The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-10-30
SOME NEW BOOKS.
ttumero,s Ms.ico.

thAn fJu pages unu cnJltleu -hcItVO UHN Wo
United States tPutnalnsl. Senior Don MATIAs
RoMERo. tho well-known Mexican Minister ut
Washington, has thrown together a mass OF
historical and statistical Information which
will prove OF tho utmost service to the future
historians OF his country and TO the students
Of the relations between the great EnHlish-
ppeaking republic and the largest OF the
Spanish American commonwealths. There Is
no other man living so competent TO discuss
che political. commercial and social ties. ac-
tual and prospective. OF the t-o neighborinR
States. II is evident that the author is ardently
DESTROYS Of ccmentinE those bonds, while.
at the sam time. he is u sturdy lover
OF his country. How qualified he Ia to act
~ an international mediator will be recoR-
nized when we recall the fact that few
even of our " citizens have for so long a
period been cunversant with our political nf-
fairs and acquainted with our public men.
Benor Romero's first sojourn In the United
Btates begani in December. 1859, when he came
60 Washington "a First Secretary OF the Next
can Legation, and continued until July. 1858,
during the greater part OF which period he was
Charge d'AfTairos or Minister Plenipotentiary.
That Ia to say, he lived in Washington during
nearly two years Of Buchanan's administration,
and during almost the whole OF the administra-
lions ofLincoln and Johnson. Between lSBSand
1882. Senior Romero was twice Secretary OF the
Treasury In Mexico. and for some time Post
master-General Of that country. When not oc-
cupying office he travelled in different parts OF
his native land and spent three years In
agricultural pursuits In the southeastern State
Of Chiapas, thereby acquiring n thorough
knowledge OF the political and social conditions
OF Guatemala. He returned to Washington
as Minister Plenipotentiary In March, 1882,
and has continued to the present hour to dis
charge the duties OF that post. except for nine
months. from May, 1892. to February, 1898.
when, while absent on leave. he was again
appointed Secretary Of the Mexican Treas
ury. It is to the high credit OF Senior Romero
that his unprecedented opportunities have been
turned to patriotic account. During the term
OF his second official residence in Washington
he formed the resolve to do whatever might lie
in his power to lessen the risk OF misunder-
standings between his country and our own.
and thus TO lay the foundations of a lasting
peace between them. To that end he has con-
trlbuted to the American press a number OF
papers on Mexican affairs calculated to cor
rect misapprehensions concerning the laws OF
the Mexican Confederation. the disposition OF
its people toward the United States, and their
social. political. Industrial and commercial
conditions. 1t is these articles. carefully re-
vised and supplemented with much additional
material. that are now republished In book
form. 1t Is to be noted that the papers col
lected In this book are not TRANSACTIONS from
the Spanish. but were written originally In
English by the author. who. whilo he mod
estly disclaims the attainment OF n perfect
English style. may be congratulated on a
nearer approach to mastery OF our language
than has been mad by any other Span
lard or Spanish American with whose
writings we are familiar. It is. of course.
understood that the book before us is
put forward by Sefor Romero. not in his official
capacity as diplomatic representative Of the
Mexican Government at Washington. but in his
personal character as q Mexican citizen.
Among the many interesting subjects treated
in this capacious volume. we shall invite par
ticular attention to what the author has to tell
us about the agricultural. pastoral, mining and
manufacturing industries OF his native land.
about its railways. telegraphs. banks and pub
lie debt. about its educational system and
about the drainage of the Valley OF Mexico.
It is pointed out by Senior Romero that Mex
Eco has many localities well suited for the rails
ing OF coffee it is his belief hat the production
of that berry can, in the future. be very largely
increased. Where the requisite conditions OF
BOIL duu CllLHdJt " lOTIlCOuuluBs COuc5 Cuus 10
raised on a large scale at comparatively small
cost. Our authors personal experience in
coffee growing has indicated that the best zone
for the berry is to be found at an elevation OF
from 1000 to 5000 feet above the sea. New
ertheless. in Mexico. there are coffee plan
tations almost down to the sea level. The pro-
duction OF coffee in the Mexican Confederation
during the year 1896 was 60.000.00 0 pounds.
In many parts OF Mexico sugar can be
produced at q small cost. From the sea
level to the frost line. which ranges from
5000 to 5000 feet above the level Of
the sea, the suRarcane can be grown to
great advantage. In some sections OF Mexico
the cane lasts from ten to eighteen years with
out needing to be replanted. and can be cut for
grinding twice a year. Senior Romero recalls q
plantation in the southern part OF the province
of Vera Cruz. situated at an elevation Of about
1000 feet. where cane only twelve months old
yielded eighty tons per acre. Our author con-
ours with Gen. Grant in deeming Mexican to.
bacco superior to that produced In the Pinai
del Rio province OF Cub The lands In Cuba
which arc planted with the hest quality Of Ha'
Vana tobacco have to be MANFRED with guano
and It seems that Gen. Grant thought he could
detect the taste Of that fertilizer In the cigar
made from the Cuban leaf. He preferred, conse.
quently. to smoke Mexican tobacco which hat
grown on unexhau6ted SOIL. The loWlandB o
Mexico. and especially those adjoining the Pa
oific Ocean. which have a very warm and mois
climate. are well adapted to the india-rubbel
tree. which there attains a large size. Rubber
growing in Mexico is no longer in the expert
mental stage. as is attested by the plantation
OF La Esmeralda in 0axaca. which contains
over 100000 trees eight years old. According
to q report made recently to the British
Foreign Office. the total cost for five years Of
rubber plantation comprising 100000 tree
will not exceed $25.0O0 In silver. whereas thu
yield OF the trees In the first years harvest viii
bring the planter 100000. besides the valu,
of such side products as corn. manila beans
caOao. and bananas. After the Nth year. eael
of the succeeding harvests for twenty-five O.
thirty years will bring q steady net income O
over 100000. In Senor Romero's opinion
there are sections Of Mexico which are as wei
adapted for the production OF cotton a
are any parts Of tho United States. A
present. however. about one-half OF tn,
cotton required by the Mexican factories is i'm
ported from this country. The most importan
OF the fbres exported from the Mexican Con
federation is that known as 'Sisal hemp" q,