186 



M E X I C O. 



Mexico, leon to Manilla, which sails in February or March, 

 **~^1~*~' and by means of the trade winds accomplishes its long 

 voyage in 50 or 60 days. A vessel is also dispatched 

 annually from Manilla to Lima, one of the longest 

 and most difficult of all voyages, as the ship must first 

 discover the Mexican coast, and then steer southwards. 

 The trade of Acapulco with the ports of Guayaquil 

 and Lima, is far from being active ; and consists chief- 

 ly in the importation of copper, oil, Chili wine, a small 

 quantity of sugar and quinquina (bark) from Peru, and 

 cov-oa from Guayaquil, sending thither in return a few 

 woollens, a little cochineal, and contraband goods from 

 the East Indies. The lenglh and difficulty of the na- 

 vigation from Acapulco to Lima, are the great ob*ta- 

 clrs 10 this trade between Mexico and Peru. The 

 pa4*age is peculiarly difficult from north to south ; 

 and often more time is required to sail the 210 

 marine leagues from Guayaquil to Callao, than to pass 

 from Acapulco to Manilla through a course of 2,800 

 leagues. The chief hazards and delays arise from dead 

 calms, violent hurricanes, and strong currents among 

 the Gallipago islands. Notwithstanding the excellence 

 of the ports on the west coast of Mexico, the coasting 

 trade is extremely languid ; and neither the sperma- 

 ceti whale-fishery, nor ti e beaver fur-trade from Noot- 

 ka, has been able to arouse the Spanish energies. The 

 customs are not uniform in the different ports of the 

 Spanish colonies, and are distinguished into royal and 

 municipal duties. Free effects, i. e. the produce of 

 Spanish agriculture and manufactures, pay, on landing, 

 9| per cent. ; cmilributable effects, i. e. the foreign pro- 

 duce manufactured in Spain, pay 12i per cent; foreign 

 effect* pay 7 per cent, having previously paid 15 per 

 cent, upon entering, and 7 upon leaving the ports of 

 the mother country. 



The contraband trade of New Spain is very exten- 

 sive, and is carried on principally by the ports of Cam- 

 peachy and Vera Cruz. In time of war, when the com- 

 munication with Spain is interrupted, and the govern- 

 ment obliged to admit occasional commerce with neu- 

 trals, this trade is pursued with great facility, and often 

 amounts to one-third of the whole regular commerce in 

 time of peace. 



Previous to the year 1778, the whole commerce of 

 Spanish America was monopolized by the cities of Ca. 

 diz and Seville ; but, at this period, fourteen other ports 

 were opened to the productions of the colonies ; and 

 this arrangement has been attended by a regular in- 

 crease of the public revenue. The state of commerce 

 in New Spain has again been greatly changed since the 

 year 1794; and the foreign goods required in that 

 country are those of the greatest value, the finest cloths, 

 muslins, silks, wines, and other liquors. The produce 

 of its own mines has also considerably increased dur- 

 ing the same period ; and more specie is ready to pay 

 Amount of for these higher priced commodities. About the com- 

 commerce. mencement of the nineteenth century, the importation 

 into Mexico, including the contraband trade of both 

 coasts, amounted to 20 millions of piastres; and the 

 exportations of its agriculture and manufacturing pro- 

 duce to 6 millions ; but the mines produce annually 

 23 millions, of which 8 or 9 millions are exported on 

 account of the king, leaving 15 millions to liquidate the 

 excess of the import over the export trade ; from which 

 will remain about one million for the increase of specie 

 in the country. " But, by allowing a free course to the 

 national industry," says M. Humboldt, by encourag- 

 ing agriculture and manufactures, " the importation 

 will diminish of itself, and it will then be easy for the 



Mexicans to pay the value of foreign commodities with Mexico, 

 the productions of their own soil. The free cultivation v> ~ ('"*' 

 of the vine and the olive on the table-land of New- 

 Spain ; the free-distillation of spirits from sugar, rice, 

 and the grape ; the exportation of flour, favoured by 

 the making of new roads ; the increase of plantations 

 of sugar-cane, cotton, and tobacco ; the working of the 

 iron and mercury mines ; and the manufacture of steel, 

 will perhaps one day become more inexhaustible sources 

 of wealth, than all the veins of gold and silver united. 

 Under more favourable external circumstances, the ba- 

 lance of trade may be favourable to New Spain, with- 

 out paying the account which has been opened for cen- 

 turies between the two continents, entirely with Mexi- 

 can piastres." 



The revenue of New Spain, which has increased in Revenue, 

 an extraordinary degree in the course of the IHth cen- 

 tury, was estimated, about the beginning of the 19th 

 century, at twenty millions of piastres, or 4,200,000 

 Sterling. Of this sum, five millions and a half arise 

 from the produce of the gold and siver mines ; four 

 millions from the government monopoly of tobacco ; 

 three millions from the alcaoalas or customs ; one mil- 

 lion and a half from the Indian capitation tax ; and the 

 remainder, from the duty on the fermented liquor 

 pulque, from the duty on imports and exports, from 

 the sale of Papal indulgences, from the post-office pro- 

 fits, from the sale of gunpowder, from clerical bene- 

 fices, from the sale of cards, from stamp duties, from 

 the farming of cock-fighting, from duty on the sale of. 

 snow, &c. About one half of the whole revenue is 

 consumed by the expenses of the administration ; and 

 of the other half, about one-third is remitted to other 

 Spanish colonies; and two- thirds to the mother coun- 

 try. 



Nearly one-fourth of the whole revenue is expended Military 

 on the military defence of the country, in which about establish 

 30,000 troops are employed. Of these, only 10,000 ment - 

 are regulars ; of which, about 4,000 cavalry, stationed 

 in the presidios, or military posts, to check the incur- 

 sions of the Indians, are remarkably active and hardy 

 soldiers, and incessantly exposed to severe service. The 

 greater part of the military establishment is composed 

 of provincial militia, raised more for shew than use ; 

 and chiefly originating in the love of military titles 

 and rank, among a few Spanish families and wealthy 

 Creoles. The situation and physical aspect of the coun- 

 try, render it easily defensible against the attack of an 

 external enemy. 



The accounts of the population of Mexico, at the Population. 

 period of its subjugation to the Spaniards, are founded 

 on very vague conjectures ; and have been, in some 

 cases, obviously exaggerated. Around the capital of 

 Mexico, and probably in the whole kingdom of Mon- 

 tezuma, (which, however, did not equal in surface the 

 eighth part of the present kingdom of New Spain,) 

 there is good reason to conclude, from the extensive 

 ruins of towns and villages, that the population was 

 formerly much greater than at present ; but this great 

 body of people were concentrated within a very small 

 space ; and it is now well ascertained, that the whole 

 of the vast region, denominated New Spain, is much 

 better inhabited than it was before the arrival of 

 the Europeans. The augmentation of tithes, of the 

 Indian capitation tax, and of all the duties on con- 

 sumption ; the progress of agriculture and civilization, 

 and the appearance of the country covered with newly 

 constructed houses, all give evidence of a rapid increase 

 in every part of th kingdom. In those districts where 



