State Of Mexico.
The Times, 1824-09-13T00:00:00

We have received a file of the MIexican paper called El Sol, from the beginning of' June to the 8th of July, anfl though they contain nodiinJ that can bh properly styled events beyond w'4t has not already appeared in our co- lutmns, they still posscss considerable interest to those who lesire to become more intimately acquainted with thc state of Mexieo than a detacledl proclamation, or thc narrative of an isolated fact, can make them. From a series of journals. embracing articles on almtost every t-pic of a public na- ture-debates in Congress-'despatches from civil anid mi- litary oflicers in the provinecs-occurrences, civil, military. andl political, in the capital-anecdotes of character -letters from correspondents-and other things too tedious to be enuamerated, we learn a great deal! more than ve could db from a single piece of news,; however decisive or characteristic. Such a soutee of! information has something like the variety of geieral lifc; an(d while it supplies to a considerable extent the want of an actual inspection of aconntry,enab'cs us to correct mis- takes by comparing reports with results,and lavs the founda- tidOI of more sure and accurate knowletdge thlan couldi be obtaine(d from a selectioni of official dlocuments or interest- ing occurrences. Ve may therefore be excusedi for laying before our readers, a few observations suggested by a plr- usal of these papers ; engaging that whatever picture they present of the state of the new Republic, they are faith- fuilly and impartially dIrawn frofi the mateiials supplied by its own writers. POLITICAL STATE. It is well known that the vast country, wlic h was two 'ears ago the empire, and which is now the federal Repub- lic of Mexico, is composedl of the provinces, wlhich, und(er the Sparrisli colonial system, composed the Vicerovalty of New Spain. These provinces, formerly cailedl Inten- dencies, are now,for the most part. erecte(l into indepen dent states. Eacil of these states has its cnngress of deputies- its governor or political chiief-its local taxes-its military force, and its military comninanler; and they are all con- nected by a federal un'oio wvith a general or national Congress andl gerleral Executive. These separate states, like those of North America, are of very unequal importance, power, anid resonrccs, some of tham rivallirrg in extent, if' not in population, considlerable kingdoms of the OldI WVerld. 'I'he nrovincesof'Guadalaxara and Guanaxata, from the greatniess of thfeir populationi antd the ricbntess of th;ir mines, coisi(ler themselves on a lcvel witi that in which the capital is situated. It is aIlost neciless to mention, that before the comlmencellme1nt of the Peninsuilar war, all' the dozen of pr ovinces or inten(lencies inlto which this great couintry, inhabited by seven millions of people, dias vided, wvcre subject to the same coloniial bond(age ; and( that from I810 to 1820, they wvere all harasqe(d by the same factious division.s and intestine quar rels. In the suminer of the lat- ter year, the country was finially declared indepcll(lelit of Spain, and( unite(d tinler Itunbi(le, whio was styled Em- pero'. The power which this man acquired. an.l for some time exercised, he coultl tinot maintains apinst public distrust, and( the coniflictinig claims of' rival chiefs. But before he left flie M:xic:u territory in the begiuning of tT2n, he had snade bimnself friends amOng a consi- derable niituiber of officers of the armiy, anol ceated a conlsi(letrable prejudice in his favour in one or two of the provcrics. Thergenrcal Congress and National Executive wiho succeede(d to ti)e separate portionls of' his divide,d sway, sooti felt the inifluence cf this recollcction, aggravating the natural causes of' disunion which had their origin in the rival pretensions or separate in- terests of the different states. 'The rich and(i popiu- lous province or stite of tuadalaxara, wlhere a loca! insarrection) has latelv been subdued bY the arms of the gieneral Goveriment, lias, ever sinicc the abdication o'l I tirbi(de, been the scene of plots and machinatinns of h1is I friends. Froin a report on the state of the vountrv, react I t o Coti-ress on the qth of June, bv tile MTinister of War, it appears that for more thani a Near tl!e Governor of thcat state, Quinitatir, and the Military Comniader, Buso-| nieinte, ia(l been fomnenting jealousies against the supreme &overnment, favouring schelnts of indlependence, pro- I moting the vie-ws ani 'countenancing the friends of the ex-EmAperror. 