Il8 NICARAGUA. 



America separated themselves from Spain, and declared their 

 Independence. Some of the royalists seeing that resistance 

 was impossible left the country, others adhered to the parly 

 of Independence, with the hope of establishing a Central 

 American Kingdom. After the separation with Spain, two 

 parties were formed, the Republican, under the name of 

 Liberals, the other formed by the Royalists and called by the 

 Liberals, Serviles. From that time to now, desperate contests 

 under various names have taken place and are not yet quite 

 concluded ; but the Liberals seem to have the upper hand. 



The Liberals decided in favour of a Federative Republic, 

 taking as a model that of the United States, and established 

 under the name of the Central American Republic, a Federa- 

 tion comprising the five provinces of Guatemula, Hoyiduras^ 

 San Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica, the same which 

 formed the Captaincy of Pedro de Alvarado. They made a 

 Constitution, were among the first, who abolished slavery, 

 introduced a system of universal religious tolerance, built new 

 schools, ameliorated the old ones, and did all they could to 

 attract foreign colonists, and aid to their establishment in 

 their country. 



When the Royalists saw that a Central American 

 Kingdom had no chance of being established, they applied to 

 the Mexican Emperor, Iturbide to annex Guatemala. The 

 Republican Congress replied by decreeing the annexion of 

 Guatemala to the United States. 



The short duration of the Empire of Iturbide dispelled the 

 alternative of an adjunction to the Mexican Empire, or to the 

 Union of the United States. Nevertheless, Iturbide sent 

 Mexican troops, commanded by General Filisola, who occupied 

 Guatemala in 1822, but this short domination ended with the 

 fall of Iturbide. General Filisola with his army returned to 

 Mexico, but before going, he convoked a National Assembly, 

 with the idea of establishing the Government of the countrv- 



This assembly met the 24th June, 1823, and on the ist 

 of July following, they issued a decree, which to this date, is 

 considered as the solemn and fundamental act of the emanci- 

 pation of Central America. On the 22nd November, 1824, 

 this same assembly proclaimed a federal Constitution establish- 

 ing the Republic of Central America as a popular and 

 representative government. 



On the 29th of April,- 1825, General Manuel José Arce, 

 was elected President of the Republic of Central America. 



He was succeeded by General Francisco Morazan, who,. 



