MEXICO. 



185 



to the ralue of 200,000 francs, have been manofactur- 

 *" "Y"* ed in that I ,-h might rival, in point of elegance 



and workmanship, the finest in Europe. The . 

 of money in the mint of Mexico is little el=c than a 

 manu'a. turin_' establishment. It was established in 

 1535, and was fir-t c-irried on by contract with indi- 

 vidual-i ; but, since 1 7:1'), is entirely placed under the 

 officers of government Between 350 and 40O work- 

 men are employed in tliis business ; and so great is the 

 number of machines, that, without any extraordinary 

 exertion, they" are able to coin annually thirty millions 

 of p '.'. is computed by M. Humboldt, that all 



the silver produced in all the mines of Europe toge- 

 ther every year, would not suffice to employ this ex- 

 tensive work above fifteen day* ; and that "from this 

 mint, since its establishment, has i.sued coin to the 

 value of < +08,000,000 S The produce of the 



manufacturing industry Spiin is computed 



bv the same author at 7 or 8 millions of piastres, 

 (1,470,000, or 1,680,000 Sterling.) per annum. 



Commerce. The interior and coasting trade of Mexico is greatly 

 impeded by the want of navigable rivers and artificial 

 canals. The Rio de Santiago, which traverses the most 

 populous part of the country, through a coarse of 1 70 

 leagues, might be rendered" navigable at a moderate 

 expense ; and canals might be opened through the val- 

 ley of Mexico ; but the great lines of communication 

 between the capital and the principal sea ports can 

 never be improved by natural or artificial navigations. 

 The town of Mexico forms the central point of the in- 

 terior commerce ; and the whole surrounding table- 

 land may be travelled by wheel-carriage* in all direc- 

 : but, from the bad state of the roads, beasts of 

 burden are preferred. The communication with the 

 coasts it still more difficult ; but means are said to be 

 recently employed for facilitating the conveyance of 

 goods both from Acapulco and Vera Cm*. The ob- 

 jects of this interior commerce are the exchange of 

 goods between the different provinces, particularly be- 

 tween Mexico and the provincial inttrnat ; several pro- 

 ductions from South America, conveyed through the 

 country for exportation, and the articles which are 

 exported or imported at the two great ports of Acapul- 

 co and Vera Cruz. As the inland provinces enjov, in 

 a great measure, the same climate, ami consequently 

 posses* the same production., it is chiefly the con- 

 sumption of commodities by the mines which creates 

 the interior commerce ; but, a* the crops of maize are 



i seldom equally productive over so vast an extent of 



i-iHintry, the conveyance of this necessary article from 

 one place to another constitutes a considerable traffic. 

 Thousand* of mules, from Chihuahua and Durango, 

 arrive every week at Mexico with bars of silver, hides, 

 tallow, flour, and some wine, and take back, in return, 

 woollen cloth of native manufacture, iron, steel, mer- 

 cury, and goods from Europe and the Philippines. 

 In time of war, when the navigation round Cape Horn 

 become*) more hazardous, much of the cocoa of Guaya- 



incr the winter half of the year, and to the formidable 

 yellow fever during the summer season. On the west- 

 em coast are two magnificent ports, San Bias and Aca- 

 puleo, the last of which is counted one of the most 

 admirable basins in the world. But tremendous hur- 

 ricanes blow on this coast daring the months of July 

 and August ; and, even in September and October, the 

 two fine harbours now mentioned are difficult of access. 

 The principal articles of exportation at Vera Cruz, (ex- 

 of cocoa from Guyaquil, and indigo from Gua- 

 timala,^ at an average of several years, are 



Gold and silver in ingots, coin and 7 f _. .. 

 wrought plate to the value of j * 3 ' 5 ' ' 



Cochineal ..... 



Sugar ...... 



Flour ...... 



Mexican indigo .... 



Salted provisions, and other eatables 



Tanned hides .... 



Sarsaparilla ..... 



Vanilla ...... 



Mexico. 



504,000 

 273,000 

 .00 

 43,680 

 20,000 

 16,800 

 18,900 

 rj,600 

 'iOO 



-,oo 



;00 

 6,900 



Campeachy wood .... 

 Pimento of Tabasco . . . 



The articles of importation are 

 I.inen, cotton, woollen cloth, and7 o-, 



k s to the value of . J 2>S ' 0>000 



Paper 



Brandy .... 



Coco. 



Mercury 



Iron 



Steel .... 



Wine 



Wax 



The average value of the whole ex- \ 



portation 

 Ditto, importation 



210,000 

 210,000 

 210,000 

 500 

 186,000 



42,000 

 147,000 



63,000 



4,680,000 

 S, 150,000 



Commercial circulation . jC7,770,000 

 The commerce of the western coast is confined to 

 the Manilla galleon ; the coasting trade with Guatimala 

 -.in Bias; and a few vessels annually dispatched 

 to Guyaquil and Lima. The oldest and most import- 

 ant branch of the trade of Acapulco, is the exchange 

 of the precious metals ot : ;, r the merchandize 



of China and the East Indies. A single galleon, from 

 twelve to fifteen hundred tons, sails from Manilla 

 about the end of July with the south-west monsoon, 

 bringing a cargo of muslins, printed calicoes, coarse 

 i shirts, raw silks, and China silk stockings, 

 jewelleries from Canton or Manilla, spices, and aro- 

 matics ; and generally accomplishing the voyage in 

 three or four months. The value of the cargo is li- 

 mited by law to half a million of piastres, (1 P 105,000 

 Sterling,) but generally amount* to three or lour limes 

 that sum. Of this lucrative merchandize the 



. e mer- 



009, tlie copper of Guasco, and the indigo of Guati- chants of Lima have the greatest, and the ecclt 



* ' " r " h ** IrthlnU!l of Mexi i 



mala, pass through the isthmus of Mexico to be 

 ped at Vera Crux. 



The foreign commerce of Mexico is naturally divid. 

 o that of the South Sea, and tint of the Atlantic 

 Ocean. The latter experiences great disadvantages 

 from the want of commodious sea-ports ; and almost 

 all its operation* have for centuries been concent 

 at Vera Crus, which is rather a bad anchorage than an 

 actual harbour. The eastern coast, besides its sand 

 banks, at all times is subject to violent hurricanes dur- 



VOL. XIV. PABT I. 



cal corporations the next highest share ; and it is gene- 

 rally purchased with so much avidity, chiefly by a few 

 prc.it houses in the capital, that sometimes the whole 

 sale* are completed before the arrival of the galleon 

 has been known at Vera Cruz. The return cargo 

 consists of bars of iron, a little cochineal, cocoa, wine, 

 panish wool, and principally of the precious me- 

 tals, to the value of a million of piastres. A number 

 of passengers, particularly monks sent from Spain and 

 Mexico to the Philippines, generally go with the gal- 

 2 A 



