The History of Mexico and its wars ... The revisions and additions up to the present time, by the publisher [A. Hawkins] . Embellished with ... engravings, etc

Front matter

CORTEZ TAKING POSSESSION OF MEXICO IN THE NAME OF SPAIN. THE HISTORY OF MEXICO AND ITS WARS. COMPRISING AN ACCOUNT OF THE AZTEC EMPIRE, THE CORTEZ CONQUEST, THE SPANIARDS' RULE, THE MEXICAN REVOLUTION, THE TEXAN WAR, THE WAR WITH THE UNITED STATES, AND THE MAX- IMILIAN INVASION. TOGETHER WITH AN ACCOUNT OF MEXICAN COMMERCE, AGRICULTURE, MANUFACTURES, EXPORTS, IMPORTS, DUTIES, MINES, CITIES, RAIL- ROADS, TREATIES, TOPOGRAPHY, POPULA- TION, AND THE SOCIAL CONDITION OF THE PEOPLE. BY JOHN FROST, LL.D, AUTHOR OF " HISTOEY OF THE WORLD,1^' HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES," " BOOK OF TflE ARMY," "BOOK OF THE NAVY," ETC, ETC. THE REVISIONS AND ADDITIONS UP TO THE PRESENT TIME By the PUBLISHER. (BmbellisM irith 850 <e.igramngs. FROM DESIGNS OF W. CROOME AND OTHER DISTINGUISHED ARTISTS. WITH A COLORED MAP, SHOWING ALL THE RAILROADS AND PROPOSED ROADS.

EMBRACING A DIRECTORY OF EVERY CITY AND POST-OFFICE IN MEXICO. NEW ORLEANS, LA.: ARMAND HAWKINS. 1882. Copyright. ARMAND HAWKINS. 1882. PUBLISHER'S ANNOUNCEMENT, I^jjfr^ EXICO comprises twenty-nine States, and is inhabr iv/i | ited by many distinct races, but up to the present I lar/ v the interior of the country has been practically r*9*g>'*^wg separated from other parts of the world. The aborig inal races of Mexico are all kindred ; its isolation, we realize, is now of the past. The locomotive has made the west end of every State the growing end. Recent events have rendered the history of the inhabitants of the ancient Aztec Empire far more interesting to the people of the United States than at any other period ; and it is believed that to-day is a suitable time for giving to the world this history of Mexico from the earliest discoveries of the Spanish conquerors down to the present progressive age.

The aim of the publisher is to advance the great cause of popular information, and in the narrative will not be found one envenomed word designed to wound any sect or section. Mexico is our future republic of Western States. The account of Ancient Mexico, and of the Conquest, is founded on the histories of Bernal Diaz, Solis, and other Spanish writers, and the " Conquest," by our late accomplished countryman, Mr. Prescott. From equally authentic and re liable authorities are drawn the facts comprised in the history ; of the Revolution, Mexico under the Spaniards, the Republic under its successive Presidents, the Texan war, and the French invasion. In embellishing this -work, the author had the advantage of Mr. Croome's invaluable services ; and he is indebted publisher's announcement. to Messrs. Root, Simons, Collins, Butler, G-unn & England, Van Loan, aud others.

