Star.
London, England, 1824-09-18 00:00:00

DOCUMENT IV.

Herewith your Excellency will receive No. I. the copy
or the letter which the Secretaries of the Honourable
Constituent Congress addressed to me, whereby, and by
No. 11. the copy of the Commanding General's letter,
your Excellency will leas n that the evil-disposed Don
Auguitin- de Iturbide—notwithstanding the decree of
the Sovereign Congress dated April 28, of this year,
declaring him a traitor, and placing him out of the pro-
tection of the law, if he should set foot on the territory
of the Confederacy—has dared to contravene the said
decree, and to introduce himself, disguised, into the
States, doubtless with the design of disturbing the
public peace and tranquillity, as may confidently be in-
ferred from his past conduct.
g‘ These considerations, and the abovementioaecilaw,
which definitely condemned him, without doubt in-
duced this Honourable Congress to decree his decapi-
tation, ordering me to carry the same forthwith into
effect ; and this proceeding being in conformity with
the intentions of the Supreme Authorities of the Fede-
ration, I have made arrangements for fulfilling the de-
cree as soon as the traitor fltUrbide) shall be delivered
to me. I make this communication to your Excellency,
in order that it may be brought under the notice of the
Sul reme Executive Power, with the assurance that, ac-
'cording as circumstances may permit, I shall, for your
information and further arrangements, report to your
Excellency whatever occurs. GOD preserve your Ex-
cellency many years.
" Fadills, July IS. "JUAN FRANCISCO GUTIERREZ
"JOSE ANTONIO FERNANDEZ, See.
" To the Secretary of State for Home and Foreign Affairs."
DOCUMENT V. .
kETTER OW THE SECRETARY OF THE 'PROVINCIAL CON•
GRESS TO THE GENERAL CoSISIANDA NT OE THE STATE

OF TAMAULIPAS, DATED PADILLA, JULY 18.
" EXCELLENT Sin—On the information of the Ge.l
neral of the Armies of the State that Don Augustin
Iturbide arrived at Soto-Marina in an English ship, this
Congress has decreed that the Decree of the Sovereign
Congress-General of the 28th of April last shall be car-1
ried into execution; in which Decree it is declared OA:
Iturbide is out of the pale of the law, under whatever
title be presents himself on the territory of the federa-
tion. This resolution is communicated to your Excel-
lency, that you may cause it to be executed, charging
you, upon your strictest responsibility, to see Iturbide
decapitated, allowing the proper time to prepare him-
self tot death like a Christian.
" 'The Congress likewise orders, that without losing a
moment, you call forth all the civil militia of the State,
and command it to be ready for further orders. You
will communicate this to the Supreme Government."

1• DOCUMUNT VI. -
(This is the No. 11. refetred to in the preceding letter
of Gutierrez).
44 MOST ExcapLzxr Sanon—On the 1 tth instant, the
English brigantine Spring arrived off the bar of this
poit, after a passage of sixty•four days, from London.
She was stated to have on beard the foreigner, Charles
de Beneski, and a companion of his, come to Mexico for
the purpose of treating with the Government on a plan
of colonization, having, to that effect, powers from three
Irish capitalists, merchants in London.
On the following day I was waited oa by Beneski,
whom I wished to interrogate respecting Don Augustin
.Iturbide, his views, and projects on this country; and
Beneski having assured me in a manner which appeared
sincere, that at the time of his sailing, lturbide was
living privately with his family, he returned to the ves-
sel to bring on shore his companion, whom he had left
oLboard.
14 Yesterday, at one o'clock, P. t 4. the Commandant
of the detachment .at the bat inlet med me, that Ileneski
was walking on shore, with another person, who, being
disguised, could not be known. I immediately marched
with a party of [loops, intending, if nece.saty, to exa-
mine Ileneski and his companion. About half-past four
in the evening I came up with them in the Paraje de los
Arroyos, about six leagues from this town. I discovered
that the person disguised was Don Augustin Iturbide,
who, addressing himtelf to me, stated, that all who ac-
compnnied hjm were his wife and two young children,
the rest of his family having been left in London. He
was conducted thence to this town under a competent
escort, and his security was effected to my satisfaction.
'1 Under my own tesponsibility, notwithstanding what
is provided by the law of the 28th of April, relative to
this individual, and considering the defenceless and sub.
IrlisiTe manner with which lie presented himself to me,
as if relying only on my good faith, I kave determined
to send him to the Honourable Congress of this Stitte,
that they may resolve .upon what is fit to be dots.'. I
shall tlierefote march this evening for Padilla, the place
of the sittings of that lionoursble Assembly.
" Soto Marina, July 17. “ PHILIP DE LA GARZA.
" To thy Secretary of Wow tier the Affairs of Wu and the Moine'

