WITH MAXIMILIAN IN MEXICO 193 



reach Maury until after he had committed himself to 

 the scheme. He was not the type of man who might 

 have sat with hands folded in Havana, waiting for some 

 one to offer him a position. Knowing that it would not 

 be wise for him to return to Virginia at that time, and 

 feeling the responsibility of having a family dependent 

 upon him for support, he pursued the course which 

 seemed to him wisest under the circumstances. If he 

 had been in Virginia at the close of the war, and had 

 been in immediate touch with the situation there and 

 known the attitude of the people toward their future 

 prospects, he would almost certainly have been in agree- 

 ment with the views of General Lee, and other friends 

 and relatives. 



Maury, accordingly went forward with his plan, the 

 main features of which are embodied in the following 

 decree which MaximiHan issued on September 5, 1865: 

 "We, Maximilian, Emperor of Mexico, in consideration 

 of the sparseness of the population in the Mexican ter- 

 ritory, in proportion to its extent, desiring to give to 

 immigrants all possible security for property and liberty 

 and having heard the opinion of our Board of Coloniza- 

 tion, do decree as follows: 



Article 1. Mexico is open to immigrants of all nations. 



Article 2. Immigration agents shall be appointed, 

 whose duty it will be to protect the arrival of immigrants, 

 install them on the lands assigned them, and assist them 

 in every possible way in establishing themselves. These 

 agents will receive the orders of the Imperial Commis- 

 sioner of Immigration, especially appointed by us, and 

 to whom all the communications relative to immigration 

 shall be addressed. 



