The Sun.
London, England, 1864-04-01 00:00:00

THE FRENCH IN MEXICO,

(From a Correspomknt of the Times)
MExico, Feb. 27.
Some few months back, in order to enab:e Vera
Cruz to compete with the ports then in possession
of Juarez, the duties on all imports were lowered 50
per cent. This, as a temporary measure, was much
approved. Since then the subject of the tariff has
been frequently'ander the considerationof the French

e _
age rose from 39 in 100 of the boys in 1851 to 45 in authorities, and as it is notorious that some of these
1861, and from 41 girls in 100 to 52. A high propor- gentlemen are in favour of very extensive uaodifica-
tioa-one-fourth-of girls of 15-20 arereturned as at Lions, it may be as well to consider very shortly
horns and in no definite occupation. There were in how such modifications, particularly if carried out
1861 4,442,249 children in England between 5 and to the extent contemplated by some-namely, 75
15,and it is gratifying to learn that 2,616,731 of them per cent.-would affect the future revenues of the
were scholars receiving instruction, 638,274 were country.
occupied in various ways. Unfortunately, 1,194,247 It must be borne in mind that up to the present
were at home, apparently deriving no instruction time the duties levied at the ports have formed the
from any of the schools, Of the residue of the per- principal if not the only source of real revenue, and
sons constituting class 2 the most noticeable circum- although, from the system of plunder and robbery
stance is that 962,786-nearly a million-female which has ever prevailed, these duties have seldom,
domestic servants were enumerated in England and even in the best of times, produced more than
Wales in 1861. It tells of increased comfort and 7,000,000 dols. annually (except in theyear 1831-32,
prosperity to real that there are 400,000 more fe- when the Vera Crnz Custom-house alone is said to
male servants in England than there were in 1831. have yielded within a fraction of 13,000,000 dole.),
Class 3is the commercial class-mercantile men, yet few can doubt that with an honest collection
general dealers, and persons engaged in the carrying they would have realised more than double that
business. Here are the 56,000 commercial clerks, amount. Almost every Finance Minister from the
who in 1851 were not 38 000 ; and the commercial year 1830 down to the present time admits such to
travellers increased from 8,000 to nearly 11,000. have been the case, and the fact is susceptible of
Railway servants and clerks, who were sat down as proof in the following manner ;-The imports of the
25,236 in 1851, were 43,699 in 1861. The telegraphic country, as set down by Senor Lerdo y Tejada and
service employed 261 in 1851, and 2,612 in 1861, of others, have amounted one year with another to
whom 213 were females. There were in 1861 27,759 about 26,000,000 dols., and, from the inquiries I
errand boys under 15. The number of marine-store have made, the duties upon these imports average,
dealers dcubled in the 10 years. at the lowest estimate, 70 per cent, of the real value
'We come now to "the great central productive
of the goods. This would give, under an honest col-
class of the country"-the agricultural, in which
lection, 18,200,060 dols. Now, to deprive the coup-
(including woodmen, gardeners, and persons en-
try of so large a source of revenue, at the very mo-
gaged about animals) 2,010,451 persons are directly meat when it stands most in need of it, is rather a
employed, 1,631,652 males and 378,802 females, strong measure. Tranquillity restored and trade
This number is less by nearly 74,000 than in 1851. flourishing, it will, of course, be important, as tar
The wives and grown-up members of the families of as possible, to adopt the principles of free trade ;
farmers residing on the farm are counted, on the
but in a country like Mexico, where, out of a popu-
assumption that they more or less help in the work
lotion cf 7,000,000, 4,500,000 are Indians and non-
of the farm, and these are represented as having consumers, this can only be brought about by slow
decreased from 381,469 to 339,916. Considering degrees. In most European countries increased con-
that the number of farmers themselves, 249,735, le sumption has more than compensated for reduced
almost precisely the same as in 1851, this return is duties; but that will not be the case here. Before we
rather puzzling. But there is another deficiency can hope to obtain increased consumption, we must
still larger. Although the outdoor agricultural engender wants in the great mass of the population,
labourers, 958,265 in 1861, are rather more numerous which can only be done by improving their posi-
than in 1851, the indoor farm servants are repro- tion, exciting emulation, and raising their morale,
seated as having declined from 288,272 in 1851 to and this must necessarily require time. At the
204,962 in 1861. In Essex the men (indoor farm present moment I believe that an Indian woman
servants) are stated to have decreased from 1,530 in would still be satisfied with one gown a year,
