United States and that country, has a very important bearing upon this point. It will, in fact, if consummated, entirely break up that combination of trading and smuggling officials which has so long controlled that portion of the Pacific coast, and give the business to the Americans, to whom it legitimately belongs, and in whose hands it will be systematized in conformity with the laws of the country, and increased a hundred fold."

Is any thing more needed to expose the enormous contraband traffic that England, through her private citizens and public functionaries, has for years carried on in Mexico, than the preceding statement? 'The industrial and commercial interests of the latter country, under the combined influences of this oppressive commercial system and incessant revolutions, now lic prostrate and ruined; and it now falls to the lot of the United States to extend a helping hand to the neighboring Republic, and inaugurate a new and reviving commercial policy, the first step toward which is, the opening of rapid and regular communication, by means of mail steamers under government patronage.

The total value of gold and silver legally exported since the conquest down to 1858, a period of 339 years, is estimated by official documents at $4,640,204,889. This gives $13,687,920 as the average legal exports of the precious metals per annum, since the landing of Hernando Cortes up to 1858. We cannot regard this statement as having any approximation even to the truth. It is, in fact, absolutely impossible to give any reliable data from which an accurate estimate of the amount of precious metals that has been exported from

And

Mexico, or in other words, how much gold and silver she has furnished to the world since the conquest by the Spaniards. Irregular or illegal commerce, both in imports and exports, was not carried on in Mexico under the viceroys to the same extent that it has been since the independence of the country, still, there has always been more or less irregularity, and the inducements to conceal the real product of the mines and smuggle specie, bullion and plate out of the country, have been great from the beginning. Our statements relative to the commerce of Mexico, which give at the present time $54,000,000 as the sum total per annum, are of course made up from data derived from official sources. while we publish these as the only reliable statements, we do not hesitate to say, that from other equally reliable authority, those official statements, which make it appear that from fifteen to twenty millions of dollars has been the annual specie export from Mexico since she became a republic, are far short of the truth. There is every reason to believe, that the true amount is nearer $40,000,000, and when we take into consideration the extent of illegal exportations of specie and illegal importations of merchandise, it would be found that the contraband trade exceeds the legal trade, and instead of presenting the present estimate of $54,000,000 per annum, the facts, could they all be given, would, doubtless, make an exhibit of more than $100,000,000 per annum. This explains why it is that the official returns make such an exceedingly low exhibit of imports per capita for the Mexican population, as compared with other Spanish American countries, that for Mexico being but

$3.14, while for Cuba they are $27.29, Uruguay $25.86, Chili $12 70, Brazil $8.96, and the average of the whole of South America is $6.13 per capita.

Real Estate.

According to the statistics furnished by Sr. Lerdo de Tejada, based upon the last official statistics presented by the General Office for contributions to the Government, it would appear that the number of estates in the whole Republic amounts to 13,000, the value of which is estimated at $720,000,000, and that of town property at $635,000,000, so that the total value of real estate amounts to $1,355,000,000.

Although the above sums may appear, at first sight, somewhat exaggerated, they are doubtless considerably under the mark, notwithstanding the bad condition generally of property in the Republic. These amounts, of course, comprise the total value of the whole extent of real estate throughout the country, including the house property contained in 26,468 villages and towns of all classes, being the number now existing in the Republic. The latter class of property, in the city of Mexico alone, is worth to-day over $80,000,000, and that in the other principal cities represents an aggregate capital of from $250,000,000 to $300,000,000.

The above figures show the enormous wealth of the Republic at the present time in real estate, which might be doubled or trebled in ten years with facility, could the country be so fortunate as to enjoy internal peace and prosperity during that length of time.

MANUFACTURES.

The principal products of Mexican manufactures are aguadiente, sugar, mescal, (which is made from the juice of the agave,) soap, oil, wine and brandy, delft ware, glass, paper, cotton thread and cloth, woolen and silk thread and cloth, harness and Tuscan cloths, which are made from the fibres of the agave.

The manufactures of sugar and aguadiente are carried on at the private farms of individuals. Mills are used for the former and alembics for the latter. The system followed generally is ancient and very imperfect, but on some estates, the modern improvements and machinery for the manufacture of sugar and the distillation of aguadiente have been introduced. These two articles are chiefly manufactured in the States of Vera Cruz, Tabasco, Yucatan, Mexico, Guerrero, Michoacan and Jalisco. With respect to the manufacture of wine and brandy from the grape, although there are several large vineyards in the States of Coahuila, Chihuahua, Guanajuato, Oajaca, Sonora, San Luis Potosi and Lower California, yet it is only in the two first-mentioned of the above States, and particularly in Chihuahua, where wines and brandies are made in any quantity. In the last-mentioned State 25,000 barrels of wine and 11,600 of brandy were made in 1854.

With respect to the manufacture of cotton thread and cloths, besides the great number of spinning-wheels and looms worked by hand, which are employed throughout the country for the making of checks and other textile fabrics in common use, there are also at the present time

46 large factories, using extensive machinery, in the States of Coahuila, New Leon, Durango, Jalisco, Mexico, Puebla, Queretaro, Vera Cruz and in the Federal District.

Although there are some of the finer cloths manufactured in these, the principal product consists of thread and brown cottons, or mantas. According to the statistics published by the Ministry of Fomento in 1854 there were 7,274,779 pounds of the former and 875,224 pieces of the latter made at these factories in the preceding year.

In addition to the above a certain quantity of tapes, gloves, stockings and other similar articles, are manufactured in Mexico.

Of woolen manufactures, in addition to the numerous hand-looms in various parts, by which common cloth, frieze, sergas, druggets, blankets, &c., are manufactured, there are at this time, eight large woolen manufactories in the Federal District, and in the States of Mexico, Queretaro, Zacatecas and Durango. At these, finc cloths, cassimeres, carpetings, baize and flannels, and other stuffs are produced, which in price and quality are equal to any imported.

In the capital, and in Puebla, and Guadalajara, there are above 70 silk machines for spinning and twisting silk, worked by hand. The whole number of pounds twisted in Mexico in a year may be estimated at 40,000.

There are eight paper factories established in the District and State of Mexico, Puebla and Jalisco, which produce not only sufficient to supply the press of the Republic, but considerable quantities for other uses. Cotton and the fibre of the maguey are the principal materials used.