The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-05-04

he has known only TWO 10 nave children.
In connection with this branch Of the subject
there il another work of displacement going here
ameng the races which is worthy of notice. gen.
tefnan who has been prominently engaged in
gathering the statistics of the State Of Puebla in
formed me that, within his knowledge, whole towns
of Indians have abandoned their own language, and
adopted the Aztec Mexican as it is here called,
and they took pride in having done so. Don Manuel
Orosco, in an ethnographic report accompanying the
Memoria of Senior SiliceO above referred to, thus
alludes to this lngual displacement
From the tine Of Montezuma to the present day the To-
csies Inhabited by the indigenous tribes have changed
very little. We have TO note one curious fact winch IL,
that many OF the rude and savage tribes order TO enter
upon the road to civilization, have given up their rude
diom for the Mexican The Popo,ocas, for example, in
the State Of Pueba, formerly extended 70 recamschaco,
and those speaking this language reduced to
space the others making boast that they have
abandoned their diom for tina civilized tongue.
The Spanish, however, is continually gaining upon
the Indian languages, except in Yucatan and those
portions of the republic desolated by the northern
savages. In Yucatan the conquerers have not been
able to impose their language upon the tribe inhabit
ing that peninsula, and the whites have been com.
PEELED to learn to speak the Mayo for the purpose of
in both these sections of the republic the white
is giving way before the Indian.
It will be seen from The foregoing data that the
Indian races here are obeyng the same law which
ern parts of America. The white race is asserting
its superior vitality and the time is approaching
when the aborigines will have entirely disappeared
THE RELATIONS OF LAND AND SOCIETY.
In studying the social organization of Mexico, the
first thing that strikes the observer is the vast ex
tent of individual estates. gentleman here telling
me of certain property he possessed, said, two Of
my estates lie together, but the homeseads them
are five leagues apart, and the distance from bound
to bound is fifteen leagues"
have endeavored to obtain some proximate idea
of the number of landholders in the republic, and
have conversed with many well informed gentlemen
here on the subject The absence of all information
this point in the compiled statistics of the
try is remarkable but the mean estimate of those
with whom have conversed is that there are 10000
prsprietors; the maximum estimate gives $4,000
proprietors.
Yet, notwithstanding this small number of land
holders, and the extent Of the republic, which
is estimated at $4,000 square leagues, the
public lands, which are supposed to exist in
large tracts, are unknown, and there are many
floating grants in existence which have not yet
been located. 1t seems to me to be the general i'm
preston that the only public lands are those held by
the IDdians and people are waiting until somebody
shall extirpate or drive these off to bring forward
their claims. The memorial of Senior Siliceo has the
following remarks on this subject:-
During the years Immediately after the conquest each
conquesador took for himself the lands he liked best with
out other limits than those presented by the mountains
which were heen In the distance and Of which the
unknown and the number o. conqsesaoyes
small In comparison with the great extent o. terri
tory they hsd subjected 10 their dominion the result
thar even taking the land they wished without bounds,
TO taer prosecutions in proportion they sod parts Of
their estases increased the labor 70 which they ded-
Gated them From th there has arisen the sglomeraon
IN few hands Of the landed property Of the country the
Incredible extent OF estates which contain greater
superficial extent than several Of the European
ee and lastly that when they estimated to contain
Al 70
tain forty or 1s,y.
The first notable effect of this limited division Of
the land is that the country everywhere is thinly
populated, and the people are gathered together in
towns and villages. There cOngregated their con-
slant aim is some petty occupation and barter, in
which latter the Indians are particularly shrewd
But another and more perncious result Is found in
the wide developement Of vice of all kinds, and
universal spirit of gambling Thus the true foun-
tains of public welfare and morality are dried up,
and society is honeycombed throughout its entire
extent, not only by vice in It's many FORMS but by
its natural concomitant. a universal distrust which
every man entertains Of his neighbor.
The fabric Of society that has been erected upon
this feudal system Of land tenure is one of a most
unhealthy constitution. Above the great mass of
population, which consists of the inferior living
in extreme indulgence and degradation there exists
a medium class, distinct from the andhoders, com.
posed mostly Of whites, but with large intermix-
tore of MIXED races. This class is distinctly divided
into the following grades:-The professional. COM
W,
ecclesiastical and the mercantile or general public.
Of these the military and the ecclesiastical have
their separate administration Of justice and their
own tribunals, 10 which alone they are amenabe.
The politicians, which comprise all who hold have
held or expect TO hold Office fostered by the nu-
merous political revolutions that have occurred
here, have increased so largely that they are
estimated eHnRas 70 i'm include nearly if not unite
of whites in the republic der the same fostering
influence the military class Is estimated to contain
more than two thousand officers In socalled active
service, and very nearly twice that number Of fur
loughed pensioners, DC. IL IL these two classes
which, acting together or separately, make and IN
maze the many revolutions which are witnessed
here, and which In fact keep the country In chronic
state Of disorder.
II only Of recen. years that the clergy has taken
forth elsewhere. The landed proprietors among
whom include the great mining interests do not in
general participate actively in public questions, and
are only robbed Of horses, corn and forage, from
time to time, by the different parties in their mill
tary movements. These exactions, from the extend.
ed character OF their possessions are not heavily
felt, and are soon recovered from. The mercantile
cass or general public pay the established exactons
OF the government, and take little interest in public
affairs beyond that Of listless curiosity. They are
not sufficiently numerous 10 possess great weight in
the State and are utterly without that organization
~ body which exists in the clerical and military
classes, and In some degree among the politicians.
whatever in public Affairs. Wheneverm men are need.
cd by the politicians and soldiers 10 carr; out their
the Indians are seized wherever they
can be laid hold Of and forced into the ranks where
their natural docility leads them 10 obsy implicitly
and to fight, run, or change sides, as their
onicers direct. whenever defeat takes place,
or retreat becomes necessary. they de-
Iert in great numbers, which fact accounts
for the frequent sudden dissolution and disappear.
ance Of large armies here.
The constant repetition Of political revolutions and
The consequent dsorganized state Of the public nan-
ces, have produced another influence in society which
should not pass unnotioed. The government Is in
frequent quest Of temporary loans the repayment Of
which is attended with great risk and certainty.
Only men OF large resources, great energy Of cha
racter, and skilful rspidity Of making financial
dane come forward 10 the assistance
Df government In these moments Of crisis Such
Exist in Mexico and as they constitute the only hope
,f the State at times when other men shrink from IL
N fear, their influence Ia proportionately great
They have the sagacity however, to refrain from
exercising this influence in favsr of any political
choo and NAV he said 10 renresant no ,,l;,;o.f