Appendix

699 INDEXED MAP OF MEXICO ILLUSTRATIONS. Ornamental Headplece, - • •• - U Cofre de Perote, -• 15 Termination os the Aqueduct in the City of Mexico, 17 Volcanoes as seen from Tacubaya, 18 Mexican Muleteers, - — 32 Mexican Cavalry at a Pulque Shop, between San Martin and Puehla, 26 Indian Hut, in the Tierra Caliente, 27 The Mexican Coat of Arms, 29 Npzahualcoytl 30 Bath of Montezuma, 32 Nezahiialpilli, 3a Abuitzotl, 34 Sculptured Stone in Monte of Mapilca, 35 Pyramid of Cholula, 3d Great Teocalli, or Temple of Mexico. From an old print,- — 40 The ordinary Human Sacrifice, 42 Gladiatorial Sacrifice, - 43 Ancient Mexican Manuscript, 44 Great Calendar Stone, - 48 Interior of a Modern Mexican House, • • 47 Ornamental Head piece, 48 Ruins of Xochicalco, 50 Pyramids of San Juan, Teotihuacan, 52 Ancient Aqueduct, leading from the Mountains of the hill of Tezcosingo, 55 Ruins of Quemada, 59 Temple at Tusapan, 67 Pyramid of Papantla, ' 68 Pyramid of Misantla, 69 Monument at Copan, J3 Ruins of Zayi, ' 79 Ruins of Uxmal, 80 Landing of Cortes at Vera Cruz, 81 Bartholomew de Olmedo, • — 84 Dieeo de Ordaz, 85 Teuhtlile, 87 Massacre at Cholula, 92 Cortes advancing to the City of Mexico, 93 Montezuma, * ®£ Defeat of Narvaez, * * * 1°* Cuitlahua, - J04 Escobar, Jjg Cortes • •• * ■" * ....■>............ 106 Christoval de Olid, JjJJ Velasquez de Leon, jyj* Sandoval, - {']{ Ixtlilxochltl, j Jor^e de Alvarado, *1° Pedro de Alvarado, J*" Charles V. *J Ornamental Tailpiece, - j "J Ornamental Headpiece, jrj Father Martin, of Valentia, l" Las Casas, jf.

Defeat of Quiches by Alvarado, j-Ji Celebration of the Founding of St. Jago,. J J* Pizarro, j J^ Priests welcoming the arrival of SoldierB, J*J Marco de Nizza, Jg Mexican Gentlemen, JJJ Hidalgo, " Calleja, J" Leonardo Bravo, "' IOT ILLUSTRATIONS. X Death of Morelos, JJU Mina, \lQ. Iiurbide, ' " J-i Novella, {?j Ornamental Tailpiece, *" }"* General Bustamente, * Pedraza, yt hall of the Alamo, !™ General Cos, }?* Mexia, ;■*:;*;;::;;: U2 Santiago Iman, -j'* General Rivaa, \1~ Paredes, "J Santa Anna, }™ Ornamental Tailpiece, J77 Ornamental Headpiece, J*8 Bocanegra, 181 Corpus Christi, **Z Drilling raw Recruits, 188 Point Isabel, [91 Mexican Lancer, 193 City of Matamoras, 194 Colonel Cross, 198 Captain Thornton's skirmish with the Mexicans, 208 American Troops landing at Point Isabel, 210 Captain Walker's Expedition, 213 Major Brown mortally wounded, 219 Fort Brown, 221 Ornamental Headpiece, 222 Soldiers Drinking, 224 Battle of Palo Alto, 227 Repulse of the Mexican Cavalry at Palo Alto, 2*29 Major Ringgold, 231 Ornamental Headpiece, 232 Plan of the Battle-grounds of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma, 234 Second Charge of Captain May, 239 Flag of the Tampico Battalion, 239 Americans entering Arista's Camp, ■ •• • 240 Rout of the Mexicans, 241 Death of Ringgold, 245 Ornamental Headpiece, 240 Public Square.

Matamoras, 251 Mexicans in their Holiday Attire, 252 General Gaines, 254 Colonel Garland, 256 General Roger Jones, ■ ■• • 25(J General Taylor writing to the War Department, 261 Hon. W. L. Marcy, Secretary of War, 263 Cam a r go, looking North, 266 Grand Plaza, Camargo, 267 Ornamental Tailpiece, •• 268 Ornamental Headpiece, 269 Captain McCulloch, - 27*2 Advance of the Americans to Marin, 275 Camp Kitchen, 277 Monterey, 27b Map of Monterey, 281 View of the Bishop's Palace, Monterey, 285 Cavalry Action on the Morning of September 21st, 289 Colonel Hays, 204 Worth al Monterey, 927 Monterey from the Bishop's Palace, -••- 298 Storm in <r of Fort Teneria, - 301 General Butler, 303 Colonel Wat?on, 305 General Butler wounded, 306 Colonel Jefferson Davis, 310 Storming of Monterey, 313 Contest in the Streets of Monterey, 317 Ornamental Headpiece, 321 General Worth, »• 3^7 Herdsmen of Monterey, 331 Ornamental Headpiece, - » 332 President Polk, 033 Colonel May, ««« saitiiio, .' ;;„ gjj Victoria and Tula Pass, g*.

