The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1860-08-07
PRICE TWO CENTS.
THE PRESENT Resent CONDITION OF MEXICO.

The following account of affairs in Maxioo :,
translated from the Revue des Deur Moades. It's
clear statement of the positions of the different
leaders in complicated quarrel: s.-..
The ephemeral empire of Iturbide lasted less than
one year. 1t afterwards became question whether
Mexico should be a federal or a consolidated
republic-whether it should be governed by con-
servatve party should pass into the hands of the
radicals, who are there called puros This is what
has produced revolutions and presidences of various
forms and denominations besides successive plans of
regeneration that it would be difficult even to name.
The events which have agitated Mexico punging the
country deeper and deeper in civil war all forming
one perpetual conflict, date from about the end Of
the dictatorship of General Santa Anna. The pro-
moter OF this revolution was an old Indian, General
Alvarez, who had passed his life in the State of
Guerrero, where he had created sort of feudal
sovereignty, and who brought to the city of Mexi
co his bands of pinto Indians. The net result of
this movement was the predominance of democratic
radicalism. The signal triumph of the revolution
was the vote of constitution in 1857, which re-
ideal of the democracy. Finally, parsonage of
the moment, Comonfort, who had hitherto been
merely the lieutenant of Alvarez, became Presi-
dent, while the old Indian, with his band of sava-
ges, took his way back to Guerrero.
Comonfort jammed in between the radicals who
suspected him of moderate tendencies, and the
rising conservative reaction, soon Disappeared
This was in 1858. military pronunciamento, in
stgated by the president, and afterwards turned
against him, upset this weak Dictatorship and
gave the power to a new chief, Gen. Felix Zuloaga
who came into the government sustained bv the
army, and invested with the mission of carving
out the Tacubaya plan, which, like so many others
was to regenerate Mexico. This was success for
the conservatives, who were thus delivered from
the domination of the puroS. Unfortunately how
ever, the Democratic party, though beaten at Mex-
CO, was still alive in the provinces, hoisting for its
flag the Constitution of 1857. The Vice President
O. n nhsfJ 10 Ind.
sing radical, Benito Juarez, organized sort of
pseudo-legal government in the name of this Con-
stitutlon; and after wandering about from town to
town, ended in establishing himself at Vera Cruz,
which the Revolutionary party had managed to get
possession of.
There were then two governments in Mexico
The one was established in the city itself: it had
with it large part of the army the clergy, and
all the conservative influence. Without being
regular power in its origin it was after ALL mas
ter OF the capital, and it was only recognized by
iorelgn powers whose agents had Immediately
formed connexions with it. The other government,
t tne EXPRESSION Oh revolutionary legality which
had just been vanqushed at Mexico, was personifed
In Benito Juarez. Being master of Vera Cruz. the
principal port of the republic, he had the custom
houses in his own hands, which put at his disposal
pecuniary resources that enabled him for the time
being to live and wait the turn of events. For the
want of regular army he raised evies of partzans
in the provinces, who rallied around hm-ex gov
ernors, disbanded soldiers turned into generals,
captains OF bands ready to pillage under any flag.
This so-caed Constitutional cause had also in the
North the support of rather singular parsonage
5. Viadurri Having Indian blood in his veins
obstinate and energetic, full of ambition, and with
a head well stored with confused ideas, Viadurr
had been thirty years clearing the road to power
and had arrived at it, governing almost like mas
ter over the provinces binding on the United
States, which he had threatened more than once to
detach from Mexico and form into new republic
of the Sierra Mddre This man, for the moment,
was an auxiliary of Juarez.
The struggle thus commenced. The first
thing to be done by the government at the city of
Mexico, was to break the network by which it was
surrounded before any attempt could be made to
insure the peace OF the republic. A corps d. ar
NEE was sent to Jalisco in the north, under the
command of two young officers, Ossollo and Mi
ramon. After considerable success 0ssollo was
Killed, and was succeeded by his lieutenant, Miguel
Mlramon, young man of French extraction, but
twenty'siX years or age, full of energy and military
intelligence, and when the insurgents were beaten
at all points, and the star of the Conservatives was
in the ascendant, all eyes were turned upon this
young general. The victories of Miramon led,
however, to no political result For while the
army OF the north, skillfully commanded, beat the
Consttutionaists, the army of the east, under Gen
Eeheagaray, dir scted against Vera Cruz was losing
time IN feeble operations. The government of
Mexico showed itself wanting in every spirit of
initiation; it lived by expedients and drew pro-
fits from the advantages attained by the army of
the north. The President, General Zuloaga,
raised to power by the Conservative party in 1855,
exhibited a deplorable political mediocrity, which
soon lost him all consideration. and making him an
object of universal disrust. The result of all this
was sort of equilibrium in the government o.
