Page:Mexico in 1827 Vol 1.djvu/464

434 In 1822, they declined to 3,723,019 dollars, or about one-third of their former amount.

In 1823, they rose slightly, being in all 3,913,019 dollars, that is, exceeding by 190,000 dollars the Imports of the preceding year, but still falling short of the former average by nearly two-thirds.

During the two first of the years mentioned above, the Imports and Exports of Veracruz may be taken as a fair estimate of those of the country in general, no other ports being, at that time, frequented: but in 1823, this was no longer the case. Twenty-three American vessels are known to have entered the port of Tămpīcŏ in that year; and, at Veracruz, hostilities having commenced, in September, with the Castle of St. John, (which was then in the hands of the Spaniards,) the Custom-house was transferred to Alvarado, which became, for the time, the principal port of entry.

It would, therefore, be necessary to have an exact return of the Trade both of Tampico, and of Alvarado, during the four last months of 1823, in order to ascertain the real amount of the commerce of Mexico during that year; and this I have found it impossible to procure.

In 1826, an account was published of the Trade of Alvarado in 1824, by which it appears that the total amount of the Imports and Exports was,