340 MEXICO. 
conducted subsequently by Coro, until Bustamante (whose friends had 
taken advantage of Santa Anna's misfortunes and unpopularity, to elect 
him to the Presidency under the new Constitution,) returned from France, 
where he had resided since his defeat. 
Almost immediately after the accession of this distinguished personage 
to the chief magistracy, there were imeutes in favor of Federation, and 
Gomez Farias, who was then in prison ; but these, and a number of other 
trifling conspiracies, were at once put down by Pedraza and Rodriguez. 
The most brilliant, however, of all the exploits for the emancipation of 
Mexico, occurred in 1 838, under the unfortunate Mexia. He advanced 
toward the Capital with a brave band of patriots, and was encountered in 
the neighborhood of Puebla by Valencia and Santa Anna, who, creeping 
forth from his retreat to regain popularity by some striking exploit, was 
weakly trusted by the man he had already so often foiled. Mexia lost 
the day, and with scarce time left for prayer or communication with his 
family, was shot, by order of his conqueror, on the field of battle.* 
In the winter of that year, the port of Vera Cruz was blockaded by 
the French squadron, and the town attacked by the troops. This again 
afforded an opportunity to the victim of San Jacinto to repair his tarnished 
reputation by military glory, and to regain his standing with the army. 
Accordingly he at once repaired to the port, took command of the troops, 
and, while following the French, as they retreated to their boats, received 
a wound, which has lamed him for life. But this loss was a gain to the 
daring chieftain ; and well-worded proclamations, and a discreet use of 
the amputated limb, (even to the present day, as we have seen in a prece- 
ding letter,) have served to restore him to the authority he so ingloriously 
lost in 1836.t 
Yet he did not think that the time for him to appear again prominently 
on the political arena had then arrived, and he consequently remained 
quiet during the ^^Pronunciamiento" of the Federalists at the Palace of Mex- 
ico, on the 15th of July, of 1840, under Urrea, which was completely 
suppressed by Valencia, although President Bustamante, was at one time 
a prisoner in the hands of the insurgents. 
In August of 1841, however, a different state of things existed ; and it 
was then that the last (it is to be hoped) of the sanguinary revolutions 
which have distracted Mexico, broke out. This insurrection was announced 
by the ^^Pronunciamiento" of Paredes in Guadalaxara, and was quickly 
* " You are right," said he to Santa Anna, when he was refused a respite ; " I would not have granted yea. 
half the time, had I conquered ! " 
t Santa Anna causes the 5th of December to be celebrated in Mexico, as a day of Victory over the French ! 
They tell a story of him at Vera Cruz, which is illustrative of his cunning. One morning, early, during the 
siege, a party of French soldiers had made its way into the town and got possession of the house in which Santa 
Anna was lodged. As soon as he was disturbed by the noise of the troops, he jumped out of bed, and in his 
shirt and trowsers, attempted to escape. On the stairs he met the soldiers, headed by the Prince dp Joivmllr, 
who immediately demanded, " Where is Santa Anna ■?" " There," said he, pointing over his shoulder with 
his thumb to a room in which another General was quietly sleeping. " And who are you ■?" said the Prince • 
" Oh ! nobody," said Santa Anna, " nobody but a servant of the house." The Prince pushed on in a hurry 
to secure the General, wliile the General as hurriedly pushed for the door ! 
