The domestic animals of Mexico were very few be fore the conquest. The Mexicans were not acquaint ed with the Llama, which was confined to the southern hemisphere ; and they made no use of the wild sheep of California, or the goats on the mountains of Monte rey, or the wild oxen in the vicinity of Rio del Norte. Dogs were used in some of the northern tracts in the carriage of tents, as in Siberia; and the flesh of a mute species of these animals, named the Techichi, was em ployed as food. A numerous class of the inhabitants named Flamama, were compelled to labour as beasts of burden, and to pass their lives on the highway under loads from 66 to 88 lbs. weight. But, since the middle of the 16th century, all the most useful animals of the old Continent, oxen, horses, sheep, and hogs, have mul tiplied surprisingly in all parts of New Spain, and espe cially in the vast plains of the Provincias Internas: nor have they at all degenerated in the New Continent, ac cording to the fanciful hypothesis and rash assertions of Buff Numerous herds of horned cattle feed in the finest pastures along the eastern coast, particularly at the mouths of the rivers Alvarado, Guasacualco, and Pa nueo. The natives make little use of milk, butter, or cheese, and it is only among the mixed casts that the latter is in request. The horses of the northern pro vinces, and particularly of New Mexico, are not less cele brated than those of Chili. These animals wander wild in the savannahs of the Provincias Internas, and numbers are exported to Natchez and New Orleans. Many Mexican families are said to possess from thirty to forty thousand head of horses and oxen. Mules are still more numerous. More than 5000 are employed as an object of luxury, or in the carriages of the city of Mexico; and the commerce of Vera Cruz alone occu pies annually about 70,000 of these animals, multi tudes of which perish on the highways from the ex dessive fatigues of their journeys. The rearing of sheep has been strangely neglected, although they might easily be made to change their climate with the sea sons, without at all interfering with the agriculture of the country. It is remarkable that neither the com mon hog, nor the poultry, which are found in all the islands of the South Sea, were known to the ancient Mexicans. The former have been introduced both from Europe and the Philippines, and have multiplied amazingly on the central table land. Before the al ri val of the Spaniards, some of the more civilized tribes reared a few turkeys, pheasants, ducks, and moor hens. about their houses; but now the different varieties of hens, particularly those of Mosamtnque, of which the flesh is black, have become common wherever colo nies have settled. The goose is the only species of European pouloy which is no where to be found in Spanish America.
The rearing of silkworms was introduced by Cortez soon after the taking of Mexico ; and considerable quantities of silk were produced in different provinces. But the injudicious restrictions imposed by the go vernment on the native manufactures, and the interest which the Philippine company had in the sale of Asia tic silks to the Mexicans, have almost annihilated this branch of colonial industry. There are several indi genous caterpillars in New Spain, from which an infe rior silk, called ilIisteca, is procured, which was an ob ject of commerce even in the time of Montezuma, and 'of which handkerchiefs are still manufactured in the intendancy of Oaxaca. Bees are an object of atten tion in New Spain, chic fly for the sake of their wax, of which so great a quantity is consumed in the Catho lic worship. One species, peculiar to the New Con tinent, has no sting, or at least so feeble a weapon as to produce no sensible injury ; and from this circum stance they are known in the Spanish colonies by the name of Angelitos, little angels. The Cochineal insect has been reared in New Spain from the most remote period ; but, in consequence of the vexations to which the natives were exposed in the beginning of the con quest, this branch of Indian industry became almost entirely neglected, except in the or Oaxaca. In the rainy seasons, the Indians make their cochineal insects travel to drier regions, by carrying them in baskets covered with palm-leaves.
