The Sun.
London, England, 1862-05-01 00:00:00

TEE AFFAIRS OF MEXICO.

A letter from Mexico, dated March 23, says :
It is true little could be expected from those pre-
cious " preliminaries" of which I sent ycu a trans-
lation in my last ; still, we did flatter ourselves
that a stop would have been put to forced con-
tributions and other exactions which are being
levied upon foreigners with such an unsparing
hand. The Juarez Government, however, acting
upon the principle " that if they cannot make use
of their friends, who are they to make use of," have
set to work with redoubled energy, and, not to be
defrauded of their just rights, they have themselves
assessed the sums on which the 2 per cent. capital
tax is to be paid. I need not tell you that these
assessments are excessive in the extreme. Still,
there is no appeal, and the parties have to pay or
be embargoed. When these preliminaries were
signed Baron Wagner at once passed a note to the
Government upon the subject; but the only reply
he received from Doblado was, " that the prelimi-
naries in no way touched the question of forced
contributions, and that it was the intention of the
Government to compel payment by every means in
its power." Numbers of foreigners will be ruined
by these scandalously illegal exactions, which, un-
fortunately have received the sanction of Mr. Cor-
wyn, the American Minister, who has gone out of
his way and issued a circular to all the United
States' Consuls, giving it as his opinion that the
tax is a legal one, and must, so far as American
citizens are concerned, be complied with. Only a
short time back a letter, signed by the Minister of
Hacienda, was sent to the Mint of this city, the
property of American citizens, requiring the imme-
diate payment of 500,000 dols., in which the follow-
ing paragraph appears :
"The instructions of the President are that, taking into
consideration the urgent and grave necessities of the nation,
and with a view of saving the sacred rights of the country
at a time when:the ordinary resources of the Republic are
entirely absorbed, he has resolved to meet the difficulties of
his position by taking possession of private property, par-
ticularly all such as may consist of ready money, wherever
it may be found."

A more distinct avowal of the intentions of this
very respectable set of statesmen cannot well be
conceived, and it is perfectly unintelligible how
with these facts before them Gen. Prim and Sir C.
Wyke should have persevered in a course which
cannot but result in the ruin of every foreigner in
the Republic. Treaties and conventions are all very
well when made with a Government that has some
sense of decency and honour; but to attempt such
a course with a Mexican Government after the ex-
perience we have had for the last 40 years is worse
than folly. Besides, did it necessitate the presence
of 10,000 men to exact a convention ? Anyone the
least acquainted with this country well knows that
a Mexican Government will consent to anything
that does not require an immediate sacrifice, because
they can always repudiate before the day of pay-
ment arrives. You may go on making conventions
till the day of judgment, and when that period ar-
rives you will find yourself as far advanced as when
you started. On the part of Sir Charles Wyke
treaties and conventions have literally become a
monomania, and as the far-famed " Tony Weller,"
in the ever-to-be-remembered trial of " Bardell v.
Pickwick," looked upon " a alleybi" as the only sure
defence to an action for a breach of promise of mar-
riage, so does our representative seem to consider
" a convention" as a sovereign cure for every politi-
cal crime and delinquency.
Not satisfied with the forced contribution, the
Government has just decreed a " forced loan for
1,000,000 dols., to be appropriated among 40 indi-
viduals, of whom some are Spaniards, and clearly
exempted by treaty. Not a week back Gonzales
Echevaria, the Minister of Finance, went to Orizaba
to meet Sir C. Wyke and Gen. Prim—why, or for
what, nobody knows. He had scarcely turned his
back upon the city when Doblado issued an order
against a Mr. Buck, a Spanish subject, for the pay-
ment of 100,000 dollers within 24 hours, in default
of which he was to be expelled the country by way
of Tampico, a road impracticable to a man in
bad health and upwards of 70 years of ago. He has
been obliged to compound by the payment of
70,000 dole. The system applied to Spaniards to-
day may be extended to Englishmen and French-
men to-morrow. It is a direct attack upon private
property, and shows, beyond all doubt, that nobody's
strong box is safe. These cases might be multiplied
beyond number. But individuals are not the only
sufferers ; the country itself is being plundered by
anticipation in the most reckless manner. I men-
tioned in my last a case where the Real del Monte
Company were to receive in 10 years 1,200,000 dole.
for an immediate payment of 300,000 dols. My
statement of the amount was incorrect. I find by
the most moderate computation that they will have
received 2,500,000 dols. Exclusive privileges and
contracts of every description, ruinous to the coun-
try, are being granted and entered into every day.
What little remains of the Church property is being
disposed of at prices merely nominal ; even hospitals
are being alienated. Of course, it is well under-
stood that members and employes of the Govern-
ment are hereafter to participate in the profits of
each and every one of these arrangements—a pro-
vision against a rainy day. If bona fide creditors
are ever to be provided for, it is shrewdly suspected
that the allies upon their arrival in the capital will
have to overhaul these most unrighteous arrange-
ments. In fact, it is impossible to convey even the
faintest idea of one-half the villany that is going
on. Mexicans themselves blush for their country-
men, and it is no figure of speech to say that such a
system has never been known—no, not even in
Mexico.

