604 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1810. 



upon this tliird class of people 

 for the supply of the various 

 articles which they may want, 

 and which are not procured from 

 Europe. 



Tile fourth class, in point of 

 rank and of real utility, is that of 

 the negroes. They are employed 

 as menial servants : on gala and 

 parade days, and visits, they drive 

 the carriages and attend theirmas- 

 ters and mistresses, dressed out in 

 their richest liveries. They work 

 in the fields, in the mines, &c. 

 The free negroes receive, as their 

 own private property, rewards and 

 wages, and whatever they may 

 gain by their own labour. The 

 negro slaves are generally employ- 

 ed to work by their own masters 

 and mistresses; in case they are 

 hired out to work for other people, 

 their wages and gains belong to 

 their owners, by whom they are 

 clothed, fed, and supported ; in 

 case of sickness and inability to 

 work, every assistance is rendered 

 to them. The negroes look upon 

 themselves as a race of people su- 

 perior to the Indians, in point of 

 knowledge and abilities, and treat 

 them as their inferiors. This 

 kind of supercilious conduct and 

 contemptuous behaviour is carried 

 to so great an extreme by the ne- 

 groes, that they and the Indians 

 have a mutual and violent hatred 

 and aversion to each other. — 

 Though there is a great number 

 of blacks in the province of New 

 Spain, they are mostly free people; 

 and the slaves are comparatively 

 few. 



The fifth, and most inferior 

 class, in point of rank, is that of 

 the proper Americans, or native 

 Indians, descended from the an- 

 cient peoplcrs of America. They 



are those who have not mixed 

 their blood with the people of the 

 old continent. They are a free 

 people (except a small annual tri- 

 bute of about one hard dollar, or 

 four shillings and sixpence Eng- 

 lish, which each male Indian, from 

 the age of eighteen to fifty years, 

 pays to the Spanish government ) , 

 and cannot be compelled to work, 

 but in such time, manner, and 

 kinds of work, as are agreeable to 

 themselves. When disposed to 

 work, they are employed in culti- 

 vating the lands, and in raising the 

 various kinds of produce,as cacao, 

 wheat, maize, rice, beans, &c. 

 and as herdsmen, shepherds, &c. 

 They likewise work in the mines 

 of gold, silver, copper, &c. and 

 whatever they gain by their labour 

 is their own property. Their em- 

 ployers pay them a very fair and 

 reasonable price in proportion to 

 the value of their labour : when 

 working in the fields they gain 

 from one to two English shillings 

 per day, and when in the mines, 

 they gain from half a dollar (two 

 shillings and threepence English,) 

 to one hard dollar (four shillings 

 and sixpence English,) per day. 

 In Spanish America, no European 

 whatever is to be seen employed in 

 the labours of the field. 



The Mexican Indians are of a 

 good stature, generally rather ex- 

 ceeding than falling short of the 

 middle size, and well proportioned 

 in all their limbs : they have good 

 complexions, narrow foreheads, 

 black eyes, clean, firm, regular 

 white teeth, (hick, black, coarse, 

 glossy hair, thin beards, and ge- 

 nerally no hair upon their legs, 

 thighs, and arms. Their skin is 

 of an olive colour. There is 

 scarcely a nation, perhaps upon 



