. Political essay on the kingdom of New Spain [microform] : containing researches relative to the geography of Mexico, the extent of its surface and its political division into intendancies, the physical aspect of the country, the population, the state of agriculture and manufacturing and commercial industry, the canals projected between the South Sea and Atlantic Ocean, the crown revenues, the quantity of the precious metals which have flowed from Mexico into Europe and Asia, since the discovery of the new continent and the military defence of New Spain. Agriculture; Mines and mineral resourc
. Political essay on the kingdom of New Spain [microform] : containing researches relative to the geography of Mexico, the extent of its surface and its political division into intendancies, the physical aspect of the country, the population, the state of agriculture and manufacturing and commercial industry, the canals projected between the South Sea and Atlantic Ocean, the crown revenues, the quantity of the precious metals which have flowed from Mexico into Europe and Asia, since the discovery of the new continent and the military defence of New Spain. Agriculture; Mines and mineral resources; Agriculture; Mines et ressources minières. CHAP. XI.] KINGDOM OF NEW SPAIN. H? cloth, several metals were used by the antient Mexicans as money, that is to say, as re- presentative signs of things. In the great market of Tenochtitlan, all sorts of goods were purchased with gold dust, contained in tubes of the feathers of aquatic birds. It was requisite that these tubes should be transparent for the sake of discoveruig the size of the grains of gold. In several provinces, pieces of copper to which the form of a T was given where used as a currency. Cortez relates that having undertaken to found cannons in Mexico, and having dispatched emissaries for the dis- covery of mines of tin and copper, he learned that in the environs of Tachco (Tlachco or Tasco) the natives employed in exchan g, pieces of melted tin *, which were as thin as the smallest coins in Spain. * Cortez complains in his last letter to Charles the 5tli, that after the taking of the capital, he was left without artillery and without arms. " Nothing," says he, " sharpens " the genius of man more {no hay cosa que mas los irif *< genios de los hombres avivaj than the idea of danger. ** Seeing myself on the point of losing what had cost ** us so much labour in acquiring, I was obliged to fall ** upon means of making cannons with the materials to " be found in the ; I shall t
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, booksubjectagriculture, booksubjectminesandmine
