Page:Vol 3 History of Mexico by H H Bancroft.djvu/433

Rh provlncias internas, exclusive of the Californias, was 3,663 men, of which there were 300 in Nuevo Leon, and as many in Tamaulipas. The annual expense for all was estimated at 951,084 pesos.

The condition of the military in 1808, shortly before the political disturbances broke out, was essentially as follows: In the province of Mexico the viceroy held command. In Oajaca, Querétaro, and San Luis Potosí, the forces were in charge of commanders of brigades. In the other provinces the respective intendentes were in charge; these officers in Guadalajara, Puebla, and Vera Cruz were also commanders of the brigades within their respective districts. The regular force now consisted of the viceroy's guard of honor; four regiments, namely, Corona, Nueva España, México, and Puebla, of which the last named was then in Habana, and one battalion, the Fijo de Vera Cruz, of infantry, with about 5,000 men; two regiments of dragoons, the España and México, with 500 men each; one corps of artillery with 720 men scattered in several places; a small number of engineers; two companies of light infantry and three fixed companies in the ports of Isla del Cármen, San Blas, and Acapulco.

The main force consisted, as we have seen, of provincial militia, which was placed under arms only when needful. It was chiefly composed of country people and artisans, and caused no expense to the government. The regiments were distributed by districts, and the companies by towns. The horses of the mounted troops were confided to the care of the haciendas of each district. The officers were property-owners of the provinces. The honor was much coveted, and high prices were paid for a commission as colonel or lieutenant-colonel when the forces were first organized. In the central provinces, which were more thickly settled, and had a cold or temperate climate, were