The principal fisheries on the coasts of New arc the whale and pearl fisheries. The western coast of Mexico, especially that part of the great ocean si tuated between the gulf of Bayonna, the duce Mary Islands, and Cape St. Lucas, abounds in spermaceti whales, or cachalots. Till 1788, the whale fishers fre quented the coast of Chili and Peru ; and seldom above a dozen of these vessels doubled Cape Horn annually. But, since the voyage of Colnet to the Gallipagos made known the abundance of cachalots in the great ocean to the north of the equator, more than 60 vessels have been seen there under the English flag alone. One of
the large cachalots will yield 125 barrels of spermaceti, eight of which forming a tun, used to sell in London from 801. to 100/. sterling; yet the Spanish Mexicans make no attempt to share in this profitable pursuit. One cause of this neglect may be, that tapers of bees wax only are permitted to be used in the churches, and spermaceti therefore is not in much request in New Spain; but it is also certain, that the sloth of the co lonists prevents them from engaging in so laborious an employment. Pearls are procured in greatest abun dance between the islands of Cubagua and Coche, and the coast of Cumana, at the mouth of the Rio de la Hacha, in the gulf of Panama, and on the eastern coast of California.
The ancient Mexicans were acquainted with the process of weaving cotton ; and, soon after the con quest, the manufacture of cloth from the wool of Eu ropean sheep was introduced into the country. But the Spanish government, though never actually prohi biting the establishment of manufactures in their co lonies, have always discouraged those which were sup posed to interfere with the demands for the same arti cles from the mother country. Notwithstanding all obstacles, however, many settlers from Spain have carried to the new continent the industry of their na tive provinces. The manufacture of coarse stuffs can easily be carried on at a low rate, where the raw ma terials are found in abundance; and the prohibition of commerce with neutrals, during the late hostilities throughout Europe, favoured greatly the making of calicoes, fine cloths, and other articles of luxury. The oldest cloth manufactures are those of Tezcuco, esta blished in 1592, which, by degrees, passed entirely in to the hands of the Indians and Mestizoes of Queretaro and Puebla. In these establishments there is great impel fection in many of the technical processes, par ticularly in that of dyeing. The workmen are treated in a great measure like slaves, being shut up all the as in a prison, and flogged unmercifully for the smailest trespass. Though free, they are subjected to this constraint, by being kept continually in debt to their employers, who take care to furnish them with opportunities of spending their gains in drunkenness, and thus acquire a right to confine them at work, as the necessary step for procuring payment. Little silk is now manufactured in New Spain, and only a few stuffs of cotton, mixed with silk. Neither are there any manufactories of flax, or hemp, or paper. The manufacture of tobacco, which is a royal right, is very considerable ; and in one great manufactory of segars at Queretaro, 3000 people are employed. The manu facture of hard soap is a considerable article of com merce at Puebla, Mexico, and Guadalaxara, and is greatly facilitated by the quantities of soda found in most parts of the table land of New Spain. The town of Puebla was formerly much celebrated for its manu factories of delf-ware and hats ; but the former article has been much neglected of late years, in consequence of the low price of the stone-ware imported from Eu rope. The manufacture of powder is a royal mono poly ; but immense quantities, (nearly three-fourths of the whole that is consumed in the country,) are made and sold in a contraband manner. One of the most extensive of the Mexican manufactures is that of plate ; and, in the smallest towns there are gold and silver smiths. in whose shops workmen of all casts are employ ed. The academy of fine arts in the capital has diffused a taste for beautiful antique forms; and services of plate to the value of 200,000 francs have been manufactur ed in that city, which might rival in point of elegance and workmanship, the finest in Europe. The coining of money in the mint of Mexico is little else than a manufacturing establishment. It was established in 1555, and was first carried on by contract with indi viduals; but, since 1733, is entirely placed under the officers of government. Between 350 and 400 work men are employed in this business ; and so great is the number of machines, that, without any extraordinary exertion, they are able to coin annually thirty millions of piastres. It is computed by M. Humboldt, that all the silver produced in all the mines of Europe toge ther every year, would not suffice to employ this ex tensive work above fifteen days ; and that from this mint, since its establishment, has issued coin to the value of 408 000,000/. sterling. The produce of the manufacturing industry of New Spain is computed by the same author at 7 or 8 millions of piastres, (1,470.0001., or 1,680,0001. sterling,) per annum.