330 POLITICAL ESSAY ON NEW SPAIN. 



To obtain, as lie did, during his year s life in Mexico, 

 tlie material necessary for such a work, did not im- 

 ply much idleness either on his part, or that of Bon- 

 pland. For they worked in concert, Bonpland taking the 

 botanical and agricultural portions, and Humboldt those 

 that related to geography and geology. He also drew up 

 a minute map of the whole country, or rather a series of 

 maps, in most cases from his own survej^s and measure- 

 ments. He determined the position of the capital, and 

 of most of the principal cities and towns ; the height 

 above the sea of the different table lands, mountains, and 

 volcanoes : the configuration of lakes and the windings 

 of rivers : and above all, the exact situation of the hun- 

 dreds of mines, with which Nature has blessed, or cursed, 

 that rich but unfortunate country. 



Humboldt was led to this undertaking by the Director 

 of the Royal School of Minino^, who had lonsr been col- 

 lecting facts regarding the position of the Mexican mines, 

 and the districts into which they were divided. He was 

 desirous of having a detailed map, on which the most 

 noted mines should be marked, constructed for the use 

 of the Tribunal of Mines. Such a labor was necessary, 

 he thought, both for the administration of the country, 

 and for those who wished to know its resources. The 

 city of Guanaxuato, for instance, was not on most of the 

 maps published in Europe, although it contained sevent}^ 

 thousand inhabitants, and some of the richest mines in 

 Mexico. Neither were Bolanos, Sombrete, Batopilas and 

 Zimapan mentioned. The position of the Real de Catorce 

 in the intendancy of San Louis Potosi was not indicated, 

 although it yielded annually $4,000,000. 



The " Political Essay on the Kingdom of New Spain " 



