The Sun.
London, England, 1846-09-01 00:00:00

TIIE -S U N

Insurreetion. His talents and intrepidity swept all be-
fore him for a period, and the independence of Mexico'
was declared by a national assembly' in November
1813. But Morellos was finally unfortunate, was at-
tael“Al by the Spanish gerv,_ral Colleja, who seems to
have been a man of military genius, was taken prisoner
and shot. The old Spaniards were once more masters,
and Apodaca, a man of intelligence and conduct, was
sent from Spain as viceroy.
" But sudden tumults broke out in Spain itself. The
Constitution of 1820' was proclaimed, the parties in
Mexico followed the example, and a constitution
strongly tending to democracy was proposed. It pro-
duced a total dissolution of the alliance between the
Creoles and the Old Spaniards, the former demanding a
Government virtually independent, the latter adhering to
Spain. In the confusion, Iturbide, a young Creole of
an ancient family, and of large possessions, pushed his
way into power, and, to the astonishment of all Western
Republicanism, in 1822 proclaimed himself Augustin the
First, Emperor of Mexico.
" But he instantly committed the capital fault of qua-
relling with his Congress. By a rash policy he dissolved
the assembly and appointed another, composed of his
adherents. But Cromwell's boldness required Crom-
well's abilities to sustain it. The army had been the
actual givers of the throne, and what they had given they
regarded themselves as having the right to resume. The
generals revolted against Iturbide, overthrew him, pro-
claimed a new constitution, ar.d sent him to travel in
Europe on a pension !
" The constitution thus formed (October, 1824) was
republican, and took for its model that of the United
States. Its two assemblies are a Senate and a House of '
Representatives. The Senate consisting of two members
for each state ; the Representatives, of two for every
eighty thousand inhabitants. All must be natives, and
have landed property to the amount of eight thousand
dollars, or some trade or profession which brings in ten
thousand dollara annually. The Congress sits every
year from the Ist of January to the middle of April.
The senators holding their seats for four years, gene
rally ; the representatives for two. The executive is
vested in a president and vice-president, both elected by
the state Legislatures for four years. The ages of the
several functionaries are curiously fixed. The repre-
sentative must have attained the age of twenty-five, the
senator of thirty, and the high officers of state thirty. five.*
The whole territory forms one Federal Republic, go-
verned by one Executive,' a marked distinction between
Mexico and its model ; the several states of the Ame-
rican Union retaining to themselves many of the privi-
leges which, in the Mexican, belong to the Government
of the capital." .

