Southport telegraph. [volume] (Southport, W.T. [i.e. Kenosha, Wis.]) 1840-1850, 1847-06-09

Real property in town and country SlS,0OO,OO0
Churches, houses, converts, curates,
dwellings, furniture jewels preci-
Gus vessels, &c. 100000
Floating capital, with other funds, &
the capital required to produce the
sum annually received in aims. 100000
Total. - S90,O00,000
An estimate entirely too small; for Gozem
Faras puts down the total value at S16O,OO0,0Oo
which is, doubtless, nearer the mark No one,
however, pretends to know the value of the coin,
Jewels and ornaments belonging to the various
churches which have been accommodating ever since
the establishment of the catholic religion and their
real estate has been constantly increasing in amount
and in value They own many of the finest houses
in the city of Mexico and other cities (the rents OF
which must be enormously besides valuable real
estates all over the republic. Almost every per-
son leaves a bequest in his will for masses for
his soul, which constitute an ncumbrance upon the
estate and thus nearly all the estates of small pro-
pretors are mortgaged to the church. The proper
ty held by the church in mortmaln is estimated at
S50,000000.
Gomez Faras is the only man who has perse-
yered in the movement for the conscation of the
church property. He attempted it in 1924; bat
was put down by revolution He attempted it
again in 1S47, and has again been ruled out OF pow
er. One of the best men in the country, we hope
he may live to see the power OF the church sub
servient to the power of .the people.
To give some idea of the wealth and magnifi-
cence of the church, we extract from the recent
book of Hon Waddy Thompson, on Mexico, the
following pictorial description of the interior OF the
Cathedral of the city Of Mexico. Mr. Thompson
says
The Cathedral, which occupies the site of the
I \ L.
feet long by four hundred and twenty feet wide,
larger than the capitol Of the United States y
Like all other churches in Mexico it is built in the
Gothic style. The walls, of several feet thickness
are made of unhewn stone and lime. Upon enter
ing it is apt to recall the wild pictures Of the
Arabian Nights. 1t seems as If the wealth of en-
pires was collected there
"The clergy of Mexico do not, for obvious rea-
sons desire that their wealth should be made known
to its full extent they are therefore, not dsposeto
give very full information upon the subject, or to
exhibit their gold and silver vessels vases precious
stones. and otherforms of wealth. Quite enough
is witnessed to strike the beholdef The first object
that presents itself on entering the cathedral is the
altar, near the centre of building. 1t is made of
highly wrought and polished silver and covered
with proillson OF ornaments of pure gold; on
each side of this altar 1uns a balustrade or enclo-
sing space of about eight feet wide and eighty or
a hundred feet long The balustrades are about
four feet high, and four inches thick in the largest
part the hand rail from six to eight inches wide
Upon the top of his hand rail- at the distance of six
eight feet apart, are human images, beautifully
wrought, and about one foot high. All of these the
baustrade, hand rail, and images made of com
pound of gold, silver and copper,-more valuable
than silver. | was told that offer had been made
to take this balustrade and replace it with another
1na md nf 1nra
silver, and to give half million Of dollars besides.
There is much more of the same balustrade in
other parts of the church. / should think, in all
of it, not less than three hundred feet
"As you walk through the building either
side there are different apartments all filled from
the floor to the ceiling, with paintings, statues,
vases, huge candlesticks, walters, and thousand
other articles made of gold and silver. This too,
is only the every day display OF articles of least
value; the most costly are slowed away in chests
and closets. What must it be when all these are
brought out, with the immense quantities of pre-
cious stones which the church is known to possess!
And this is only one of the churches of the city of
Mexico where there are between sixty and eighty
Others and some of them possessing little less
wealth than the Cathedral; and it must also be
membered that all the other large cities, such
Puebla Guaduajara, Guanaiuato Zacatecas Duran
90, amt San Luis Potosi, have each proportlonate
number Of equally gorgeous establishments. 1t
would be the widest and most random conjecture
to attempt estimate of amount of precious me-
tails thus withdrawn from the useful purposes of the
currency of the world, and wasted in these barbarc
= ornaments, as incompatible with good taste, as
they are with the humility which was the most
striking feature III the character of the Founder Of
our religion, whose chosen instruments were the
lowly and humble; and who himself regarded as
the highest evidence of his divine mission, the fact
that to the poor,the gospel was preached"
II do not doubt that there is enough of the pre-
cious metals in the different churches of Mexico, to
relieve sensibly the pressure upon the currency of
the world, which has resulted from the diminished
production of the mines, and the increased quantity
which has been appropriated TO the purposes Of
luxury, with surplus left to pay the cost of
much more tasteful decorations in architecture and
and statuary ofmahogany and marble"