as follows that the money is to be returned within the fixed period agreed upon that the capital and interest are to be secured on bond to the satis faction of the board: that it is to be invested necessarily and exclusively in the business in question, to which end a supervisor shall be appointed by the board and paid by the owner of the mine, and that these loans shall only be made in favor of establishments which the same board shall have qualified as being worthy of being put in operation, according to the examinations provided for in this decree.

ART. 8. If the supplies be furnished the board constituting itself the [aviador,] the mine supplier, the following will be observed. First: That the supplies be furnished to a mine worth working, according to the result of the examinations ordered in this decree. Second: That the sum which is to be advanced, be regulated according to the opinions which the commission who may have examined the mine, may arrive at. Third: That the half at least, of the profits be stipulated in favor of the supplier. Fourth: That the exclusive direction shall be in charge of the supplier, with the right on the part of the owner of the mine to appoint a supervisor. Fifth : That every four months, there shall be a settlement and distribution of profits, if any there be. Sixth: That the board shall, under its responsibility, have the certifying of the accounts; and Seventh, That the profits which arise, be applied first to the redemption of the capital supplied, and until this be entirely covered, no distribution of profits among the participants shall take place.

ART. 9. The board shall draw up a regulation for supplies according to the bases of the two foregoing articles, submitting the same to the gov ernment for its approval.

ART. 10. The funds which are destined for the supplies decreed, are, First: One per cent. of the duties laid upon hard coin, conveyed from one department to another. Second: The $150,000 which have been decided to appertain to the mining interest, out of the fund created by the decree of the 2nd December last.

ART. 11. The one per cent. fund shall be collected by the Board of mining, for which purpose it shall have power to appoint and designate the commissioners who are to receive it.

ART. 12. The sum of $150,000 shall be paid by the maritime custom houses of Vera Cruz and Tampico, the first furnishing $80,000 per annum, and the second $50,000, payable in eight monthly instalments, which they shall remit in bills of exchange in favor of the board of encouragement.

ART. 13. The latter shall apply out of the said funds destined for working the mines of quicksilver, $15,000 designated in the decree of 18th August of this year, for the foundation and annual expenses of the school of mining. Wherefore, I order that the same be printed, published, circulated and carried into full effect.

Palace of the National Government. Tacubaya, 25th September, 1845. ANTONIO LOPEZ DE SANTA ANNA.

MANUEL BARAUDO.

Minister of Justice and Public Instruction.

And I communicate it to you for your information and consequent action. God and Liberty.-Mexico, September 25th, 1845.

BARAUDO.

LAWS, DECREES, &c.

IN RELATION TO

COLONIZATION.

From the Printed Volumes, Published by Authority, and the Official Publications in the Newspapers of the City of Mexico.*

National Colonization Law

Of 4th January, 1823.

ART. 1. The government of the Mexican nation will protect the liberty, property, and civil rights, of all foreigners, who profess the Roman Catholic apostolic religion, the established religion of the empire.

ART. 2. To facilitate their establishment, the executive will distribute lands to them, under the conditions and terms, herein expressed.

ART. 3. The empresarios, by whom is understood those who introduce at least two hundred families, shall previously contract with the executive, and inform it what branch of industry they propose to follow, the property or resources they intend to introduce for that purpose; and any other particulars they may deem necessary, in order that with this necessary information, the executive may designate the province to which they must direct themselves; the lands which they can occupy with the right of property, and the other circumstances which may be considered necessary.

ART. 4. Families who emigrate, not included in a contract, shall immediately present themselves to the Ayuntamiento of the place where they wish to settle, in order that this body in conformity with the instructions of the executive, may designate the lands corresponding to them, agreeably to the industry which they may establish.

For the law of the Mexican Congress of the 18th August, 1824, on the subject of Coloni ation and general regulations of 21st March, 1828, see pages 451, 453.

ART. 5. The measurement of land shall be the following:-establishing the vara at three geometrical feet, a straight line of five thousand varas shall be a league; a square, each of whose sides shall be one league, shall be called a Sitio ; and this shall be the unity of counting one, two, or more Sitios; five Sitios shall compose one Hacienda.

ART. 6. In the distribution made by government, of lands to the colonists for the formation of villages, towns, cities and provinces, a distinction shall be made between grazing lands, destined for the raising of stock, and lands suitable for farming or planting, on account of the facility of irrigation.

ART. 7. One labor shall be composed of one million square varas, that is to say, one thousand varas on each side, which measurement shall be the unity for counting one, two, or more labors. These labors can be divided into halves and quarters, but not less.

ART. 8. To the colonists whose occupation is farming, there cannot be given less than one labor, and those whose occupation is stock raising, there cannot be given less than one Sitio.

ART. 9. The government, of itself, or by means of the authorities authorized for that purpose, can augment said portions of land as may be deemed proper, agreeably to the conditions and circumstances of the colonists.

ART. 10. Establishments made under the former government which are now pending, shall be regulated by this law in all matters that may occur; but those that are finished shall remain in that state.

ART. 11. As one of the principal objects of laws in free governments, ought to be to approximate, so far as is possible, to an equal distribution of property, the government, taking into consideration the provisions of this law, will adopt measures for dividing out the lands, which may have accumulated in large portions, in the hands of individuals or corporations, and which are not cultivated, indemnifying the proprietors for the just price of such lands to be fixed by appraisers.

