9 



a convocation of four representatives of each 

 province (two of each party), in the hands 

 of whom the reins of government were to be 

 placed, and who should elect a new presi- 

 dent. The acting president, General Paez, 

 was to remain, until the election, at the head of 

 the civil administration, and General Falcon, 

 the chief of the Federalists, ,w as appointed com- 

 mander-in-chief of all the troops. In conse- 

 quence of this convention General Paez (chief 

 of the Unitarian party) resigned the presidency. 

 The representatives of the nation thus elected 

 assembled on June 17th at Vittoria, and appoint- 

 ed General- Juan E. Falcon (chief of the Fed- 

 eralist party) provisional president, and Gen- 

 eral Antonio Guzman Blanco provisional vice- 

 president. General Leon de Febres Cordero, 

 at the head of the garrison of Porto Cabello, 

 protested against the transfer of the supreme 

 power to the assembly of Vittoria, and or- 

 ganized another government at Porto Cabello. 

 General Falcon, the provisional president, en- 

 tered Oaraccas on July 24th, and convoked a 

 constituent assembly for December 10th, in or- 

 der to establish a legal government. In Uruguay 

 a civil war broke out in consequence of an inva- 

 sion of the country by the former president, 

 Flores, who was supposed to be encouraged 

 by the Government of the Argentine Eepublic. 

 The war had not ended at the close of the year. 

 Between Chili and Bolivia a war threatened to 

 break out in consequence of long pending dif- 

 culties concerning the regulation of the fron- 

 tier. It was, however, averted by negotiations, 

 and a peaceable solution of the dispute was 

 expected. In December, 1863, a revolution 

 broke out in the United States of Colombia 

 against President Mosquera. In the State of 

 Antioquia about four thousand men of the rev- 

 olutionary party were under arms. The Gov- 

 ernment of the State raised a large militia 

 force to suppress the revolution. 



The encroachments of European powers upon 

 the rights of American States, which were en- 

 couraged by the existence of civil war in the 

 United States, became more conspicuous and 

 numerous during the year 1863. France con- 

 tinued vigorously the war for the overthrow 

 of the Mexican republic, and under the pro- 

 tection of French bayonets a small number of 

 Mexican notables abolished the republican form 

 of government, declared Mexico to be an em- 

 pire, and elected Archduke Maximilian of Aus- 

 tria, the first emperor. (See MEXICO.) The 

 natives of Santo Domingo, which republic was 

 a few years ago treacherously sold by its last 

 president, Santana, to Spain, rose again in in- 

 surrection for the recovery of their independ- 

 ence, and by the end of the year the Spaniards, 

 notwithstanding their overwhelming numbers, 

 had not succeeded in suppressing the insurrec- 

 tion. {See SPAIN.) The insolent conduct of 

 England toward Brazil led to a diplomatic rup- 

 ture between these two powers. (See BBAZIL.) 



No one of the European Powers is more eager 

 to extend her influence upon this continent 



than France. Louis Napoleon, in 1862, in his 

 celebrated letter to Marshal Forey, avowed 

 his intention to gain a controlling influence 

 over the Latin race. French agents are known 

 to be active in a number of the South Amer- 

 ican republics to create and encourage a 

 monarchical party. In some, these attempts 

 have met with considerable success. In the 

 republic of Ecuador, in particular, a number 

 of the leading statesmen, including the presi- 

 dent of the republic, were reported to be favor- 

 able to the establishment of a French protec- 

 torate. Some of the papers of this republic 

 openly denounced the republican form of gov- 

 ernment, and recommended a return to mon- 

 archy, as the only salvation from general an- 

 archy. General Pezet, who by the unexpected 

 death of General San Eoman, April 3d, was 

 called to the presidency of Peru, the most 

 populous of the South American republics, 

 manifested likewise some sympathy with mo- 

 narchical tendencies, by appointing avowed par- 

 tisans of a monarchical party to important di- 

 plomatic positions. 



These anti-republican schemes of European 

 Powers awakened, in many of the States of 

 South America a desire to form an American 

 Continental Alliance between all the republics 

 on the continent. Formal propositions to this 

 effect were made, in 1862, by several of them to 

 the Government of the United States, but they 

 were declined by the latter, on the ground of 

 their involving a deviation from its traditional 

 policy of neutrality. Another proposition to 

 the same effect was, after the fall of the city of 

 Mexico, made to the republics of Central and 

 South America, by President Juarez, of Mexico, 

 but it likewise led to no result. The people of 

 Santo Domingo addressed, in December, 1863, 

 an appeal to the governments and people of 

 Spanish America, to aid them in their unequal 

 struggle against Spain. A great interest was 

 particularly manifested in the idea of an Amer- 

 ican Continental Alliance in Chili and New 

 Granada. 



The year 1863 is also marked in the history 

 of the American Continent by the great changes 

 which took place with regard to slavery. By 

 a proclamation of the President of the United 

 States, of January 1st, 1863, slavery was declared 

 abolished in the States of Virginia, North and 

 South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, 

 Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, and Arkansas, 

 with the exception of a few districts of Louisiana 

 and Virginia, which were at the time, of the 

 issuing of the proclamation within the Federal 

 lines. In an amnesty proclamation, issued on 

 December 8th, the President proclaimed that in 

 each of the above named States one tenth of 

 the number of voters at the presidential elec- 

 tion of 1860, who would take the oath to abide 

 by and support the acts of Congress passed 

 during the existing war, with reference to 

 slaves and the presidential proclamations on the 

 subject, should be authorized to reestablish a 

 State government. The new State of West 