All these iniquities, however, sink into insignifi-
cance when compared with the execution, or,
more properly speaking, the murder of General
Robles. This gentleman, formerly. Minister to the
United States, served under Miramon ; when the
outrage upon the British legation was perpetrated,
he at once threw up his commission, and from
that time to the present has never served in
any capacity. He came in under the amnesty of
November last, but having been favourably looked
upon by the Deputy-Commissioners, he was def med
a dangerous character, and crdered out of the ca-
pital. Not thinking himself safe, he attempted to
make his way down to Tehuacan and claim the pro-
tection of the allies. Unfortunately, ho was ar-
rested when within three leagues of the French
outposts. The news of his arrest was telegraphed
by Mendoza, the commandant of Puebla, on the
night of the 21st. No reply was sent to this tele-
gram, as Mendoza was known to be a friend of the
General's, but a courier was sent off at once, with
directions to avoid Puebla, and make his way
direct to San Andres de Chichicomula, the head-
quarters of the Mexican army, with orders to try
him under that disgraceful law of the 25th January
and shoot him at once. Immediately his arrest be-
came known, every possible interest was made on
his behalf. Being universally respected as a gen-
tleman, a man of honour, and one who had the in-
terest of his country really at heart, he commanded
the sympathies of all parties. This was enough to
insure his condemnation with the present party.
Notwithstanding the most urgent interference on
the part of Baron Wagner, and in open violation of
the preliminaries, he was shot as a traitor on the
24th. Within my recollection no event has created
so great a sensation in Mexico. The following are
the letters which passed between the Prussian Mi-
nister and Doblado, the Minister of Foreign Affairs,
which will be read with interest :

" March 22.

" Sir,—l have just been informed that General Robles
has been arrested near Tehuacan. This is a most unfortu-
nate incident. At such a moment it would, without doubt,
have been more to the advantage of the Supreme Govern-
ment that he should have escaped. Through an unfortunate
circumstance or the precipitation of some inferior chief
the life of Robles may be in danger. I am certain,
Sir, that you will understand all the fatal consequences that
such an incident as the death of Robles may bring upon the
Government, and, above all, upon the president. You will
perform a re.l service to his Excellency in calling his at-
tention to this matter.

" You are aware that General Robles received an asylum
in the French Legation, and that such a protection cannot
have been conceded to him without the consent of the French
Government, who will resent any unnecessary shedding of
blood at a moment when an armistice has been proclaimed
to stay the horrors and the vengeance attendant upon civil
war. " E, DE WAGNER."
Two days eitiped without an answer being sent

to the above letter; it was on the 24th thgt Doblado
replied as follows :--•

"My dear Sir,--1 beg to answer the private letter you
addressed me the day before yesterday with regard to Don
Manuel Robles, and have to state that the Government, as
well in this case as in all others which may present them-
selves will act in strict conformity with the law. Nothing
is to be feared from the allies, seeing that they have declared
in the preliminaries that they will not interfere in the inte •
nor government of Mexico, and it is undoubted that one of
the rights of sovereignty is that of punishing according to
the existing laws any one who may have transgressed them.
" On the other hand, it is necessary to call your atten-
tion to the fact that the conduct of Don Manuel Robles
has fully justified the fears and misgivings of the Govern-
ment regarding him. "M. DOBLIDO,"

" March 24,

" Sir,—As the representative of a friendly Power, I have
ever viewed with a feeling of impartiality the political dis-
sensions of this country, which have caused so much blcod
to flow. In my view of thb case, on the score of humanity
and of true democratic principles, it requires great crimes,
wise laws, scrupulously constitutional, which command
universal respect, to justify in any political matter the pun-
ishment of death.

