365,207 09 M,432,995 81 15,857,292 61 22,399,405 20 24,000,570 85 $8,450,939 86 6,967,931 92 8,443,306 48 10,144,601 52 10,144,601 52 10,252,522 32 10,632,862 92 io,554,747 24 10,898,280 68 6,818,645 43 8,788,74a 82 8,004,589 18 9,786,964 95 8,648,033 12 8,5H,478 13 8,252,352 18 8,252,764 88 12,138,435 86 ",559,7i4 00 I3,386,495 24 13,482,152 47 12,449,693 37 12,656,021 07 12,658,101 37 12,684,685 67 11,329,618 82 10,378,683 32 $18,694,388 85 18,324,432 22 20,879,383 01 22,938,422 76 22.938,422 76 23,956,420 96 24, ii4,534 36 24,891,502 18 25,839,255 93 19,088,158 36 21,748,902 78 18,895,198 65 23,128,218 60 25,217,633 82 27,011,509 08 3°,713.998 14 25,825,423 83 38,903,353 l6 31,536,205 27 36,270,451 48 38,527,239 84 36,765,906 54 38,439,488 21 38,377,364 85 41,367,047 64 44,634,793 33 45,610,279 92 $4,399,345 97 4,483,569 25 3,922,141 60 4,455,°97 J5 Totals. . $26,139,808 42 $t,324,956 64 $",437,427 75 $8,645,445 03 $68,824,781 15 $31,536,283 47 $119,667,202 75 $17,260,153 97 $223,521,911 01 $276,279,966 3-1 $784,637,936 53 saST«-***.o5 ol-t- ao a at *—.r>o "Revenue ano Expenses. 143 Sources of Revenue. — The Federal revenue of Mexico consists mainly of three sources : import duties, internal revenue, and direct taxes in the Federal District. Under the head of import duties we collect du ties on imports, extra import duties which we call additional duties, and duties on exports. The sources of revenue of the Mexican Federal Treasury during the fiscal year 1895-1896, were : Imposts on foreign trade $23,658,692 61 Internal revenue 20,447,096 42 Direct taxes in the Federal District and Territories 3, 357, 611 81 Public services 1,811,045 3° Nominal i,9S5,3°i 94 Total $51,229,748 08 Import Duties. — Our tariff is a highly protective one, as we have always maintained a very high rate of import duties, almost prohibitory for a large portion of our population, which under such a system are practically excluded from the use of foreign commodities, to the ma terial detriment of the fiscal revenue, the public wealth at large, and the advancement of the masses of our people. The causes which have induced such a high tariff are twofold : first, that, in a great measure, protective ideas have prevailed ; secondly, and especially, the need of revenue, and the idea that the higher the rate of duties the larger would be the revenue collected. A new source of protection has been cre ated by the depreciation of our currency, which acts as a powerful protection to our home commodities, in favor of our manufacturers to the disadvantage of the great body of consumers. The protective policy in Mexico has been so deeply rooted that notwithstanding that I lean to freer trade, and that I have been three times at the head of the Treasury Department, and once for five years, I never was able to modify substantially that policy, because the con dition of the Treasury was so precarious, that it would have been very rash to attempt any radical change on the face of a great reduction of an insufficient revenue which would have brought about disastrous re sults. For the same reason I was unable to do away with the obnox ious alcabala tax. Our present tariff is divided into the following sections : 1st, animal > industry ; 2d, agricultural products ; 3d, metals and its manufactures ; 4th, fabrics ; 5th, chemicals, oils, and paints ; 6th, wines, liquors, and fermented drinks ; 7th, paper ; 8th, machinery ; 9th, carriages ; ioth„ arms and explosives, and nth, sundries. 144 Statistical motes on /lDe$ico. Additional Import Duties. — The additional duties collected by the Custom-houses are i^ per cent, of the amount of the import duties, which is levied for the respective municipality ; 2 per cent, of the same duties, for harbor improvements ; and 2 per cent, in revenue stamps, making in all 5! per cent, of the import duties. The custom-houses collect besides the import duties, tonnage and light-house duties, and pilot fees. Export Duty. — Our export duties are levied upon cabinet and dye- woods, india rubber, cochineal, coffee, henequen, ixtle, indigo, fequila, jalap, tamarind, tobacco, mother-of-pearl, orchilla, vanilla, zacaton, and onyx. The following statement shows the amount of export duties col lected in Mexico from the fiscal year 1881-1882 to 1894-1895, ex pressing the commodities in which they were collected : STATEMENT OF THE RECEIPTS FROM EXPORT DUTIES IN MEXICO FROM JULY I, 1881, TO JUNE 30, 1895. FISCAL YEAR. RECEIPTS. COMMODITIES TAXED. $122,462 24 144,597 93 179,439 97 161,811 47 107,484 80 106,859 63 114,869 04 81,849 25 98,386 12 86,859 86 96,560 48 91.475 54 1,045,105 44 1,227,719 24 Orchilla, wood. 1882 1883 1883 1884 ,1 .1 1884 1885 .. 1, .. 1886-1887 n 1. .1 ,, 1888-1889 ¦ > .<¦ 1889-189O .. .< i, .. .. >> n Orchilla, wood, henequen, coffee. Orchilla, wood, henequen, coffee, skins, zacaton, chewing gum, ixtle, vanilla. Amount of Import Duties. — It is very difficult to give a correct state ment of the receipts of the Mexican custom-houses before the year 1875. I append, however, one made from the reports of the Secre taries of the Treasury of Mexico, especially those of July 25, 1839, and September 16, 1870, and completed from the years 1839-1851, with data obtained from the Comcrcio exterior de Mexico,Y>y D. Miguel Lerdo de Tejada. From the fiscal year 1875-1876, the Statistical Bureau of our Treasury Department began to publish detailed and correct statements of the custom receipts, and I append one embracing the fiscal years from 1875 to 1896 which shows how largely our im port duties have increased. In the ten years elapsed from 1878 to 1888 the increase was over 67 per cent, as compared with the corre- TRe venue anfc Expenses. 14s sponding period from 1869-1879, and the increase in the last seven years, 1889-1896, was 16 per cent, as compared with the previous ten years, both periods making an increase of nearly 100 per cent, over the first ten years of said statement : CUSTOMS RECEIPTS FROM 1823 TO THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 20, 1875. 1823. From April ist to September 30 the receipts were $971,345 77, which for a year of 12 months would be $1,942,691 54 1825. From the ist of January to the ist of August, 1825, the receipts were $4,472,069 37, which for a year of 12 months would be 7,666,404 63 1825-1826 From the ist of September, 1825, to June, 1826, $6,414,383 26, which for a year of 12 months would be 9,621,574 89 1826-1827 7,828,208 44 1827-1828 5,692,026 70 1 828-1 829 6,497,288 93 1829-1830 4,815,418 25 1830-1831 8,287,082 92 1831-1832 7,335,637 76 1832-1833 7,538,525 47 1833-1834 8,786,396 94 1834-1835 8,920,408 28 1835-1836 5,835,06851 1836-1837 4,377,579 52 From July 1, 1837, to December 31, 1838, $4,258,411 10. Corresponding to one year of 12 months 2,838,940 73 1839 5,577,89° 67 1840 8,309,918 65 1841 6,597,912 32 1842 6,034,342 29 1843 8,507,478 79 1844 8,254,141 96 1845 5,814,04869 1846 6,747,932 35 1847 i,394,6o9 52 From January 1, 1848, to June 30, 1849, J8 months. . . 6,660,037 96 From July, 1849, to June, 1850 6,338,437 50 1850-1851 5,337,°68 62 From July 1, 1851, to June 30, 1852 6,108,835 26 1852-1853, according to the calculations of M. Haro y Tamariz average from the preceding five years. 4,906,533 17 VOL. I — 10 146 Statistical motes on flDejico. 1 853-1854, according to the report of M. Olazagarre (1855) 8,399,208 93 1854-1855, according to the report of M. Lerdo de Tejada (1857) 8,096,208 85 1855-1856, according to the report makes the receipts for the first six months amount to $3,379,761 35, which for the year is 6,759,522 70 1856-1857, average for the six years previous 6,854,061 78 1857-1858 " " " " 6,854,061 78 1858-1859 " " " " 6,854,061 78 1859-1860 " " " " 6,854,061 78 1860-1861 " " " " 6,854,06178 1861-1862 " " " " 6,854,061 78 1862-1863 " " " " 6,854,061 78 1863-1864 " " " " 6,854,061 78 1864-1865 " " " " 6,854,06178 1865-1866 " " " " 6,851,06178 1866-1867 " " " " 6,851,061 78 1867-1868, according to the amount of the receipts. . . . 9,566,360 99 1868-1869 " " " .... 9,606,491 73 1869-1870 7,824,525 57 1870-1871 10,014,277 60 1871-1872 8,430,211 00 1872-1873 11,833,117 52 1873-1874 13,981,795 42 1874-1875 11,821,533 49 Total $367,725,836 01 Average in one year $7,071,650 69 Internal Revenue. — The Federal Treasury of Mexico depended up to 1867 mainly upon import duties, and as it was not safe to have only that source of revenue, when I occupied for the first time the Treasury Department, I introduced a system of internal revenue through the use of stamps, which met with a great deal of opposition at the time, but which has finally been developed very largely, yielding now almost as much as the import duties. The receipts during the six months from January ist to June 30th, 1875, amounted to $1,097,- 668 28, which in a whole year would make, duplicating it, $2,195, 336 56, while in the fiscal year ended June 30, 1896, the receipts amounted to $18,078,952 54, or nearly eight times as much. We have had since 1861 a comparative large source of revenue called Federal Tax, which up to 1892 was 25 per cent, of all the reve nues collected by the States and Municipalities in Mexico. That rate RECEIPTS OF THE CUSTOM-HOUSES DURING THE TWENTY-SEVEN FISCAL YEARS ENDING JUNE 30, 1 896. IMPORT DUTIES. EXPORT DUTIES. TOTAL GROSS RECEIPTS. COST OF COLLECTION. Tariff. Additional. Total. Precious metals. Commodities. Total. Annual expenditures. Per centage. $ 41036,046 61 5,094,768 00 4,466,410 78 8,048,293 29 10,354,158 85 9,200,033 06 8,390.636 72 8,308,293 94 12, 367,46c 71 9,518,567 31 11,718,864 37 13,768,416 33 17,001,961 23 18,173,720 8g 17,292,567 28 15.279,589 37 14,852,980 15 17,268,650 16 18,958,215 27 18,922,772 12 21,725,839 17 20,178,744 17 20,031,365 52 16,839,276 77 I5i3i3,926 59 17,738,129 66 21,492,211 91 $3»2°3,833 78 4,316,886 59 3,681,849 73 132,211 08 74,347 38 71,236 49 60,306 05 5^,555 M 65,762 21 6o,535 88 69,645 66 81,853 46 656,944 34 421,987 31 255,225 91 165,981 90 148,048 87 173,108 20 216,530 83 3«9.495 74 728,315 56 685,077 76 684,450 14 606,644 66 546,243 98 716,009 40 853,482 25 $7,239,880 39 9,411,654 59 8,148,260 51 8,180,504 37 10,428,506 23 9,271,269 55 8,450,942 77 8,359,849 °8 12,433,223 92 9,579,io3 19 11,788,510 03 13,850,269 79 17,658,905 57 i8,595.7°8 20 17,547.793 '9 15,445,571 27 15,001,029 02 I7.44i.758 36 19,174,746 10 19,292,267 86 22,454,154 73 20,863,821 93 20,715,815 66 17,445,921 43 15,860,170 57 18,454,139 06 22,345,694 16 $ 1,270,501 27 1,473,299 !3 914,510 72 1,063,700 30 881,042 30 854,873 99 726,843 55 957,087 47 1,009,786 96 871.047 37 886,340 75 738,521 03 588,637 95 317,873 54 $1,270,501 27 T.473.299 13 914,510 72 1,063,700 30 881,042 30 854,873 99 726,843 55 959,824 22 1,016,626 43 885,474 07 964,618 67 816,253 °3 788,525 47 462,471 47 179,439 97 161, 8n 47 107,484 80 106,859 63 114,869 04 81,849 25 98,386 12 86,359 86 96,560 48 91,475 54 1,037,110 65 1,227,360 45 1,078,861 48 $17,546,993 36 $ 8,510,531 66 10,884,953 72 9,062,771 23 9,244,204 67 ",3°9,548 53 10,126,143 54 9,177,786 32 9,319,673 3° i3.449.Sso 35 10,464,577 26 12,753,128 70 14,666,522 82 i8,447,43i 04 19,058,179 67 17,727,233 16 15,607,382 74 15,108,513 82 17,548,617 99 19,289,615 14 i9,374,"7 " 22,552,540 85 20,950,181 79 20,812,376 14 i7,537,396 97 16,897,281 22 19,681,499 51 23,424,555 64 $ 493,346 90 566,228 51 471,690 42 553,049 99 575,591 80 718,036 74 697,458 27 632,041 27 811,493 28 815,888 25 849,564 55 993,°55 14 1,141,442 69 1,327,620 19 1,362,472 09 1,501,149 17 1,847,009 10 i,897,3T3 96 1,928,129 03 i,994,i37 23 2,017,168 55 2,077,439 86 2,092,217 10 2,098,397 95 1,927,912 38 1,811,243 63 1,825,178 73 5.79s5.2025-2055.9835.0907.0907-S98 6.7816.042 7.796 6.6626.7756.133 7-7577.685 9.631 12.22410.811 9-995 10.291 9.0709.916 10.053"•397 11.409 9.208 7-795 $8,017,184 76 10,318,725 21 8,591,080 81 8,691,154 68 9,408,106 80 8,480,328 05 $ 2,736 75 6,839 47 14,426 70 78,277 92 77.732 00 199,887 52 144,597 93 179,439 97 161,811 47 107,484 80 106,859 63 114,869 04 81,849 25 98,386 12 86,35g 86 96,560 48 91,475 54 1,037,110 65 1,227,360 45 1,078,861 48 8,687,632 03 12,638,357 07 1878-1879 9,648,689 01 ",903,564 15 1 3,673,467 68 17,305,988 35 ¦7,730,559 48 16,364,761 07 14,106,233 57 13,261,504 72 15,651,304 03 17,361,486 11 i7.379,979 88 18,873,241 93 18,720,159 04 "5,438,999 02 14,969,368 84 17,870,755 88 $376,34i.9oi 23 $19,097,570 3° $395,439,471 53 $i2,554,o66 33 $4,992,927 03 $412,986,614 89 $35,026,276 78 8.048 $379,961,338 11 Average per annum... $13,938,588 93 $707,317 4i $14,645,906 35 $464,965 42 $184,923 22 $649,888 64 $15,295,857 58 $1,297,269 51 8,482 $14,072,642 15 S3O3so at ts o3U) Abstract of sums and annual averages of the two periods of ten years and the last of seven years. Totals and averages. u Average. . . . $79,784,77o 27 7,978,477 03 $11,718,574 33 1,171,857 43 $9',5°3,344 60 9,150,334 46 $10,046,705 98 1,004,670 60 $101,550,040 58 10,155,004 06 $6,334,825 43 633,482 54 6.238 $95,215,215 15 1879-89.— Totals " Average.... $163,237,737 17 16,323,773 72 $2,558,822 22 255,882 22 $165,796,559 39 i6,579,655 94 $1,252,809,53 121,280 95 $3,784,182 80 378,418 28 $169,580,742 19 16,958,074 22 $14,841,893 15 1,484,189 32 8-752 " Average $133,319,493 79 19,045,641 97 $4,820,223 75 688,603 39 $138,139,717 54 I9,734,245 36 $3,717,114 88 531,016 41 $3,717,114 88 531,016 41 $141,856,832 12 20,265,261 73 $13,849,558 20 1,978,508 31 9.763 18,286,753 42 148 Statistical IRotes on /IDejfco. was increased in 1893 from 25 to 33J- per cent, on account of the deficit caused to the Federal Treasury by the depreciation of silver, and that tax which is paid in Federal stamps, constitutes a very large portion of our internal revenue receipts. I append a statement of our internal revenue taxes with full details. INTERNAL REVENUE RECEIPTS FROM JANUARY I, 1875, TO JUNE 30, 1896. FISCAL YEARS. GROSS RECEIPTS. GROSS RE CEIPTS OF THE FEDERAL TAX. TOTAL RECEIPTS. COLLECTION EXPENSES. NET RECEIPTS. From January i to June 30, 1875. . . $328,631 26 $769,037 02 $1,097,668 28 Per centage. $668,930 14 728,192 71 920,901 29 763,879 23 1,311,463 95 $1,145,624 37 1,905,806 66 2,154,249 51 2,239,267 37 2,336,43! 73 $1,814,554 51 2,633,999 37 3,075,150 80 3,003,146 60 3,647,895 68 $167,937 42 120,334 94 302,612 65 300,490 02 484,215 36 9-255 4-5679.840 10.006 I3-274 $2,247,617 09 2,5I3,664 43 2,772,538 15 2,702,656 58 3,164,180 32 Average per an num in five years $878,673 46 $1,956,275 93 $2,834,949 39 $3,4og,ioo 24 4,204,805 45 4,690,369 26 4,832,429 07 6,359,354 60 $275,118 08 9-705 $2,680,131 31 $I,Q37,730 93 1,429,655 61 1,591,189 33 1,919,461 99 3,231,872 75 $2,371,369 31 2,775. H9 84 3,099,179 93 2,912,967 08 3,127,481 85 $351,980 OI 376,095 30 420,132 04 441,080 IO 489,043 89 10.325 8-943 g.ooog.126 7.690 $3,057,120 23 3,828,710 15 4,270,237 22 4i39T,348 87 5,870,310 71 Average per an num in five years $1,841,982 12 $2,857,229 60 $4,699,211 72 $415,666 27 8.845 $4,283,545 44 1885 1886 $2,761,886 56 3,930,429 16 4,654,190 93 5,108,911 59 5,575,o67 62 $3iTI5,759 85 3,587,339 96 3,324,937 53 3,679,493 52 3,79^695 27 $5,877,646 41 7,517,769 12 7,979,128 46 8,788,405 11 9,366,762 8g $428,390 78 638,011 29 728,431 31 771,601 95 799,721 78 7.288 8.486g.ooo8.7778.538 $5,449,255 63 6,879,757 83 7,250,697 15 8,016,803 J6 9,567,041 11 Average per an num in five years $4,406,097 17 $3,499,845 23 $7,905,942 4° $673,237 42 8.516 $7,432,7io 98 $5,624,340 94 5,402,495 76 6,625,265 53 9,164,063 10 10,098,795 63 12,519,676 93 $3,865,650 49 3,969,987 88 4,431,022 65 5,216,547 31 5i47i,i73 92 5,559,255 61 $9,489,991 43 9,372,483 64 11,056,288 18 14,380,610 41 15,569,969 55 18,078,932 54 $853,834 28 868,l6l 60 945,076 71 1,120,760 85 1,146,419 41 1,196,053 14 8-9559-2638.548 7.igo7-3636.616 $8,636,157 15 8,504,322 04 13,259,849 56 16,882,879 4° Average in six $8,239,106 31 $4,752,272 98 $12,991,379 29 $1,021,717 67 7.865 $11,969,661 63 Total in 21J years. $85,397,032 94 $70,849,428 66 $156,246,461 60 $12^50,384 83 8.288 $143,799,908 39 Direct Taxes. — The third source of revenue of the Mexican Govern ment are direct taxes collected in the Federal District, which includes the City of Mexico. They are levied on real-estate, scientific profes sions, commercial and industrial establishments, and work-shops. The real-estate for the purpose of this tax is divided into rural and urban, the former paying a tax of 12 per cent, on its rent when occupied, and 3 per cent, when not occupied, and the latter paying 8 per thousand of its registered value. Taxes on professions vary from 50 cents to $20.00 a month. The tax on commercial and industrial establishments is regulated by law. The commercial establishments, which pay license taxes are commis- 1Rev>enue anb Expenses. 149 sion agencies of all kinds : banking firms ; dry goods, groceries, wines, furniture, and jewelry stores ; insurance companies ; restaurants, hotels, and boarding-houses. Among the industrial establishments are em braced especially railway, telegraph and telephone companies ; cotton, woollen, and silk mills ; factories of all kinds ; iron smelters ; printing, engraving, and photographic establishments ; coffee, corn, and flour mills, etc., etc. When the alcabalas were abolished a direct tax was established upon some of the articles which paid the largest sums, namely : pulque, wheat flour, and domestic brandy distilled from molasses. I annex a statement showing the proceeds of Direct Taxes in the Federal District during the last twenty-seven fiscal years. RECEIPTS FROM DIRECT TAXES IN THE FEDERAL DISTRICT DURING THE TWENTY-SEVEN FISCAL YEARS ENDING JUNE 30, 1 896. FISCAL YEARS. GROSS RECEIPTS. COLLKCTION EXPENSES. PER CENTAGE EXPENSES. NET RECEIPTS. 869-1870.S70-1871. 871-1872.872-1873,873-1874.874-1875.875-1876.876-1877. 877-1878 . 878-1879. 879-1880.880-1881.881-1882.882-1883 • 885-1886. 886-1887. 890-1891.891-1892.892-1893. 893-1894. 894-1895. 895-1896. $485,451 73 502,146 64 471,228 78 477,654 75 524,494 76 53i,i49 09 1,350,705 56 516,510 80 538,300 09 559,217 21 592,688 44 634,498 92 674,973 66 753,579 80 830,010 26 1,092,656 37 1,023,349 52 1,040,143 16 1,074,489 54 1,125,202 97 1,213,458 49 i,3°6,746 37 1,369,225 30 1,436,875 70 1,445,270 81 i,497,25i 9° 1,620,480 35 $55,481 65 53,924 28 50,034 37 51,939 05 57,205 69 56,663 64 69,957 24 47,685 23 37,970 00 51,160 08 52,126 21 52,260 50 53,161 23 98,264 24 100,937 90 89,892 38 91,464 07 84,861 27 121,011 50 97,635 14 100,134 87 103,740 02 104,320 34 115,817 86 110,290 73 108,255 57 110,347 13 Totals in the 27 years. Average per annum.. . $24,687,760 97 912,028 18 $2,126,542 ig 78,760 82 Totals and Annual averages of the first five years Annual average $2,460,976 66 492,!95 33 $268,585 04 53,717 01 Total of the second five years.. Annual average $3,495- 699 882 75 176 55 $263,436 19 52,687 24 Total of the third five years . Annual average $3,485 751 08 550 38 $356,750 08 71,350 02 ri. 42 10.74 10.62 9.90 10.9010.67 5.189.23 7.05 9-i58-798.23 7.87 13.0812.16 8.238.978.16 11.26 8.688.25 7-35 7,62 8.06 7.637.366.81 Total of the fourth five years , Annual average $5,355- 1,071, 841 56 168 31 $484,864 36 96,972 87 Total of the fifth period of five years Annual average $6,771, i,354 576 67 315 33 $534,303 82 106,860 76 Total of the sixth period of two years Annual average $3,n7- 1,558. 732 25 866 13 $218,602 70 109,301 35 $429,970 08 448,222 36 421,194 41 425,7'5 70 467,289 07 474,485 45 1,280,748 32 468,825 57 500,330 09 508,057 13 540,562 23 582,238 42 621,812 43 655,31s 56 729,072 36 1,002,763 99 931,885 45 955,281 89 953,478 04 1,027,567 83 X, 113,323 62 1,203,006 35 1,264,904 96 !, 321,057 84 1,334,980 08 1,388,996 33 1,510,133 22 $22,561,218 78 835,600 6g $2,192,391 62 438,478 32 $3,232,446 56 646,489 31 $3,129,001 00 625,800 20 1,870,977 20 974,195 44 $6,237,272 85 1,247,454 57 $2,899,129 55 1,449,564 78 REVENUES OF THE MEXICAN STATES FROM 1884 TO 1895. O STATES. 1884. 1885. 1886. 1887. 1888. 1889. 1890. 1891. 1892. 1893. 1894. 1895. TOTAL. $ 117,672 136,841 222,586 118,237 136,015 210,476 270,398 839,870 221,055423,267 1,021,227 4T9,44o649, 167 328,066 113,218680,307 899,854210,810 $ 103,043 132,938168,211126,430 i54,5'o 3!7,i53225,887967,610235,578440,445 1,398,273 44o,973666,138359,653 H3,754 714,471 919,633 216,115 $ 82,656 '77,045195,283 126,420 125,218 338,087238,181 952,017 393,29!644,671 1,093,321 686,124683.313338,982 112,964 $ 80,400 190,516 185,679 95,870 143,322287,634260,254 1,028,064 286,038668,584 1,170,304 769,999 686,995338,169 146,717 $ 81,206 176,553262,725 103,871135,126 335,647272,643998,000409,785 702,288 1,061,452 739,712 732,853347,233 134,238 $ 89,656 223,924 220,937 116,186 183,279 466,415288,780 1,038,109 426,205825,788 1,010,814 764,863706,546 336,256 137,861 $ 90,095 239,869 431,412 130,237 204,332486,916 363,660 1,143,221 443,149 1,004,0831,031,039 839,547672,548 3S9,8n'47,777 $ !44,5°7 260,419273,318 171,951 229,608 697,602 522,761 1,174,248 495,556 1,761,8681,586,213 1,033,135 986,858 437,i87 162,460 878,355 1,564,890 374,189 1,560,911 618,284561,211298,668 192,987173,966 1,039,184 587,186 1,251,160 $19,038,682 44,142,856 $ 171,899247.951 323,606 158,370 274,749638,422 539,o8g 1,136,123 5i9,55o 1,806,339 1,396,491i,02g,c991,011,260 418,697 177,087 i,°49,477 1,384,228 337,363 J, 596,576 623,574 571,263284,208 178,458 203,692 985,395621,697 1,207,758 $ 136,615 252,495333,843 '75,383 441,520 643,139549,007 1,287,202 530,980 2,059,317 1,491,2581,094,697 1,138,660 436,433 182,870 1,033,2871,106,544 307,539 1,187,854 704,032 493,399 282,723 '89,557182,936 867,044 637,749 1,216,893 $ 101,865 283,777341,093 170,534 359,i84 $ 90,885 279,210380,757 163,681 431,428 $ 1,290,499 2,601,5383,339,450 1,657,160 2,808,3914,421,491 5,207,787 13,318,819 4,213,259 '3,720,45915,240,624 9,963,4379,989,5784,469,273 ',957, 001 6,243,551 T3, 338,212 3,501,951 14,895,008 6,086,2164,824,452 3,050,141 ',535,835 857,047 1,423,687 252,072 1,330,6021,484,448 963,508 822,975407,824206,476982,250 ',231,527 422,812 1,055,791 573,994374,865336,365215, '37 187,379 572,441680,900 1,186,183 $16,824,736 41,216,893 $58,041,629 820,080 1,330,662 2,053,207 !, 495,784 1,182,340 1,231,965 360,962321,5899°5,504 ','44,999 352,344 1,602,899 577,'44471,753 331,537 Jalisco Puebla 889,463248,271 1,313,582 391,883 29o,959176,831160,938 111,724814,485452,055680,962 988,163333,526 1,149,522 407,793 404,179 182,934160,031116,868 730,232 501,450710,170 1,126,934 245,415 ', 144,234 4!2,857342,456253,438 114,866 117,912 686,818483,796744,'44 1,019,703 256,693 2,645,298 491,905353,568256,832 133,029 167,345 779,413510,634737,427 1,062,274 396,875 1,638,341 499,354 362,701291,149 190,832166,719 866,383498,162 730,672 355,604 302,962 170,149 429,792296,136 185,307 '3',33'722,448374,466 538,895 153,362 77i,5i6441,485756,831 $'0,735,534 30,359,637 190,166 8,835,3596,485,782 10,487,914 696,202726,819 Federal Treasury.. $9,614,261 37,442,625 $47,056,886 $11,718,726 28,797,729 $",923,413 32,126,509 $12,166,198 40,962,045 $14,186,465 54,801,924 $68,988,389 $14,191,158 61,908,681 $76,099,839 $18,892,421 39,993,743 $18,962,976 38,654,770 $57,6i7,746 $17,131,917 46,907,123 $175,386,487 497,3'4,535 $41,095,171 $40,516,455 $44,049,922 $53,128,343 $63,181,538 $58,886,164 $64,039,040 $672,700,022 ft-»r-t- Oo «¦*o a 12. o o EXPENSES OF THE MEXICAN STATES FROIV 1884 TO 1895. STATES. 1884. 1885. 1886. 1887. 1888. 1889. 1890. 1891. 1892. 1893. 1894. 1895. TOTAL. Aguascalientes .... $ 85,564 134,9°' 234,835 115,030 135,370 218,219264,619 $ 86,626 '33,426 183,489124,474'55,23'282,2752'7,555 $ 81,356 177,150 190,436124,474125,052 $ 78,400 189,492176,418 100,348 142,815 $ 80,603 168,558 236,093 109,525'35,197 $ 89,186 217,778210,031 114,487181,885 $ 93,475 244,180232,162 131,770195,972 $ 144,487259,866269,094 171,240174,740 639,574506,563 1,132,089 273,100 1,740,3511,586,3131,016,974 930,135433,756 146,428 749. 105 i,5i8,95S 374,i8s 1,524,776 614,419 535,870 303,998 192,977172,509 871,260580,304 1,336,525 $ 166,306 244,872317,445 162,195268,293 614,605 516,407 1,168,058 280,527 1,792,7921,396,491 1,019,427 988,860418,697 143,861 884,411 1,361,484 337,362 1,561,652 6i7,35554',439281,405 177,632 198,199 954,055 620,784 1,201,780 $ '35,384 244,742320,074168,548 430,949611,159539,315 1,299,855 340,450 2,051,629 i,457,i°41,057,5161,109,066 436,427 157,623 953,536 1,084,620 307,343 1,162,797 692,662 467,997290,187180,984 189,411 799,019 632,999 1,179,868 $18,301,364 48,954,972 $ 101,865265,180 34i,o93 163,611 359,9i8 $ 90,395 267,288304,873152,59° 423,103 $ 1,233,647 2,547,433 3,006,043 1,638,392 2,728,525 2,365,833 235,965 243,3" 363,616 282,654 1,049,015 338,936737,283994,430716,405 699,400 336,390 132,578 357,368 1,102,697 235,840 1,017,407 962,737 801,950703,478355,io9 138,034 836,912 2,204,964 260,693 1,316,470',459,535 883,064800,459394,229 '51,955 973,723 1,212,622 419,501 1,046,668 543,784354,! 55 335,022 313,019 185,960 542,615 672,738 1,174,420 799,997 1,338,106 5,064,382 9,294,784 216,637 426,442 1,012,909 419,440 632,911327,057 90,785 748,927894,686212,759 242,522455,8'2 1,415,211 440,973 665,929 356,038103,199 681,918945,462 215,702 209,870599,791972,846625,497641,589 342,412 107,24s 220,598594,192 1,052,887 708,362 647,467326,511 153,664 323,819 642,825 1,283,412 725,933719,988351,425 131,559 2,742,982 2,052,213 1,495,9281,142,0161,249,031 335,742 258,649 876,536 1,128,949 350,846834,262 581,051 587,153 328,306 13,417,207 15,089,703 9,557,557 9,788,3'34,4'3,793 1,715,580 5,868,156 Puebla 889,011 248,136 1,309,827 394,78o 169,781'75,993160,790116,720750,070 449,096603,294 987,925 228,023 1,156,149 4oi,999 403,056 192,154158,851118,826 739,293444,200671,625 1,112,660 351,004 1,156,279 417,246 236,140229,854 "8,357118,723 772,118 438,347 784,641 987,460257,158 2,580,051 492,448308,416272,042'33,094161,773 777,697487,658 701,522 1,055,360 •94,797 1,699,971 495,78l 3'5,977286,706191,134172,780742,065 480,315 754,86o '3,'79,'94 3,496,816 14,032,432 353,950 289,598 166,771 428,201326,331 188,948 6,033,676 4,535,913 3,051,386 1,526,838 135,101 708,606 371,562573,03! 148,311760,873 439,712761,686 184,284 i,9°2,597 8,417,671 679,99475o,387 6,297,609 10,383,630 $8,769,700 42,714,229 $ 9,759,904 44,407,386 $9,701,181 26,184,198 $10,136,566 36,262,962 $10,697,922 54,956,554 $'3,'49,777 73,922,329 $13,061,925 78,158,753 $18,089,393 63,005,138 $81,094,521 $18,236,394 43,350,149 $17,214,175 45,713,791 $16,311,699 45,078,551 $163,329,900 Federal Treasury. . 602,709,00a $5',483,929 $54,167,290 $35,885,379 $46,399,528 $65,654,476 $87,072,106 $91,220,678 $61,586,543 $67,256,236 $62,927,966 $61,390,350 $766,038,902 53 a•3 oCt ft atts n Oo REVENUES OF THE MUNICIPALITIES OF MEXICO FROM 1884 TO 1895. REVENUES. STATES. 1884. 1885. 1886. 1887. 1888. 1889. 1890. 1891. 1S92. 1893- 1894. 1895. TOTAL. Aguascalientes.. $ 60,147 71,336 174,285 52,872 $ 55,17668,774 206,565 54,596 $ 58,98980,332 174,837 53,237 $ 59,io696,295 i94,79o 49,821 $ 62,05398,871 239,837 47,638 $ 68,26083,350 255,036 52,861 $ 7i,735 99,'45 226,780 52,185 $ 75,434 101,294 393,032 67,21661,096 5'4,369 $ 78,138 96,481 372,664 70,46082,398 522,015 $ 64,179 137,908 396,414 76,585 103,250 540,740 $ 71,587 170,921 446,611 62,534 120,103 $ 73,140 '42,479 692,720 73,447 143,204 $ 797,944 1,237,186 3,773,575 290,727 287,235 306,604 322,363 384,340 3,168,393 591,54' 82,943 33',7'6 498,723 178,996 594,347 99,064 334,462675,100210,500 580,575 105,898 307,109 556,34° "1,781 3i5,77z 564,235"7,665 318,558 599,086 123,548 310,061 630,516 129.431 318,057 656,913'°3,"7521,426 427,616 254,934 295,700 35,598 343,994184,235 656,129 77,o4' 141,527478,714220,400 131,110 233,524 47,662 2,628,734 248,678454,39s 18,491 136,501 $9,508,881 2,455,435 582,232"5,839532,224 476,120 266,080 306,877 34,989 330,758216,689669,291 70,918 145,306 470,688269,858 '44,93' 266,587 50,084 2,764,251 249,020 4'2,377 20,392 '42,943 558,204 99,792 537,085531,353276,042348,060 36,488 377,o" 219,065705,259 65,351 272,070447,745277,479 155,985 248,395 46,565 2,728,308 261,214 43i,5" '7,772 158,826 662,419 112,877 585,954459,635299,680379,043 156,506 418,749255,169754,985 70,387 334,i64437,543 751,636 7,328,044 1,201,955 4,999,3'93,586,8093,016,7762,923,069 1,138,259 3,247,846 1,870,850 6,633,512 586,895518,262291,911401,070'84,371 433,666248,326804,682 80,736 394,647 473,958 357,o89 167,397 233,671226,264 98,159 160,614103,077 260,793245,!97 "1,405 240,438 104,610 593,o6i 252,090256,335 "4,459 253,524 io9,473 609,957 235,349 108,092 180,819 102,108 229,174 104,215 '95,739102,798 85,012 156,773 98,804 894,686 55,529 68,965 155,761126,496 945,462 52,475 Puebla 319,240397,067209,316 98,351 285,0094io,575216,783 114,291 285,232481,194212,855"3,024 283,793495,429248,216 124,326 388,699516,366341,986 145,322 231,949 3S,47o 2,183,987 '59,843 427,019 57,22085,195 472,437 2,749,687 190,144 102,376 159,832 87,850 4,509,279 171,93s 254,609 51,118 3,571,242 302,015 438,9°4 108,910 185,491 1,556,8011 235,064 505,598 24,439,837 2,628,680 5,011,801 27,237 906,016 140,388 438,890 28,249 127,445 30,615 890,442 176,854 443,054 30,681 119,717 40,013 1,828,202 156,277238,557 32,443 65,002 $5,857,957 1,928,324 37,302 2,367,848 209,040396,443 38,870 82,989 47,756 2,222,601 198,411 409,053 40,680 83,795 43,568 3,348,206 233,390 409,393 49,72685,77' 48,298 Territory of Lower Califor- 293,551 512,204 19,054 210,947 Territory of Te- 1,484,633 Total Federal District. $5,294,108 ',332,403 $5,586,792 1,486,645 $6,702,049 2,049,063 $8,751,112 $6,728,675 2,380,238 $7,691,787 2,688,081 $7,881,082 3,345,267 $9,760,610 2,745,4oi $10,108,656 3,175,992 $10,883,094 3,461,919 $7,9°3,6oo 3,395,638 $93,907,291 30,444,406 $6,626,511 $7,073,437 $7,786,281 $9,108,913 $10,379,868 $11,226,349 $11,964,316 $12,506,011 $13,284,648 $i4,345,oi3 $11,299,238 $'24,35',697 so o £0 CO o 3 oo EXPENSES OF THE MUNICIPALITIES OF MEXICO FROM 1884 TO 1895. STATES. 1884. 1885. 1886. 1887. 1888. 1889. 1890. 1891. 1892. 1893. 1894. 1895. TOTAL. Aguascalientes. . $ 60,83771,162 182,873 53,187 $ 55,92268,382 206,148 54,763 $ 38,98977,447 182,938 53,712 $ 59,106 92,147 '95,358 50,035 $ 62,05392,500 189,358 48,378 $ 68,26081,299 258,424 54,217 $ 7',375 87,160 222,151 57,775 $ 75,677 94,4i6 392,554 66,93060,199 502,605 $ 79,23289,009 372,129 69,744 81,712 511,012 $ 64,734 109,245 389,368 75,997 105,880532,422 $ 71,769 131,139 436,244 62,405 "5,55' $ 73,272 110,548 678,247 72,803 139,728 $ 781,226 1,094,454 3,705,792 719,946 290,727 287,235 306,604 322,363 384,340 3,137.308 594,545 82,482 327,716498,723 178,996 595,280 87,432 333,898 675,100210,500 553,036 120,205 307,885 639,547 125,929 318,056 622,072 101,936506,200427,661247,166271,690 35,374 339,169 170,293 642,015 76,954 298,779 474,659 217,209 123,974 223,713 45,609 2,581,042 242,913454,396 18,362 129,796 614,813 120,768 514,13° 476,297 260,215287,495 34,5°6 329,495202,516647,543 7°,9'5 370,032470,131268,690 '35,453 261,507 48,880 2,710,335 248,949 4'2,377 20,260 '43,'93 57', "5 99,654 5'7,572519,867 275,647 317,662 35,769 352,568207,028682,645 65,348 299,063446,146277,227 144,473 343,649 46,333 2,696,628 257,654 43i,5" 17,638 '45,495 654,363112,314574,836 451,261 278,323352,712155,8224'9,594236,286 722,863 68,317 327,764432,110 732,697 103,033 307,05' 108,757 310,798 114,481 318,290 1,176,991 4,898,766 562,334503,624286,008369,371 150,791 432,222234,409757,°S9 79,300 387,372475,837 349,544166,859 182,231 224,998 97,205 164,310 96,998 188,453 232,164 107,096'75,533 92,852 191,771 232,055 104,361 190,876 93,239 203,925243,785 109,110 222,480 94,57° S94,'26 205,866250,208 116,379 232,497 106,527 611,019 2,709,101 2,782,140 84,985 160,904"4,073 585,684 55,230 68,586 160,949113,632 585,809 50,807 1,099,9843,l8o,5971,762,423 5,828,763 466,871 293,697 387,59° 208,880 96,674 226,867399,388217,683 "1,758 248,330482,874211,318 112,404 241,214491,130248,516 123,573 303,632525,973240,422 138,024 235,398 34,5i8 2,200,548 230,021400,048 60,08897,291 2,996,750 4,585,838 188,730 82,125 159,728 8s,S37 i64,777 255,419 50,320 5,515,127 306,279428,767 104,323 168,893 ',485,63' 1,219,686 494,860 23,841,311 2,746,4065,171,640 455,'58 Territory of Lower Califor- 27,379 847,470 136,046 438,368 29,237 "2,602 29,071 878,432 172,005 436,458 30,783 110,731 39,654 1,783,602 185,119 247,085 31,710 67,364 37,142 2,078,832 233,957 571,760 37,494 82,471 47,756 2,217,032 166,712 415,190 41,22294,937 41,199 2,332,273 267,635439,992 45,783 105,001 46,999 299,116495,688 18,258 195,869 Territory of Te- Federal District. $4,913,354 1,332,4s' $5,'69,953 ', 49', 055 $5,161,014 1,882,825 $5,896,886 2,082,296 $5,981,741 2,39',464 $7,570,001 2,638,093 $7,894,792 3,239,286 $9,443,363 2,580,074 $9,851,328 3,210,371 $9,928,338 3,040,865 $10,587,578 3,460,845 $7,6i7,955 3,378,695 $90,016,303 30,728,320 $6,245,805 $6,661,008 $7,043,839 $7,979,i82 $8,373,205 $10,208,094 $11,134,078 $12,023,437 $13,061,699 $12,969,203 $14,048,423 $10,996,650 $120,744,623 53o n ss a joc/ ft at"C otnao en 154 Statistical Motes on flDerico. STATE AND MUNICIPAL FINANCES. The best way in which I can give the state and municipal revenues and expenses in Mexico, is by inserting the detail amounts of the last twelve years of the revenues and expenses of each of the Mexican States, and a similar statement of the revenues and expenses of the municipalities of each State. That statement gives also the revenues and expenses of the City of Mexico, which have increased very con siderably of late. In the year 1867, after the restoration of the Re public, they only amounted to about $800,000, while in the year 1895, they had increased to $3,395,638. (These statements are on pp. 150-153.) FOREIGN TRADE. The foreign trade of Mexico was necessarily very small before the railway era, because transportation was exceedingly high on account of the broken condition of the country, and only articles of great value and comparatively small weight could be profitably exported, while the price of foreign commodities became very high, both on ac count of transportation charges and high import duties. Therefore, only rich people could afford to consume foreign commodities, and the exports of Mexico were practically reduced to silver and gold, and to a few commodities having small bulk and great value. The normal cost of transportation on merchandise from the City of Mexico to Veracruz, a distance of one hundred Mexican leagues or 263f English miles, used to be, before the railroad connecting both places was built, $68.75 Per ton °f 2200 pounds, or more than 26 cents per mile and ton ; and in extraordinary circumstances, as during the French Intervention in Mexico from 1861 to 1867, the freight was as high as $330 per ton, or over $1.25 per mile and ton. Therefore, no article could be transported unless it was very much needed and it commanded a very high price. The result was that not only the for eign but also the domestic trade was reduced to its smallest proportions, and that the people raised just enough to provide for the wants of themselves and their immediate neighbors. A fact that may seem in credible is, that for the same reasons, among the farmers, a good crop was considered a great misfortune. Since the railways have revolutionized transportation, our products, especially agricultural commodities, have begun to be sent to foreign markets, and their exportation is increasing considerably. As yet the precious metals, especially silver, are the main exports from Mexico, representing during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1896, 61 per cent. of our total annual exports ; but other commodities are now exported, and they are in a fair way to exceed, before long, the value of our silver exports. I have no doubt that with the opening of our railroads, if our exports continue to increase in the same proportion as they have foreign "Grace. 