^46 



INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 



league had continued since the April preceding my ar- 

 rival. The great bond of union was hatred of Mora- 

 zan and the Liberals. The Centralists had their Con- 

 stituent Assembly, abolished the laws made by the Lib- 

 erals, revived old Spanish laws and old names for the 

 courts of justice and officers of government, and passed 

 any laws they pleased so that they did not interfere 

 with him. Their great difficulty was to keep him 

 quiet. Unable to remain inactive in the city, he march- 

 ed toward San Salvador, for the ostensible purpose of 

 attacking General Morazan. The Centralists were in 

 a state of great anxiety ; Carrera's success or his de- 

 feat was alike dangerous to them. If defeated, Mora- 

 zan might march directly upon the city, and take sig- 

 nal vengeance upon them ; if successful, he might re- 

 turn with his barbarians so intoxicated by victory as to 

 be utterly uncontrollable. A little circumstance shows 

 the position of things. Carrera's mother, an old wom- 

 an well-known as a huckster on the plaza, died. 

 Formerly it was the custom with the higher classes to 

 bury in vaults constructed within the churches ; but from 

 the time of the cholera, all burials, without distinction, 

 were forbidden in the churches, and even within the 

 city, and a campo santo was established outside the 

 town, in which all the principal families had vaults. 

 Carrera signified his pleasure that his mother should 

 be buried in the Cathedral ! The government char- 

 ged itself with the funeral, issued cards of invitation, 

 and all the principal inhabitants followed in the pro- 

 cession. No efforts were spared to conciliate and 

 keep him in good temper ; but he was subject to violent 

 bursts of passion, and, it was said, had cautioned the 

 members of the government at such moments not to 

 attempt to argue with him, but to let him have his own 



