SKETCH OF THE REVOLUTION IN MEXICO. 



4.", 



reaction upon themselves, from the degradation 

 which they caused, followed as an inevitable con- 

 sequence: and thus the whole community was 

 lowered in the scale of civilisation and morals. 



We may now, however, rationally hope, that 

 when the men are called to the exercise of high 

 duties, and a thousand motives are placed before 

 them to encourage them to exei'tion, they will 

 soon learn the value of character; and public 

 opinion will, for the first time, be felt and under- 

 stood in the country. They will then discover 

 how important a share of that opinion belongs to 

 the women ; and will have an interest in contri- 

 buting everything in their power to elevate, instead 

 of undervaluing their influence. If things be thus 

 left to take their natural course, the tide of know- 

 ledge and happiness will soon overspread the land ; 

 and the fertility, which such an inundation will 

 impart to the soil, will enable it to bear any degree 

 of culture. 



CHAPTER XLVII. 



SKETCH OF THE REVOLUTION IN MEXICO. 



First Appearance of Don Augustin de Iturbide. — Plan of 

 Iguala.— General O'Donaju.— Treaty of Cordova.— Con- 

 gress. — Decree of the Cortes at Madrid. — Iturbide pro- 

 claimed Emperor.— Character of Iturbide. — Abdication 

 and Banishment.— Return and Execution. 



Before describing the state of party-feeling, it 

 will, I think, be satisfactory to say a few words on 

 the recent Revolution in Mexico, which differs in 

 many particulars from those of the other Trans- 

 atlantic States. 



Mexico, like Chili, has been twice revolution- 

 ised. The first struggle commenced in September 

 1810, and was carried on with various success till 

 July 1819, when the exertions of the Patriots were 

 almost extinguished. 



Although the Independents failed in their first 

 attempt, the experience gained in the course of a 

 long and arduous contest contributed materially to 

 the more successful conduct of the second Revo- 

 lution, of which I am about to give a very brief 

 sketch. 



About the middle of 1820, accounts were re- 

 ceived in Mexico of the Revolution in Spain ; and 

 it was soon made known, that orders had 

 been sent to Apodaca, the Viceroy, to proclaim 

 the Constitution, to which Ferdinand VII. had 

 been obliged to swear. But it appears that Apo- 

 daca and some of the principal generals, acting 

 probably under secret orders from the King, re- 

 solved to resist the establishment of the Constitu- 

 tion. The popular sentiment, as may be supposed, 

 was against such a project ; and the seeds of an 

 extensive revolt were in this way sown by the 

 very persons who, it may be supposed, had the 

 interests of the mother- country most at heart. 

 New levies of troops were made by government to 

 suppress any attempt to declare the Constitution ; 

 and the whole country was gradually, and almost 

 insensibly, roused into military action. 



The chief obstacle, as it was thought by these 

 leaders, to the success of their plan was the pre- 

 sence of General Don N. Armigo, whose attach- 

 ment to the cause of the Constitution was too well 

 known to admit a doubt of his supporting it. He 



was, therefore, dismissed from the command of 

 the military division stationed between Mexico 

 and Acapulco ; and in his place Don Augustin 

 Iturbide was appointed ; an officer who, during 

 the former Revolution, had adhered steadily to 

 the interests of the King, though he was a native 

 of Mexico. He had been privy to the secret pro- 

 ject above alluded to, of forcibly resisting the pro- 

 clamation of the Constitution, and when he left 

 Mexico in February 1821, to supersede Armigo, 

 he was implicitly confided in by the Viceroy, 

 who appointed him to escort half a million of 

 dollars destined for embarkation at Acapulco. 

 Iturbide, however, soon took possession of this 

 money, at a place called Iguala, about one hundred 

 and twenty miles from Mexico, and commenced 

 the second Mexican Revolution, by publishing a 

 paper, wherein he proposed to the Viceroy that a 

 new form of government should be established, 

 independent of the mother-country. 



As this document, which bears the title of the 

 Plan of Iguala, was made the foundation of all the 

 subsequent proceedings of the revolutionists, it 

 may be interesting to give a sketch of its leading 

 points. It bears date the 24th of February 1821, 

 the day after Iturbide had possessed himself of 

 the treasury under his escort. 



Article 1st maintains the Roman Catholic re- 

 ligion, to the entire exclusion (intolerancia) of any 

 other. 



2d, Declares New Spain independent of Old 

 Spain, or of every other country. 



3d, Defines the government to be a limited mo- 

 narchy, " regulated according to the spirit of the 

 peculiar constitution adapted to the country." 



4th, Proposes that the Imperial Crown of 

 Mexico be offered first to Ferdinand VII. ; and, 

 in the event of his declining it, to the younger 

 princes of that family, specifying that the repre- 

 sentative government of New Spain shall have the 

 power eventually to name the Emperor, if these 

 princes shall also refuse. Article 8th points this 

 out more explicitly. 



5th, 6th, and 7th Articles, relate to the details 

 of duties belonging to the Provisional Govern- 

 ment, which is to consist of a Junta and a Re- 

 gency, till the Cortes or Congress be assembled 

 at Mexico. 



9th, The government is to be supported by an 

 army, which shall bear the name of" " The Army 

 of the Three Guarantees." These guarantees, it 

 appears by the 16th Article, are, 1st, The Reli- 

 gion in its present pure state: 2d, The Indepen- 

 dence; and, 3d, The Union of Americans and 

 Spaniards in the country. 



10th and 11th, Relate to the duties of Congress, 

 with respect to the formation of a constitution on 

 the principles of this " Plan." 



12th, Declares every inhabitant of New Spain 

 a citizen thereof, of whatever country he be ; and 

 renders every man eligible to every office, without 

 exception even of Africans. A subsequent modi- 

 fication of this article excluded slaves. 

 13th, Secures persons and property. 

 14th, Gives strong assurances of maintaining, 

 untouched, the privileges and immunities of the 

 Church. 



15th, Promises not to remove individuals from 

 their present offices. 

 16th, (See 9th). 



