FIRST PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. 121 



Pineda and his Ministers who wanted to arrest him were 

 apprehended themselves, and conducted to the frontier. 

 Munoz resumed the command of the troops and Mr. Justo 

 Abaunza was elected Provisional Director of the Government. 

 When the Parliament heard the news, they also elected a 

 Provisional Director, Mr. Jose del Montenegro, and trans 

 ferred the seat of the Government to Granada. Each of 

 the Provisional Directors composed a Ministry. So it came 

 to pass that Nicaragua had at the same time two Govern 

 ments, one in Leon, the other in Granada. 



On the 2oth August, 1851, Montenegro died. Granada 

 fearing to be attacked by Murioz sent 200 men to occupy 

 Managua, and barricaded streets, waiting future events. 



Meanwhile a project of a federal Constitution, prepared 

 by the plenipotentiaries of the three States, Honduras, 

 Nicaragua, and Salvador, was concluded and signed on the 

 8th of November, 1849, and communicated to the States 

 which they represented for its ratification. It was accepted 

 by Honduras, Nicaragua, and Salvador, and the adherance 

 of Costa Rica and Guatemala to it was solicited. 



The federal Government having for first president Mr. 

 Jose Barrundia, was installed on the gth of January, 1851, 

 and notification of it was sent to all the diplomatical agents. 

 The Government of Nicaragua was the first who notified the 

 fact to all the governments with which they had diplomatic 

 relations, and appointed Mr. Marcoleta as the representative 

 of the Confederation at Washington. From 1851 to 1854, a 

 sort of peace reigned in the country, and during that time 

 Mr. Fruto Chamorro, was appointed Director of the 

 Confederation, and Munoz, who had been exiled, was recalled 

 and appointed Commander in Chief of the troops ; but in the 

 beginning of 1854, when the inhabitants of Leon rose in 

 insurrection in favour of Castellon, who was elected Director 

 of the Provisional Government, Munoz answered to the call 

 of the celebrated Walker, and w r hen the last, on his first 

 attack on Rivas, was abandoned by the native troops com 

 manded by Munoz, this General was charged with treachery 

 towards the North Americans. 



At the same time the Government of Leon was attacked 

 by troops from Honduras, commanded by General Guardiola. 

 Munoz marched upon the enemy and routed them completely, 

 but this was done at the cost of his life. 



In 1855, Walker disembarked for the second time at San 

 Juan del Sur, and gained several victories over the troops of 



