MEXICO. 83 rigorous examination upon their arrival in port, but the cap- tains were rendered, personally, responsible for the correct- ness of the list of the books on board, which they were com- pelled to give in. In the interior, domiciliary visits were resorted to, and denunciations encouraged amongst members of the same family ; with what success, may be inferred from the fact, that, as late as I8O7, a Mexican, called Don Jose Roxas, was denounced by his own mother, for having a volume of Rousseau in his possession, and confined for seve- ral years in the dungeons of the Holy Office. He was for- tunate enough to effect his escape, but died, in 1811, at New Orleans.* These instances of extreme severity, however, were rare, and were less felt, because, in theory at least, the jurisdiction of the Inquisition was as extensive in the Mother country as in the Colonies. In practice, its prohibitions were disregarded in both by the higher classes, who were, in gene- ral, acquainted with all the most violent publications of the earlier days of the French Revolution, to the study of which the very anxiety that was shown to exclude them gave an additional zest. The first proclamations of the Independent governments bear evidence of the extent to which this passion was carried : they are mostly mere transcripts of the Rights of Man, with as little real tendency to improve mankind as the original ; for they invariably led to the adoption of some impracticable theory, and pointed out the overthrow of all existing institu- tions as the first step towards amendment. It is curious to observe how little progress was made by any of the New States, after the declaration of their inde- pendence, until experience had taught them a sounder doc- trine, and led them to model their institutions upon those of the United States ; which, with some modifications, will, in
- Vide Brackenbridge, who lived in the same house with him, and was
in the possession of his papers after his death. G 2
