524 



MEXICO. 



of which about one fifth belongs to American 

 citizens. Coal is rained in Coahuila to supply 

 the Southern Pacific Railroad. Anthracite was 

 discovered in Sonora, Puebla, Michoacan, and 

 other States in 1881, but it can not be profitably 

 mined. The Mexican railroads use English coal, 

 and the steam factories wood and charcoal. 

 Petroleum and asphaltum are widely distributed, 

 but are not utilized. The lead exports in 1889- 

 '90 were $607,329 in value. 



Of the total exports in 1889-'90 the United States 

 received $43,022,440; England, $13,722,122; 

 France, $3,159,258 ; Germany, $1,693,773 ; Spain. 

 $534,057 ; other countries, $367,738. Exclusive of 

 coin and bullion and silver ore,the imports into the 

 United States from Mexico were valued at $22,- 

 690,915, as compared with $21.329,601 in 1889, 

 $17,329,889 in 1888, $14,719,840 in 1887, $10,- 

 687,972 in 1886, and $9,267,021 in 1885. T The 

 exports of fibrous substances to the United 

 States were $5,851,822 in value ; coffee, $3,542,- 

 851; hides and skins, $1,579,250; drugs and 

 dyes, $1,349,743. The largest article of export 

 to Great Britain and to France is mahogany and 

 other hard wood. The total value of the im- 

 ports in that year was $46,000,000, having risen 

 in steady progression from $38,715,000 in 1885- 

 '86. The imports from the United States were 

 valued at $12,666,108. the principal articles 

 being iron and steel goods, raw cotton, furni- 

 ture, and cotton fabrics. From Great Britain 

 iron and machinery and cotton goods are largely 

 imported, and from France, are sent woolen 

 manufactures, wines, apparel, and all kinds of 

 fine goods. 



Railroads. There were 4,648 miles of rail- 

 road in operation in 1890, and 1,360 miles more 

 were building. American companies had $245,- 

 126,249 invested, and English companies about 

 $75,000,000. In 1889 the number of passengers 

 was 12,977,952. The receipts from passenger 

 traffic were $2,090,505, and from 875,894 tons of 

 freight carried $4,822,690. In 1890 the line 

 from Tampico to San Luis de Potosi, opening 

 communications with the northern part of the 

 central plateau, was completed. Connecting 

 links were made between the railroad from 

 Monterey to the Gulf and the International and 

 National Mexican lines, and an extension from 

 Monterey to Linares was finished. The Jalapa 

 and Matamoras Izucar sections of the Inter- 

 oceanic line were completed, and connection was 

 made with the Halmanales Railroad. In the 

 same year the Valley of Mexico and the North- 

 eastern Railroads were opened to traffic. The 

 Mexican Central Company, incorporated in 

 Massachusetts in 1891, had 1,527 miles open in 

 1891; the Mexican National, 1.248 miles; Mexi- 

 can, 321 miles, exclusive of 71 miles in the 

 Jalapa branch ; Mexican Northern, 78 miles ; 

 Mexican Southern, 79 miles; Monterey and 

 Mexican Gulf, 390 miles ; Sinaloa and Durango, 

 38 miles ; International, 409 miles ; Sonora, 262 

 miles. The International Railroad, begun in 

 1883 and completed in 1888 by a company char- 

 tered in Connecticut, was built chiefly to trans- 

 port coal from mines in Coahuila that have not 

 yet proved profitable. It runs from Ciudad, 

 Porfirio Diaz (formerly Piedras Negras), on the 

 Rio Grande, to Torre&n, where it connects with 

 the Mexican Central. On Aug. 1, 1891, the 



railroad, which has a share capital of $11,835,- 

 500 and a debt of $9,742,000, was transferred to 

 an English company. 



Posts and Telegraphs. There were 87.- 

 509,640 inland and 37,193,403 international 

 letters, papers, etc., sent through the post-office 

 in 1889. The length of the telegraph lines in 

 that year was 27,861 miles, of which 14,841 miles 

 were the property of the National Government. 

 Of the rest, about a third belonged to the States, 

 and the remainder was divided between railroad 

 and telegraph companies. 



Relations with the United States. Nego- 

 tiations for a revision of the extradition treaty 

 with the United States were opened by the 

 Mexican Government in April, 1891. A con- 

 vention for a new survey of the boundary by a 

 mixed commission was concluded. The com- 

 missioners began their work in November. Col. 

 Jacobo Blanco and Felipo Valle are at the head 

 of the Mexican commission, the former as chief 

 engineer and the latter as astronomer. The 

 United States commissioners are Col. John W. 

 Barlow and Lieut. David du B. Gailliard, of the 

 Engineer Corps, and ,M. H. Moseman, of the 

 Coast Survey. In the new Mexican tariff, which 

 went into force on Nov. 1, 1891, the duties were 

 raised on many articles of American produce 

 and manufacture as a preliminary to negotiat- 

 ing new reciprocity arrangements with the 

 United States Government. Jose Limatour, 

 President of the Chamber of Deputies, was ap- 

 pointed a special commissioner to discuss 1 lie 

 bases of a new treaty. The reciprocity conven- 

 tion concluded at Washington on Jan. 28. 1883, 

 by Gen. U. S. Grant and William H. Trescot, 

 acting for the United States, and Minister 

 Matias Romero and Estanislao Canedo as Mexi- 

 can plenipotentiaries, was signed by the presi- 

 dents of both republics in May, 1884 ; ratifica- 

 tions were exchanged at Washington on May 20, 

 and the convention was proclaimed on June 2, 

 1884. It could not go into effect until the laws 

 and regulations necessary to carry it into opera- 

 tion were passed by both countries, and for this 

 the term of one year, from May 20, 1884, was 

 allowed. On Feb. 25, 1885, the 'period was ex- 

 tended to May 20, 1886, both governments hav- 

 ing failed to pass the necessary legislation. On 

 May 14. 1886, the term was extended for another 

 year, and on May 20, 1887, the treaty became 

 void, the bill to give it effect having been re- 

 jected by the House of Representatives in 

 Washington. 



Insurrectionary Movement. Since the sec- 

 ularization of the State various revolutionary 

 uprisings have been fostered by the clerical 

 party. The revolution of Palo Blanco, which 

 unseated Lerdo de Tejeda and made Gen. Por- 

 firio Diaz President for the unexpired term, in 

 1877 was of a different character. In 1884 Diaz 

 was regularly elected, and his administration has 

 since been marked by prosperity, the introduc- 

 tion of American capital, and a great develop- 

 ment of the national resources. His enemies 

 accuse him of selfish ambition, of the arbitrary 

 removal of officials who were not subservient to 

 . his personal aims, of accepting gifts of stock 

 in companies receiving concessions, and of pur- 

 suing a system of religious persecution and op- 

 pression of the Catholic Church. Prominent 



