RELATIVE PRODUCT OF SILVER FOR TEN YEARS. 



87 



The tabular statement on the next page manifests the relative 

 production, and improving or decreasing productiveness, of the 

 several silver districts of Mexico, during the comparatively pacific 

 period of ten years antecedent to the war with the United States 

 which commenced in 1846. Whilst that contest lasted the agri- 

 cultural and mineral interests and industry of the country of course 

 suffered, and, consequently, it would be unfair to calculate the 

 metallic yield of Mexico upon the basis of that epoch or of the 

 years immediately succeeding. 



From the table it will be seen — omitting the fractions of dol- 

 lars and of marks of silver — that the whole tax collected during 

 these ten years from 1835 to 1844, amounted to $1,988,799, 

 imposed on 15,911,194 marks of silver, the value of which was 

 $131,267,354;— the mean yield of tax being $198,889, and of 

 the silver , 1,591,119, in marks, which, estimated at the rate of 

 eight dollars and a quarter, per mark, amounts to $13,126,735 

 annually. 



Comparing the first and second periods of five years, we find a 

 difference in the tax in favor of the latter, of $113,130, on 905,042 

 marks of silver ; showing that in the latter period $7,466,596 more 

 were extracted from the Mexican mines than during the former. 



If we adopt the decimal basis of calculation the returns show, 

 approximately, the following results for relative productiveness : 



Zacatecas, 



33 ¥ V per 



ct. In Rosario,Cosala and 





per ct. 



Guanajuato, 



31** " 



" Mazatlan, 





San Luis Potosi, 



7ff » 



" Sombrerete, 



2** 



a a 



Pachuca, 



6ff - 



" Parral, 





it u 



Guadalajara, 





" Zimapan, 



If 



ti a 



Mexico, 



4*f " 



" Alamos, 



** 



a le 



Durango, 



4** " 



" Hermosillo, 



it 



ct tc 



Guadalupe y Calvo, 



3** " 



" Oajaca, 



■h 



ti a 



Chihuahua y Jesus 



\ 4** " 



Tasco, 



ih 



it a 



Maria, 







These statements 



do not 



include the precious 



metals 



pro- 



duced in Mexico, which were either clandestinely disposed of or 

 used in the manufacture of articles of luxury. 1 



1 See report of the Mexican Minister of Foreign Relations for 1846, at page 139, 

 of Documentos Justijicativos. 



