The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1824-07-22 00:00:00

MEXICO.

:t %CIS PROM THE " NOTES ON MEXICO, MADE IN
fly the Hon. Joel R. Poinzett.

NATIONAL CHARACTER OF THE MEXICANS.
The gentlemen with whom I have associated arc intelligent men,
and these who have bad it in their power to pursue liberal studies,
ere fond of literature and mime. The Creole* in general possess
ewe; eaters' talents, and great facility of acquiring knowledge.
They are extremely mild and courteous in their manners, kind and
reiterated towards each other, and hospitable to strangers. Their
Wooing sin is gambling. The married women are very pleasing
is their manners. They are said to be faithful to the favoured
lever, and a Minion of that nature does not affect the lady's repute-
ton. The yoong women aft lively and accomplished. They sing
aid play. agreeably, dance well, and know all they have had an
Opportunity of learning. If they would leave oft the detonable
practice of smoaking, they would be very pleasing arid amiable.
This is to be understor I as characterising the society generally.
There ate reiminly some young ladies (very few I am afraid) who
ito rot smoke--oome married women (many I hope) who have no
lover, or if this would be interred to derogate from their charms,
who consider him only ass convenient dangler, and are fondly and
taithfully attached to their husbands ; and there are certainly many
gentlemen who are not gamesters.
It is &Bin* to describe accurately • nation composed of such
'nylons ranks. anal of 90 many different castes as that of New
• hpain. The most important distinction, civil and political, WWI
founded on the colour of the skin. Here to be white, was to he
noble ; and the rants Of the different castes is determined by their
neater or more distant relation to the whites; the last in the
scale being the dine or unmixed descendants of the Africans or
Initann.
The character of the Indisn population, which exceeds two
millions and a half, remains very much the seine as that of the
tower class of the natives is demented to have been at the time of
the trouquest. The same indolence, the same blind submission
to their superior', and the same abject misery are to be remarked.
The forms and cern-nooks of their religion are changed, and they
are perhaps better pleased with the magnificence of the Catholic
rhea than with their former mode of worship. They take a
childish delight in forming proceesions, in which they dress them-
selves most fantastically, and the priests in many pare of the
country have found it necessary to permit them to mingle their
deems and their mummeries with the Catholic ceremonies- They
were oppressed and trodden under Toot by their emperor and ca.
ciqu es j and ever since the conquest, they have been oppressed by
laws interded to protect diem. For the most part. they arc dis-
tributed in village s, on the most barren and unprodnetive lar.,‘,
and are under their own caciques, who art charged with the civil
government, and with the collection of die tribute, a tax of about
ten dollars on each male from ten to fihy year' of age.
The castes, that is to soy the neitfros. descendants of whites and
Indians; otellstoes, dleaerrulants of the whites and negroes ; *am.
lees, descendants of Negroes and Indiana—are stuttered over the
country as labourers, or Live in towns as animus, workmen, or
beggars. There are some Indians who have accumulated property,
and sons few of the castes may be seen living in comfort and re-
spectability in the cities and in the country ; but these instances
ere rare. From the cacique or Indian magistrate of the tillage, to
the most abject or his fellow sufferers, they are indolent and poor.
Tie only difference between them is, that the cacique does not
week at all. By a law passed niece the revolution, they are de-
clared, together with all the castes. to be possessed of the same
rights as the whites. The tribute is abolished; but they will be,
as a matter of course, subject to the aiesinis or tax on the in-
ternal commerce, from which they were heretofore exempt. This
delaration will produce no alteration in the character of this class
of the population. Measures must be taken to educate tutu.. and
lands distributed among them before they can be considered as
forming a pert of the people of a free government.
The titled nobility are white ('moles, who, satisfied with the en-
joyment of large estates, with the coesideation which their rank
sad weebb confer, seek no other distinction. They are not remark-
able for their attainments, or for the strictness of their morals.
The boilers, who, in fact, exercise much influence over the
people, rank next to the nobles. They are the younger branches
of noble houses. or the sons of Europeans, and are remarkably
shrewd and intelligent. Next in impudence are the merchants, and
sip-keepers, for the former are 130 f sufficiently nurnerese to (WTI
a separate alas,. They are wealthy, and might poises influence,
behave hitherto taken little part in the politics of the country—
meet probably froth the fear of losino their property, which is in a
nagible shape. The labouring class in the cities aed towns in-
&Jet all castes and colours—they are industrious and oederly, and
view with intereat what is pas mg round them. Most of them
read ; and, in the lame cities, papers and pamphlets are hawked
shout the streets, and vold at a cheap rate to the people. The
labouring elan In the country is composed in the same manner, of
different mots. They are sober, industrious, docile. ignorant, and
superstitious t. and may be led by their priests, or masters. to good
or nit Their apathy, has, in some me mum, been overcome by
the lengetruggle for independence, in which moat of them bore a
pan; tut they are still ender the influence and direction of the
priests. They are merely labourers without any property in the
sail; and cannot be expected to feel much interest in the preaer-
vaton of civil rights, which so little cmieern them. This last
ilea ankr.own as such in it well regula:ed society, consists of
bezgwv and idlers, drones, that prey upon the community. and
ado, baying nothing to lose, are always ready to swell the cry of
Impute ilfuntotir, et to lend their aid in favour of imperial
ty. ram y.
'1 lie it-linnet of this class, where it is numerous, upon the fate
of revolutione, has always been destructive to Ilion e. In France
they were very numerous t and the atrocities which diagraccd that
revolution, ate, in a great meaeore, to be ascribed to this cause.
1
In Mexico these people have been kept in subjection by the strong
arm of the rice-regal government; but, it is to be feared that
Ciey well heneefot ward be found a very dangettitts 'action. The
Poet's exercise an urbounded influence over the higher and the
lower orders in Mexico; and, with a few honourable exceptions,
are adverse to civil liberty. It mar ant, perhaps, be altogether cor-
ral. to -onside the influence of the clergy as conined exclusively
to :he upper and lower orders er society, but certainly a very large
veronica of the middle elm n e exempt from it. Unfortunately
ton many who were educated , . the forms of the Catholic Church
have emancipated themselves from its superstitions, only to become
soptios and infidels.

