MEXICO. 



549 



States, and is maintained by the towns with the 

 aid of occasional grants from the Federal and 

 State governments. Many schools are supported 

 by benevolent societies. The education laws are 

 not strictly enforced. In 1888 there were 10,726 

 elementary schools, with 548,977 pupils. In the 

 intermediate and higher institutes and schools 

 for professional and technical instruction there 

 were about 21,000 pupils. In 1888 the Federal 

 Government spent $802,000 ; the municipality of 

 Mexico, $1,012,000 ; and the various State gov- 

 ernments and other municipalities, about $2,- 

 500,000 for educational purposes. The Church 

 is independent of the state, and all creeds enjoy 

 equal protection, while no religious society can 

 acquire real estate. There were 119 Protestant 

 churches in 1889. 



The Army and Navy. The Mexican army 

 is divided into 4 divisions, each having 2 infan- 

 try brigades containing 3 regiments of variable 

 strength. The battalions are supposed to num-- 

 ber 4 companies of 240 men. The peace strength 

 of the standing army in 1890 was 2,270 officers 

 and 34,833 men. The infantry, numbering 1,293 

 officers and 22,437 men, was composed of 30 bat- 

 talions of the line, with 1,110 officers and 19,380 

 men ; 80 battalion caders, 60 officers and 944 men ; 

 3 auxiliary battalions, 79 officers and 1,253 men ; 

 1 battalion of pioneers, 35 officers and 731 men ; 

 1 battalion of sanitary troops, 9 officers, and 129 

 men. The artillery, which is armed with steel 

 guns on the range system of 8-J- centimetres cali- 

 ber, was composed of 4 battalions of 6 batteries, 

 having 148 officers and 1,688 men ; 1 battalion of 

 foot artillery, with 25 officers and 831 men ; and a 

 squadron of train, with 11 officers and 101 men ; 

 making the total for this arm 184 officers and 

 2,120 men. The cavalry force was 793 officers 

 and 10,276 men, including 13 regiments of the 

 line, with 481 officers and 6,359 men ; a troop of 

 gendarmes, with 21 officers and 229 men ; 6 

 auxiliary corps, with 126 officers and 1,483 men ; 

 and 9 .troops of rural guards, with 165 officers 

 and 2,200 men. Including the reserves, the 

 peace effective is estimated at 60 general officers, 

 3,600 officers, 45,000 rank and file, 7,000 horses, 

 and 3.000 mules; the war effective at 160,000 

 men of all ranks, comprising 131,000 infantry, 

 25,000 cavalry, and 4,000 artillery. Every Mexi- 

 can able to bear arms is liable to' military service 

 from his twentieth to his fiftieth year. The na- 

 val force, consisting of 3 gunboats of 450 tons, 

 carrying two 20-pounders each, and 2 of smaller 

 size, is manned by 79 officers and 390 men. 



Commerce and Production. The imports 

 in 1885-'86 were valued at $38,715,000; in 1886- 

 '87, $32.252,375; in 1887-'88, $36,614,438; in 

 1888-'89, $38,658,383. The total exports in 1885- 

 '86 were $43,647,717; in 1886-'87, $49,181,929; 

 in 1887-'88, $48,885.909 ; in 1888-'89, $60,158,- 

 423. Of merchandise the value exported in 

 1885-'86 was $13,741,316 : in 1886- '87, $15,631,- 

 427 ; in 1887-'88, $17,879,721 ; in 1888-'89, $21,- 

 373,148. The exports of precious metals in 

 1885-'86 were $29,906,401 ; in 1886-'87, $33,550,- 

 502 ; in 1887-'88. $31,006,188 ; in 1888-'89, $38,- 

 785,275. An average amount of $25,000,000 of 

 silver is annually coined into dollars in the nine 

 Mexican mints, and the bulk of it exported to 

 China, Farther India, and the Malaysian islands. 