155 recently done, Mexico will be able to supply the United States with most of the tropical products now consumed and not yet produced here, and even with others, that would find a market if they could be cheaply transported. The same difficulties which prevented us from having correct ac counts of our public revenues and expenses, and which I have stated in speaking on that subject, made it very difficult for many years to have correct statistics of our imports and exports. Imports. — I could not give even a tentative statement, which I could vouchsafe, of our total imports and exports from 1821 to 1867, but the statement of the receipts of our custom-houses from 1823 to 1875, which appears on page 145 gives an approximate idea of our imports, considering that the receipts amount to about from 50 to 60 per cent, of the value of the imports. I append a detailed statement of the imports and exports in Mexico during the years 1826, 1827, and 1828, and the total imports and exports during the year 1825. From the fiscal year 1872-1873 our Statistical Bureau began to make its reports, and I have concised them in the three annexed state ments comprising most of those years, up to the fiscal year ended June 30, 1896. The commodities are divided in their respective classes in accordance with the different schedules of the tariffs then in force. MEXICAN IMPORTS AND EXPORTS FROM 1826 TO 1828. MERCHANDISE. Imports. Linen Wool Silk Cotton Mixed Wines, liquors, groceries Haberdashery Medicines, drugs, and perfumeries Books, blank and printed, paper China, fine and ordinary, crystal and glass Furniture, of wood and metal Machines and instruments for mining science, and the arts Furs Gold and silver Total imports Exports. Gold and silver Cochineal ¦ Indigo, vanilla, jalap, and sarsaparilla . . . Other articles of indigenous products Total exports 1826. |2,384,7i5 934,295 1,432,5785,017,700 122,968 2,888,066 728,236 90,779 1,430,039 264,424 91,910 63,499 912444 1827. $2,180,191 493,760 844,732 6,913,126 107,108 2,867,320 489,402 55,100 495,743 3H,074 103,047 22,816 4,517 1,080 1S28. $1,711,051 245,901 398,003 3,417,766 38,654 3,244,498 306,614 20,260 130,638 332,819 57,i87 44,123 318 &15, 450,565 $14,889,016 $9,947,832 Total imports in 1825 : $19,093,716. $5,847,795 1,356,730 76,440 367,164 $9,669,428 912,049 1,076,528 513,769 $12,387,288 1,483,746 448,747 169,005 $7,648,129 $12,171,774 $14,488,786 Total exports in 1825 : $5,085,235. IMPORTS IN MEXICO FROM JULY I, 1872, TO JUNE 30, 1875, AND IN THE YEAR 1884-1885. 1872- 1873. 1873- 1874. 1874- 1875. 1884- 1885. Invoice Value. Duties. Invoice Value. Duties. Invoice Value. Duties. Invoice Value. Duties. $7,036,913 45 $4,992,003 53 $8,814,123 34 $6,002,759 46 $7,379,339 12 $5,826,530 86 $6,153,559 86 $5,234,420 08 1,003,595 70 603,559 96 1,173,572 41 700,445 22 703,052 21 496,896 20 548,191 22 469,798 70 1,031,378 82 676,339 4° 1,306,932 77 877,078 29 988,292 75 695,216 55 !, 376, 365 04 1,066,491 36 401,905 37 1,052,553 37 260,004 52 624,126 96 337,560 01 1,174,004 66 217,398715,661 44 44 274,744 88 796,762 17 189,815 46 539,745 16 337,550 28 1,281,247 44 281,978 04 1,070,162 56 3,613,162 45 2,184,375 85 3,334,152 92 2,058,713 20 2,955,852 55 2,038,344 16 3,76l,o8o 40 2,632,185 86 279,216 43 172,154 00 356,770 88 248,030 11 240,825 10 185,952 29 398,154 72 305,172 42 8. Haberdashery. 1,180,194 88 687,282 98 1,376,719 31 828,395 54 1,160,921 85 768,267 32 1,741,956 70 1,278,237 60 9. Chemicals .... 178,258 75 141,181 29 226,681 92 198,761 67 174,618 02 143,569 70 479,734 38 348,709 22 10. Sundries 1,404,297 58 1,125,142 38 1,635,461 81 1,111,199 21 1,322,722 14 898,919 65 1,769,536 32 1,203,434 20 11. Commodities paying 55$.. 555,027 91 366,946 65 36,400 00 23,352 84 58,444 09 38,276 14 296,166 38 194,302 24 2,429,508 14 3,509,918 53 2,737,918 73 5,643,142 16 Total $20,166,012 85 $11,833,117 52 $23,282,298 56 $12,981,795 42 $18,793,493 61 $11,821,533 49 $23,786,684 90 $14,084,892 28 <-+sa oSOor> tn o3 'ii o IMPORTS IN MEXICO FROM JULY I, 1885, TO JUNE 30, 1886, AND FROM JULY I, 1888, TO JUNE 30, 189O. 1885-1886. 1888-1889. 1889-1890. UNDER THE TARIFF OF JANUARY 24, 1885. UNDER THE TARIFF OF MARCH I, 1887. Invoice Value. Duties. Invoice Value. Duties. Invoice Value. Duties. $2,682,343 26 5,520,538 32 556,H5 48 1,227,327 42 305,936 48 366,755 04 2,390,360 48 97,579 84 309,411 14 145,551 66 852,065 14 363,577 72 42,620 20 423,549 42 1,457,236 48 75,024 30 285,926 12 202,492 52 951,677 28 253,677 12 736,656 94 1,925,372 88 $13,506,230 23 7,534,o88 70 674,029 52 1,613,186 22 394,691 60 394,889 86 4,893,706 49 81,815 68 607,727 18 320,843 60 1,510,129 91 593,166 91 75,968 92 658,853 68 539,582 35 213,796 20 280,453 °4 473,684 25 1,352,143 12 414,109 54 1,697,830 38 2,193,966 94 $21,238,598 91 7,677,131 31 681,879 69 1,995,890 56 540,845 12 548,298 13 5,954,813 02 133,694 20 667,593 16 286,680 35 2,034,625 21 705,768 54 93,421 20 715,068 53 587,478 34 272,264 46 348,652 13 620,984 55 1,359,417 23 506,693 83 1,737,395 37 3,311,465 05 $6,953,659 28 639,234 50 1,737,314 34 351,903 84 430,279 26 2,037,829 30 66,873 18 326,712 90 17,690 40 674,270 34 238,771 08 34,558 16 304,950 50 81,014 42 41,868 66 141,862 40 171,495 12 626,525 02 197,113 18 496,131 56 1,534,435 38 $7,447,394 70 671,590 87 1,986,020 61 378,614 57 410,419 80 3,789,270 57 41,244 81 686,884 84 27,967 36 1,259,480 12 324,225 37 39,289 76 505,497 8i 128,205 84 116,206 57 172,830 78 368,523 72 1,161,250 81 290,211 92 997,449 42 1,675,382 70 $8,109,445 45 3. Linens 4. Woollens 5. Silks 645,276 72 2,353,441 00 505,490 35 6. Mixtures 550,578 80 4,627,227 87 8. Stones and earths 9. Crystal and porcelain. . . 10. Gold, silver, and platinum. 61,249 x6 743,388 64 28,792 54 1,507,561 26 428,993 02 13. Tin, lead, and zinc 50,877 98 551,554 20 155,459 53 to. Carriages and wagons. . . . 17. Arms, ammunition, and 150,161 03 200,487 78 18. Wood and its manufac- 480,905 30 1,154,445 55 348,989 86 1,036,988 80 2,091,334 04 19. Paper and its manufac- Total $21,171,795 24 $17,104,492 82 $40,024,894 32 $22,477,962 95 $52,018,658 89 $25,782,648 88 4* o t o £' t sac/ IMPORTS IN MEXICO FROM THE FISCAL YEAR 1892-1893 TO THE FISCAL YEAR 1895-1896. FREE. DUTIABLE. TOTAL. Invoice Value. Invoice Value. Invoice Value. 18Q2-1893. 1893-1894. 1894-1895. 1895-1896. 1892-1893. 1893-1894. 1894-1895. 1895-1896. 1892-1893. 1893-1894. $ 270,807302,880829,790629,112 1894-1895. 1895-1896. 1. Animal Industry : $ 9,042 1,523 12,290 1,865 $ 10,797 $ 3,640 $ 7,252 t 745,32i 37°,44' 1,243,263 723,029 $3,082,054 $ 260,010 302,880817,868628,993 $ 169,673567.391789,496674,686 $ 374,655 707,499 1,052,730 628,993 $ 754,363 371,964 1,255,553 724,894 $ 173,313 567,391802,866678,052 $ 381,907 11,922 119 T3,370 3,366 26,271 47 1 Animal manufactures 629,464 Total $24,720 $ 22,838 $20,376 $33,994 $2,009,751 $2,201,246 $2,763,877 $3,106,774 $2,032,589 $2,221,622 $2,797,87' 2. Agricultural Products : Textiles $13,925 16,205 94.772 9,578 600,512 3,225 $ 2,365,7567,389,439 234,350 1,208,458 341,752225,671 292,011 $2,016,616 1,118,146 192,310 1,019,967 276,838383,698 187,027 $2,341,747 883,923211,556974,778 296,230 464,683 216,899 $1,761,488 1,553,036 266,237 1,194,787 391,658380,334 319,602 $ 2,365,756 7,420,286 343,846 1,212,0411,279, 135 53I,629292,011 $2,016,616 1,137,172 258,020 1,023,404 952,788 383,7x8187,027 $2,355,672 900,128306,338984,356896,742467,908216,899 $1,761,488 1,578,752 364,612 1,197,924 1,358,069 382,604 319,602 $ 30,847 109,496 3,583 937,3833°5,958 $ 19,026 65,710 3,437 675,950 20 $ 25,71698,375 3.137 966,411 2,270 Sundry vegetable substances. . . . Sundry vegetable products Manufactures of sundry vege- $1,387,267 $ 764, 1 43 $738,217 $1,095,909 $12,057,437 $5,194,602 $5,389,816 $5,867,142 $'3,444,704 $5,958,745 $6,128,043 $6,963,051 3. Metals and its Manufac tures : Gold, silver, and platinum $ 200,610 3M83 4,228 1,216,596 603,525 1,804,277 6,472 $ 117,369 24,479 3,U8 441,254 506,643 i>°5i,373 6,939 $ 834,472 24,670 6,115 285,165541,664 1,040,790 2,851 $ 59,336 55,683 4,495 I,°49-435 574,153 1,046,402 6,853 $ '59,203 497,992 69,042 1,855,228 984 826,979 545,297 $ 163,655438,503 73,377 2,054,929 12,131 614,256504.073 $ 201,850 600,916 102,514 2,427,516 3,281 675,187 548,230 $ 173,268 676,098 128,930 3,140,837 4,470 982,678867,162 $ 359,8i3529,175 73,270 3,071,824 604,509 2,631,256 551,769 $ 281,024462,982 76,525 2,496,183 518,774 1,665,629 511,012 $I,°36,322 625,586 108,629 2,713,681 544,945 1,714,977 551,081 $ 232,604731,781 578,623 2,029,080 874,015 Crystal, glass, china, and por- $3,866,891 $2,151,205 $2,735,727 $2,796,357 $3,954,725$4,119,936 531,938 1,368,129 428,372405,922 $3,860,924 $4,559,494 $4,576,433 489,690 i,734,4i8 456,681 526,733 $5,973,443 $7,821,616 $6,012,129 $7,295,221 $8,769,800 4. Fabrics : $4,198,266 489,827 1,459,060 393,334 393, '23 $5,767,483 673,109 1,828,491 554,382 596,585 $4,119,936 53',938 1,370,262 432,401 $4,198,266 489,827 1,459,060 397,864 $4,576,433 489,690 ',734,418 46i,949526,723 $ 5,767,483 673,109 1,828,491 $2,133 4,029 Silk $4,530 $5,268 $6,053 Silk with a mixture of other 560,435 Total $6,162 $4,53° $5,268 $6,933,610 $ 1,099,3501,913,161 924,858 3,399,331 151,891 606, 114 798,201 $7,783,945 $ 1,276,620 2,174,4601,167,4193,574,507 137,538 853,69' 909,000 $9,420,050 $6,860,459 $6,938,140 $7,789,213 $9,426,103 $ 897,587 2,734,164 1,203,340 2,317,822 308,095522,684879,625 5. Chemicals, oils, and paints. . $ 146,659 $ ',725,345 2,530,249 1,430,202 4,942,920 231,411 1,018,4611,109,109 $ 1,044,246 2,734,164 1,360,293 4,252,903 933,419966,866887,687 $ ',099,350 1,913,161 1,068,415 3,545,378 314,203606,114799,259 $ 1,276,620 2,174,460 ',339,677 3,732,399 279,5'5853,691 909,979 $ ',725,345 6. Wines, liquors, fermented and unfermented drinks. . 7. Paper and its manufactures. '56,953 1,935,081 625,324444,182 8,062 $ 143,557 146,047 162,312 $ 172,258I57.892141,977 $ 217,359 269,224580,050 2,530,249 ',647,561 5,212,144 1,058 979 5,587 1,114,696 Grand Total $8,601,301 $5,004,533 $34,811,830 $26,891,793 $30,027,736 $37,012,209 $43,413,131 $30,287,483 $34,000,440 $42,016,742 CO w SO rt •— ^ tn«^>o»as oo S3 at o foreign Uraoe. 159 I append a statement which shows the imports and exports of Mexico during the two fiscal years 1894-1895 and 1895-1896, both by countries and by custom-houses, and the imports and duties by coun tries in the fiscal years 1888-1889 and 1889-1890. Exports. — It would be difficult to make a correct statement of our exports previous to the fiscal year 1867-1868. Their amount was very small for reasons already given, and as they principally consisted in silver, and almost all the silver coined was exported the coinage of which we have exact records, can be taken as the amount of exports, with the addition of from 30 to 40 per cent., representing the silver both in coin and bullion smuggled. I give a correct statement of our exports of agricultural commodities from the fiscal year 187 7-1 878 to 1895-1896, and also a statement of our exports of other commodities from the fiscal year 1886-1887 to 1895-1896, which shows the rapid pace at which they are increasing. The exports from Mexico are embraced in the following articles : FRUITS. Bananas. Cocoanuts. Lemons.Limes. Oranges.Pine apples. Walnuts, Nuevo Leon. Tamarind pulp. FORESTRY. Cabinet woods, mahogany, moral, lind-aloe, tepe- guaje, cedar, sandal, eb ony, and rosewood. Dye woods, brasil, camphor, moral, and other varieties of logwood. Orchilla. SUNDRIES. Copal, chick, and sundry resinous substances. Jalap, and other medicinal herbs. Mother of pearl shells. Pearls. Tortoise shell from the Gulf of Cortez. Vanilla. Zacaton brush and broom grasses. MINERALS. Chapopote.Coal.Copper in bars. Gold and silver coin. Gold and silver bullion. Lead in pigs. Onyx.Opals.Ores of silver, copper, and lead, AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS. Beans.Bitter almonds and various fruits, kernels. Chick-peas. Cocoa.Coffee. Honey. India-rubber.Molasses. Piloncillo (brown sugar). Sugar, all grades. FIBRES. Henequen.Ixtle.Mallows fibre. Pita.Ramie. Sotol.Wool. ANIMAL PRODUCTS. Bones. Cattle.Chihuahua terriers. Donkeys.Goats. Hair, horse. Hair, rabbit. Heron feathers. Hides, raw and tanned. Hoofs. Horns.Horses.Mules. Ox grease. Sheep. Skins of sheep and goat, dressed and undressed. MANUFACTURES. Cotton, linen, worsted and silk domestic shawls (re- bozos). Guadalajara earthenware. Maguey, brandy (Tequila and mescal. Preserved sweet meats. Rag puppets and dolls. Rags (all sorts). Wax, artificial flowers and figures. Woollen and worsted Mexi can plaids or blankets (Zarapes). IMPORTS IN MEXICO BY COUNTRIES IN THE FISCAL YEARS 1888-1889 AND 1889-1890 AND IMPORTS AND EXPORTS BY COUNTRIES AND CUSTOM HOUSES IN THE FISCAL YEARS 1894-1895 AND 1895-1896. COUNTRIES Arabia. . . . Argelia. . . . Argentine Re public Australia. Austria Bavaria Belgium Bolivia Brazil Canada , Chili China ColombiaCosta Rica. . , Cuba Denmark .... Ecuador Egypt England France Germany . - - Greece Guatemala. . , Holland Honduras India Italy Japan Morocco Nicaragua... . Norway Persia Peru Portugal Russia Salvador San Domingo, Senegambia . . Spain Sweden Switzerland . . Turkey United States Uruguay Venezuela.... Zanzibar 82 131649 3° 485 96,436 242,083 600309 108 39,35i78,17822,425 1,112 89,451 6>337i98o4,956,5682,842,932 1,089 u,S48 72,009 69,629 269,826 95 3M76 102772 9,132 833 80 1,920,942 1,607 T: 7.444 2.327 22,069,420 2 73.738 $40,02^,885 24 IS»9°7 216 74,814 232,287 277 230 72 26,346 32i635 6,580 729 38,429 5,083,870 3,846,252 2,310,015 462 3,636 53,010 123,362 121,818 64 33,358 73 347 2,656 386 4,664 60 ','77.'77 2.295 89,830 761 9,169,787 10 25,435 37 $22,477,943 '9 15.969 600 3,895 "7,544 400 553,270 Q I 2 220 59,001 38,66624,742 2,802 "8,477 8,535,370 6,233,018 3,678/" . 683 218,402 160,535 3,251 85.490 161,505 1,515 44,462 360 122 I3.3H 363 3,465 '5° 2,576,289 4,845 238,163 1,205 29,080,276 37,8i9 80 $52,018,648 14,416 203 77 87,658 281,198 602 45,682 '2,773 6,269 2,928 588 55.156 6,259,363 4,802,0322,588,077 468 11,448 129,319 9 144,032 58,119 ','39 34,3°7 444 3° 4,738 104 890 94 1,529,561 6,005 '25,579 452 9,564,446 14,207 211 $25,782,632 FISCAL YEAR. 1,2455,358 177 38.331 87,615 3*9,580 ',949 342 2,469 5,248 44,92871,702 375 4,658 2,062 73,069 1,701 6,668,321 5,576,750 3,361,643 i,557 '4,357 127,187 151,870 121,398 g, 018 '7 40,218 47i 674 19,409 7,811 19,012 1,110 240 1,918,661 24,992 115,108 2,136 15,130,367 728 23,950 2,626 $34,000,440 380,265 545 7',274 6,837 15,261,169 2,129,8163, "3,235 887,753 65,420 3,502 26,814 5,850 3,615 283,349376,028 914,160 150 67,322,986 $90,854,953 1895-96. 417 10,434 4,572 116,155 420,015 2,909 4,358 653 1,734 51,18876,804 131 1,986 4,605 63,644 2,870 7,905,016 6,099,1834,363,229 899 21,874 134,284 142,629 150,369 12,793 70,052 668725 32,94917,789 7,86i $42,253,938 70 800 85,473 8,455 16,467,149 2,080,8022,968,792 1,076,442 123,955 44,443 2,990 536,525 122,237 813,162 79,651,695 $105,016,902 CUSTOM HOUSES Acapulco Altata Camargo Campeche Ciudad Juarez. . Ciudad Porfirio Dfaz Coatzacoalcos . . Frontera Guaymas Guerrero Isla del Carmen. La Morita La Paz Laredo Las Palomas.. . . Manzanillo Matamoros Mazatlan Mier Nogales Progreso Puerto Angel. . . Salina Cruz San Bias ....... Santa Rosalia . . Soconusco Tampico ....... Tijuana Todos Santos. . . Tonala Tuxpam Veracruz Zapaluta FISCAL YEAR. 1894-95- $ i6r,684 6,046 186,397 2,57i,977 2,386,451 40,348 321, 2rg 453, '99 2,639 67,43° 29,641 59,433 3,449,802 80,570 189,795 1,458,693 16,525 549,189 1,092,079 9,95o 40,016 181,532331,370183,241 3,642,007 7,438 132,049 '63,651 50,735 16,123,505 3,829 32,437 938,972 14,255,800 2,850,062 '35,670 334,136904,618 21,481 1,273,788 35o,5496qr,ooi 3,016,000 324,146 322,111 6,285,777 73,604 2,787,5907,865,933 388,611 56,709 669,122 2,235,189 825,575 15,546,228 36,749 '43,24'372,076382,277 27,413,009 198,241 1895-96. i 178,965 45,897 6,678 258,161 2,677,5254,228,658 3'5,249 306,235557,26i 3,645 80,277 50,965 "9,334 3,868,956 2i,3599',349 279,047 1,566,087 '9,403 656,676 1,696,714 '2,79423,627 214,894377,235182,690 8,685,442 14,088 152,776182,536 70,33: 15,296,544 '2,539 101,672 93',759 14,380 1,097,183 '9,599,797 3,065,014 328,914 428,863 '9,994'4,553 1,584,421 640,444763,944 3,3",273 276,594 246,463 285,299 5,451,894 148,007 4,937,624 8,102,098 254,169 59,57' 679,966 3,028,030 1,288,956 23,920,464 53,443 164,466127,506 1,369,380 22,354,298 366,463 O so r-t5' r-fO sa 0o 3 at o $34,000,440 $90,854,953 $42,253,938, $105,016,903 fforeign Ura&e. 161 The following is a list of the value of metals and commodities exported from Mexico during the fiscal year 1 895-1 896, which shows that they are all either mineral or agricultural products, these being only raw materials : The commodities are placed in the order of their relative importance in value. METALS. Gold ore $160,555 Gold coin 169,794 Gold bullion 20,377,663 Silver ore 10,885,479 Silver coin 5,246,418 Silver bullion 26,345,160 Sulphate of silver 1,030,156 Foreign gold and silver and silver in other combina tions 623,371 Total $64,838,596 COMMODITIES. Coffee $8,103,302 Henequen 6,763,821 Cabinet and dye woods 4,206,880 Copper 3,909,485 Lead 2,531,624 Live animals 3,546,770 Hides and skins 2,331,999 Chewing gum 1,527,838 Tobacco 1 ,461,090 Vanilla 1,428,675 Ixtle 690,862 Zacaton — broom root 616,492 Chick-peas 352,737 Coal 270,176 Marble 258,668 Fruits 246,150 Sugar 169,662 Horse hair, beans, and jalap 247,768 All others 1,514,307 Total 40,178,306 $105,016,902 VOL. I — II EXPORTS OF MEXICAN COMMODITIES DURING THE TEN FISCAL YEARS, FROM JULY I, l886, TO JUNE 30, 1896. LIVE 5TOCK. COCOA. HIDES AND SKINS. FRUITS. WOOL. (raw.) TOTAL VALUE of exports of domestic produce (not metals). Heads. Value, Weight, Kilo grams. Value. Weight, Kilo grams. Value. Weight, Kilo grams. Value. Weight, Kilo grams. Value. 100,467106,221 84,257 9',9'3 3°,33' $ 470,097 506,997585,894493,223 182,620 663659 '97 7,666 '49 $ 425397231 3,s33 93 6,308,8205,109,243 4,957,0434,743,3264,571,830 25,690,262 $2,211,439 1,864,471 2,011,128 1,913,129 1,804,829 1,999,0721,796,278',551,5051,896,515 2,705,369 $ 74,8'5 5',945 53,61268,581 103,850 873,95' 56,483 364,013 124,950 49 $169,324 12,518 90,567 26,826 30 $ 2,926,1002,436,3282,741,4322,5°5,3Q22,00,1,422 413,189 $2,238,831 9,334 $4,779 $9,804,996 9,948,739 $352,803 1,419,446 $299,265 $12,700,674 Averages per annum.... 82,638 $447,766 8 56,589 1,741,161 144,122 137,382 3,543,549 1,867 $956 5,138,052 $1,960,999 1,989,748 $70,561 283,889 $59,853 $2,640,135 7,932 168,164 19,054 7,723 266,838 5,335,97' 5,666,320 5,619,2274,939,2093,929,841 $ ',93', 79' 2,067,1562,256,4602,350,2622,422,099 $11,027,768 2,524,239 2,475,8732,842,5232,794 Averages per annum. . . . $1,124,560 17,758 $9,595 5,098,113 $2,205,554 3,449,448 $'44,039 $1,072,997 $107,300 27,795 $5,2" $3,488,959 882,900 $7,861,634 98,125 $52,753 51,180,830 $20,832,764 27,195,983 1,558,423 $325,320 $30,145,468 Averages per annum.... 88,290 $786,163 9,812 $5,275 5,118,083 $2,083,276 2,719,598 '55,842 $32,532 $3,OI4,547 ,- ¦ Jl L- . . |.l . .- MiH-8 — ¦ r— i <-?JO *-*.ft-•--^o5o ft-o t» o3 at o EXPORTS OF MEXICAN COMMODITIES DURING THE TEN FISCAL YEARS, FROM JULY I, 1 886, TO JUNE 30, 1896 — {Continued). FISCAL YEARS. CABINET WOODS. DYE WOODS. COAL. OTHER AR TICLES (not metals) exported. Value. TOTAL VALUE of exports of domestic produce (not metals). Weight, Kilo grams. Value, Weight, Kilo grams. Value. Weight, Kilo grams. Value. 1886-1887 66,720,69946,902,48039,678,78245,090,66953,044,251 $ 974,739 969,322694,609805,009907,273 48,169,63744,944,58'36,565,20944,934,53739,98',205 $ 869,802 773,67' 684, 5g2 921,728811,624 $10,860,786 13,698,223 16,902,34419,457,462 23,049,002 $12,705,327 '5,443,39317,631,716 21,372,70624,928,601 1887-1888 1888-1889 1889-189O 189O-189I 402,243 83,552,55845,149,96239,482,132 $ 2,177 350,171 188,507160,702 Totals in five years... . 251,436,881 $4,350,952 214,595,169 $4,061,417 168,586,895 $7oi,557 $83,967,817 $93,081,743 Averages per annum... 50,287,376 53,536,15346,269,55744,762,231 118,667 56,271 $870,190 42,919,034 $812,283 33,717,379 $140,311 $16,793,563 $18,616,349 1891-1892 1892-1893 '893-1894 1894-1895 1895-1896 $ 882,658 746,7'7 673,56063','43 971,678 49,180,38544,133,50961,233,90481,694,951 110,239,715 $ 767,217 916,512 1,399,576 2,056,030 2,912,476 55,969,921 8,279,968 49,729,184 53,192,26166,174,597 $221,154 33,960 205,605 232,919 270,176 $ 22,365,551 26,983,44728,045,19931,128,06329,803,784 $ 24,236,58028,680,63630,323,94034,048,155 33,958,114 Totals in five years.. . . 144,742,879 $3,905,756 336,482,464 $8,051,811 233,345,93' $963,814 $138,326,044 $151,247,425 Averages per annum... 28,948,576 396,179,760 $781,151 67,296,493 $1,610,362 46,669,186 $192,763 $27,665,209 $30,249,485 Totals in ten years. . . . $8,256,708 551,077,633 $12,113,228 401,932,826 $',665,371 $222,293,861 $244,329,168 Averages per annum... 39i6l7,976 $825,671 55,107,763 $',211,323 40,193,283 $'66,537 $22,229,386 $24,432,917 H ota to tCOc a On STATEMENT OF EXPORTS OF SOME AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS DURING THE FISCAL YEARS FROM JULY I, 1877 , TO JUNE 30, 1896. ORCHILLA. HENEQUEN. IXTLE. COFFEE. TOBACCO. TOTAL VALUE OF EX PORTS. FISCAL YEARS. Weight in Kilograms. Value in Mexican Currency. Weight in Kilograms. Value in Mex. Currency. Weight in Kilograms. Value in Mexican Currency. Weight in Kilograms, Value in Mex. Currency. Weight in Kilograms. Value in Mexican Currency. Succes'ive Annual Increase per ct. 1878-1879 187O-1880 l88o-l88l 1881-1882 3,802,343 2,211,203 909,647255,240 1,582,600 $ 228,146 152,679 54,58i 15,315 115,618 11,389,180 13.442,489 20,574,513 24,161,19726,182,071 $ 1,078,076 '.267,375'.945,3°7 2,285,3892,672,107 2,167,236 1,608,3052,454,6003,432,676 4,748,979 $ 257,768 191,287 291,976408,278620,199 4,867,779 8,654,4947,656,2678,706,827 10,447,805 $ 1,242,041 2,230,097 ',984,473 2,243,7822,414.538 $ 2,022,986 111,211 182,995396,192 477,188 351,486 $ 86,713 142,532 310,146371,674 35'.253 $ 2,892,744 3,983,970 4,586,483 5,324,4386,173,7'S -37-723-15.123-16.089-I5-93I Av'ge in 5 years.. 1,752,206 $ 113,268 19,149,890 $ 1,849,651 2,882,359 $ 353,902 8,066,634 304,214 $ 252,464 -f-21. 216 $ 4,592,270 1882-1883 1883-1884 1884-1885 1885-1886 1886-1887 1,189,430 899,480 506,097 989,999 1,311,786 $ 74,62975,05373.77271,870 116,891 30,069,409 45,538,272 46,173,579 40,506,895 39,536,048 $ 3,3".°634,165,0203,988,790 2,929,116 3,901,628 5,153,025 3,523,5896,190,409 6,046,1523,881,621 $ 596,533 434,43'672,583523,972348,842 8,556,899 6,917,7205,824,276 8,385,6418,326,215 $ 1,717,191 1,579,0211,201,673 1,699,724 2,627,477 265,481402,190363,686545,9'6824,420 $ 272,160 307.970 4'2,9'3 528,568850,807 - 3-274 + 9-879 - 3-227 - 9-394 +34.368 $ 5,971.576 6,56',495 6,349,73'5,753,2507,845,645 Av'ge in 5 years.. 979,358 $ 82,443 40,364,841 $ 3,659,123 4,958,959 $ 5'5,272 $ 361,687594,118827,981823,350617,300 7,602,150 $ 1,765,017 $ 2,431,0253,886,0344,811,0006,150,3595,514,355 480,339 $ 474,484 + 5-67° $ 6,496,339 1887-1888 1888-1889 1889-1890 1891-1892 ','49,999 149,662 ',3'2,550 17,63717,982 $ 106,291 12,536 "4.797 I.35I 985 36,754,94738,396,97039,371.77453.73',67956,337,719 $ 6,229,4606,872,5937,392,2457,°48,557 6,358,220 3,570,6285,454,944 7,429,7707,676,976 6,610,561 6,523,0869,243,091 10,009,64214,656,777",058,279 764,131 969,960 ',oi4,7451,041,962 1,560,610 $ 830,362 971,886 948,332 1,105,4471,746,928 --26.908--23.907 --'4-243+ 7-34' - 5-891 $ 9,956,825 12,337,16714,094,355 15,129,06414.237.788 Av'ge in 5 years.. 529,566 $ 47,192 44,918,618 60,424,057 56,625,651 67,'S7,oi859,342,038 $ 6,780,215 6,148,576 $ 644,887 10,299,175 $ 4,558,554 1,070,282 $ 1,120,591 +13.302 $ 13.I5I.°40 3'9,75i 540,330 4'o,454382,295 $ 16,65714,01911,30010,368 $ 8,893,0716,718,667 7,724,092 6,768,007 6,327,570 5,667,424 4,342,6217,154,845 5,873,"5 93,44',93' 4,917,996 $ 588,487461,614349,537694,922 14,514,94918,866,59016,512,648 ",463,558'5,339,436 $ 8,727,119 11,766,09012,670,783 8, '03,302 1,391,3681,983,3641,310,902 ', 333.'09 $ 1,459,690i,755,3'4 1,460,133 1,461,090 +38.258+ 5-235 + 7-242 -23.308 $ 19,685,024 20,715,70422,215,845 17,037,689 Av'ge in 4 years.. 413,207 $ 13,086 60,887,191 $ 7,525,959 $ 523,640 $9,664,365$ 508,677 $10,316,823$33,000,084 1,504,686 $ 1,534,057 + 6.882 $ '9,9'3,565 '7,958,485 $1,266,858 765,715.506 40,300,816 $91,548,783$ 4,8i8,357 '9', '97,543 15,292,916 $'5,373,9'8 $200,852,508 945,183 $ 66,677 10,063,028 $ 4,368,426 804,890 $ 809,153 $ 10,571,184 4^ ^ Remarks. — The records regarding the Exports to which this statement refers, before the year 1877-1878 are not reliable. The increase of the average yearly amount of exports, on the second period of five years of this statement was 41.462 per cent, as compared with the average of the first period. " third u five 102.438 " u " " second ii 1 fourth l four 51.421 " " u " third " The grand total amount of the Exports of the five articles of domestic production specified in this statement was seventy times as much as the amount of the first year 1877-1878. The average yearly successive increase of the Exports herein specified, was 10.852 per cent. In regard to thedecrease of something more than 23 per cent, in the amount of exports registered in the fiscal year 1895-1896, it may be stated that while there was undoubtedly a shortness in the coffee-harvest, the increase of home consumption, and consequent raise of the price of the article was the main factor for the said decrease of export. JT^,,pry!>T>orrion to thejotal amount of Exports, herein specified, that of each of the five articles, was as follows : Henequen, 45.580 per cent. Coffee, 41.324 per cent. Tobacco* -__-_ -1-"1 nJ ^ J..— V~7^' : 1 — - =««*¦- »™i Orchilla, 0.63Z per cent. rt-sa <-+**>tn«— * osa tn o3 o at o o VALUE OF IMPORTS FROM MEXICO FROM JULY I, 1882, TO JUNE 30, 1892. PRECIOUS AND OTHER METALS. NOMENCLATURE. Argentiferous copper... Argentiferous lead Base silver Gold foreign coin Gold in lingots Gold Mexican coin Gold ore Silver foreign coin Silver in lingots Silver Mexican coin . . . Silver mixed with gold . Silver ore Sulphite of silver 148,055 96 548,039 23 331,708 00 146,615 59 4,773,928 15 22,969,583 90 592,109 105,512 26 1883-1884. i 235 00 5,200 00 2,500 00 22,047 °° 696,652 97 200,816 25 29,832 99 205,595 75 5,312,310 49 25,999,875 68 898,354 98 99,862 19 1884-1885. | 187 00 8,656 40 2,016 00 14,457 00 490,429 45 39',097 23 500 00 97,821 50 5,881,178 03 25,394,262 05 18,118 98 1,332,896 91 142,430 37 1885-1886. 25,527 00 3,450 00 55,674 38 290,529 60 316,938 57 56,892 37 5,014,237 88 21,969,957 88 247,263 62 1,809,836 84 "6,092 70 Total $29,628,657 69 $33,473,283 30 $33,774,050 92 $29,906,400 84 $33,560,502 56 $31,006,187 71 $38,784,274 99 $38,621,290 23 1886-1887. 3,°44 24 5,400 00 35,820 87 284,506 09 198,758 75 395,584 37 5,568,735 66 21,955,759 85 559,503 26 3,737,882 79 815,506 68 1887-1888. 51,772 00 8,102 00 21,578 85 347,547 24 238,104 00 52,833 83 6,504,251 23 16,841,117 86 184,807 22 5,928,303 97 827,769 51 19,788 77 11,957 69 25,426 00 349,507 53 253,255 00 '54,347 02 6,629,262 75 22,686,337 29 233,247 23 7,623,589 07 798,556 64 1889-1890. 1,810 00 13,204 00 457,610 59 96,592 00 141,032 70 7,259,958 68 23,084,489 40 368,871 87 6,394,662 41 803,058 58 1890-1891. 1,382 00 20,594 00 612,619 134,219 00 229,806 85 6,751,219 07 17,622,171 10 729,134 81 8,874,457 24 1,280,768 97 1891-1892. $ 317,242 75 1,457,878 32 3,900 00 33,684 00 751,408 18 175,524 00 31,289 00 97,885 00 6,559,670 30 26,478,376 00 1,294,087 14 10,478,263 92 1,458,095 37 $36,256,372 16, $49,137,303 98 COMMODITIES. Ale , ,,, Brandy Coal Coffee Cotton Empty barrels Fresh and salted meats... , Horse hair India-rubber Indigo {ewels and precious stones ,ive animals Oils Rice Starch Sugar Carried forward $ 2,786,836 63 1,468 95 3,650 00 1,717,190 85 1,430 00 181 00 62,007 77 159,882 72 630 50 7,650 00 634,376 '8 3 50 198,365 16 946 38 760 00 1,579,020 83 365 25 800 13 79,704 76 202,496 09 45,855 00 4,809 85 620,956 05 125 00 3 00 3,020 00 177,260 n $ 2,716,122 45 691 96 70,436 03 1,201,673 38 5,724 00 4,405 00 67,681 30 66,367 73 30,156 25 3,955 00 496,456 94 3,014 00 800 00 34,271 26 1,121 00 247,348 82 1,699,723 82 4,008 00 10,139 °4 7','33 38 108,488 18 119,086 50 6,129 00 622,906 52 178,887 00 $ 1,985,632 85' $ 3,068,971 26 3,5'o 25 12,434 65 2,627,477 " 4,219 00 18,169 °° 55,401 80 179,529 51 62,862 40 9,799 00 471,470 80 $ 3,568,907 76 2,441 00 2,177 00 2,431,024 96 6,336 00 3,367 30 61,318 45 169,385 06 79,226 66 161,093 00 508,713 35 120 00 107,276 98 $ 3,532,479 76 30,288 56 4,117 00 350,170 60 3,886,034 53 5,3'3 °° 2,444 o° 58,884 82 '24,547 27 11,987 50 20,913 00 587,063 00 1,138 00 728 00 1,840 00 40,880 36 $ 5,126,349 64 ' 3'.333 5o 9,3l6 37 188,507 00 4,811,000 48 12,275 00 1,247' So 64,207 13 97,245 75 85,305 37 6,850 00 500,217 25 50 00 2,225 00 11,181 00 61,983 80 1,944 '5 i 29,989 03 14,323 50 160,702 35 6,i50,358 72 3,33' 00 18,769 50 66 00 58,477 92 72,558 92 93,143 88 «7,574 °o 184,482 00 201 00 10,368 40 24,018 40 $ 6,838,364 62 22,413 45 5,o97 50 221,154 22 5,514,355 '5 7,633 00 10,876 00 1,180 00 69,410 05 47,584 32 7,979 00 27,514 26 59,335 50 33,352 00 8,294 87 21,888 59 $ 6,058,067 91 o<-! to S3 P* o $20,804,555 S3 $21,449,520 65 $19,520,910 25 1 I COMMODITIES — {continued). NOMENCLATURE. Brought forward.. Bags Cheese Cotton seed Feathers Gypsum Hats Jalap Lead Other articles Plants Salt Sarsaparilla Tobacco Value in paper Vanilla Zacaton (broom root). Total. Precious metals. Other articles. . . 1882-1883. $11,047,905 1 1,372 go 4,010 00 2,251 12 34i592 4i +7,554 83 120,979 84 2,200 00 525 00 50,699 04 272,160 18 27,191 00 443,850 75 123,438 01 Total. $12,178,938 56 $29,628,657 69 12,178,938 56 $11,844,583 34 i,goo 12 700 00 5,086 02 56,159 46 188,469 73 146,427 99 3,273 26 3,860 00 37,476 14 307,969 85 19,076 00 497,502 75 139,710 46 $41,807,596 25 $13,252,213 12 $33,473.283 3° 13,252,213 12 $11,074,808 05 10,164 °° 10 00 i,055 75 6,575 00 2,266 25 36,726 00 329,239 96 202,469 79 9,io3 50 1,512 00 53,822 42 412,912 84 159,503 00 471,611 52 125,014 00 $12,896,794 08 1885-1886. $11,671,118 92 2,800 00 74 °° 4,223 25 24,552 00 485,948 14 I3S»638 50 8,636 48 2,217 °° 119,837 23 528,568 28 463,395 25 292,052 51 $i3,74i,3i6 56 1886-1887. $13,272,011 2,480 00 87 00 2,960 £ 4,777 65 13,656 85 323,205 27 74,3" 13 10,235 35 2,235 00 69,5" 93 850,807 39 16,494 °° 693,891 05 294,761 98 $15,631,427 4g 1887-1888. £15,572,660 31 8,030 10 1,604 00 5,297 47 10,926 go 382,236 33 105,706 95 16,692 75 3,633 25 108,310 03 830,362 50 1,964 00 451,372 S3 380,013 55 $17,879,720 67 $18,305,440 og 13,279 00 13,°73 75 3,J75 00 1,331 00 6,608 82 ",532 53 467,737 52 100,911 13 i3,635 40 6,481 00 27,724 50 971,885 97 31,379 00 g26,go3 25 472,050 07 1,725,496 42 RESUME OF THE TOTAL EXPORTS. $33,774,05° 92 $2g,go6,40o 83 $33,560,502 56 $31,006,187 71 I2,8g6,7g4 °8 13,741,316 56 15,631,427 49 17,879,720 67 $46,670,845 00 $43,647,7I7 39 1,191,930 05 $2i,373,M8 03 $38,785,274 99 «i373iM8 03 1889-1890. $20,804,555 23,333 ' 12,682 < 11,781 . 3,224 . 6,842 1 8,070 10,023 607,329 10,73121,969 5,645 15,993 948,332 43,286 917,409 426,889 j,go8 38 $60,158,423 02 $23,878,098 46 ^38,621,290 23 23,878,098 46 1890-1891. $21,449,520 65 3,129 00 790 00 3,138 40 17,911 00 4,629 00 12,680 77 67,457 66 1,125,468 64 73,883 44 15,151 00 2,765 25 31,350 06 1,105,446 73 2,073,706 50 519,741 04 513,254 04 62,499,388 69 $27,020,023 18 $36,256,372 16 27,020,023 18 1891-1892. ?ig,520,9io 25 2,524 00 268,939 °° 7,449 °° 50,144 22 7,992 02 6,606 50 42,935 05 2,363,521 05 75,511 82 18,326 70 15,035 68 44>7*9 47 1,746,927 g6 290,626 00 g6g,6n 58 898,630 67 $63,276,395 34 $26,330,410 97 $49,I37»3°3 98 26,330,410 97 ota Si S5PI•tSflc/ o ;,467,7M 95 DESTINATION AND VALUE OF EXPORTS FROM MEXICO IN THE FISCAL YEARS FROM 1882 TO 1892. PRECIOUS METALS. OO DESTINATION. 1882-1883. 1883-1884. 1884-1885. 1885-1886. 1886-1887. 1887-1888. 1888-1889. 1889-1890. 1890-1891. 1891-1892. $ 920 00 i53,79r 00 $ 1,500 00 47,359 °° 3,000 00 3,447,116 60 832,628 92 9,4J7,463 53 2,000 00 $ 18,067 00 10,776 00 $ 298,937 55 $ 372,556 98 $ 52,49° 00 1,000 00 4,401,222 74 1,289,910 82 11,122,019 69 2,300 00 68,076 21 225 00 3,626,489 74 1,326,542 75 7,935,735 71 33,881 25 $ 7I,575 00 $ 35,908 85 $ 53,8t3 4° 3,561,987 13 392,955 92 15,201,600 36 92,875 OO 2,325,310 78 4g8,5gi 14 17,265,462 28 130,915 00 1,624,728 38 628,028 95 13,784,962 91 64,400 00 2,729,232 44 1,281,805 76 10,459,405 10 253,096 07 2,477,299 29 954,722 26 10,865,360 47 "4,385 65 1,000 00 8,303 20 2,763,395 33 1,764,446 75 8,045,962 8g 168, 6gi 15 3,836,444 32 2,484,012 02 12,165,795 23 83,573 °° 7,550 62 3,545 00 2,500 00 6,027 74 4,992 6b 8,515 40 1,035,013 OO 9,036,773 33 2,940 00 273,112 50 22,822,240 50 5,498 00 889,099 50 16,404,776 20 4,7°9 33 654,287 28 15.496,336 17 490 00 97,r3i 25 I7»9I5i"S 83 450 00 335.763 08 23,647,919 80 $38,785,274 99 2,412 30 63,750 90 24,098,147 31 $38,621,290 23 2,133 °° 52,104 10 23,400,832 94 104,343 60 16,576,120 09 $33,560,502 56 90,671 00 30,447,566 41 $29,628,657 69 $33,473,283 20 $33,774,050 92 $2g,go6,40o 83 $31,006,187 74 $36,256,372 16 $49,i37,3°3 98 COMMODITIES. $ 25 73,i88 0000 $ 15 00 322,592 97 $ 29,040 00 $ 69,329 00 $ 32,370 00 $ 67,326 42 $ 25,583 16 5o,544 00 $ 845 00 3,602 88 212 00 59,229 59 55,394 05 75° °° 38,087 II 43.60311,130 00 00 41,757 56 1,242 00 41,883 65 1,882 80 $ 28,422 55 3,000 00 $ 41,603 50 200 00 642, gi8 42 732,763 29 2,056,642 25 686 00 ,050 00 556,688 20 719,684 89 2,064,689 87 i,773 87 30 00 14,944 60 609 50 743,644 09 9,002,160 05 610,728 27 792,575 65 1,582,317 IO 400 OO 489,160738,770 2,182,604 25 18 2821 00 711,298 40 885,859 29 2,240,166 88 2,766 90 848,233 57 850,563 37 2,605,229 52 946 00 766,805 8g 779.757 33 2,076,129 52 2,287 60 681,960 36 739,o5o 89 3,856,762 05 3,285 00 890,156 00 1,021,428 11 2,836,765 44 25,020 32 1,860,219 58 60,167 *7 22,187 44 100 00 J34,947 35 150,588 08 2,700 00 470,3°6 37 18,924,293 36 187,931 65 49.997 63 870 00 520,950 24 11,152,594 70 954,245 74 7,702,324 37 353,545 67 9,448,284 84 $12,880,496 08 259,236 9,933,258 $13,731,000 503956 360,710 77 13.144,510 83 323.567 88 17,205,442 94 463,089 64 21,582,253 43 4,400 00 571.178 89 19,485,098 47 $-2,178,049 66 $13,229,698 12 $15,624,832 39 $17,879,643 67 $21,370,905 06 $23,870,549 61 $27,011,304 47 $26,285,094 08 w <-t-sa•— ., t»<-t-*-^.osa5 ot-t o tfloss £o at *+. r>o commodities — (Continued). DESTINATION. 