Letters from Maranham of the 9th tilt. by the Caroline,
mired at Liverpool, state that the opposition to ti:e
Governitioiq of Brazil bad produced Jitter-
autes, in which some lives were lost and blood spilt. At
the e,•:,is of the sailing of this vessel affairs remained in a
rerr uriettled and even alarming state, and some fear was
nacroiotd by the merchants for the safety of their pro-
rem.

. - -
T 6 fallowing extract of a letter from Barranquilia,
du May 14, relative to the proceedings at the scat of
Government in Colombia, appears in the last ree..ived Ja-
mica papers:—" Of the Holy Alliance the Executive has
etched some late adviers, indicating an cntcrprize ou this
tkluntry. On this the Congress have debated with closed
'l/4ett; bet whatever may be said or written upon it, the
tic is, that neither Sp.tin nor France are desirous of a war
with Unite,' States. What part the English Govern-
neat takes on this occasion is perfectly enigmatical. If it
is talk the friend of ibis Republic, it ought to recognise
i:: On principles of commercial policy it ought to rem-
ruse it. Great Britain, herself styled a free country. ought
to recognise the Republic of Colombia as a matter of
our?.?, and illustrative of her own far princ;ples of go-
tt rairatit."

An elegant iron halcony has been placed to the f. rat and
tennd toots of the beautiful range of houses in the Rue
it!i, Paris, by which the inhabitants may visit each
other from their w,r,daws without tie/wending into thee,
s:reet. These Iltlecnits continue, without separation, along
tht Rut Cattigliona as far as la Rue hicrntabon•
.'11"4 of ifronPertos has just been handed about in the
I=rlonlPal coffer-houses of Paris, announcing the early ap-
prarance or a Paper, which might be named the indiscreet,
r!:11 which proposes to give the mut es and qualities of the
novenas' wlin daily anise in the capital, their residetcc,
; and fully to satisfy the public curiosity, their pur-
-1 .its and action will 1;2 taken cognizance of. Messieurs
usrelltrs iriil not be aide to clink the lynx-eyed vigi-
lance of Oda new police.

13! o
i lot sis Ps kn.—Several snick:es have lately been
sroiotteil n Paris. Last week a merchant named
in
at No. log, rue Riebe/isn, in perfect good eir-
..:nutai.ces, cut his throat with a razor. No one can ac-
Aot fur this diperate act. M. Labbev, auctioneer, rue
Fear !t. llon-ore, hiving received a Lett: r announcing
instantly blew out his brains with a pistol. A
!!trl p-rson. named Vermotit. a freeholder of Lyons, re-
u Paris, near 111ratnUe, rue St. Vonore, having
!,ta law-wit of Freat isuptertanc.., co • ttcd a similar
ea ll'etlnesitay last.

ENTKor Tun St. A.—The followinz account of a
I•l4wtenk was taken net of a bottle. closely
I an,: s al!il, which was r);ck, it sty) near the bathing-
at Mark Rock. Ituhlin. ‘Vegluesaay la"
1;t IL 1. Two 30 wrockrd &Met •`•r"
"..litornea. I am the rit;,, tmn eacapcd front a watery
0 20 is attmber. Ileautuom and his wife wept
11:ape to sec 1-6ar..ta4aia. 1 hare only time to let
Ina hold?. James Coznell, of Naas., county

11,7

A II! IkA : ;INC -r Pti r I Take oe tnutton-suet four
;., :
ior . .as one clam., su.mr-eandv one drachm. gum
~.,4
(1 drachm in fine rwsler. Melt these well to-
r- :- a gentle fire, and add -.vrortt a spoonful of
,;,,ilttr,itin..s,n.d lamp-black sufficient to ! ire it a roil black
FL.I4;:;, . iet, "Ile loot enough to ntn. make it into a ball, by
' le liquid into a tin mould, or let it stand till rt.
r;;ci'lli' ur it may be nrou:ded by the bind.—E.:ow.-