Page:Mexico (1829) Volumes 1 and 2.djvu/316

 276 MEXICO. Dollars. Receipts 10,690,608 2 9 Expenditure. . • • 17,986,674 4 8 Deficit. . 7,296,066 1 1 or 8,613,609, if the amount to be received on the Loan account be deducted, (as it undoubtedly should be,) from the receipts. The fourth and last part of Mr. Esteva's Report, (page 37 to 52) explains the means by which, in his opinion, this deficit might be covered. They were : — 1st. The re-establishment of the Monopoly of Tobacco on the same footing as in 1809, the Supreme Government being invested with powers similar to those exercised by the Vice- roys, for the prevention of Smuggling. (Page 43.) 2dly. The closing of most of the ports recently opened to Foreign trade, which are stated, " greatly to exceed in num- ber the wants of the country, and to serve only to facilitate Smuggling." (Page 46,) And, 3dly. The raising of the Duties on gold and silver to the standard of 1799, which is recommended as expedient, both pay, in 1825, the duties which he could so well afford to pay in 1801, and because, at all events, the loss would fall, prin- cipally, upon Strangers^ who had taken into account, in all their calculations, the late reduction of Mining duties." (Pages 46 and 49.) Mr. Esteva calculated the produce of these branches of the Revenue upon that of the years of 1795 and 1799, and as- sured the Congress that, " if his suggestions were adopted, an addition of 6,649,563 dollars might be reckoned upon in the year, 1825, by which means the Deficit would be covered, and time left for the Government to reflect upon those reduc- tions, which it so anxiously desired to efFect."" (Page 51.) Fortunately for Mexico, the fallacy of this calculation, (by
 * ' because it would not be a great hardship to the miner to