1882-1883. 1883-1884. 1884-1885. 1885-1886. 1886-1887. 1887-1888. 1888-1889. 1889-1890. 1890-1891. 1891-1892. $12,178,049 66 $13,229,698 12 $12,880,496 08 $13,731,000 56 $15,624,832 39 $17,879,643 67 $21,370,905 06 520 00 50 00 787 60 $23,870,549 61 $27,011,304 47 $26,285,094 08 300 00 70 00 10 00 570 00 670 00 52 00 4,555 00 266 00 920 00 1,296 71 4.732 89 30 00 600 00 25 00 288 00 10,140 00 12,375 00 300 00 48 00 15,850 00 280 00 685 00 390 00 4,000 00 2,502 00 26,200 00 300 00 g,7o6 00 5,075 00 200 00 2,346 00 $12,178,937 66 $13,252,213 12 $12,896,794 08 $T3,74T,3l6 56 $15,631,427 39 $17,879,720 67 $21,373,147 66 $23,878,106 61 $27,020,023 18 $26,330,410 98 TOTAL EXPORTS. $ 520 00 $ 100 00 $ 25 00 74,688 00 $ 29,040 00 $ 70,249 00 $ 32,370 00 $ 67,326 42 $ 25,583 16 50,544 00 340,659 97 $ 845 00 57,416 28 212 00 358,167 14 209,185 05 750 00 410,644 09 90,960 00 14,130 00 94,247 66 2,242 00 iog, 959 86 2,107 80 99,997 55 3,000 00 $ 77.512 35 31,048 75 200 00 4,204,905 55 1,125,719 21 17,258,242 61 93,561 00 1,050 00 2,881,998 98 1,218,276 13 I9,330,i52 15 132,688 87 30 00 14,944 °b 609 50 2,235.456 65 1,420,604 60 15,367,280 01 64,800 00 3,936,276 78 i,57i,399 20 11,600,067 74 2,025 o° 5,112,521 14 2,I75,770 r* 13,362,186 57 5,066 go 4,474,723 31 2,177,106 og 10,540,965 23 34,827 25 3,496,038 33 2,061,563 09 I2,535,534 99 255,383 67 3i*59iz59 5o I,693,773 J5 13,722,122 52 117,670 65 3,653,551 33 2,785,874 86 10,882,728 33 193,7" 47 4,644,385 51 4,344,231 60 15,267,955 68 143,740 17 22,187 44 870 00 570 00 8,220 62 100 00 134,947 35 150,580 08 3,700 00 4,555 00 8,569 20 187,931 65 49,997 63 300 00 70 00 10 00 52 00 2,500 00 25 00 50 00 6,8x5 34 g20 00 6,28g 31 4,732 89 30 00 600 CO 10,914 01 8,803 40 1,989,258 74 10,140 00 15,3^5 00 1,016,756 5g 5,798 00 1,242,645 17 48 00 25,853i°6i 04 15,850 00 4,709 33 913,523 78 3,545 00 280 00 625,293 84 490 00 457,842 02 1,135 00 659,330 96 2,802 30 534,057 27 4,000 00 4,635 00 515,193 74 26,200 00 3,5i9 00 661,849 86 16,739,097 70 300 00 21,824,490 55 25,429,594 59 9,706 00 27,728,714 79 5,075 °o 31,059,626 66 40,853,362 74 200 00 43,022,440 67 2,346 00 44,983,086 37 49,932,664 88 Total $41,807,595 35 $46,725,586 42 $46,670,845 00 $43,647,715 42 $49,191,930 05 $48,885,908 38 $60,158,423 02 $62,499,388 69 $63,276,395 34 $75,467,714 95 --—¦"— '.-' ¦ o «-» n to S3 & 256> while the total imports of merchandise from Mexico into this country are $17,456,177. The figures of our exports appear very large in the Mexican re turns, because our merchandise is sold in gold markets, and their gold price is reduced to silver, and increased in the same proportion in which silver depreciates. It is not therefore the amount of merchan dise which has increased so much, as that the price has been swollen in reducing it from gold to silver. In that regard the returns from the United States Statistical Bureau are more in conformity with the facts. XEraoe witb tbe mniteo States. 171 Another cause of the discrepancy between the statistics of both countries is that the Statistical Bureau of the United States Treasury Department had not, prior to March 3, 1893, any data of commodities exported to Mexico by way of the frontier, as there was no law which provided for the collection of such data, and a very large portion of the trade between the two countries is carried on by the frontier, especially since the railroads connecting both countries were finished." That deficiency was only in relation to the exports, as the imports were duly declared for the payment of duties, and therefore the statistics of the United States necessarily were deficient and incom plete about the exports to Mexico of United States commodities, and that accounts in a great measure for the discrepancy between the official data published by both governments, and for the great dis crepancy between exports and imports which appear in the statistics of the United States for those years. From the preceding remarks it will be understood why there is such a great discrepancy between the data of the respective Bureaus. It is very difficult to make a correct statement of the trade between the two countries previous to the organization of the Bureau of Statistics of the United States ; but I found in a book published in Washington in i860 by Mr. Carlos Butterfield, entitled " The United States and Mexican Mail Steamship Line and Statistics of Mexico," a statement of the imports and exports between Mexico and the United States from 1826 to 1858, taken as he states from official data of the United States Treasury Reports, which I will use. That statement is complemented by two tables furnished to me by Hon. Worthington C. Ford, Chief of the Bureau of Statistics of the Treasury Department. The first contains a statement of the trade be tween the United States and Mexico, during the forty-six years from 185 1 to 1897, and the second is a full statement of that trade, includ ing gold and silver during the same period. (Pages 174 and 175.) I have prepared besides from the official publications of the Bureau of Statistics of the United States Treasury Department, a detailed statement of the commodities imported into the United States from Mexico, and exported from the United States to Mexico during the ' For these reasons the statements of the Statistical Bureau of the United States, previous to the fiscal year ended June 30, 1892, contained the following foot-note : " In the absence of law providing for the collection of statistics of exports to ad jacent foreign territory over railways, the values of exports to Mexico, from 1883 to 1893 inclusive, have been considerably under-stated. Since March, 1893, there has been a law in force for the collection of exports by railways. According to official in formation from Mexican sources, the value of imports into that country from the United States during the year ending June 30, 1888, was $19,264,673, including pre cious metals valued at $38,362. Prior to i366 the figures include gold and silver im ported and exported. For 1866 and subsequent years, merchandise only." 172 Statistical "Motes on /iDejfco. years 1858 to 1897, which is complete so far as the records of this government go, and contains very valuable information. I will give first a partial statement prepared by the Bureau of Sta tistics of the Mexican Government of the total imports to Mexico and the imports from the United States of America from the fiscal year 1872-1873 to 1895-1896, and then another detailed statement prepared by the same Bureau of the total exports from Mexico and the exports to the United States of America from the fiscal year 1877-1878 to 1895-1896. From said data it will be seen that the trade of Mexico with the United States is increasing very rapidly, notwithstanding the difficulty thrown in the way by high protective tariffs. Only a few years ago, as will be seen by the appended statement, our largest trade was with Great Britain, the United States occupying the second place, while now the United States occupies the first place, both in amount of our exports and imports.1 Value of exports during the fiscal year 1872-1873 with their desti nation. Great Britain $12,479,547.75 United States 11,366,530.76 France 4,604,417.38 Panama (New Grenada) .. . 1,579,015.12 Germany 802,643.83 Spain and the Island of Cuba 752,891.91 Guatemala and Honduras. 80,999.52 Italy 17,389.00 Belgium 4,784.00 Ecuador 2,931.75 Total $31,691,151.02 TOTAL IMPORTS TO MEXICO AND IMPORTS FROM THE UNITED STATES FOR THE FISCAL YEARS, 1872-1873 TO 1895-1896. IMPORTS FROM THE UNITED STATES. TOTAL IMI>ORTS. Value. Value. 1872-1873 $5,231,255 5,946,6145,028,6365,045,5315,145,736 22,669,421 29,080,27626,235,963 14,351,78515,130,367 20,145,763 $20,166,013 23,282,299 18,793,49411,893,34210,585,898 40,024,894 52,018,659 43,413,131 30,287,489 34,000,440 42,253,938 1 873-1 874 1874-1875 1884-1885 First 6 months 1885-1886 First 6 months 1888-1889 1889-1890 1893-1894 1894-1895 1895-1896 Mexico, November, 1896. 1 This statement is corroborated by the following extract from an official report addressed to Lord Salisbury by Mr. Lionel Carden, British Consul-General at the City of Mexico, on the trade of Mexico during the year 1896 : " The great increase in the imports of American goods this year must be regarded by British merchants and manufacturers as another warning that unless they soon make a serious effort, they will have to give up all hope of profiting by the increase in the Mexican import trade, and may even lose part of the very limited share of it they at present enjoy." ^raoe witb tbe "Clniteo States. 173 TABLE SHOWING THE TOTAL EXPORTS FROM MEXICO AND THE EXPORTS TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA FROM THE FISCAL YEAR 1877- 1878 TO THE YEAR 1895-1896. EXPORTS TO THE UNITED STATES. TOTAL EXPORTS FROM MEXICO. Precious Metals. Commodities. Total. Precious Metals. Commodities. Total. 1877-1878 1878-18791879-18801880-1881 1881-1882 1882-18831883-1884 1884-1885 1885-1886 1886-1887 1887-18881888-1889 1889-1890 1890-1891 1891-18921892-1893 1893-18941894-18951895-1896 $ 8,664,052 7,439,8i56,848,2317,601,767 5,45i,73i9,036,773 12,822,24116,404,77615,496,33616,576,12017,915,116 23,647,92024,098,14723,400,83330,447,56640,113,88236,681,27338,852,84351,071,661 $ 3,676,9374,741,7246,568,375 6,556,4248,309,131 7,702,3259,002,1609,448,2859,933,259 11,152,595I3,T44,5" 17,205,443 18,924,294 21,582,253 19,485,09923,723,76123,978,97028,470,14328,580,034 $ 12,340,989 12,181,53913,416,60614,158,19113,760,86216,739,098 21,824,401 25,853,06125,429,59527,728,71531,059,62740,853,36343,022,44144,983,08649,932,66563,837,643 60,660,243 67,322,98679,651,695 $ 22,663,43821,528,93822,086,418 J9, 354, 704 17,063,767 29,628,65833,473,28333,774,05129,906,40133,560,50331,006,18838,785,275 38,621,290 36,256,372 49,137,304 56,504,30546,484,36052,535,85464,838,596 $ 6,622,223 8,362,540 10,577,136io,573.99412,019,526I2,i7a,93713,252,213 12,896,794 I3,74i,3l6 15,631,427 17,879,72021,373,14823,878,09927,020,02326,330,41131,004,91632,858,927 38,319,09940,178,306 $ 29,285,66129,891,478 32,663,554 29,928,698 29,083,293 41,807,59546,725,49646,670,84543,647,717 49,I9i,93°48,885,90860,158,42362,499,389 63,276,395 75,467,7I5 87,509,221 79,343,287 90,854,953 105,016,902 Total.... $392,571,083 $272,185,723 $664,756,806 $677,209,705 $374,698,755 $1,051,908,460 STATEMENT TAKEN FROM THE UNITED STATES TREASURY REPORTS OF THE COMMERCIAL TRANSACTIONS BETWEEN MEXICO AND THE UNITED STATES FROM 1826 TO 1850. EXPORTS FROM MEXICO INTO THE UNITED STATES. EXPORTS FROM THE UNITED STATES INTO MEXICO. TOTAL TRADE BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES. I826 1827 1828 1829 1830 1831 1832 1833 1834 1835 1836 1837 1838 1839 1840 1841 1842 1843 1844 1845 1846 1847 1848 1849 1850 Total... Average 3,916,000 5,232,000 4,814,000 5,026,7615,235,2415,167,000 4,293,954 5,459,8i8 8,666,668 9,490,446 5,615,819 5,654,0023,127,153 5,500,707 4,175,0003,484,957 1,996,694 2,782,406 2,387,000 1,702,9361,836,621 746,818 1,581,247 2,216,7192,135,336 ; 6,281,000 4,163,000 2,886,000 2,33I,I5i 4,837,458 6,178,000 3,467,541 5,408,0915,265,053 9,029,2216,040,635 3,880,323 2,787,362 2,164,097 2,515,341 2,036,620 1,534,493 i,47i,937 1,794,8331,152,331 1,531,180 692,428 4,058,4462,090,8692,012,827 10,197,000 9,395,000 7,700,0007,357,912 10,072,69911,345,000 7,76i,495 10,867,909 13,931,721 18,519,66711,656,454 9,534,325 5,914,5157,664,804 6,690,341 5,521,577 3,53i,i87 4,254,3434,181,833 2,855,267 3,367,801 1,439,246 5,639,693 4,307,5884,148,163 $102,245,303 $4,080,812 $85,610,237 $3,424,409 fi87,855, 54o $7,514,222 174 Statistical IRotes on /JDejico. STATEMENT SHOWING THE COMMERCE IN MERCHANDISE BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND MEXICO, BY YEARS AND DECADES, FROM 1851 TO 1897. EXPORTS FROM THE UNITED STATES. IMPORTS INTO THE UNITED STATES. EXCESS OF EXPORTS ( — ) OR JUNE 30. Domestic. Foreign. Total. Free. Dutiable. Total. IMPORTS (+). 1851 $ 1,014,690 5 567,093 $ 1,581,783 $ 27,666 $ 693,120 $ 720,786 $ —860,997 1852 1,406,372 878,557 2,284,929 20,564 534,7oo 555,264 -1,729,665 1853 2,529,77o 1,029,054 3,558,824 4,148 751,952 756,100 — 2,802,724 2,091,870 1,043,616 3,135,486 111,405 826,451 937,856 -2,197,630 1855 2,253,368 668,236 2,921,604 17,508 887,242 904,750 — 2,016,854 1856 2,464,692 1,237,097 3,701,789 79,966 773,792 853,758 - 2,848,031 1857 3,017,640 597,566 3,615,206 62,307 964,566 1,026,873 -2,588,333 i8s8 2,782,852 529,973 3,312,825 246,894 861,607 1,108,501 — 2, 204, 324 2,252,162 667,580 2,919,742 234,112 1,009,972 1,244,084 -1,675,658 Total 10 years. . 3,309,379 2,015,334 5,324,713 586,016 1,317,415 1,903,431 -3,421,282 $ 23,122,795 $ 9,234,106 $ 32,356,901 $ 1,390,586 $ 8,620,817 $ 10,011,403 $-22,345,498 i86r $ 1,559,062 $ 651,364 $ 2,210,426 $ 253,703 $ 632,409 $ 886,112 $ -1,324,314 1,840,720 340,454 2,181,174 289,011 441,977 730,988 — T,450,l86 1863 7,441,579 1,579,045 9,020,624 446,070 2,597,812 3,043,882 -5,976,742 1864 7,765,!33 1,505,464 9,270,597 385,037 S,743,4o8 6,128,445 -3,142,152 1865 13,819,972 2,530,867 16,350,839 369,9J5 5,850,959 6,220,874 — IO,I29,g65 1866 3,701,599 871,619 4,573,2i8 402,568 1,323,524 1,726,092 — 2,847,126 1867 4,823,614 572,182 5,395,796 402,779 669,157 1,071,936 -4,323,86o 1868 5,048,420 1,392,919 6.441, 339 482,228 i, 108,439 1,590,667 -4,850,672 1869 3,835,699 1,047,408 4,883,107 5",3i9 1,824,845 2,336,164 -2,546,943 4,544,745 i,3i4,955 5,859,700 522,907 2,192,758 2,715,665 -3,144,035 Total ioyears. . $ 54,38o,543 f 1 1, 806,277 $ 66,186,820 $ 4,o65,537 $ 22,385,288 $ 26,450,825 $-39,735,995 1871 $ 5,044,033 5 2,568,080 $ 7,612,113 976,117 $ 2,233,571 $ 3,209,688 $ -4,402,425 1872 3,420,658 2,122,931 5,543,589 1,156,257 2,846,663 4,002,920 — 1,540,669 1873 3,941,019 2,323,882 6,264,901 3,065,140 1,211,025 4,276,165 -1,988,736 1874 4,016,148 1,930,691 5,946,839 3,026,661 1,319,703 4,346,364 -1,600,475 1875 3,872,004 1,865,278 5,737,282 3,863,302 i,3ir,292 5,174,594 -56:,6S8 1876 4,700,978 1,499,594 6,200,572 3,920,633 1,229,939 5,150,572 — 1,050,000 1877 4,503,802 1,389,692 5,893,494 3,756,191 1,448,073 5,204,264 — 689,230 5,811,429 1,649,275 7,460,704 3,723,281 1,528,221 5,251,502 — 2,209,202 1879 5,400,380 1,351,864 6,752,244 3,981,402 1,511,819 5,493,221 -1,259,023 Total 10 years . . 6,065,974 1,800,519 7,866,493 4,852,659 2,356,934 7,209,593 — 656,900 $ 46,776,425 $18,501,806 $ 65,278,231 $ 32,321,643 $ 16,997,240 $ 49,318,883 $-15,959,348 1881 $ 9,198,077 i 1,973,161 $ 11,171,238 $ 5,643,176 $ 2,674,626 $ 8,317,802 $ -2,853,436 13,324,505 2,158,077 15,482,582 5,310,796 3,151,103 8,461,899 — 7,020,683 14,370,992 2,216,628 16,587,620 4,211,328 3,965,795 8,177,123 ~ 8,410,497 11,089,603 1,614,689 12,704,292 5,334,689 3,681,797 9,016,486 -3,687,806 1885 7,370,599 970,185 8,340,784 5,173,441 4,093,580 9,267,021 +926,237 1886 6,856,077 881,546 7,737,623 6,808,757 3,879,215 10,687,972 -2,950,349 7,267,129 692,428 7,959,557 9,928,122 4,791,718 14,719,840 - -6,760,283 1888 9,242,188 655,584 9,897,772 11,042,772 6,287^17 17,329,889 -7,432,H7 10,886,288 600,608 11,486,896 13,825,242 7,428,359 2r, 253, 601 - -9,766,705 12,666,108 619,179 13,285,287 15,536,100 7,i54,8i5 22,690,915 ' -9,405,628 10 years . . $102,271,566 fl2, 382,085 $114,653,651 $ 82,814,423 $ 47,108,125 $129,922,548 $+15,268,897 $ 14,199,080 i 770,540 $ 14,969,620 $ 23,364,519 $ 3,93',473 $ 27,295,992 §~ -12,326,372 13,696,531 597,468 !4,293,999 23,702,496 4,405,029 28,107,525 13,813,526 1893, 18,891,714 676,920 19,568,634 27,145,469 6,409,630 33,555,099 13,986,465 1894 12,441,805 4°0,344 12,842,149 21,560,011 7,166,995 28,727,006 15,884,857 1895 14,582,484 423,422 15,005,906 12,903,789 2,731,999 15,635,788 + 629,882 18,686,797 763,459 I9,45o,256 13,819,698 3,636,479 *7A&M1 " 1,994,079 22,726,596 694,468 23,421,064 13,990,017 4,521,555 18,511,572 -4,909,492 7 years . . $115,225,007 S 4,326,621 $"9,55', 628 $136,485,999 $ 32,803,160 $169,289,159 $+49,737,531 Treasury Department, Bureau of Statistics, September 4, j8gy. WORTHINGTON C. FORD, Chief of Bureau. ¦^raoe witb tbe Tttniteo States. i/5 STATEMENT SHOWING THE TOTAL COMMERCE BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND MEXICO, BY YEARS AND DECADES FROM 1 85 1 TO l897. EXPORTS FROM THE UNITED STATES. IMPORTS INTO THE UNITED STATES. EXCESS OF ENDING JUNE 30. EXPORTS ( - ) Mer Gold and Mer Gold and OR chandise. Silver. Total. chandise. Silver. Total. IMPORTS (+). 1851 $ 1,581,783 $ 2,652 $ I,584,435 $ 720,786 $ 1,083,993 $ 1,804,779 $ +220,344 1852 2,284,929 3,255 2,288,184 555,264 1,093,942 1,649,206 -638,978 l853 3,558,824 1,734 3,560,558 756,100 1,411,885 2,167,985 -',392,573 1854 3,135,486 528 3,136,014 937,856 2,525,334 3,463,19° +327,176 1855 2,921,604 1,200 2,922,804 904,750 1,978,080 2,882,830 -39,974 1856 3,701,789 450 3,702,239 853,758 2,7'4,923 3,568,681 -'33,558 1857 3,615,206 3,615,206 1,026,873 4,958,984 5,985,857 -2,370,651 lS58 3,312,825 3,000 3,315,825 1,108,501 4,368,964 5,477,465 --2,161,640 1859 2,919,742 72,804 2,992,546 1,244,084 4,095,890 5,339,974 r2, 347,428 i860 Total 10 years. . 5,324, 7J3 29,360 5,354,073 ',903,43' 5,032,441 6,935,872 -1,581,799 $32,356,901 $114,983 $32,471,884 $10,011,403 $29,264,436 $39,275,839 $+6,803,955 $ 2,210,426 $ 5,464 $ 2,215,890 $ 886,112 $ 2,803,101 $ 3,689,213 $+1,473,323 1862 2,181,174 2,181,174 730,988 1,953,864 2,684,852 +503,678 1863 9,020,624 51,588 9,072,212 3,040,882 1,485,702 4,526,584 -4,545,628 1864 9,270,597 3,410,957 12,681,554 6,128,445 1,755,946 7,884,391 -4,797,163 1865 16,350,839 664,241 17,015,080 6,220,874 1,133,299 7,354,173 -9,660,907 1866 4,573,2i8 15,000 4,588,218 1,726,092 2,429,511 4,155,603 -432,615 1867 5,395,796 56,452 5,452,248 I,°7I,936 2,849,038 3,92o,974 -1,531,274 6,441,339 12,924 6,454,263 1,590,667 4,525,255 6,115,922 -338,341 1869 4,883,107 2,000 4,885,107 2,336,164 4,895,842 7,232,006 +2,346,899 1870 Total 10 years. . 5,859,700 15,696 5,875,396 2,7'5,665 '0,383,366 13,099,03' +7,223,635 $66,186,820 $4,234,322 $70,421,142 $26,447,825 $34,214,924 $60,662,749 $-9,758,393 1871 $ 7,612,113 $ 38,500 $ 7,650,613 $ 3,209,688 $14,301,475 $ '7,5",i63 $ +9,860,550 1872 5,543,589 35,000 5,578,589 4,002,920 4,504,204 8,507,124 +2,928,535 1873 6,264,901 165,262 6,430,163 4,276,165 12,154,060 16,430,225 +10,000,062 1874 5,946,839 57,531 6,004,370 4,346,364 8,893,54' 13,239,905 +7,235,535 1875 5,737,282 33,5oi 5,770,783 5,174,594 6,460,389 11,634,983 +5,864,200 1876 6,200,572 7,6oo 6,208,172 5,150,572 7,355,i8i 12,505,753 +6,297,581 1877 5,893.494 5,239 5,898,733 5, 204, 264 10,240,319 15,444,583 +9,545,850 1878 7,460,704 32,180 7,492,884 5,25', 502 8,394,146 13,645,648 +6,152,764 1879 6,752,244 9,040 6,761,284 5,493,221 8,554,598 14,047,819 +7,286,535 1880 Total 10 years. . 7,866,493 3,37' 7,869,864 7,209,593 9,115,824 16,325,417 +8,455,553 $65,278,231 $387,224 $65,665,455 $49,318,883 $89,973,737 $139,292,620 $+73,627,165 1881 $ 11,171,238 $ 1,500 $ 11,172,738 $ 8,317,802 $ 9,136,324 $ '7,454,126 $ +6,281,388 1882 15,482,582 18,446 15,501,028 8,461,899 6,631,938 15,093,837 -407,191 1883 16,587,620 96,964 16,684,584 8,177,123 9,782,986 17,960,109 +',275,525 1884 12,704,292 335,635 '3,039,927 9,016,486 13,015,901 22,032,387 +8,992,460 1885 8,340,784 79,406 8,420,190 9,267,021 14,919,611 24,186,632 +15,766,442 1886 7,737,623 110,035 7,847,658 10,687,972 16,935,396 27,623,368 +'9,775,7'o 1887 7,959,557 279,812 8,239,369 14,719,840 14,855,765 29,575,605 +21,336,236 1888 9,897,772 319,408 10,217,180 17,329,889 14,032,637 31,362,526 +21,145,346 1889 11,486,896 176,616 11,663,512 21,253,601 17,557,248 38,810,849 +27,147,337 Total 10 years. . 13,285,287 240,912 13,526,199 22,690,915 18,155,809 40,846,724 +27,320,525 $114,653,651 $1,658,734 $116,312,385 $129,922,548 $135,023,615 $264,946,163 $+148,633,778 $ 14,969,620 $ 227,734 $ '5,'97,354 $ 27,295,992 $ '4,297,43' $ 41,593,423 $ +26,396,069 '4,293,999 168,584 14,462,583 28,107,525 '9,i74,°34 47,281,559 +32,818,976 1893 19,568,634 473,942 20,042,576 33,555,099 22,951,604 56,506,703 +36,464,127 1894 12,842,149 708,932 13,551,081 28,727,006 12,790,199 41,517,205 +27,966,124 1895 15,005,906 551,064 15,556,970 15,635,788 9,644,160 25,279,948 +9,722,978 19,450,256 926,560 20,376,816 17,456,177 29,166,241 46,622,418 +26,245,602 1897 Total 7 years. . 23,421,064 114,149 23,535,213 18,511,572 12,202, 794 30,714,366 +7,i79,i53 $119,551,628 $3,170,965 $122,722,593 $169,289,159 $120,226,463 $289,515,622 $+166,793,029 STATEMENT SHOWING THE QUANTITIES AND VALUES OF THE PRINCIPAL AND ALL OTHER ARTICLES OF IMPORTS INTO THE UNITED STATES FROM, AND OF EXPORTS FROM THE UNITED STATES TO, MEXICO, 1858-1883. IMPORTS OF MERCHANDISE FROM MEXICO. 1 35g i860 1861 1862 1863 18641865 1S66 18671868 1869 187018711872187318741875 1876 1877'87818791880 1883 BREADSTUFFS AND OTHER FARINA CEOUS FOOD.* Indian corn. 34,68645,52028,940 19,612 9,975 34,26971,163 79,321 104,554 74,29753,547 61,08133,628 45,990 25,791 12,321 33,49765,230 87,840 58,64822,072 All other. $28,198 '5,794 5,124 8,4456,399 15,048 9,818 6,337 ' 5,183 29,599 53,14° 48,551 68,3'3 43,"462,720 37,720 31,00249,02239,4" 34,339 56,432 65,192 43,14'41,35250,192 POUNDS. 29,687 45,5'8 549,265 461,416 7,'75 935,594 11,736 505 524,777138,005 882,521203,048110,607526,495 1,878,301 2,035,54° 2,930,2852,691,8893,941,2296,789,693 6,337,0638,307,040 9,818,525 13,911,91017,020,669 8,578,532 > 3,259 6,036 64,61659,405 1,026 122,663 2,927 109 84,478 18,468 "2,159 22,062 13,223 59,454 248,022 3'4,347624,6" 485,489 7'3,833 1,265,970 1,082,272',371,979 1,523,6581,730,8381,817,584 8o9,757 COPPER, PIGS, BARS, INGOTS, OLD, AND OTHER UNMANUFACTURED. 12,958 85,796 I29,8lO"4,761 40,299 20,49729,53657,700 24,'97 161,711 2,468 39,704 14,028 4,611 23,050 67,793 68,556 '8,443 226 55,740 3,562 124 * ',437 3,638 10,542 1,320 ',734 14,081 21,401 16,528 5,6293,0013,123 7,3262,304 18,608 218 3,1202,161 620 2,49° 7,9'77,082 3,302 19 6,825 494 CHEMICALS, DRUGS, DYES AND MEDICINES. Cochi neal and indigo. t$ 3',793 '44,437 49,65191,64549,564 91,'S1 123,434'32,959 96,362 130,154144,144 144,974 t 92,836 "7,745 104,772 55,239 61,964 54,5'9 39,736 52,726 X 23,196 62,48368,345 20,973 5,813 Dye- woods in sticks. $107,649 46,208 161,115"5,757 91,976 48,094 110,299 136,341 69,35o 108,754 187,337 207,859244,932 36,69839,660 27,75265,66263,958 150,413 72,402 112,482 96,877 149,651 160,070 128,734211,714 All other. t HIDES AND SKINS OTHER THAN FURS. f ',03°1,336 no 411 10,830 12,622 7,127 40,722 39,024 38,52664,51028,380 53,306 286,78' 163,745 70,090 158,279 247,427 219,193204,135 159,017 106,706 263,642 198,030119,681 HAIR UN MANU FACTURED. $ 496,929457,297 535,59'267,527 171,905 383.530 563,978547,109 325,186 368,817411,505 745,550833,743714,489 1,380,0821,903,387 1,561,830 2,077,156 1,812,5671,529,702 ",565,5461,675,777 I,95I,9'82,111,750 1,525,1071,568,645 $II,26l 485 2,074 2,264 ",535 912 2,1401,6673,1962,808 2,6132,728 4,6976,442 '5,940 55,42o18,62528,78479,23°29,3'7 42,710 34,27436,96439,70138,81052,985 INDIA RUBBER AND GUTTA-PERCHA, CRUDE OR UNMAN UFACTURED. 1,586 2,554 34,84298,656 93,046 106,417 '84,554 72,963 115,607 39,83543,3'44o,494 17,500 107,026 616,742 325,206 241,478 201 20 214228 600 8,648 23,59433,055 34,792 63,26923,710 35,6go 11,10313,825 ",364 4,432 44,235 315,059164,847 123,484 JUTE, AND OTHER CRASSES, RAW. TONS. 4063S925' 382286898843 333889862 1,5132,9063,3003,3284,244 3,590 4,8676,185 6,8467,2789,163 10,197 14,086 '7,153 '9,233 25,065 $ 50,17344,861 25,114 35,670 =3,537 44,647 63,455 36,496 104,453 "6,455 237,803469,235 631,090626,044 784,809534,980694,254613,338 542,756 656,746 889,061 930,396 1,324,075',634,2152,061,939 2,712,088 wSOrf*«,tt>i-t»-* O SO%ort-Ot»O S3 at o o * All other breadstuff's comprise barley, barley malt, bread and biscuit, oats, rice, rye, wheat, wheat flour, meal of all kinds, peas and beans ; all other farinaceous food and preparations of breadstuffs. t All other chemicals, drugs, dyes, and medicines include : Areols ; medicinal barks ; camphor, crude ; madder ; soda, nitrate of ; gums ; cutch and catechu ; opium ; soda and salts of ; sulphur or brimstone ; chloride of lime or bleaching powder ; all chemicals, not elsewhere specified. i Cochineal only ; no indigo included. MEXICO, 1858-1883 — Continued. IMPORTS OF MERCHANDISE FROM MEXICO — Continued. YEAR ENDING JUNE 30 — 1859.1 Boo 1861, 18621863 18641865 18661867 186818691870187118721873 1874 1875 187618771878 IS79'880i38i IS82 LEAD, PIGS, BARS, AND OLD. BOUNDS. 36,517 91,440 320,141 57,482 295,136 4,699 648 25,15279,504 523,043 456,516725,211461,274392,440 817,579 325,648 837,698 1,336,641 1,136,453 407,276 630,947 1,132,0641,191,225 % 825 1,8296,2031,150 13,988 297 60 1,509 2,799 22,211 14,607 23,261 14,653 19,304 41,97816,689 42,25368,218 58,245 20,83927,661 44,365 26,919 ANIMALS, LIVING $188,558 '47,5'2134,701 S',439 108,050 129,897132,971 132,873'75,305 3'4,272455,9'7661,245 PRECIOUS STONES. $ 32,449 330 102,048 156,690 63,329 6,355 1,540 3,927 5,4'6 21,65776,24156,176 $ 6,285 ",321 22,55512,266 16,138 40,871 36,247 6.452 12,32613,64521,36813,7163°,23529,600 20,984 6,9639,8448,2016,803 7,1966,7686,1388,4197,178 802973 SPICES OF ALL KINDS. ? ',252 1,272 642 1,8351,55' 3,959 22,87310,83630,920 19,041 4°,324 33,841 104,476124,403 10,396 1,6132,1001,882 1,520 5,43' 1,6503,760 9,04° 5,219 8,428 io,775 SUGAR AND MOLASSES OF ALL KINDS. J 9,569 8,273 55,3°923,333 IO,886 45,576 12,019 816 79,904 1,693 29,7356S,'9728,12339,87752,007 II,8l8 17,682 104,547164,567 227,543 155,700 76,992 232,655 '24,535I°4,374 64,527 WOOL, RAW AND FLEECE. 3',2og 1,226,820 702,676 163,297 69,493 716,068 656,459865,909 1,182,481 1,182,414 1,173,0991,095,282 838,798 1,405,983 835,487 819,784 1,321,874 1,009,376 191,666 ',775 S> 4,'379,864 15,151 1,64'3,560 '55,450 96,503 45,49o 18,667 377 4,386 51,83849,82968,907 '28,375 '29,475112,226 "9,534 85,887 119,708 72,21666,300 144,875 99,47918,037 257 WOOD, UNMANU FACTURED. 0 43,674 55,949 101,392102,7" 5',4'5 69,014 62,34283,921 82,908 106,921 72.973 126,345 107,808176,724 279,020 I7',554 324,520346,923 247,833 133,690 257,853 224,9254°8,754329,295 499,776441,083 OTHER MERCHAN DISE. ' 275,901389,964 819,195 141,120 * 289,510 t 1,984,068 X 4,987,889 § 5,188,606i 770,268127,392217,404225,821377,916 908,208263,991550,070379,557756,226735,763 533,176580,051529,001 889,136974,452 1,212,6011,244,542 TOTAL IM PORTS OF MERCHAN DISE. 1,108,201 1,244,084 1,903,431 886,112730,988 3,043,882 6,128,445 6,220,874 1,726,0921,071,9361,590,667 2,336,164 2,715,665 3,209,688 4,002,920 4,276,1654,346,3645,174,5945,150,5725,144,264 5, 25', 5°2 5,493,221 7,209,593 8,317,8028,461,8998,177,123 <3 tSOa cr o c/ in S3*-+ * Of this amount $60,497 was tne value of unmanufactured cotton. + Of this amount $1,750,615 was the value of unmanufactured cotton. X Of this amount $4,859,725 was the value of unmanufactured cotton. § Of this amount $5,128,875 was the value of unmanufactured cotton. I Of this amount $417,197 was the value of unmanufactured cotton. Mexico, 1858-1883 — Continued. EXPORTS OF DOMESTIC MERCHANDISE TO MEXICO. YEAR ENDED JUNE 30 — 1858 1859 i86018611862 1863 1864186518661867 1868 186918701871 1872 1873187418751876 '877187818791880188118821883 280 33 543 27,48136,347 27,22857,217 "1,445 "2,553 95,215 161,549153,065 89,689 115,265 108,886 81,338 235,585 V 740590 2,8002ct)53 18,189 32,83725,843 59,935 110,290133,222104,865144,908158,217103,789 120,817 "8,498 112,421 364,866 BREAD AND EREADSTUFFS. Indian corn. BUSHELS. 49,57948,93280,329 13,877 18,364 268,653187,014181,462158,624 14,218 7,292 72,216 62,859 173,585 21,039 104,146 55,88i 9,862 93,487 64,776 288,109126,613 85,702 352,5'o 419,263 476,453 $ 37,676 29,88678,063 9,993 14,017 263,849256,924 347,464 '21,553 16,874 9,051 72,439 65,292 169,350 27,233 99,16640,049 9,092 75,945 55,658 267,623 95,80268,743 240,182332,642391,751 Wheat and wheat-flour. $ '39,673 184,223 247,206 109,033 282,810777,122 855,772 1,089,016 584,012547,965 343,205278,111 209,371225,718218,279 "0,525 96,666 102,173108,952 88,913 ¦7',450129,971 69,07293,757 103,528178,408 All others.* $ 3,6294,'378,247 10,920 31,9'S 379,727 50,73090,238 66,227 117,066 10,938 10,92311,911 14,069 35,i6622,31025,44921,53226,58023,756 51,885 50,00144,126 60,198 9',475 "8,744 COTTON, RAW OR UNMANU FACTURED. POUNDS. 9,084,609 5,993,635 9,043,377 1,410,659 417,497 50,3'7 3,310,842 8,228,598 2,042,224 6,609,707 ",309,498 957,209 550,639 2,289,561',305,276 6,972,575 3,969,8123,422,162 9,898,129 9,881,543 13,386,18612,537,650 20,577,77' $ 1,074,818 883,337 1,076,150 153,905 33I,'99 I7,6ll 934,458 1,349,685 458,405 1,412,863 1,586,517 128,186 74,352 322,507 184,186 890,574462,902357,2io 9",583 1,176,0671,494,101',447,522 2,217,259 w sol-T,— »- l-tsa3Jo l-t- o inoS3 B at oo * Bread and breadstuffs, all other, comprise barley, bread and biscuit, Indian corn-meal, oats, rye, rye-flour, other small grain and pulse, maizena, farina, and all other breadstuffs, or preparations of, used as food. t Classed under the general heading " Animals, living, all kinds," total, $156,773. EXPORTS OF DOMESTIC MERCHANDISE TO MEXICO — Continued. COTTON, MANUFACTURES OF. DRUGS, CHEM ICALS, MEDI CINES, ACIDS, ASHES, AND DYE-STUFFS. GLASS AND GLASS WARE. IRON AND STEEL, AND MANU FACTURES OF * LEATHER, AND MANUFAC TURES OF. Colored. Uncolored. All other. Boots and Shoes. All other. 1858 YARDS. 141,780 397,472 CO 1,049,621 758,338559,4"500,156277,032569,855 1,210,286 6,255,489 10,104,048 7,663,0016,402,1706,874,372 6,745,8176,"4,54' $ 29,186 51,828 cf) 149,569 102,254 84,38766,18535,35762,724 "1,35' 513,488746,301509,255501,648512,195504,619 441,252 YARDS. 3,7'S 45,383 407,619 CO 601,927 1,451,727 1,355,636 1,258,921 1,086,8831,019,997 2,143,975 5,876,8175,726,156 3,886,7482,808,2283,657,6"3,838,6693,523,873 $ 1,049 9,915 68,023 CO 76,127 162,934156,537155,657123,009104,608201,513 486,159468,717 286,205 224,181312,824318,517 292,009 $ 281,504 312,203641,870312,695 157,874 1,784,531 717,622 2,222,410 58,663 356,163 387,61034',593 106,373 94,36638,36873,244 50,337 64,18960,59564,45087,27869,852 106,406193,630 296,132 185,329 $ 29,957 34,28o63,727 48,7'0 75,'94 "8,604166,741 326,675 89,69068,137 85,635 73,572 "3,'05 96,24893,734 107,436 126,437112,877111,348 79,799 123,069127,756145,331 212,477288,824265,220 $ 8,011 7,6375,98'5,763 14,486 43,22440,670 126,447 23,515 16,813 27,01027,07621,217 18,905 26,419 26,75220,00737,56l20,74324,76356,89847,83154,78l87,313 "1,542159,099 $ 188,214 91,472 329,326255,327265,2257°4,944 I,l65,54I 1,423,571 420,034 770,150784,897 811,384654,298698,296803,668 1,043,0711,073,530 954,96' 1,062,687 786,365 1,201,574 996,080 1,257,73'2,582,346 4.239,712 3,772,287 $ 1,066 9,345 8,9294,562 9,676 289,543373,146 1,119,848 32,1312i,53361,22795,59° 116,761 91,07098,565 104,377 7°,4i784,129 79,'5353,383 60,95058,50053,466 48,20785,32786,788 $ 4,4°4 5,873 4,294 1861 6,395 4,607 1863 "2,334 67,404 1865 160,203 i366 35,"4 1867 21,639 1868 23,874 18,430 11,59' 16,970 18,480 '3,6'3 12,757 26,026 1876 11,182 14,233 27,719 21,124 25,133 x88i 45,953 65,517 65,102 PiSa£ a u $2,782,852 2,252,162 3,309,3791,559,0621,840,720 7,44i,579 7,765,133 13,819,972 3,7oj,599 4,823,6145,048,42®3,835,6994,544,745 5,044,033 3,420,6583,941,0194,016,148 3,872,004 4,700,978 4,503,8025,811,429 5,400,3806,065,9749,198,077 13,324,50514,370,992 ° sa YEAR ENDING JUNH 30 — 1890 l8gi, 1892,1893.1894. 1895. 1896. 1897. Exports of Domestic Merchandise. Sheep. NUMBER. 77,56926,814 9,'47 2,8271,3105,443 9°9 2,182 4,628 $122,193 47,947 21,464 5,068 4,682 9,0853,33s 9,693 ",877 BREADSTUFFS. 434,997 961,458615,332 754,548 6,960,356 431,516 179,611 1,676,758 8,825,860 $194,778 481,052389,619 489,702 4,343,777 220,362 108,272 672,093 3,233,583 Wheat and wheat flour. $185,746 166,769 213,299184,299 239,57s 197,192 175,637167,680 96,794 All other. $85,558 100,997125,718 127,443144,031100,568 80,649 85,542 128,527 Chemicals, drugs, dyes, and medicines. $329,487 362,328377,586440,297418,452341,989 408,795469,193481,652 Cotton, unmanufactured. POUNDS. 16,901,267 13,047,47412,841,122 22,117,38120,905,980 17,582,418 37,976,42219,408,42015,103,628 $1,607,395 1,217,805 1,281,972 1,844,5001,890,4611,391,836 2,352,2991,643,1831,236,447 tn o S3BKo IMPORTS INTO, AND EXPORTS FROM, THE UNITED STATES FROM AND TO MEXICO, ETC. MEXICO, 1889-1897. — Continued. -Continued. YEAR ENDING JUNE 30 — 89189289389,,895896897 EXPORTS OF DOMESTIC MERCHANDISE. COTTON, MANUFACTURES OF. Cloths, colored. YARDS. 7,735,0005,434,882 5,450,725 6,381,992 3,245,2003,184,205 4,278,358 5,348,802 3,867,100 461,7653'4,882 3'7,576 347,687205,250 197,855 244,1143",532 231,527 Cloths, uncolored. YARDS. 1,845,6592,048,130 1,706,3271,937,489 1,000,7041,368,663 2,159,2102,540,396 1,706,708 $ 138,904'53,875'26,753'44,392 86,643 111,236145,430182,833134,846 All other. $ 218,293 179,402158,053155,362140,323i5i,57S151,924 322,729 346,719 Glass and Glass ware. 76,83394,697 126,688'23,546117,979112,972121,488162,628168,437 GUNPOWDER AND OTHER EXPLOSIVES. Gun powder. 10,227 15,72318,080 28,589 8,7876,265 43,028 74,80575,657 All other explosives. $ 283,794348,845375,320339,625410,513454,775 572,031 587,706671,036 Iron and steel, and manufac tures of. $ 2,290,7572,700,979 3,414,3973,834,3433,802,8763,198,5973.703,566 5,239,307 6,425,645 LEATHER, AND MANU FACTURES OF. Boots and Shoes. $ 39,981 38,95924,366 21,984 26,73124,843 26,53245,"5 58,639 All other. $ 48,648 54,794 48,23138,70242,308 58,24551,648 66,943 63,453 t saor a cro 0 S3 YEAR ENDING JUNE 30 — 891,892.893,894.895.896,897, Oils: Mineral, refined. $ 248,381234,435301,829238,952198,740 146,626181,092 142,819174,625 EXPORTS OF DOMESTIC MERCHANDISE. PROVISIONS, COMPRISING MEAT AND DAIRY PRODUCTS. Bacon and hams. 297,657259,65834i,i35 436,827 422,389268,993 297,599340,546 365,784 $ 41,28934,021 38,999 48,280 53,008 34,993 33,754 38,"3 38,125 POUNDS. 