MEXICO. 



481 



. the capital city, had 339.935 inhabitants 

 on" 5j Pnebla, 91,917 ; (Juadalajara. v -.- 



San Lui- 89,676; Monterey. :',^", : 



Paehuca. 52.1S',). It is estimated that 19 percent, 

 of the inhabitants <>f the country are of European 



nt or origin. 38 per cent, are of Indian extrac- 

 id 4:) per cent, of mixed blood. 

 Finances. The budget fur the year ending June 

 3H. 1*'.)7. makes the total revenue" of the Federal 



. nment x47.22n.niK> in Mexican currency, de- 

 rived from the following sources: Customs, $21,- 



0: Federal contribution from octrois. $1.680,- 

 (iDii; direct taxes. xl.5nii.<KMi : JM-IS and telegraphs. 



'(i.OOO: mint, *2.5 1M.OOO ; stamps. $15.800.000; 

 tax on .salaries, sTUO.OOO; miscellaneous receipts, 



'i.OoO. The total expenditure is estimated at 



"54.926, apportioned among the departments as 



follows: Legislation, $1,011,644; executive, $60,- 



Supreme Court. $435.197 : foreign affairs, 



47(3: interior, $3.301.84!); justice and public 

 instruction. 2.031.907 : Fomento. $600,587 ; finance, 

 xi4.541.is5 : communications and public works, $4.- 

 rmyand navy, $10,297,020. The budget 

 fur l897-'98 :ie revenue $49,962.000 and ex- 



penditure $20.000 less. The actual receipts in 1895- 

 '96 were $50.521.470 and the expenditures $45.070,- 

 123. leaving a balance of nearly $5,500.000. The 

 budgets of the 27 States amounted in 1895 to $18,- 

 000.000. 



The debts of the Federal Government outstand- 



u June 30, 1895. -were s51.45ii.700 of the 6-per- 

 cent, loan of 1888, -. .700.700 of the 6-per-cent. 

 loan of 1890. $13.500,000 of obligations of the Te- 

 huantepec Railroad, paying 5 per cent.. $14.944,600 

 raised in 1893. - "> of internal interest-bear- 



ing debt, and $5.422.701 paying no interest : total, 



.'.'06,976. The annual interest charge amounts 



'.11-2.385. The internal debt was converted in 

 1896 into consolidated 3-per-cent. bonds. 



The Army and Navy. The Mexican military- 

 forces consist of an active army and its reserve and 

 the general levy. There are 4 infantry divisions of 

 2 brigades each, the brigade consisting of 3 regi- 

 ments of variable strength. The infantry is armed 

 with Remington rifles and the artillery with Bange 

 cannon of a caliber of 7'9 centimetres. The peace 

 strength of the army in 1895 was as follows: 1,110 

 officers and 19,380 men forming 30 battalions of 

 infantry, and 60 officers and 944 men forming 30 

 cadres, with 3 auxiliary battalions containing 79 

 officers and 1.253 men : 1 battalion of pioneers, con- 

 sisting of 35 officers and 731 men: and 1 invalid 

 battalion numbering 9 officers and 129 men, making 

 the total infantry 1.293 officers and 22.437 men : 4 

 battalions of artillery, each with 6 batteries, num- 

 bering 148 officers and 1.688 men : 1 battalion of 

 fortress artillery, numbering 25 officers and 1.688 

 men, and 1 squadron of train numbering 11 officers 

 and 101 men, making the artillery consist of a total 

 of 184 officers and 2.120 men : 481 officers and 6.359 

 men forming 13 regiments of cavalry : 1 corps of 

 gendarmerie, consisting of 21 officers and 229 men : 

 6 auxiliary troops, numbering 126 officers and 1.4^ v 

 men : and 9 corps of rural guards, numbering 165 

 officers and 2.200 men, making the total for the 

 cavalry 793 officers and 10.276 "men. and the total 

 for all arms and services 2,270 officers and 34.^:1:! 

 men. 