1851 to 587 in 1861, and the females from 2,343 whether it cost her 2 dole. or 4 dols.
to 525; in Suffolk, the men from 2,845 to 959, The general opinion seems to be that no violent
and the females from 3,640 to 1,215. In Lincoln-
changes ought to be made for the present; that it
shire the indoor fern .lo farm servants are re-
would be better in the first instance to do away with
turned as increased from 769 to 3,417, and in Sussex the international duties, which only create trouble
has decreased from 1,760 to 313. The report for 1861 and confusion, and leave the tariff, at all events for
a time, as it stands; that if a reduction is made it
allows that Lome uncertainty prevails as to whether
the farmers returned all their indoor farm servants, ought to be gradual, so as to give an impetus to
and we can hardly think that the returns of 1851 trade without materially affecting the revenues of
the State. Many believe that, with a judicious
and 1861 can possibly have been made on the same
principle. Taking the most purely agricultural system of taxation, the reverues of Mexico may be
raised to 30,000,000 dole., but then this system has
part of the population-the males only, being far-
to. be devised formed, and carried out, and to de-
ters and graziers, agricultural labourers and shep-
herds, indoor farm servants and bailiffs-the num- prise a
withcountry in a state of bankruptcy, overbur-
dened debt, and utterly without credit, of a
bees are 1,317,387 in 1851, and 1,340,916 in 1861 ;
and that is on the statement that the indoor farm well-ascertained source of revenue, before another
servants, the men, were 30,000 fewer than in 1851.
has been substituted in its place, is certainly a clan-
With regard to agricultural statistics, the informa-
serous mode of proceeding. A great proportion of
tion in the returns has not been abstracted for all
the present duties have, moreover, been assigned to
England, but only for 10 agricultural counties, the bondholders, convention holders, and other
and it would appear from these that the size of creditors, and it would scarcely be acting equitably
farms has increased in the last 10 years. The farms towards these gentlemen to deprive them of this
security, unless some other means are provided for
of less than 100 acres declined from 31,583 to 26,b67
the liquidation of their demands,
so that 4,016 were amalgamated to form other'
farms of larger acreage. The following extract from a letter written by
Juarez and addressed to Doblado confirms the truth
Class 5 is the industrial, comprising no less than
:3,262,510 males and 1,565,889 females, and includ- of a statement made in one of my previous commu-
lug more than 1,0e0,000 young people under 20 nications, that an attempt had been made to force
Of age. This vast claas includes the workers years o J uarsz to ablicate in favour of Ortega ;-
told y, uin my letter of the let, and I
; 1 of all des- •
in mater.a s descriptions. Tee greatestincrease have " I have already ,
Senora Carreaga and Medina in the
of it to ,
Of artisans since 1851 will be found to be in trades presence of Senor Cabeza, that I never said a word to the
to which machinery has not yet been successfully latter touching my pretended abdication. I have well con-
Briplied, such as the trades connected with building. sidered the question, and I cannot discover any rear on of
The numbers returned under the head of" Cotton sufficient weight to convince me of the propriety of the
course you wish me to adopt. On the contrary, I consider
Manufacture" were 371,777 in 1831, and 456,646 in such a course frau ht with danger, and lam satisfied that
cover
1861 ; woollen cloth manufacture, 122,256 in 1851, it would only g
us with ridicule, increase the anarchy
and 130,034 in 1361. Navvies and
railway labourers and contusion, and overwhelm n wi
h ignominy.l teat
increased from 34,618 TO 43,008; engine and machine this result thq more as it is Inoeme'anscertain that the
to 60,862 ; shipbuilders and enemy will treat with Ortc•gya, whom he considers as a de-
makers, from 42,597
shipwrights, from 21,100 to 31,291; printers, from serteri who has broken his parole. Besides, facts prove to
22,399 to 30,590 ; lithographer., from 1,393 to 2,912. m
use
rt
eila t
tthhee
Government
does nor wish to destroy individuals, but
The number of persons emp!oYed in paper-rneking is withy this monarchyviewtuntheanttawhich the nation has adopted. It
undera foreign Prince
was 10,809 in 18.51, and in 1861 13,357, of whom has been established, and that Napoleon, his last speech
7,746 were men and 5,611 women. The workers in to the Legisl hive Assembly, declared in
that he had no pre-
minerals exceed a million in nut:labor. Toe coal, concerted plan; that he merely sought the
triumph of hie
iron, copper, tin, and lead millers increased from
tidg the destinies arms, and wished to secure the interests of France by con-
fiding of Mexico
251,10 in 1851 to 317,832' in 1861 ; but this, ofco to a Prince well qualified for
such an undertaking, I, therefore, think that my abdica-