1,363,5391,639,2551,611,313 2,050,997 3,863,4571,414,2921,908,076 3,440,1577,195,747 $ I28,l6g"9,976109,816 142,253 3°8,449 116,198128,779 209,727332,335 All other. $ 386,117433,962 228,245 193,414 233,417 173,281164,853 167,490 160,769 Quick silver. i 144,734169,341 68,112 i",349143,381361,781 381,621466,259368,463 Sugar and mo lasses. $ 66,84342,03536,49334,442 73,545 57,452 37,402 38,731 29,395 Tobacco, and manufac tures of. $ 133,727 130,440 73,535 89,394 126,745 129,205 167,665 i75,S4i 122,387 Wood, and manufac tures of. $ 964,310 1,303,4481,483,903 1,206,672 1,200,486 998,805 1,048,844i,6",477 2,163,446 Other mer chandise. $ 2,678,444 3,919,396 5,839,026 3,506,2364,671,5543,846,0694,249,723 5,795,658 5,972,207 Total exports of domestic mer chandise. $ 10,886,37312,666,10815,199,080 13,696,531 18,891,714 12,441,80514,582,48418,686,797 22,726,591 Total exports of foreign merchan dise. $ 600,608619,179 770,540 597,468 676,920400,344423,422 763,459 694,468 oc W r-tsa i-t n9i3 $ 55,799 121,915116,994 256,547 $ 8,889 150,544 3,687,872 $ 160,555147,981 4,608,959 $ 402,3r7 536,497 9,003,623 528,460 80,947 3r,332 Bullion1 80,9473*, 33* According to information $ 546,704 2,125,941 $ 608,138 3,109,861 $ 551,255 1,829,603 $3,847,305 2,482,753 $5,029,774 4,007,648 $10,583,176 i3,555,8o6 According to information from the United States + $1,579,237 + $2,501,723 + $1,278,348 - $1,364,552 — $1,022,126 + $2,972,630 1 From the ist of July, 1894, the tl Bullion" includes the value of the gold contained in the mixed ore. This instance shows how difficult it is for the commercial statistics of both countries to agree, even when the merchandise is entered with .the same value in both as in the present case. 1Railwa£s. 193 RAILWAYS. The following table contains a list of all the railways, exclusive of the tramways, built in Mexico up to October 31, 1896, prepared by the Department of Communications of the United Mexican States : OFFICIAL STATEMENT MADE BY THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS OF THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT OF THE RAILROAD MILEAGE IN OPERATION ON OCTOBER 31, 1896. (1) The initials at the beginning of each line of this table stand for the guage of the railroads ; S. for standard, N, for narrow, and B. for both. DATE OF NAME. LENGTH. FROM AND TO. CONCESSION. (1) S. Mexican. Nov. 27, 1867 292.50 Mexico to Veracruz and Apizaco to Puebla. S. Merida to Progreso. (an. 17, 1874 22.65 Merida to Progreso. N. Hidalgo. Feb. 2, 1878 92-43 Tepa to Sototlan, Tepa to Pa chuca and San Augustin to Tepa. B. Veracruz to Alvarado. Mar. 26, 1878 43-75 Veracruz to Medellin and Me dellin to Alvarado. N. Merida to Peto. Mar. 27, 1878 68.97 Merida to Ingenio de Sta. Maria. N. Interoceanic from Apr. 16, 1878 489.74 Mexico to Veracruz, Mexico to Acapulco to Vera Puente Ixtla by Morelos and cruz. branches of Virreyes to Libres and San Nicolas. N. Puebla to Izucar de May 6, 1878 52.39 Los Arcos to Cholula, Cholula Matamoros. to Atlixco and Atlixco to Matamoros. S. Mexican Western. Aug. 16, 1880 38.48 Culiacan to Altata. S. Mexican Central. Sept. 8, 1880 1,877.15 Mexico to Paso del Norte, Silao to Guanajuato, Irapuato to Guadalajara, Aguascalientes to Tampico, San Bias to Hua- ristemba and Guadalajara to Ameca. N. Mexican National. Sept. 13, 1880 1,056.16 Mexico to Laredo, Acambaro to Psatzcuaro, Matamoros to S. Miguel, Mexico to Salto, belt tramways from suburbs of Mexico called La Colonia extension to Salto. N. Mexican National Sept. 13. 1880 88.30 Manzanillo to Colima and Za Construction Com catecas to Ojo Caliente. pany. S. Sonora. Sept. M, 1880 262.40 Guaymas to Nogales. N. Merida to Valladolid. Dec. 15, 1S80 67-53 Merida to Valladolid and Pro greso to Conkal. N. Tlalmanalco. Feb. 3, 1881 I6.56 Tlalmanalco to Chalco and Amecameca. N. Merida to Campeche. Feb. 23, 1881 97.80 Merida to Campeche, Campeche to Calkini and connecting line with the railroad from Merida to Progreso. 194 Statistical motes on flDejico. NAME. DATE OF CONCESSION. LENGTH. FROM AND TO. N. Campeche to Lerma. Feb. 23, 1881 3-73 Campeche to Lerma. S. Mexican Interna June 7, 1881 658.28 Porfirio Diaz City to Torreon tional. and Durango, Sabinas to Hondo, Matamoros to Zara- goza, Hornos to San Pedro, branch from Velardena and Monclova to Cuatro Cienegas. N. Nautla to San Mar June 25, 1881 47.22 San Marcos toward Nautla and cos. branch to Libres. N. San Juan Bautista to Sept. 17, 1881 3-57 S. Juan Bautista to Tamulte. Paso del Carrizal. S. Chalchicomula. Sept. 20, 1881 6.43 San Andres Chalchicomula. S. Orizaba to Ingenio. Sept. 22, 1881 4.69 Orizaba to Ingenio. S. Santa Ana to Tlax- Dec. 11, 1882 5.28 Santa Ana to Tlaxcala. cala. N. Cardenas to the River May 12, 1883 4.66 Cardenas to the River Grijalva. Grijalva. ' N. Toluca to San Juan May 25, 1883 9-77 Toluca to San Juan de las. de las Huertas. Huertas. N. Vanegas, Cedral, June n, 1883 40-39 Vanegas to Cedral and branch- Matehuala and Rio to Potrero. Verde. S. Tehuacan to Esper- Nov. 28, 1883 31-07 Esperanza to Tehuacan. anza. S. Merida to Izamal. May 15, 1884 40.91 Merida to Izamal. S. Chihuahua and Hi Nov. 13, 1884 6.83 Chihuahua to the Sierra Madre dalgo to the Sierra and Jimenez to Balleza. Madre. N. Southern Mexican. Apr. 21, 1886 228.00 Puebla to Oaxaca. S. Tonala to Textla and Dec. 16, 1886 31-07 Tonala to Kilomete. Frontera. S. Lower California. May 25, 1887 16.78 San Quintin to the Colorado- River. S. Monterey to the Gulf. Nov. 10, 1887 388.12 Monterey to Trevino and Mon terey to Tampico. N. Tecolutla to Espinal, Dec. 10, 1887 13.04 Tecolutla to Espinal. S. Cordova to Tuxtepec. May 19, 1888 31.69 Cordova to Motzorongo. S. Pachuca to Tampico. June 5, 1888 6.21 Isolated Branch. N. Maravatio to Cuer Aug. 16, 1888 40.84 Maravatio towards Cuernavaca navaca. and branches to Agangueo to Trojes. N. Mexican Northeast Aug. 28, 1888 31-12 Mexico to Tizayuca. ern. N. Salamanca to Jaral. Aug. 30, 1888 21.75 Salamanca to Jaral. N. Monte Alto. Aug. 30, 1888 6.21 Tlalnepantla to Pedregal. N. Veracruz to Boca del Rio. S. National Tehuante Aug. 31, 1888 1367 Veracruz to Boca del Rio. Gov ernment 192-38 Coatzacoalcas to Salina Cruz. pec. Road S. Ometusco to Pachuca. May 25, 1889 28.40 Ometusco to Pachuca. S. Puebla Industrial. July 21, 1889 22.21 Puebla to Constancia, Cholula and Huejotzingo. S. Tula to Pachuca. Dec. 20, 1889 43-49 Tula to Pachuca. S. Minero. Mar. 20, 1890 80.94 Escalon to Sierra Mojada and branches. S. Mexico to Cuernavaca May 30, 1890 58.65 Mexico to Tres Marias and and the Pacific. Puente de Ixtla to Mexcala. N. Mixcalco to Santa June 13, 1890 2.77 Mixcalco to Santa Cruz. Cruz. "Kailwass. 19s DATE OF NAME. LENGTH. FROM AND TO. CONCESSION. N. Izucar of Matamoros Nov. 21, 1890 24.85 Matamoros towards Acapulco. to Acapulco. N. Toluca to Tenango. Nov. 24, 1891 4-35 Toluca to Tenango. N. Hacienda of Xava- Mar. 24, 1892 2.49 Hacienda of Xavaleta to San leta to the San Rafael Paper Mill. Rafael Paper Fac tory. S. Esperanza to Xuchil. Nov. 29, 1892 15.84 Esperanza to Xuchil Station. N. Guanajuato to Do May 24, 1893 6.21 Rincon on the National Rail lores, Hidalgo and road to San Luis de la Paz. San Luis de la Paz. S. Villa Lerdo to San June 3, 1893 15-84 Villa Lerdo to Sacramento. Pedro de la Colo- nia. N. Celaya to the farms June 2, 1893 9.07 Celaya to the farms of Roque of Roque and Plan- and Plancarte. carte. N. From La Compaiiia June 13, 1893 5-17 La Compaiiia to the Zoquiapan to the Zoquiapan farm. farm. S. Cazadero to Solis. May 24, 1893 18.64 Cazadero to point between the stations of Solis and Tepetongo. S. Industrial Railroads. Dec. 18, Total.. 1895 1.86 Mexico to Xochimilco. CO 6,791.30 (1) This amount does not include the tramways. RESUME OF RAILWAYS IN MEXICO IN 1 895. KILOMETERS. MILES. Railroads under Federal Grants 10,723, k 113 6,663,022 Tramways 427, 583 265,687 Surburban Railways connecting towns 410, 164 254,863 Railroads belonging to private parties 87, 000 54,059 Portable Railroad, Decau ville System 242, 252 150,527 Total n,890,kii2 7,388,158 As I have already stated most of the roads built in Mexico have obtained large subsidies from the government, and that fact has con tributed very materially to their present prosperous financial condition, as they have used the proceeds of the subsidy, not only to build the roads, but in some cases to pay the interest on their bonds. On the whole Mexican roads are very prosperous, and the following statements taken from the official reports of the principal roads shows their trade and earnings are increasing considerably. The Mexican roads like the Mexican Government have been very rpuch crippled by their obligation to pay in gold the interest on their bonds and dividends on their shares, and as they collect their freights 196 Statistical IRotes on /IDejico. in silver, they have to buy gold at current prices to pay their gold obligations, and the depreciation of silver causes them a very great loss, but notwithstanding that serious drawback, the increase in their business and earnings has been such as to place them in a position to meet their gold obligations. I give below a statement of the traffic and receipts of the three principal railways in Mexico, namely : the Mexican Central, Mexican National, and Mexican International, which I have obtained directly from the respective companies. I also give similar statements from the other roads, which I have taken from statements published by the Anuario Estadistico de la Republica Mexicana of 1895. Mexican Central. — The Mexican Central is the largest road so far built in Mexico. The whole of the main line was opened for traffic in 1884, and all figures for traffic previous to July 1, 1884, were thrown into Construction Accounts. The annexed statement of freights and earnings of this road begins therefore in 1885, and shows a decided increase every year. I also append a statement of the traffic and earnings of this road and its branch from Tula to Pachuca, from 1881 to 1895, taken from the Anuario Estadistico de la Republica Mexicana of 1895, which has been compiled from data furnished by the company to the Mexican Government. (See first table on page 197.) EARNINGS OF THE MEXICAN CENTRAL RAILWAY FROM 1885 TO 1896. MEXICAN CURRENCY. CALEN DAR YEAR. MILEAGE OPER ATED. METRIC TONS FREIGHT. FREIGHT EARNINGS. NUMBER OF PAS SENGERS. PASSENGER EARNINGS. ALL OTHER EARNINGS. TOTAL GROSS EARNINGS. 1885 1886 l887 1,235.90 1,235.90 1,235.90 226,138 245,398346,898 $ 2,287,410 14 2,511,028 78 3,458,006 46 512,272573,8g6601,393 $ I,IOO,268 62 1,168,750 24 1,235,284 05 % 171,882 OO 177,926 83 193,288 l6 $ 3>559,5<5o 76 3,857,705 85 4,886,578 67 1889 1,316.401,461.851,527.20 507,631540,546609,382 4,244,648 52 4,683,290 74 4,702,142 48 581,967675,144723,928 1,321,511 96 i,42°,375 76 1,436,317 68 208,170 83 233,558 88 287,233 92 5,774»33i 31 6,337,225 38 6,425,694 08 1891 1892 1,665.111,824.83 867,657 1,091,785 5,625,668 51 6,183,149 29 742,993731,425 1,470,940 51 I.439.571 6° 277,929 00 340,532 80 7,374,538 oa 7,963,253 6g 1893 l894 1895 1896 . . , 1,846.641,859.831,859-831,869.60 860,187898,484 1,047,038 1,231,025 6,130,347 06 6,440,713 23 7,145,041 44 7,646,257 99 792,025945,434 1,030,911 1,259,623 1.443,793 73 1,576,801 33 1,828,072 61 1,934,612 78 407,627 52 408,510 72 522,751 63 627,149 62 7,981,768 31 8,426,025 28 9,495,865 68 10,208,020 39 Total.. 18,938.99 8,472,169 $61,057,704 64 9,171,011 $I7,376,300 87 $3,856,561 91 $82,290,567 42 Mexican National. — The Mexican National obtained its first con cession from the Mexican Government in 1877, but it was amended from time to time thereafter, until all the amended grants were grouped in the concession approved July 5, 1886, under which the road is now operated. The old companies did not print any reports, and there is no data running back further than the time when the bondholders took possession of the property at the foreclosure sale, which occurred in the City of Mexico on May 23, 1887. I give a statement of the traffic IRailwass. 197 and earnings of the road from 1873 to 1895, taken from the Anuario Estadistico de la Republica Mexicana in 1895, which was compiled with data furnished to the Mexican Government by the company. CENTRAL RAILWAY AND BRANCH FROM TULA TO PACHUCA. ui te. PASSEN GERS. PASSENGER RECEIPTS. MISCELLANEOUS RECEIPTS. TOTAL RECEIPTS. > Tons. Kilos. 1 881. 303,543 $ 62,270 20 7,012 436 $ 33,413 44 % 95,683 64 1882. 491,985 442,726 54 202,304 993 1,289,387 24 1,732,113 78 1883. 653,669 726,830 09 167,356 565 2,876,906 29 3,603,736 38 1884. 761,687 I,III,go6 96 190,423 972 2,662,684 86 3,774,59! 82 1885. 694,894 I,III,o62 54 331,700 260 2,484,325 68 3,595,388 22 1886. 769,655 1,185,662 53 255,027 in 2,754,613 02 3,940,275 55 1887. 797,693 1,251,743 98 356,448 976 3,721,358 13 4,973,102 11 1888. 756,560 1,337,734 10 519,261 394 4,554,830 53 5,892,564 63 1889. 683,147 1,436,301 06 576,324 408 5,081,628 68 6,517,929 74 1890. 736,730 1,487,086 60 694,966 914 5,212,261 40 6,699,348 00 1891. 753,276 1,512,415 42 1,005,447 237 6,167,092 56 7,679,507 98 1892. 735,363 1,442,310 99 1,100,364 029 6,534,507 42 7,976,818 41 1893. 792,025 1,443,793 73 860,186 545 6,537,974 58 7,981,768 31 1894. 945 ,434 1,576,801 35 898,484 071 6,849,223 95 8,426,025 30 1895. 1,030,911 1,828,072 61 1,047,037 8,212,346 836 747 7,767,793 03 $64,528,000 81 9,595,865 64 Total 10,906,572 $17,956,718 70 $82,484,719 51 MEXICAN NATIONAL RAILROAD. ui< PAS SENGERS. PASSENGER RECEIPTS. FREIGHT. MISCEL LANEOUS RECEIPTS. TOTAL > Tons. Kilos. I873- 1874. 1875.I876. 1877.1878.1879-1880.I88l. 1882.1883.1884.I885. IS86. 1887.1888. 1889. I89O. I89I.1892.I893.1894.l895. 247,547584,075 486,788486,000 565,572 529,333535,806 466,897 903,049900,855 1,071,835 878,878 839,573 89I,7H 884,541 907,113 929,685 937,527 998,617 1,012,786 935,167 576,574 926,516 1 17,425 65 40,446 OI 43,027 18 43,437 24 52,759 84 71,193 68 74,277 07 9r,505 23 124,452 13 225,267 21 341,614 87 517,316 80 492,822 92 538,359 97 537,520 17 691,915 03 864,309 90 887,437 19 994,951 69 973,768 72 972,488 57 865,698 53 1,005,515 55 298221698346 3,2098,102 18,191 26,234 105,549140,185 254,804 177,179132,661 307,435370,300 430,166 487,598 515,164 605,545 571,524527,440 642,535 $ 17,425 65 40,744 87 43,248 32 44,146 65 53,035 59 75,039 29 89,606 14 133,489 13 171,772 13 454,853 72 707,935 13 1,260,740 54 1,296,114 12 1,556,378 48 1,658,470 51 2,572,599 27 3,504,728 04 3,561,987 78 4,052,842 69 4,617,553 19 4,163,634 94 4,112,073 60 4,432,357 48 860 140 245 499097920400 150 146779 000000 000 000 527 055 563143 610 780 000071 $ 298 86 221 14 709 41 275 75 3,845 61 15,329 07 41,983 90 47,320 00 229,586 51 366,320 26 743,423 74 803,291 20 1,018,018 51 1,120,950 34 1,880,684 24 2,640,418 14 2,684,550 59 3,057,891 00 3,643,784 47 3,191,146 37 3,246,375 07 3,426,841 93 Total 17,496,445 $10,467,511 15 5,325,390 985 $28,152,266 11 $38,609,777 26 OO STATEMENT OF EARNINGS AND EXPENSES OF THE MEXICAN NATIONAL RAILWAY, FROM 1889 TO 1896 INCLUSIVE. ROAD OPENED FOR THROUGH TRAFFIC IN NOVEMBER, 1888. MEXICAN CURRENCY. EARNINGS FROM Freight Passenger and Mail. Express Telegraph Miscellaneous Total. Operating Expenses Net Earnings Per cent, of Earnings for Opera tion Expenditure for Extraordinary Repairs and Replacements. . Gold Purchases taken up in Ex change Account $2 612,509 38 869,133 94 127,822 31 17,715 31 32,943 30 $3,660,124 24 2,993,431 54 666,692 70 81 78 25,887 88 1890. 2,654,208 04 902,023 41 129,151 00 20,509 92 49,073 99 $2,956,817 91 1,020,627 1° 156,670 31 23,358 12 48,949 30 827,004 47 77 97 135,194 15 Gain. 18,338 25 '3,754,966 36 $4,206,422 74 2,927,961 89 3,047,401 56 1,159,021 18 72 45 419,955 87 64,745 18 1892. 3,474,405 42 994,071 43 179,623 45 24,738 14 83,191 5° 12,956,148 19 985,399 34 199,730 71 22,305 98 61,219 89 $4,756,029 g4 3,055,416 55 1,700,613 39 64 24 149,080 83 3io,777 59 1893. $3,087,466 29 924,454 28 227,939 76 25,834 93 63,383 39 $4,224,804 n 2,586,366 45 1,638,437 66 61 22 151,612 22 542,802 54 1894. $3,129,461 43 1,010,047 75 262,014 J3 34,775 78 76,906 82 $4,329,078 65 2,437,11641 1,891,962 24 5630 93,451 32 885,149 80 1895. $4,513,205 91 2,441,797 4i 2,071,408 50 54 10 121,534 70 861,681 42 1896. 3,871,117 08 1,010,150 14 278,138 62 58,318 06 81,301 87 15,299,025 77 2,773,068 06 2,525,957 7i 52 33 156,586 37 991,760 43 i-tS3 «¦*ST r-r O »o «-t o(ft o B oo IRailwass. 199 I also append a statement of the freights, passengers, express, tele graphs, and miscellaneous receipts, as well as the expenses and earn ings of the road from the year 1889 to 1896, taken from the last official report of the companies. It will be noticed that the traffic and receipts of this road, like the Central, have been steadily increasing from the time at which it began to be operated. (See table on page 198.) MEXICAN INTERNATIONAL RAILROAD COMPANY. GROSS EARNINGS IN MEXICAN MONEY. FREIGHT. YEAR. NO. OF pass'g'rs. passenger receipts. FREIGHT RECEIPTS. TOTAL Tons. Kilos. RECEIPTS. From Dec. [ 15,942 3d, 1883- $ 32,408 45 15,129 723 $ 37,575 00 $ 69,983 45 1884 1885 9,853 25,881 44 50,896 181 118,177 80 144,059 24 1886 10,411 29,242 61 55,877 079 I44,3» 09 173,553 70 1887 9,796 32,516 71 86,889 772 189,184 86 221,701 57 1888 41,170 125,848 48 116,561 273 459,906 57 585,755 05 1889 53,194 140,676 05 180,544 270 691,477 04 832,153 09 59,327 149,258 43 222,856 211 894,944 35 1,044,202 78 1891 64,641 170,304 00 216,465 739 956,546 91 1,126,850 91 60,967 181,378 14 390,802 838 1,836,958 51 2,018,336 65 1893 74,577 219,624 38 335,200 769 1,743,140 42 1,962,764 80 1894 77,456 208,551 86 376,734 430 1,873,974 91 2,082,526 77 1895 102,858 276,514 04 469,641 859 2,197,463 36 2,473.977 40 1896 111,480 313,904 13 525,951 874 2,453,223 54 2,767,127 67 Total . . 691,672 $1,906,108 72 3,043,552 018 $13,596,884 36 $15,502,993 08 MEXICAN INTERNATIONAL RAILWAY. (STATEMENT FURNISHED BY THE COMPANY.) 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 189O 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 Total AVERAGE KILOMETRES OPERATED. GROSS EARNINGS. 245 . 20 273-58273.58273.58 573-97 636 34 637.38658.30 746 • 37 922.19922. 19 947-23 1,011.02 8,120.93 103,307 98 153,916 18 185,150 25 237,394 13 656,781 41 911,698 51 1,126,366 41 1,197,856 55 2,095,726 14 2,050,934 01 2,169,121 47 2,664,126 08 2,900,925 33 $16,453,304 45 AVERAGE EARNINGS PER KILOMETRE. i 421 49 562 59 676 76 867 73 1,144 28 i,432 73 1,745 64 1,819 69 2,807 89 2,226 15 2,352 14 2,812 54 2,869 3° $21,738 93 AVERAGE EARNINGS PER MILE. 612 37 905 39 1,098 11 1,396 43 1,841 47 2,305 64 2,839 77 2,924 02 4,5i8 67 3,579 04 3,785 29 4,526 28 4,617 69 ,95o 17 Mexican International. The Mexican International, which has been built without any subsidy from the Mexican Government, was opened for traffic in 1883, and its traffic and receipts, like the other two roads, have steadily increased. I append two statements of this road; the 200 Statistical Botes on /iDejico. first, furnished me by the company, embraces its traffic and earnings from 1883 to 1896 ; and the second is another statement furnished me also by the company, showing the average kilometres operated, gross earnings, average earnings per kilometre, and average earnings per mile from the years 1884 to 1896. (See the two tables on page 199.) Mexican Southern Railway. — I give below a statement of the number of passengers, amount of freight and earnings of the Mexican Southern Railway, furnished to me by the Company, embracing nine months of the year 1893 and the whole of 1894, as before the ist of April, 1893, the road was run by the Contractors, and the Company has no data in their possession. I also append a statement taken from the Anuario Estadistico de la Republica Mexicana of 1895, embracing the traffic and MEXICAN SOUTHERN RAILWAY. MONTHS. PASSEN GERS. PASSENGER RECEIPTS. FREIGHT. FREIGHT RECEIPTS. TOTAL Tons. Kilos. I893. May June July 12,099 9,943 8,154 11,86510,375 10,405 10,897 11,89314,452 $ 14,647 21 11,683 15 7,"9 78 8,740 20 9,577 91 9,751 47 10,317 54 12,661 99 17,096 43 2,5542,262 1,344i,355 2,5682,0192,1453,2962,943 810790 950420 330 000 150 070420 $ 20,243 °I 15,421 87 9,541 OO 5,707 05 23,762 64 17,322 40 16,941 41 16,276 89 15,702 01 $ 38,172 41 29,506 27 18,209 89 16,671 95 35,959 30 30,947 32 29,945 7i 31,839 26 38,308 76 August September . . . November . . . December . . . Total 100,083 $101,595 68 20,489 940 $140,918 28 $269,560 87 Number of Passengers according to official Tables. " Tons " " . 142,919. 27,917,510 k. MONTHS. PASSEN GERS. PASSENGER RECEIPTS. FREIGHT. FREIGHT RECEIPTS. TOTAL Tons. Kilos. 880 140 290380880 590no 420 740510800 690 1894. January February .... July September. . . November . . . December . . . 15,25514,900 29,545 16,52718,229 20,543 19,471 18,21818,65317,81416,300 20,994 $ 16,146 67 14,925 48 21,348 92 17,195 89 14,864 75 15,173 98 14,023 23 14,602 85 15,354 80 14,954 13 14,257 08 18,776 23 3,1873,060 3,744 4,010 4,322 3,9423,8283,5153,189 2,973 2,453 2,682 $ 20,083 75 22,6l6 16 25,224 36 25.184 73 21,406 14 23,279 97 20,637 28 I7,53i 15 16,285 34 19,374 02 17,145 58 17,900 02 $ 39,725 34 40,935 29 50,001 11 45,742 46 39,720 18 42,037 56 38,168 24 35,709 56 35,156 99 38,068 95 34,691 02 40,519 83 Total , . . 226,449 $191,624 01 40,911 430 $246,668 50 $480,476 53 IRailwaps. 20 r earnings of the Company during the years from 1890 to 1895, taken from data furnished by the Company to the Department of Communi cations of Mexico. MEXICAN SOUTHERN. YEARS. PASSEN GERS. PASSENGER RECEIPTS. MERCHANDISE. OTHER RECEIFrS. TOTAL RECEIPTS. Tons. Kilos. I89I 76,788 104,296 143,037 225,447 218,213 $74,259 78 IOg,OII 90 153,233 01 191,624 01 196,462 34 11,506 26,97727,921 40,9H 36,5H 820 490 510 430 210 $ 59,427 26 152,859 II 246,862 75 246,668 50 287,426 59 $ 133,687 04 261,871 01 400,095 76 438,292 51 483,888 93 I892 I893 1894 1895 Total 767,781 $724,591 04 143,828 460 $993,244 21 $1,717,835 25 Other Railroads. The following statement shows the traffic and earnings of the Mexican, Interoceanic, Sonora, and minor railroads in Mexico, taken from the Anuario Estadistico de la Republica Mexicana of 1895, compiled from data furnished by the respective companies to the Department of Communications of the Mexican Government. MEXICAN RAILROAD. MERCHANDISE. YEARS. PASSEN GERS. PASSENGER RECEIPTS. OTHER RECEIPTS. TOTAL Tons. Kilos. RECEIPTS. I873-.. 476,287 $ 482,565 39 150,473 812 $ 1,348,344 49 $ 1,830,909 88 I874-. 459,601 467,816 73 121,935 229 1,887,028 76 2,354,845 49 I875... 267,776 476,546 91 136,632 65 1,970,008 55 2,446,555 4& 1876... 245,675 380,018 73 132,216 831 1,841,717 53 2,221,736 26 1877". 300,591 533,520 58 158,537 56 2,255,466 03 2,788,986 61 1878... 279,893 518,318 74 169,287 672 2,440,513 39 2,958,832 13 1879... 293,179 517,711 92 190,908 638 2,823,013 02 3,340,724 94 1880... 323,088 548,941 72 219,930 162 3,242,343 n 3,791,284 83 I88l... 331,749 587,135 85 278,942 924 4,433,648 24 5,020,784 09 1882. .. 385,621 696,235 87 333,979 556 5,396,090 55 6,092,326 42 1883... 409,098 710,636 88 373,389 634 5,115,639 84 5,826,276 72 1884... 389,421 655,458 83 236,030 480 3,191,916 10 3,847,374 93 1885... 377,512 603,886 n 246,169 949 2,812,764 22 3,416,650 33 1886... 367,260 604,278 41 266,432 333 2,714,082 96 3,318,361 37 I887... 380,153 655,312 23 301,185 300 3,141,903 40 3,797,215 63 1888... 393,679 694,138 08 351,070 36 3,352,439 37 4,046,577 45 1889.. . 444.149 765,118 71 391,627 274 3,512,566 64 4,277,685 35 1890. . . 502,139 701,916 00 443,794 979 3,565,083 50 4,266,999 50 1891... 620,988 832,185 94 464,123 453 3,239,764 53 4,071,950 47 1892. . . 628,591 797,878 35 408,709 417 2,286,389 71 3,084,268 06 I893... 629,892 768,616 68 387,400 277 2,140,061 75 2,908,678 43 1894... 717,076 857,525 26 433,637 485 2,063,486 26 2,921,011 52 1895... 772,139 993,016 63 453,294 579 2,087,844 19 3,080,860 82 Total. 9,995,557 $14,848,780 55 6,649,709 141 $66,862,116 14 $81,710,896 69 202 Statistical IRotes on flfoejico. INTEROCEANIC RAILWAY. MERCHANDISE. YEARS. PASSEN GERS. PASSENGER RECEIPTS. OTHER RECEIPTS. TOTAL Tons Kilos. RECEIPTS. l88o 228,053 $65,277 91 11,431 145 0 36,515 46 $ 101,793 37 1881 367,116 105,083 31 49,942 548 159,535 64 264,618 95 1882 411,090 111,029 25 53,382 3»5 258,221 05 369,250 30 1883 406,016 223,049 58 56,822 222 356,906 46 579,956 04 1884 634,306 247,528 SO 131,385 319 407,593 64 655,122 14 1885 606,510 240,233 70 167,970 265 436,345 IO 676,578 80 1886 569,421 224,815 19 148,001 913 482,003 18 706,818 37 1887 621,295 239,812 48 174,194 I56 570,033 20 809,845 68 1888. ... 673,169 254,809 77 200,386 40O 658,063 22 912,872 99 1889 596,812 271,562 69 190,902 Q20 710,848 78 982,411 47 657,616 383,107 10 288,-836 358 1,153,999 13 i,537,io6 23 I89I 795,625 456,685 80 282,311 491 1,176,562 22 1,633,248 02 I892 799,487 466,799 31 367,762 660 1,376,488 38 1,843,287 69 1893 879,005 486,075 54 383,503 OOO 1,705,859 74 2,191,935 28 I894 88l,8lO 491,914 20 440,648 000 1,912,192 58 2,404,106 78 1895 906,550 491,388 67 464,975 000 1,771,268 92 2,262,657 59 Total . . I0,O33,88l 4,759,173 OO 3,412,455 782 13,172,436 70 17,931,609 70 SONORA RAILWAY. 1881 $ 11,303 29 68,410 83 99,461 33 87,793 47 101,918 90 98,613 06 87,098 20 84,143 57 104,367 85 97,662 48 112,919 18 "9,784 37 126,657 56 141,744 09 $ 17,254 95 157,694 60 "9,347 56 108,531 43 193,189 89 191,981 24 193,981 40 204,146 63 239,697 67 259,360 01 332,938 65 363,128 91 393,319 17 469,950 09 $ 28,558 24 226,105 43 218,808 89 196,324 90 295,108 79 290,594 30 281,079 60 288,290 20 344,065 52 357,022 49 445,857 83 482,913 28 519,976 73 611,694 18 1882 18831885 1886 1887 . . 18881889 1891 1893 1895 33,46436,428 47,271 45,298 38,189 38,335 44,69148,196 56,56554,62152,678 62,715 24,20221,11529,92733,63534,66o37,621 43,32146,147 53,94758,867 63,68769,982 791 382 682621670 60 7io 870663359 055 389 Total. . . 558,451 1,341,878 18 5i7,"7 252 3,244,522 20 4,586,400 38 HIDALGO AND NORTHEASTERN RAILWAY. 1881 39,759 $ 9,897 17 2,264 000 $ 1,659 36 $ n,556 53 1882 30.94O 12,270 02 7,624 000 10,442 30 22,712 32 1883 37,198 25,715 04 17,852 283 33,220 80 58,933 84 1884 35,209 32,648 22 34,958 222 54,955 16 87,603 38 1885 51,823 32,295 08 40,960 794 76,710 43 109,005 51 1886., 44,666 36,692 27 51,760 395 117,603 55 154,295 82 1887 53,958 43,582 66 65,524 057 145,702 22 189,284 88 188S 55,055 45,805 05 77,203 173 161,773 18 207,578 23 1889 90,241 90,194 56 100,110 733 262,081 27 352,275 83 113,605 106,397 87 137,467 201 328,124 49 434,522 36 1891 127,972 120,128 18 176,432 664 404,735 74 524,863 92 148,540 141,360 09 186,041 471 422,052 91 563,413 00 1893 168,422 161,908 45 178,174 047 468,566 69 630,475 14 1894 214,837 178,477 10 200,685 687 643,700 93 822,178 03 1895 206,194 181,043 96 164,176 000 616,641 61 797,685 57 Total. .. 1,418,419 $1,218,415 72 1,441,234 727 $3,747,970 64 $4,966,384 36 TRailwa^s. 203 MERIDA AND PROGRESO RAILWAY. PASSEN GERS. PASSENGER RECEIPTS. MERCHANDISE. OTHER RECEIPTS. TOTAL YEARS. Tons. Kilos. RECEIPTS. I88l 56,08584,01683,23187,15964,173 77,13985,044 109,997158,534162,701 129,989I08,Hg 91,291 79,653 $ 28,639 50 37,642 38 36,239 83 37,940 54 29,078 41 33,353 16 22,844 42 29,812 76 56,763 81 55,566 97 46,155 85 36,528 45 39,276 08 33,387 18 38,228 81 $ 53,236 00 75,242 88 108,248 80 139,299 59 120,389 13 78,168 66 52,995 68 64,291 88 97,oi7 37 89,139 81 67,460 18 83,593 75 96,230 47 68,513 05 97,850 38 $ 81,875 50 112,885 26 144,488 63 177,240 13 149,467 54 111,521 82 75,840 10 94,104 64 153,781 18 144,706 78 II3,6l6 03 120,132 20 135,506 55 101,900 23 136,079 19 I883 I884 I885 1886 I88718881889 189I I8g2 I893 1894 1895 41,934 59.859 95,962 79,6ll 58,239 46,055 30,872 44,619 53,94934,486 28,656 34,406 38,659 297 715 902 737 254 714512 200818 000499476 401 Total. . . 1,377,131 $561,458 15 647,313 525 $1,291,677 63 $1,853,135 78 TEHUACAN AND ESPERANZA RAILWAY. 1884 . . 1885..1886 . . 1887- 1888..1889.. 1890 . . 1891..1892..1893 . . 1894. 1895 . . Total. i8,343 15,049 12,942 14,848 17,11619,385 20,462 17,42615,10216,096 19,905 186,674 11,427 64 10,077 20 9,111 04 10,080 15 15,376 57 20,673 o° 18,459 96 11,087 06 8,792 35 9,4H 51 10,941 81 $135,438 29 6,043 813 5,857 257 6,603 705 7,669 730 8,764 045 9,858 360 16,625 870 14,381 340 4,179 510 5,663 530 4,062 500 89,709 660 $ 32,921 87 31,905 66 38,271 80 47,437 77 54,500 93 61,564 09 75,744 37 68,684 08 44,602 09 37,997 45 18,724 99 512,355 10 ¦ 44,349 51 41,982 86 47,382 84 57,517 92 69,877 50 82,237 09 94,204 33 79,771 14 53,394 44 47,408 96 29,666 80 $647,793 39 MERIDA AND PETO RAILWAY. 1881... 1882... 1883... 1884..1885... 1886.. 1887..1888...1889...189O. . . 1891 . . , 1892.. . I893... 1894 . . 1895 . . Total 22,852 81,102 88,92081,566 64,118 62,983 62,76392,773 99,761 126,978134,438 129,163163,852 i57,3« 140,193 1,508,773 3,9i3 69 12,293 58 14,422 31 17,818 29 16,795 70 16,728 82 15,943 55 22,146 61 25,351 70 24,5H 70 55,007 97 59,742 62 71,970 64 70,898 03 67,134 69 $494,682 90 5,654 115 11,063 915 16,919 464 17,368 079 15,827 969 20,231 714 25,397 822 30,024 477 27,106 666 28,266 475 36,202 439 32,260 765 37,853 723 304,177 623 f 430 2,637 4,833 11,588 20,22221,710 26,61937,013 52,553 69,390 85,602 118,214128,115 121,547118,179 4,344 29 14,930 99 19,255 54 29,406 78 37,017 80 38,439 73 42,563 26 59,l6o 37 77,905 65 93,904 72 140,610 21 177,956 82 200,086 25 192,445 82 185,313 80 18,659 13 $1,313,342 03 204 Statistical motes on flDejico. SINALOA AND DURANGO (ALTATA TO CULIACAN) RAILWAY. PASSEN GERS. PASSENGER RECEIPTS. FREIGHT. MISCELLA NEOUS RECEIPTS. TOTAL YEARS. Tons. Kilos. RECEIPTS. 1882 , . . 1883 .... 1884 , . . 1885 188618871888I889 , , , I89O 1891 I892 1893 1894 1895 2,727 12,251 21,776 I5,8l6 23,17125,487 27,904 21,850 42,987 54,678 39,49456,503 38,45137,627 $ 3,712 04 7,8l6 94 8,584 57 8,786 88 10,681 46 10,705 56 n,459 15 9,318 46 14,871 77 19,170 23 14,837 39 14,152 07 14,040 41 15,768 25 1,864 3,9135,962 4,953 4,3i6 5,962 6,7366,535 4,722 7,442 10,371 12,893 12,093 8,538 589 457 325364 116 325532 236 749 886701822568 024 $ 5,155 65 18,717 39 25,019 62 19,719 92 20,880 39 16,661 71 23,650 34 25,537 79 18,911 41 25,381 35 28,131 17 35,205 12 38,393 29 29,390 59 $ 8,867 69 26,534 33 33,604 19 28,506 80 31,561 85 27,367 27 35,109 49 34,856 25 33,783 18 44,551 58 42,968 56 49,357 19 52,433 70 45,158 84 Total. . . 420,722 $163,905 18 96,306 694 $330,755 74 $494,660 92 MERIDA AND CAMPECHE RAILWAY. 1883. 1884. 1885.1886.1887.1888. 1889. 1890. 1891.1892. 1893. 1894. 1895. 22,94497,29576,13565,274 68,883 86,329 58,38375,496 96,994 87,954 124,983 3,586 10 I3,l6l 59 12,535 94 10,779 44 n,793 63 22,172 11 17,017 46 28,939 04 35,303 04 33,598 n 56,034 03 462 3,9527,7946,2658,106 n,5i4 12,534 6,779 17,328 17,363 21,775 169 565570 722813 018035458478 510 101 1,120 32 5,203 67 9,306 31 9,579 90 13,263 22 21,106 70 28,300 44 19,057 69 36,035 70 39,330 26 53,390 97 4,706 42 18,365 26 21,842 25 20,359 34 25,056 85 43,278 81 45,317 90 47,996 73 71,338 74 72,928 37 109,425 00 Total. 139,349 66,174 :4 24,699 277 72,923 31 1,000,019 311,094 63 138,575 716 $308,618 49 139,097 45 $ 619,713 12 MERIDA AND VALLADOLID RAILWAY. 1883 18,123 75,541 100,015132,210176,501183,973 280,348295,034 264,781254,344244,040 $ 2,570 17 12,595 63 18,548 61 25,798 73 32,298 87 37,957 45 58,691 70 63,485 18 60,366 76 6i,573 70 79,223 48 $ 609 18 5,287 96 8,487 63 33,276 45 58,096 41 65,864 26 115,032 74 96,611 23 98,212 31 134,209 85 139,384 68 $ 3,179 35 17,883 59 27,036 24 59,075 18 90,395 28 103,821 71 173,724 44 160,096 41 158,579 07 195,783 55 218,608 16 1884188518861887 .. 1888 . . 1889 1891 . , , 1893 4,2486,040 25,181 41,496 35,975 54,20650,781 47,064 46,124 50,633 788 957498 479 207 189 662 535 159 534 1895 199,670 2,224,580 72,828 22 62,342 134 165,983 26 238,811 48 Total. . . $525,938 50 424,095 142 $921,055 96 $1,446,994 46 IRailwags. 205 TLALMANALCO RAILWAY. PASSEN GERS. PASSENGER RECEIPTS. FREIGHT. MISCELLA NEOUS TOTAL YEARS. RECEIPTS. Tons. Kilos. RECEIPTS. 1S83 39,688 $ 4,022 44 10,813 000 $ 5,564 91 $ 9,587 35 1S84 40,211 4,596 80 9,641 000 7,276 95 ",873 75 1885 41,226 4,577 43 7,466 713 6,830 06 11,407 49 1886 41,905 4,621 28 6,845 349 6,360 51 10,981 79 1887 47,808 5,098 09 8,083 538 6,788 75 11,886 84 1888 46,150 5,076 97 10,722 122 9,164 56 14,241 53 1889 49,866 5,536 16 13,710 170 n,566 53 17,102 69 1890 55.345 6,654 20 24,988 131 12,019 62 18,673 82 1891 61,236 6,765 86 15,469 050 12,684 68 19,450 54 1892 62,618 7,225 65 12,303 020 9,853 83 17,079 48 1893 60,835 6,492 30 18,572 715 15,430 59 21,922 89 1895 71,777 7,358 10 13,824 250 12,284 66 19,642 76 Total. . . 618,665 $68,025 28 152,439 058 $115,825 65 $183,850 93 SAN JUAN BAUTISTA AND CARRIZAL PASSENGER RAILWAY. 1888 99,504 56,880 110,731 105,251152,606150,243 $ 5,123 13 4,406 10 6,733 92 7,923 34 9,462 23 9,965 56 $ 5,123 13 4,406 10 7,756 52 8,846 13 10,904 51 n, 808 26 18891891 1893 1,022 922 1,803 2,052 000000000000 $1,022 60 922 79 1,442 28 1,842 70 1895 167,994 12,003 21 3,455 454 3,131 00 15,134 21 Total. . . 843,209 $55,617 49 9,254 454 $8,361 37 $63,978 86 SAN ANDRES AND CHALCHICOMULA RAILWAY. 1882 1883.... 1884.... 1885 1886.... 1887.... 1888....1889. .. 189O 1891 1892 1893.... 1894.... 1895.... Total. 6,851 15,053 14,21810,928 9,994 9,794 10,173 12,727 13,01012,711 12,223 12,239 I3.998 13,454 167,373 $ 1.905 53 4,002 51 3,683 23 2,834 42 2,595 58 ^,428 25 2,489 80 3,137 07 3,163 15 3,079 10 6,327 21 3,061 75 3,398 65 3,444 35 $45,550 60 1,658 4,8024,485 4,723 4,079 5,835 8,324 5,832 4,385 6,258 7,980 10,011 7,78i 76,159 614 280 960 310 294696735 417 480 307 430 250 980 753 $ 2,847 76 9,548 51 n, 681 15 4,805 87 4,980 84 6,850 94 9,592 88 7,ioo 57 6,225 35 8,140 76 9,376 67 n,474 05 9,266 42 10,383 00 $112,274 77 $ 4,753 29 13,551 02 15,364 38 7,640 29 7,576 42 9,279 19 12,082 68 10,237 64 9,388 50 11,219 86 15,703 88 14,535 80 12,665 °7 13,827 35 $157,825 37 206 Statistical motes on flDejlco. ORIZABA AND INGENIO RAILWAY. PASSEN GERS. PASSENGER RECEIPTS. FREIGHT. MISCELLA NEOUS RECEIPTS. TOTAL YEARS. Tons, Kilos. RECEIPTS. 1882 I883 I884 , , , 1885 ... 1886 , . . 1887 1888 1889. , 189I . 1892 1893 1894 1895 38,63691.94994,323 34,92186,047 40,364 41,94546,640 106,773 103,011 99,553 104,030104,019 132,650 $ 4,473 30 10,645 94 10,92O 74 4,365 12 9,962 57 4,673 38 4,800 00 5,400 00 12,362 20 12,532 10 13,303 20 13,900 50 13,990 77 17,438 04 237360 435 384 121182168 504 612 750704 748 168 972 720813 344 400000000000000000000 197 64 3O0 82 363 10 350 18 101 12 152 OO I40 OO 420 OO 510 OO 728 36 400 00 528 00 561 00 $ 4,473 30 10,843 58 11,221 56 4,728 22 10,312 75 4,774 5<> 4,952 00 5,540 00 12,782 20 13,042 10 14,031 56 14,300 50 I4,5l8 77 17,999 04 Total. . 1,124,861 $138,767 86 5,208 417 $4,752 22 $143,520 08 SANTA ANA AND TLAXCALA RAILWAY. 1883...1884.. . 1885... 1886... 1887...1888...1889. .. 1890. . . 1891... 1892. . . 1893 •-• 1894...1895... Total 58,068 117,560 174,204156,676117,518120,910no,574 145,263 66,716 55,76859,127 71,843 1,254,227 2,860 20 8,580 60 12,714 98 6,733 14 8,463 85 9,179 28 8,294 98 8,398 00 9,098 30 7,011 74 7,326 40 8,670 35 $ 97,331 82 750 3,8292,038 6,617 000003440 443 494 38 1,494 14 1,483 00 1,482 37 i,373 25 1,651 02 1,475 20 1,469 82 1,769 28 1,280 03 2,434 13 2,344 38 $18,751 00 3,354 58 10,074 74 14,197 98 8,215 5i 9,837 10 10,830 30 9,770 18 9,867 82 10,867 58 8,291 77 9,76o 53 11,014 73 £116,082 82 CARDENAS AND RIO GRIJALVA RAILWAY. 1886...1887...1888... 1889.. . 1890. . . 1891...1892. . . 1893." 1884... 1895... $ 263 01 401 43 309 07 216 72 380 00 480 00 $ 526 00 722 57 78i 13 839 69 839 69 939 69 $ 789 01 1,124 00 i,ogo 20 1,056 41 1,219 69 1,419 69 Total 2,050 23 $4,648 77 $6,699 0° ¦Railways. 207 TOLUCA AND SAN JUAN DE LAS HUERTAS RAILWAY FREIGHT. MISCELLA PASSEN GERS. PASSENGER RECEIPTS. NEOUS TOTAL YEARS. RECEIPTS. Tons. Kilos. RECEIPTS. 1885 75,052 $ 7,016 39 $ 1,138 19 $ 8,154 58 1886 97,535 9,078 95 6,133 000 5,201 59 14,280 54 1887 94,874 8,788 6l 9,36i 000 6,755 49 15,544 IO 1888 93,512 8,475 83 7,251 750 4.729 99 13,205 S2 1889 134,193 12,677 97 13,483 088 8,087 03 20,765 OO 1890 178,072 16,264 75 i8,595 861 12,156 67 28,421 42 189I 156,917 15,293 69 13,998 185 11,082 76 26,376 45 1892 107,122 13,777 47 13,924 530 11,702 56 25,480 03 1893 176,241 16,340 90 14,128 510 11,690 24 28,031 14 1894 121,949 15,328 76 13,778 920 11,536 10 26,864 86 1895 204,591 18,210 13 13,860 796 10,136 78 28,346 91 Total. . 