General Taylor taking leave of the Soldiers, '.'. 343 McCulloch examining a Mexican Deserter, 345 Captain Daniel Drake Henrie, g4g Ornamental Tailpiece, •>*•? General Wool. ■". 34* General Wool's March to Monclova, *..*.".". ILLUSTRATIONS. XI A Teias Ranger, ,M Goneral Taylor, !I. !!.! SS Headpiece, General Taylor, ....'. ...'. 35q Santa Anna, ng. Ornamental Tailpiece, ......II"... 366 Ornamental Headpiece. .['., 367 Plan of the Battle osBuena Vista, 3«8 Repulse of the Mexican cavalry at Buena Vista, 871 Davis's Infantry repulsing the Mexican Cavalry, 374 Death of Colonel Yell, 376 Major Bliss, 37g General Taylor and Captain Bragg at Buena Vista, 380 Death of Colonel Clay, 381 Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Clay, Jr , 382 Mexicans killing the wounded at Buena Vista, 387 Mexican Indians, 388 Pearl Divers, — jjgg San Francisco, California, 391 Santa Barbara, •• 390 San Carlos de Monterey, 393 Anchorage at Yerba Buena, 305 Dragoons exercising, 400 Bent's Fort, 401 Santa Fe, New Mexico, 407 Encampment near Valentia, 411 Major Sumner, 412 Encampment at Fray Cbrlstobal, 414 Traders, 41 j General Kearny, 416 Battle ofBracito, 418 Colonel Benton, 422 Battle of Sacramento, 427 Colonel Mitchell bearing on" the Mexican Standard, 429 Capture of Monterey, 437 Capture of Yerba Buena, « 438 Monterey.

Upper California, 441 Colonel Fremont, 444 Christopher Carson, 445 Battle of San Pasqual, 452 Battle of San Gabriel, 454 Presidio of San Francisco. Encampment of the New York Volunteers, 450 Indian atrocities in New Mexico, 460 Ornamental Tailpiece, 464 Ornamental Headpiece, 465 Tampico, 466 Commodore Conner, 467 General Scott going on board the Commodore's Ship, - 469 Vera Cruz, 471 Plan of Vera Cruz and San Juan de Ulloa, 472 Colonel Totten, 474 Colonel Harney's Dragoon Fight, 476 Lieutenant Hunter, — • 477 Ornamental Tailpiece, - 478 Ornamental Headpiece, 479 General Twiggs, — *|0 General Pillow, '~1 Plan of the Battle of Cerro Gordo, — «I General Twiggs at Cerro Gordo, m4 General Scott complimenting Colonel Harney, 485 General Shields wounded. ™1 Colonel Baker, *™ Colonel Hitchcock, - J»» Tuspan, «° Puebla, - •»» Ornamental Headpiece, ™ National Bridge, **■ Mexican Cavalry menacing a Train of Wagons, 495 Captain Duperu's Dragoons attacking the Guerrillas, - 498 Ornamental Tailpiece, *j™ Ornamental Headpiece, — * 5JJ!

City of Mexico, from the Convent of San Cosine, ■»>■> Death of Captain Thornton, j™5 Plan of the Battles of Contreras and Churubusco, j?ut> Gencrnl Persifor F. Smith, ™° Storming of Contreras, "J; General Shields, *}» General Cadwalader, *'» Storming of Churubusco, "•J* Assistant Adjutant-General Mackall, »■" Guerrillas, • *™ Colonel Burnett, ~" Ornamental Tanpleee, * — ?" Nicholas P. Trist, »" General Quit man, —— ov tlj ILLUSTRATIONS. 549 Ornamental Tailpiece. _ 550 Plan of the Battle of Molino del Key, ".'.'.'.".'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'..'.'.'.'■'■'■'•'■■■• bbl Ornamental Headpiece, * 552 Molino del Rey— (Jhapultepec in the distance, I.".".".".... 656 Storming of Molino del Rey, '.'.'...'.......................■■ 5f<\ Ornament il Tailpiece, / 562 Plan of Hie Storming of Chapultepec, !"".!'. ""..". '.'.'.'.'.. '..'. 563 Mexican Costumes, ' '* .'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'..'.'..'.'. 567 Chapultepec. /.'.*..'.*.'.'. 570 Colonel Harney '""I.'!!!!!!'.!!." 571 Colonel Seymour, '.'".'.".'..'.'. .. 572 Stormirg o( Chapultepec, 573 Major Twines, 575 Ornamental Tailpiece, 576 Mexican Gentlemen, !!!'." 577 General Scott, '.'."'.'. 579 General Scott and Staff. '"'."' '^ 1 a'."

