A TRIP TO MEXICO. 289 



country, sit on the curb stones, making up bouquets. They 

 learned the art from the French who came over with Maximilian, 

 and now there is not in any capitol of the world such a display 

 and profusion of flowers as are offered by these Indian girls in 

 the streets of Mexico. In a bouquet as large as one's two hands, 

 that I have bought for a shilling, I have counted over fifty white 

 roses, with mixture of orange blossoms, carnelias, and I do not 

 know what not. 



At almost every turn some dirty half-breed will hold out to 

 you a handful of lottery tickets for sale. There are about a 

 thousand licensed venders of these chance schemes, mostly got- 

 ten up for the benefit of the churches. The continual cry of 

 "quartro mil pesos," "vente mil pesos" four, twenty, thousand 

 dollars becomes tiresome and annoying in the extreme. They 

 come to your room, to your eating table, everywhere, and cannot 

 understand that you are not tempted by such splendid chances. 



In the central portion of the city, notably between the Plaza 

 and the Alameda, the two places of resort and of promenade, are 

 found a few pure whites. The Spanish Creoles that is, those 

 of Spanish descent and born in the country some Germans, 

 with a few English and French, compose the white population, 

 which I do not think would amount all told to 10,000. There 

 are no American residents except missionaries and diplomatic 

 officers. 



Of the few large fortunes remaining in Mexico, a small num- 

 ber took their origin from the silver mines in times past ; though 

 these are hardly paying expenses now. But the greater number 

 of fortunes have come from the large haciendas scattered here 

 and there over the country. The agricultural resources of the 

 Republic are in reality far greater than the mineral, but have 

 never been turned to any account beyond supplying home neces- 

 sities. Corn and wheat can be raised there more cheaply than in 

 any country I know of. Yet when I was there corn was worth 

 a dollar and a half, and wheat two dollars and a quarter, a bushel. 

 Cotton is imported from the United States, in part to supply a 

 few factories that have started up near some of the cities. Even 

 potatoes have been brought from the States to the country which 