1,440,058 $141,253 45 124,515 640 $94,217 40 $235,470 85 VANEGAS, CEDRAL, MATEHUALA, AND RIO VERDE RAILWAY. 18891890 1891 1893 1894 1895.... 10,848 36,742 44,502 46,083 35.213 $ 449 69 5,763 16 12,783 05 16,083 11 16,030 02 13,798 53 28 1,840 5,939 94, 1 1 2 83,"5 "3,384 540 661 568500 000 000 $ 335 24 15,492 27 61,513 43 124,565 69 "4,505 49 185,649 51 $ 784 93 21,255 43 74,296 48 140,648 80 130,535 51 199,448 04 Total. . 173,388 $64,907 56 298,420 269 $502,061 63 $566,969 19 MERIDA AND IZAMAL RAILWAY. 1887..1888.1889.. 1890. 1891. 1892. 1893.1894.1895. Total 42,812 78,102 106 089 106,883 80,042 94,634 96,458 605,020 7,280 38 18,981 70 38,330 34 54,462 10 41,891 51 49,729 03 45,684 12 52,564 78 49,735 12 $358,659 08 2,7297,871 11,63310,14613,77518,094 21,476 85,727 000 54i37&374 771768 676 506 3,954 64 17,656 81 28,069 91 29,995 33 44,798 43 65,565 47 65,714 14 6i,335 45 63,295 49 80,385 67 $ 11,235 02 36,638 51 66,400 25 84,457 43 86,68g 94 115,294 50 111,398 26 113,900 23 113,030 61 $739,044 75 SAN MARCOS AND NAUTLA RAILWAY. i8gi 1893 1894 1895 4,582 10,89414,136 15,481 17,309 $ 3,181 70 5,968 34 7,339 14 7,9i8 63 8,195 77 5,307 12,00019,576 750 570 000 $ 5,968 12 17,835 93 27,008 47 29,5'9 97 27,603 55 $ 9, 149 82 23,804 27 34,347 6r 37,438 60 35,799 32 24,452 440 Total. . . 62,402 $32,603 58 61,336 760 $107,936 04 $140,539 62 208 Statistical motes on ZlDejico. MONTEREY AND GULF RAILWAY. PASSEN GERS. PASSENGER RECEIPTS. FREIGHT. MISCELLA NEOUS RECEIPTS. TOTAL YEARS. Tons. Kilos. RECEIPTS. 1891 1893 1894 1895 16,714 57,0g6 94,05299,802 107,378127,900502,942 $ 17,144 65 70,185 08 II2,glO 64 119,390 74 141,093 86 4,197 168,204174,829 193,437 238,442329,059 432 600 706 800 000008 $ 13,440 52 791,398 47 876,563 75 664,072 42 820,433 06 $ 30,585 17 861,583 55 989,474 39 783,463 16 961,526 92 150,005 75 1,162,009 39 1,312,015 14 Total. . $610,730 72 1,108,170 546 $4,327,917 61 $4,938,648 33 CORDOVA AND TUXTEPEC RAILWAY. 1889 1891 1893 1894 1895 26,537 49,142 23,54239,885 46,086 $ 4,815 27 8,917 06 14,009 84 12,767 51 17,433 62 2,2353,730 571 424 $ 1,285 13 2,379 97 5,097 98 5,i« 19 9,828 94 $ 6,100 40 11,297 03 19,107 82 17,878 70 27,262 56 Total.. 185,192 $57,943 30 5,965 995 $23,703 21 $81,646 51 MARAVATfO AND CUERNAVACA RAILWAY. 1891 1893 1894 1895 3,466 6,190 9,081 12,867 15,13813,964 $ 3,389 66 6,283 94 8,047 76 9,418 26 11,235 58 11,364 72 $49,739 92 $ 3,372 10 16,741 42 30,160 42 28,201 99 32,238 33 39,714 So $ 6,761 76 23,025 36 38,208 18 37,620 25 43,473 91 51,079 52 Total. . 60,706 $150,429 06 $200,168 98 SALAMANCA AND SANTIAGO VALLEY RAILWAY. 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 4,709 18,836 25,43221,923 22,67427,49630,094 $ 1,486 51 5,946 04 8,554 11 8,020 59 7,7ig 44 8,740 90 10,376 66 132 529 3,3242,8153,38o 4,142 7,799 270 080430 940 060690050 $ 304 26 1,217 °4 7,237 67 5,325 03 8,910 74 9,584 17 13,969 73 $ i,790 77 7,163 08 i5,79i 78 13,345 62 16,630 18 18,325 07 24,346 39 Total. . 151,164 $50,844 25 22,123 520 $46,548 64 $97,392 89 TRailwaps. 209 MONTE ALTO RAILWAY. PASSEN GERS. PASSENGER RECEIPTS. FREIGHT MISCELLA NEOUS RECEIPTS. TOTAL Tons. Kilos. RECEIPTS. 1893 1894 1895 31,080 30,888 31,913 39,041 132,922 $ 2,652 89 3,260 28 3.318 14 4,005 U 4,0066,135 6,221 5,430 21,792 000000000000 $1,330 13 1,965 72 2,002 79 1,410 85 $ 3,983 02 5,226 OO 5,320 93 5,415 99 Total. . $13,236 45 000 $6,709 49 $19,945 94 VALLEY OF MEXICO RAILWAY. 189I.. 1892.. 1893.. 1894.. 1895. Total.. 1,423,652 1,639,873 1,637,135 4,700,660 p 99,615 og 119,379 76 110,160 60 ,155 45 9,108 21,15424,361 54,623 000000000 $ 5,912 38 12,310 35 21,497 48 $39,720 21 pl05,527 41 131,690 17 131,658 08 875 66 PUEBLA INDUSTRIAL RAILWAY. 1891 1893 1894 1895 151,380125,766155,112190,480 226,275 $ 23,234 66 20,052 34 24,082 55 31,620 62 36,264 00 14,250 000 $ 1,398 00 1,239 00 1,380 00 3,149 37 11,122 35 $ 24,632 66 21,291 34 25,462 55 34,76g 99 47,386 35 Total.. 849,013 $135,254 17 14,250 000 $18,288 72 $153,542 89 MEXICAN NORTHERN RAILWAY. i8g2 1893 1895 4,8704,3694,088 4,274 17,601 $14,802 61 14,802 61 13,087 go 94,726 I77,78i176,801151,744 000 825 913929 $ 740,122 98 1,337,853 47 1,334,524 47 $ 754,925 59 1,352,656 08 1,347,612 37 13,420 18 I,i49,06g 15 1,162,489 33 Total.. $56,113 30 601,054 667 $4,561,570 07 $4,617,683 37 MEXICO CUERNAVACA AND PACfFICO RAILWAY. 1895- i7,2og 1,19,214 84 84,434 $130,662 86 $149,877 70 Statistical motes on flDejico. FEDERAL DISTRICT TRAMWAYS. PASSENGERS. F PASSENGER REIGHT. MISCELLA NEOUS RECEIPTS. TOTAL YEARS RECEIPTS. To ns. Kilos. RECEIPTS. 1873- 1874-1875.I876. I877. 1878.1879.1880.1881.1882. 1883.1884.1885.1886.1887. 1888. 1889.189O.IS9I.1892. 1893. 1894.1895. 3,760,653 3,088,808 3,597,1973,545,589 4,455,5954,605,223 5,084,669 6,165,461 7,675,8299,851,614 10,101,302 9,926,6219,407,751 10,841,928 11,121,575 12,185,031 13,533,21714,457,203 15,585,91916,164,64415,622,87915,844,42518,281,729 $ 232,347 92 ... 240,277 12 286,248 25 278,068 94 357,262 43 360,175 g8 . .. 390,298 10 458,547 60 586,167 20 703,422 06 775,550 34 ¦•• 717,264 90 6go,457 87 746,107 46 810,974 85 881,646 36 ... 981,922 98 1,028,871 57 1,002,224 50 1,023,617 85 . . . ggo,265 03 1,028,430 01 1,194,335 17 ¦•• $ 16,421 10 29,628 70 23,644 IO 19,289 15 14,179 54 6,752 49 8,089 47 19,020 46 52,547 54 87,584 95 90,644 72 114,307 69 63,423 48 134,133 77 155,972 22 171,418 11 203,011 13 247,868 09 206,601 54 194,358 01 217, gos 64 230,935 43 229,571 08 $ 248,769 02 269, gos 82 3og,8g2 35 297,358 og 371,441 97 366,g28 47 398,387 57 477,568 06 638,714 74 791,007 01 866,195 06 831,572 59 753,881 35 880,241 23 g66,g47 07 1,053,064 47 1,184^34 11 1,276,739 66 1,208,826 04 1,217,975 86 1,208,170 67 1,259,365 44 1,423,906 25 Total 224,904,862 $15,764,48449 ... $2,537,308 41 $18,301,792 90 VERACRUZ AND ALVARADO RAILWAY. 885....886.... 887....888....889.... 890....891... . 892... . 893----894....895.... Total 39,07837,77229,971 58,127 63,328 72,2g2 74,317 73,24973,70532,96487,291 642, og4 18,451 01 18,673 04 16,677 46 33,174 25 36,779 93 42,128 89 39,304 87 47,831 14 47,298 50 44,294 74 53,050 84 $397,664 67 882 8,500 11,500 16,84514,49822,97620,197 22,764 118,164 500 412 892 17S 000000000 103 085 4,942 00 14,316 16 26,549 26 31,779 57 34,829 14 44,831 36 51,025 73 49,955 98 56,927 go 69,450 61 ,607 71 $ 18. 23- 30, 59,68, 76, 84. 98. 97. 101. 451 01 615 04 993 62 723 51 559 50 958 03 136 23 856 87 254 48 222 64 501 45 82,272 38 Total Traffic and Receipts of Mexican Railways. — Before concluding this chapter, I append a statement of the total traffic and receipts of the Mexican Railways from 1873 t0 I89S, taken from iheAnuario Esta distico de la Republica Mexicana of i8g$, compiled in the Department of Communication of the Mexican Government from data furnished the same by the respective companies, in compliance with the provis ions of their grants. IRailwaps. 211 RAILWAY SUBSIDIES PAID BY THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT. I append a statement of the railway subsidies paid by the Mexican Government from the beginning of railway construction to June 30, 1896, which is entirely correct, as it has been obtained from the ac counts of the Federal Treasury of Mexico. I insert after that state ment a detailed account of each of the railways to whom subsidies have Si 1 O O "*• »n m n 0 ' 1 Q m 00 -*¦ Ch ¦*>£> 1 r-vo c-* rn h c rn-o i ^ 0 >n 0.00 in 0 n 00 o "*¦ moo ^o 00 n in in n cis cmoh co t» n nco cr- t^^o ¦*¦ en tj- tj-*o o -*¦ t-* -co 100*0 ¦>}- o- 0 00 ^o »0 >-> en 000 invo co 2 3 f o hco'co" < 1-1 ¦^-•o co I*- en m ej\\o co . _ i coco yo >n ->f « o- ^ -f 0 w m mo -¦fines « nmoo co tj-\o «oo +1 m 00 mco ¦*¦ «» «*o n q>m -»fin tj-v c?i o « s s r>. m^o 1010 nm 0 m 1 •O •*¦ s mio **¦ r COCO t>. N I IN N SVO - r-co m cy ro n co 0 »*¦ ¦*- N on m m ro M r»\0 n ^i*co >n -f 1 1 h \o t-» s m h >o coco o o\ cn w in 1 £ m\o 00 m c- ¦* •*¦ ¦**£> c- o 01 O *o 'i F N ts h &io"co" h cf.O mo in^cT o n 11 ui + u5m n fninM t^vo co h N« lO*H H N OM -iJ-CON OO »nN W O CO H in»o -"t- 0 inco (¦-• « cinnm hooio ooo t- >o N VO M O O (JWO O "O N O mine-N mo m t soirj 0 co •© m N Q O S S cowxtotococococococococoMcorococococDMoococococooococDcocococOOT 3 COOO COCO CO c UA,4U4AA AA D CO CO CO CO 0\C0 CO O-CO O- •"3 B S-0 "3 2.2 ° z uj « 0* * u c « CO 1 c^ a °-"S 3 rt rt •O 3 a e 2« SQSlSlSi OtjtJ HScoc/dw ?~" 5 t3; cs:^ - U m — .2 go S 5 rt " "^"m -5J3 N S-S 3 •C 15"o Ocn OH S«55 . TO rtcn • !>. •«H « Jj^3 "S b-p 2 Sb." "¦3 C >SSSoSJ3S!S(SsS SUBSIDIES PAID BY THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT TO RAILWAY COMPANIES UP TO JUNE 30, 1896. NAME OF RAILWAY, 1 Mexican (Mexico City to Veracruz, via Orizaba and Cordova) 2 Progreso &. Merida, Yucatan , 3 Hidalgo Ry. (Mexico City to Pachuca) 4 Veracruz & Alvarado (coast line) 5 Merida & Peto, Yucatan , 6 Interoceanic (from Veracruz to Acapulco) 7 Puebla and Matamoros Izucar Railway 8 Tehuantepec Railway 9 Sinaloa & Durango R. R. {from Durango City to Mazatlan) 10 Mexican Central (Trunk line and branches, Mexico City to El Paso) it Mexican National (Trunk line and branches, Mexico City to New Laredo) T2 Sonora Railway (from Nogales to Guaymas) 13 Merida & Valladolid R. R. Yucatan 14 Tlalmanalco (Local line in the State of Puebla) 15 Merida & Campeche Railway (via Calkini, Yucatan) 16 Nautla & San Marcos Railway (States of Puebla and Veracruz) 17 San Juan Bautista & Tamulte-Pass. Railway (State Tabasco) 18 Chalchicomula Branch Railway (State of Puebla) ig Tlaxcala & Santa Ana Railway (State Tlaxcala) 20 Cardenas & Grijalva River Railway (State Tabasco) 21 Toluca & Las Huertas Railway (State of Mexico) 22 Vanegas, Cedral, Matehuala & Rio-Verde (State S. Louis Potosi) 23 Merida & Soluta (State of Yucatan, via Izamal) 24 Jimenez & Sierra Madre, via Hidalgo District (State Durango) 25 Mexican Southern (States of Puebla and Oaxaca) 26 Tonala & Frontera (States of Chiapas and Tabasco) 27 Monterey & Mexican Gulf (States of N. Leon and Tamaulipas) 28 Tecolutla (Gulf of Mexico) & Espinal (State of Veracruz) 29 C6rdova (State Veracruz) & Tuxtepec Railway 30 Pachuca_(State Hidalgo) & Tampico Railway 31 Maravatio & Iguala Railway (States Michoacan and Guerrero) 32 Mexican Northeastern (State Tamaulipas) 33 Salamanca & Valley of Santiago Railway (State Guanajuato) 34 Veracruz & Boca del Rio Railway 35 Tula, Zacualtipan (State of Hidalgo) & Tampico Railway 36 Matamoros Izucar (State of Puebla) & Acapulco (Pacific coast) 37 Lower California Railway 38 Monte-Alto branch Railway (State of Mexico) Total, 38 subsidized Railway Concessions. DATE OF CONTRACT. C867, Nov. 27. 614.960 C874, Jan- 17- 36.453 c878, Feb. 2. 154.011 878, March 26. 55.000 [878, March 27. 108.000 878, April 16. 743.267 878, May 6. 84.312 879, June 2. 309.617 880, Aug. 16. 61.927 880, Sept. 8. 2,932.753 880, Sept. 13. 1.737-°45 880, Sept. 14. 422.312 880, Dec. 15. 108.668 881, Feb. 3. 26.650 881, Feb. 23. 135.152 881, June 25. 75.000 881, Sept. 17. 5-75° 881, Sept. 20. IO-353 882, Dec. n. 8.000 883, May 12. 7.500 883, May 25. 15.721 883, June n. 884, May 15. 65.000 65.848 884, Nov. 13. 5.000 886, April 21. 367.000 886, Dec. 16. 50.000 887, Nov. 10. 624.640 887, Dec. 10. 19.000 888, June 19. 51.000 888, June 5. 10.000 888, Aug. 16. 50.000 888, Aug. 28. 50.090 1888, Aug. 30. 35-°°° 888, Aug. 31. 11.504 889, Dec. 20. 70.000 892, March 5. 40.000 894, June 3. 894, Sept. 14, 20.000 10.000 LENGTH OF LINE IN KILOMETRES. 9,196.533 AMOUNT OF SUBSIDY DUE. 14,000. 2l8l 1,232, 440, 648. 5,57°. 674' 19,181 557- 26,609 12,042 2,956 642. 159. 810. 450. 20, 22, 28. 3355 357395. 40, 11,248. 444. 5,534, 100.408, 80, 316. 3°°, 280, 92, 560.988. 177 66 ,000 . . 718 .. ,088 .. ,ooo . . ,000 . . ,511 12 496 .. ,172 72 343 •¦ ,003 50 ,815 • • ,184 .. ,008 .. ,900 . . ,915 ¦¦ ,ooo . . 125 .. 233 65 ,ooo . . 750 .. ,023 50 ,500 . . 088 .. 000 . . ,805 10 444 .. 572 24 ,500 .. 000 . . 000 . . ,666 50 S4o .. ,ooo . . 032 .. ,ooo . . 776 49 777 77 ,666 66 $107,743,660 25 PAYMENTS IN Cash. 513,685,194 59 218,718 .. 931,296 37 394,000 .. 577>445 85 2,896,938 . . 674,496 .. 5,681,172 72 557.343 •- T4,4I7.936 45 2,171,310 60 597,608 . . 159,900 . . 766,915 .. 70,500 .. 20,125 ¦ • 22,238 65 28,000 . . 3375o .. 46,250 . . 341,000 .. 395,088 .. 80,805 10 40,500 408,000 112,000 294,000280,000 83,000 111,370 62 $46,8g6,goi 95 Certificates. $ 2,673,573 12 7,108,070 80 11,929,870 . . $21,711,513 92 Bonds. $13,500,000 10,368,000 . . 444,000 . . 5.S34.572 M 60,000 . . 80,000 166,000 560,000 66,000 saST o SO %ol-tnW)o n at *—. oo $31,127,572 24 IRatlwass. 213 been paid, stating the number of kilometres built, the amount of sub sidy due for the same, and the manner in which the subsidy was paid, that statement being the most complete that has so far been published : Resume. — Amount paid in Cash $ 46,896,901 95 " Certificates of Construction (convertible in five per cent, bonds) 21,711,513 92 " " Bonds 31,127,000 00 " of Balance due (payable either in cash or Bonds), 8,008,24438 Total amount of Subsidies, as per corresponding concessions, $107,743,660 25 The Tehuantepec Railway cost of construction is herein included, in order to give a complete statement of the Government's pecuniary outlay for the construction of railways in the country. As the $13,500,000 amount of the five per cent. Bonds paid on account of the construction of this line to the contractors, McMurdo & Co., represent a gold indebtedness, if reduced at the rate of 24 pence per dollar, the above total cost of railway construction should be increased by an equal amount, say $73,500,000 Mexican currency — or a grand total of $121,243,660.25. DETAILED STATEMENT OF THE SUBSIDIES PAID BY THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT TO THE RAILWAY COMPANIES. 1. Mexican Railway. — (From Mexico City to Veracruz.) Subsidy as per original concession, $560,000 per annum, during 25 years, equal to $14,000,000 00 Paid previous to October 21, 1890 10,187,315 79 Balance in favor of the company, on October 21, 1890, as per special agreement of the same date $3,497,878 80 9% deduction, for cash payment, according to the second clause of said agreement 314,805 41 Total payment 14,000,000 00 2. Hidalgo Railway. — (From Mexico City to Pachuca, Hid.) Subsidy, $8000, per kilometre, as per concession $1,232,088 00 Paid on account thereof in cash $931,296 37 In 3$ and 5% Bonds 3°o,79l 63 Total payment 1,232,088 00 3. Veracruz & Alvarado Railway. — (Coast Line between the said ports.) Subsidy due the Company, $6000 per kilometre, as per con cession $440,000 00 Paid on account thereof, in cash $394,000 00 In 3# Bonds 46,000 00 440,000 00 4. Merida & Peto Railway. — (Between the two named towns, State of Yucatan.) Subsidy, due the Company, $6000 per kilometre, as per con cession $648,000 00 Paid in cash $577,445 85 In 3% Bonds 70,554 15 Total payment 648,000 00 214 Statistical IRotes on flDejico. 5. Interoceanic Railway. — (Narrow gauge, from Veracruz to Acapulco, Pacific Coast.) Subsidy due the Company $5,57°,5" 12 483.-^ Kilometres at $8000 $3,866,469 12 8j_&2ji •• " 6500 526,50000 i40.iULa " " 6000 840,00000 38. Mi " unsubsidized Construction bounty earned, as per concession on the Mexico & Cuautla division 137,542 00 Construction bounty earned, as per concession on the Jalapa & Veracruz division 200,000 00 5,570,511 ia Paid in cash $2,896,938 00 In certificates already paid for, out of the 3% of the Cus toms Receipts 2,673,573 I2 Total payment 5 , 5 70, 511 12 6. Occidental Railway. — (Between points in the States of Sina loa and Durango.) Length of the road, according to the concession 1373 kilometres, subsidy at the rate of $8000, per kilometre, as follows : From Altata, (Port on the Paci fic Coast, Gulf of Califor nia), to Culiacan, capital of the State of Sinaloa 61. MI kilometres constructed From Culiacan to Durango and Fresnillo cities 600 A Branch to Guaymas 536 " " " Mazatlan 237 i,373 Subsidy due for the first 61. Ml kilometres already built $495,416 00 Construction bounty according to concession $1000 per kilometre 61 ,927 00 Total amount due and paid for to the Company $557,343 00 . Mexican Central, and sundry branches. — (Trunk-line, from Mexico City to El Paso del Norte, on the Rio Grande River.) Subsidy due in accordance with the corresponding charter was $26,609,003 50 As follows : for 1970. M? kilo metres of the trunk-line, of which 107 kilometres were subsidized at $1500 per kilo metre $ 160,500 00 And I.863.M2. kilometres at $9500 per kilometre 17,704,200 00 $17,864,700 00 For 258. M° kilometres of the IRatlwass. 215 Gaudalajara branch, which reduced as per special contract of Feb. 25, 1887, to 2i8.M» kilometres at $9500 per kilo metre $2,076,510 00 For 653. AM kilometres of the Aguascalientes & Tampico Branch, at $9500 per kilo metre 6,208,250 00 For 25 kilometres of the San Bias & Guaristemba at $9500 per kilometre 237,500 00 8,522,260 00 For 23. Ml kilometres of Silao & Guanajuato Branch at $9500 per kilometre 222,043 50 Total payment $26,609,003 50 This total amount, was settled and paid for in accordance with special agreement entered into by and between the Department of Pub lic Works and the Company, on August 23, 1890, as follows : Lands, art-works, drafts and plans, etc. , due by the Company as per settlement effected December 22, 1881 $ 34,204 39 Rebate off the subsidy corresponding to 6600 kilometres of parallel lines, between Zaca tecas & Guadalajara, as per agreement therefor 52,800 00 Rebate off the subsidy on 50 kilometres of the line, between Tantoyuquita & Tampico, as per agreement 75,000 00 Cash received by the Government of the State of San Luis Potosi, on account of the old branch line to Tampico 48,000 00 Certificates of construction paid at various Cus tom Houses out of the 8$ of the receipts of the same, during the fiscal years i88r-i8go 7,108,070 80 Paid with bills of exchange on London out of the proceeds of the loan negotiated in 1890 14,335,732 06 25^ discount on $19,820,793 01, amount of the balance acknowledged in favor of the Com pany, according to the above mentioned agreement, (August 23, 1890) 4,955,196 25 Total payment $26,609,003 50 8. Mexican National, and branches. — (Trunk-line from Mexico City to Laredo, Tamaulipas.) The Company constructed 1737. Mi. kilometres for which the Government owed the fol lowing subsidies : — 216 statistical IRotes on flDejico. On 1444. Mi. kilometres of the trunk line, at the rate of $7000 per kilometre $10,108,315 00 On 273. aJLa- kilometres of the trunk line, at the rate of $6500 per kilometre 1,774,500 OO On 20 kilometres of the Salto Branch at the rate of $8000 per kilometre 160,000 00 Total amount of subsidy due $12,042,815 00 The above amount was paid in certificates of construction for. .$11,929,870 00 of which the sum of $8,746,722 60 was paid at several Custom-Houses during the fiscal years 1882-1895, and the balance of $3,183,147 40, was converted, by special agreement between the Treasury Department and Messrs. Lionel Carden and H. P. Webb, as representatives of the Company in 5% Bonds. The balance of $112,945 which in the preceding statement, appears as pending of payment, was accepted by the Company, as the value of the Government's shares in the Salto Branch. 9. " Sonora Railway." — (From Guaymas, on the Gulf of Califor nia, to Nogales, on the boundary line.) Subsidy on 422MI kilometres at the rate of $7000 per kilometre, $ 2,956,184 00 Paid to the Company, cash $ 2,071,310 60 Fine against the forfeiture of the concession. . . 100,000 00 3% Bonds in accordance with the provisions of the law of September 6th, 1894 784,873 40 Total payment $ 2,956,184 00 10. "Merida & Valladolid Railway," with a branch. — (Be tween these two towns in the State of Yucatan.) Subsidy due on 108. Ml kilometres at $6000 per kilometre $642,008 00 Paid for as follows, cash $ 597,608 00 In 3% Bonds (law of September 6th, 1894). . . . 44,400 00 Total payment $642,008 00 11. "Merida & Campeche Railway," via. Kalkini. — (Between the capitals of the States of Yucatan and Campeche.) Subsidy due on 135. LMi kilometres at $6000 per kilometre, $810,915 00 Paid to the Company in cash $766,915 00 In 3% Bonds 44,000 00 Total payment $810,915 00 12. "San Marcos & Nautla Railway." — Between San Marcos station on the Mexican Ry. and Nautla bar on the Gulf of Mexico.) Subsidy due on 75 kilometres at $6000 per kilometre $450,000 00 Paid to the Company as follows : Cash $ 70,500 00 In special 5$ subsidy Bonds 349,000 00 In 3% Bonds according to the provisions of the law of September 6th, 1894 500 00 Rebatement of subsidy on 5 kilometres running parallel with the " Interoceanic Ry 30,000 00 Total payment $450,000 00 IRailwaps. 217 13. " Toluca & San Juan de las Huertas Railway." — (Between the capital of the State of Mexico and the San Juan estate.) Subsidy due on 15. Mi kilometres at $3500 per kilometre $55,023 50 Paid to the Company, cash $46,250 00 In 3% Bonds (law of September 6th, 1894) 8,773 5° Total payment $55,023 50 14. "Vanegas, Cedral, Matehuala & Rio Verde Railway." — (All townships within the State of San Luis Potosi.) Subsidy due on 65.MI kilometres at $5500 per kilometre $357,500 00 Paid to the Company, cash $341,000 00 In 5% Bonds (September 6th, 1894) 16.500 00 Total payment $357,500 00 15. " Jimenez and Sierra Madre Railway." — (Through the Hidalgo District, State of Chihuahua.) Subsidy due on 5. Ml kilometres at $8000 per kilometre $40,000 00 The whole paid to the Company in 3% Bonds (Law of Septem ber 6th, 1894. 16. "Mexican Southern Railway." — (367 kilometres from the City of Puebla to Oaxaca.) Subsidy due under agreement of May 4th, 1892 $11,248,805 10 First annuity of interest paid to the Company in conformity with the original concession of April 21st, 18S6 $880,80000 Conversion of the remaining 14 annuities, as per the above named agreement, in special Bonds denominated of the " Oaxaca Trunk Line" 8,558,888 55 Bounty paid to the Company, as per original concession, in Bonds (special) 1,809,116 55 Total payment $11,248,805 10 Of the total amount of special Bonds issued, $10,368,000 00 Cashed 1,108,000 00 Outstanding 9,260,000 00 17. " Tonala " (State of Chiapas, Pacific Coast) and " Fron tera Railway." — (State of Tabasco, on the Gulf of Mexico.) Subsidy on 50 kilometres at $8000 per kilometre $400,000 00 Paid to the Company with b% Bonds, valued at 90$ of their nominal $444,444 00 The balance shown in the preceding statement in favor of the Company for $44,444.00 proceeds from the want of a Bond of less value than $1000 of the corresponding issue. 218 Statistical motes on ZlDejico. 1 8. "Monterey" (Capital of the State of Nuevo Leon) and " Mexican Gulf Railway."— (Port of Tampico.) Subsidy on 624.MI kilometres at $8000 per kilometre $5,534,572 241 Wholly paid for in $,% Bonds, issued under the law of Sep tember 6th, 1894, with the exception of a balance of $572.24, which, on account of the want of bonds of less value than $1000, is still pending of settlement. Of the original issue of special Bonds given to the Company in payment of the subsidy, $235,000 is still pending of con version. 19. "Tecolutla" (a bar on the Mexican Gulf) and "Espinal Railway." — (Both in the State of Veracruz.) According to the original concession, the subsidy granted to this Company was on 19 kilometres at the rate of $4500 in cash per kilometre ; but under a new agreement, dated January, 20th, 1892, it was settled as follows : 9 kilometres at the rate of $4500 each in cash, $40,500 OO 10 kilometres in Bonds at $6000 each 60,000 00 Total payment $100,500 00 20. "Pachuca" (Capital of the State of Hidalgo) and "Tamp ico Railway." — (On the Mexican Gulf.) Subsidy on io.Ml kilometres at $8000 $80,000 00 Totally paid in Bonds, in accordance with the law of Septem ber 6th, 1894. 21. " Maravatio " & " Iguala Railway." — (Towns in the States of Michoacan and Guerrero, respectively.) Subsidy on 50 kilometres at $3000 in cash and $3000 in special Bonds, under io# discount off their nominal value, and paid for, cash, $112,000 00 Bonds 166,000 00 Total payment $316,666 501 22. " Mexican Northeastern Railway." — (An extension of the " Hidalgo " Ry. to Tizayuca, in the State of that name.) Subsidy on 50. 1M kilometres at $6000 $300,540 00 Paid for, in cash $294,000 00 In 3% Bonds 6, 540 00 Total payment $300,540 00 1 Some of the total payments in this table do not correspond to the amount of sub sidy due, because in some of those cases other payments have been made, like bounty, of which no account appears in the respective statement. In some cases a bounty was offered provided the road was finished before the time fixed in the respec tive grant. IRailwass. 219 23. " Veracruz & Boca del Rio Railway." Subsidy acknowledged on 1 1. Mi kilometres at $8000 per kilo metre $92,032 00 Paid for, cash $83,000 00 In 3% Bonds 9,032 00 Total payment $92,032 00 24. " Tula, Zacualtipan " (State of Hidalgo), and Tampico Railway. Subsidy on 70. Ml kilometres at $8,000 per kilometre $560,000 00 The whole amount paid for in 5% Bonds, of which $285,000 were outstanding on the 30th of June, 1896. 25. " Matamoros Izucar " (State of Puebla) and " Acapulco Railway." — (On the Pacific coast.) Subsidy under contract of March 22d, 1895, on 40 kilometres. . $988,776 49 Paid as follows : cash, for the amount of 2% in terest annuities paid to the Company in conformity with the original concession. . . $111,370 62 In $% Bonds, according to the above con tract 877,405 87 Total payment $988,776 49 26. " Lower California Railway." — (From the town of San Quintin to a point on the " Mexican Central," Chihuahua.) Subsidy on 20 kilometres, payable in b% Bonds at the rate of $8000 per kilometre, the said Bonds, afterwards converted in conformity with the corresponding law of conversion, were taken by the Company under 10$ discount off their nominal value $177,777 77 27. " Monte Alto Railway." — (Starts from the town of Tlalne- pantla, on the Salto branch of the " Mexican National," towards Alizapan and Villa del Carbon.) Subsidy on 10 kilometres at $6000 per kilometre, payable in 6% Bonds taken by the Company at the rate of 90$ of their face value $66,666 66 28. Tehuantepec R. R. — (Between Coatzacoalcos on the Gulf of Mexico, and Salina Cruz, on the Pacific coast.) COSTS OF CONSTRUCTION TO THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT. I. Contractors, Edward Learned & Co. — (Contract of June 2d, 1879.) 35 kilometres, of which only 25 were paid for, at $7500 $187,500 00 The Learned contract was rescinded by the Mexican Government on August 16th, 1882 ; but by agreement ad justed with J. Tyng, as representative of the contractors, who received the following payments : 220 Statistical "Motes on flDejtco. December 21st, 1882, $125,000 00 July gth, 1883 403,618 44 July 19th, 1883 101,068 48 July 12th, 1888 1,075,72690 1,705,41382 Total amount paid to Learned & Co $1,892,913 82 Of which amount the sum of $230,413.82 represents interest accrued at the rate or 6% per annum ; so that the 35 kilometers built by these contractors actually cost $14,083.25 per kilometre. 2. Contractor, Mr. Delpin Sanchez. — (Agreement of Oc tober 5th, 1882.) This contractor received from the Govern ment the sum of $1,079,135 40 For the purchase of material, which he only accounted for the amount of $908,- 910.50 the balance of $170,224 90 Having been donated to the contractor ac cording to special agreement of April 25th, 1888. The same contractor received in 150 weekly installments of $1900 each during the fiscal years 1885, 1888 .... $285,000 00 Mr. Sanchez delivered as constructed 74 kilo meters which were paid to him at the rate of $25,000 each $1,850,00000 $2,305,22490 3. Mac-Murdo Contract. — (Agreement approved by Decree of October 15th, 1888.) For the completion of the construction and the furnishing of all the rolling material, etc., and for which the Con tractors received in payment in $% Bonds, special issue, principal and interests payable in sterling currency, ,£2,700,000 $13,500,000 00 This contract was rescinded on the 13th of January, 1892, when the contractors, in settlement of accounts, sur rendered to the Government the sum of about $2,000,- 000 as surplus proceeding from the sale of the said bonds, and delivered, more or less, 250 kilometres of the lines as built or repaired within the stipulations of the said contract. 4. Stanhope, Hampson & Corthel Contract. — (Made under Decree of December 6th, 1893.) For the construction of 59 kilometres and the completion of all the necessary works for the preservation and working of the whole line, for the fixed sum of, $[,483,035 00 Total cost of the line $19,181,173 72 public 2Debt 221 PUBLIC DEBT. In the first part of this paper I gave a brief statement of the differ ent loans and liabilities which constitute the Mexican debt, and that statement will make it easy to understand the different issues and denominations of our bonds. Here I append a detailed statement of the National Debt of Mexico, up to June 30, 1896, submitted to Congress by the Secretary of the Treasury on the 14th of December, 1896, and a further statement containing the same data in a more concise form. STATEMENT OF THE NATIONAL DEBT OF MEXICO TO JUNE 30, 1896. Bonded Debt, Principal and Interest payable in Ster ling currency. Six per cent, interest bearing Bonds for the Loan of 1888, with . . % sinking fund, Capital and Interest $51,908,786 50 Six per cent, interest bearing Bonds for the Loan of 1890, with . . % sinking fund, Capital and Interest 30,068,710 25 Six per cent, interest bearing Bonds for the Loan of 1893, with . . % sinking fund, Capital and Interest 15,325,561 50 Five per cent, interest bearing Bonds for the Construc tion of the Tehuantepec Railway, 1889, Capital.... 13,500,000 00 Six per cent, (non converted balance) Bonds of the Loan, contracted in London, 1851, Capital *34,i53 J2 Total amount of outstanding Bonds, payable in Sterling currency $110,937,211 37 Bonded Debt, Principal and Interest payable in Mexi can Silver currency. Three per cent, interest bearing Bonds of the Interior Consolidated Debt, Capital and Interest ; $52,464,927 60 Five per cent, interest bearing Bonds of the Interior Re deemable Debt, first series, Capital and Interest. . . . 19,995,689 48 Five per cent, interest bearing Bonds of the Interior Re deemable Debt, second series, Capital and Interest. 987,127 15 Subsidy Bonds, non converted balances, for sundry works and railways, Capital 9,792,865 75 Total 83,240,609 98 Railway Construction Certificates, pending of conver sion, Capital t 219 17 Balance-certificates corresponding to the fiscal years comprehended between 1882 and 1894, Capital pend ing of conversion 329,221 91 Total amount 0/ bonded debt, payable in Mexi can Silver currency 83,570,051 06 Grand Total of Bonded Liabilities $194,507,262 43 Liabilities from various sources, and in forms, other than Bonds, payable in Mexican Silver currency. To Railway, Harbor Works and Drainage of the Valley of Mexico, Contractors ._ $ 5o:i74I °2 To Unpaid for Appropriations in the Budgets for the fiscal years between 1891 and 1896 612,337 82 To other credits pending of settlement : on account of the same Budgets 600,894 63 To Balances in Account-current due various Contractors with some of the Executive Departments 3I5»818 95 To sundry, cash or otherwise executed, Deposits, as guarantee for pending contracts 2,681,662 95 To provisional certificates issued on account of the 1888, 1890 and 1893, Sterling Loans _ : ' *V * 3i73o,634 12 To cash or other values pending of classification in the corresponding accounts -i""A"\ 74,434 57 To cash Receipts on account of credits, other than fiscal and pending of payment to the corresponding offices. 32,829 68 To Balance due to Mint-Lessees 48,214 89 To outstanding Bills Payable 111,186 28 Total Amount of Liabilities from various sources and in forms other than Bonds 8,717,804 91 Grand Total of the Mexican National Debt $203,225,067 34 STATEMENT OF THE FEDERAL PUBLIC DEBT ON JUNE 30, 1896. BONDED DEBT. Interest bearingannual. Sinking fund. m Principal and interest payable in sterling money. Payable in Mexican silver currency. INDEBTEDNESS SETTLED IN SUNDRY FORMS OTHER THAN BONDS. Payable in sterling money. Payable in Mexican silver Ui S3 i-t o £3 o7S at oo Balance of the loan contracted in London in 1851, not presented to conversion. . Loan of 1888 in Berlin and London to refund the loan of 1825 Loan of 1889 for the Tehuantepec Railway Loan of 1890 for the payment of railway subsidies Loan of 1893 to pay public indebtedness Conversion of 1886 to 1896 of the interior debt Conversion of 1894 in settlement of railway and public works, claims, first series Conversion of 1895 in settlement of railway and public works, claims, second series Special subsidy bonds pending conversion under the law of September 6, 1894, Balances of certificates of railway construction Certificates of balances due for public services, pending of conversion Balances due to several railways, public works, and drainage of the Valley of Mexico contractors Unpaid appropriations of 1891 to 1896 Sundry claims on said appropriations pending liquidation Balance, favor of sundry contracts with the various departments Sundry deposits to guarantee pending contracts Provisional certificates — not submitted to conversion — issued on the sterling loans of 1888, 1890, and 1893 Cash receipts on account of municipal dues — pending of payment Cash receipts pending of classification for the corresponding accounts Balances due to mint lessees Outstanding treasury bills Total Grand total.... 6% 5 " 6 " 6 " 3 " 5 " 5 'i 1341153 ^ 51,908,786 50 13,500,000 00 30,068,710 25 !5.32Si561 5° $52,464,927 60 ioi995i689 48 987,127 15 9,792,865 75 $3,738,684 12 8110,937,211 37 $83,240,609 98 $3,738,684 12 219 17 329,221 QI 501,741 02 612,337 82 600,894 63 315,8x8 95 2,68l,662 95 32,82g 68 74,434 57 48,214 8g 111,186 28 5,308,561 87 $203,225,067 34 post=©fRce ano TEelearapb Service. 223 POST-OFFICE AND TELEGRAPH SERVICE. I append a statement containing the number of post-offices, and postal agencies in each of the Mexican states in 1895, and the num ber of postal pieces transported by Mexican mails from the years 1878-1879 to 1894-1895. (See page 225.) I have prepared a statement of the earnings and expenditures of the post-office and telegraph services in Mexico during the twenty- seven fiscal years elapsed from July 1, 1869, to June 30, 1896. It was not possible to obtain full data of the earnings of the telegraph lines during the first ten years of that period, on account of the defective way in which the books were kept by the Federal Treasury of Mexico. With that exception the data embraced in the following statement is correct, as it has been taken from the official accounts. (See p. 224.) POST-OFFICES IN MEXICO IN 1895 BY STATES. STATES. Aguascalientes. . . Campeche Chiapas Chihuahua Coahuila Colima Durango Federal District. . Guanajuato Guerrero Hidalgo Jalisco Lower California. Mexico Michoacan Morelos New Leon Oaxaca Puebla Queretaro San Luis Potosi . . Sinaloa Sonora Tabasco Tamaulipas Tepic Tlaxcala Veracruz Yucatan Zacatecas Total POST- OFFICE. POSTAL AGENCIES. TOTAL. 