DOCUNIENT VII.
Mow!' EXCEWNT Serb In
OI stated to yoqe Excelie y uttlfrr e disc
ttbe Oki zen-Gsieral pion Phttilk de to G;
rav hete'restfrdayi havitig iu custbatyDol A,
de rbid*, whbm 1p imitediately plitod'at the
sal of the. Ham Congress of this State. The Conj
desiring the fulfilment of the sovereign decree
itBdi of April, by which the said Iturbide is proscribed
and outlawed, directed that the Citizen-General should
order.thopunishment of death to be inflicted, as was
his duty, according to the aforesaid decree ; and the
same was carried into effect by shooting the prisoner
yesterday, at six in the evening.
" This event will certainly suppress all the conimo-
tions which were every moment to be apprehended from
the proselytes of Iturbide, and will give uniformity and
concentration to public opinion in favour of the system
which we have happily adopted ; for, one of the causes
of vacillation being removed, its effects must necessarily
cease. I therefore hasten to make this communication
to your Excellency, in order that the Supreme Execu-
tive Power, on being informed thereof, may be pleased
to sanction this proceeding with its approbation; and at
the same time to direct what is to be done with the fa-
mily and suite of Iturbide, who are detained in Soto la
Marina until the determination of the Government be
known. I leave it to the Citizen-General, as he is most
proper, to give your Excellency an account of the whole
transaction, as he is best acquainted with all the details.
GOD preserve your Excellency many years.
" JOSE BERNARDO GUTIERREZ DE I.ARA.

" JOSE ANTONIO FERNANDEZ, Secretary.

" Padilla, July 20."

DOCUMENT "lit
el TO THE MINISTER OP WAR.

44 MOST EXCELLENT Silt-I wrote you from La Ma-
rine, under date of the 17th, in what circumstances I
arrested Don Augustin Iturbide, and that it appearing
to me necessary to observe the law of the 28th of April,
I proceeded to present him to the Honourable Congress
of the State. At eight o'clock this morning I arrived
at the city; at three in the afternoon was delivered to
me the declaration, conformaMy to the said law of the
28th of April ; and at six on the same evening it was
necessary to execute it, as appears by the certificates
which I inclose, without speeches or declaratioqs, lest
public sympathy should interfere if it was delayed. I
beseech your Excellency to make known this. intelli-
gence to the Government, and express to the country
the sacrifice of my regret.
(Signed) " FILLIPE DE LA GARZA.
" Padilla, July 19."
DOCUMENT IX.
" In the city of San Antonio de Padilla, on the 19th
of July, 1824, the illustrious junto of the said city being
met, we declare on the force of truth, that we certify
as far as can be done, that we have seen Don Augustin
de Iturbide as a prisoner eater our city, bn this• day's
date, conducted by Citizen General Fillipe de la Garza
and that he, in conformity with the decree of the 28t1;
of April, of this year, transmitted by the Constituent
Congress, was shot on the same day, at six o'clock in
the evening. We declare this to be certain, and that we
have seen hit dead body ; and that it may be proved,
we have, on the request of the Citizen-General, given
our present certificate, with which we pledge our faith,
and which we sign with the above date.
JOSE RICARDO ACEBEDO,
K JOSE ANTONIO PAZ, First Regidor, •
IGNACIO SENA, Second OT
" JOZE LUIS DE LA' FUENTE, &cunt Syndic."
DOCUMENT X.
" I, citizen, priest, Josa.Migua de la Garza Garcia,
member of the Honourable Congress of the State of Ta-
maulipas, and curate of the city of Padilla, certify that
a dead body which is deposited in a house near the pa-
rish church of this city for the purpose of. interment
to-morrow, is the same as the body of the person of
Don Augustin de Iturbide, whose entrance I observed
this morning, and whom I saw shot in the evening.
That there may be• no doubt upon this subject, I give
the present certificate at the request of the General who
commands the army of this State.
(Signed) "JOSE MIGUEL DE LA GARZA GARCIA.
July 19."
PINVMENT XI.

