294 



SPANISH SETTLEMENTS. 



Political 

 changes. 



CHAP. XXIV. have contributed so materially to our acquaintance witli 

 Mexico, that it no longer remains among the least known 

 of those remote countries of the globe over which the 

 power of Europe has extended. 



Although the independence of the American states has 

 now been confirmed, and their political relations entirely 

 changed since the time our author was there, the aspect 

 of nature continues the same in those extensive regions ; 

 and, as we have less to do with their history and national 

 circumstances than with the discoveries of the learned 

 traveller, we shall follow, as heretofore, his descriptions 

 of the countries examined by him in the relations in 

 which they then stood. 



The Spanish settlements in the New Continent 

 formerly occupied that immense territory comprised 

 between 41° 43' of south latitude and 37° 48' of north 

 latitude, equalling the whole length of Africa, and ex- 

 ceeding the vast regions possessed by the Russian empire 

 or Great Britain in Asia. They were divided into nine 

 great governments, of which five, viz. the viceroyalties 

 of Peru and New Grenada, the capitanias-gen« rales of 

 Guatimala, Porto Rico, and Caraccas, are entirely inter- 

 tropical ; while the other four, viz. the viceroyalties of 

 Mexico and Buenos Ayres, and the capitanias-generales 

 of Chili and Havannah, including the Floridas, are 

 chiefly situated in the temperate zones. Mexico was the 

 most important as well as the most civilized of the 

 whole, and was long considered as such by the court of 

 Madrid. 



The name of New Spain was at first given in 1518 to 

 the province of Yucatan, whci-e the companions of 

 Grijalva were astonished at the civilisation of the inha- 

 bitants. Cortez employed it to denote the whole empire 

 of Montezuma, though it was subsequently used in 

 various senses. Humboldt designates by it the vast 

 coivitry which has for its northern and southern limits 

 the parallels of 38° and 1G°. The length of this region 

 from S.S.E. to N.N.W. is nearly 1C78 miles ; its greatest 

 breadth 904 miles. The isthmus of Tehuantepcc, to the 



Spanish 

 settlenientB. 



Govern' 



ments. 



Kew Spain. 