5 5 10 8 3 11 7 24 3i 24 58 82 25 26 1 52 2 9 11 19 42 61 1 8 to 19 27 38 65 13 31 44 r9 43 62 35 83 118 7 17 24 14 21 35 22 59 81 9 9 18 iS 33 5i 22 39 61 27 77 1 105 7 10 17 18 34 52 16 28 44 H 75 89 5 16 21 17 36 53 7 13 20 9 7 16 36 82 118 16 40 56 20 23 1 44 469 989 13 147 1 224 Statistical Botes on flDejico. EARNINGS AND EXPENDITURES OF THE POST-OFFICE AND TELEGRAPH SERVICES DURING THE LAST TWENTY-SEVEN FISCAL YEARS, FROM JULY I, 1869, TO JUNE 30, 1896. POST-OFFICE. TELEGRAPH. BOTH SERVICES. — TOTAL. YEARS. Dr. Expenditure. Cr. Earnings. Dr. | Cr. Expenditure, i Earnings.1 1 Dr. Expenditure. $ 161,611 79 238,724 90 388,704 40 529,572 15 665,703 80 Cr. Earnings.1 1869-1870. . . 187c— 1871. . . 1871-1872...1872-1873... 1873-1874...Total in five years. . Average per annum. $ 132,399 °6 I54<574 9° 340,324 63 457,153 19 491,199 48 $ 120,120 24 167,348 85 265,440 22 474,819 11 523,583 09 84,150 00 48,379 77 72,418 96 174,504 32 $ 1,575,65* 26 $ i,55i,3n 51 $ 408,665 78 $ 315,13° 25 $ 310,262 30 $ 81,733 16 $ 396,863 41 1874-1875...1875-1876...1876-1877. . . 1877-1878...1878-1879... Total in five years.. Average per annum. $ 641,836 35 480,299 37 530,032 95 682,076 21 867,789 75 $ 549,820 14 455,473 12 441,329 10 590,384 36 679,392 06 $ 190,366 06 161,795 66 134,830 02 241,200 00 259,095 86 $ 832,202 41 642,095 03 664,862 97 923,276 21 1,126,885 61 $ 1,789 15 $ 3,202,034 63 $ 2,716,398 78 $ 987,287 60 $ 4,i89,322 23 $ 640,406 93 $ 543,279 76 $ 197,457 52 $ 837,864 45 1879-1880. . . 1880-1881... 1881-1882... 1882-1883...1883-1884. . . Total in five years. . Average per annum. $ 892,856 73 983,606 17 873,201 78 840,354 70 878,5 '9 75 $ 702,080 39 833,830 87 704,766 47 795,122 86 698,019 36 $ 348,290 24 196,542 94 570,155 25 916,657 53 677,729 50 $ 101,064 69 135,144 02 174,3°! 24 219,384 91 239,°5i 45 $ 1,241,146 97 1,180,149 Iz 1,443,357 03 i,757.oi2 23 1,556,249 25 $ 803,145 08 968,974 89 879,067 71 1.014,507 77 937,070 81 $ 4,468,539 13 $ 3,733,8i9 95 $ 746,763 99 $ 2,709,375 46 $ 868,946 31 $ 7,177,914 59 $ 4,602,766 26 $ 893,707 83 $ 541,875 09 $ 173,789 26 $ 1,435,582 92 $ 920,553 25 r.884-1885...1885-1886. . . 1886-1887... 1887-1888... 1888-1889... Total in five years.. Average per annum. $ 1,411,183 03 751,227 37 943.332 74 956,701 47 1,049,880 10 $ 642,660 19 672,329 80 739,732 65 793,873 74 880,530 93 $ 618,829 54 622,858 67 718,821 70 799,074 24 820,072 05 $ 180,820 77 155,442 82 197,478 87 275,856 95 329,493 13 $ 2,030,012 57 1,374,086 04 1,662,154 44 1,755,775 71 1,869,952 15 $ 823,480 96 827,772 62 937,211 52 1,069,730 6g 1,210,024 °6 $ 5,112,324 71 $ 3,729,127 31 $ 3,579,656 20 $ 1,139,092 54 $ 8,691,980 91 $ 4,868,219 85 $ 1,022,464 94 $ 745,825 46 $ 715,931 24 $ 227,818 51 $ 1,738,396 18 $ 973,643 97 1889-1890... 1890-1891.. . 1891-1892. . . 1892-1893... 1893-1894. . . $ 1,126,436 69 1,196,329 6.; 1,342,437 " 1,278,587 20 1,250,855 82 $ 994,112 87 1,084,153 40 1,127,563 18 1,153,401 20 i,2i3,3°9 46 $ 872,316 89 972,164 06 1,045,726 44 1,073,105 81 954,864 48 $ 388,926 07 462,076 59 501,802 33 528,881 96 524,634 33 $ 1,998,753 58 2,168,493 69 2,388,163 55 2,351,693 01 2,205,720 30 $ 1,383,038 94 1,546,229 99 1,629,365 51 1,682,283 l6 1,737,943 79 five years.. Average per annum. $ 6,194,646 45 $ 1,238,929 29 $ 5,572,54° 11 $ 4,918,177 68 $ 2,406,321 28 $11,112,824 13 $ 7,978,861 39 $ 1,114,508 02 $ 983,635 54 $ 481,264 26 $ 2,222,564 83 $ 1,595,772 28 1894-1895. . . 1895-1896. . . Total in two years. . Average per annum. Total in the 27 years . . . Average per annum. $ 633,201 36 1,228,784 30 $ 1,337,691 4° 1,062,415 99 $ 531,949 48 1,025,347 29 $ 547,3°8 67 622,340 69 $ 1,169,649 36 $ 1,165,150 84 2,254,131 59 $ 1,885,000 07 1,684,756 68 $ 1,861,985 66 $ 2,400,107 3c $ 1,557,296 77 $ 3,419,282 43 $ 3,569,756 75 $ 930,992 83 $ 1,200,053 7° $ 778,648 38 $ 584,824 68 $ 1,709,641 21 $ 1,784,878 38 $22,415,181 84 $'9,703,305 °5 $14,160,459 49 $ 5,584,°°9 49 §36,575,641 33 $21,019,604 25 $ 830,191 92 $ 729,752 04 $ 524,461 46 $ 328,471 14 $ 1,354,653 38 $ 1,236,447 30 1 The totals and averages per annum in the colums marked "Earnings" and "Total Earnings" only embrace seventeen years, as the returns for the first ten years being very incomplete are not computed. Banfts. 225 NUMBER OF PIECES TRANSPORTED BY MEXICAN MAILS FROM 1878-1879 TO 1894-1895. FISCAL YEARS. NUMBER OF PIECES. 1878-1879 S,992,6ll 1879-1880 5,786,790 l88o-l88l 6,141,790 l88l-l882 6,732,504 1882-1883 10,640,516 1883-1884 IO,488,5l8 1884-1885 1 1,905,209 1885-1886 13,289,591 1886-1887 16,504,034 1887-1888 27,429,018 1888-1889 43,°S2,800 l889-l890 95,852,939 189O-189I 111,406,893 1891-1892 116,778,853 1892-1893 122,821,359 1893-1894 35,818,148 1894-1895 24,773,636 Total 665,415,209 Printed matter, samples, and parcel post articles in the year 1894- 1895, weighed in grammes, 1,107,755,679. The notable reduction which appears in the last two years is due to the fact that in the preceding years all correspondence was counted, namely : such pieces as were received and sent, and such as came in transit, while in the last two years only are accounted such as were sent. BANKS. The following statement contains a list of all the banks existing in Mexico up to December 31, 1895, and their respective condition : LIST OF MEXICAN BANKS. STATE. LOCATION. NAME OF BANK. DATE OF CHARTER. Federal District. Mexico City Chihuahua City.. International and Hypothecary February, 1882. May, 1883. October, 1886. September, 1888. September, 1888. December, 1889. December, 1890. February, 1890. March, 1890. June 1, 1891. December, 1891. February 18, 1892 Chihuahua Bank of London and Mexico. . Mexican Chihuahua Bank .... Chihuahua Commercial Bank. . Durango City . . . Zacatecas City. . Monterey 226 Statistical motes on /IDejico* SITUATION OF THE MEXICAN BANKS ON DECEMBER 31, 1894. Social capital... . Unpaid capital. Accumulated capital Reserve funds. . Emergency funds Real estate Cash Cash in hand . . . Guarantee ad vances Advances on mortgages. . . . Debtors' cur rent accounts. Bills in circula tion Mortgage bonds in circulation. Deposits and creditors' cur rent accounts. NATIONAL BANK OF MEXICO. $20,030,000 OO 12,000,000 OO I,7g6,IOO 51 2,500,000 OO 190,000 00 20,630,086 8q "1962,994 35 3,093.555 21 12,605,302 02 16,417,061 00 21,768,776 96 BANK OP LONDON AND MEXICO. INTERNA TIONAL AND HYPOTHECARY BANK OF MEXICO. $3,000,000 OO 1,100,000 00 111,266 94 7,783,647 78 8,892,749 25 5,318,895 69 8,811,024 66 $5,000,000 00 1,500,000 00 242,662 76 656,496 33 1,58**974 19 2,788,527 85 1,854,417 78 1,947,200 00 1,642,378 91 CHIHUAHUA MINING BANK. $ 600,000 00 105,000 OO 22,729 55 292,555 OI 1,167,942 29 264,538 80 538,429 25 MEXICAN CHIHUAHUA BANK. 010,000 OO 50,342 62 108,600 OO 6,g28 00 100,855 86 265,630 62 2811,713 84 94,124 01 786, iq8 62 287,133 28 458,877 30 465,519 °5 CHIHUAHUA COM MERCIAL BANK, ON FEBRUARY 15, 1895. $600,000 OO 300,000 OO 52,026 6l 229,199 13 222,115 58 122,782 CO CHIHUAHUA BANK, ON JANUARY 15) 1895. YUCATECO BANK. YUCATAN MERCANTILE BANK. DURANGO BANK. ZACATECAS BANK. NEW LEON BANK. Social capital... . Unpaid capital. Reserve funds. . Real estate, fur- $500,000 00 200,000 00 5,666 25 $1,000,000 OO $ 750,000 00 $500,000 OO $600,000 OO 240,000 OO 6,500 OO $600,000 OO 22,654 71 17,716 8g 3,396 88 8,278 82 175,619 63 240,066 38 600,323 71 231,094 ZO Il8,52I 26 565,418 OO 191,928 26 Cash 40,174 41 109,113 11 475,5*9 43 1,346,715 63 508,805 68 1,001,457 81 178,282 55 603,039 90 71,894 13 322,927 09 227,079 00 445,667 7g 250,376 35 565,°32 52 98,196 13 339,306 74 185,346 OO 701,065 74 Cash in hand. . . Guarantee ad- Debtor's current Bills in circula- 285,441 59 98,885 00 30,277 86 172,391 75 658,726 00 313,246 10 426,601 32 658,312 00 510,835 g2 Deposits and creditors' cur rent accounts. PUBLIC LANDS. I append four statements of the titles of public lands issued by the Mexican Government. The first one embraces a rdsum6 of the titles issued without cost, and under the act of December 14, 1874, of the Indian town lands held in common, called in Spanish " Ejidos" to the respective inhabitants of the said towns, from 1877 to 1895 : the second embraces a resume^ of the titles issued in 1894 and 1895 for public lands held by private parties as portions of public land bought from the government but which were in excess of the respective titles, which we call in Spanish " Demacias " : the third one embraces a r6sum£ of the titles of public lands issued to private parties in the years 1894 public ftanos. 227 and 1895 : and the fourth contains a resume of the titles issued by the Mexican Government to surveying companies for one-third of the land respectively surveyed by them in 1894 and 1895, according to law and the respective contracts. FREE TITLES ISSUED UNDER THE ACT OF DECEMBER 14, 1874, OF THE INDIAN TOWN LANDS TO THE RESPECTIVE INHABITANTS FROM 1877 TO 1895. YEARS. 1877 1878 1879 1880 1882 1883 1884 1885 18S6 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 I895 Total 195 72 2 195 259 i,932 383 774 254 1,524 2,237 1,130 499 1,449 452 791273 12,422 Hectares. 85 3,572 128,144 5,000 5,629 14,616 6r,497 13,06820,662 2,999 20,547 100,627 68,086 6,516 15,807 17,709 6,2626,160 496,994 Ares. Cts, 06 00 71 41 94 56 00 00 29 69 14 13 56 94 18 08 93 12 «5 98 73 16 65 32 31 86 74 22 30 95 59 08 7i 49 03 65 79 64 TITLES ISSUED FOR UNWARRANTED POSSESSION BY PRIVATE PARTIES OF PUBLIC LANDS IN 1894 AND 1895. YEARS. Number of Titles. AREA. VALUE. Hectares. Ares. Cts. 17 10 34,78i 6g,557 9833 04 21 $21,554 91 20,254 12 1895 27 104,339 31 25 $41,809 03 TITLES OF PUBLIC LANDS ISSUED TO PRIVATE PARTIES IN 1894 AND 1895. YEARS. Number of Titles. AREA. VALUE. Hectares. Ares. Cts. 21 19 86,38559,265 145,650 6324 2684 $140,067 72 81,883 95 40 88 10 $221,951 67 228 Statistical "Motes on floejico. TITLES ISSUED IN 1894 AND 1895 TO SURVEYING COMPANIES FOR ONE-THIRD OF THE LAND SURVEYED BY THEM. YEARS. Number of Titles. AREA. Hectares. Ares. Cts. 1894 3229 484,257 243,576 30 n 70 81 61 727,833 42 51 EDUCATION. The following official data received by the Census Bureau of the Mexican Government contains the number of schools in the different States of Mexico, supported by the Federal, State, and municipal ad ministrations, and the number of students attending the same. That statement does not include the States of Mexico and Veracruz, which are among those having the largest number of schools and attendance. I also append a statement of the number of schools supported by private parties, with the number of pupils attending the same and their cost ; and finally a detailed statement of the public libraries ex isting in Mexico, and newspapers published in the country, taken from the publication of the Census Bureau in 1895. NEWSPAPERS PUBLISHED IN MEXICO IN 1895. Aguascalientes 10 Campeche 4 Chiapas 4 Chihuahua 19 Coahuila 6 Colima 13 Durango 7 Federal District, City of Mexico 115 Guanajuato 14 Guerrero 6 Hidalgo 3 Jalisco 43 Lower California (Territory) 5 Mexico 11 Michoacan 30 Morelos 5 New Leon 8 Oaxaca 5 Puebla 17 Queretaro 1 San Luis Potosi 6 Sinaloa 14 Sonora 12 Tabasco 14 Tamaulipas 20 Territory of Tepic 6 Tlaxcala 2 Veracruz 24 Yucatan 18 Zacatecas 12 Total 454 These are published in several languages, namely : English 12 German I French 2 Spanish 439 Dailies 44 Semi-weekly 33 Tri-weekly 5 Weekly 185 Semi-monthly 79 Monthly 87 Total 454 Bi-monthly 3 Quarterly 5 Yearly 3 Unknown 10 Total 454 EDUCATION. PUBLIC SCHOOLS SUPPORTED BY THE FEDERAL, STATE, AND MUNICIPAL ADMINISTRATIONS OF MEXICO IN 1895. SCHOOLS SUPPORTED BY THE GOVERNMENT. s ¦a ¦a E SCHOOLS SUPPORTED BY THE MUNICIPALITY. ¦a E a o H E •c p. 8 -a £.2 PL, « 1 O H Aguascalientes Campeche Coahuila Colima Chiapas Chihuahua Durango Guerrero Guanajuato Hidalgo Jalisco Michoacan Morelos Nuevo Leon Oaxaca Puebla Queretaro San Luis Potosi Sinaloa Sonora Tabasco Tamaulipas Tlaxcala Yucatan Zacatecas Federal District Territory of Tepic Lower California Territory, Southern District. Lower California Territory, Northern District. 3° 3 21317170 266 88 122194194 S3 4 512 25 4 132 168 Totals 2,189 2731385777 104189 94 54 120 16 292 92 748 48 3 42 178118 116323 165 5i8475288222 5 614 l8 119186 79 6 232261 4 23 4,056 36 107 49 174128 58 7 90 8 286 119 116 167 156180 6 132 26 4 '3 708 43 27 129 3" 26 156 252 162 71 425 270 9128 4372 131 43 »77116 112 319 2635'54792852213"638 1,182 117340252 162 77 119 23;328 425 292 91 28 7,380 36 4575 132 43 178 us n6 323 267 5'84852882223l6 640 1,188 no342253 162 79 125 232 332429293 91 28 Gf O o 3 EDUCATION. PUBLIC SCHOOLS SUPPORTED BY THE FEDERAL, STATE, AND MUNICIPAL ADMINISTRATIONS OF MEXICO IN 1S95— Continued. O Aguascalientes Campeche Coahuila Colima Chiapas Chihuahua Durango Guerrero Guanajuato Hidalgo Jalisco Michoacan Morelos Neuvo Leon Oaxaca Puebla Queretaro San Luis Potosi Sinaloa ' Sonora Tabasco Tamaulipas Tlaxcala Yucatan Zacatecas Federal District Territory of Tepic Lower California Territory, Southern District. . Lower California Territory, Northern District.. ALUMNI INSCRIBED IN THE YEAR. ,574,320 .472 ,74^ ,510,387 ,044 ,427,837 ¦343 981 .631.971 159713 003 ,725 ,936 363 052 165 746 996 106 791 218 154 93 1 200 1,7^5 1,462 5,656¦,7231,284 4,2573,6643.743 13,867 8,114 19.779 9,765 5,545 7,309 12,18117,032 i,4!7 ",359 5,0774.598 1,630 3,3883,7204,998 12,184 12,610 2,323 927 157 Totals 310,496 181,484 491,980 208,717 129,349 338,066 4,2893,782 12,128 3,4642,794 10,644 8,708 13,170 3!,704 25,45739,76o24,39612,516 20,468 66,89454,035 5,142 25,295 12,440 9,650 4,795 9,134 11,71614,104 27,97529,828 5,477 1,858 357 MEDIUM ATTENDANCE DURING THE YEAR. 1,790¦,725 5,199i,irg 4,2183,79°5,871 ",397 12,71314,704IO.I34 4,6n 9,492 19,28226,802 5,5oi 4,6004,9213,7667,209 9,652 11,26312,302 2,141 575 172 1,2181,121 4,919 1,214 2,977 2,968 2,4908,920 6,563 '4,445 6,7544,4375,2514,625 12,143 1,062 8,7774,1604,200 861 2,078 3,002 4,49'8,8219,559 1,54° 626 3,0082,846 10,118 2,3337,1956,758 8,361 20,317 19,276 29,149 16,888 9,048 ¦4,743 23,90738,945 3,948 "9,659 9,6618,8005,7825,844 10,211 M.I43 20,08421,861 3,681 1,201 299 o >, I2g 1,046 35 387221806 4,247 380273 6,209 1,980 4,966 310 148103 2,132 842 1,045 798 90 S 0 2,4792,5406,082 1,817 4,2828,728 21,95015,47916,91514,457 8,358 12,53215,67033,"7 7,137 4,093 3,400 2,5484,6666,3894,893 15,655¦8,477 3,344 673 ¦,375 611 4,436 1,348 2,g27 3,0789,3'7 8,823 ¦5.505 8,261 3.7397,011 26,203 17,980 47 10,506 5,7'S 3,800 1,746 4,0533,0487,507 8,612 8,5681,961 1,185 151 235,887 167,513 306 256564264 977 216349 3,093 1,298 146 925 18,812 958 78 2,6862,6322,140 353312 M7 862 2,663 1,985 82 ADVANCEMENT. C « E.S = E 2,9543,07°7,7802,405 3° 7,8166,5348,037 ¦2,77717,103 28,000 9.771 13.89919,171 37,499 3,384 18,590 9,3346,800 67 5,96i 9,226 12,84616,29314,880 2,777 1,234 312 •= tort I-e-i i a 8 E.o 2,735 ¦,074 7,206 1,608 30 7,198 5,062 6,131 11,824 ¦4,57516,363¦4,877 33 7,765 ¦3,75' 32,144 2,925 ¦4,724 8,250 3, 100 58 4,942 8,825 12,572 12,69413,299 1,848 671 276 295,705 226,560 41 232 75 ¦35 ¦4 207 97 268 58 413 430815 i,479 584129 ¦,933 367 45 125129¦33 1,306 434771 50 w l-tS3l-t •—».l-t•^. o SO 5 ol-rO o3 nOo EDUCATION. SCHOOLS SUPPORTED BY PRIVATE PARTIES. Aguascalientes Campeche Coahuila Colima Chiapas Chihuahua Durango Guerrero Guanajuato Hidalgo Jalisco Michoacan Morelos Neuvo Leon Oaxaca Puebla Queretaro San Luis Potosf Sinaloa Sonora Tabasco Tamaulipas Tlaxcala Yucatan Zacatecas Federal District Territory of Tepic Lower California Territory, Southern District. SCHOOLS SUPPORTED BY PRIVATE PARTIES. Totals 659 46:3 III 29 1319 336 697 6 6624 no 47 274 141 23 95 40 53 43 424 15 3 42462237 139 3' 16 4 SCHOOLS SUPPORTED BY THE CLERGY. SCHOOLS SUPPORTED BY SOCIETIES. 276 I 78 146 ALUMNI INSCRIBED DURING THE YEAR. ¦as 185 282 ¦.647 660 ¦s? 2,516 1,297 3,5912,47" 12,009 4,5*6 894 2,0105,9724,515 1,267 2,127 73 74070S427 1,4383,8021,6901,504 129 56,657 8083 ¦,473 708 ¦33 1,526 700 2,351 ¦,79i 8,914 3,405 579 1,508 8,329 2,112 852 1,905 29 952486252 527 3,224 1,5821,166 16 44,683 1 o H 265 3,120 ft 1,368 - H 92 "3 1,300 508¦33 1,205 537 1,3646,503 2,777 404 4,'sSi2,271 700 37 610 427129 1,069 2,595 959872 29,208 s s o - 161 3377 225362 293 2,289 1,244 66 3,106 735 225 44 167 441 9785 9,872 ADVANCEMENT. 226250 2,556 992253 2,699 1,509 177 12,305 5,«4i 1,296 1,807 5,052 1,186 651 523 J, 734 5,446 1,9771,518 ¦¦5 47,413 221205 2,377 962233 2,5711,145 169 9,0414,190 46 1,107 4,539 1,089 538 448 1,907 4,393 1,812 1,119 69 73 101 ¦5 309 44 3 3H268 61 173¦49 6 16 258263 1 w so<-ttnct-O S3 at o o 38,181 PUBLIC LIBRARIES IN MEXICO. STATES. Aguascalientes . . Campeche Coahuila Colima Chiapas Chihuahua .... Durango Federal District NAME OF LIBRARY. Scientific Institute Campeche Institute Carmelita Lyceum Melchor Ocampo State Commercial Public Parochial "Christopher Columbus".. Seminary Preparatory School Public Franklin Society Literary Institute San Francisco College Juarez Institute National Preparatory School Commercial " Law " Fine Arts " Engineering " Agricultural " Medical " Museum of Natural History Geographical and Statistical Society. . Judicial Archives General Archives Normal School for Men Normal School for Women Conservatory of Music Aguascalientes . Campeche Carmen Saltillo.Colima . San Cristobal. Tapachula. . . Chihuahua . . . WHERE LOCATED. Durango. Mexico . NUMBER OF VOLUMES. 3,668 3.408 1,194 2,102 355 35o 3,3223,450 2,563 1, 690 490 5,000 159,000 10,000 2,000 14,000 2,000 7,000 4,000 3,000 2.0004,000 1,000 8,000 400 400 1,021 ANNUAL NUMBER OF STU DENTS. 1,037 150 "5854,400 775 6,000 HOW SUPPORTED. State funds. Institute funds. Carmelita Lyceum funds. Miguel Hidalgo School funds. State funds. School funds. Government funds. Clergy funds. Federal Government funds. Franklin Society funds. Institute funds. College funds. State funds. Federal Government funds. S3cr cr tSo t»—•r> tn Ojt* public libraries in Mexico — Continued. Federal District. Guanajuato Guerrero Hidalgo Jalisco Mexico Michoacan. More' Nuevo Leon. Oaxaca Arts and Trades for Men State College Literary Institute Scientific and Literary Institute. State Municipal Benito Juarez. Municipal Scientific Institute. Municipal Public San Nicolas College. Seminary Compaiiia College.. . Uruapam Seminary Public Yautepec Morelos Tetecala Jojutla Public Public Mexico Guanajuato Chilpancingo Pachuca Guadalajara Cuautitlan Coyotepec Ixtlahuaca San Felipe del Progreso . Mineral del Oro Jilotepec Lerma Otumba Sultepec Sacualpan Texcaltitlan Temascaltepec Tejupilco San Simon de Guerrero. . Toluca Bravo Valley Asuncion Malacatepec. . Tenango Valley Guerrero Valley Morelia Patzcuaro. . . Uruapam . . . Zamora Cuernavaca . Yautepec . . . Cautla Tetecala. . . . Jojutla Monterey .. . Oaxaca 2,117 12,500 2,346 2,628 300 383627 13 25 130 77 1616 15 64 56 87 13,700 256245 10 13,922 30,000 1,000 333 7,0002,348 30 522 225352 3,458 15,000 10,900 8,400 16,000 15 5 15 20 1510 2025 9 MM1212121210 44 12 8,8643,000 200 43 1,392 Federal Government funds. State funds. Special donations. $1 tax on the estate of deceased persons. College funds. Special donations. Municipal funds. Special donations. State funds. If* So rt tn rt O SB58ot-totn o at oo public libraries in Mexico — Continued. Puebla . Queretaro San Luis Potosi. Sinaloa Sonora Tabasco Tamaulipas . Tlaxcala . Veracruz . Yucatan . Zacatecas. Lower California Territory Palafoxiana. Lafragua . . . Serrano. Benito Juarez Manuel M. Flores Porfirio Diaz " Municipal . Civil College State Sonora College Board of Public Instruction. Education Society Juarez Institute Jose Eduardo Cardenas State Juarez Society General Archives Pueblo Public Preparatory College Preparatory " Normal School Preparatory College Seminary Gabino Barreda Benito Juarez. . . . Cepeda Iturralde Catholic College. Eulogio Ancona. Traconis Public Puebla . Atlixco Zacatlan Chalchicomula Matamoros Izucar. Queretaro San Luis Potosi . . . Culiacan Hermosillo Guaymas Sahuaripa San Juan Bautista. Municipal , Ciudad Victoria. Matamoros Tlaxcala Veracruz Tlacotalpan Orizaba Cordova Jalapa Papantla . . Tantoyuca Merida . . Valladolid . Merida. . . . Progreso . . Ticul Zacatecas. . Fresnillo . . La Paz. 27,000 21,000 200400350 500 7,743 '3,751 3,000 4,714 800 1,138 800 165 1,800 1,650 500 11,03013,995 333 9,704 805 697 i,377 2,796 97 824 400 2,317 200 4,000 445 300 22,000 2,000 700 4,000 15,012 80 2,408 100 50 20,345 495 4,870 3,600 3,000 1,100 7,300 720 340 10,000 500 50 State funds. Special donations. Political Prefect donations. Municipal funds. State funds. Junta State Juarez Society funds. State funds. Municipal funds. State funds. Special funds. a n State donations. Municipal funds. S3cr 1=3•-*¦cr«-«saOrt 1' 0 ft, Ji urt0a rt O » *rt « U 0 rt .5 U tna 0 J3 Ort (35 C ¦a c00 0 in9 u "rt"J3Ii 0 Vaa« 3 0 H ¦3 3 8 n 8 5 16 2 22 16 13 2 6 7 118 25 3 6 37¦3 ¦3 3 93 7 8 1 742 ¦5 4 1 30 5 24 47 77 191in178 4449 606 88 515 82 213¦47 7121¦3¦7 ¦37 42583169 8 4880 11 3 1 9 5° 64 4 33 3 1 8 5 4 1 7 2 492124 6 44 1 353 X X 263207 68 1 32 1 1 2 4 2 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 19 422 1 2 z 2 X 3 J7625 128539 87 256 166 5 Puebla 1 I 1 36 14 66 4 12 7 3 1 11 2 1 1 1 1 25 25 5 5 1 48 i46 3 6 2 7 X X 32 1 36 «4 2X Territory of Lower Cali- 1 1 123 2,899 276 3' 12 16 10 146 41 28 X 35 2 3 7 9 10 126 27 9 9 3,820 IRaTrtgatton. 237 MANUFACTURING ESTABLISHMENTS IN MEXICO IN 1893. I take from Les Finances des Etats-Unis Mexicains of Mr. Prosper Gloner the following table, which purports to give the number of some of the manufacturing establishments in Mexico during the year 1893. Mr. Gloner acknowledges that his table is very deficient, as he says in a note that appears at the foot of it that he failed to receive the data from 117 districts in different states of Mexico, and that besides the manufacturing establishments mentioned in his table there are in the City of Mexico the following : (See page 236.) Carriages and wagons n Wax works 28 Agricultural implements 9 Wall paper 1 Coloring substances 2 Mineral and soda-waters 4 Carriage varnishes 2 Jewelry boxes, etc 9 Mucilage and paste 11 Card-board 6 Scientific instruments 1 Playing cards 1 Pianos, organs, and harmonicas 4 Passementeries 6 Type foundries 1 Gold and silver ribbons 2 Perfumeries 6 Hats 49 Musical instruments 6 Total 159 NAVIGATION. The total number of vessels, both steamers and sailing vessels, which arrived at and departed from Mexican ports during the year 1895, appears in the following statement. I also append a statement showing the number of passengers who arrived in and departed from Mexico by sea and rail during the year 1895, mentioning both their nationality and the port of their arrival. The number appears exceedingly small when compared with the very large number coming from Europe to the United States ; but I feel sure that before long we will have a large immigration. VESSELS ARRIVED AT MEXICAN PORTS IN 1895. CO COUNTRIES. TOTAL NUMBER. STEAMERS. SAILING VESSELS. LOADED. IN BALLAST. Ves sels. Tons. Crew. Ves sels. Tons. Crew. Ves sels. Tons. Crew. Vessels. Tons. Crew. Ves sels. Tons. Crew. 4,042 466 14 15 3135 16 1 10 2 1 8 5 7 226 36 6 30 202 4 32 2 10 ¦.757.700 58 397,050 07 20,509 34 5,7i7 59 11,121 90 53,720 25 7,482 8i 186 00 9,641 95 912 00 446 00 12,126 15 1,810 56 8,804 °° 217,055 31 47,882 01 7,930 00 27,973 24 345,3H 42 3,476 67 807 52 1,115 23 687 32 7,074 5° 77,290 ¦2,303 467 140 289 2,284 199 9 207 22 11 326 49 184 4,215 1,012 ¦38 2,191 11,426 722525 ¦9 167 2,406 3^7 11 1 1,655,634 69 360,480 20 19,561 66 1,387 00 68,391 11,214 440 22 1,636 149 3 ¦4 31 3 ¦5 1 22 1 102,065 89 36,569 87 947 68 4.330 59 11,121 90 655 90 6,458 81 186 00 555 95 912 00 446 00 8,899 1,089 27 118 289 35 ¦75 9 16 22 11 3,329 408 II 3 1,532,227 11 382,915 97 19,561 66 ¦,725 35 66,422 11,516 440 35 713 58 3 12 31 7 16 I 22 225,473 47 14,134 10 947 68 3,992 24 11,121 90 7,415 26 7,482 81 186 00 555 95 912 00 10,868 787 27 105 289 365 32 1 53,°64 35 1,024 00 2,249 24 28 46,304 09 1,919 8 9,086 00 191 8 9,086 00 191 16 Chili 1 8 446 00 12,126 15 11 326 8 12,126 15 326 Holland 5 1,810 56 49 5 1,810 56 7 80 23 5 12 160 8,804 °o 137,503 22 36,706 22 7,572 00 21,944 00 338,264 11 184 2,547 821 127 2,023 11,084 7 114 32 6 ¦5 ¦55 2 8,804 00 i8i,443 77 46,460 69 7,930 00 22,752 go 329,5i7 91 2,022 60 184 3.280 975 138 2,049 10,962 4' 49 146 ¦3 1 18 42 432 2 4 79.552 09 11,175 79 358 00 6,029 24 7,050 31 3,476 67 807 52 ¦,¦¦5 23 687 32 1,851 00 1,668 191 11 168 342 72 2525 ¦9 42 112 4 35,6n 54 1,421 32 935 37 ¦5 47 23 2 2 2 5,220 34 15,796 51 1,454 07 807 52 ¦,¦¦5 23 687 32 437 00 464 31 25 6 5,223 50 125 8 6,637 5° ¦5' ¦9 16 5,174 2,946,545 42 113,070 3.077 2,668,381 10 99,768 2,097 278,164 32 ¦3,302 4,i35 2,609,962 60 98,640 1,039 336,582 82 14,430 » rt- ST0SO ode»o (« o o VESSELS DEPARTED FROM MEXICAN PORTS IN 1895. COUNTRIES. Mexican ports United States Colombia Guatemala Honduras Costa Rica Nicaragua Italy England Germany Belgium France Spain Russia Ecuador Unknown Totals TOTAL NUMBER. Ves sels, 4,109 548 4 3i 3 169 34 1 39 ¦93 1,807,250 18 544,768 74 4,167 80 57,6l9 3° 548 00 752 60 693 36 962 00 85,583 45 39,708 02 1,565 00 24.757 °3 333,554 71 12,104 48 241 87 954 00 Crew. 77,94213,685 196 2,085 29 ¦5M 29 2,114 985 29 1,585 11,488 . 276 •) ¦3 5,159 2,915,230 54 110,494 3,io6 2,666,624 76 Ves- 2,454 411 4 3° 7 160 i,7°5,294 55 489,504 13 4,167 80 57,332 30 548 00 29,970 00 34,783 00 1,563 00 ¦3.279 83 330,180 15 69,243 12,460 196 2,075 29 556 859 29 ¦,265 11,242 SAILING VESSELS. Ves sels. 1,655 ¦37 3 ¦53 ¦3 101,955 63 55,264 61 287 00 752 60 693 36 962 00 55,6l3 45 4,925 02 11,477 20 3,374 56 12,104 48 241 87 954 00 248,605 78 8,699 ¦,225 ¦5¦4 29 ¦,558 126 Ves sels. 345 1 ¦5 3 ¦50 3438 ¦52 ¦9 Tons. 1,394.899 85 437,468 44 1,081 75 26,592 51 962 00 80,515 45 39,708 02 1,565 00 24,353 °3 3M,3i9 43 8,984 00 320246276 9 ¦3 2,54° 3,638 2,330,449 Crew. 58,77010,592 62 29 ¦,95o 985 29 1,575 10,931 194 86,301 IN BALLAST. Ves sels, 1,229 203 3 16 412,350 33 107,300 30 3,086 05 31,026 79 548 00 752 60 693 36 5,068 00 404 00 ¦9.235 28 3,120 48 241 87 954 °o 584,781 06 Crew. 19,172 3.093 ¦34 901 29 ¦5 ¦4 164 557 82 9 '3 5* Sa to sa<-+ 3" 3 R^SUMlt OF THE YEARS 1885 TO 1895. ARRIVED. DEPARTED. Year. Total number of vessels. In crease. De crease. Year. Total number of vessels. In crease. De crease. Year. Total number of vessels. In crease. De crease. Year. Total number of vessels. In crease. De crease. 1885 4,4564,74i5,1235,4485,2205,164 '285 382325 228 56 5,i?o 5.6755,618 5,4895,174 6 505 57 129 3'5 4,3964,6875,0765,2935,055 4,918 5.o835,6405,582 5,5045,^59 ¦65557 1886 291389217 238 *37 1887 5878 345 -1888 1889 10 OJ FOREIGN PASSENGERS ARRIVED AT MEXICAN PORTS IN 1895. GULF PORTS. 4^ O BV O G a& a c "3 0 H NATIONALITY. WHERE THEY COME FROM. PORTS. 60 art u "x art "C uB < uiaa 'rCU a uaa> aa § 0 a i 1in c .rt p 1 S H c rt6 U a .2 rt ^ ?"¦a ¦ST3O .5 rtft CO V CO¦a 4) *sp -0 arta W crt i rtE« O crt O 'rt rt S rtO u « 'Jo B 0 "oU B 3 ffl 0rt J>75 to uiCO ¦c rt Cii O 2 I 1 1 2 I J3 8 601447 9 4,072 2 3 11 1618 2 2 1 6 295 40 1 2,285 2 1 13 I04 97 9 732 6 493 299 1 44 I 126 35 170 55 74 8 456 7 ¦3 5 11 45 205 47 48 I 43 3 I 43 S 214 445 164 21 170 33 IO 62 3 34 2,472 191 597 52 1 20 7 Total 5,153 334 597 5 250 468 182 271 181 2,628 36 II no 3 77 3,27i 957 200 600 53 1 I 20 7 43 PA CIFIC PORTS. 592421 196 z 15 1 8712 7 603 22 5 107 2 24 77 179 10 11 8 59 1 S 1 8 2 7 3 4 2 1 23 4 12 3 10 7 3 1 9 3720 21 187 1 ¦3 1 4 9 1 603 1 4 21 ! 7 1 9 2 3 1 2 2 55 25 6 58 3 2 I Tonala 357 39 9 1 10 63 I — 1,026 353 462 7 52 20 29 77 ¦3 1 1 11 897 7 58 1 w rtsact(ft o sa55oo(fto S3 •-» , oo FOREIGN PASSENGERS DEPARTED FROM MEXICAN PORTS IN 1895. GULF PORTS. B O C v £ B ft 3 c 3 0 H NATIONALITY. DESTINATION PORTS. artu *x V ui C rt0 ¦c 6 < Ca u •5 c W .J5 0aV ft. i V 0 a> .sO art 3 A"E rtft CO art 3 CO (A c "C 3 <: t5 3 iE0 'oU a0 0 rt «; c <£} 0 'rt a tn 2 CO ¦o a; 'a& 13 Crt Hjd c W 4) Ucrt rt 13 6 4}rt3 O CrtE V 0 "rt rt « rt0)0 U rte _o0 B3 •a *4Ort> 13CO c0 *§ a M4) -a 6 2 24 3 2 5 2 13 2 I 2 I I 9 11 453 161139 2,261 96 ¦9 132187 32 97 5 284 99 7 4 I II 35 3 18 6 208 12 2 I,ig2 1 10 29 7 308 48 3 1,399 "5 no I36 407 30 2 1 45 333 75 5 55 1 4 1 54 1 24 9 433 13 3,040 437 425 65 345 89 43 80 1,414 2 15 10 83 1 31 1,769 783 41 433 13 1 55sa m sart r~. o3 PACIFIC PORTS. 333°33 124 7 ¦9 8 4461 ¦4 461 49 18 59 1 27 34 40 ¦4 144 18 ¦4 7 34 1 ¦3 1 6 1 33 4 4 2 2 273033 114 7 18 88 51 ¦4 457 6 75 1 11 5 8 4 2 1 10 3 1 1 1 20 ¦ 2 35 1 1 9 1 1 266 33 6 1 10 1 4 834 332 361 63 ¦9 23 22 7 6 1 35 767 ¦3 1 GENERAL RESUME. V <«- bfl o a E ft 33 1 O NATIONALITY. DESTINATION. srt04) S crt 04>e c .2O c W J3 BU CrtE V 0 C U U) C rt "e rtft CO c .3 3 rt CO uiart3 < -a (-<3 H c£ 3 SO '3O c 0 rt ^ ¦S*n O C "3 ft CO 4) rt CO 4) 'n -a crta W V u Crf ei Hi E V % 3 O ceiEu 0 >? eiu rt eiO u ei£0 "0U E34) 03 0n "rtCO c0rtCV 0 6,179 3,874 687 769 1,059 786 12 302 128 488 364 211 112 348 65 194 87 2,629 1,420 2 36 16 12IO no 83 31 8831 3,271 1,804 1,854*,550 207 54 600433 63 J7 54 1 I 20 7 43 5a Total 10,053 1,456 i,845 12 430 832 323 413 281 4,049 2 52 22 ¦93 4 "9 5,o75 3,404 261 1,033 80 68 X I 20 7 43 60 2,305 82 273 12 174 124 99 283 107 1,209 2 20 2 27 2 57 1,467 304 153 167 46 40 1 I 20 7 43 50 PassengersPassengers PassengersPassengers arrived by the Central Railroad during 1895 q gqi " " National Railroad during 1895 3387 " u International Railroad during 1895 3238 departed by the Central Railroad during 1895 9 589 " National Railroad during 1895 * 3'126 " l* International Railroad during 1895 2691 Total of passengers arrived and departed by rail in 1895 Difference between passengers arrived and departed by railroads in 1895 arrived by the ports 6 I7Q railroads ...'.'".'.'.".".'.' 16,616 departed by the ports " railroads . Total of passengers arrived and departed by ports and rail in 1895 Difference between passengers arrived and departed by ports and railroads in 1895. 3,874 15,406 16,616 15,406 32,022 1,210 22,795 19,280 42,075 3,515 rtSOi-t(ft SO ortntft B a at oo IRavigation, 243 VESSELS ARRIVED AT AND DEPARTED FROM MEXICAN PORTS DURING THE FISCAL YEARS 1 894-95 TO 1895-96. ARRIVED. DEPARTHD. Steameis. Sailing vessels. Steamers. Sailing vessels. Ves sels. Ton nage. Ves sels. Ton nage. Ves sels. Ton nage. Ves sels. Ton nage. Total navigation in the fiscal 4,0784,47i 3,083,0503,300,444 5,4975,723 345,923395,041 3,3994,378 3,026,964 3,242,711 5,5665,856 332,720390,765 Total navigation in the fiscal 393 217,394 226 49,118 979 215,747 290 58,045 AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS. I take from the Anuario Estadistico de la Republica Mexicana of 1895 the following table, which gives the total production of some of our agricultural staples, although I feel perfectly satisfied that they are very much under-rated in said table, because of the difficulty in obtain ing complete data about our agricultural productions, both for want of a proper machinery to collect it, and because manufacturers conceal the extent of these products for the purpose of avoiding taxation. I think if the figures in said table are duplicated they will be nearer the true production. RESUME OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS IN MEXICO. POUNDS AND OTHER MEASURES. Cereals : Rice Barley Indian corn Wheat Leguminous : Chickling vetch (Arvejon). . Beans Chick-peas Lima beans Lentils Root plants : Sweet potatoes Huacamote Potatoes Solanaceous : Dried pepper Green pepper Cane products : Sugar cane Sugar Brown sugar Molasses 27,174,320 59 4,752,239 71,900,598 10,034,328 251,230 4,319,834 774,351 561,159 34,123 2,051,854 235,939 1,007,049 29,472,894 45 9,724,443 98 5,924,612,232 56 316,531,239 02 152,300,903 95 12,748,079 24 % 1,400,299 40 3,587,682 65 75,695,333 21 13,273,790 50 336,771 40 7,269,123 25 932,608 60 624,530 22 64,441 25 859,461 50 108,348 82 879,430 15 1,731,857 67 758,199 90 25,692,281 25 10,283,994 38 7,942,787 60 3,304,787 82 244 Statistical Botes on flDejico. ARTICLES. POUNDS AND OTHER MEASURES. VALUE. Oleaginous : Sesame seed Peanuts Coquito de Aceite. Cocoanuts 214,469357,569 69,388 Linseed Palma Christi , Turnip seed Lime-leaf sago Alcohol and Fermented Drinks: Rum Pulque whiskey Mezcal Pulque Tlachique or unfermented pulque Textiles : Henequen Ixtle Cotton Grape Products : Grape Wine Brandy Dyeing Plants : Indigo Brazil , Campeachy Moral Tanning Plants : Cascalote Tanning bark Tropical Plants : Cocoa Coffee Tobacco Pepper Vanilla 303,425 59,460 20,708 9,968 (310,953,000 cocoa nuts) Gums : Chewing gum. . . India rubber. . . Mesquite gum . . Copal gum Medicinal Plants : Jalap Sarsaparilla 12,768,716 gals. 270,876 gals. 6,011,602 gals. 54,624,835 gals. 24,013,901 gals. 93,427,740 04 9,608,026 79 78,511,486 26 3,114,519 05 162,816 16 gals. 91,656 69 gals. 299,761 56 632,135 85 171,604,086 41 19,826,253 38 4,798,994 96 33,036,812 04 5,346,718 17 42,019,015 76 124,852,597 69 119,273 60 (10,714,000 vanilla beans) 3,996,630 32 1,354,851 48 139,896 97 21,485 47 50,099 00 1,514,331 90 ijp 144,773 00 325,413 OO 130,955 00 3,522,789 00 373,H5 00 83,434 00 34,806 00 20,168 00 5,056,474 82 199,935 00 3,078,372 00 3,562,435 05 1,294,575 00 4,104,096 00 325,250 95 10,176,050 50 161,372 25 146,028 70 83,724 80 285,530 00 64,795 00 2,110,098 50 195,300 00 242,070 25 457,167 26 1,123,180 00 11,565,519 28 6,464,733 50 14,055 00 667,145 50 549,865 50 410,290 00 7,292 75 10,313 55 6,945 00 100,730 00 CONCLUSION. It has taken me a great deal of time and required a great deal of effort to obtain and prepare the data contained in this paper. I am sorry I have not been able to make it more complete than it is ; but I hope my article, by giving a general and superficial idea of Mexico, may promote the desire to read other papers and books treating on that subject in a fuller and more complete manner. ADDENDA. Since this paper has been printed the Federal Treasury of Mexico finished the accounts of the fiscal year ended June 30, 1897, and I give below the general results, showing the total amount of the Federal revenues and expenses during that year. I also give a statement, taken from the Statistical Bureau of the Treasury Department of Mexico, published since this paper has gone to press, of the imports and ex ports in the same year, both by countries and custom houses, these two statements completing the data contained in this paper, and finally some data of the trade of both countries during the first nine months of the present calendar year. FEDERAL REVENUE AND EXPENSES OF MEXICO IN THE FISCAL YEAR 1896-1897. RECEIPTS. Duties on imports and exports $23,639,580.91 Internal revenue 24,323,798.46 Public services 2,057,409.92 Extraordinary and incidental 2,084,496.30 $52,105,285.59 Extraordinary revenues proceeding from contracts and other sources 2,819.17 $52,108,104.76 EXPENSES. 