THE MINES OF MEXICO. 41 



New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, etc., and the Texan war is still fresh in 

 their memories. They now number 10,000,000 of people, and it will not be an 

 easy thing to annex them. They are well armed and will fight. So I think that 

 the chances of annexation (under a Republican or Northern administration) will 

 be small. If a Southern administration were in power, there would be a war with 

 Mexico without doubt. 



As to climate, there are three kinds : the hot country, the temperate, and the 

 ■cold. The first is from the sea-level to 1500 feet above the sea; the second, or 

 iemplada^ from 1500 to 4000 feet above the sea; and the last from 4000 to 8000 

 or more feet above the sea. 



Calenturas, or chills and fevers, are very common among the foreigners. 

 Still, there are some very healthy natives — but of the chocolate-colored race. Our 

 North American new-comers will suffer much from malaria; but in time they, or 

 their children, will be accHmated. 



The food one soon learns to relish. I often wish iox a. cazuela de fnjoles and 

 some tortillas, etc. 



In manners the Mexicans are a kind-hearted people, and very polite in all the 

 relations of life. This politeness extends to all classes. 



As to mining, they have worked their mines for three hundred years, or there- 

 abouts ; we have worked ours only twenty ; and yet we are far ahead of them in 

 present annual product. This does not show that we have better mines. They 

 •can show a Valenciana for our Comstock, a Sombrerete and Zacatecas, Real del 

 Monte and San Luis Potosi, Batopilas, Candelaria, Botanos, and Guadalupe de 

 los Reyes for our Eureka, Tuscarora, Austin, Leadville, Ontario, Homestake, 

 Tombstone and Bodie. 



Our people must have some new excitement to rush to every spring. This 

 time it is apparently going to be Mexico. No doubt, in some respects, the rail- 

 roads will effect a wonderful change in Mexican conditions. What the result 

 will be no one can tell. But I can safely say that there are good mines more easily 

 accessible in our own country, and that many of our American companies in 

 Mexico will be badly " cinched." 



There are many points to be» learned from the Mexicans in mining. They 

 work their ores very closely — much more so than we do ours. But their processes 

 require several stops and a long time. In the mines they work with few tools and 

 appliances, and yet are very effective miners, using especially very little timber. 

 The grand difficulty in Mexico is in getting around the mountains. The trails 

 are frightfully bad. Railroads will run through the country, but will not benefit 

 all the mining districts. 



In 1824, the English made a grand rush into Mexico. Of the scores of com- 

 panies not one remains — they all went under. The same thing occurred in 1864, 

 when a rush took place from CaHfornia. The disasters of those two periods will 

 pretty certainly in many instances be repeated. In short, the Mexican boom, 



