Polynesian., 1844-08-10

does not exceed, the average production of
the 60 years from 1888 to 1900, and that it is
now yearly increasing.
NJ. Duport estimates the exports of the
precious metals, yearly, as follows, viz:
Vera Cruz, So $500, 900
Tampico, $500, 600
Matamoros, and other
gulf,
The different ports in
Pacific, 1000, 900
Total, Sl8, OOO,O 900
Of which, he considers, SI3, 900 900 arc
shipped to England and her possessions;
100000 to China, and the ports of South
America; and 200, 900 to the United States,
France, Germany, Spain, sc. | believe he
considerably overrates the average amount
of export by Tampico, and greatly that
of export by the Pacific ports, which has
very rarely amounted to 5 millions yearly.
There IS therefore every reason to believe
that the proportion of the precious metals
which remains in the country, and is added
yearly to the circulation, has Of late exceed
cd the rate of one million a year, which was
the ratio ofaugmentation taken by Humboldt,
from 1906 to 1871.
The monopoly of Tobacco exists as it did
under the Spanish Government, but the
amount of profit arising from it, has been
gradually falling off since 1910, and is now
nearly null. The monopoly ought either to
be enforced rigidly, for the purpose of reve-
nue., or abandoned entirely, for the encour-
agement of Agriculture. All around Com
postela, in the department of JaIisco, a To-
bacco is produced inferior only to the very
best descriptions ofHavana. It is produced
of good quality in other places, and | have
no doubt that by declaring the culture free,
in a few years, the quality would be greatly
improved, and Tobacco would become an
article of Export.
The exports Of Tobacco alone in the Uni
ted States, during the four years prior to
1912, amounted to the following sums, viz.
1888. 1889. 1910. ls4l.
$780, ,O29. ss,s32,943. s~9,ss3,957. sI2,576,7Os
Mexico possesses large quantities of land
better adapted for the culture of Tobacco,
than any in the United States, and the labour
of her Indians at 3 rials per day, is much
cheaper than slave labour in Virginia, where
the price of the Negro, and the average
yearly loss by death, nave to be added to
the eXpences of his support. There is moth
ing, therefore to prevent the Mexican, were
the monopoly done away with, and ifhe could
be only brought to see his own interest,
from competing with the North American
and the Cuban, in the article of Tobacco.
What | have said will apply still more
fully to Cotton, Sugar, Coffee and Indigo.
During the years quoted the North Ameri-
cans from Cotton alone, obtained in cash,
the following amounts, viz,,-S6l, 500, 8ll-
S6l 1893 ,982-$63, $40, 3O7---S54, $3.50, 341.
Thus it will be seen that the North Ameri-
cans, by only two fruits Of Agriculture,
which are Tobacco and Cotton, produce
yearly, more than three times the wealth of
the average production Of all the mines of
Mexico, during the period of their greatest
prosperity, which was from 1901 to 1910
But so pre- judiced and ignorant are many of
the Mcxicans, even those who are lawyers
and edit papers of repute, that you can hard
y bring them to admit that the United States
without mines, are by far richer than the
MeXlcans with mines, or that their industry
should take any other course than that best
adapted to keep their gold and silver within
their own territory. ,
1t is quite ineyplicable how the Mexicans,
who have always possessed a nearer and
more ready intercourse with Europe and the
United States, and who possess so many
other greater natural advantages, should be
so far behind their Southern brethren the
Chilians, in all rational ideas of Political
Economy, and of commercial policy.
PRESENT FINANCIAL PosITIoN OF MEXICO.
AS no "memoria" has issued from the Treas
ury for 1912, it is impossible to give an ex-
act idea of the finances Of the country, or OF