1. Legislative power $ 989,758.38 2. Executive power 62,100.26 3. Judicial power 428,687.46 4. Department of Foreign Affairs 470,122.37 5. Department of Interior 3,354,888.95 6. Department of Justice and Public Education. 2,184,556.52 7. Department of Fomento, Colonization, and Industry 611,863.83 8. Department of Communications and Public Works 5,494,593-34 9. Department of the Treasury and Public Credit 24,218,207.75 10. Department of War and the Navy 10,550,955.18 Total $48,365,734-04 Surplus $3,742,370.72 245 246 Statistical IRotes on flDejico. IMPORTS AND EXPORTS OF MEXICO BY COUNTRIES AND CUSTOM HOUSES IN THE FISCAL YEAR 1896-97. COUNTRIES. Algiers Arabia Argentine Republic . . Australia Austria Belgium Bolivia Brazil Canada Chili China Colombia. . . . Costa Rica. . Cuba Denmark... . Ecuador .... Egypt England .... France Germany. . . . Greece Guatemala . . Hawaii Holland Honduras... . India Italy Japan Nicaragua. . . Norway Persia Peru Portugal . Russia Salvador .... San Domingo Senegambia . Spain Sweden Switzerland .. Turkey United States Uruguay .... Venezuela. . . Zanzibar .... Total 802 2S2 1,897 24,833 128,367 479,850 214240 3,3566,203 51,357 64,317 363 3,614 53,249 10,271 6,881,701 4,989,0824,003,263 1,660 46,323 132,728 3 210,845 184,186 23,673 41,670 784 108 22,653 31,387 452 1,071 902 1,983,794 29,078 163,293 3,267 22,593,860 33 27,60s 1,456 $42,204,095 $ 1,134,325 17 20 5,396 17,675 31,65853,503 14,280,527 1,873,522 4,416,744 1,197,247 1,200 57,906 10,765 1,660 2,110 19,690 294,165 12,185 1,192,328 180 720 86,742,951 $111,346,494 CUSTOM HOUSES. Acapulco . . . Altata Camargo Campeche .... City of Juarez City of Porfirio Diaz Coatzacoalcos Frontera Guaymas .... Guerrero .... Isle of Carmen La Morita. . . . La Paz Laredo Las Palomas . . Manzanillo . . . Matamoros .. . Mazatlan Mier Nogales Progreso Puerto Angel. Salina Cruz. . . San Bias Sta. Rosalia.. Soconusco. . . . Tampico Tijuana Todos Santos. Tonala Tuxpam Veracruz Zapaluta Total. | 206,275 101,159 6,897 175,027 2,910,359 4,710,415 105,148 246,918451,959 6,863 89,89424,943 62,937 4,693,818 i8,794 77,395 185,370 1,572,568 8,157 944,312 1,463,515 15,150 11,676 152,643 547,726231,078 8,773,275 14,297 140,268106,494 76,926 14,036,136 35.703 $42,204,095 EXPORTS. 5 123,481 813,809 8,735 747,710 17,929,521 2,888,535 285,195 418,352 40,307 15,754 1,693,767 498,765430,144 3,701,086 420,011 221,551 312,987 5,808,037 78,609 5,776,575 8,443,130 525,075 68,114 638,398 3,279,390 1,608,446 29,952,441 116,238 199,367 255,582 1,154,313 22,484,633 408,346 $111,346,494 A comparison between the foreign trade in the fiscal year 1896-97 with the year before, 1895-96, gives the following results : During the year 1896-97 Mexico's exports increased $6,329,592, but the value of the exports sent to the United States increased $7,091,256. The Bboenoa. 247 total of Mexico's imports for the year 1896-97 shows a falling-off of $49>843> but, notwithstanding this fact, Mexico's imports from the United States increased $2,448,097. During the year England's ex ports to Mexico decreased $1,023,315, and her imports from Mexico show a loss of $2,186,622, a combined loss of over 12 per cent, in her commercial relations with the Republic. Imports to Mexico from France fell off $1,110,101, a loss of one-sixth of all France's exports to Mexico. In 1895-96 the United States imported 75.8 per cent. of the total exports from Mexico ; in 1896-97 American exporters fur nished 53^ per cent, of all that Mexico bought abroad, and, more than this, the United States took 47.67 per cent, of all that was ex ported from Mexico. These figures sustain the prediction made, that any unsettlement or diminution of Mexico's importations either be cause of fluctuating silver or the increased production of home manu factories would affect American exporters less than those of any other country. The statistics given above show that these causes have affected them less than those of all the other countries combined ; in fact, their loss has been the gain of the United States. TRADE BETWEEN MEXICO AND THE UNITED STATES DURING THE FIRST NINE' MONTHS OF THE CALENDAR YEAR 1897. The following data, taken from the publications of the Statistical Bureau of the United States Treasury Department, shows the results of the trade with Mexico in the nine months ended September 30, 1897, as compared with the similar period ended September 30, 1896. Mexican Exports to the United States. — In the following items the first group of figures represents the amounts and values exported in the first nine months of this year, and the second those of the similar period in 1896 : Coffee, 30,016,967 pounds, worth $4,574,252 gold, against 19,715,264 pounds, worth $3,333,385. The much lower price of coffee this year accounts for the disproportionate valuation. The people of the United States, besides being Mexico's chief cus tomers for coffee, are buying more and more of our tobacco, which they now know and appreciate on its merits. The amount exported to the United States was 600,987 pounds, worth in gold $294,536, against i9I,3°3, worth $78,769- Mexico exported, in the period under consideration, to the United States, hides and skins to the value of $1,534,306 gold, against $1,055,- 299. The quantities, respectively, were 11,764,000 pounds, and 7,102,- 465 pounds. No diminution of activity there. It is worth noting that oranges were shipped out to the value of $22,444 gold against $19,359. 248 Statistical Botes on /IDejico. Mexico's great argentiferous lead business did not fall behind, the nine months' exportation being 108,776,560 pounds, worth in gold $1,226,525, against 97,818,833 pounds, worth $949,926. The bulk of the American purchase of lead is from Mexico. Yucatan is Mexico's henequen-growing region, and the exportation has been heavy, standing at 48,410 tons, worth in gold $2,889,003,, against 35,746 tons, worth $2,323,585, a noteworthy increase. The henequen or sisal-grass trade into the United States is overwhelmingly Mexican, " other countries " furnishing but 399 tons in the first nine months of this year ! Mexico both exports and imports coal, and shipped into the United States 85,890 tons, worth in gold $182,416, against 52,674 tons, worth $ii5,oi5- Logwood exports were $44,028, against $15,250. Mahogany fell off, being $290,044 gold, against $306,715, but this trade is always variable. Mexican Imports from the United States. — It is worthy of note that, in spite of the extraordinarily heavy gold premium, Mexico should be increasing her buying abroad of electrical apparatus, the purchase from the United States alone, in the first nine months of this year, amount ing to $228,000 gold, as against $200,000 in the same period last year. Sewing machines went in to the value of $164,000 gold in the nine- month period, against $154,000 last year. Builders' hardware fell off from $556,600 gold value, in the first nine months of last year, to $424,000 this year, but lumber for builders ran up to $1,079,000 gold, against only $544,000 last year, all coming from the United States. Furniture increased slightly, $141,000 gold, against $126,000. Carriages, cars, and other vehicles, in the nine-months' period, came from the United States to the value of $664,000 gold, as com pared with $463,000 last year. Bicycles amounted to $56,000 gold, as against $37,700. Other importations were as follows : 9 MOS., 1897. 9MOS., 1896. Cotton : Bales 9,936 23,127 Value *$4H,973 *$i, 020,000 Crude petroleum imports : Gallons 6,260,164 5,486,667 Value * $277,300 * $299,422 Refined petroleum : Gallons 734,466 588,242 Value $136,180 $122,447 Cotton seed oil : Gallons 1,010,580 912,905 Value * $199,000 * $195,000 ?Gold. Bppenoij. 249 APPENDIX. In the preceding paper I stated that I would give as an appendix some data concerning several subjects treated in the same, and I now append the documents mentioned ; the first one being a paper pub lished in the Bulletin of the American Geographical Society of New York for March 31, 1894, under the title of "Mexico a Central American State," the second, some itineraries of the principal roads in Mexico, which show the broken surface of that country, and the third and last, a paper on the " Drainage of the Valley of Mexico," published by the Engineering Magazine of New York, Vol. viii., No. 4, for January, 1895. MEXICO A CENTRAL AMERICAN STATE. In the chapter of this paper entitled " Location, Boundaries, and Area," I referred, (page 9) to an article under the above heading, which I published in the Bulletin of the American Geographical Society of New York of March 31, 1894, and offered to give it in the appendix. That paper is the following : MEXICO A CENTRAL AMERICAN STATE.' There is in this city a social gathering of ladies and gentlemen called " The Travellers' Club," meeting weekly during the winter of each year, for the purpose of studying a foreign country, on the sup position that its members are then travelling in that particular country, and with that view papers are read referring to the same, and they are illustrated with an exhibition of views and objects manufactured in the country under study, and of everything else that may contribute to impart more or less complete information regarding the place supposed to be visited. During the winter of 1887-88 Mexico was chosen as the country un der study by the club, and for that reason I received at the beginning of the year 1888 an invitation to attend some of its sessions, and to say something about the Republic. I accepted the invitation to attend some session, but stated to the invitation committee that, not having time to prepare a paper, I would only give some general notions on 1 This article was published in the Bulletin of the American Geographical Society of New York of March 31, 1894, and it is inserted here without any changes. Al though the data contained in this article was published in the years 1887 and 1893, as it refers to the area which has not changed, I have not thought it necessary to revise the same. So far as the Mexican States are concerned, I have later and more accu rate data ; but the differences are insignificant, and it is not worth while to notice them. As regards the population, the increase has been proportionate ; in respect to all the countries mentioned in this article there is no marked change in the general proportions. 250 Statistical IRotes on ZlDejico. Mexico, in a conversational form, and would be glad to answer any question that might be put to me by those attending the meeting who felt the desire to have further information and more details. Accordingly, the evening of the 16th of January, 1888, I attended the meeting of the club and spoke for about an hour on the geographical position of Mexico, its physical conditions, its natural resources, and other matters connected with the situation of the country, but carefully avoiding to touch any political question, especially of an international character. With a view to leave a record of what I intended to say, I had with me a stenographer to take down what I would say, and although his notes were not complete, by using them, and those taken by reporters, some extracts of my conversation were prepared and published the next morning. Speaking of the geographical position of Mexico, I naturally stated, what is a fact, although not generally realized, that while the main portion of the territory of Mexico is located in North America it occupies a considerable portion of Central America, although politically it is considered as wholly situated in North America. On this subject I made the following remarks, taken from the newspapers, but which were correct: " The isthmus of Panama divides the New World into two continents, one sit uated on the northern and the other on the southern hemisphere, but as the position of that isthmus does not correspond with the line of the equator, and lies considerably north of that line, a large portion of South America proper lies in the boreal hemi sphere. North America proper is divided by the isthmus of Tehauntepec in two sub divisions — Central America from Panama to Tehauntepec, and North America from Tehauntepec to the North Pole. "Central America in its present political organization includes the following States : Guatemala, Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica, but from a geo graphical standpoint it has a much larger area, since it begins at the isthmus of Panama and ends at the isthmus of Tehuantepec. Taking this view, Mexico exercises sov ereignty over a large portion of Central America, larger still than any single State of the five which are generally considered as the only components of the same, and representing a third of the total territorial area of Central America. " The Mexican State of Chiapas and a part of Oaxaca, on the Pacific ; of Yuca tan, Campeche, and Tabasco, and a portion of the State of Vera Cruz on the Gulf of Mexico, are situated in geographical Central America. "The following re'sum/ of the territorial area and population of the several sec tions of Central America, taken from the Statesman's Year Book, London, 1887, shows that Mexico is a Central American as well as a North American power : FIVE STATES OF CENTRAL AMERICA. Area in sq. miles. Population. Guatemala 46,800 1,224,602 Salvador 7,225 634,120 Honduras 46,400 458,000 Nicaragua 49, 500 275,815 Costa Rica 23,200 213,785 Total 173,125 2,806,322 flDejico anb Central Hmerica. 251 MEXICO. State. Area in sq. miles. Population, Chiapas 16,048 242,029 Oaxaca (one-fifth) 6,718 152,255 Yucatan 29,567 302,319 Campeche 25,832 90,413 Tabasco 11,815 140,747 Vera Cruz (one-fourth) 6,558 145,610 Total 96,538 1,073,373 This shows that 36 per cent, of the total area of Central America belongs to Mexico. In the foregoing list I omitted to take into account that, besides the States referred to, there are in Central America proper the British Colony of Belize or British Honduras, and that part of the State of Panama, in Colombia, which lies north of the isthmus of Panama. Taking the area and population of those places from the statistical and geographical data published by His Almanack de Gotha for 1893, and from some official information in possession of Senor Doctor Don Manuel M. de Peralta, Costa Rican Minister to Washington, a gentleman very well versed in Central American affairs, the following jesults are obtained : Area in square Area in square t. , .. miles. kilometers. Population. Chiapas 16,048 41,565 270,000 Oaxaca (one-fifth) 6,718 17,400 158,800 Yucatan 29,567 76,579 330,000 Campeche 25,832 66,905 94,000 Tabasco 11,815 30,600 140, 747 Veracruz (one-fourth) .. . 6,558 16,986 181,000 Guatemala Honduras Salvador Nicaragua Costa Rica Panama (two-thirds). British Honduras. . . . GEOGRAPHICAL EXTENSION OF CENTRAL AMERICA. Square miles. Square kilometers. Mexican Central America 96,538 250,035 Five Republics of Central America 174,554 451,94° British Honduras 8,300 21,475 Panama (two-thirds) 19,278 50,000 298,670 773,450 The foregoing table shows that a little more than 32 per cent, of the whole of iCentral America, geographically speaking, belongs to Mexico. 96,538 250,035 125,100 1,174,547 48,300 1,520,000 46,262 119,820 400,000 8,135 21,070 800,000 47,857 123,950 320,000 24,000 62,000 270,000 19,278 50,000 200,000 8,300 21,475 523,415 31,500 202,132 3,541,500 252 Statistical motes on flDejico. When those statements were translated into Spanish and published by las Novedades, of New York, in its issue of the 18th of January, 1888, they were read by Seiior Don Manuel Montufar, Secretary of the Guatemalan Legation in Washington, who, in the absence of the Minister, Senor Don Francisco Lainfiesta, was acting as Chargd d'Affaires, and he considered my statements in this connection as a geographical heresy, and as an evidence of the design of Mexico against the several States of Central America. His alarm was so great that he called the attention of the other representatives of the Central American States in Washington to this incident, in order to point out to them the serious dangers which he foresaw for their respective countries on account of my views, which he considered as more than extraordinary. Fortunately, one of them, the representative of Costa Rica, Senor Doctor Don Manuel M. de Peralta, had attended the meeting of the Travellers' Club at which I spoke, and, I think, Doctor Don Horacio Guzman, the Nicaraguan Minister, was also present, although I am not sure of this, and both failed to see anything in what I stated in this connection that was not a geographical fact, and that, consequently, it could not be disputed ; and therefore this incident, that threatened to assume certain proportions, died in its very cradle. Senor Montufar showed himself over-sensitive at my remarks when there was not the slightest ground for such feeling. If I had made a geographical mistake in averring that a portion of the territory of Mexico was in Central America, geographically speaking, I would be the only sufferer by my mistake, because I would have been the laugh ing-stock of everybody, including the school-boy studying geography; and, on the contrary, if I had stated a fact, nobody had reason to complain, and much less to be alarmed. My object in now mentioning this incident is to show the extreme sensitiveness of some Guatemalan gentlemen in regard to Mexico, which goes so far that they cannot listen sometimes to indisputable facts without umbrage, and without ascribing it to purposes and designs against their country. Fortunately this incident happened when the long-pending boundary dispute between Mexico and Guatemala had already been settled for several years, as, had it taken place before, when that question was opened, the situation would have been still more embarrassing and unpleasant. M. Romero, Washington, December 29, 1893, Utineraries. 253 MEXICAN PROFILES. In the chapter on Orography of this paper (page 31)1 stated that I ¦would give some profiles of the Mexican surface, which would show in an exact manner the different altitudes from the sea-level to the high plateaus of the country. I have selected for that purpose the principal measurements by railroads built in Mexico, as they naturally followed the easiest ascent and descent, both from the coast to the interior and back to the coast. I will also supplement those measurements with •others made for wagon roads to and from important places. FROM VERACRUZ TO MEXICO BY ORIZABA, BY THE MEXICAN RAILWAY. Veracruz Tejeria Purga , Soledad Camaron Paso del Macho. Atoyac Cordova Orizaba Maltrata Boca del Monte. Esperanza San Andres .... Rinconada San Marcos .... Huamantla Apizaco Soltepec Apam Irolo Otumba Teotihuacan. . . . Tepexpam Mexico Distance between each station. Kilom's. 15-50015.250 H. 250 21.250 12.75010.00019-75026.250 20.250 20.250 6.500 24.25020. 500 18.OOO 17.25025.5OO27.OOO I9.5OO15.500 22.000 11.50011.250 32.50O Mile! 9.639-486.99 13.21 7.926.22 12.2716.5212.58 12.59 4.04 15.0712.74II. 19 IO.72 15-8416.79 12.12 9.63 13.67 7-15 6.99 20.20 Distances. Kilom's. Miles O.OOO 15.500 30.750 42.000 63.250 76.OOO86.OOO 105.750 132.OOO152.250I72.5OO 179.OOO 203.250223,75024I.75O25g.OOO284.500 311.50033I.OOO346.500 368.50O 380.OOO380.OOO423-750 0.00 9.63 19.1126.10 39-31 47-23 53-45 65.72 82.04 94.62 107.21in. 25 126.32 139.06 150.25160.97176.81193.60 205.72 215-35229.02236.17 236.17263.36 Altitudes. Metres. Feet I.89 32.34 44-77 93.08 340-76 475-55 400.77 827.88 1227.63 1601.79 2415.362451.792430.42 2357-32 2373.21 2488.06 241 1. 5 1 2507.62 2486.922452.582349.412281.572244.99 2239.83 6.20 106.10 146.89 305.39 1116.47 1560.25 1314.91 2713.61 4027.80 5255-40 7924.66 8044.20 7974.087734.247786.378164.977912.03 8227.37 8159.45 8046.787708.287485-7I7365-697348.76 FROM APIZACO TO PUEBLA, A BRANCH OF THE SAME ROAD. 139.250 16.75018.25012.000 86.54 10.4111.29 7.52 0.000 139-250 156.000174.250186.250 0.00 86.54 96.95 108.24 115.76 2239.832411.512288.31 2192.012154.63 7348.76 7912.03 7507.82 7191.86 7069.22 254 Statistical Botes on ZlDejico. FROM VERACRUZ TO MEXICO BY JALAPA, BY THE INTEROCEANIC RAILWAY. Veracruz Santa Fe La Antigua San Francisco Rinconada Colorado El Palmar Chavarrillo Pacho Jalapa Banderilla San Miguel Cruz Verde Las Vigas Perote Tepeyahualco Virreyes Ojo de Agua San Marcos La Venta A cajete Amozoc Puebla Los Arcos Analco San Martin Texmelucan. . . Atotonilco Nanacamilpa Calpulalpam San Lorenzo Irolo Soapayuca Otumba Texcoco San Vicente Los Reyes Mexico Distance between each station. Kilom's. Miles. 20.234 15.200 9.820 21.644 16.312 9.781 15.603 14.675 8-558 IO.510 14.227 14.870 16.569 20.82729.476 17.04117.064II.30314.01410.35711.34419-391 7.919 15.58615.23112.721 24.25923-275 9.3029.648 15.617 4.724 31.209 11.452 9-353 17-495 12.58 9.46 6.09 13-45 10.14 6.07 9.70 9.12 5-32 6-53 8.84 9-25 10.2912.95 18.31 10.5910.61 7.02 8.71 6.44 7-05 12.05 4.929.699-47 7.91 15-05 14.49 5-785-99 9.712-94 19-39 7-92 5-19 n.50 Distances. Kilom's. Miles. O.OOO 20.234 35-434 45-254 66.898 83.210 92.991 108.594123.269131.827 142.337 156.564171-434 188.003 208.830238.297 255-338272.402283.705297.719308.076319.420338.811346.730 362.316 377-547 390.268 4I4-527 437-802447.104 456.752472.369477-093 508.302519-754529.107546.602 0.00 12.58 22.0428.13 41.58 51.7257-79 67-49 76.61 81.93 88.46 97-30 106.55 116.84129.79148.10158.69169.30176.32 185.03191.47 198.52 210.57 215-49225.18 234-65 242.56 257.61 272.10277.88283.87293.58296.523i5,9i323-03328.22339.72, Altitudes. Metres. Feet 2.00 28.60 5-50 24.44 254.OO 520.70 690.08941.24 1170.441336.18 1490.001780.22 2073 09 2421.IO2390.302321.50 2346.402348.33 2412.602559-05 2469.252312.042I55-6o2130.962197.502258.61 2472.IO 2740.162576.IO 2484.222447.252409.05 2361.30 2249.10 2235.20 2240. 10 2240.00 6.56 93-84 18.04 80.18 833.36 1708.39 2264.123088.163840.15 4383-944888.62 5840.82 6801.70 7943-507842.447615-237698.417704-7479I5-6I 8396.108101.48 7585-677072.39 6991.567209.887410.388110.83 8990.318990.318150.60 8029.307903-967747.297379-137333-527349.607349-27 FROM THE CITY OF MEXICO TO MORELOS, A BRANCH OF THE SAME ROAD. Mexico Los Reyes Ayotla La Compaiiia Tenango Amecameca Otumba Nepantla Yecapixtla Cuautla de Morelos . Calderon Yautepec Ticuman Tlaltizapan Tlalquitenango Jojutla San Jose Puente de Ixtla 17-495 7.005 9.300 12.900 10.80012.200 22.90026.800 16.500 8.200 14.000 18.000 8.200S.7002.300 1 2 . 100 7.600 n.50 3-73 5-778.02 6.71 7-59 14.2316.6610.25 5.10 8.70 11. 19 5-095-41 1.43 7-524-73 0.000 17-495 24-50033.800 46.700 57-500 69.70092.600 119.400i35-9°o 144.100158.100176.100184.300193.000 195.300 207.400 215.000 0.00 n.5015-2321.00 29.0235-73 43-32 57-5574-2184.4689-5698.26 109.45"4-54 "9-95121.38128.90I33-63 2240.00 2240.102243.302244.50 2324.20 2466. 50 2324.45 1968.65 1570.201216.481258.15 1154.72 968.22934.10900.20 890.64 992-35 896.99 7349-27 7349.60 7360.097364.03 7625.538092.42 7626.33 6459.04 5I5I-75 3991.20 4127.92 3788.593176.693064.732953-512922.153255-842942.99 •(Itineraries. 255 FROM PUEBLA TO IZUCAR DE MATAMOROS, A BRANCH OF THE SAME ROAD. STATIONS. Distance between each station. Distances. Altitudes. Kilom's. Miles. Kilom's. Miles. Metres. Feet. Puebla 7.919 5 -000 8.900 18.100 5.850 19-150 8.850 10.543 4.92 3- II 5-53 n.25 3-64 11.90 5-49 6.56 0.000 7.919 12.919 21.819 39-919 45-7&9 64.919 73-76984.412 0.00 4.92 8.03 13.56 24.8128.45 40.3545-»4 52.40 2155.60 2130.96 2145.OO2120. 10 2030.20 II96.601685.181584.94 1443.80 7072.36 6991.52 7037.58 6955.89 6660.94 3925-99 552S.99 5200.IO 4737-03 Tatetla FROM MEXICO TO EL PASO DEL NORTE OR CIUDAD JUAREZ, BY THE CENTRAL MEXICAN RAILROAD. Mexico Tlalnepantla.Barrientos Lecherfa Cuautitlan Teoloyucan Huehuetoca Nochistongo El Salto Tula San Antonio Lena Marquez Nopala Dafiu Polotitlan Cazadero Palmillas San Juan del Rio Chintepec Ahorcado Hercules Queretaro Mariscala Apaseo Celaya Guaje Salamanca Chico Irapuato Villalobos Silao Trinidad Leon Francisco Pedrito Loma Lagos 11.700 7.27 0.000 0.00 2240.00 5.900 3-67 11.700 7.27 2250.10 3.300 2.05 17.600 10.94 2298.50 6.800 4.23 20. 900 12.99 2253.20 8.300 5-15 27.700 17.22 2252.50 10.500 6.52 36.000 22.37 2253.20 6.000 3-74 46.500 28.89 2258. So 9.900 6.15 52.500 32.63 2248.00 17.600 10.96 62.400 38.78 2162.60 13.500 8.39 80.000 49.72 2030.00 24.300 15.10 93-500 58.11 2187.00 3.800 2-37 117.800 73-21 2471.80 8.300 5-15 121.600 75-58 2426.50 8.000 5-04 129.900 80.73 2341.40 14.000 8.63 137.900 85.77 2387.70 9.200 5-72 151. 900 94.40 2292.30 10.900 6-77 161. 100 100.12 2249.50 18.600 11.57 172.000 106.89 2162.00 13.300 8.26 190.600 118.46 1905.50 12.200 7-59 203.900 126.72 1894.90 24.4OO 15-16 216.100 134-31 1907.70 5.000 3-H 240.500 149-47 1843.90 18.5OO n.50 245.500 152.58 1813.20 14-500 9.01 264.000 164.08 1788.20 13.000 8.08 278.500 173-09 1767.40 I8.20O n. 31 291.500 181. 17 1757-40 22.800 14.17 309.700 192.48 1740.00 II. IOO 6.90 332.500 206.65 1721.50 g.200 5-72 343.600 213.55 1720.80 16.600 10.31 352.800 219.27 1723.70 I3.2OO 8.20 369.400 229.58 1746.10 ig.OOO 11.82 382.600 237-/8 1776.50 14.200 8.82 401.600 249.60 1818.00 I6.4OO 10.19 415.800 258.42 1785.80 15-400 9-58 432.200 286.61 1765.00 I3.7OO 8.51 447.600 278.19 1795.00 13.600 8.55 461.300 286.70 1890.40 10.600 6-59 474.900 295-15 1871.00 7349-327392.467541.26 7392-637390.337392.63 7411.OO7375-577095.37 6660.32 7175-438109.847961.227682.00 7833-927520.91 7380.49 7093.40 6251.84 6217.076259.076049.74 5949.025867.005798.75 5765-945708.85564S.155645-855655-375/28.87 5828.61 5964.775859.12 5790.885889.30 6202.31 6138.66 w Xh >pa M*w Ment^mm'^-c*MO ¦¦T^*-1- " " -- '¦ ' " " OO OOMMNcn^-OOmOco Oco in t}- rt m o r-- rt m <-i i- v OOOOOOOOO l-*-co t-*.r*.0000000 mmmmmini in rt cno O o •^j-cnmo rt cno " o t-- n in r^ in o n o i-*> o n o o tr- min't « w .S"0*? ooo no n Men r*»o w r-"« o o* t-*> *4 ei cd n ui cn n n in in d ino' m -4o co cd m cn d w" o m" r^-co" r">o* o o d d t^ SP *3" *P "I" °9 O O^cn^o mooco Q o mco m mocoo in n mo cno -t rt cn m n m rrmco oo cn -t r-oo *t o m n m m m t~> m OOO oco co r-*o mmvnmcnN nn mm m m m m mm m cn n cn rt cn en cn n wnmmnm m . . r4- o m _ O Ooooooooo on o en rt en h o NNMMMmmmMNNNNCNNCNNM 5" ** S^-t"^ 5" "£ £? "^ *"^ N 1H M N in !-*• m OO O m inmoco O mO rt O r-^ *t in m o Om o moo tnw nco mco r-OO O co co oo N .. T . .. *? . c?u?rTM. *~[ "? H. "^ n *£> rt in cn in co -too co co ncon mooco o noo rt in n r^co o cncnmcno O r*> r- cn o Oo O ooo r^r-*.rrTtenr*.incd rt o* cd m' m' mr^od moN 4cn uih. ocd oo m* m m m - - - ~>rtinor-coooNenrtrt O O w cn mo co co . _ -52S2^^"^OT^0MN4mocooONcninor-*.coOOONcnrtOr-coOO-- ¦ - cnencncnencnencnrtrtrtrtrtrtrtrtinin»ninininininoooooooo r>h-r^tNNr>rstsr-.cococo cococo coccoo o o o o o ooooqggooooooooooooqoooooqooqooqooooooqoqooooooogoqoooo 2,3. °S2022S90.0^0025ooooooooo5ooooooqo5oooooOooooooooooooo moo mwo m n h- o q o-^-mmq O mo cnM mco m m cncncntNt^-M ^j-o o cn oooMcor>.Mcooo no cn^tw -^j-m MinM c* m }£* *£ ® r-.cnmincn rf O m O m cn O ^j-O OOO m -rf O* cd m" ino" O* m d rj- OO m' co" co' N* in r^o" m O r*- Ood en N m* d o N N co' -+ m coon cnooo m n rt OO m cno i-^om n mfNOM cnmco O N moco om cnrtmr^o N i-Ooo om cnmi^-OM cn^t-oco Om n rr^rmu-iinmOOOO t^ N NN r>. rsco co CO co oo OOOOO O O O O O m m m m m n n cn n N n enencncncnTi-Tt-Tj-'^-^i-Tt-mm t* i00^ ^L1^. WQQ ?1-) "^OQ h cn« rf oo rtM'rj-OMCNNmmTt mco r-^MO mcnN om inmr^.1^.00 cnr-o cno -rf-co o O tj-co ¦ ^.T^^... M ^o ^o cn r- cnco o oo n cno rf o o co o oco o o m « -t-or-M r^-ino mcnO mcoo or-, oo r^- o m o O moo cnco mN no'co* d r^oocncd cio' m' n" cncnrt-j-cn-t- oco* cdind m m n 4 n 4 h h oOcnN o»-i m m* oociod Tf-m MMMMM MCO MM M MMMMMMMMMM MM WMMMMMM MMM — w m M •_¦ i_i SSSSSSSSSSS22299900SOoooooooooqqooooooqooooooooooooqooo9^2£2.0^00^50^00200oooo20oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ^ ^" **** ^" *0 . ^ ^ . ^^OinOHin r^co O r- -t o< M O O Om'rt-cnN ^-C1 r^-O 0«r-0 mo O ^^hwcON r-O -to m en cn O . d ^ w w cd cd tJ-oo m 64 oco* o ino* d mo" r^ -4 MCNMCN«cn N HMCNMMNMCNCNMMCMNNCNNNMMMeNM ihNNNCNMMMMCNMMWMMMmCNMM fN 3 rn «* m 4) UJ =- 3 ^ ™ cS jd « TJ 3ogflS3 cud rf 5 i-J c/? W Oh •< Pn 2^ J o § " O - - rt - O _¦ « o ±* N fl B J 3 o 3 5 S - ^3 o cd « S3 .| 73 .y 3S-f-«il 111 oJ a §§5 N O o UK O 8 c«- +j rt -^ n2 n 6^6 Itineraries. 257 FROM MEXICO TO EL PASO DEL NORTE OR CIUDAD JUAREZ, BY THE CENTRAL MEXICAN RAILROAD. — Continued. STATIONS. Distance between each station. Kilo Miles. Distances. Kilom's. Miles. Altitudes. Metres. Bachimba Horcasitas Mapula Chihuahua Sacramento . . . Ferragas Sauz Encinillas .... Agua Nueva. . . Laguna Puerto Gallego Chivatito Moctezuma. . . Las Minas Ojo Caliente . . Carmen San Jose Rancheria .... Los Me'danos. . Samalayuca . . . Tierra Blanca . Mesa Ciudad Juarez. 17.400 22.40022.900 23.100 15.100 11.600 19.900 13.90013.400 20.40020.20029.000 15.400 13.10013.500 11.300 22.800 24.100 28.700 18.200 16.10014.400 17.600 10.7613-9114.24 14-36 9-387.21 12.37 8.64 8-33 12.6712.5618.02 9-57 8.148.33 7.09 14.1714-97 17.8411.3210.00 8-95 10.94 1545.800 1563.200 1585.6001608.5001631.600 1646.700 1658.300 1678.2001692.100 1705.500 1725.9001746.100 1775.1001790.5001803.6001817.1001828.4001851.2001875.300 1904.000 1922.200 1938.3001952.700 1970.300 960.70971-54 985.45999.69 1014.051023.431030.641043.01 1051.65 1059.981072.65 1085.21 1103.231112.80 1120.94 1129.271136.36"50.531165.50"83.34 1194.66 1204.661213.611224.55 1264.101366.501514.40 1412.30 1519-90 1591.501564.40 1533.60 1527-50 1535-70 1618.90 1622.00 1480.50 1382.80 1318.10 1233.30 1216.001194.601281.801298.301274.50 1263.50 1207.10 1133.10 4147-454483.424968.664633.684986.71 5221.635132.71 5031.66 5011.655038.5553H-53 5321.71 4857-45 4536.894324.62 4046.39 3989.64 3919.42 4205.524259.66 4181.574145.48 3960.40 3717-64 FROM AGUASCALIENTES TO TAMPICO, A BRANCH OF THE SAME ROAD. Aguascalientes Chicalote Canada Gallardo El Tule San Gil San Marcos Garcia La Honda Penon Blanco Salinas Zotol Espiritu Santo Solana San Louis Potosi Laguna Seca Corcovada Peotillos Silos Puerto de San Jose San Isidro Cerritos Santa Toribia (El Gato).. San Bartolo Tanque de la Tinajilla. . . Cardenas La Labor 14.300 8.90 0.000 0.00 1884.00 6.200 3-84 14.300 8.90 1891.00 10.500 6.52 20. 500 12.74 1921.50 4.600 2.86 31.000 19.26 1955.75 15.200 9.45 35.600 22.12 1962.75 8.200 5-io 50.800 31-57 2011.50 11.000 6.84 59.000 36.67 2031.25 12.800 7-95 70.000 43.71 2117.40 11.000 6.84 82.800 5L46 2138.50 16.200 10.07 93.800 58.30 2100.75 13.600 8.44 1 10.000 68.37 2075.63 13-500 8.39 123.600 76.81 2120.50 25.400 15-79 137.100 85.20 2038.25 62.200 38.65 162.500 100.99 2234.80 17-300 10.96 224.700 139.64 1877. CO 27.100 16.84 242.000 150.40 1827.00 15.100 9-37 269.100 167.24 1700.00 7.500 4.69 284.200 176.61 1740.00 6.450 4.00 291.700 181.30 1509.00 15.650 9.72 298.150 185.30 1566.00 13.400 8.33 313.800 195.02 1257.00 11.200 6.97 327.200 203.35 1136.00 17.300 10.76 338.400 210.32 1100.00 43.300 26.90 355- 700 221.08 1030.00 14.200 8.82 399.000 247.98 1190.00 14.700 9.14 413.200 256.80 1200.00 8.200 5.10 427.900 265-94 1200.00 6181.316204.286304.346416.71 6439.686599.62 6664.426947.07 7016.30 6892.446810.916957.24 6687.39 7332.25 6158.35 5994-305577-625708.86 4950.95 5137-97 4124.16 3727.163609.043379.38 3904-333937-14 3937-14 258 Statistical IRotes on /IDejico. FROM AGUASCALIENTES TO TAMPICO, A BRANCH OF THE SAME ROAD. Continued. STATIONS. Distance between each station. Kilom's. Miles. Distances. Kilom's. Miles. Altitudes. Metres. Feet. Las Canoas Los Llanos (Zacate) . . . Tamazopo (La Garita). Rascon Las Crucitas El Salto (Micos) San Mateo Valles San Felipe ElAbra Taninul Las Palmas Chijol Salinas (Chila) Tamos Tampico 7.900 18.800 16.800 15.100 9,500 10.70013.80011.900 2.300 4.000 8.000 68,700 13.70017.900 13.100 4.91 11.68 10.44 9-38 5-91 6.658.58 7-39 i-43 2.49 4-98 42.68 8.52 n. 13 8.14 436.100 444.000462.800479.600494.700 504.200514.900528.700540.600542.900546,900554-900 623.600 637-300655-200668.300 271.04275-95 287.63 298.07 307.45313-36320.01328.59335-98337-41339-90344-88 387.56 396.08 407.21415.35 990.00825.00 350.00 295.00 275.00218.00 175.00 75-oo 160.00165.00 125.00 50.00 65.00 5.00 20.00 0.00 3248.14 2706. 78 1148.33 967.88 902.26 715.25574-i6 246.07 524-95541-35 410. 1 1 164.05 213.25 16.40 6.56 0.00 FROM IRAPUATO TO GUADALAJARA, A BRANCH OF THE SAME ROAD. Irapuato San Miguel Rivera Cuitzeo Abasolo (Rio Turbio). San Rafael Penjamo Villaseiior Palo Verde Cortez La Piedad Patti Yurecuaro Negrete La Barca Feliciano Limon Ocotlan Poncitlan Atequiza La Capilla El Castillo Guadalajara 5.100 11.300 7.600 8.000 6.200 11.60014-300 7.100 13-500 6.600 20. 100 14.30021.000 6.4004.700 8.300 13.20017.500 21.600 8.3007.600 24.800 3.17 7.02 4.73 4.96 3-85 7.22 8.89 4.41 8.40 4.10 12.49 8.89 13-05 3-97 2-935-15 8.21 10.8813.41 5-17 4-73 15.40 5.100 16.400 24.000 32.000 38.200 49.800 64.100 71.20084.700 91-300 in. 400 125.700 146.700 153.100157.800166.100179.300196.800 218.400226.700 234.300 259.100 0.003-17 10.1914.9219.88 23-73 30.9539.84 44.25 52.65 56.75 69.24 78.13 91.1895-1598.08 103.23 ni-44 122.32135-73140.90145-63161.03 1724.001721.00 1712.00 1700.00 1695 00 1690.001700.00 1690.001685.001675.001675.00 1665.001540.00 1531.00 1537-001540.001543-001525.00 1522.00 1512.001515-001525.001543.00 5656.365646.52 5616.99 5577-62 5561.215544.815577-625544.81 5528.405495-595495-595472-78 5052.56 5023.13 5042.825052.66 5062.505003.44 4993.60 4960.794970.63 5003.44 5062.50 FROM MEXICO TO LAREDO TAMAULIPAS, BY THE MEXICAN NATIONAL RAILWAY. Mexico Tacuba Naucalpan. . . Rio Hondo. . San Bartolito Dos Rios. . . . t.aurel Cumbre 4.600 2.86 0.000 0.00 2240.00 4.800 2.98 4.600 2.86 2250.00 3.900 2.42 9.400 5-84 2280.00 8.700 5-41 13.300 8.26 2300.00 5.500 3-42 22.000 13.67 2460.00 5-500 3-4i 27.500 17.09 2680.00 5.900 3.68 33.000 20.50 2820.00 2.500 1-55 38. 900 24.18 3050.00 7349-327382.13 7480.567546.178071.13 8792.94 9252,27 10006.89 £*a o S-n> S COLn W M in W O tO OLn M M M M - cn 4^ OO to4- c^'viw w m www -j^ O 0*^-0 -f* ,°°*p 'P M >f N M M O Ui CO-^J LO ^J in 4s. COCn -^J tO tO CO CO CO CO tO 4^. W 4i -J -*J O -. >, s -fe 2 5? 2 "^J K "fe ^ 2 5 S£ f5 SP S£ '^ "M ° ^ "^ '°° -^ "M "M "O ^ ^" ^ i> l" ¦*- b ^ b h i* ix c» h i w » b io ww vw a i b b-ui i m 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooobooooooooo m o cc-j O COO O Op co co m cn cn -^ 4^ --j ^j *j cn cocn 4^ to 4* Co cocn O O -vj coin in *J in -*J CO to to 4^ 4* O OW to M 0**4 0 04*oomWmnm •vj*.-^ -JW W UJ m tow to O 0>-n O O 4> O O to 'o O in i. w o to CO Cn "o TO Cl b *W to i. i. -k >"-j "m O OO i. Cj o On -L cn O "0 m lo O O '00 -k cn m O Lnrnin aw w LOO to to O cn w O tn to coin w m cn 00 ^ -4 -4 O to -U LO w TO O to CO mm O-J O<00 uV h^ O TO OO 4^-£ TO O^O TO O mo OOO OLn cn cn cn cn lo ro m - Lo COLn t0-J4-O-£-4-^-l4^O ^m^^iJi4^^4^4^^f -f^^A WW WOl W W Wb) WU3 tO tO tO tO tO tO tO tO N tO to m m m m m m m m £"iK ±* £ £ "£ E?*^ ,C^'i ^^S S.'S S£"^ >f £*-" S? "£ W M ^ C0^ ©^ -m LO to O tO O O OW Ocn cn LO to - ' - ~ COO o»sj O OO -£• O m cn cocn t0 4^<-nwmwOcn OLO Ocn Lo co-f- Lo ja. TO O O in 4^- O O to to cn W O tO to m OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO S? S? 9?