BUSTAMANTE PBESIDENT FRENCH AT VERA CRUZ. 323 



on them, the French squadron attacked the city with forces landed 

 from the vessels, whilst they assailed the redoubtable castle with 

 three frigates, a corvette and two bomb vessels, whence, during an 

 action of six hours, they threw three hundred and two shells, one 

 hundred and seventy-seven paixhan, and seven thousand seven hun- 

 dred and seventy-one solid shot. The assaults upon the town were 

 not so successful as those on the castle, where the explosion of a 

 magazine forced the Mexicans to surrender. The troops that had 

 been landed were not numerous enough to hold the advantages they 

 gained ; and it was in gallantly repulsing a storming party at the 

 gates of the city, that Santa Anna lost a leg by a parting shot from 

 a small piece of ordnance as the French retreated on the quay to 

 their boats. 



The capture of the castle, however, placed the city at the mercy 

 of the French, and the Mexicans were soon induced to enter into 

 satisfactory stipulations for the adjustment of all debts and dif- 

 ficulties. 



In 1839, General Canales fomented a revolt in some of the 

 the north-eastern departments. The proposal of this insurgent was 

 to form a republican confederation of Coahuila, Tamaulipas, and Du- 

 rango, which three states or departments, he designed should adopt 

 for themselves the federal constitution of 1824, and, assuming the 

 title of the independent "Republic of the Rio Grande," should 

 pledge themselves to co-operate with Texas against Bustamante 

 and the centralists. An alliance was entered into with Texas to 

 that effect, and an expedition of united Texans and Republicans of 

 the Rio Grande, was set on foot to occupy Coahuila ; but at the 

 appearance of General Arista in the field early in 1840, and after 

 an action in which the combined forces were defeated, Canales left 

 the discomfitted Texans to seek safety by hastening back to their 

 own territory. 



The administration of Bustamante was sorely tried by foreign 

 and domestic broils, for, whilst Texas and the Republic of the Rio 

 Grande were assailing him in the north, the federalists attacked 

 him in the capital, and the Yucatecos revolted in the south. This 

 last outbreak was not quelled as easily as the rebellion in the north; 

 nor was it, in fact, until long afterwards during another adminis- 

 tration, that the people of the Peninsula were again induced to 

 return to their allegiance. Bustamante seems to have vexed the 

 Yucatecos by unwise interference in the commercial and industrial 

 interests of the country. The revolt was temporarily successful ; 