The naval force consists of 2 dispatch vessels. 2 

 gunboats built in 1874. and 1 school ship, having 

 together a total armament of 18 guns. There were 

 5 torpedo boats of the first class building in 1896. 

 and in contemplation 1 armor clad. 1 cruiser. 4 gun- 

 boats, and 2 transports. 1he permit nel of the navy- 

 was 84 officers and 3.450 men in 1S'5. 



Conimerce. The value of the imports in 1895 

 was $34.080,440 in Mexican currency, and of the 



VOL. xxxvi. 31 A 



exp' '.'5:!. The exports of prn-; 



have increased from $36,256,372 in l^'.U 



l^!)5. and tin- ex port < of merchan<li><- from 

 jn.o-j:; to s:js. : ji{ M i!,;,. Th- valuta ..f the prin- 

 cipal articles of export in Is!)". -ilver and 

 gold, wen -12.ti71.nuo; heneijuen. $7.724.- 

 000; timber. s2.i;^.i.i0n : hid.-and > > 000- 

 copper, $2.148.000; lead. s1.sii7.noo : animals. $1,- 

 744.ni; , ,,00. The trade with dif- 

 ferent countries in 1- follows, in Mexican 

 dollars : 



Total $34,000,000 90.855,000 



Navigation. During the year ending June 30, 

 1895. there were 9.575 vessels, of 3.428.973 tons, en- 

 tered and 9,557, of 3,359.684 tons, cleared at Mexi- 

 can ports. The steamers numbered 4.078, of 3,083,- 

 050 tons, entered and 3.547. of 2.540.043 tons, cleared. 



The Mexican merchant fleet comprises 274 v. - 

 of which 52 are steamers. 



Communications. The railroads in operation 

 had a total length of 7,122 miles in 1896. Of 6,506 

 miles completed in 1894 Mexican capital built 889 and 

 foreign capital 5,617 miles. British investments in 

 Mexican railroads up to 1891 amounted to 14.601.- 

 380 and American investments to $245.126.249 in 

 United States currency. The Tehuantepec inter- 

 oceanic railroad from Coatzacoalcos to Salina Cruz 

 is the property of the Government. A Xew York 

 company, acquiring the Gu ray concession of 1841. 

 undertook to build the railroad under the direction 

 of Gen. J. G. Barnard. This project came to noth- 

 ing, as did another started in 1857 and the plan of 

 a ship railway devised by Captain Eads. In 1*70 

 another company was formed in Xew York which, 

 after being reorganized in 1879, built 22 miles of 

 railroad. Then, its charter having lapsed, it se- 

 cured a large payment for what it had accomplished. 

 and the Federal Government undertook to com- 

 plete the road itself. Sanchez, a Mexican eon- 

 tractor, constructed 60 miles in an imperfect man- 

 ner, and afterward contracts were made with 

 Edward McMurdo, of London, in 1888. and Stan- 

 hope and associates in 1892. When the line was 

 finally completed in 1896. the Government leased it to 

 Pierson & Son. of London, for fifty years, agreeing 

 to contribute $150.000 a month for three years for 

 the improvement of the road and the construction 

 of harbors at both termini, after which time the 

 receipts are to be divided between the Government 

 and the le-- 



The Federal Government had 28.000 miles of 

 telegraph wires and the individual States 13,000 

 miles on June 30. 1896. 



The post office in 1895-'96 handled 23.533.939 let- 

 ters and postal cards in the internal and 6.933.290 

 in the international service. The receipts were 

 $1.105.990 and expenses $1.471.571. 



Political Affairs. In the message to Con. 

 on April 1, 1896. President Diaz, after stating that 

 friendly relations existed between Mexico and 

 all foreign powers, expressed his approval of the 

 declaration of President Cleveland in his m> - 

 to the United States Congress asserting the Monroe 

 doctrine as a part of the public law of America. 

 This doctrine President Diaz regarded as a guaran- 

 tee of the independence of the American republics 

 against European encroachments, but he thought 



