, FRANCOIS JULES P. 



GUATEMALA. 



415 



plots in anyway with his patronage and his 

 presidential direction. If the return of royalty 

 had to be proclaimed, he desired at least that 

 the unwelcome announcement should be made 

 from some other lips than his. In the begin- 

 ning of November, 1873, he published a pam- 

 Ehlet, "LeGouvernemerit N6cessaire," in which 

 e unfolded his views regarding the form of 

 government most suited to the wants of the 

 nation. Remarking upon the unique historical 

 circumstance that eight governments had been 

 destroyed within eighty years by violent revo- 

 lutions, he inquired for the cause of the phe- 

 nomenon, and found it in the fact that France 

 had within eighty years become a democracy, 

 but during all that time had not been able to 

 constitute itself democratically ; that, instead 

 of giving the democracy the only institution 

 which it could support, the leaders had persist- 

 ed in building up against it, for the purpose of 

 holding it back, governments from which it 

 was banished, weak dikes which could last no 

 longer than till the democratic wave could rise 

 and break over them. It was necessary to or- 

 ganize a government suited to the social state 

 to which time had brought the nation, under 

 penalty, if this was not done, of rolling in rev- 

 olution after revolution to the bottom. No 

 choice was offered of roads of escape from the 

 region of storms. Any restoration of the mon- 

 archy would only be a pause between two tem- 

 pests : by the way of the republic only could 

 the haven be found. 



On the 20th of November the project was 

 introduced into the Assembly for creating the 

 Septennat, under which Marshal MacMahon 

 was named President of the Republic for the 

 term of seven years. M. Gr6vy opposed this 

 as a measure exceeding the functions of the 

 Assembly, and which would be after all only 

 a prolongation of the provisional. He de- 

 clined to associate himself in the vote on the 

 constitution of February 25, 1875, because, al- 

 though the definite organization of the repub- 

 lic was destined to grow out of it, it had its 

 origin in the illegal prorogation of the powers 

 of Marshal MacMahon; but the Government 

 having been established under it, he gave it 

 his recognition. He offered himself again to 

 the electors of the Jura as their deputy, and 

 was returned almost unanimously. In the new- 

 Assembly of March, 1876, he was elected pro- 

 visional President, receiving 414 votes, and 

 afterward permanent President, for which 

 office he received 462 votes out of 468. He 

 served till the 25th of June, when the Assem- 

 bly was dissolved by the decree of the Mar- 

 shal-President. 



When M. Thiers died, in September, 1877, 

 M. Gre" vy was generally mentioned as the fittest 

 successor to that statesman in the leadership 

 of the Republican party, and as the most suit- 

 able person to succeed Marshal MacMahon in 

 case there should be a change in the office of 

 President of the Republic. He was one of 

 the speakers at the funeral of M. Thiers, and 



referred especially in his address to the manner 

 in which the views of that gentleman respect- 

 ing the government best adapted to the country 

 had been changed, and to the service he had 

 rendered in inspiring confidence in the repub- 

 lic. " Let us set ourselves," said M. Gr6vy, in 

 the conclusion of his address, "to show, like 

 him, that the republic is a government of or- 

 der, peace, and liberty the only conservative 

 government in our country and time, because 

 it is the only one adapted to our interests and 

 social condition." M. Grevy was again re- 

 turned to the Chamber of Deputies at the 

 elections in the fall of 1877, and was again 

 chosen President of the Chamber at its open- 

 ing in November. Marshal MacMahon having 

 accepted the voice of the people as expressed 

 in the election of deputies, and having an- 

 nounced his resolution to govern in accord 

 with the Chambers, M. Grevy regarded it as his 

 duty to support his government, and discoun- 

 tenanced all intrigues to displace him. When 

 the Marshal resigned the office of President 

 on the 30th of January, 1879, there was no 

 question as to who should be his successor. 

 Public opinion turned at once to M. Gr6vy ; 

 and his election, which took place on the same 

 day by a vote of 536 to 99 for General Chanzy, 

 was only the announcement of what was a 

 foregone conclusion. As the resignation of 

 the Marshal took place on account of an honest 

 difference with the Chambers on an important 

 political measure, and could not be regarded as 

 in any sense the result of an intrigue, M. 

 GrSvy had no hesitation in accepting the office 

 to which he was called. 



GUATEMALA (REPUBLICA DE GUATEMALA), 

 one of the five independent States of Central 

 America, extending from 13 50' to 18 15' 

 north latitude, and from 88 14' to 93 12' 

 west longitude. It is bounded on the north 

 by the Mexican State of Chiapas, on the east 

 by British Honduras and the Caribbean Sea, 

 on the south by the republics of Honduras 

 and San Salvador, and on the southwest by 

 the Pacific Ocean. During the past year a 

 convention was signed between President Bar- 

 rios and the representative of Mexico for the 

 appointment of a Commission of Engineers to 

 fix the boundary line between the two coun- 

 tries. The commission was to be composed of 

 twelve engineers, six to be named by each of 

 the contracting parties, and meet in Tapachula 

 within at least two months after the ratifica- 

 tion of the convention that is to say, about 

 November 1st. For the sake of convenience, 

 the boundary line was to be divided into two 

 sections, one from the Pacific coast to the Cer- 

 ro Izbul, and the other from the Cerro Izbul to 

 the Atlantic. The present line was to be fol- 

 lowed as far as known, and in the disputed 

 sections the whole adjacent districts were to 

 be examined for the purpose of establishing 

 what should appear to be the natural dividing 

 line. From the date of the signing of the con- 

 tract to the conclusion of the work on the first 