 The coinage of silver in 1888-'89 was $26,031,- 



222, against $25,862,977 in 1887-'88 ; $26,844 031 

 in 1886-'87, $25,377,378 in 1883-'84, and $25,146 - 

 260 in 1881-'82. Of gold, $334,972 were coined 

 in 1888-'89. The total exports of silver coin 

 and ingots in 1888-'89 were $38,002,000, exclu- 

 sive of foreign coins. The more important of 

 the other exports were : Henequin, or Mexican 

 hemp, of the value of $6,872,593 ; coffee, 3,886,- 

 085; hides and skins, $2,011,129; woods, 1,390,- 

 215 ; tobacco, 971,886 ; vanilla, 926,903 ; copper, 

 $817.989; gold, $603,000, exclusive of foreign 

 coins; gum. $595,636; ixtle, $594,118; live ani- 

 mals, $587,063 ; lead, $467,737. Of the total ex- 

 ports in 1888-'89 the United States received $40,- 

 853.362; England, 12,535,534; France, $3,496,- 

 038; Germany, $2,061,563; Spain, $659,330; 

 and other countries, 552^596. Mineral products 

 constituted 71-1 per cent., products of agricult- 

 ure 25-3 per cent., and products of fisheries 3'6 

 per cent, of the total exports in 1888-'89 The 

 crop of Indian corn in 1888 amounted to 46,458,- 

 810 hectolitres, about 127,760.000 bushels; of 

 barley, 2,095,660 hectolitres were produced; of 

 wheat, 4,026,925 hectolitres ; of beans, 2,734,517 

 hectolitres. Cotton of the average value of $10,- 

 857,000, and sugar of the value of $8,735,000 are 

 raised every year, besides considerable crops of 

 rice, cacao, and vanilla, and the staple exports of 

 coffee, hemp, and tobacco, which last is becoming 

 important as a substitute for the insufficient 

 product of Cuba. In Vera Cruz about 5,000 

 tons are grown annually. Wine growing has 

 proved successful, and the raising of the silk- 

 worm is being attempted. Large droves of cat- 

 tle have formerly been sent to the United States 

 every year. This trade was arrested in 1890 by 

 the operation of the new tariff, and in Mexico 

 higher duties on American lard and petroleum 

 were demanded for the purpose of compelling 

 the United States Congress to repeal the cattle 

 duties. In 1883 there were 20,574 cattle ranches, 

 valued at $500,000,000. In order to promote 

 immigration and colonization the Government 

 transferred to companies 36,578,780 hectares of 

 land. Besides gold and silver, the mineral 

 riches of Mexico include lead, iron, copper, tin, 

 cobalt, antimony, sulphur, coal, and petroleum. 

 Mining operations have been greatly extended 

 in recent years under the regulations of a new 

 mining code. There are more than 350 mining 

 enterprises, with a capital of over $30,000,000. 

 employing at least 100,000 men. In 1887-88 

 about 100 surveys were instituted for the dis- 

 covery of new mines. An English company has 

 begun digging coal in Sinaloa. Mexico has 98 

 cotton mills, which in 1888 produced 3,768,308 

 pieces of cloth, valued at $13,189,078. 



Navigation. In 1888 there were 5,386 ves- 

 sels, of 1,899,083 tons, including 2,161 steamers, 

 of 1,634,238 tons, entered, and 5,232 vessels, of 

 1,850,616 tons, of which 2,168 were steamers, of 

 1,584,220 tons, cleared at Mexican ports. The 

 merchant marine comprises 421 vessels, exclu- 

 sive of 847 small coasting sloops and schooners. 



Kailroads. Between 1879 and 1889 the rail- 

 road mileage was increased from 372 to 5,012 

 miles. On June 30, 1890, there were about 5,600 

 miles in operation. During 1889 the number of 

 passengers was 12,977,952 an.d the tonnage of 

 goods 875,894, the passenger receipts being 

 $2,090,505 and freight receipts $4,822,690. 



