560 



MEXICO. 



ally and patriotically observed on my part, and the 

 national will and rights of the people, as laid down 

 in that instrument, remain intact. Upon recovering 

 its rights the nation will call to account those who 

 have infringed its laws. JESUS G. .ORTEGA, 



Constitutional President of the Supreme Court of 

 Justice of the Mexican Republic. 



EAGLE PASS, December 21, 1865. 



Thus matters remained with respect to the 

 presidency at the close of the year. Juarez had, 

 on his side, possession of the office and the sym- 

 pathy of almost all patriotic republicans ; while 

 Ortega was fortified by a technical right, which 

 the emergency of the country alone prevented 

 from being recognized and respected, but which 

 he seemed nevertheless determined to assert. 



At the close of the year, notwithstanding the 

 imperialists had been victorious in nearly every 

 engagement, their gains of territory were incon- 

 siderable, however formidable they might seem 

 in the description. Their successes in Sonora, 

 Sinaloa, Chihuahua, Durango, and other north- 

 ern States, had proved but barren conquests 

 easy enough to acquire, but difficult to retain. 

 A vindictive and unwearied foe continually 

 hung round their line of march, cutting off 

 trains and stragglers, and by the rapidity of 

 their movements and their knowledge of the 

 country defying pursuit ; and it frequently hap- 

 pened that, "from the impossibility of preserving 

 communications with a military base of opera- 

 tions, tracts of territory had to be relinquished 

 almost as soon as conquered. In a country so 

 extensive and so thinly settled, a larger force 

 than Maximilian could put into the field was 

 indispensable to perform the work allotted to 

 it. It is not surprising, therefore, to learn that 

 in November and December the imperialists 

 were reported falling back from the northern 

 States and concentrating at San Luis Potosi and 

 other central places, either for the purpose of 

 reorganizing new campaigns in the north, or 

 because the attempt at conquest in that direc- 

 tion was unprofitable and hopeless. At the 

 same time efforts were making to put the route 

 between Mexico and Vera Cruz in such a state 

 of defence, that a repetition of such outrages as 

 had been committed there by guerrillas during 

 the year would be impossible. A French official 

 return shows that the Mexican expedition has 

 cost France, up to the close of 1865, no less a 

 sum than $135,000,000. The losses in the 

 French forces, land and sea, have been 11,414 

 men, viz. : killed, 3,319 ; died from wounds or 

 effects of climate, etc., 4,928 ; disabled for life, 

 3,167. 



By a decree issued in April, Maximilian 

 defined the provisional status of the Imperial 

 Government, pending the organization of a 

 definitive government. The form of govern- 

 ment was declared to be a limited hereditary 

 monarchy, with a Catholic prince at the head ; 

 and in case of the death of the Emperor, or of 

 any other event incapacitating him for the use 

 of his powers, " his august spouse, the Empress," 

 was to be ipao facto Regent of the Empire. 

 The Emperor or Regent, upon assuming power, 



must take this oath : "I swear to God by the 

 Holy Evangelists to further, by all means in my 

 power, the welfare and prosperity of the nation, 

 to defend its independence, and preserve the 

 integrity of its territory." The territory of 

 Mexico was defined as bordered on the north 

 by the lines decided upon with the United States 

 at the conventions of Guadalupe Hidalgo and 

 Mesilla ; on the east by the Gulf of Mexico, the 

 Sea of the Antilles, and the English establish- 

 ment at Balize ; on the south by the republic 

 of Guatemala ; and on the west by the Pacific 

 Ocean. The Government guaranteed to all the 

 inhabitants of the empire equality in the eye 

 of the law, security of person and property, and 

 liberty of free speech ; and its acts were to be 

 directed by nine ministers, representing as many 

 departments. A decree of May 10th defined 

 the extent of freedom to be allowed the press, 

 which was to be subject to about the same re- 

 strictions as in France and Austria. Several 

 changes took place in the ministry during the 

 year, and at its close the departments were in 

 charge of the following persons : 



Department of the Imperial Household. Juan N. Almonte. 



" of State Joso F. Ramirez. 



" of Foreign Affairs M. de Castillo. 



of the Interior J. M. Esteva. 



of Justice Pedro E. y Echanove. 



of Public Instruction Sefior Artigas. 



of Public Works Luis Robles. 



of War Juan de D. Peza, 



of Finance M. Langlais. 



A new council of state was also appointed, with 

 Jose Maria Sanchra president. Several of the 

 governors and officers appointed by Maximilian 

 having pronounced against him, the -"Estafette" 

 a semi-official journal published at the capital, 

 announced in May its profound conviction that 

 "Mexico must be ruled for many years yet 

 without calling Mexican statesmen to power.' 

 "Whether or not this opinion was shared by 

 Maximilian, it is certain that, in despair of find- 

 ing a competent financier in Mexico, he was 

 compelled to employ a Frenchman, M. Lan- 

 glais, sent to him by the Emperor Napoleon for 

 that purpose, to direct the finances of the em- 

 pire. 



A decree, promulgated in August, prescribed 

 rules for the establishment and direction of the 

 diplomatic corps, which was placed under the 

 immediate direction of the Minister of Foreign 

 Affairs. The Emperor reserved to himself the 

 right of appointing and dismissing all his rep- 

 resentatives to foreign nations. The salary of 

 ambassadors was fixed at $12,000, that of en- 

 voys extraordinary and ministers plenipoten- 

 tiary at $10,000, and that of ministers resident 

 at $8,000. The imperial dignity was farther 

 enhanced by the creation, by decree of April 

 10th, of throe orders, that of Our Lady of Gua- 

 dalupe, that of the Eagle of Mexico, and that 

 of St. Charles. The first was originally founded 

 by the Emperor Iturbide in 1822, and vras tem- 

 porarily revived by Santa Anna in 1853-'~j.3. 

 The last is open only to females, on whom it is 

 to be conferred by the Empress for exemplary 

 acts of piety, humility, or charity. Decorations 



