CHAMBERS'S INFORMATION FOR THE PEOPLE. 



1521, and continued a colony of Spain till 1821, 

 when it became an independent republic. From 

 1821 to 1837, the states were severally independent, 

 but united into one federal republic like the United 

 States ; in 1837 they resigned their separate inde- 

 pendence, and became a consolidated or central 

 republic. Mexico originally comprehended Texas, 

 which revolted in 1835, and is now part of the 

 United States ; and California, which declared its 

 independence in 1836, and in 1848 also joined 

 the United States. In 1862, Napoleon III. de- 

 clared war against Mexico, and a French army 

 invaded the country. An Austrian archduke, 

 Maximilian, was forced on the people, with the 

 title of emperor ; but at the close of the civil war 

 in America (1865), the United States ordered the 

 French to withdraw. This was done, and Maxi- 

 milian was afterwards taken prisoner, and shot at 

 Queretaro, July 19, 1867. The so-called empire 

 immediately disappeared, and Benito Juarez, the 

 successful leader of the national party, again 

 became president of the republic. On his death, in 

 1872, he was succeeded by Lerdo de Tejada, 

 who was overthrown in 1876 by Porfirio Diaz. 

 The history of Mexico since its separation from 

 Spain has been a series of anarchic insurrec- 

 tions, varied with unscrupulous dictatorships. The 

 government of Juarez was distinctly one of the 

 best. That ruler was an able, intelligent, liberal- 

 minded man, penetrated with modern ideas. But 

 the Mexicans are very ignorant, unpatriotic, and 

 corrupt, and it is impossible to be seriously san- 

 guine about their future. The area of the country 

 is stated at 745,000 square miles, with a popula- 

 tion, according to the government estimates for 

 1884, of 10,460,700 of whom about one-third are 

 Indian aborigines, from 500,000 to 1,000,000 whites, 

 and the remainder mixed races. By the constitu- 

 tion of 1824, persons of all colours are admitted to 

 the equal enjoyment of civil and political rights. 

 The Mexican Congress consists of a president, 

 vice-president, and of two legislative bodies the 

 Senate and the House of Representatives. Capital, 

 Mexico, with a population of 200,000. 



Geographically, about one-half of Mexico lies 

 within the tropics, while the rest belongs to the 

 temperate zone ; but a large proportion of the 

 tropical region enjoys a mild temperate climate 

 in consequence of its elevation being from 5000 

 to 9000 feet above the sea. This table-land is 

 formed by the three great chains of mountains or 

 Cordilleras which run parallel to each other in a 

 northerly direction ; the most eastern chain is 

 called the Sierra Potosi ; the central, the Sierra 

 Madre ; and the western, the Sierra Sonora. 

 The highest peaks are Orizaba (17,370 feet), Popo- 

 catepetl or 'Smoking Mountain' (17,880 feet), 

 and Istaccihuatl or 'White Woman' (15,700 

 feet). The coast is humid, and unhealthy for | 

 strangers ; but the table-land is remarkable for ! 

 its salubrity, and it is here that the popula- j 

 tion is concentrated. Maize is the chief object j 

 of culture ; besides which, the banana, manioc, 

 cereal grains, rice, and the potato, form the 

 common food of the people. All the fruits of 

 Central and Southern Europe are here produced 

 abundantly, oranges, lemons, grapes, olives, &c. 

 The narrow insalubrious plain along the coast 

 called the tierras calientes, or hot country, is 

 remarkable for its luxuriant vegetation. The 

 chief productions of this region are the sugar-cane, 



320 



cotton, cocoa, indigo, and tobacco. The southern 

 part of the country forming the isthmus is cele- 

 brated for the variety and importance of its woods 

 and drugs, including mahogany, rosewood, ebony, 

 logwood, caoutchouc, vanilla, jalap, sarsaparilla, 

 and the trees upon which the cochineal insect feeds. 

 Vast herds of horses, mules, and horned cattle 

 also cover the plains of the southern district. 



' The mines of Mexico, however, constitute the 

 chief source of its wealth, particularly those of 

 silver. Gold is also to be found, though in lesser 

 quantities ; and copper, tin, iron, lead, and mer- 

 cury occur in various districts. Manufactures 

 are generally in a rude state ; agriculture indiffer- 

 ently attended to ; and trade and commerce inces- 

 santly injured and obstructed by the internal 

 dissensions of the country.' The total value of 

 the imports of Mexico, consisting chiefly of cotton 

 and linen goods, wrought-iron and machinery, 

 amounts to about .5,500,000 ; of her exports, 

 chiefly silver, copper ores, cochineal, indigo, hides, 

 mahogany and other woods, to ^5,000,000. More 

 than two-thirds of the trade of Mexico is carried 

 on with the United States. The railway system is 

 being introduced into the country. The ' National 

 Mexican ' line, from the capital to Vera Cruz, 300 

 miles long, was completed in 1869, and others are 

 being made. At the end of 1881, there were 1 1,000 

 miles of telegraph laid down and in operation. 

 The public debt in the same year amounted to 

 ^86,000,000. The chief ports for foreign trade 

 are Vera Cruz, Tampico, Matamoras, and Cam- 

 peachy, in the Gulf of Mexico ; and San Bias, 

 Mazatlan, and Acapulco, on the Pacific sea-board. 



CENTRAL AMERICA. 



The Central States include that narrow tract 

 of the continent which lies between Mexico on 

 the north and the Isthmus of Panama on the 

 south being about 1000 miles in length, and 

 from 80 to 250 in breadth. The states were at 

 first united in a confederation ; but now constitute 

 five separate and independent republics namely, 

 San Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, 

 and Costa Rica, with the protected kingdom of 

 Mosquitia. (The British settlement of Honduras 

 will be noticed in the following number, in con- 

 nection with the West India Islands.) The 

 country is extremely diversified, well watered, 

 fertile, rich in minerals, favourably situated for 

 commerce, has numerous ports on both sea-boards, 

 and is altogether calculated to support a large and 

 thriving population. The great curse of these 

 countries is the want of a settled and firm govern- 

 ment. Their commercial intercourse is chiefly 

 with Great Britain and the United States. The 

 exports chiefly consist of specie, indigo, coffee, 

 cochineal, brazil-wood, and other articles of trop- 

 ical produce. The imports are cotton and woollen 

 fabrics, hardware, and other dry goods from 

 Britain ; silks, wines, and trinkets, from France 

 and Spain. The total value of the exports from 

 Central America to Great Britain amount to 

 about ; i, 500,000; and the imports, to 

 ; i, 000,000. The chief ports for foreign trade 

 are Izabal and San Jose in Guatemala, La 

 Libertad in San Salvador, San Juan in Nicaragua, 

 Port Cortez in Honduras, and Punta Arenas in 

 Costa Rica. This last-mentioned state has got a 

 railway, which was opened for traffic in 1873. 





