fixed at that place, some troops to resume his military operations. He proposed attacking Guanaxuato; and after considerable opposition to his plan it was agreed to, and he was supplied with a small body of troops. With this force he marched to the valle de Santiago, where he was re-enforced by a few men from Xalapa, waiting to join him; but the approach of a detachment of royalists compelled him to withdraw from the valley. By a rapid movement through the mountains, he descended in the rear of the royalists, and marched to La Caxa; and from thence he proceeded by a rapid march across the country during the night, to an obscure place called La Mina de la Luz. Here he received some re-enforcements, which increased his little army to 1400 men, with which he did not hesitate to attack the city of Guanaxuato, although entirely destitute of artillery. As might have been foreseen, the attack was unsuccessful, and after burning the machinery of the mine of Valenciana, he retired, and ordered his men to their different stations, retaining sixty or seventy only under his immediate command. The bold career of this brave and intrepid young officer and patriot was soon terminated. He was surprised and captured by the Spanish general Orrantia, at Venadito, on the 27th of September, 1817. Apadoca the viceroy gave orders for his immediate execution, and he was conducted to the headquarters of Linan, commanding the royal army before Remedios, where he was condemned, and shot on the 11th of November.* The capture of Mina not only occasioned great joy among the royal chiefs in Mexico, but was regarded as so important an event by the Spanish government, that Apadoca was honoured with the title of Conde del Venadito, and Linan and Orrantia received marks of distinction for having rendered so great a service to their country.

The royalists now directed all their efforts in prosecuting the siege of Remedios; and Torres finding his ammunition failing, evacuated the place on the night of the 1st of January, 1818. The evacuation was so unskilfully conducted, that nearly all of the garrison were killed or made prisoners, and the inhabitants of the town, of all ages and both sexes, unarmed and unprotected, were involved in one common ruin, and nearly all massacred.

The death of Mina, the fall of Remedios, and the loss of the garrison, presaged the speedy overthrow of the cause of independence, and encouraged the royalists to redouble their exertions for the consummation of an object so devoutly to be desired. The town and fortress of Xauxilla, the seat of the government of the revolutionists, was invested by 1000 men under Aguirre ; and the place was compelled to surrender, after being gallantly defended for three months. The government was removed into

VOL. I.

*Poinsett's notes on Mexico.

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the province of Valladolid, where it was surprised in the month of February, 1818, by a party of royalists, and the president made prisoner. The popular government, however, still maintained a precarious existence, its members being obliged to remove from place to place, to avoid falling into the hands of the Spaniards, having no troops sufficient for their protection. To increase their difficulties, they were involved in civil dissensions. Torres, after the fall of Remedios, had conducted in so capricious and tyrannical a manner, that it had been found necessary to deprive him of his situation as commander-in-chief, by a formal decree, which he resisted. Don Juan Arragon, a French officer, who came into the country with Mina, was appointed to succeed Torres, and both parties had recourse to force, to settle the dispute. The approach of the royalists ended this unhappy contest, and Torres was obliged to yield, and place himself under the protection of the government. This occurred in July, 1819, and from this period the war languished every where; the royalists occupied all the fortresses, and every town, and the revolutionary party appeared to be almost entirely crushed. General Guerrero, however, a brave and enterprising officer, Arago, and a few others, continued to keep the field at the head of guerrillas, and roamed over the mountains; and Guadaloupe Victoria, an assumed name, but one which has since become illustrious in Mexico, after long maintaining himself in the intendancy of Vera Cruz, as the only resource left, disbanded his troops, and sought refuge in the mountains from royal vengeance, by which means his life was preserved for the redemption of his country.

In 1821, after the revolution in Spain, deputies were sent from Mexico to the cortes at Madrid, to propose terms of accommodation to the new government. On the 3d of May the subject was brought before the cortes, by count Ferreno, which resulted in a reference to a committee consisting of deputies of the Peninsula, and of America, who, in conjunction with the executive, were to consider and propose such measures as they might deem best calculated to "terminate the dissensions which prevailed in the various parts of America." Whilst the subject was before this committee, news arrived of the insurrection of Iturbide. The discussions which this event occasioned, enabled the American deputies to show to the cortes the impracticability of the transatlantic possessions of the monarchy being governed by the same system and laws as the Peninsula. The Mexican deputies offered a resolution, instructing the viceroy of New Spain to propose to Iturbide a suspension of hostilities until the project of a government for America could be decided on, which was rejected.

