AND ITS VICINITY. 435 
not under the direction of the State or general govern- 
ment. For coining a mark of silver, without separa- 
ting the gold, the charge is two reals (twenty-five 
cents) ; for coming and separating the gold, five reals 
(sixty-two and a half cents). This coin is said to yield 
a profit of five per cent. upon its current value at the 
United States Mint. It is put up in sacks of raw hide 
containing one thousand and two thousand dollars 
each. These shrink on drying, and press the coin so 
closely as to prevent friction. All the silver in the 
State contains gold, which is separated in large platina 
kettles, with the aid of sulphuric acid. I saw two of 
them, which had a capacity of about five gallons. 
They looked little better than our iron camp kettles, 
and cost five hundred dollars each. 
Among other public places of note is an arena for 
bull fights, a favorite amusement with the Mexicans. 
An exhibition took place while we were here; but 
having once witnessed one of these cruel sights at Hl 
Paso, I had no desire to be present at another. 
In an open square in another part of the city is a 
rude monument, of an obelisk form, to the memory of 
the heroes of the revolution, Iturbide, Hidalgo, Allen- 
de, and Jimenez, but without any inscription. On 
one side of this square was pointed out to me the 
place where the Emperor Iturbide was shot. 
There is a large trade carried on here with the 
United States, by means of caravans or trains from 
Saint Louis, Missouri, and San Antonio, Texas. Until 
very recently, the trade was carried on wholly by way 
of Saint Louis, Santa Fé, and El Paso, a distance of 
more than one thousand five hundred miles, and re- 