"A' L1- to/, Routes of Worth's and Quitman's Columns from Chapultepec to tile San Cosme and Bclen Gates 680 Ornamental Tailpiece, " ?qi Ornamental Headpiece, °jl Grand Plaza in the City of Mexico, j?" City of Mexico. Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl in the distance, =»•> Ornamental Tailpiece, *™ Western part of Puehla de los Angeles, j44" Colonel Childs, j!°jj Mexican Hut. ™} Ornamental Headpiece, ""» Major Iturbide, ™J Captain Walker, «W Ornamental Tailpiece, ™9 A Guerrilla, °J» Capture ofGuaymas, ° 1 1 General Cushing, °'-( General Towson, ° j; General Patterson, J4 J ■> Colonel Bankhead, *■'» Ornament:4 1 Tailpiece, gj Ornamental Headpiece, "" JW Ornamental Tailpiece, 030 Ornamental Headpiece. »^1 Vera Cruz aster a Storm 633 Hauling Mining Machinery 635 Junction of the Pecos River with the Rio Grande 639 Near Jalapa 642 Indian Huts 64i Catorze Valley 647 Silver Mines of Real del Monte and Falls of Regla 656 The Mineralogist 663 Flowering Maguey 664 The Maguey, prepared for extracting Pulque 665 Society Settling Down 667 Portrait of Maximilian 671 Portrait of Duke de Moruy 674 The Surprise at Puebla 679 Portrait of Marshal Bazaine 681 Execution of Emperor Maximilian and Generals Miramon and Mcjia The History of Mexico, FROM THE EARLIEST AGES TO THE PRESENT TIME.

Chapter I. Geographical Outline Of Mexico

HE line of separation between Mexico and GuE^iroala is extremely irregular, commencing on the east side with the river Sarstoon, ' which it follows to its source, whence it runs north to north latitude 17° 30' and then takes a course west and south-west until it reaches latitude 15° 45', when it changes its direction to north-east. On the west and south-west the Pacific washes its shores, while its boundaries on the north and west are the United States and the Gulf of Mexico. The disorders of the government, and the lawless state of the population, have hitherto prevented our acquiring any thing like an accurate account of the country or its population ; and, until very recently, the accounts of Baron Humboldt were the only reliable sources of information respecting it. The portion lying south of the Tropic of Cancer, is by far the most rich and populous, but the B (13.

GEOGRAPHICAL OUTLINE. numDers of the population decrease as we go northward, some of the so called states of the republic being occupied almost wholly by unsubdued savages. Mexico differs from almost all other countries in the great variety of its climate, a feature arising not so much from its extent in latitude as from the diversity of its surface. The northern extension of the Andes, if the Cordilleras may so be called, enters the country on the south, and diverges, following the line of the coasts on each side of the country. The eastern arm finally subsides into the great plains of Texas, but the other preserves its character until it joins with the Rocky Mountains in the United States. Between these two arms of the Cordilleras is comprised an immense central table-land, nearly three-fifths of the whole surface of the republic, known as the Plateau of Anahuac.

The elevation of this plateau, varying from six thousand to eight thousand feet above the level of the sea, causes it to have a temperate climate, notwithstanding that a considerable portion of it is within the tro pics. The surface of this table-land is diversified by some very high mountains, and a few well-defined ridges subdivide it into smaller plateaus, to which various names have been given. It is not tra versed by many valleys, however, and a road, fourteen hundred miles in length, connects the capital with the city of Santa Fe, with little deviation from a level. The most remarkable tract in the Pla teau of Anahuac, is the plain in which the capital is situated, known as the Plain of Tenochtitlan. This plain is fifty-five miles long and thirty-five broad, containing an area of seventeen hundred square miles, surrounded with porphyritic and basaltic rocks.

