of mercury. Durango has
deposits of cinnabar at Nazas and El Oro.

_Coal_.--In the State of Sonora are extensive fields of anthracite,
with seams in some cases 14 feet in thickness, and these are being
developed by an American company. Near these are others, equally
important, and the whole area is very considerable. Coahuila contains
perhaps the most important coal-beds in the Republic, and a
considerable output of coal and coke is being made. Other states
contain coal-fields.

_Petroleum_.--In the State of Tamaulipas are the petroleum deposits of
"El Ebano," worked by an American company. In July, 1908, an enormous
"fresher" was struck at San Geronimo, near Tampico, and this became
ignited and burned fiercely for two months, with a pillar of flame
1,000 feet high, which was visible for 100 miles. So rapid was the flow
of oil when this was extinguished that earthen dams were hastily
constructed to save the oil. Several other states have oil deposits.

_Salt_.--In Tamaulipas, on the Gulf of Mexico, the salt mines of
Matamoros and Soto la Marina produce quantities of salt. On the Pacific
side of the country, Carmen Island, off the Gulf coast of Baja,
California, exists one of the largest salt-beds in the world.

_Lead_ is distributed through numerous states. It occurs largely as
high-grade argentiferous galena. The output for 1907 was 73,000 tons.

_Antimony_.--The value of the production of this for 1907 was about
140,000 pounds sterling.

_Tin_ has not been worked commercially, although great deposits of the
ores of this metal are shown to exist, especially in the State of
Durango, where there are several districts, Guanajuato and
Aguascalientes. It was one of the metals used by the Aztecs.

The value of the total mineral production of the Republic, in round
numbers, as shown by the fiscal returns, including the product of
reduction works and the exports of metals, ores, and bullion, is taken
at 15,000,000 pounds sterling--an excellent showing.

The number of mining properties held under title for 1907 are:--gold
and silver, 14,950; gold and silver with other metals, 9,050; other
metals and mineral substances, 2,350, or a total of 26,350, equal to an
area of 873,000 acres. The method of acquiring mining property in
Mexico is relatively simple. As to ownership, the only cause of
forfeiture is default in payment of the taxes upon the title-deeds.

In Mexico the foreign capitalist and miner will find endless sco