MEXICO. 



501 



terest would be nearly double; but the Gov- 

 ernment will save the heavy interest to the 

 National Bank which advanced over $8,000,- 

 000 to the Government ; and it is proposed to 

 use what surplus there may be in works of 

 internal improvement. During the last year 

 of President Gonzalez's administration, and the 

 first seven months of President Diaz's term, the 

 custom-house at Vera Cruz collected $7,000,- 

 000, and during the next similar period $9,000,- 

 000. While there was, according to the es- 

 timates for the fiscal year just ended, a deficit 

 of $6,000,000, the increased revenues had en- 

 abled the Government to meet every expense. 

 In December the banking-house of S. Bleich- 

 roder, Berlin, being joined therein by other 

 Berlin and some London firms, succeeded in 

 floating the Mexican 5 per cent. Government 

 loan to the amount of 10,500,000 at 84. The 

 Government forwarded to Vienna, Austria, in 

 1887, 4,000 cwts. of old nickel coin. 



inny and Navy. The army of the republic 

 consisted, on June 30, 1886, of 20,306 infantry, 

 with 1,192 officers; 7,658 cavalry, with 672 

 officers; 2,158 artillery, with 211 officers, and 

 285 army surgeons ; commanded by 20 gener- 

 als of division and 86 brigadier-generals, who, 

 together with military employes to the number 

 of 1,614, formed a total standing army of 34,- 

 202. The navy consists of 4 gunboats. 



Postal Service. Negotiations for a new postal 

 treaty between the United States and Mexico 

 were concluded on June 21, and the treaty 

 signed by the two Presidents was ratified by 

 the Mexican Senate, going into effect on July 1. 

 Mail communication has been vastly extended 

 thereby between the two republics, and pack- 

 ages weighing four and a half pounds can be 

 sent without delay at the Custom-House. The 

 postal laws of the United States were extended 

 to include mail communications with Mexico, 

 and those of Mexico thenceforward included 

 communication with this country, each coun- 

 try to charge its local rates for transmitting 

 mail matter to the other, retaining all moneys 

 received for postage and overweight charges. 

 The registry systems of the two countries were 

 also made available in the reciprocal services, 

 unclaimed letters to be returned free of charge 

 in accordance with the regulations now in 

 force in the United States. 



The number of items of mail matter for- 

 warded by the Mexican post-offices was 8,373,- 

 931 in 1882-'83 ; in 1885-'86 there had been 

 an increase to 14,057,324. In 1883 the inland 

 postage was still 35 cents the half-ounce, and 

 the amount of postage collected, $842,348 ; in 

 1884, with a reduced postage, the amount sank 

 to $622,934 ; in 1885 it had recovered to $696,- 

 966, and in 1886 to $744.013. 



Up to June, 1887, the receipts of the Post- 

 Office Department for the fiscal year were 

 $748,000, against $681,000 for the previous fis- 

 cal year. In the fiscal year ending with June, 

 the number of items of mail matter, including 

 packages, carried was 18,000,000. 



The international service showed a gain of 

 20,000 items, mainly arising from increased 

 business with the United States. 



Commerce. The value of imports into Mexico 

 has fluctuated as follows: 1881-'82, $39,020,- 

 000; 1882-'83, $38,951,000; 1883-'84, $34,- 

 025,000; 1884-'85, $35,839,000. The total ex- 

 port in 1884-'85 was $46,670,845; in 1885-'86 

 it was $43,647,717 the former amount in- 

 cluded $33,774,051 specie and bullion, almost 

 exclusively silver, and the latter $29,906,401, 

 the rest in both cases being merchandise. Ex- 

 portation in 1885-'86 was distributed as fol- 

 lows : 



The customs revenues collected at the port 

 of Vera Cruz for the past ten years amounted 

 to $97,000,000. 



Chief among the products exported in 1885- 

 '86 were, in value: Horses, $282,625; indigo, 

 $119,087; sugar, $178,887; coffee, $1,699,724; 

 India-rubber, $108,488; Sisal hemp, $2,844,- 

 356; rope, $523,649; wool, $220,071; ma- 

 hogany, $901,032; fustic, $110,874; logwood, 

 $670,299; goat-skins, $994,468; hides, $997,- 

 876; deer-skins, $101,089; silver lead, $485,- 

 948; cigars, $316,991; tobacco, $211,578; va- 

 nilla-beans, $463,395; sarsaparilla, $119,837; 

 cochineal, $13,850; and other products, $2,376, - 

 992; together, $13,741,316. Aniline colors 

 seem to be doing away with cochineal more 

 and more in Europe and America. 



The American trade (merchandise) with 

 Mexico exhibits these figures : 



Railroads. Probably the most notable change 

 brought about by the era of peace in Mexico 

 has been in the railroad development of the 

 country. Seven years ago there was only the 

 one railroad, from Vera Cruz to the city of 

 Mexico, with a few insignificant branches in 

 all, less than four hundred miles. Since that 

 date the railroad system has increased tenfold, 

 now approximating 4,000 miles, and rapidly 

 increasing. Some disappointment has been 

 manifested because the railroad construction 

 had not been followed by the same develop- 

 ment that marked the extension of railroads in 

 the Western States and Territories of the 

 United States ; but the conditions and habits 

 of the two peoples are widely different. The 



