AMERICA. 



11 



for liberty and independence, would forbid it ! 

 If attempted by those at home, away from the 

 danger and carnage of battle, the consequence 

 would be fearful. A civil war in fact would 

 be inaugurated, and the red stream of eternal 

 strife, swelling like the molten lava from some 

 volcanic crater through every avenue of these 

 States, would flow, annihilating, deluging with 

 its burning avalanche, every landmark of civili- 

 zation." He stated that a convention of the 

 Governors of Xorth Carolina, Mississippi, Vir- 

 gin/a, and Alabama was held at Augusta, Ga., 

 on February 17th, at which several resolutions 

 relating to public affairs were adopted. One 

 urging the use of negroes in the army he rec- 

 ommended to the Legislature to repudiate, as 

 a measure both unconstitutional and destruc- 

 tive to the interests of the States. 



Other events besides the divided sentiment 

 of the Legislature, and the arguments of the 

 Governor, indicated not only a universal desire 

 of the people for peace, but a disposition among 

 a portion of them to return to the Union. 

 Some public meetings were held in the north- 

 ern part of the State early in the year, for 

 this object, and addressed by distinguished 

 citizens. But as the views of the authorities 

 were opposed to such action, nothing could be 

 accomplished. 



Freedmen's camps were established on desert- 

 ed plantations in the northern part of the State, 

 and five thousand old men, women, and chil- 

 dren collected in them. The able-bodied men 

 were in the Federal army. About two thousand 

 acres of land were thus put under cultivation. 



AMERICA. The American continent con- 

 tinued throughout the year 1864 to be the 

 scene of grand and stirring events. 



In the United States, the civil war was 

 prosecuted with unabated vigor. At the Presi- 

 dential election, on the 8th of Xovember, Presi- 

 dent Lincoln was reflected for another term of 

 four years, receiving the electoral votes of 

 twenty-two out of the twenty-five States in 

 which a full vote was taken. The > 

 of Louisiana and Maryland adopted new State 

 Constitutions, by which slavery is abolished, 

 and Missouri elected, on the 8th of November, 

 a convention pledged to pass an ordinance of 

 immediate emancipation early in January, 

 1865. A motion in Congress so to amend the 

 Constitution of the United States as to pro- 

 hibit slavery, received the required two-thirds' 

 majority in the Senate, but failed the House. 



In Mexico, the war between the Republican 

 Government and the French and their allies 

 likewise continued throughout the year. "With 

 many delays the Archduke Maximilian finally 

 accepted the proffered crown, abandoned his 

 reversionary interests in the Empire of Austria, 

 and sailed for Mexico in the month of April. 

 President Juarez retired before the over- 

 whelming numbers of his adversaries, who 

 advanced in the northeast to the Rio Grande. 

 Juarez found a refuge in the mountains of 

 Chihuahua, while Gens. Porfirio Diaz and 



Arteaga, at the close of the year, were still in 

 command of considerable armies ia the Pacific 

 States of Central Mexico. Maximilian was 

 recognized by most of the European States. 

 but the House of Representatives of the United 

 States Congress by a unanimous vote reasserted 

 the Monroe doctrine. Maximilian appeared to 

 be very anxious to conciliate the Liberal party, 

 and toward the close of the year announced 

 his intention to ratify the past sales of church 

 property. (See MEXICO.) 



A highly important project of federation 

 was started in British America. A sectional 

 conflict between Upper and Lower Canada was 

 terminated by a coalition of parties under a 

 ministry which undertook to form a great 

 colonial federation. A scheme for the Xew 

 Constitution was framed by a convention of 

 delegates from all the provinces, and it was 

 commonly expected that it would be accept- 

 able to the people of the several provinces, 

 and be ratified by the Home Government. 

 The confederation is to embrace at first the 

 two Canadas, Xew Brunswick, Xew Found- 

 land, Xova Scotia, and Prince Edward's Island, 

 and gradually to take in the rest of the British 

 dominions of Xorth America. (See CANADA.) 



In South America, upon the invitation of 

 Peru, a congress of plenipotentiaries of the 

 South American Republics assembled at Lima 

 on the 14th of Xovember. The congress, on 

 opening, was composed of the plenipotentiaries 

 of Chili, Peru, Bolivia, the Argentine Republic, 

 Ecuador, the United States of Colombia, and 

 Venezuela. Later a plenipotentiary for Guate- 

 mala was added. The object of this congress is 

 to effect a close alliance between all the repub- 

 lics of Spanish America ; especially for the pur- 

 pose of resisting the encroachments of Euro- 

 pean powers upon this continent. (See PEEC.) 



A new act of lawless aggression was com- 

 mitted by Spain, in seizing the Peruvian Ghin- 

 cha Islands. The alleged cause was the fail- 

 ure of the Peruvian Government to give full 

 satisfaction for a wrong done to a citizen of 

 Spain upon Peruvian territory. The aggres- 

 sive act of Spain produced throughout South 

 America the greatest excitement. The Govern- 

 ments and people of most of the republics de- 

 clared their determination to aid Peru in case 

 of a war. When the South American congre^s 

 met its first resolution was to make the cause 

 of Peru the common cause of all the republics. 

 Before, however, declaring war against Spain, 

 it was resolved first to try again the effect of 

 negotiations. (See PEBC.) 



The people of San Domingo heroically con- 

 tinued their war against Spain, to which power 

 the republic had been treacherously sold in 

 1861 by the late President Santana. The 

 Spaniards made hardly any progress in the 

 subjugation of the Island, and the murderous 

 climate decimated the ranks of the Spanish 

 army to a fearful extent. At the same time 

 the drain of the war upon the Spanish finance? 

 was so heavy that at the close of the year tLo 



