190 MEXICO, CENTEAL AMEEICA, WEST INDIES. 



the struggle for ascendency was none the less continued, and the higher clergy 

 did not consider themselves vanquished till after the fall of Maximilian, the 

 withdrawal of the French troops, and the definite triumph of the republican 

 party. They were then deprived of their effects, and the priests lost the right 

 of superintending schools and celebrating their rites in public. The establish- 

 ment of religious corporations or communities was forbidden, and since 1873 the 

 Church has been completely separated from the State, which has proclaimed itself 

 neutral as regards the various cults. Over a hundred Protestant churches, 

 belonging to twelve different sects and nearly all founded by American mission- 

 aries, have been built in the capital and in other parts of the country. In 1866 

 the capital also contained as many as 37 Protestant schools, attended by 1,340 

 pupils. On the other hand, in several remote districts where the population is 

 purely Indian, the old Catholic ceremonies are being rapidly forgotten. Many 

 parishes remain without priests, and the natives cease to practise any outward 

 form of worship. In nearly all the towns, except in Michoacan, churches have 

 been transformed to workshops, barracks, warehouses, even circuses for bull- 

 fights, for this pastime, after having been interdicted, is again permitted. 



Although small, the Mexican army is relatively larger than that of the 

 United States. In 1889 it comprised altogether over 27,000 men with the 

 gendarmes and rangers; with the reserves it forms a force of 160,000 of all 

 arms. Mexico also possesses a flotilla of two corvettes and three gunboats, and 

 naval schools have been founded at Mazatlan and Campeachy. The Mexican 

 forces are doubtless insignificant compared with the vast armaments of the great 

 military powers ; nevertheless they suffice to weigh heavily on the federal budget, 

 the expenditure under this head amounting to from £2,500,000 to £3,000,000, 

 or over one-third of the national outlay. 



The finances of the republic were long in a state of the greatest confusion, 

 especially at a time when foreign traders were able to employ diplomatic influences 

 for the purpose of raising fictitious claims, and compelling the Mexican Govern- 

 ment to pledge the customs as security for their demands. Since that epoch, the 

 revenues of the republic have rapidly increased. Over half of the receipts 

 are derived from the duties levied at the seaports almost exclusively on imported 

 goods. Stamps represent a fourth, and direct contributions not more than a 

 twentieth of the annual budget. Another resource is the profit on coining, which 

 has acquired so much importance in Mexico, where the various mints have issued 

 altogether £720,000,000 in gold and silver since their foundation. 



To the federal budget must be added those of the different states, which 

 average about £2,000,000 yearly, and lastly, those of the municipalities, which 

 have an estimated collective value of from £200,000 to £250,000. 



The national debt, although less in j)roportion than about the middle of the 

 century, was estimated in 1890 at £26,500,000. 



In the Appendix will be found a table of the several states and territories, with 

 their areas and approximate populations. 



