DISTRICTS OR INTENDANCIES. 309 



beard than the other tribes, and in the neighbour- 

 hood of the capital they even wear small mousta- 

 ches. Pursuing a quiet and indolent life, and ac- 

 customed to uniform nourishment of a vegetable 

 nature, they would no doubt attain a very great lon- 

 gevity were they not extremely addicted to drunk- 

 enness. They exist in a state of great moral de- 

 gradation, being entirely destitute of religion, al- 

 though they have exchanged their original rites for 

 those of Catholicism. The men are grave, melan- 

 cholic, and taciturn ; forming a striking contrast to 

 the negroes, who for this reason are preferred by 

 the Indian women. Long habituated to slavery, 

 they patiently suffer the privations to which they 

 are frequently subjected; opposing to them only a 

 degree of cunning, veiled under the appearance of 

 apathy and stupidity. Although destitute of imagi- 

 nation, they are remarkable for the facility with 

 which they acquire a knowledge of languages ; and, 

 notwithstanding their usual taciturnity, they become 

 loquacious and eloquent when excited by important 

 occurrences. It is unnecessary to speak of the ne- 

 groes, of whom there are very few in Mexico, their 

 character being the same as in other countries where 

 slavery is permitted. 



No city of the New Continent, not even except- 

 ing those of the United States, possesses more im- 

 portant scientific establishments than Mexico. Of 

 these Humboldt mentions particularly the School of 

 Mines, the Botanic Garden, which has however 

 fallen into a state of negle,ct, and the Academy of 

 Fine Arts. The influence of this institution is per- 

 ceptible in the symmetry of the buildings which 

 adorn the capital. 



New-Spain is divided into 15 districts, which he 

 arranges as follows : 



I. In the TEMPERATE ZONE 82,000 square leagues; 

 677,000 inhabitants, or eight to the square league 



