become acquainted with

"T all the civil and political in

stitutions of a country, requires a perfect knowledge of the language, a free ingress to the archives, and a residence of some years. Even then we can scarcely distinguish between the statute law and the common law. derived from custom, morals, and habits: under these circumstances, it cannot be expected that I should be able to say much on the subject, as I possess none of the above advantages; but I will offer a few observations.

"To a stranger, it is impossible to define the limits of the military and ecclesiastical jurisdictions, in every affair which relates to the citizens; and, in fact, with the soldiery, the force of superstition is such, that I am doubtful whether they would generally obey one of their officers in direct violation of the injunction of their religious profession. The audiences of Mexico and Guadalaxara were formed, no doubt, as a check on the immense power of the Vice-roy. The number of members composing each, is to me unknown; but they are formed of the Vice-roy as president with two votes, generals, and bishops. To their jurisdiction, the appeals from the judgment of the intendants, and all subordinate officers, may be made in civil cases; but the military and ecclesiastical decisions are distinct: yet for all this sem

blance of justice, should an individual dare to make the appeal, and not succeed in establishing the justice of his claim to redress, he is certainly ruined. And where justice is so little attended to when opposed to power and wealth, as in the Spanish provinces, the appeal is a desperate remedy. This tribunal, or legislative body, enacts all the laws for the general regulations of their divisions of the kingdom.

"The captain generalship of the internal provinces appeared to me to be much more despotic, for the laws or regulations were issued in the form of an order, merely, without any kind of a preamble whatsoever, except sometimes it was said, by order of the king. And such was the style of the governors of provinces.

"Morals, Manners, &c.-For hospitality, generosity, docility, and sobriety, the people of New Spain exceed any nation perhaps on the globe: but in national energy, or patriotism, enterprize of character, and independence of soul, they are perhaps the most deficient. Yet there are men who have displayed bravery to a surprizing degree, and the Europeans who are there, cherish with delight the idea of their gallant ancestry. Their women have black eyes and hair, fine teeth, and are generally brunettes. I met but one exception to this rule at

Chihuahua,

Chihuahua, of a fair lady, and she by way of distinction was called the girl with light hair. They are all 'inclining a little to en bon point, but none (or few) are elegant figures. Their dresses are generally short jackets and petticoats, and high heel shoes, without any head dress; over this they have a silk wrapper which they always wear, and when in the presence of men affect to bring it over their faces; but as we approached the Atlantic and our frontiers, we saw several ladies who wore the gowns of our country-women, which they conceive to be more elegant than their ancient custom. The lower class of the men are generally dressed in broad brimmed hats, short coats, large waistcoats, and small-clothes always open at the knees, owing, I suppose, to the greater freedom it gives to the limbs on horseback, a kind of leather boot or wrapper bound' round the leg, somewhat in the manner of our frontier men's leggins, and gartered on. The boot is of a soft pliable leather, but not coloured. In the eastern provinces the dragoons wear over this wrapper a sort of jack-boot made of seal leather, to which are fastened the spurs by a rivet, the gaffs of which are sometimes near an inch in length. But the spurs of the gentlemen and officers, although clumsy to our ideas, are frequently ornamented with raised silver work on the shoulders, and the strap emhroidered with silver and gold thread. They are always ready to mount their horses, on which the inhabitants of the internal provinces spend nearly half the day. This description will apply generally for the dress of all the men of the provinces for the lower class, but in the towns, amongst the more fashionable ranks, they dress after the European

or United States mode, with not more distinction than we see in our cities from one six months to another. Both men and women have remarkably fine hair, and pride themselves in the display. of it.

"Their amusements are music, singing, dancing, and gambling; the latter is strictly prohibited, but the prohibition is not much attended to. The dance of is performed by one man and two women, who beat time to the music, which is soft and voluptuous, but sometimes changes to a lively gay air, whilst the dancers occasionally exhibit the most indelicate gestures. The whole of this dance impressed me with the idea of an insolated society of once civilized beings, but now degenerated into a medium state between the improved world and the children of nature. The fandango is danced in various figures and numbers. The minuet is still danced by the superior class only: the music made use of is the guitar, violin, and singers, who in the first described dance, accompany the music with their hands and voices, having always some words adapted to the music, which are generally of such a tendency as would in the United States occasion every lady to leave the room.

Their games are cards, billiards, horse-racing, and cock-fighting, the first and last of which are carried to the most extravagant lengths, the parties losing and winning immense sums. The present commandantgeneral is very severe with his officers in these respects, frequently sending them to some frontier post, in confinement for months, for no other fault than having lost large sums at play..

