VERA CRUZ. The most important port of Mexico, in the State of Vera Cruz, situated 193 miles (by rail 2113) cast of the capital of the Republic. on the Bay of Campeche (Map: Mexi co, L S). The city extends in a semicircle along the coast for nearly a mile, facing the fortress of San Juan de T.Trlim on a rocky islet a half mile from the shore. The harbor consists of a rather narrow channel with three openings, only two of which are available for vessels of ordinary draught. Recent improvements have given the harbor ample dock facilities and rendered it safe in all sorts of weather. The situation of the city is especially unhealthful. surrounded as Vera Cruz is by sand dunes and stagnant marshes. The climate is enervating at all seasons of the year, and because of the prevalence of yellow fever Vera Cruz is called the 'City of the Dead.' Its harbor improvements. new sew age and water systems, the reclaiming of waste lands, and modern pavements will do much to remoi'e this reputation. .Archi teeturally the old walled city presents a pleas ing appearance with regular streets and plazas and houses generally of two stories, with varie gated wells and a suggestion of Moorish style. The city_ is provided with an artillery school, a national seln)111 of and a imIdie li brary. The llospithl Gutierrez Zamora is one of the finest in the country. in the Pa sea de In Li bell d there is :t copy of the Bartholdi statute in New York harbor.
Fisheries and eninmerce employ the major por tion of the inhabitants; in addition there are manufactures of cigars, preserved fruits, confee tionery. furniture, brooms, awl toys. The im ports in consist ins; largely of machinery, veltieles, I ardware. raw cot ital. and textiles (abort. one fourth Nailing from the Vnited States), were valued at 820.986.002, while the
exports, nearly half of which went to the ()lite(' States, consisting of ores, coffee, tobaeco, hides, dyewoods, and vanilla, approximated $26,508, 850 (the value of the Mexican peso being con sidered as $0.46). Population. in 1900, 24,085. In 1519 CortOs established the municipality of Villa Nueva de la Vera Cruz. In 1599 the settlement was transferred to its present site, where during the period of Spanish rule Vera Cruz remained the only tlulf port of New' Spain. The Castle of San .Juan de Ulna was begun in 15S2 and completed at a cost of 40.000.000 pesos. The city was sacked by buccaneers in 1653 and 1712. Previous to 1810 it was a centre of revolu tionary activity, and later occupied a prominent position in the various civil wars that desolated Mexico. Because of its vigorous but unsuccess ful defense against the French in 1838 and in 1862, and against the Americans in 1847. it gained the title `Thrice Heroic.' During the war between Mexico and the United States, Gen eral Scott, with an army of about 12,000, landed in the vicinity of Vera Cruz on March 9, 1847, and immediately invested the city. which, together with the Castle of San Juan de Ulan. con tained a garrison of about 4500. On the 22d, assisted by a fleet under Commodore Perry in the harbor, he began a terrific bombardment, which continued with little intermission for four days. On the 29th the Mexicans surrendered. The Amer icans lost 11 killed and 511 wounded, and the Mex icans fully 1000 in killed alone. From Vera Cruz, in 1859, Benito Juarez promulgated his laws of reform. which made possible a free Church within a free State.