MEXICO. 



497 



senior minister, presided at the opening session, 

 but was relieved by the presidents of the other 

 annual conferences in alternation. The prin- 

 cipal business before the body was the dis- 

 cussion of the provisions of an amended con- 

 stitution. It was decided that the annual con- 

 ferences should be composed of equal numbers 

 of ministers and laymen. Coordinate power 

 and authority were given to ministers and lay- 

 men in the General Conference, excepting that 

 it was required that the president of that body 

 must be a minister. A draft of a model deed, 

 and drafts of bills to be passed through the 

 several Colonial Parliaments, with a view to 

 legalizing the positions of the several annual 

 conferences and the General Conference, were 

 prepared. The constitution and the drafts 

 were ordered to be submitted to the British 

 Conference for its approval, to be of force 

 when it is ascertained that they have not been 

 disallowed by that body. The British Con- 

 ference was also requested to ascertain and 

 advise as to whether an act of the British Par- 

 liament might be obtained which would render 

 unnecessary colonial legislation. 



MEXICO (ESTADOS UNIDOS DE MEJIOO), a 

 federal republic of North America, extending 

 from latitude 15 to 32 27' north, and from 

 longitude 86 34' to 117 west. It is bounded 

 north by the United States ; east by the Gulf 

 of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea, and Balize ; 

 south by the republic of Guatemala ; and 

 south and west by the Pacific Ocean. 



The territory of the republic, comprising an 

 area of 702,990 square miles, is divided into 

 twenty-seven States, one Federal District, and 

 one Territory, which, with their populations 

 (mostly) according to a statistical publication 

 of Sefior Garcia Cubas in 1874, and their capi- 

 tals, are as follows : 



The number of pure-blooded Indians in Mex- 

 ico is commonly set down at 6,000,000, of 

 whom not more than one-half have fixed habi- 

 tations, the other half being still, for the most 

 part, in a state of comparative savagism. 



The capital, Mexico, has a population vari- 

 ously estimated at from 230,000 to 250,000. 



The President of the Republic is Sefior Don 

 Sebastian Lerdo de Tejada, elected November 

 21, 1872 ; the Minister of the Interior (Minis- 

 tro de Gobernaciori) is Sefior Don C. G. Perez ; 

 the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sefior Don 

 Jose Maria Lafragua ; the Minister'of Finance, 

 Sefior Don Francisco Mejia ; the Minister of 

 War, General of Division Ignacio Mejia; the 

 Minister of Justice, Public Instruction, and 

 Public Worship, Sefior Don Jose Diaz Covar- 

 rubias ; and the Minister of Public Works, 

 Sefior Don Bias Balcarcel. 



The Treasurer-General of the Republic is 

 Sefior Don Manuel Izaguirre ; the President of 

 the Supreme Court of Justice (virtually Vice- 

 President of the Republic) is Sefior Don I. M. 

 Iglesias ; and the Postmaster-General is Senor 

 Don Pedro Garay y Garay. 



Each State in the republic has its separate 

 government, the legislative power being exer- 

 cised by an Assembly styled the State Con- 

 gress, and the executive by a Governor (gober- 

 nador constitucional). 



The Governors of the several States, etc., 

 were as follows in 1875 : 



States. Governor*. 



Aguas Calientes 



Carnpeachy Sefior Don J. Baranda. 



Chiapas 



Chihuahua 

 Coahuila . . 



Colima Senor D n F. Santa Cruz. 



Durango . . . 

 Guanajuato. 

 Guerrero .. 

 Hidalgo .... 



Jalisco 



Mexico 



Michoacan . 



Moreloa 



JTuevo Leon 

 Oaiaca .... 



Puebla 



Quer6taro . . 

 San Luis. . . . 



Sinaloa 



Sonora 



Tabasco 



Tamaulipas. 



Tlaxcala 



Vera Cruz . . 

 Yucatan ... 

 Zacatecas . . 



Federal District Sefior Don O. Perez. 



Lower California (Terr'y) " " B. Davalas. 



P. Dominguez. 

 M. Samaniego. 



F. Hernandez Marin. 

 F. Antillon. 



D. Alvarez. 

 J. Fernandez. 



Camarena. 



Enriquez. 



F. Leyva. 



Garza Ayala. 



Esperon. 



J. Bomero Vargas. 

 B. de Zenea. 

 Hernandez. 



E. Buelna. 

 M. Pesqueira. 

 V. Dueflas. 



S. Canales. 

 M. Carvajal. 



F. de Landero y Cos. 

 General Palomino. 



* See, ANNUAL CYCLOPEDIA for 1874. 

 VOL. xv. 32 A 



The Archbishop of Mexico is Monsefior P. 

 A. de Labastida ; of Michoacan, Dr. Arciga ; 

 of Guadalajara, Dr. P. Loza. 



The Mexican minister plenipotentiary to the 

 United States is Sefior Don Ignacio Mariscal ; 

 and the Mexican consul-general at New York, 

 Dr. Juan N. Navarre. The United States min- 

 ister plenipotentiary to Mexico is the Hon. 

 John W. Foster ; and the United States consul- 

 general at the capital, Dr. Julius A. Skilton. 



The annexed table shows the financial posi- 

 tion of the country for the year 1873-'74 : 