One hundred and sixty square miles of it are covered with water, which is de posited in five principal lakes, situated on different levels. South eastwardly from the city is the Lake of Chalco ; north-westwardly, that of Tezcuco, and north of that, those of San Christoval and Zumpango. The largest of these lakes is that of Tezcuco, which covers an area of seventy square miles, and has an elevation but three feet lower than the great Square of Mexico. The lakes San Christoval, Chalco, and Tonanitla, are five feet higher than Tezcuco, while Zumpango, the smallest of all, has a level thirty feet higher than that of Tez cuco. The head of water which could be poured over the city by these lakes may be readily perceived. In 1629, the city of Mexico was almost wholly inundated, and preparations were being made for the foundation of a new capital, when an earthquake fortunately drew off the excess of water.

An immense artificial canal, the Desague of Huchuetoga, was then commenced, for the purpose of draining these lakes, but it was not finished until the year 1789. The length of the cut is about twelve miles, it is one hundred and fifty feel deep, GEOGRAPHICAL OLTL1NE. 17 Termination of the Aqueduct in the City of Mexico. and three hundred wide, and it discharges the waters of the valley into the river Panuco, three hundred feet below the level of the Lake Zumpango. This canal and the beautiful aqueducts with which the city of Mexico is supplied with water, the people owe to the energy of the Spanish government, and they are almost the only works of this kind in the country. Earthquakes are frequent in Mexico, but they seldom do any mischief, a remark which will also apply to the many volcanoes in the country.

On the south-east side of the plain of Tenochtitlan, those of Popocatepetl, seventeen thousand seven hundred and sixteen feet, Iztaccihuatl fifteen thousand seven hundred feet, Orizaba seventeen thousand three hundred and eighty feet, and the Cofre de Perote thirteen thousand four hundred and' sixteen feet above the level of the sea, meet the eye, while other mountains and volcanoes, whose smoking craters might be a cause of continual apprehension, bound the horizon on other sides. The purity of the atmosphere has an astonishing tendency to diminish apparent distances, and nowhere does this produce a more remarkable effect than in the city of Mexico. Most of the mountains surrounding the valley are at least fifteen miles distant , yet on looking down any of the streets of the city, it appears to be terminated by a mass of rocks, which are seen so distinctly, that on a clear day, all the undulation* of the surface may be traced, and the trees and patches of different vegetation readily distinguished.

To. the south-east the view is bounded by the lofty Popocatepetl, higher than any mountain in North America except Mount St. Elias ; Iztaccihuatl, which is much r2 Volcanoes, as seen from Tacubaya. nearer, is two thousand feet lower, but the two stand forth proudly pre-eminent from any view in the valley, and strangers delighted to record the pleasure with which they watch the effect of the last rays of light playing upon the summits in the evening when all around is sinking into obscurity. The want of water occasions serious disadvantages to Mexico, the rivers, compared with the extent of country, being few and unimportant. The lakes, however, are extensive, and the Spaniards, finding that the only manure which the land required was water, raised many hydraulic constructions, at great cost, for purposes of irrigation, which the Mexi cans have suffered to fall into ruin, and which will probably be allowed to remain so.

The country produces every thing that will flourish in the torrid and temperate zones of good quality, yet so indolent aro the natives, and so regardless of all attempts at systematic agriculture, that a single season of drought produces a famine. The rural popn lation then go into the deserts in search of wild plants, and generally with success. The great variety of the productions is occasioned by the extent of the country through twenty-one degrees of latitude and the rapidity of the slope on either side. On the east side espe cially the climates are distinctly marked by the vegetation. " On the ascent from Vera Cruz," says Humboldt, " climates succeed each other •n layers, and the traveller passes in review in the course of two days, the whole scale of vegetation from the parisitic plants of the tropics to the pines of the arctic regions."

S respects climate, Mexico is divided into I the tierras calientes, or hot regions, the tier i ras templadas or temperate regions and the tierras frias or cold regions. The first include the low grounds on the east and west coast, comprising on the eastern slope the greater part of the states of Tamaulipas, Vera Cruz, Tabasco, and the peninsula of Yucatan. These tierras on the west are less extensive. The mean temperature is about 77° of Fahrenheit, and the growth of the soil consists principally of sugar, cotton, indigo, and bananas. The winter on the east coast lasts from October to April, during which time north or north-west winds blow with great violence for several days together. The shores at this time are free from pesti lence, but with the summer the unhealthy season begins, and foreigners landing on the coast have little hope of escaping the yellow fever.