"I think, therefore, that the life of Robles can be in no
danger, but the note of your Excellency does not entirely
tranquillise me, I hope, however, that in the event of his
being sentenced to death, the President will make use of
the prerogative, which the Chief of every State possesses,
to pardon ; and, if necessary, I beg of you, Sir, personally,
to implore the clemency of his Excellency, in my name, to
make use of that glorious prerogative in favour of a man
who has had the honour to represent the Mexican Govern-
ment in the United States, and who carries with him the
sympathies of many both here and in foreign contrics.

"E. DE WAGNER."

It is reported that a conspiracy has been dis-
covered among the troops stationed at Perote, and
that 80 have been shot. These are the first fruits
of that diabolical law alluded to in my last, and we
shall not have to thank our representatives if we
escape its sanguinary enactments. There is much
to be feared. All now depends upon the activity
of the French.

MARCH 28.

It is reported in well-informed quarters that the
French, tired of waiting for conferences which it
would seem are never to take place, exasperated
with the contributions daily levied upon their coun-
trymen, and horrified at the murder of poor Roblee,
have declared the preliminaries broken, and given
notice to Zaragosa, the Cummander-in-Chief of the
Mexican forces, that it is their intention to retire to
their original position at Paso-Ancho, where they
will remain for 24 hours, at the expiration of which
period they will consider themselves at liberty to
march upon the capital, or in any other direction
they may think fit. God grant that this reptirt
may be well founded, for the position of all
foreigners here has been almost intolerable.
Thus, at the expiration of three months the French
are about to do what the allies should have done at
the outset. All those absurd reports about the
valour, unanimity, and patriotism of the Mexicans
so industriously circulated, and which certainly
seem to have had their effect upon General Prim
and her Majesty's representative, will no doubt now
be put forward in justification of the course pur-
sued by those gentlemen. Everybody here knows
that what I wrote months ago is the truth, " That
had the allies immediately upon their landing
marched to the interior there were not even troops
to oppose them, and that had there been they would
not have fired a shot." As it is, I have certain in-
formation that Zaragosa's troops are not to be relied
upon ; they are all bordering upon a state of
mutiny, and will disband the first time they are
brought face to face with the enemy. How can
the poor creatures be expected to fight when they
receive no pay and are positively starving P The
accuracy of my statements will bo tolerably well
tested if the French, with a virtual declaration of
war, make their way to the capital without any
serious opposition.

It has long been evident to every one here that
the truth of the old adage, " Too many cooks spoil
the broth," was being marvellously exemplified in
Mexico. With M. de Saligni pulling ono way, Sir
C. Wyke another, and General Prim intent only
upon his own private interests, how could any good
result be expected P Unfortunately many valuable
lives have been sacrificed by these wretched diplo-
matic:squabbles, and foreigners here have been left
in a most false and cruel position. Without going
into the question of who was right and who was
wrong, it is sufficient to state that public opinion
here is decidedly in favour of M. de Saligni; and
every Englishman has heard with pleasure that
the French and English Governments are not only
perfectly d'accord upon the Mexican question,
but that the former are now to be entrusted
with the entire management of this affair. Our
interest will be sufficiently secured by England
being a party to the treaty. It would be well if
Spain would withdraw upon the same terms, al-
though, if France takes the lead, her doing so is of
secondary importance.
It appears that all our troops, with the exception
of 150 men under the command of Captain Elliott,
have been withdrawn. They were on the paint of
marching when orders were given for their re-em-
barcation. The Donegal sailed on the Bth, the
Sanspareil has since sailed, and the Mersey and
Challenger were expected to leave shortly, all for
Bermuda. Our gallant fellows are naturally much
disappointed at not being allowed to take a part in
the enterprise. It appears that sickness had been
making rapid strides, and that the vomito was mak-
ing its appearance. What explanation is to be
given for keeping these troops six weeks in that
pesthole Vera Cruz I know not, but it is to be
hoped that some will be demanded. By accounts
forwarded to me a few days back, I am informed
that up to that time 27 men had died, and that out
of 250 marched down to the port on the morning
of the 9th not more than 45 could carry their mus-
kets. The mortality among the Spaniards is said
to have been fearful. The French have not suffered
so much, but they very properly were not allowed
to remain at Vera Cruz ; they were marched at
once to the Tejeria. Up to the present moment
every one would suppose that the allies had been
sent for the special protection of the Mexican Go-
vernment; but now that the French are to have
the management we may hope for better things.
The expenses our Government have been put to up
to now have not been very great—something above
6,000 dole., as all the land transport provided for
our troops has been taken by the French at cost
price

