New-York tribune., 1875-05-18
NEwYoRK DAILY TRIBUNE TUESDAY, SUPPLEMENT-

the landlord, and to render military service when
demanded by the sovereign. Taxes paid IN fruit
and grain wero collected Immediately after harvcst
other tributes were paid Mt different times during
the year. There were about three hundred ana
seventy tributary towns in the Mexican empire
some of which paid their taxes every twenty days.
and some every four days, while Others did 80 ohy
once in six months, or even only once q year. IN
addition to the taxes levied upon private individuals
each town contributed o large number OF cotton
garments with q certain quantity OF preadstus anu
feathers. The different provinces paiu III kihu,
according to the specially of production some pau
in fine feathers and tiger SKINS and certain species oI
birds. others brought Jumps of gold and bags OF
cochincal; others contributed lime ana reed 1or
building purposes; while the southern towns IN the
warmer regions sent measures of honey jars of yell
low ocber for paint round plates of gold, and fine
turouoises. Persons who were too poor to pay the
rconlar taxes were required TO furnish q certain
quantity of snakes scorpions, centpedes, and even
smaller vermin in order to rid the kingdom of the
contraband animals. Duties were levied upon
property, manufactures, and articles exposed Tor
sale in the market places in proportion to the wealth
of the person or the value of the merchandise. Pro-
duce of every description carried into the city OF
Mexico was subject to tolls which were paid into the
ROYAL treasury. The rate Of taxation il stated at
from thlrty 10 tLTty-tree per cent, or about one
third Of everything made and produced.
Other points of great interest, which are treated
bv Mr. Bancroft in his copious and tl1cnt narrative
relate more especially to the inner life of The people
their family arrangements as marriage divorce, and
the education of youth, their dress, food, games
feasts and dances their knowledge of medicine and
manner of burial, their system Of war; their COM
merce and manufactures, their arts and sciences,
and their judiciary. The volume, in fact, teens
with information concerning social order, rich in
barbaric pomp and gold but presenting strange
contrast to the familiar features OF modern cyiliza-
ton. Too cordial praise can scarcely be awarded to
the author for the fidelity and vigor with which he
has thus far carried out the plan of his work. He
has more than made good the promises of its an
nouncemnt. His narrative though almost ex-
baustiye. never loses its viyaciy. While formed
from materials so varied in their character and so
wide in their extent, il preserves an admirable CO.
hcrence and unity His style will doubtless be re-
carded by many readers as too duse, but its clear
ness would probably have been impaired by greater
degree of compression. His arrangement of materials
is emnently judicous, and his success in reducing
such chaotic mass to order and symmetry is some
thing wonderful. Few previous writers have thrown
50 brilliant light on The dim and faded figures of the
remote past, and his power Of recital is more than
sufficient to atone for his nopporune speculations.