At the height of two thousand five hundred feet above the sea, however, this scourge is almost wholly unknown. The tierras templadas extend from two thousand five hundred to five thousand seer of elevation, and furnish us with the Mexican oak, and most of the fruits and grains of Europe. The cities situated in these regions, of which Jalapa is one, are famous for their salubrity and the inexhaustible supply of fruits. Great beauty and strength of vegetation result from the frequent fogs and humidity of the atno sphere, which, however, are objectionable in other points of view. The tierras frias include all the vast plains elevated five thousand feet or more above the level of the sea. Here the mean temperature is about 64° Fahrenheit, but when the height of more than eight thousand feet is attained the climate is exceedingly disagreeable.

Near Mexico, the limit of perpetual snow is twelve thousand to fifteen thousand feet high. In the tierras frias, the vegetation is not so vigorous as in the lower countries, but the climate is on the whole more favourable to human life. But the indolence of the natives prevents all exertions to raise more food than is necessary for the wants of a single season, and no one thinks, in times of plenty, of laying by a store for future contingencies, and hence when droughts or severe frosts occur, famine and its concomitant privations prove quite as destructive to life as the enemies of the coast. The geological features displayed by the Cordilleras are mostly remarkable for the non-appearance of granite, which is covered by porphyry, greenstone, amygdaloid, basalt, obsidian, and other rocks of igneous origin.

Granite appears, however, in the chain bordering r-n the Pacific, and the port of Acapulco is said to h« a natural ex cavation in that species of rock. The great central Plateau of Ana huac is a mass of porphyry characterized by the constant appearance of hornblende, and the entire absence of quartz, and it contains large and valuable deposits of gold and silver. These metals, however, occur in various rocks. Thus silver is found in syenite, in the mines of Comanja, in those of Guanaxuato the richest in Mexico, it is found in a primitive clay state, passing into talc-slate, while those of Real del Cardonal, Xalaca, and Lomo del Toro are situated in a bed of transition limestone. Humboldt says that there were in his time three thousand mines of silver and gold in the country, and before the war of independence, they produced about twenty one millions of dollars in silver, and two millions in gold.

Toward the close of the revolution, many of them were deserted ; and they do not yield more than half of the sums named. Mining companies were formed in England for the purpose of working these natural sources of wealth properly ; but the difficulties to be encountered were underrated, and the weakness of the government, the insecurity of property, bad roads, and imperfect mining processes have pre vented their receiving any thing like a fair return for their enormous outlays. The Mexicans themselves understand scarcely any thing of the theory of mining, and their ignorance is only equalled by their obstinacy in adhering to inefficient and long exploded practices. The quantity of silver annually obtained from the mines exceeds that furnished by all the mines of Europe ; but the gold is only in proportion to the silver as one to twenty-six.

A table from 1834 to 1839 exhibits the coinage at the mints of Mexico as ranging from twelve to eleven millions of dollars, but it can hardly be depended upon. The distinguished traveller, M. Chevalier, presents a fair pic ture of the state of mining in the following extract, penned in 1835. " How can the mines be worked with any feeling of security when it requires a little army to escort the smallest portion of the precious metals to its place of destination. Between the mine of Real del Monte and the village of Tezcuco is a mountain pass, where a grand baltle was fought between the miners and the banditti of the country. The former were defeated, overpowered by numbers ; but not with out having sold their lives as dearly as possible. The mine is now guarded by artillery and grape-shot, and the Englishmen employed there are regularly drilled in the use of the musket."

The principal mines are in the States of Guanaxuato, Zacatecas, San Luis Potosi, Chihuahua, Lurango, Guadalaxara, and Mexico. The ores appear to increase in richness on proceeding north ; those in the confines of Durango and Sonora are peculiarly rich, lie near the surface, and hold out a promise of wealth superior to any that Mtxico has yet produced. Iron is found in great abundance in some districts, but is little worked ; copper, tin, lead, zinc, quicksilver, and other valuable mineral productions have been found, but with the exception of copper, little attention is paid to them. The manufactures are in a miserable state, owing to the total v. ant of industry and enterprise on the part of the Mexicans and their jealousy of the success of foreigners, and there is no prospect of any improvement, so long as the factories are prisons, in which those only are operatives who are compelled to work in them as a punishment for crime and insolvency.

