518 



MEXICO. 



again in Durango to the northwest of Zaca- 

 tecas. Uraga, after hovering for some time 

 around Guadalajara, which he was at one time 

 reported to have retaken, moved off to the 

 south of that city, his departure being hast- 

 ened hy a movement of General Douai toward 

 Aguas Calientes to intercept him. Various 

 other reasons contributed to delay the French 

 several months in Zacatecas or its neighbor- 

 hood, of which the chief one was the difficulty 

 of maintaining their long line of communica- 

 tions. Such a thing as cutting loose from their 

 base seems never to have been attempted by 

 any of their leaders. 



In the last week of January, Juarez with 

 Doblado and Negrete approached Monterey, 

 first sending forward a notification to Vidaurri 

 that he intended to fix his capital in that city. 

 The position held by the latter general was a 

 peculiar one. Though frequently reported to 

 have deserted to the interventionists, he still 

 held the office of governor of the States of New 

 Leon and Coahuila, having at his disposal a 

 considerable body of troops, and preserving at 

 least the appearance of friendliness to the na- 

 tional cause. He did not, however, attempt to 

 conceal a deep-rooted hostility toward Juarez, 

 and was believed to be deterred only by the 

 military force which the latter had at his dis- 

 posal from declaring for the Empire. lie had re- 

 cently cultivated friendly relations with the rebel 

 authorities in Texas, and encouraged trade be- 

 tween them and his people, from which he had 

 personally reaped very considerable advantages. 

 .' iinrez had condemned this proceeding as a vio- 

 In lion of the treaty between the United States 

 ami Mexico ; and as his presence in Monterey 

 would very seriously disturb Vidaurri's com- 

 mercial speculations, the latter had every in- 

 ducement to keep him at a distance. Learning 

 on February 9th, that some of his troops had 

 joined Juarez, he repaired to his fort near Mon- 

 terey and prepared for a fight. Interviews be- 

 tween Vidaurri and Generals Doblado and 

 Negrete followed, and on the llth Juarez with 

 his cabinet, generals, and about 2,800 men, 

 took possession of Monterey. But as Vidaurri 

 still held his fort with an armed force in a 

 sullen attitude of defiance, Juarez, rather than 

 provoke an encounter at this crisis, left the city 

 on the 14th. Three days later Vidaurri issued 

 a proclamation in which he justified his course, 

 and declared himself against Juarez, which 

 meant, of course, in favor of the Empire. For 

 a month this state of things remained without 

 change, when Vidaurri, finding that New Leon 

 and Coahuila had declared against him, threw 

 off all disguise and fled with a small escort to 

 the Eio Grande and crossed into Texas. On 

 March 31st Juarez again entered Monterey, and 

 established there the national capital. 



The Franco-Mexican papers at this time pro- 

 claimed that the so-called government of Juarez 

 found itself reduced to four or five States, which 

 rendered him only a nominal obedience, and 

 that his position was too hopeless to admit of 



further resistance to what they termed the 

 " march of events." Some of his most trusted 

 followers even began to waver in their faith, 

 and Doblado suggested that his withdrawal 

 from the presidency would smooth the way for 

 a peace. In reply, Juarez said that such a step 

 would cover the liberals with ridicule, and him- 

 self with ignominy, for deserting in tune of dan- 

 ger a post which the nation had solemnly con- 

 fided to him. He denied that the French wish- 

 ed to treat with any Mexican leader who had 

 not previously accepted intervention, and show- 

 ed that it was the National Government, and 

 not the power of certain individuals, which 

 they sought to destroy. In conclusion he said : 

 It is true the state of affairs is not now very bright, 

 and I do not try to deceive myself that circumstances 

 may improve, but I am certain that our duty is to 

 struggle for our country, and that between a struggle 

 and treason there is no mean. I beg you, therefore, to 

 go on making war on the enemy by all possible means, 

 this being our only hope of salvation. Otherwise 

 the enemy will not treat with us except on dishonor- 

 able terms, or we must treat with the established 

 government, which is not the government of the na- 

 tion. 



In the latter part of February, ex-President 

 Santa Anna arrived at Vera Cruz from St. 

 Thomas, after nearly nine years' absence from 

 his native country. On landing he was required, 

 as a condition of remaining in the country, to 

 sign a paper declaring his adhesion to the French 

 intervention, recognizing as the only legitimate 

 government the monarchy proclaimed by the 

 assembly of notables, with the Archduke 

 Maximilian as Emperor, and pledging himself 

 to abstain from any political demonstration, 

 either by speech or writing, and to conduct 

 himself wholly as a private citizen. To a man, 

 however, who had passed the better part of his 

 life in fomenting revolutions and projecting 

 "plans," the issuing of a manifesto upon such 

 an occasion, was a temptation too great to be 

 resisted ; and, by what means has never been 

 clearly ascertained, four days after his arrival 

 an address from "Antonio Lopez de Santa 

 Anna, well deserving of his country, and gen- 

 eral of division of the national armies," appear- 

 ed in a newspaper of Orizaba. With character- 

 istic egotism he reviewed the services he had 

 performed for Mexico; charged upon the lib- 

 erals the series of wrongful acts, culminating in 

 anarchy, which had forced French intervention 

 upon the country; but counselled the people, 

 nevertheless, to yield willing obedience to the 

 Empire. "With the exception of some indirect 

 complaints at the spoliation of the church prop- 

 erty, there seemed to be nothing in the mani- 

 festo calculated to create public disturbance, 

 but it led to the following peremptory order 

 from Gen. Bazaine : 



MEXICO, March 7, 1861 



GENERAL : His Excellency, Gen. Almonte, has just 

 sent me a supplement to No. 68 of the newspaper, 

 Indicator, published in Orizaba, and in which there 

 appears in full the proclamation that you have sent 

 to Mexico, signed by you. You have failed in the 

 engagement that you signed on board of the English 

 steamer Conway ; nor have you thought it worth 



