188 Scientific Reviews. 
lutely perpendicular, with trees and shrubs: ‘now and then a cot- 
tage romantically situated by the side of a stream of water, trick- 
ling with a gentle murmur over the stones which obstructed its 
course, imparting a delicious fragrance to the air, and shaded by 
the wide-spreading branches of enormous trees overhanging it, and 
orange trees whose fruit welcomes the thirsty traveller: animals, 
grazing in situations which it would be thought they could have 
reached only by the aid of wings, brushing away with their perpe- 
tually moving tails the feverish flies: the grasshopper sounding its 
monotonous trumpet, and the owner of this wild domain reposing 
under the shade of a species of viranda, while his more industrious 
wife is employed in knitting stockings, and their happy children 
in devouring oranges, give an air of enchantment to the scene, 
which it is not easy to forget. Even on entering the smaller towns, 
the alcalde may be seen, with his family, hearing the recitation of 
extempore verses before his door, music filling up the cadence when 
the poet retired to refresh his memory, or regale himself with a 
drop of his honour’s bottle ; but this is a picture pencilled by imagi- 
nation, and to which climate and the imagery of external show 
give the glow of natural colouring ; for there are other scenes in 
which Mexico and its inhabitants might be delineated, in which we 
would trace the outline of moral and intellectual improvement, the 
state of the arts and sciences, the prosperity and happiness of indi- 
viduals, the dissemination of a humble and beneficent religion, and 
we fear the drawing would not be of so pleasant an aspect. 
» It has.long been admitted among the political economists of wes- 
tern Europe, that the riches of a country do not depend upon the 
amount ofits pecuniary resources, and the Mexicans are living ex- 
amples of the truth of this induction. Sensible of the effect, yet 
unable to trace the cause, Lieutenant Hardy advises that neither 
gold nor silver be sought for in the bowels of the earth, but recom- 
mends the mining of copper, not with any reference to quality or 
quantity, but merely because it appears “to debase the mind. less 
than gold,’ (p. 413 ;) but equally certain it is, that there is a ge- 
neral wish for improvement, and why should not that inclination 
be encouraged ? Captain Basil Hall has stated that the commercial 
capitalists of some parts of Mexico, were desirous of opening-a direct 
communication with England ; and in order to do this safely and - 
effectually, they proposed to remit a considerable quantity of specie 
to Londen, in the Conway, (Captain B.‘ Hall’s ship,) for which re- 
turns were to be made in English goods, in the manner practised 
ever since the opening of the trade in Peru, Chili, and Buenos 
Ayres. If such an intercourse was established, we should at once 
confer great benefit on that country, and find in return a probably 
very extensive demand for the produce of cur manufactures. 
There are two things common to the generality of travellers, 
against which we have streng objections, and which both bear upon 
‘a common failing,—the. assumption of knowledge on subjects of 
which we are entirely ignorant, The first of these is a pretension 