It appears from all we hear that General Almonte
is to play an important part in the future of Mexico.
He came out by the last British packet, and is sup-
posed to be in the confidence of the Emperor of the
French. He is of the Conservative party, but a
man much respected and looked up to. It is now
an indisputable fact that the Conservatives and Mo-
deradoes are in favour of a monarchy, and I have
little doubt that if the people generally could ex-
press their opinion the great majority of the nation
would be of the same way of thinking. I trust the
French authorities will have suffic:ent savoir faire
not to side with any particular party. They ought
to come to the capital unbiassed, appoint, in the first
instance, a provisional Government and endeavour
to ascertain the real sentiments of the people. With
proper management the suggestion of a monarchical
form of government might be made to emanate from
the Mexican people themselves. They are quite
ripe for it, and it would be good policy to give
them an opportunity of expressing their opinion
upon a subject so vitally affecting their own in-
terests, more especially when we are pretty certain
that those opinions will coincide with our own. Of
course I am supposing that no determination has
already been arrived at.

Should an interregnum take place I would
strongly recommend the appointment of committees
to inquire into and report upon the liabilities of the
country, its resources, and the best means of raising
revenue, &c. ; and it would at the same time be a
mere act of justice to the country itself, as well as
to those who have claims upon it, to institute search-
ing inquiries into the manner in which the church
property has been :disposed of, the effect of the
several contracts and privileges alluded to in the
former part of my letter, and various other matters
at present involved in much mystery. At the pre-
sent moment we are wofully deficient in any
correct
statistical information, and, in the event of a per-
fectly new state of things being initiated, it is im-
portant to ascertain as far as possible the foundation
upon which we have to build. For instance, there

can be no doubt that with honest collection the duties
at the ports will net 9,000,000 dole, annually;
that with a Government affording guarantees for
life and property the waste lands will become of
great value; and that by a judicious system of taxa-
tion there will be no difficulty in raising the revenues
of Mexico to an amount very far exceeding any-
thing that has yet been beard of. All these sub-
jects are deserving of much consideration, and, as
they must necessarily be interesting to the bond-
holders and all other Mexican• creditors, I will en-
deavour to touch upon them more at length on some
future occasion. In the meantime, as it is known
to be the intention of the French Government to
ascertain and settle the claims of its citizens, a
like measure of justice ought to be meted out to
the subjects of all other countries. Commissioners
ought, therefore, at once to be appointed to adjudi-
cate upon these claims, most of which, arising out
of violations of our original treaty, ought in justice
to take precedence of every other debt. It has been
the fashion for British Ministers to write disparag-
ingly of such claims, but I will venture to assert
that with very few exceptions no demands can be
more just or equitable, and that any opinion formed
to the contrary is either based on ignorance of the
facts or a disinclination, and perhaps in some cases
a want of capacity, to go into their investigation.
Such a matter ought to be taken altogether out of
the hands of the Legation, and intrusted to persons
properly qualified.
The number of French troops who took up their
quarters at Tehuacan appear to have been about
3,000. Since then further reinforcements have ar-
rived at Vera Cruz, and it is expected by the end of
the month that Gen. Lorencez will have about 10,000
men under his command—a force more than suffi
dent to make their way from one end of the Re-
public to the other. Yesterday adviees reached this
city that Gen. Prim had been superseded by Gen.
Dulce, who had arrived at Vera Cruz, some say,
with an additional 6,000 men.
Mr. Corwyn has been indefatigable in his endea-
vours to frustrate the objects of the intervention, he
has been doing his utmost to support the present
Government by every means in his power, and to-
day it was confidently reported that a treaty was
signed yesterday, "by which Mexico was to cede
to the United States a portion of the Northern
States and the waste lands in other parts of the
Republic, receiving in return some 20,000,000 dole.
and the assistance of 8,000 men." Although I
cannot positively affirm that this treaty has been
signed, yet I know that it has been for some time
under consideration, and that it is nearly sure to be
so as soon as certain intelligence of the march of
the French roaches the capital. It will be for
England and France to say what construction is to
be put upon this conduct. M. de Saligni will be
officially informed of the fact by the present courier
and doubtless communicate the circumstance to the
French Minister at Washington.
A Conservative organ, published under the rose,
has just been handed to me, which states that the
' chiefs of that party have agreed to the following
Articles :
" 1. To recognise Almonte as chief of the Re-
public and of the forces which adhere to this plan.
"2. The said Almonte to be fully empowered to
enter into arrangements with the chiefs of the allied
forces to convoke a National Assembly, to take into
consideration the deplorable state of the country,
decide upon the form of Government, put a stop to
anarchy, and assure to Mexicans peace and order,"
This shows pretty clearly the opinion of that
party.