The Express.
London, England, 1853-07-18 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OP TUB REPRESS.

Queen's Private Hotel, Queen's-road, Bayswater,
July 16, 18.13.
Stn,—ln your able article of to-day on Mexico,
you have taken u your test Sir Roderick Murchison's an-
nouncement, oa my authority, that land in Mexico was to
be bought at three-halfpence per acre.
To prevent misconceptions, you will greatly oblige me by
transferring to your columns on Monday the enclosed letter,
which I have just addressed to the editor of the Gloucester-
:Aire Chroniee. I may observe, that that paper has re-
ported Sir Roderick's observations correctly; while the
omission of part of them by the Tunes renders the re-
mainder somewhat obscure. I am, Sir, &e.,
MAR. ARISTA.

Queen's Private Hotel, Queen's-road, Bayswater,
London, 16th July, 1853.
TO TUE EDITOR. OP TUS OLOUCESTIIIBIIIIIII CHRONICLE.
SIR,—In your number of the 13th inst., in which you
have given an account of the pavilion dinner, held in
honour of the Royal Agricultural Society's meeting, your
readers will have remarked that Sir Roderick Murchison,
with reference to information given by me, stated that in
Mexico land could be purchased, of a good quality, at
three half-pence per acre. I feel it necessary, therefore, to
give some explanation of those words, in order that no
inaccurate idea may be formed of Mexico, where my
authority, deemed to be sufficient, might lead to erroneous
inductions.
Sir Roderick and I conversed in a manner which might
easily lead to a misconception—he in Italian and lin
Spanish, with only such guide as the analogy betwixt the
two languages might afford. In this manner I answered
several of Sir Roderick's questions; and I told him, as a
curious fact, that I had sold on the frontier, near the river
Bravo, Ur thirty-five thousand dollars, an estate of 500,000
acres of the very best land. We made a calculation of how
much this came to per acre in sterling; and we erroneously
made it three half-pence, instead of three-pence halfpenny,
which is the exact rate.
It is a pity that this error, for which I by no means
blame Sir ltoderick Murchison, should stand before the
public as • fact ; and from the general terms in which it is
stated, almost appearing as if applicable to all lands in
Mexico; I am induced to rectify the mistake, and, however
sightly, to lay before you what I know relative to the
prices of land in Mexico.
A few facts will answer my purpose. 1. The estate of
" La Conde's," situated two miles from the capital, with
irrigation and good land, being of the extent of about
3,000 acres, would not be sold by the proprietors, as I know
from themselves, even for two hundred thousand dollars,
which would be equivalent to 66 2-3 dollars per acre.
2. The estate of Parise-Amilpy, and an adjoining one,
lying twenty-two leagues from the capital, with 30,000 acres
of land of fair quality, and partially irriated, has been sold
recently for 200,000 dollars, equivalent to 6 2-3 dollars
per acre.
3. Lands lying beyond sixty leagues distance from the
capital, of gout quality, ulthough without irrigation, can be
obtained at 2 dollars per acre.
The incursions of the barbarians on the trontiers, and
the want of population, are the real causes of the almost
nominal price of 31d. per acre for lands in those directions.l
The security and prosperity of the capital, as 'ell as its
great consumption of agricultural produce, foram the con-
trast presented in my first case ; and lastly, th e difficulty of
uansport and dist.a.ce of markets account fo': the difference
in the two remaining
lam, ases.
am, NUR. ARISTA.