Mexico in 1827/Volume 2/Additional Remarks

by Henry George Ward

 

 

ADDITIONAL REMARKS.

 

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Since the conclusion of my investigations with regard to the produce of the Mines, I have discovered that, from the number of Mints which were temporarily established during the first years of the Revolution, and afterwards suppressed by order of the Viceroy, of which little is known in the Capital, I have been betrayed into some slight inaccuracies, which, from information subsequently received, I am enabled to rectify.

For instance: I have not included in my general Table of Coinage, the Mints of Guănăjūātŏ and Sŏmbrĕrētĕ, not being in possession of any returns from those places, and conceiving, consequently, that, while they remained in the hands of the Insurgents, (by whom the Mints were first established,) no account had been taken of the money coined in each, during the very short time that they were allowed to subsist.

I now find that, in Guănăjūātŏ, from December 1812 to May 1813, the Royal Authorities brought Hidalgo's Mint again into activity, and that 311,125 dollars were struck off on the Government account.

From 1824 to 1825, about two millions of dollars more were coined, (2,170,454 dollars,) which ought, consequently, to be added to the 155,213,012 dollars, at which I have estimated the whole Coinage of New Spain, during the fifteen years immediately subsequent to the Revolution.

One million, five hundred and sixty-one thousand, two hundred and forty-nine dollars must likewise be added for the Coinage of Sŏmbrĕrētĕ, where it appears that there was a Mint in full activity from the 16th of October, 1810, to the 16th of July, 1811.

The effect of this would be to render the Total Coinage of the fifteen years 159,255,840 dollars, viz.:—

	Dollars.
Amount given by General Table	155,213,012
Coinage of Guanajuato, from December 1812 to May 1813.	311,125
Ditto from 1821 to 1825	2,170,454
Coinage of Sombrerete	1,561,249
	—————
Total	159,255,840

and this again, (with the deductions specified in the first Section,) would give 10,487,986 dollars, 5 reals, as the annual average of registered produce, since the Revolution, in lieu of 10,218,464 dollars, 6 reals, at which I have estimated it.

I merely state this for the sake of correctness, as it does not affect my subsequent calculations, in which I have taken as the basis a produce of Eleven millions. Besides, the produce both of Guanajuato and Sombrerete, is given separately in the Table of Produce, as taken from official records.

I annex a General Table of the total Coinage of all the Mints of Mexico, including that of the Capital, from the year 1733, when it was first placed under the direction of the Government, and returns of the annual coinage regularly kept.

By this it will appear, that the sum of 1,435,658,611 dollars has been registered as the produce of the mines of Mexico in ninety-three years, (from 1733 to June 1826.)

The work of Baron Humboldt enables me to add from Registers, which, but for his researches, would now have ceased to exist, (since not even the Mexican Government has been enabled to annex them to its official statements of the Mint Returns,) 272,514,825 dollars more, as the registered coinage of the Mint of Mexico from 1690 to 1733, with which year the present table commences.

This gives a produce of 1,708,173,436 dollars in a hundred and thirty-six years, and proves both the constancy of the producing powers of the country, and the moderation of Baron Humboldt's calculations with regard to them, since he estimated the amount of silver raised from the Mines of Mexico in 1803, (from the Conquest in 1521,) at 1,767,952,000 dollars, or, 2,027,952,000 dollars, if one seventh were added to the Official Returns for unregistered silver.

GENERAL TABLE OF COINAGE IN MEXICO.
The Mint of the Capital was established in 1535. Until the year 1733, when it was placed under the direction of the Government, there are no Returns.
From 1733 to June 1826, the registered Coinage is:—					Dollars
In Gold	53,365,406			$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$	1,382,218,536	3	0
In Silver	1,318,853,130
GUANAJUATO.
From Dec. 1812, to May 15,1813	311,125			$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$	3,024,194	0	0
From April 1821, to June 1826	2,713,009
ZACATECAS.
From Nov, 24, 1810, to June 1826					32,108,185	1	6
GUADALAJARA.
From 1812, to June 1826,
In Gold	225,032	0	0	$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$	5,659,159	7	9
In Silver	5,433,527	7	9
DURANGO.
From 1811, to June 1826					7,483,620	4	0
CHIHUAHUA.
From 1811 to 1814, When the Mint was suppressed					3,603,660	0	0
SOMBRERETE.
From Oct. 16, 1810, to July 16, 1811, when the Mint was suppressed					1,561,249	2	0
——————————
Total					1,435,658,611	2	3