^ ° C0 CDv° --J O in W m t0--4 (O^j COLO OO tO tOM^JO MO M O m O1p1222222220220000o°°°oooooooooo0000000000000000000000000000000 1 -J O LO O OO TO4 O m 00 ^ 4> O l~l Mcno 04^ OOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOO 4^LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOt0t0t0t0t0l0t0t0t0t0t0t0t0t0t0t0t0MMMMMM-^MMMMMMMMM OO TOO m M £ t TO-So OOW^O m&M^'fe-fc^S'*. £" J3 M OO TO^I OOLncn^LO M M M M m O OOO OW O O 4* 4^ LO W LO tO 10 W p\ p\ co p m wLO-j- 00 vj vp pcwsi p o CO m 4- coO-fi O COLo O m cn ocn mo*^ m o* TOO --J 4^ O cm com Cotn u^O O O cn r^4> m o --4 cn £ oil 00 owl w J?4wT 0$ J? o "£ ^ if h -£,£ '°?k P ^ ^ ^ ?° " w "^ "* "w b cn *M M o CO '00 b O TO bo "to ^WhAUOUM cow to-^i Cr 4^ O 4- OO OW 4- 10 4-* -P* O O-^I tO O WM+^W TOO^J OWW MvJ4- hWsjwmu, 00 CO h in ui Om OLO OOCOtOWOLn--jvjW>-JOW tOLo op p p p p p o p p p p p p p p p p p p.S p 0S0 O o o o o p p o o o obbooo'oobbbbbbbbbbbbbb'obbbb'obboo'nnri 00000000000000000000000000000000080 popbob000 u, uiu, u, 0,0-0^ ^mui-D O *. hvimu . 0",W^J *« 0,BW 004^ G,MmO^I tOU> n O m JS o O m 5'^S,^S, bu??2"S'S 'S,'^,'^"1, "1 ¦C"' "" ?0»1>CM>0(MJ Chvj 000000 OOO vO vD J0Ul-;4 CO JO 0 04^ pO--J4^4^ p,N) MBp^.^4iWO C^O M HUO^-J-JUi- CO H W O 4^ 04^ IO w,uk,ujui^iooni^u,-4*.OU>(joooo OO-J OOW N M O O CO 0«0 CO oou> OOUT 4i +. C^CO o u, cocn M o u» vO =^a ¦nw o g gM o o H o r->w0 oH> s> d> i^. 3 <-J a Q X g " « £f O K a o < i.8g..2.S3"r2.egg£ M to 4^ to _OLO O M M m w CO M JO M O W 10 tO LO CO O TO O O M H <£ V} "£ J3 S£ *2 S "° 4> 004^ M O M -*J LO MO M Oin O -4 TO M QQOOOOOOQOOOOOOQOOOOCOOOOOO ^ooooooooooooooooooooo tO -J O towOtn'tOMLn H-^ O OLOWOOLO OO --J 4* m 4- to OOOOm to cn -^j in w to H^-q O OLO Otn Om O 5 W in ^ co O W O ^£ !"i ^-J S-3. S3 fS, ,M ,M t0 M*3M M M mmm m_ M OO O O O O O O OOOO O o^^^^^^^^O^OO cocoCOCO-~^^>*4--~j^^^i-^ioO 01 H *3 P *P ^^ L.J to m O O CO^J -J Otn 4- tO m O O TO OW *"*j 04* WWCOmmO^00 ^"^ ^^ -m LO m O CO 04- to m O -J Ocn 4^ W m O CO-J ^J4^ to m m COOW O hWm OO to O --J tOO TO TOW cn 4i totn^ CCUi WOo^i4i4i>vi4>UUWsj m OO 4^-JOLo-*J OO tO O O •? OO 0-4>. com w -£¦>- 4^* to tn COO 04V. O O O O O -"-J O O LO O^ tO O O < 80 go 0-0008000000 00 ooo^ooS^'o^S^^S 00c : - - - >bbbb5gbbo665b6 00800000000088 8o88888888888888888o000000000°oooooo°°°°oo6oo W (? 10 h oS m ri riri ^ ^ ,^ .^J, --J ^ ^ ">^ ? C* CT CT, C> CT CT> C> CT> CT> CT CT> CT> C> CT, ^ C* C> ^u, u, i^ u^ SooSuSuS i?S *h 'fe V? HS W ,^ f 2 "S ^ CD^' -J -J CT- CT CTU. 4^4-WwutOHMHOOOCO OO^I O* U> to M O S Coti Ci ^S £ £ ti H u«uouuiBO)iBmgot,BHU4.potH^iIOH<)[>4.HlAB^O<)4- OQ4i uuioui CT O O BO CT*. {.{4. *Yu> O ui u> u. CO oo So 5 8 coum^ S « oo R R"£ ft'S 2^^. "! -f> * -h .^"k V1 u, b> boCj ibK^uiii.Bbb'Hiiubbb-biou.^O.b bou. u, o -^ o> b , 8 2 S 8 F° S^ V? VS.*" *4-4»4-4»u,u,4»4»+-u,u>g>w O CT^I OOO 8p8pp8ooSo"ooo~-------spve5*-fes^ M MUl^i. 2s**4 coO OOO^^Mvlvlvlvlv] COCO OOO 6 CO*-J oooooooobbbooooooooooo pooooppoobbb ooobbQjbbbbbbbb o o o o o M Ov 10 to o W Om*' toco 00+* Otototoototocoto4* OOO tO O04i oooocooooooooooooooooooooooo OOOOOOOOOOOO ppoooppop OOOOOOOOOOOO b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b ooooooocoooooooo *-W OiOOMSwju-i m u t j tn a m m r">,M-,?"'.^ J"? ,Ti tl £, K ?, ~ 53 "^ ML0WWW4^4^4::'4*Lncn OOOOOLntnintntncncntntn OOOOOcn 73 m l? ctoc^i? o>% ^^t^y £\°?^ <£ t: ^ <*??•£ £ ^R.2 -ft .2* o " .<¦? 2? 2 « *£ 2* P V ° N TO4j* LO -4 OOOtn OOTOO OmlVom-J C^ CD P a* ET. CD 2 < Ono X Ui i-t o » o <-t •-*> H t» O o SO > W M s o o l-t o > ra g o > 3 r d > o If. R-« ^*. \ o n o f°r tne rest °i the tunnel; these changes being in accordance with changes of details made from those of the original project, in some cases modifying the section and in other cases the lining. Twenty-five shafts, each 2 by 3 metres, or 16 feet 6f inches by 9 feet 10 inches, were opened at a distance of 400 metres, or 1312 Volume of excavations, upio March 1894- 8.36$. 555. ~* 2.0 Volume shVto be duj uj> 3.034-18 1 J£/f Canal bo?fom Datum line Gradient Location ,oi line 23 24 26 26 27 H * 3° 31 32 33 3* 35 36 37 38 * 39 "'" "ffi" ¦""4 1 42 Is"" 44 45 SCALE Horizontal Vertical DRAINAGE OF THE VALLEY OF MEXICO LONGITUDINAL SECTION OF THE MAIN CANAL f This Cut was made in March, 1894, before the Canal was finished.) ^be lMleg of fl&ejico's Drainage. 277 feet from each other. These served to ventilate the tunnel and to facilitate the work. The deepest of these shafts, situated on the saddle of Acatlan, has a depth of 92 metres, or 301 feet 9 inches; the shallow est is 21 metres, or 68 feet 10 inches. To give an idea of the labor involved beyond the mere tunneling, it is as well to mention that the quantity of materials required per lineal yard of tunnel was 1800 bricks, 94 cement blocks, 3 cubic yards of mortar, and 70 cubic feet of volcanic stone. Maximum discharge through the tunnel = 18 cubic metres, 635! cubic feet. When the drainage board took charge of the work, it was executed by day labor both in the canal and in the tunnel, the latter having the larger amounts expended on it. But, shortly afterwards, the contract for the tunnel was let to Messrs. Read & Campbell, of London, who, after having invested a considerable sum in the work, found themselves under the necessity of cancelling their contract at the beginning of the year 1892. These gentlemen continued to handle the work, but as managers, and under the direction of the board. The canal. — In December, 1889, the Department of Public Works contracted with the Bucyrus Company of the United States, of which Colonel Ellis was the president, for the construction of the canal. This company started with two spoon dredgers capable of raising a maximum of 1000 cubic metres, 1308 cubic yards, a day. They commenced operations at the twenty-second kilometre. In the opin ion of the board of commissioners, the Bucyrus Company was not pro ceeding with the work at a suitable rate of speed, for at 1000 cubic metres, 1308 cubic yards, per day, the work of dredging alone, as there were some 16,000,000 of cubic metres, 20,928,000 cubic yards, of ex cavation to do, would take about forty-three years ; their contract was therefore cancelled. In May, 1894, the Department of Public Works of Mexico con tracted with Messrs. S. Pearson & Son of London for the completion of the canal, modifying former contracts of December 25, 1889, March 30, 1891, and April 18, 1893, under the following bases: the un finished excavation in the first nine kilometres, and that between kilo metre 47 and the entrance of the tunnel of Tequixquiac, are to be continued by the Board of Drainage Directors, who must have the latter portion completed to 10 metres below the surface of the soil by Decem ber 31, 1894, and to the required depth of the canal by May 31, 1895, in order that the water in the canal may settle to that level and permit the contractors to slope the walls as required by the contract. The contractors are to complete the canal between kilometres 9 and 47 for the sum of $3,506,000. For making the monthly estimates the canal will be divided into two sections — kilometres 9 to 22 and kilometres 278 Statistical "Motes on flbejico. 22 to 47. In the first section the provisional estimate will be 40 cents per cubic metre; in the second a sum equal to the quotient obtained by dividing the remainder of the money by the number of cubic metres to be removed. The contractors may suspend the work of the dredgers when they fall below 40 cubic metres per hour, and can proceed with the excavation in any way they wish. The excavation had to be com pleted by May 1, 1896, except in the parts where the dredgers cannot work. Then for each day's delay the contractors must pay $500 fine, and after five months the contract will be rescinded. These contractors carried out the work of the canal in two different ways — by hand work with centrifugal pumps to draw off the water which filtered into the work, and by means of enormously powerful Couloir dredgers which have a capacity for 3000 cubic metres of ex cavation per day, and which throw the excavated earth to a distance of more than 200 metres from the centre of the canal. They had five of these dredgers at work, and by means of them excavated to a depth of 20 metres or 65 feet, raising the earth to an elevation of more than 16 metres, 52^ feet, so as to empty it into the shoots, along which it was carried by a stream of water that delivered it at a considerable dis tance from the dredger. The dredgers have now done their work, and they have been taken to pieces, packed and transferred to the harbor works at Veracruz. The portion of the canal contracted for was completed to the satisfaction of all concerned in six years. The level of the bottom of the canal above the datum line adopted is 2.25 metres, or 7 feet 4 inches, and the mouth of the tunnel is 9.20 metres, or 30 feet £ inch below the same datum, supposed to pass 10 metres, or 33. 80 feet below the bottom of the Aztec calendar stone, since transferred to the National Museum. The level of the ground at the beginning of the canal is 8.94 metres, or 29 feet 4 inches, and at the end 15.86 metres, or 52 feet above datum. The uniform slope of the canal is at the rate of 0.187 Per kilometre. The canal has a depth, at its commencement, of 5.50 metres, or 18 feet, which in the last few kilometres is increased to 20.50 metres, or 67 feet 3 inches. The side slopes were projected with a batter of 45 de grees, and the width of the bottom is 5.50 metres, or 18 feet for the first 20 kilometres, or 12-$- miles, and 6.50 metres or 21 feet 2 inches in the rest of the canal. The first 20 kilometres, or 12^ miles, may be considered as a prolongation of the net of sewers in the city, and will receive only the water that passes through them. The flow is calculated for an average of 5 cubic metres, or 176^ cubic feet, although, when heavy rains require it, they can receive a greater volume; the rest of the canal communicates with Lake Texcoco, and will be utilized in con trolling its waters, — the lowest in the valley, — which can be made to flow into the canal from all parts. Hence the canal has been built to (Drainage of the Valley of Mexico.) VERTICAL SECTION OF THE TUNNEL. XCbe Dalles of flDejico's Drainage. 279 carry the largest flow that can pass through the tunnel, or 18 cubic metres, 635! cubic feet, per second. The cutting is through a strictly clay formation, comprising occasional thin strata of sand and sandstone. For accommodation of railroads, wagon roads, and water-courses, it was necessary to construct five aqueducts — four of masonry and one of iron — to carry rivers, four iron bridges for the passage of railroads, and fourteen bridges for vehicular traffic. The sewage. — The sewers of the City of Mexico form a network of covered channels, located sometimes in the middle and sometimes on the sides of the streets, these being almost always gorges, com municating with a system of secondary sewers that empty into a collect ing sewer discharging into the canal of San Ldzaro, which transports the sewage to Lake Texcoco. If the water is high in the lake, water backs up into the sewers and saturates the soil under the houses and streets. As this has been the condition for several centuries, the state of the subsoil under the city can be better imagined than described. The death-rate touches 40 per 1000 — the highest in the civilized world. Mexico's elevation of over 7000 feet is all that saves it from a pesti lence. Malarial and gastric fevers are almost continually epidemic. For a century the problem has been settling into one of pure sanita tion. The plans which the Government has been working since about 1883, though called plans for draining the valley, really seek to get a fall sufficient to dispose of the sewage. In fact, in the original plan, from considerations of economy, care was to be taken to keep out of the projected canal all water both from the surface of the valley and from the rivers. The Consulado and the Guadalupe rivers were to be car ried over the new canal in iron aqueducts. The drainage system was thus to be simply a part of the sewage system of the city. The excavated materials have been tipped on each side of the canal at their natural slopes, and a towpath near the canal level provided. Sluice gates will direct the city drainage either to the canal or to Lake Texcoco. A sluice gate at the junction of the smaller with the larger part of the canal will control the flow of Lake Texcoco, and another sluice gate will be placed at the entrance of the tunnel. Completion of the work. — As this paper goes to press, the drainage works of the Valley of Mexico are practically finished, as the waters of the valley have been for several years passing through the canal and the tunnel to their outlet in the river which takes them to the Gulf of Mexico, and the company with whom the canal was contracted is now giving the finishing touches to the sides and bottom of the canal and will deliver it to the Government Board of the Drainage Directors in January, 1898. It was agreed with the contractors that the portion of the canal between the City of Mexico and the 20th kilometre, which is comparatively easy, because the canal is not deep there, and the ex- 280 Statistical Motes on flbejico. cavations do not exceed 200,000 cubic metres, will be made directly by the Board as soon as the other portion of the canal has been finished; this last section of the work is expected to be finished in June, 1898, when the waters of the City of Mexico will leave the valley by the drainage works here mentioned. The canal and six-mile tunnel through the mountain range have a total length approaching fifty miles. The present works will take rank with the great achievements of modern times, just as the immense " cut " of Nochistongo, their unsuccessful predecessor, was the leader among ancient earthworks in all the world. The completed system will have cost $20,000,000. I have dwelt on these works at some length, because their import ance to the City of Mexico can hardly be overestimated. Instead of being one of the healthiest cities in the world, as it should be with its magnificent climate and situation, Mexico, unfortunately, has a terribly heavy death-rate, due principally to want of drainage and generally bad sanitary condition. When the existing danger of floods is removed, and the sanitary evils are remedied by a proper system of drainage, the increased security that will be enjoyed by life and property will certainly have its effect on the prosperity of the city. Property will rise in value, the population will grow with rapidity, not to mention the tide of tourists that will set in from the United States, and this will mean larger revenues for the municipality. I could not well finish this paper without paying General Diaz, President of Mexico, a just tribute for the great interest he has taken in having this gigantic work brought to a close during his administra tion. To his exertions in this regard, and to his commanding position in Mexico, more than to anything else, this happy result, now in sight, is due. So after a weary search of centuries for relief, the beautiful Valley of Mexico will gain its deliverance not only from the engulfing floods, but from the sanitary evils which have long resulted from defective drainage. INDEX. Agave, where found, 48 ; use, 48, 49 Agriculture, products, 243, 244 Alfalfa, how grown, and uses, 56 Alligator pear, use, 63 Americans in Mexico, cannot compete with Spaniards in frugality, 79 ; some Mexicans were afraid the country would become Americanized, 80 Area, of Mexico, 5, 91 ; of silver mines, 13 ; of City of Mexico, 98, 107 Army, strength of, 99, 100 B Bananas, where grown, cost, yield, and size, 61 ; export of, variety, an article of food, 62 Bancroft, H. H., referred to, 108 ; his statistics on drainage of Mexico, 274 Banks, names of, 131, 225, 226 ; National Bank of Mexico, 131 ; Bank of London and Mexico, 132 Bees, 71, 72 Belize, occupied by, 6 ; boundary of, 7 Birds, 71, 72 Bolson de Mapimi, 12 Boundary of Mexico, with the United States, 5 ; with Guatemala, 6 ; with Belize, 6, 7 Brocklehurst, 109 Bucyrus Co., 277 Bustamante, Don Alejandro, 15 Cables in Mexico, where located, 123 Cactus, species, 51 Cadereita, Marquis of, Viceroy, 273 Canaigre, use, where found, 55 Canal, size of, 270, 278, 279 ; lining of, report on, 271 ; sum appropriated for building of, and loan, 275 ; contracted by, articles of contract, 277, 278 ; how work carried out, 278 ; flow, 278, 279 ; length of, 280 Castillo, Bernal Diaz del, 19 Catholics, wealth of, 93, 94 Cattle, raising, export of, 56-8 ; cost of fattening, lack of water, 57 Cerralvo, Marquis de, his plan in regard to canal and tunnel, 272 Cession of territory to the United States, by the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, by the Gadsden treaty, by treaty signed at Washington with Mexico, 7, 8 Charcoal, 4 Chewing-gum, demand, production, 53 ; value, 54 City of Mexico, location and settlement of old city, 107, 108, 267-9 '< present city, 108, 109, 268 ; public buildings, 109, no ; factories, no ; mortality, in, 114, 115, 279 ; threatened by an inun dation in 1604, often flooded in the early days, 269 ; plan to change capi tal, 272 Climate, rainfall, 35, 36 ; temperature, 36, 37 ; climatic conditions, 37, 38 ; meteorological observations taken in several cities of Mexico, 38, 40, 41 ; meteorological observations taken in several localities of Mexico, 39 ; Mex ico as a sanitarium, 41, 42 ; of City of Mexico, no, in; meteorology in the Mexican Republic, 1 1 1 , 1 14 ; climato logical data of the City of Mexico, 112 ; summary of meteorological observa tions of the City of Mexico, 113 ; good for work, 128 ; of City of Mexico, 274, 275 Clouds, 38 Coal, cost of, and mining, 22 ; coal-fields, 23-5 Cochineal, where cultivated, price, 53 Cocoa, where produced, 51, 52 ; disad vantages of raising, 52 Cocoa-nuts, where grown, use, 62, 63 Coffee, best location, production, 44, 45 ; advantages and disadvantages of rais ing, 127 Coinage of precious metals, gold and silver, 21 ; mints, 27, 109 2S2 flnoej. Colleges and universities established by the Spaniards, 100-102 Copper, quality, amount produced, 22, 23 Cortez, Hernan, reference to, ig, 55, 123, 268, 269 Cotton, best location, expense of produc tion, 48 ; seed, 24 Courts, Supreme Federal, 26 D Debt of Mexico, bonds, loans, etc., 129, 130; accomplishing credit, 130; amount of debt, 130, 131 ; National debt to June 30, 1896, 221, 222 Dering, Sir Henry, quotations from, 47, 54, 55, 64 Diaz, President, referred to, 115-18, 122-4, x3° ; tribute to, 280 Dikes, first dike in 1450, 267 ; descrip tion of, by Prescott, 268 ; one built by Spaniards, 269 Domestic animals, 71, 72 Drainage works of the Valley of Mexico, where article on, was first published, how long to complete work, 266 ; mag nitude of work, 267 ; by the Mexican Government, 274-6 ; works consist of, 276 ; works completed, 279, 280 ; im portance to the City of Mexico, 280 Egypt, compared with Mexico, 10, n English in Mexico, immediately after the independence, nearly all disappeared, 79 Espinosa, Don Luis, present director of tunnel work, 275 Expenses, amount of, 137, 138 ; of Fed eral Government, 139-41 ; of custom houses, 147 ; of internal revenue, 148 ; of direct taxes, 149 ; of Mexican States, 151 ; of municipalities, 153 ; of Mexico in the year 1896-97, 245 Exports, from 1826-28, 155 ; from 1877- 96, 159 ; by countries and custom houses from 1894-96, 160; value of metals and commodities exported in 1895-96, 161 ; of commodities from 1886-96, 162 ; of agricultural products from 1877-96, 164 ; destination and value of metals and commodities from 1882-92, 168, 169; total exports, 169; value of Mexican exports during 1S72- 73, 172 ; from Mexico and to the United States, 173 ; of domestic mer chandise to Mexico 1858-83, 178-80; from the United States to Mexico 1889- 97, 182, 183 ; articles exported from the United States to Mexico, 184, 185 ; tropical products supplied by Mexico to the United States, 185, 186 ; cattle exported to the United States, 186 ; of precious metals and minerals in the years 1879-80, 1889-go, and 1894- 95, 188; of silver, of silver bullion, 189 ; of silver ore, 190 ; of gold, 190, igi ; of gold from Mexico to the United States, 192 ; of Mexico by countries and custom-houses in the year i8g6-g7, 246 ; Mexican exports to the United States, 247 Financial condition, of Mexico, 126, 137, 138; of railroads, ng, 120, 195, 196; of banks, 132 ; of States and municipal ities, 154 Fish, 71, 72 Flora in Mexico, products raised, 42, 43 ; flowers grown, 63, 64 Foreign immigration, encouragement to, 125 ; difference of, from the United States, 126, 127 ; cost of labor, 127 ; warning from consular reports, 127, 128 ; those who should immigrate, 128 Foreign trade, small before railroads built, cost of transportation, 154; amount of, with United States, 170; why difficult to have correct data with United States, 170, 171 ; commercial transactions between Mexico and the United States from 1820—50, 173 ; com merce in merchandise between the United States and Mexico from 1851- 97, 174 ; total commerce between the United States and Mexico by years and decades from 1851-97, 175 ; increase of trade during i8g6-g7, 184 ; between Mexico and the United States during the first nine months of i8g7, 247 Forests, 37, 38 ; destruction of, 65, 66 ; in Mississippi Valley, 66 Forey, Marshall, 108 Franciscan monks, work done by, 273 French in Mexico, own large dry-goods houses, 79 Fuel, 23-5 ; demand for, 24 ; consump tion of, 64 Garay, Seiior Don Francisco de, plan for tunnel, 275 Gelves, Marquis de, his orders about tunnel, 271 Geology, rock formations, 12 ; rich in ores, 12, 13 Germans in Mexico, succeeded by Eng lish, and are doing well, 79 Gil, Mr. George, British Colonies, 6 Ginger, yield, 55 Gold, where found and how reduced, 14, ig, 20 ; amount of production, ex tract from Mr. Cramer, 20 ; weight and standard value, 133 ; production of, in years l87g-8o, i88g-go, and 1894-95, 188 ; accredited to Mexico, 192 flnoej. 283 Government of Mexico, 98, 99 Grasses, where grown, use, 56 Guatemala, boundary, latitude, length of southern boundary, 6 ; cochineal raised there, 53 Guggenheim, smelter, 23, 28, 29 H Henequen, where grown, average pounds per acre, 49 Humboldt, Baron von, reference to, 13, 15, 81, 104, 271 Hydrography, coast, gulfs, harbors, bays, 32 ; islands, 33 ; rivers and torrents, 33, 34 Imports, from 1826-28, 155 ; from 1872- 75, 156 ; from 1885-86 and 1888-90, 157 ; from 1892-96, 158 ; by countries from 1888-90, by custom-houses from 1894-96, 160 ; values of metals and commodities from 1882-92, 165-7 ; resume of total, 167 ; to Mexico and to the United States, 172 ; of merchandise from Mexico from 1858-83, 176, 177 ; into the United States, 181, 182 ; lead ing merchandise imports from Mexico to the United States, 184 ; of gold bullion, ore, and coin into the United States, 191 ; of Mexico by countries and custom-houses in the year 1896-97,246; from the United States, 248 Indians, Mexican, tribes, 72 ; classifica tion of tribes, 73 ; similar to Malay- Asiatic races, 73, 74 ; extract from San Francisco, Cal. , Bulletin, 73 ; char acteristics, 74, 75 ; prominent men among them, marriages, 74 ; education, 76, 105 ; strength, 78 ; religion, 97 ; Sir William Hingston on, 75 ; originated work on canal, 267-9 India-rubber, places best adapted for it, 46, 47 ; as an industry, amount of pro duction, 46 ; profits and expense of, 47, 48 Inhabitants, most thickly inhabited parts, 37 ; manner of living, 128 ; aborigines, per cent, of, 72 Inundations of the City of Mexico, used to be flooded once on an average of every twenty-five years, the one in 1580, in 1604, 269 ; one in 1607, 270 ; one which occurred in 1629, 272 ; decrease in, since Nochistongo opening, caused by cutting of forests, 274 Iron, where found, 21, 22, 25 ; Cerro del Mercado mine, quality, 21 ; impor tation of, foundries, 22 Irrigation, but little at present in Mexico. 63 ; scarcity of water, 64, 65 ; cause of decrease in rainfall, good investment, 66 ; reason for short grain supply, 70 ; Nazas irrigation, 67-70 Lakes, number of, description of, 268, 269 ; disappearance of Lake Mexico, 269 ; Lake Texcoco filling up, lake al most disappeared, 274 ; altitudes of, 275 ; canal crosses Lake Texcoco, 276 Lamoreaux, map showing cession of ter ritory, 7 Languages in Mexico, varieties, 85, 86 ; Indian, similar to Oriental, 74 ; synop sis of Indian, 86-8 Latitude, of Mexico, 5 ; of Guatemala, 6 ; of silver mines, 13 ; of City of Mexico, 107 Laws, mining, 25-7 ; lands, 124 ; coloni zation, 125, 126 ; banking, 131 Lead, ores, 17, 18 ; yield, 28, 29 Lemons, where grown, 60 Lempriere, Notes on Mexico, g Libraries in Mexico, 106 ; names, number of volumes and students, 233-5 Li Hung Chang and the Mexican silver mines, 18, 19 Limes and shaddocks, where planted, variety, 6 1 Longitude, of Mexico, 5 ; of silver mines, 13 ; of City of Mexico, 107 M Mamey, use of, 63 Mangoes, cultivated taste, transporta tion of, 63 Manufacturing, factories in 1893, 236 ; additional establishments, 237 Martinez, Enrico, his plan for canal, 270 ; plan inaugurated, 271; plan accepted in 1614, 271, 272 ; scored for not doing his work right, 272 ; referred to, 272-4 ; again requested to carry out work, 273 Matthews, Mr. James F. , 18 Maximilian, 108 ; downfall, 95 Mendez, Simon, his plan for canal, 273 ; reference to, 275 Mercado, Gines Vazquez del, Cerro del, 21 Mexico as a Central American State, where article was published, 249 ; how article originated, 249, 250 ; geographi cal situation of Mexico, 250 ; five States of Central America, 250 ; States of Mexico, 251 ; geographical extension of Central America, 251 ; how remarks were received by a Guatemalan repre sentative, 252 Miller, Mr. Chas., 18 Mining, richness of mines, 13 ; miners, 25 ; Mexico offers great advantages in, 128, 129 Money, weights and measures, 133, 134 Montes Claros, Marquis de, reference to, 269 Museum, National, 103 284 flnoej. N Navigation, number'of vessels, 237 ; ves sels arrived at Mexican ports in 1895, 238 ; vessels departed from Mexican ports in 1895, 239; foreign passengers arrived at Mexican ports in 1895, 240 ; foreign passengers departed from Mex ican ports in 1895, 241 ; resume of vessels and passengers arrived and de parted by rail and ports in 1895, 242 ; vessels arrived and departed from Mex ican ports in 1894-96, 243 Navy, strength of, 100 Netzahualcoyotl, saw the necessity for a drainage canal, 267 ; one of the dikes built by, 268 Newspapers, 106 Noyes, Theodore W., Mexico and Egypt, 10, 11 O Ophidians, 71 Oranges, where and how raised, irrigation, distillation, 59 ; flavor, yield compared with coffee, Frederico Atristain re ferred to, the cyclone in Florida, 60 Orography, mountains and plateaus, 29- 32 ; elevation of mountain ranges, 31 Papaya, use, 63 Patents, number of, 132 Pearson, S., & Son, contractors for canal, 277 Peat, 23, 24 Peppermint, where grown, 55 Pineapples, uses, where grown, 62 Political organizations of Mexico, of Federal Government, 98, 99 Political parties, Church, its wealth, 93, 94 ; Liberal, 94 Population of Mexico, increase of, 76, 77 ; decrease of Mexican Indians, 77, 78 ; from 1795 to 1895, 89; parts most thickly settled, 90 ; of United Mexi can States, 91 Position of Mexico, 9 Postal service, number of offices and agencies, 123, 124 ; mail carried, re ceipts, 133 ; post-offices in Mexico in 1895,223; earnings and expenditures of post-offices from 1869-96, 224 ; number of postal pieces transported from 1878-95, 225 Prescott, History of Conquest of Mexico, 268 Profiles, Mexican, from Veracruz to Mexico by the Mexican Railway, from Apizaco to Puebla, a branch of the Mexican Railway, 253 ; from Veracruz to Mexico by the Interoceanic Railway, from the City of Mexico to Morelos by a branch of the Interoceanic, 254 ; from Puebla to Izucar de Matamoros, a branch of the Interoceanic, 255 ; from the City of Mexico to El Paso del Norte by the Central Mexican, 255-7 ; from Aguascalientes to Tampico by the Mexican Central, 257, 258 ; from Ira puato to Guadalajara, a branch of the Mexican Central, 258 ; from the City of Mexico to Laredo Tamaulipas by the Mexican National, 258-60 ; from Acambaroto Patzcuaro, a branch of the Mexican National, 261 ; from Piedras Negras to Durango by the Mexican International, 261, 262 ; from Sabinas to Hondo, a branch of the Mexican International, 262 ; from the City of Mexico to Cuernavaca and Acapulco, 262, 263 ; from Puebla to Oaxaca by the Mexican Southern, 263 ; from Coatzacoalcos to Salina Cruz by the National Tehuantepec, 263, 264 ; from the City of Mexico to Pachuca by the Hidalgo and Northeastern Railway, from San Augustin to Irolo, a branch of the Hidalgo Railway, 264 ; from Durango to Mazatlan by bridle path, from Manzanillo to Guadalajara by wagon road, 265 ; from Tehuacan to Oaxaca and Puerto Angel by wagon road, 266 Publications about Mexico, non-official, 134 ; newspapers, 228 Public lands, granted to Indians and Spaniards, survey of, 124 ; division of, 124, 125 ; price of, 125 ; titles of, 227, 228 Pulque, where and how cultivated, 48, 49 ; fermentation of, expense and profit, 50 ; thorn and root useful, 51 Purpose of this paper, 244 Quicksilver, production of, 23 R Railway itineraries (see Profiles) Railways in Mexico, history of, 115, 116 ; extent, 116, 119; President Diaz's policy on, 117, 118 ; President Diaz's statistics on, 119; financial condition of, 119- 21 ; length of, passengers and tons carried, 133 ; mileage in operation October 31, 1896, 193-5 ; resume of, 195 ; Mexican Central, 196, 197 ; Mexican National, 196-8 ; Mexican In ternational, 199, 200 ; Mexican South ern, 200, 201 ; Mexican Railroad, 201 ; Interoceanic Railway, Sonora Railway, Hidalgo and Northeastern Railway, 202 ; Merida and Progreso Railway, Tehuacan and Esperanza Railway, Unoej. 285 Railways in Mexico — Continued. Merida and Peto Railway, 203 ; Sinaloa and Durango Railway, Merida and Campeche Railway, Merida and Valla dolid Railway, 204 ; Tlalmanalco Rail way, San Juan Bautista and Carrizal Passenger Railway, San Andres and Chalchicomula Railway, 205 ; Orizaba and Ingenio Railway, Santa Ana and Tlaxcala Railway, Cardenas and Rio Grijalva Railway, 206 ; Toluca and San Juan de las Huertas Railway, Vane gas, Cedral, Matehuala, and Rio Verde Railway, Merida and Izamal Railway, San Marcos and Nautla Railway, 207 ; Monterey and Gulf Railway, Cordova and Tuxtepec Railway, Maravatio and Cuernavaca Railway, Salamanca and Santiago Valley Railway, 208 ; Monte Alto Railway, Valley of Mexico Railway, Puebla Industrial Railway, Mexican Northern Railway, Mexico, Cuernavaca, and Pacific Railway, 209 ; Federal District Tramways, Veracruz andAlvarado Railway, 210 ; traffic and receipts of Mexican railroads, 211 ; subsidies paid by Mexican Government to June 30, 1896, 212-20 Read & Campbell, Messrs., contractors of tunnel, 276, 277 Real del Monte, 15-17 Religion in Mexico, Catholic clergy and convents, 92, 93 ; in politics, 94 ; Catholics of to-day, 94, 95 ; Protestant missionaries, 95-7; Protestant churches established by Mr. Henry C. Riley, 96 ; statistics on Protestants, 97, 98 Revenue, increase, 137 ; difficult to get data, 138 ; statistics of, from 1808-67, 139 ; statistics on, from 1867-88, 140 ; statistics on, from 1888-96, 141 ; Fed eral appropriations from 1868-95, 142 ; sources of, import duties, 143 ; addi tional import duties, export duties, 144 ; custom receipts, 145, 146 ; internal revenue, 146, 147 ; direct taxes, 148, 149 ; of Mexican States, 150 ; of mu nicipalities, 152 ; of Mexico in the year 1896-97, 245 Rice, how cultivated, 53 Ruins in Mexico, Uxmal, 80, 81 ; Pa lenque, Cholula, 81 ; Teotihuacan, 81- 83 ; Mitla, 83 ; extract from Sir Vivien Cory on, 83-5 Sanchez, Father, plan for tunnel, 270 ; plan condemned, 271 Sandy Plains of Mexico, 12 Sanitarium, Mexico as a, 41, 42 School of Engineering, 103 School of Medicine, 102, 103 Schools, statistics of, 105, 106 ; public, 229, 230 ; private, 231, 232 Sewage of the City of Mexico, danger of, 274 ; description of, and how to be effected, 279 Sheep, mistakes made in raising, 58 Shipping, mercantile marine, vessels in foreign and coasting trade, tons car ried, 133 Silk culture, where grown, varieties, 52 ; how sold, 53 Silver, yield, and where found, 13, 14 ; system of reduction, 14 ; history of some mines, 15, 16 ; duties on, 28 ; weight and standard value, 133 ; total coinage of, 186 ; total production of, coined by Mexican mints from 1535 to 1895, 187 ; production of in the years 1879-80, 1889-90, and 1894-95, 188 ; coined and exported from 1874- 96, 189 Smelting plants, Mexican Metallurgical Co., 28 ; National Mexican Smelter at Monterey, 28, 29 ; Central Mexican Smelter, Velardena Mining Co., The Chihuahua Mining Co., The Mazapil Copper Co., Limited, Sabinal Mining and Smelting Co., Chihuahua, La Preciosa, The Boleo Smelter, 29 Smith, Captain, referred to, 275 Spaniards in Mexico, characteristics, 78, 79 ; climate check on growth, little education, 79 ; built dike for canal, 269 Starr, Professor, his theory, 76 States of Mexico, classification and divi sion, etc., 90, 91 Sugar-cane, size, places best adapted for raising, cost of raising, 45 Switzerland, compared with Mexico, 10 Technical schools, at the present time, 103, 104 ; reorganization of, 104, 105 Tejada, Senor Lerdo de, 115 Telegraphs, number of different com panies, 121-3 ; length of, 133 ; earn ings and expenditures from 1869-96, 224 Telephones, length of, 133 Terreros, Don Pedro Jose Romero de, 15, 109 Texas, annexation of, 7 Tobacco, quality of, 45, 46 Topia, new mines, 17 Trade-marks, number of, 132, 133 Transportation, of money, 131 ; cost of, railroads have revolutionized, 154, 155 ; of mangoes, 63 ; of postal pieces, 225 Treaties, Guadalupe-Hidalgo, Gadsden, one signed at Washington between the United States and Texas, 7, 8 Tunnel, originated, 270, 271 ; blocked up, 272 ; work carried on in 1614, closed, 271 ; opened out, 272 ; earth quake destroyed it in 1637 ; condi tion of old tunnel now, 273 ; dangers 286 flnoej. Tunnel — Continued. in building, 273, 274 ; location of, 275 ; contract for, size, 276, 277 ; discharged, managed by, 277 ; length of, 280 Valley of Mexico, its development, 106, 107 ; topographical conditions, 267 Van Boot, Adrian, sent to make a report, his plan, 271 Vanilla, where grown, production, varie ties, etc., 52 ; how sold, 53 Vegetation, 36 Velasco, Viceroy Don Luis de, 271 W Wages, advantages of foreign labor, 48 ; prevents immigration to Mexico of poor people, 126-9 Warner, Charles Dudley, Mexico com pared with other countries, 10 ; climate of Mexico, 42, 43 ; on church edifices, 92,93 Water, Mr. J. A., Pinos Altos Gold Mine, 14 Winds, 38 Woods, cabinet and dye, where grown, some of the species, 43, 44, 55 Yuca, when and where grown, 54 ; yield 55 Yucatan, configuration, civilization, 9 Zapote, use, 63 Zones, products of cold, temperate, and hot, 58 3 9002 00544 9708 '.: -,,