portant postal facilities which it will supply, where now communication is either altogether impossible, or is unfrequent, difficult and irregular.

7. The Mexican Government has strongly proved its appreciation of the value of the enterprise undertaken by the undersigned, by the liberal concession which it has made toward the establishment and support of the line. But in making this concession, the Mexican Government had every reason to suppose, and still believes, that, as the enterprise is one of an international character, and in view of the entire absence of mail or passenger facilities over the route traversed, of great public necessity, as well as one in which the public advantage is far more apparent than the opportunity for private gain, the Government of the United States would, on its part, also come forward and manifest a proportionally liberal disposition towards its support and encouragement.

The United States, it is evident, will enjoy a greater degree of benefit than Mexico from the line, on account of their greater population and wealth, and as they will unquestionably always maintain a balance of trade largely in their favor, they will consequently receive a proportionally larger increase of revenue, and are thus even more directly interested than Mexico in securing its prompt and effective establishment.

The undersigned therefore, in pursuance of his desire to secure the joint support and encouragement of the Governments of the two countries, brought the subject of his proposed line of Mail Steamers in the Gulf of Mexico, to the consideration of the last Congress, (35th Congress, 2d session,) and asks that such aid be granted

to him on the part of the Goverment of the United States, by means of compensation for mail service, as would justify him in at once proceeding to the effective establishment of the line.

8. The Mexican Government counted truly on the progressive' spirit and liberal and friendly disposition of the United States. The propositions of the undersigned were received by Congress, and by the public at large, with a degree of favor that could only have been elicited by an enterprise that was felt to be greatly needed, and that was in a direction where our commerce had hitherto been too much neglected. This was manifested by the able letter of the Postmaster-General to the Post Office Committee of the Senate, upon the subject of the proposed line, by the favorable report of that Committee, and by the almost unanimous vote of the Senate in its support. Public sentiment also, as expressed generally in the press, and in the remarks of leading Senators and Representatives, of all parties, was in the most decided. manner in favor of the project. In fine, both the concessions of the Mexican Government and the project itself have universally drawn forth the most unmistakable evidences of approval in the United States, and the manifestation of a desire to meet the spirited advances of Mexico upon the basis of a liberal reciprocity.

9. The contest between the two Houses on the appropriation bills, however, at the termination of the last session, caused the plans of the undersigned to be again delayed, and forced him to postpone for still another year the consummation of the enterprise to which he has so long and so assiduously been devoted.

That consummation he trusts is only delayed; the establishment of the line now only awaits the favorable action of Congress. The undersigned is fully prepared to carry out his important undertaking upon the sole responsibility of himself and associates, whenever he can obtain assurances of that support from the Govern ment of the United States (in addition to that already granted by the Government of Mexico) which is due not only to the nature of the service to be performed, the peculiar value of the new channel of communication to be opened, and the increased revenue which will be derived from the large and important trade which will be built up, but which is also absolutely necessary to secure the establishment of the line; for without this additional support the enterprise cannot justly or wisely be entered upon by private individuals.

That support and encouragement he doubts not will be accorded by the enlightened Representatives who compose the present Congress.

PRESENT POSITION OF OUR COMMERCE WITH MExico, and nECESSITY FOR STEAM COMMUNICATION.

10. In considering the commercial and political advantages that will accrue to the United States from the establishment of the proposed line of Mail Steamers to Mexico, it will not be out of place to call attention to some facts connected with the present condition of our commerce with that country; and also to give some data illustrating the effect which increased facilities of Steam Communication have had upon the commerce of

other countries, and consequently must have upon that between the United States and Mexico, if applied thereto.

These statements will have the more value from the fact, that the question of our relations with Mexico is now rapidly becoming one of absorbing and important interest before the public mind.

11. The entire commercial transactions between Mexico and the United States-notwithstanding our extraordinary advantages of geographical position, and the extent of our varied manufactures adapted to that market-do not now reach, according to the most recent data, the sum of $9,000,000 per annum, while those between Mexico and Great Britain amount to over $33,000,000 per annum, including almost the entire specie shipments from the various Mexican ports. Our exports to Mexico for the year ending September 30th, 1858, were but $3,315,825.

In 1835, the commercial exchanges between Mexico and the United States were upwards of $20,000,000. Since that period our trade with Mexico has constantly declined, while that of England has advanced. This is owing to the support and encouragement which has been given by the government of Great Britain to its trade with Mexico, and to the apathy which, on the other hand, we, as a government and as a people, have for many years maintained with reference to all that concerns the encouragement and development of our trade with the Spanish American countries, to which we are naturally, and should be also commercially, so closely allied, but to which we are as yet practically almost perfect strangers.

Had this commerce been properly encouraged, it is not an overestimate to say that the commercial exchanges of the United States with Mexico would to-day exceed in amount the entire commerce which that country now maintains with all countries combined.

12. The total annual value of foreign imports into the Republic of Mexico at the present date, amounts to about $26,000,000, and the exports to about $28,000,000, making a total foreign interchange of imports and exports of say $54,000,000 per annum.

This commerce is distributed nearly as follows:

From this statement it will be seen that England monopolizes over half of the entire foreign commerce of Mexico, and that her proportion of this commerce is nearly four times as large as our own. And yet to secure this trade, England has to pass by our very doors, in fact almost within our own territory.

Besides this direct trade, England, in receiving as she does nearly all the silver which is exported by Mexico, in payment for her importations, not only from England