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The commercial navy of Chili consisted, on August 30, 1863, of 259 vessels of 57,111 tons burthen, with 2,866 sailors.

Money, Weights, and Measures.

The money, weights, and measures of Chili are:

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MEXICO.

Reigning Sovereign and Family.

Maximilian I., Emperor of Mexico, born July 6, 1832, the son of Archduke Francis Charles of Austria, and of Princess Sophia of Bavaria; entered the Austrian navy, 1846; appointed admiral and commander-in-chief of the Imperial Marine, 1859; elected Emperor of Mexico by the Asemblea de Notables,' July 10, 1863; accepted the crown, offered by a Mexican deputation, April 10, 1864; landed at Vera Cruz, May 29, 1864; arrived at the city of Mexico, and assumed the reins of government, June 12, 1864. Married, July 27, 1857, to

Charlotte, Empress of Mexico, born June 7, 1840, the daughter of the late King Leopold I. of the Belgians.

By a decree of the Emperor Maximilian, dated April 10, 1864, and published at the city of Mexico, July 1, 1864, it is ordered that, 'to obviate all eventualities which might arise, in the case of death or of any other accident which may render it impossible for us to continue to govern, the Empress, our august spouse, shall be charged with the regency of the empire.'

Government and Revenue.

On April 10, 1865, anniversary of his acceptance of the crown, the Emperor proclaimed a constitution, by the terms of which Mexico is declared an hereditary monarchy with a Catholic sovereign.' Promise is made of a future participation of the people in the government of the empire; but while awaiting the definite organisation, the Emperor represents the national sovereignty.' Nine Ministers and a State Council are to assist the Sovereign in the government of the country. The Emperor's government guarantees to all inhabitants of the empire equality before the law, personal safety, safety of property, freedom of worship, and liberty of publishing their opinions.'

By another decree of the Emperor, dated February 26, 1865, he announces that he will protect the Roman Catholic Church as the State religion, but tolerate all religions which are not opposed to morality and civilisation. The establishment of 'new religions'

requires the government authorisation. Abuses by local authorities against the exercise of different religions are to be reported to the Council of State.

The finances of the State have been for several years in great disorder; the expenditure, occasioned by the necessity of maintaining a large army, being more than double the amount of the revenue. Official details regarding revenue and expenditure have not been published; but, according to newspaper statements, the former does not exceed 20,000,000 dollars, while the latter, in the year 1864, was above 45,000,000 dollars. The largest source of income is from the Customs, which produce between 8,000,000 and 9,000,000 dollars per annum, and seem to have been considerably augmented since the establishment of the new government. The receipts of all the Custom Houses of the Gulf of Mexico during the first seven months of 1865 amounted to 5,144,285 dollars, being an increase of 2,750,260 dollars on the same period of the year 1864. The whole revenue of the empire during the first six months of 1865 amounted to 10,266,272 dollars; but the corresponding half-year of 1864 yielded only 5,223,705 dollars, or little more than one-half. The public revenue of the country, at different periods, amounted to the following sums :—

The public revenue of the country, at different periods, amounted to the following sums:

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The subjoined tabular statement shows the state of the Mexican debts, both as regards capital and annual interest, on August 1, 1865:

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Old English Three per Cent. Loan, as per settlement of 1851

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Three per Cent. Stock, created 1864, for settlement of overdue coupons of old loan .

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Six per Cent. Anglo-French Loan of 1864

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Six per Cent. Lottery Loan of 1865.

10,000,000

Interest £600,000, Lottery Prizes £120,000, Sinking

Fund £250,000

970,000

Carried forward-European loans

37,471,450

2,165,094

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at 31st March, 1865

13,000,000

Annual Payment to France on account of War Expenses, as per Paris Convention of 1864

1,000,000

Total

63,471,450

3,945,094

The interest of the internal Mexican debt has not been paid for a number of years.

Army and Navy.

The regular army of Mexico is in process of reorganisation, which will probably extend over several years. The chief portion of the actual army, under the command of the emperor, consists of a 'Foreign Legion' of 16,000 men, composed as follows:-8,000 French, 6,000 Austrians, and 2,000 Belgians. The foreign legion is divided into four regiments, which bear the titles of 'Emperor Napoleon III.,' 'Emperor of Austria,' 'Emperor Maximilian,' and Empress Charlotte.' The last regiment consists of Belgian soldiers. The division called 'Emperor of Austria' consists of three battalions of infantry, a regiment of hussars, a regiment of lancers, a company of pioneers, and a battery of artillery. The officers in this regiment are mostly taken from the Austrian army. These officers entered the Mexican army with one step in advance, and their re-entrance into the Austrian army is reserved to them for the term of six years.

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By Imperial decrees of March 16, 1865, Mexico was divided into eight military sections, the chief towns of which are Toluca, Puebla, San Luis de Potosi, Guadalajara, Montercy, Durango, Merida, and Culiacan.

The navy of Mexico consisted, in July 1864, of 9 small sailing vessels, with a total of 35 guns and 300 men.

Area and Population.

The ancient division of Mexico was divided into nineteen States, besides the city of Mexico, which formed a province in itself. Enumerations-not very reliable-which took place in 1837 and 1857,

state the population of the nineteen States, together with the city of Mexico, as follows:

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More recent returns, based on an enumeration of the year 1862, state the total population at 8,295,553, or about eight to the square mile.

By decree of March 3, 1865, the empire is to be divided into fifty departments, having each a chief town and resident prefect. The latter are to propose to the Ministers of the Interior and of Public Works the best mode of politically subdividing each department into districts and municipalities.

The Mexican population comprises five different classes :-1. The whites, constituting the aristocracy of the country, and generally called creoles. They are the direct descendants of the Spaniards, and their number is estimated at 300,000. 2. Those who consider themselves whites. They are the descendants of Spanish and Indian parents, and chiefly follow the military profession or hold situations under Government. This class numbers about 800,000. 3. The Indians, reduced to a state of abject misery and servitude. They live in villages, and constitute the agricultural class. Their number, in the returns of 1862, is given at 4,868,000; they speak the Aztec or old Mexican language. 4. The Mestizos, or mixed races, distinguished by various names; the issue of an Indian and a

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