Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XI.djvu/488

 470 MEXICO inconstant and turbulent, and, if not the pro- moters, have been the instruments in many civil wars. The Creoles or white Mexicans are in gen- eral arrogant, proud, indolent, and reckless, but extremely courteous and hospitable. The men are often well informed, but the edu- cation of the women rarely extends beyond reading and writing and a knowledge of mu- sic. The national costume of the ranchero or planter is a close-fitting jacket and slashed trousers adorned with massive gold or sil- ver lace and buttons, and so wide below as to almost cover his immense spurs with rowels two or three inches in diameter. Some of the women still retain the old Castilian black silk dress ; but French fashions prevail among the higher classes. The staple articles of ex- port are silver and gold coin, silver and cop- per ores, cochineal and indigo and other dye stuffs, with timber, cabinet woods, Sisal hemp, ixtle, &c. The imports are cotton, linen, wool- len, and silk fabrics, wrought and unwrought iron, machinery, hardware, provisions, &c. The value of the exports to the United States from Vera Cruz in 1873 was $872,616; to Great Britain from the whole country in 1872, $2,217,620. The whole foreign trade of the republic in 1873 was: exports, $25,500,000; imports, $28,000,000. The annexed table shows the relative proportion of imports from dif- ferent countries : COUNTRIES. Value. COUNTRIES. Vslua. Great Britain .. $13 000 000 Italy 200000 United States. . France 5,000,000 5,000,000 Ecuador Guatemala 150,000 50000 Germany Spain 2,000,000 1,500.000 Colombia .... Chili 40.000 40000 Cuba 1 500.000 80000 China 1 000 00 : ) Belgium . 500,000 Total $30,010,000 Systematic smuggling is so prevalent that the official figures representing the imports of all kinds and the exports for bullion may safely be doubled. The duties collected in the year ending June 30, 1870, amounted to $17,303,- 945 24, of which $8,274,572 were received at maritime, and $9,029,373 24 at frontier custom houses. According to the latest official report, published in November, 1873, the shipping movements at all the ports of the republic in 1870 were as follows : ENTEKED. OLE ARED. FLAO. JVMKII. Tom. FLAG. V*} .' Ton.. Mexican ... 2,155 British 163 H.U! 75.461 Mexican.. British . . . 2,1-Ui 11*0.003 177 84514 Spanish .... 4a 11,494 Spanish... 4'2 7 898 French | 116 47,685 French.... 1H> 4S,073 Prussian . . . (- rnit<-d States 823 Dutch lit 18,224 886,176 4.157 Prussian. Uni'd State ]>utch.... 66 19,959 827 878.710 ^ 8.959 Norwegian. ; 25 Danish Hi 7.805 8,926 Norwegian
 * Danish.

28 6.894 13 8.571 Others 21 5,492 Others. . . 21 5,965 Total ' 2.950 669,061 Total 2,941 659,551 Of the number of vessels entered, 362 were steamers, and of those cleared, 378. One French and two British lines of steamers ply regularly between St. Nazaire, Southampton, and Liver- pool and the gulf ports of Vera Cruz and Tam- pico, touching at Havana, St. Thomas, Marti- nique, and Santander. The British steamers frequently call at New Orleans. An American line between New York and the principal gulf ports every 20 days, calling at Havana and New Orleans, receives a subsidy of $2,200 per round trip from the Mexican government. Regular communication is kept up between Acapulco and Panama and the intermediate ports of Mexico and Central America, and between Aca- pulco and San Francisco and the intermediate ports of Manzanillo, Mazatlan, and Cape San Lucas, by two American lines, one of which has a subsidy of $2,500 per round trip, and the other $2,000 monthly, from the Mexican gov- ernment. In 1872 there were 5,740 arrivals at and 5,095 departures from Mexican ports. The Mexican merchant navy comprises 1,029 craft of all sizes, 357 of which are sea-going or large coasting vessels. The existing railways of the republic are as follows : Mexico to Vera Cruz 263^ m. Branch, Apizaco to Puebla. . . . 29} u Mexico to Tlalpam 15% " Vera Cruz (La Zamorana) to Medellin 11 Mexico to Guadalupe 4# " Total 363% m. The line from Mexico to Vera Cruz is one of the most wonderful engineering enterprises in the world. It was commenced in 1852, com- pleted in December, 1872, at a cost of $27,000,- 000, and opened to public traffic through its whole extent on Jan. 17, 1873. About 60 m. of the line extend over the mountain region between the coast and the great Mexican pla- teau, the elevation of which on the eastern border is nearly 8,000 ft. above the sea. This portion of the road, with an average grade of 2-51 in 100, or 133J- ft. to the mile, carried along the flanks of lofty mountains, through long tunnels, and over bridges spanning deep ravines, affords an opportunity of surveying the grandest and most picturesque scenery on the North American continent. The traffic amounts to about 240,000 passengers and 184,- 000 tons of freight per annum ; the receipts are about $2,500,000, and the running expenses average 60 per cent, of the receipts. The line between Mexico and Atzcapozalco is to be ex- tended to Cuautitlan and Toluca. There is a line of horse cars from Matamoros to Paso de Santa Cruz. Several other lines are pro- jected, the most important of which is one from Mexico N. to El Paso, to communicate with the United States railway system. There are 24 regular lines of diligences established between the principal towns of the republic. t Completed to Toloine.
 * Mexico to Tacubaya and Popotla 8% "
 * Mexico to Atzcapozalco 6^ "
 * Vera Cruz to Puebla via Jalapat 25 "
 * Horse earn.