"At every town of consequence

is a public walk, where the ladies and gentlemen meet and sing songs, which are always on the subject of love, or the social board. The females have fine voices and sing in French, Italian, and Spanish, the whole company joining in the chorus. In their houses the ladies play on the guitar, and generally accompany it with their voices. They either sit down on the carpet crosslegged, or loll on a sofa. To sit upright in a chair appeared to put them to great inconvenience, and although the better class would sometimes do it on our first introduction, they soon demanded liberty to follow their old habits. In their eating and drinking they are remarkably temperate. Early in the morning you receive a dish of chocolate and a cake; at twelve you dine on several dishes of meat, fowls, and fish: after which you have a variety of confectionary, and indeed an elegant dessert: then drink a few glasses of wine, sing a few songs, and retire to take the siesta, or afternoon nap, which is done by rich and poor; and about two o'clock the windows and doors are all closed, the streets deserted, and the stillness of midnight reigns throughout. About four o'clock they rise, wash and dress, and prepare for the dissipation of the night. About eleven o'clock some refreshments are offered, but few take any, except a little wine and water and a little candied sugar.

"The government have multiplied the difficulties for Europeans mixing with the Creoles or Mestis, to such a degree, that it is difficult for a marriage to take place. An officer wishing to marry a lady not from Europe, is obliged to acquire certificates of the purity of her de

scent for two hundred years back, and transmit them to the court, when the licence will be returned; but should she be the daughter of a person of the rank of captain or upwards, this nicety vanishes, as their rank purifies the blood of the descendants.

"The general subjects of the conversation of the men are women, money, and horses, which appear to be the only objects in their estimation worthy of consideration. Having united the female sex with their money and their beasts, and treated them too inuch after the manner of the latter, they have eradicated from their breasts every sentiment of virtue, or of ambition, to pursue the acquirements which would make them amiable companions, instructive mothers, or respectable members of society. Their whole souls, with a few exceptions, like the Turkish ladies, are taken up in music, dress, and the little blandishments of voluptuous dissipation. Finding that the men only require these as objects of gratification to the sensual passions, they have lost every idea of the feast of reason and the flow of soul which arise from the intercourse of two refined and virtuous minds, whose inmost thoughts are open to the inspection and admiration of each other, and whose refinements of sentiment heighten the pleasures of every gratification.

"The beggars of the city of Mexico alone are estimated at sixty thousand souls, what must be the number through the whole kingdom? And what reason can it be owing to, that, in a country superior to any in the world for riches in gold and silver, producing all the necessaries of life, and most of its luxuries, there should be such a vast proportion

proportion of the inhabitants in want of bread and clothing? It can only be accounted for by the tyranny of the government, and the luxuries of the rich; the government striving by all the local restrictions possibly to be invented, without absolutely driving the people to desperation, to keep Spanish America dependant on Europe.

"Trade, Commerce, Manufactures, and Revenue.-The trade and commerce of New Spain are carried on with Europe and the United States by the port of Vera Cruz solely, and with the East Indies and South America by Acapulco, and even then under such restrictions of productions, manufactures, and time, as to render it almost of no consequence as to the general prosperity of the country. Were all the numerous bays and harbours of the Gulph of Mexico and California opened to the trade of the world, and a general licence given to the cultivation of all the productions which the country is capable of yielding, with freedom of exportation and importation, with proper duties on foreign goods, the country would immediately become rich and powerful, a proper stimulus would be held out to the poor to labour, when certain of finding a quick and ready sale for the productions of their plantations or manufactories. The country abounds in iron ore, yet all the iron and steel, and articles of manufactures, are obliged to be brought from Europe, the manufacturing or working of iron being strictly prohibited. This occasions the necessary utensils of husbandry, arms, and tools, to be enormously high, and forms a great check to agriculture, improvements in manufactures, and military skill. The works of the Mexicans in gold, sil

ver, and painting, shew them naturally to have a genius, which, with cultivation and improvement, might rival the greatest masters of either ancient or modern schools. Their dispositions and habits are peculiarly › calculated for sedentary employments, and I have no doubt, if proper establishments were made, they would soon rival, if not surpass, the most extensive woollen, cotton or silk manufactures of Europe. Their climate is adapted for raising the finest cotton in the world, and their sheep possess all the fineness of wool, for which they are so celebrated in Spain.Besides this they have immense quantities of raw materials, which they have on hand, wool selling for a mere song, and in fact, they scarcely take the half from the fleece of the sheep for the course manufactories of the country, and for making beds.

"I cannot presume to state the revenues of the country, but am credibly informed, that the mint coins per annum at least fifty millions of dollars in silver, and fourteen millions of dollars in gold, the one-fifth of which amounts to twelve millions eight hundred thousand. The duties on foreigngoods, and the amount paid by the purchasers of monopoly, may make four millions more, which would make the annual revenue sixteen millions eight hundred thousand. The civil list of the kingdom amounts to five hundred and eighty thousand. The military, seven millions one hundred and eightynine thousand two hundred, making with the civil list seven millions seven hundred and sixty thousand two hundred; which deducted from sixteen millions eight hundred thousand, leaves a clear reve

nuc

nue for the king from his Mexican dominions of nine millions thirty thousand, eight hundred. The clergy are not included in this estimate, as they receive their revenues through their own proper channel; and although the best paid officers in the government cost the

king nothing in a direct way, yet the dreadful manner in which they oppress and impoverish his subjects, would render it better policy to abolish their impositions, and pay them a direct salary out of the public treasury."

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