ART. 12. The union of many families at one place, shall be called a village, town or city, agreeably to the number of its inhabitants, its extension, locality, and other circumstances which may characterize it, in conformity with the law on that subject. The same regulations for its internal improve. ment and police, shall be observed as in the others of the same class in the empire.

ART. 13. Care shall be taken in the formation of said new towns, that, so far as the situation of the ground will permit, the streets shall be laid off straight, running north and south, east and west.

ART. 14. Provinces shall be formed whose superfices shall be six thousand square leagues.

ART. 15. As soon as a sufficient number of families may be united to form one or more towns, their local government shall be regulated, and the

constitutional Ayuntamientos and other legal establishments formed, in conformity with the laws.

ART. 16. The government shall take care, in accord with the respective, ecclesiastical authority, that these new towns are provided with a sufficient number of spiritual pastors, and in like manner, it will propose to Congress a plan for their decent support.

ART. 17. In the distribution of lands for settlement among the different provinces, the government shall take care, that the colonists shall be located in those which it may consider the most important to settle. As a general rule, the colonists who arrive first shall have the preference in the selection of land.

ART. 18. Natives of the country shall have a preference in the distribution of land; and particularly the military of the army, of the three guarantees, in conformity with the decree of the 27th of March, 1821; and also those who served in the first epoch of the insurrection.

ART. 19. To each Empresario, who introduces and establishes families in any of the provinces designated for colonization, there shall be granted at the rate of three haciendas and two labors, for each two hundred families so introduced by him, but he will lose the right of property over said lands, should he not have populated and cultivated them, in twelve years from the date of the concession. The premium cannot exceed nine haciendas and six labors, whatever may be the number of families he introduces.

ART. 20. At the end of twenty years the proprietors of the lands, acquired in virtue of the foregoing article, must alienate two thirds part of said lands, either by sale, donation, or in any other manner he pleases. The law authorizes him to hold in full property and dominion one third part. ART. 21. The two foregoing articles are to be understood, as governing the contracts made within six months, as after that time, counting from the day of the promulgation of this law, the executive can diminish the premium as it may deem proper, giving an account thereof to congress, with such information as may be deemed necessary.

ART. 22. The date of the concession for lands, constitutes an inviolable law, for the right of property and legal ownership; should any one, through error or by subsequent concession, occupy land belonging to another, he shall have no right to it, further than a preference in case of sale, at the current price.

ART. 23. If, after two years from the date of the concession, the colonist should not have cultivated his land, the right of property shall be considered as renounced; in which case, the respective Ayuntamiento can grant it to another.

ART. 24. During the first six years from the date of the concession, the colonists shall not pay tithes, duties on their produce, nor any contribution under whatever name it may be called.

ART. 25. The next six years from the same date, they shall pay half tithes, and the half of the contributions, whether direct or indirect, that are paid by the other citizens of the empire. After this time, they shall in all things relating to taxes and contributions, be placed on the same footing with the other citizens.

ART. 26. All the instruments of husbandry, machinery, and other utensils, that are introduced by the colonists for their use, at the time of their coming to the empire, shall be free, as also the merchandise introduced by each family, to the amount of two thousand dollars.

ART. 27. All foreigners who come to establish themselves in the empire, shall be considered as naturalized, should they exercise any useful profession or industry, by which, at the end of three years, they have a capital to support themselves with decency, and are married. Those who with the foregoing qualifications marry Mexicans, will acquire particular merit for the obtaining letters of citizenship.

ART. 28. Congress will grant letters of citizenship to those who solicit them in conformity with the constitution of the empire.

ART. 29. Every person shall be free to leave the empire, and can alienate the lands over which he may have acquired the right of property, agreeably to the tenor of this law, and he can likewise take away from the country all his property, by paying the duties established by law.

ART. 30. After the publication of this law, there can be no sale or purchase of slaves which may be introduced into the empire. The children of slaves born in the empire, shall be free at fourteen years of age.

ART. 31. All foreigners who may have established themselves in any of the provinces of the empire, under a permission of the former government, will remain on the lands which they may have occupied, being governed by the tenor of this law, in the distribution of said lands.

ART. 32. The executive, as it may deem necessary, will sell or lease the lands, which on account of their local situation, may be the most important, being governed with respect to all others, by the provisions of this law.

This law shall be presented to his Imperial Majesty, for his sanction, publication, and fulfilment.-Mexico, 3rd Janury, 1823. 3rd of the independence of the empire.-Juan Francisco, Bishop of Durango, President.Antonio de Mier, Member and Secretary.-Juan Batista de Arispe, Member and Secretary.

Therefore, we order all tribunals, judges, chiefs, governors, and all other authorities, as well civil, as military, and ecclesiastical, of whatever class or dignity they may be, to comply with this decree, and cause it to be complied with, in all its parts; and you will cause it to be printed, published, and circulated.-Given in Mexico, 4th January, 1823.-Signed by the Emperor.-To Don Jose Manuel de Herrera, Minister of Interior and Exterior Relations.