'ITne Governor estpeclally hadel eft little doubt on his iiitent ons respecting Itiirbi'de, and none at all I respecting, his hostilitv to the federal union. le hail pro- inoteil to coiniand, Oarcia, a relative andl partisan of the cx-Eirrperor, against the wisie', atiid even after the inter- thrence of' t.ic general Governiment ; a t(i lie l:a,l placed int the ranks of the provincial army a German Baron, of' the i narite ot' Rossenberg, who ha,l stipp'arted I turbide to the last, antl was eommnanded to leave the Mexicn do- I minionis after his patron's abdication. (ries of - Lon, live the Emperor !" had beeti heard in the capital ot' t! province, a.d were rathit eii'ourageA, tlci,, su1iprcssed or punished by the local Governitinlt. iis conduilet betrayed eviileiit syimptorm ; of' approaching rebellioH. an,l tIme Feileral Executive could neither b: igto,'nt ofi te datigei nor delay the tiece,sry measures t I avert i i Accordingly, about the timne that Iturbile was ieaving the i shores of' Eimgland, aln exptelition wvas prepardl inl Mexico, llestie(l to crush his hopes of' siCcess in the province w here his friends inost abuunrdsld. '1'lme Grovertor ar(il Military Commander of the state of (Iiiadalaxara (c,r, aceordinlg to ihie llev nomneniclature, Jalisco) en;ieavoured to 'ally their provincial forces against General Bravo, at ihel head of' a 'ederral arty, butt wvcre deserted by their partisans, and are 111Vw prisoners of war, while the less prude-nt andI more a(lventurous friends of the ex-minprror, Garcia, Rosembe-g, and( a few inore-the forlormi hope of' the insuirrection-have fallei it) the field of battle, or beeii shot as traitors. 'Tihe resiut, is. that the whole of this extellsive piovillee, possessing an itiiportatllt s;ea-port, and a large tract of' western coast, hlis beit conqi'u-red MiUl tranquiiillized less tlian three w"eks. In onie or two of' the other provinces ihere appear( to he a great dletal of civil confusion, an abundance of' violeitee, dis.)rder, an I robbery, but no civil wvar-no organized force of rebel- lion- -nic settled l)lan of insurrctcion against tie Governi- inent, inspircel by any general feelitig of' oppoosition to a fe- | deral union, or atiy general desire or' a change. 'I'lTe tis- I embarkationi of Iturbi(le, thterefore, oni wvatever part of the Mexican dominiiona he sets his foot, could create very little I alarm. 'I'me fire of opent hostility is extitiguishie(d the 'riends who would have nursed his itifauit uiiurpatioll, or protected the half-elevated standaird of his i tmietitrnbellio, are deal, either by the sword or on the sctaffoc'l. WDeanwhile. tbe Exe- cutive seems to be proceeding with great etiergy, tel'nper, antl ino(leration in the settlement of' the natioi. General Bravo, one of its meinbl'rs, had taktn the comaildaid of thc army destined to combat the enemies of the Unioll in Guadala ara; and Geiieral Victoria, another of them, hadl 1 arrived ott the 1 6thi of Junie at the capital, where lie was re- ceived with testimoniies of general satisfaction, both from thle Legislative Bouly andl the inhabitaiits, andl resumed the ftUnctions of his offilc as a Member pf the Exe- cutive Government. The two instigators of disaffectioli in Gruadahateara were to be triedI by the laws of the coun- try for disobedience of or(lers, ; anl the eonspirators cen- j victed of a preyious plot had beeri sent orf to the coast ott th I 6til of Julle that they might be dcport'd frumii th8 Mexican teiritority in an Etnglish Ship whicil a,caited them. Several of the reports tratisiniitetl to the Executivebythe go- vernors of the dLifferitit provinices are published in the file of papers before its, andi manifest the best spirit in the writers while thcy give the inostsatisfaetoryaccount of their charge. 'I'he Constituent Congress sitting in Afexico pursues its labours with great perseveranee, and discusses the various subjects brought before it with great temperance. The jourtial before us furnishes every (lay a portion of its pro- ceedings, antI gives the names of the memr,bers who vote for or against on important questions. It cannot be sup- posed that the inhabitants of this vast republic, spreadl as they are over so immense a space, anid coinposed as they are of so many difffirent races and castk-often with hostile I feelings adl jarring interests-without thc possession of that political knowledge whichi gives to political vigilance all its valu, amiil leads to the formation oi public opinion as a chec'k upon power-without ex- perience itn public business, or the habit of exercising political rights-and without those intimate social relationls or rapid means of' commnuncation which enable a great community to act in co.eirt-it cannot be suprosed, we say, that such a people are prepared fbr appreciating or maintaining free institutions like their republican brethren of the nortb. Indeed, the rapid changes from a colony to an empire, and from an empire to a federal republic, which we have witnessed within the last four years. are sufficient indications that. thtc great body of the people have cither heen passive instruments of authority, or have acted on no fixod principles of policy. That the constitution of a federal republic, composed of a numrierous body of subor- diinate but independent states, each jealous of the other, anid all of encroachment from the general Covernment, seemns a machine too delicate and complicated for the peo- pie of Mlexico, may be alo wed,but as yet we see no sywip. tomis of its decay or dissolutioni. 