THE POLITICAL HORIZON. 



459 



rector of both, which he accepted. He afterward 

 bought the latter out, and so became the manager 

 of a strolhng circus company. With it he travelled 

 all over the United States, but in Canada his last 

 giraffe died, and left him with a stock of horses and 

 a company on hand. He returned to New-York, 

 chartered a brig, and after touching and exhibiting 

 at several West India Islands, sailed for Campeachy, 

 wherie he was received with such enthusiasm, that 

 among the benefits conferred upon mankind by au- 

 thors, I rank high that of having been the means of 

 introducing a circus company into Yucatan, in the 

 belief that it may prove the first step toward break- 

 ing up the popular taste for bull-fights. 



The next morning we advertised for sale our 

 horses and equipments, and sallied out to visit our 

 friends. Great changes had taken place since our 

 departure. Abroad the political horizon was stormy. 

 News had been received of increased difficulties, 

 complicated and uncertain negotiations, and ap- 

 prehensions of war between our own country and 

 England ; also of the failure of the Santa Fe expedi- 

 tion, the capture and imprisonment of American cit- 

 izens, and that Texas and the whole valley of the 

 Mississippi were in arms to carry the war into Mex- 

 ico. And black clouds were lowering, also, over Yu- 

 catan. The governor had lost his popularity. The 

 great question opened by the revolution two years 

 before was not yet decided. Independence was 

 not declared ; on the contrary, during our absence 



