VICE-PRESIDENT VIGIL. 



51 



^fioist the French flag ; the chief of the state said he 

 would tear it down. Don Pedro was imprisoned in his 

 own house, his family excluded from him, and his food 

 handed in by a soldier, until a friend paid the money. 

 Don Pedro contended that the majesty of France was 

 violated in his person ; the government said that the 

 proceedings were against him as the agent of Mercer, 

 and not as French consul ; but any way, consul or 

 agent, Don Pedro's body bore the brunt, and as this 

 took place but two days before our arrival, Don Pedro 

 was still in bed from the indisposition brought upon him 

 by vexation and anxiety. We received the above, 

 with many details, from Don Pedro's son, as an apolo- 

 gy for his father's absence, and an explanation of the 

 ravings we heard in the adjoining room. 



In the evening I called upon the vice-president. 

 Great changes had taken place since I saw him at Zon- 

 zonate. The troops of the Federal Government had 

 been routed in Honduras ; Carrera had conquered Quez- 

 altenango, garrisoned it with his own soldiers, destroy- 

 ed its existence as a separate state, and annexed it to 

 Guatimala. San Salvador stood alone in support of the 

 Federal Government. But Senor Vigil had risen with 

 the emergency. The chief of the state, a bold-looking 

 mulatto, and other officers of the government, were 

 with him. They knew that the Honduras troops were 

 marching upon the city, had reason to fear they would 

 be joined by those of Nicaragua, but they were not dis- 

 mayed ; on the contrary, all showed a resolution and 

 energy I had not seen before. General Morazan, they 

 said, was on his march against Guatimala. Tired as 

 they were of war, the people of San Salvador, Senor 

 Vigil said, had risen with new enthusiasm. Volun- 

 teers were flocking in from all quarters ; and with a de- 



