Page:Vol 6 History of Mexico by H H Bancroft.djvu/518

498 which had also to suffer under the laws of June 22d above alluded to.

Mexico has been regarded by her creditors as a hopeless bankrupt, but the amount of her indebtedness bears no comparison with the debts of other countries. The measures which are being taken to increase her prosperity, by opening railroads, encouraging foreign colonization, and otherwise, for which the government makes concessions, cannot fail to be attended with progress; and if Mexico were so fortunate as to enjoy a few decades of peace, her advance in civilization and wealth would be conspicuous; taxation, which at present is heavy, would gradually become less burdensome, while the sources of the public revenue would become more remunerative.

At the breaking out of the war of independence, the standing army in Mexico could compare favorably with those in Europe, and during the long struggle which followed, the nation was developed into an essentially military one. It is true that the revolutionary forces were for the most part ill organized and ill disciplined, and that the independence would never have been achieved had it not been for the final coöperation of the army; but long experience on the battlefield had produced a strong fighting element. After the restoration of the Bourbons, many professional soldiers of the French armies sought in Mexico a new field for the exercise of their calling, and their skill raised the military art to a high standard.