(This paper merely states that General de la Garza
was about to return on the 19th to Soto la Marina, to
see if the family papers and baggage of Iturbide had
been lauded).
DOCUMENT XII.

• " TO THE MINISTER Of WAN.

" MOST EXCIILLENT SIR—As I mentioned in my
letter of yesterday, which I transmitted by an extraor-
dinary courier, the necessary arrangements were made,
that the armed force of this State should occupy the
frontiers. In the same manner, all the garrison of this
capital was prepared to march this afternoon, at two
o'clock, for the purpose of advancing upon Iturbide
wherever he was to be found ; but the whole of these

movements have been suspended, on my having re-
ceived from the Honourable Congress an official notifi-
cation that the said Iturbide had been shot in Padilla
on the 20th current. (In the other statements the 19th
is mentioned).
" Penetrated with the danger which the appearance
of Iturbide on the territory of the republic presented,
and the necessity of crushing his views before they met
with any support, I did not hesitate for a moment to
make the object of my expedition his overthrow at all
hazards ; and if I was so resolved from the nature of
the case, I found myself no less secure of the result, in
consequence of the seal and activity with which I was
seconded by all the Authorities, and the enthusiastio
desire which all the Officers of the garrison testified t&
arrive at a state of things in which we could sit down
without risk, and say that we are free and independent.
Be pleased, therefore, to assure the Supreme Govern-
ment that the garrison of Sao Luis Potosi has given an,
unequivocal proof of its love for liberty, and recom-
mend to its high consideration the zeal and obedience
of which it has given•so many proofs in the last days of
the revolution.—GOD and Liberty !
" Luis Potosi, July 23. " JOSE ARMCO."
DOCUMENT XIII.

12T11 BATTALION OF THE LINE.-.-..T0 THE MINISTER

FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS.

" By the extraordinary Dispatches which your Ex-
cellency will receive along with this, I have been in-1
formed that the traitor Don Augustin de Iturbide is on
our soil. Your Excellency may assure the Giovern-
mem, that I shall have the glory of being the first, if
nece,sary, to fly to the extermination of the monster.
(ion and Liberty !
(Sired) JOSE JOAQUIN DE AYESTAILAN.
" Fun Luu Potosi, uly
;DOCUMENT XIV.

(This is a Dispatch written by the same zealous Chief, declaring
that the news of !turbid'', execution was receive 4 at San Luis Po-
tosi with tears of joy.l

,s Jdatne.
_a* **poet '
disHobtan or(
turb 'the stems of
ought to make us. get
he hes expiated tit his death
committed against his country.
Such at least shall be_our conduct on the present oc-
casion. Whilst Iturbide lived and was dangerous, we
constantly endeavoured to expose the manoeuvres of his
partisans, to pet the nation on its guard against them,
and events have confirmed our predictions. He is now
dead, and this circumstance changes the state of things.
Let us commiserate his misfortune, and let us endea-
vour to sink into oblivion the mournful divisions into
which we were about to be plunged. Let this be the
epoch of reconciliation ; and, forgetting the number of
parties which drag us to our ruin, let there be no party
but the nation—no desire among us but that of conso-
lidating its beneficent institutions."
The Sovereign Congress and the Government seem
to be actuated by the same feelings of moderation and
'mercy. While addresses were arriving from the pro•
vinces, congratulating them on the adventurer's fate,
we find a considerable party in the Congress disposed
to provide liberally for his widow and children. On a
proposition being made in the sitting of the 27th of
July, to authorise the Government to send this widow
and her children out of the country, to any place they
thought proper, many Members delivered their opinions.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs said, that the Execu-
tive was far from wishing to aggravate the misery of
an unhappy family ; but it considered, that till their in-
stitutions were consolidated, it might be dangerous for
this family to inhabit the Republic of Mexico, or any
place from which they might easily return to it.
A Senor Bastamente was of the same opinion. He
thought that the factious should not be allowed such a
rallying point as the eldest son of the Pretender, who,
he heard, was of perverse inclinations, and disposed to
follow up his father's tyrannical ideas. Several Mem-
bers admitted the propriety of banishing the family,.
but denied the right of Congress to fix their residence
in another country. After a good deal of discussion,
the first article, for empowering the. Government to dis-
pose of the Er-Emperor's family was agreed to. On
the following day (July 99), the debate was resumed
on the mode of disposing of Iturbide's widow and
'children, when the following proposition was made and
discussed, namely, 44 The Government shall punctually
pity to Donna Ana Hecarte, 8,000 dollars annually.
And her children, on her death, shall enjoy a corre-
sponding allowanceunder the rules of military pensions."
Several Members supported this proposition, on the
ground that the grimes of' Iturbide furnished no reason,
why his family should be deprived of the decent pro.'
vision made by an anterior Congress. - Public decency
dictated that some provision should be made for per-
sons who were, for reasons of State, condemned to re-
side out of their native land. One Member proposed
as an amendment, that the above sum of 8,000 dollars
should be allowed, but should be lodged in the bank of
Philadelphia, and drawn only so long as the family
should reside in the republic of Colombia.