The committee devoted their attention to the subject with zeal and assiduity corresponding with its importance. They had fre

quent conferences with the ministers, and at length succeeded to their mutual satisfaction in maturing a plan of government for the colonies, which, on being submitted to the king, met with his utter disapprobation: this caused the ministers to decline acting further at that time upon the subject. In consequence the committee reported that nothing could then be done but to excite the zeal of the ministers, and request them to present to the cortes, as soon as possible, the fundamental measures which they may deem calculated to complete the pacification of the revolted provinces. But this unsuccessful result did not discourage the Mexican deputies from submitting to the cortes and the executive another plan for the government of America. This plan was, that America should be divided into three parts. Mexico and Guatemala were to form one jurisdiction, New Grenada and Venezuela another; and Peru, Buenos Ayres, and Chili, the third; each of these jurisdictions were to have a cortes, possessing, with certain limitations, the same powers as that of Spain. In each division the executive power was to be exercised by a delegate, uamed by the king, removable by him at pleasure, and wholly irresponsible to the American cortes. He was to act in the name of the king, having the power to appoint four ministers or secretaries, one of the interior of finance, one of justice and grace, one of war, and one of marine. In each government there was to be a supreme judicial tribunal and council of state, and the commerce of Spain and America was to be regulated as between one colony and another. Mexico stipulated also to advance Spain a large amount of money, as a gratuity, but further negotiation was broken off by the Colombian commissioners disclaiming any participation in the scheme, and insisting on the acknowledgment of their independence as the only basis of any accommodation with Spain.*

*See Letter of Mr. Brent, charge de affairs of the United States at Madrid, to the Secretary of State.

CHAPTER X.

Royal authority re-established-influence of the clergy—their views changed by the revolution in Spain-second revolution planned —plan of Iguala proclaimed-viceroy deposed-disaffection of the people-Victoria joins Iturbide, who takes Queretaro-success of the revolution-arrival of O'Donoju-treaty-Mexico the capital surrendered to the revolutionists-cortes assembled different parties-regency appointed—disputes between Iturbide and the cortes-Iturbide declared emperor-ambition of Iturbide -proposes to establish military tribunals—project defeated by

the cortes.

THE struggle might now be considered as terminated, and the royal authority as re-established throughout Mexico. This unfortunate issue of the revolution was mainly to be attributed to the opposition of the clergy, whose influence had always controlled the conduct of a large majority of the inhabitants. When the revolution first broke out, and the standard of independence was unfurled by Hidalgo, the shouts of liberty spread from river to river, and from mountain to mountain, until they reached the shores of the two oceans; and the whole country was electrified by the patriotic flame. The people were evidently ripe for a general rising; but this noble spirit was checked by the clergy, who viewed in a revolution, originating from, and to be sustained by the people, if not the overthrow of their power, at least great danger of it, and they immediately sounded the tocsin of alarm. The church was in danger, the inquisition, and the Roman apostolic catholic religion. All the engines of a powerful hierarchy were put in requisition, and all the spiritual weapons of the church directed against the revolution. Disloyalty to the Spanish government was not only treason, but heresy, the greatest of all sins. Ancient prejudices were renewed, the scruples of the conscientious appealed to, the fears of some were excited, and the ignorance and superstition of the many taken advantage of, to oppose the progress of the revolution, and aid the cause of royalty. The want of an efficient government, and unity of authority, dissensions among the patriot chiefs, and the want of discipline in their armies, and experience in their commanders, were the causes of many of the disasters which retarded the progress of the revolution, and contributed to its unfortunate termination; yet with

all these difficulties, had not the rising current of popular feeling been checked by the influence of the clergy, and religious prejudices been brought to oppose the cause of liberty and independence, the first revolution would have succeeded; and its early champions, instead of being rewarded for their exertions and patriotism with a halter, would have been viewed as the redeemers of their country, and have received the highest honours on earth, the homage of a free and grateful people.

But even as it was, we are not to suppose that their exertions were wholly lost, and that their blood flowed in vain. A desperate struggle of ten years, for liberty, in which the best blood of the country had been spilt, and the creoles and Indians suffered incredibly from the cruel tyranny of the Spanish rulers, had exasperated the people against their oppressors, alienated their minds from Spain, shaken ancient prejudices, and diffused much intelligence among the inhabitants, which enabled them to understand their rights, and rendered them more uneasy under the Spanish yoke. During this long contest too, much experience had been acquired by the patriots, and they had discovered the causes of their disasters and miscarriages. Notwithstanding, therefore, the revolution had failed, it had scattered the seeds of independence through the valleys, and over the mountains of Mexico, which could hardly fail, in due time, of springing up and producing fruit which would ripen to maturity. Had not the second revolution been brought about in the manner it was, tranquillity could not long have been preserved, as the spirit of independence would have soon disclosed itself among the people.

It is a curious fact, that the same cause which overthrew the first revolution in Mexico, should have produced the second. This cause was the exertions and influence of the clergy; they denounced the revolution at first, and afterward encouraged it, without however becoming advocates for liberty, or changing their motives. The constitutional revolution in Spain, which broke out in the isle of Leon, the establishment of the cortes, the various innovations made by them, particularly the confiscating the estates and reforming some of the higher orders of the priesthood, alarmed the clergy in Spanish America, and at once changed their attachment for the mother country into jealousy and hatred. Their affection for Spain proved to be nothing more than an attachment for its ecclesiastical despotism, and the moment this was endangered, and there was a prospect of Spain becoming free, they lost all regard and veneration for the parent country, and, from being its zealous advocates, became its open opposers. The cortes were openly denounced from the pulpit, and their patriotic measures, for the reformation of a corrupt and oppressive system, were declared to be tyrannical, and calculated to VOL. I.

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