CONDITION OF MEXICO.

New Zealander, Volume 9, Issue 782, 12 October 1853, Page 4

CONDITION OF MEXICO.

(From the " Alta California,” May 30.1 Every person who has paid attention to the course of affairs in Mexico has been struck with the complexity of Mexican politics and the difficulty ot obtaining any clear light through the reporis and letters from that country. The representations are complete canebrakes, with no light on the right or left; jungles from which there is apparently no escape. Santa Anna and Alaman, in Lombardini, Aristo and Cevallos out; federalists and centralists, conservatives and liberals, monarchists, imperialists and republicans, plans of Iguala and Jalisco, and pronunciamentos from all points of the compass—all in inextricable confusion. To throw some faint light upon this darkness is our present purpose. Mexico is becoming more worthy of the attention of the United States each day of her existence, and for California there is no foreign natim possessing so much interest. Mexico may or may not be annexed to I the Union; but in any case one of the great \ routes from San Francisco to New York will I always pass through her territory, and she must \ Lave an extensive and valuable commerce with our State. In case of annexation, it will be / principally from California that citizens understanding the Spanish and English languages will emigrate to Mexico to introduce Anglo-Saxon laws and manners and customs. R Io obtain the needed light we must look back a space. Mexico began the struggle for independence in 1810 and finished it in 1821, and it was then necessary that she should have a nominal government, if not a real one. The power was in ihe hands of native Mexicans, nearly all men without education, civilization or experience in governing. To other nations the leaders looked for forms of government, for in their old form there was scarcely a provision under which they would be content to live. It was necessary to make the people free, in name at least, for otherwise any government, would have been immedi itely torn down. The Indians were sixsevenths of the population : they Lad commenced the revolution and were its main support. As soldiers they were equal to the whites ; and they had learned the “ sacred right of insurrection,” and were disposed to avail themselves of it. jiveni the monarchists declared for the entire equality of all castes before the law. Then one <1 the most perplexing questions connected with t le form of government arose :—should the gov^ rn T Ine . nt y® a un > on of independent states, like the United States, or a consolidated republic, like France, m 1703. This subject was long a bone of contention, and is not yet settled permanently, xhe United States had succeeded as a republic,

France had not. These facts may be said to have settled the question, which the Mexicans never understood clearly, and which has never received form political economists the attention it deserves. The plan of Jalisco promulgated the federation system which was nominally adopted, although the power in Mexico was always in reality centralized in the Capital. Santa Anna was no friend of federalism, and, in 1835, changed by decree the independent States into departments, or counties, and when Zacatecas headed an armed opposition, he struck her to the ground with his array. This decree was the main cause of the revolt of Texas. The federalist party will probably now remain dominant as it has been for some years; it is supported by most of the wealthy families at a distance from the Capital, for they are loth to surrender the power which they have been exercising, to see it transferred to the army in the city ; that would be the end of consolidation.

Santa Anna has always been the main strength of the centralist party, but he knows the strength of the opposite party, which has compelled him to promise to support the •plan of Jalisco. The federalist party is the only one worthy of the name; the rest are but factions devoted to supers:ition, or wealthy men. The question naturally arises, who arc the great men ot Mexico ? There are a number of noted men, but Santa Anna and Alaman are the only two worthy of particular notice here. Bravo was once an important man, and his bravery, honesty, and experience, and determined hatred of centralism, may again place him in a prominent position; but it is not probable, for he is now very old. Santa Anna is able, cunning, dishonest, avaricious, a good soldier and a very fair diplomatist; and with a good revenue and good roads through Mexico, he would probably make an efficient ruler. But Napoleon himself would be in despair without money, and in a land where the provinces might be in a rebellion or overrun by a foreign foe for many months, before his troops could arrive. Alaman is probably the superior of Santa Anna in every quality of a civil ruler, but the military chieftains have always possessed the main power of Mexico. Of Lombardini, Almonte, Herrera, Larrainzar, Lares, Uraga, Cevallos, Arista, and others, there is not much to be said. Several of them are very estimable men, and each has his peculiarities; but they have not the qualities which enable men to govern or direct the human storm, and not be borne along with it. In reading the news from Mexico, the word pronunciamento frequently occurs. It means a proclamation, such as is made by every party of revolutionists and rebels; and as revolutions and rebellions have been very frequent in Mexico, th e pronunciamenfos, declarations, true or false, of the causes and purposes of rebellion are very numerous. The plans , often included in pronunciatnentos, are the proposed forms of government. Thus the plan of Iguala, proclaimed by Iturbide, declared that Mexico should be an independent monarchy, that the Catholic religion should be maintained as under the Spanish government and that all the inhabitants of Mexico should enjoy e jual rights. Mexico has lost more than half her territory, since the beginning of the war of independence. In 1821 she lost Central America; in 1836, Texas; and in 1848, New Mexico and California. Her present territory may be said to be about 1700 m'les long, by 350 wide; although Yucatan has little connexion with the government save in no mo. The whole population is about 7,000,000, of whom one-seventh are whites. In the southern part of Mexico the Indians and whites have amalgamated; on the northern frontier the two races are separate and generally in open warfare. The country is threatened by some great dangers ; civil war between the whites ; civil war of the Indians against the whites; the attacks of the northern Indians that have long been making thrusts into the vitals of the republic; and the grasping spirit of the Americans. Under one or all of these she will probably fall. There might be one cure, one method to preserve her government and independence, and perhaps herself, give her an honorable position among nations; this would be to obtain a very large English, German, French or American immigration. The govern nment might oiler inducements; without any great cost to itself it might attract one hundred thousand Europeans yearly, and in a few years the influence would be felt. The Apaches would be crushed at the north, and the Yucatecos Indians at the south, the civil branch of government would become more powerful than the military, schools would be established at all points, the revenues would be collected at the sea ports, the fertile valleys would be cultivated, the mines would be worked, and roads would be constructed to bind the republic together and to make great thoroughfares of travel between the two great oceans. Such might be the results of a liberal encouragement of immigration; but the hope is vain. The intolerance of the priesthood, the prejudices of the people, and the short-sighted policy of envious politicians are opposed to immigration. Seventy-five years ago, Mexico had twice the population and twice the territory of the United States, and now the latter have nearly four times the population and territory, and may at no distant day entirely swallow up the former.