Page:Mexico (1829) Volumes 1 and 2.djvu/329

 MEXICO. 289 Such is the result given by Mr. Esteva''s official Repoi;t, of January 1827, and repeated in the Manifesto published by him, at the President's desire, on quitting the Ministry shortly afterwards. It is unfortunately but too evident that this result is incor- rect ; for how, (it will be asked,) can Mexico, with a balance, however small, in her favour, have allowed her credit to be destroyed in Europe, as it has been during the present sum- mer, by the non-remittance of the funds required for the pay- ment of the dividends due upon her loans It is by no means easy to answer this question, unless by supposing, (as I have done), that some miscalculation must have been made, both with regard to the actual receipts of the ten months, (although upon that subject there is less room for doubt), and in the estimate of the contemplated produce of the other two. It was generally stated in Mexico, in 1826, that great exertions had been made in every branch of the Revenue department, as the time for making up the accounts approached, in order to give the most favourable view possible of the Finances of the country, by including in the receipts every thing that could in any way be compre- hended in the term, which was to be submitted to Congress, as the basis of the Minister's calculations. It is by no means improbable, therefore, that some of the inferior officers may, (intentionally, or inadvertently,) have augmented the receipts of the first ten months, by adding to them a part of the sums known to be due in the two last ; in which case, the Jifth added afterwards as the produce of these same months, would give a result doubly erroneous as the total produce of the year. But even allowing 11,389,698 dollars, to have been the net bona fide receipts of ten months, still the fifths which Mr. Esteva adds for the remaining two months, is, if not suppo- sititious, at least not borne out by any positive data. Yet it VOL. I. U