tion would not only be useless and ridiculous in the eyes of
the enemy, but a further source of anarchy and confusion,
for it is by no means certain that the nation would approve
of my resolution to abdicate. A single State might refuse
to recognise the legality of the power aseumed by Senor
Ortega upon the ground that it had already made its elec-
tion, and the latter would then be under the necessity of re-
ducing the dissentients by force. Under any circumstances,
we should only afford to our enemies an additional cause for
triumph, who would not fail to put forward our dissensions
as a powerful argument in favour of intervention."

On the 28th of January Gen. Douai left Lagos at
the head of one battalion of the Chasseurs a Pied
and three squadrons of cavalry, and on the 29th
directed his march upon reocaltiche, which was said
to be occupied by a portion of the Liberal forces.
He arrived:before the place, which was,occupied by
600 infantry and 4 squadrons of cavalry, about 3 in
the afternoon. All the approaches had been for-
tified and the streets barricaded. In order to cut
off the escape of the enemy, the General ordered
his cavalry to surround the to can. As soon as the
infantry came up they were formed into three
columns, and at half-past 4 the place was vigorously
attacked. Notwithstanding a severe fire opened
upon them, the chasseurs soon made their way to
the church and the plaza, when all further resistance
ceased. Fifty of the enemy were killed and the rest
made prisoners. In this brilliant little affair the
French had two men killed and 13 wounded.

The very day after Gonzales Ortega issued his
warlike manifesto to the inhabitants of Zacatecas,
in which he pledged " his word of honour that he
would shed the last drop of his blood in defence of
the liberties of his country," the capital of the State
was occupied by Meja and his forces without a shot
being fired ; and, if report speaks true, the worthy
patriot himself has since addressed a letter to Gen.
Douai, offering to make his submission to the Em-
pire if guaranteed in person and property. The
manifesto was merely an excuse for extorting more
money, and having got this, he is of course anxious
to kcep it. The most perfect tranquillity reigns in
all the towns occupied by the French, and the last
accounts from Guanaxuato state " that scarcely a
day passes without some of the followers of Do-
blado giving in their adhesion to the new state of
things, convinced that all further resistance is out
of the question." Trade is fast reviving, and I have
been informed by some of the principal merchants
that it has not for many years been known in so
flourishing a condition. As for the city of Mexico
iz is becoming quite a little Paris, and it is only
those who have been resident in the country during
the last five Or six years that ce.n fully appreciate
the immensity of the change.
The last accounts from Monterey state that a very
angry correspondence had taken place between Vi-
duarri and Eglesias, one of the Ministers of Juarez,
in which the former had virtually thrown off all
allegiance to the central Government. On the B'h
Doblado arrived at Monterey, having left his troops,
reduced by desertion from upwards of 4,000 to 1,500
men, at the village of Santa Catarina, distant two
leagues from the (say. On the 10th Juarez, accom-
panied by a few friends, also presented himself in
the capital of Nuevo Leon to have an interview with

the governor. What may have taken place nobody
seems to know, except that General M(ejia writes

from Matehuala on the 12th that Vidaurri had
armed the citadel and occupied the surrounding
heights, and on the night of the same day a courier
was despatched from Monterey informing Mejia

that hostilities between Doblado and Vidaurri had
actually commenced. Another letter dated Mats-
huala, the 17th says
"Just as Juarez was about to make his entry into Monte-
rey, Vidaurri commenced hostilities against the troops of
Doblado, from whom he took three pieces of artillery and
300 prisoners. Juarez has returned to t.-'anta Catarina ; as
for Vidaurri, he has shut himself up in the citadel with his
troops and artillery. Fighting is going on, and we await
the result with anxiety.

Should this intelligence prove correct, it is evi-
dent that Vidaurri has at length done what has long
been expected of him—viz., declared in favour of
the Empire. We may, therefore, expect to hear
that Mejia, or some French troops have marched to
his support. In that case, Doblado will have some
difficulty in making his escape. There is also a
report, for the correctness of which, however, I do
not vouch, that General Castagny has completely
routed Gonzales Ortega.

The Loss of the Caledonia Steamer,