Intimately associated with the modern portion of this
eventful and instructive history is the name of a very
remarkable and gifted man—a man still alive, and
towards whom the eyes of his fellow-countrymen are
now turned, in anxiety and hope, imagining, as a
large part of them do, that under his guidance they can
alone find the salvation of their common country.
We need scarcely observe that we here allude to
—SANTA ANNA ! In some particulars Santa Anna
bears no small resemblance to Bolivar—in others his
position and character are analogous to those of Es-
partero. As a colonel in the Mexican service, Santa
Anna first emerged from obscurity in 1823, when
marching against Iturbide, on the return of the latter
frotn banishment, he intrigued with the forces of the
ex-Emperor, and caused them to desert to his own
standard, leaving the luckless Iturbide utterly de-
fenceless. For that act he gained considerable credit.
Again, in 1829, Santa Anna vanquished, partially by
force, but principally by diplomacy, a powerful
Spanish armament, under the direction of Bar-
rados. He was thereupon regarded as the saviour
of Mexico, and retired to his enormous estates
in the vicinity of Vera Cruz, amidst the grate-
ful acclamations of his fellow-countrymen. In
1841 he was again summoned from his seclusion
by the popular voice, and having advanced upon the
capital, removed the obnoxious President Bustamente
from authority. In consequence of this achievement,
Santa Anna was raised to supreme power in the state,
and continued for some time to govern it in the capa-
city of a dictator. An enemy, however, unexpectedly
arose in Texas, and, aided by the forces of the United
States, hurled Santa Anna from office. Then the
belligerent Texas was proclaimed "Independent,"
and shortly afterwards its "Annexation" to the
United States displayed the perfidiousness and cupi-
dity of the latter republic. It was, as almost every-
body is doubtless aware, in consequence of the Mexi-
cans pronouncing this annexation to be a breach of the
treaty, that the Americans have recently invaded Mexico.
Of the integrity of the motives of Brother Jonathan
who can entertain the shadow of a doubt, after a
candid consideration of the foregoing statements ?
The intelligence conveyed to this country towards
the conclusion of last week by the steam-ship Hi-
bernia confirms the impression already produced by
preceding occurrences. America has proposed a
treaty of peace on condition of the annexation of
California. Texas went first—California seems des-
tined to follow.—Mexico appears doomed to be
broken up by piecemeal annexation until its gigantic
territories are merged into the already gigantic terri-
tories of the United States. Some fortunate and un-
expected interposition of a superior power can alone'pre
serve Mexico from this unenviable destiny. The writer
of the article in our Edinburgh favourite has suggested
these reflections by the very nature of his clever and
honest production. By a bird's-eye view of the ter-
ritories and character of the Mexicans he has afforded
the reader the cullings of information, and he has
given him food for serious meditation upon the con-
dition of a vast principality in this globe. Mexico
has already proved itself the Western Poland by its
heroes and its misfortunes : may it not bear out the
resemblance by its dismemberment! We have de-
voted so much space and attention to this important
and interesting subject, that we have allowed our-
selves no opportunity of doing more than individualise
a few of the other contributions. The magazine,
according to its honourable usage, is neither deficient
in variety, elegance, pleasantry, nor instructiveness.
Its character for keen and yet graceful criticism is well
sustained by a second letter on " English Hexame-
ters." An unequal but fascinating poem upon a
" Summer Day," by Thomas Aird, scatters quite a
bloom of verse through several pages. " Alge-
ria," and " Cabrera," are useful and agreeable es-
says upon a remarkable man and a glorious country.
" How I became a yeoman," is a tale facetiously told,
and " How to build a house and live in it," a disser-
tation facetiously conceived. " The Gentleman Com-
moner" is brought to a conclusion, and " Hydro-
pathy" affords a very readable and gossiping termi-
nation to an admirable number of this admirable
periodical.

D 0,

- . •
-titled- "Temptation and Atonement." Although it
is generally difficult to predicate with accuracy from
the commencement of such a production, we cannot
but anticipate, from the liveliness of the first chapters,
a very pleasant and amusing fiction. Mrs. Gore has
a marvellous facility both of imagination and descrip-
tion. "Rings and Posies" is a delightful paper of
antiquarian and bibliographic lore; it is daintily and
neatly arranged in the form of a miniature disserta-
tion. " Love's Seasons," but for the halting of the
four lines at the end of each stanza, would be a charm-
ing bijou. The most important paper in the whole
number is one written by our old favourite, Thomas
De Quincey, respecting the " System of the Heavens,
as revealed by Lord Rosse's Telescope." It should
be read, or rather devoured, by every one ; and it will
be. We have long thought upon the false science of
Scripture just as De Quincey declares himself to
think, in a note appended to this contribution : we
have long thought, as he here beautifully expresses it,
that "to have uttered the truths of astronomy,
geology, &c., at the era of new-born Christianity was
not only below the purposes of a religion, but would
have been against them." The reasons subjoined for
thii opinion are sensible to the very uttermost. "It
was impossible," says De Quincey, "for any messen-
ger from God to have descended into the com-
munication of truth merely scientific, or
economic, or worldly. First, because it would
hive degraded his 'mission by lowering it to the base
level of a collusion with human curiosity, or with
petty and transitory interests. Secondly, because it
would have ruined his mission : he that in those days
should have proclaimed the true theory of the solar
system and the heavenly forces, would have been
shut up at once, as a lunatic likely to become dan-
gerous. And, thirdly, because to apply the light of
revelation for the benefit of a merely human science,
is to assault capitally the scheme of God's discipline
and training for man." That is plain, honest logic.
All the babble that has ever been uttered about
Joshua commanding the sun to stand still, and about
the creation of the world in six days, is the veriest
trash that was ever conceived. Revelation was too
vast and sublime and eternal to be degraded into the
mere horn-book of any earthly science. Thomas De
Quincey has afforded us the deepest pleasure in giving
voice to ideas which have long lived in our own
imaginings. The " Feast of Poets for September,
1846," though of no inferior merit,,does not contain as
usual any single fragment sufficiently admirable to
deserve a distinct quotation. "Der Ratiber," from
Uhland, is the most delicately pencilled. With a
variety of copious and elaborate literary notices Tait
this month has, if possible, more than its average
ability.