410 



MEXICO. 



prepared from cassava, by kneading it with the hand, and then sti,Ting it over a slow fire, until 

 it forms into grains. The maguey, or x\merican agave, yields a refreshing drink, called pulque, 

 resembling cider. It is obtained by cutting off the flower stalk at the moment of flowering. 

 Into the cavity thus formed, the juice, that would have gone to nourish the blossoms, is depo- 

 sited, and continues to run for several months. This liquid is called honey-water, and being 

 allowed to ferment, becomes pulque, from which by distillation an intoxicating drink, called 

 mexical, is obtained. The ancient Mexicans used the leaves of the agave for making paper, 

 and its prickles for pins and nails. The root of the jalap, a twining vine, furnishes a valuable 

 purgative medicine. Logwood or Campeachy-wood, used in dyeing black and purple, is abun- 

 dant along the bay of Campeachy, and mahogany is cut on thp shores of Ilonduras Bay in 

 great quantities. The dahlias, whose many-colored blossoms give such a splendor to bur flow- 

 er beds, at the season when the approach of winter renders them doubly valuable, are natives 

 of the hilly parts of Mexico. The cheirostemon, or hand-plant, forms immense forests in the 

 southern parts. The sugar-cane, indigo, cotton, cocoa, vani/la, tobacco, cochineal, &c. are 

 among the productions of the Mexican Stales. 



9. Minerals. The Mexican mountains contain almost every mineral of use in agriculture, 

 manufactures, and the fine arts. But the mines of iron and lead have been wholly neglected ; 

 while those of silver and gold have been sedulously wrought. Copper is found in considerable 

 quantities, and tin is pretty abundant ; and extensive iron mines exist in the internal provinces. 

 Coal is very. rare. Among the precious stones, a few diamonds are found, with amethysts and 

 turquoises. The mountains produce jasper, marble, alabaster, magnets, steatite, jade, and talc. 

 But it is the mines of silver and gold which constitute the chief weaUh of this country. Since 

 their first discovery, in the middle of the 16th century, the silver mines of Guanaxuato have 

 alone produced to the amount of 257,000,000 dollars. Among the other celebrated mines 

 are those of Catorce, Zacatecas, Pachucha, La Biscaina, Zimapan, and Duiango. At one 

 period 3,000 silver mines were worked in 500 different places. Before the Mexican revolu- 

 tion, in 1810, their annual produce was 24,000,000 dollars, but since that period it has dimin- 

 ished more than one half. The gold is for the most part obtained from alluvial grounds by means 

 of washing. It sometimes occurs in masses of great purity. The gold of Mesquital is most 

 esteemed, as being least alloyed with silver, iron, and copper. The principal vein in the mine 

 of Villalpando * is intersected by a great number of small veins, of exceeding richness. 



10. Animals. With the exception of the cochineal insect, the most valuable animals of 

 Mexico have been introduced by Europeans. The tecliichi is a species of dog without voice, 

 which was eaten by the ancient Mexicans. The bison or buffalo is seen wandering in immense 



herds in New Mexico and New Cahfornia. 

 The domestic animals imported from Eu- 

 rope have multiplied amazingly Vast herds 

 of wild horses, said to be of Arabian extrac- 

 tion, wander in the savannas of the Internal 

 Provinces. Of the animals peculiar to this 

 country, the gigantic stags of New Califor- 

 nia, called venados by the Spaniards, are 

 among the most beautiful quadrupeds of 

 America. The feathered tribes are so nu- 

 merous, that Mexico has been called the coun- 

 try of birds, as Africa is of quadrupeds. 

 There are said to be more than 200 species 

 of birds peculiar to this country. 



The California Quail {Orlyx Californi- 

 ca) is found in great numbeis in the woods 

 and plains of California, where it is seen in 

 bands of 200 or 300. It is a very beautiful bird, and its flesh is sweet and delicate. 



11. Face of the Country. Mexico comprises all the varieties of soil, climate, and tempera- 

 ture on the globe. The lands on both sides are low ; thence there is a gradual rise till the 



• The clayey slime, with which these veins are filled, leave the mine nearly naked, to bathe themselves in large 

 contains so great a quantity of gold disseminated in impal- vessels, to prevent any of the auriferous clay from being 

 ^ble particles, that the miners are compelled, when they carried off by them on their bodies. 



California Quail. 