This lamentable state of things results fiom the selfish policy of the Spaniards, who prohibited manufactures in order to preserve for themselves a market. The Spaniards are bad mechanicians, and no efforts of foreigners have been able to prevail on the Mexicans to deviate from the routine of their fore fathers. In all Mexico, within a few years, there was but one manu facturer of watches and optical instruments ; the use of cast iron and tin for culinary utensils is never attempted ; and some merchants, who imported a few wheelbarrows for moving the bales of goods at the custom-house in Vera Cruz, could not induce the workmen to avail themselves of such an innovation. THE commerce of Mexico labours under serious disadvantages, which would hardly appear from her position on the map. Though both the east and west coasts are washed by the oceans, they are inaccessible during several months of the year; and when this is not the case, they are extremely unhealthy.

Up to the beginning of the present century there was no commercial communication between Mexico and any other country except Spain, and that was almost wholly confined to the products of the mines. The ports were opened on the breaking out of the civil war, and the Spanish capi talists retiring to Cuba and Spain, gave place to Americans and British, who have continued to prosecute their enterprises with \ aned success, according as the rancorous hatred entertained by the natives against all who are more prosperous than themselves permitted or prohibited their speculations. The policy of the government has been constantly to fetter the commerce of the country, fixing the tariff on imports at an exorbitant rate, and instead of improving 01 keeping in repair any of the roads, they are suffering them to fall GEOGRAPHICAL OUTLINE.

Mexican Muleteers. into a state of total decay. This is especially the case with the national road, constructed at an enormous expense, by the merchants of Vera Cruz, under the Spaniards, across deserts and precipices to the summit of the upper country. During the war of independence, it was cut up at various points, and the Mexicans have never replaced a stone, filled up a trench, or cut down any of the trees which have been allowed to spring up and grow to a magnificent height in the very middle of the road. The invading army of Americans, in whose nature it is not found to suffer such a state of things as this, did more for this great road in their march over it to the capital, than the government has done since the revolution. " In the upper country," says M. Chevalier, " nothing would be more easy than to open noble means of communication.

The soil is naturally level ; and basaltic rocks, particularly adapted for the construction of roads, are found in great abundance. But even where there are roads the Mexicans make little use of them. They carry to a yet more extravagant length the inconceivable predilection of the Spanish race in favour of transporting their goods on the backs of animals. You expect to meet with carts and wagons : no such thing ; every thing is conveyed on the backs of mules or Indians. Troops of little con sumptive donkeys bring into the city in parcels, not much bigger than a man's two fists, the charcoal required for the culinary operations of the inhabitants. The price of every bulky article is thus increased to an enormous degree. The interior districts are as inaccessible as if they were cut off by an enemy's army, and famine frequently ensues."

The laws of the country are said to be mild and just ; but if they were the contrary, it would make little difference, as nothing can be Robbers plundering. more appalling to citizens of well ordered states than the anarchy which has hitherto universally prevailed. The frequent changes in the government have prevented any measures for the restoration of law and order, and the whole country teems with lobbers. Seldom did a diligence pass between Vera Cruz and Mexico without being stopped and robbed, and sometimes black-mail was levied more than once. The environs of the large cities are all infested with malefactors, who are at all times ready to perform a deed of violence. An English charge d'affaires was lassoed at midday on the Alameda or public walk of Mexico, and ministers have been several times robbed of their private despatches by desperadoes in the service of the government itself.

Insurrections have become so common that we are almost able to give regulations for conducting them. " The first act is called a pronunciamiento. An officer of any rank, from a general down to a lieutenant, pronounces himself against the established order, or against an institution which displeases him, or against any thing else. He gets together a detachment, a company, or a regiment, as the case may be, and these generally, without more ado, place themseh es at his disposal. The second act is called the grito, or outcry, whin two or three articles are drawn up to state the motives or objects of the insurrection. If the matter is of some importance the outcry is called a plan. At the third act the insurgents and the partisans of government are opposed to one another, and mutually examine each other's forces.