: Ab:

The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs saw no,
opposition between this amendment and original
the
proposition. The Government would, of edurse, re-
serve to itself the right of withdrawing the pension, ifi
the family neglected to observe the condition of resi-
dence on which it was granted. Two Members ob-
jected to the granting of any pension, on the ground
that other widows and Orphans deserved better of the
Republic, and ought to have their claims first attended
to. The first pan of the proposition, granting the pen-
sion to Madame Iturbide, was agreed to. The latter
part of it, extending the same to her family after her
death, was postponed for further consideration, and we
have not the result in the Papers before us.
The following are a few of the miscellaneous facts in
these Aurnals ;

The Sovereign Congress have passed a Decree which
has received the sanction of the Executive, acknowledg-
ing the debts of Mexico under the Vice-regal Govern-
ments, up to the declaration of independence. The
same Decree acknowledges the debts contracted by the
Independent Chiefs before the reign of Iturbide.—Let
Ferdinand of Spain look at this, and justify his refusal
to acknowledge his obligation to the creditors by whom
he was clothed and fed under his Constitutional sway.

. -
A robber has appeared in one of the missions of
Sierra Gorda, who promises to be as adroit and celebrated
as Gomez, on the high way from Vera Cruz to Mexico.
The disturbances in Yucatan and Tabasco had not
been entirely appeased on the 22d of June, as appears
from a letter dated Campeachy, inserted in the Sol of
the 15th of July. The agitators were soon expected to
be overpowered.
General Bravo, after-putting down the disaffected of
the province of Guadalaxara, and restoring the country
to tranquillity, returned to Mexico on the 27th ofJuly,
where he was received with great distinction.
In a discussion which took place in Congress on the
15th of July, a proposition was made to approximate
the Government of Mexico to that of the United States,
by creating one Pre!Went, instead of an executive of
three persons. If this project be carried, it is supposed
that General Bravo will be appointed first President.
EXTRACT OIP A LETTER FROM MEXICO, DATED JULY 28.

" By the Gracile, which we enclose, you will find all
the details made known to the public. This well-timed
and energetic measure, adopted by General Garta, who
was in cot:omit:A in the province where Iturbide
landed, has given the death-blow to the hopes of all
panics who wished to arrest the march of this country
towards establishing a rational independence Tliere
is no'one powerful eneugh here to menace the tran-
quillity of the State, which had hitherto only succeeded
under the pretence of restoring the Emperor. The
hopes of the old Spaniards have long since been dissi-
pated, of reconquering this territory, and the intrigues
of the Bourbons, or indeed of any of the Potentates of
the Holy Alliance, are not worth Mentioning, so long
as England maintains its present defensive attitude, itt
favour of American•liberty.
41 In a financial point of view, the death of Iturbide
is of incalculable advantage ; for if he had advanced to
the capital, Kt much disorder would have been created,
that it would hive been next to an impossibility to col-
lect the various branches of the revenue.
44 The insurrection in Grnadabisara and Oajaea were
very fortunately put down in time. A nephew of Itur-
bide, with some other rebels, were shot by
order of General Bravo ►here. Another of his nephews,
and a priest, have been arrested at Tampico, and orders
have been sent off lee their immediate execution."

FROM THE SOL (MEXICAN PAPER) OF
147,4E4 cowed various cote
ite asii IturbiOui
.but we }hiss*
;area ay.' w..i.ficiecitone of the M our pollen I
Augustih. polict etelrlty counsel us not to- xraturb
he dispo, rho Congress, Aoda . His mibfortenes Ought to m
ee of the his previous conduct, since he hop expiate
whatever offences he had committed again