'ITlhc only serious danger tov which it was iminediately exposed hais been dissipated. rEhe Government and Congress of each state seems to be con- ducting themselves with greatprudente and moderation; and above all, the General or Federal Congress diisplays great te m per,justice, and good sense.IIn discussions on the fi,tancial situationl of the conatry, a propositioll was favourably en- tert'ained topay the tiebt contracted on acoount of Mexico .when it was a Spanish colony. Would the legitimate Fer- ,dinand have coticeived such magnanimity ? But whatever n.ay be thought of the stability of the present system of sway for Mexico, there can be no apprehension that it will ever again be brought under ths Spanish colonial yoke. We see in the papers before.us indications of' consitderable dif- ferences of opinion respecting the kind of government best adlapted to that country; but ino man dares propose that of Ferdinand VIY . Indeedi, the epithet Borbonista, or friend of the Bourbons, is so odious, that when onie party or one individual gets angry with an opponient, they have retourse to Iit as their unerring means of provocation and insult. The following accouilt of the state of the castle of St. John de U! loa show%s the amount of force which still holds out for Ferdinand in the iTumense territory of Mexico :-" At the end of May some priooners escaped frotn that fortress, and related that the garrison there consisted of 100 infan- try, and 200 artillery men, and 60 miners. Tley had had 185 tnen sick in hospital, and the mortality was spreading, -but was stDpp-d by the arrival of a vessel with fresh prod visions." POLICE, ROBBERS, &c. These papers afford a very unfavourable view of the in- ternal order of the Republic. From the long continuance of civil dlissensions, and the predatory habits acquiretl by the liff rent bodies of insurgents, robberies are commonI on the highways, and traveiling very insecure at the least disr_ tance from the capitaL The high road between Santa Cruz and Mlexico is particularly infested. It will be re- collected, that the American Consul *vas pillaged of his baggage in this route; and we observe in the paper of July 2, t hat Gomez, the celebrated free-hooter, has comrnittett another ro'-rbery on one of our countrymen. It woulld ap- pear that Mr.O'Gorman, the-brother of the English Consul was emplovedl to convoy a quantity of quicksilver from the coast to the interior, and that he was released from his com- Tnission earlier th-.n he expected, by this Vincente oromez. The same gentleman, O'Gorman, is stated by the journal to have beau emploved in negotiating the last Mexicani loan foir the COntTactors in London: and tlje journalist adtls, with great nairete, " Is it not a disgrace. that an assassin like Vincente should compromise the creBit of a whole na- tion " Even the best Mexicitn patriots, like the best Irish one,, are compelled to adrmit the general existence of these disorders. A writer in the Sol, ascrihes the difference ot rtublie cre(lit between Colombia andi lexico, to the insecu. rity of property in the latter republic. Mv ISCELLANIROUS. It has been objected to the eevolutionists of Earope, that when they throw ofe their respect for the throne, they lose likewise their reverence for the altar. Suelc a reproach cannot be addressed to the RepublicaiJ of M\ exico. Thely are' still as superstitious and bigntted Catholi>s as the mo.t legitimate Totentate woul) wish to make them. NVe find, for instance, itn the paper of Julv 4., that there had been solemn rejoicings for three davs for tbe elevation of the present Pope to the chair of St. Peter. All the authorities andl ceroorations went in procession the first day to the Cathedral, whiclh was brilliantly illuminated. SalvYes of artillery announced the great event, and in the evening thrre were general illiminations. " Thus," adds the journalist, " Mexico mrianifested herreligious feelings, and respect for the hiead of' the Church." No such rejoic- inca took plae -ot the samne occasion in theuostCatbo ca. pitals of Europe UTfortunately, in Europe religon istoo often placed like the flam irg swords ol rhe walls of P'aradise. to Ivarni off the people frotn the tree of' knonwledgle. Not so in Mexico, wbere thie Conwress is providing that *--neral educatioti shall go hand-in- hIand with religious instructien. There are prin;ing.presses establishad, and ajournal or two published, in most of the provinecs of the Union. *No better evidencecould be given of the general activity of the public mnind, of the taste for various kinds of information, and of' the good sensc aud abilit wvith which pablic ratters are treated, than the pages of' the jourttal now before us. The reflh ctions of tht; editor are frequently judicioas and well e xpressed, and the com- mu;4ications ot'h s correspontlents are antnusing and instruc- ti:e. XWv observe aniong them many interesting observa- tiolns on the mnines anti tlhe rmode ot w;orking them, the sub- stance of' wvhich we shouldl have laid before our readcrs,had tnot thlis article alread extended to too great a legtqh. STATE OF JfE2ICO.