Mexico, in the of which Miramor
useessly followed up his successes, while the gov
eminent which continued at Vera Cruz became
embroidered from the very impotency of the oper-
ations directed against it. All the advantages
which had seemed to favor Zuloaga, the recogni-
tlon of the diplomatic corps the success of skilIu
general IN no way served to decide the question
between the parties. From this copiuncture of
facts arose sudden change of fortune in the affairs
OF Mexico. Echeagaray, instead of obeying orders
and turning his efforts against Vera Cruz put him.
selfin insurrecton against President ZuI0aga, Of
whom he held his command
Echeagaray had made his movement at Avotta
by publishing, according to custom, a new politi.
cal plan. The 23rd of December, 1858, General
Rosles Pezuela, commanding the garrison at Mexi.
co, followed the movement, and in his turn adopted
programme, which was slight modification ol
the other. The leading idea of this prouunciamen.
to was fusion or reconciliation of all parties A
committee was quickly formed composed of Gener-
al Mariana Soas Castavieda and General Casano.
vo; juntd of one hundred and fifty notables was
to unite few days afterwards to elect provi-
siona president, until the deiinitive organization
OF the republic, which was to be the work of a
congress in which all parties would be represented
Now two things remained doubtful. First, how
would JuareZ answer, in the name of the COnstitu
tionaists, these offers of coneiliation?-then wha
would be the attitude of Miram0n in this new state
of things? JuareZ answered with disdaiu the pro
positions sent to him. As to Miramon, he was fal
away; and, at the very moment of this crisis il
Mexico, in hot pursuit of one of the principa
Constitutional chiefs, Degollado. One thing, how
eyer, was pretty evident-upon the attitude of the
commanders of the north depended in a great mea
the success of the movement in the CITY o
Mexico. This crisis greatly increased the import
ance of the young general; and such was the as
cendancy that he already held, that when the pntc
assembled on the lst of January, 1859, to elect
provisional President, he had the majority; he haC
50 votes and Robles only &c. Thus Miramon, wht
had not left his army, found himself elected, with
out knowing it, supreme chief of the Republic, il
place of Zuloaga, revolutonarily Geposed. Wha
was most characteristic that, at the moment o
the election, the opinion of MiramOn of these lat
events was not known.
| Miramon not deemng wise polite what hat
been done, but keeping his own counsel, and with
out Fastening in the least, proceeded to Mexico
where be arrived without escort on the 2lst Janu
ary, and avoiding all official demonstrations wen
| to his fathers house. He was by no means pleased
A and conscious of his strength took no pains t
| conceal his frame of mind. When the old Genera
| Salas informed him that Zuloags would not b
| supported, if he thought of reestabshing him, b
| replied that he depended upon no one, but reiet
| on his own sword. As to General Robles, who wa
an officer Of engineers, he ordered him to prepar
| to accompany him in the operation he was contem
| plating against Vera Cruz. The old generals ant
twenty y-six, third muckachO, they called him. 70
they had not been accustomed to be treated in thi
sort; nevertheless they we're obliged to submit
| Without accepting the Presidency which had beel
cast upon him by the vote Of the juHtd, Mramol
had commenced by causing himself to be electe,
general-in-chiet of the Mexican army. Three day
| after he recalled Zuloaga to the Presidency The
movement of the other two generals was consid
cred as null and void. Thus Zuloaga was solemn,
re-estabished January "a, 1859.
IL nlPar 10 pXcent OarhoOS TnlO
aga, that the shadow of power could not stand il
the light of the reality. The artifce deceived n
one, and Zuloaga, under the pressure of publ
opinion, by decree, handed over the presidenc
to Miramon, who this time accepted and on tn
I'd of February took possession, in speech full o
| painspoken truths for all parties, not excepting
his own. Miramon's first thought was to go a
| once, and force the government of Juarez in it
citadel of Vera Cruz. There, he thought, was tn,
knot of the whole question. After having form &c
a ministry, and procured sum of money
by extraordinary impost, the president
left on the 10th of February, and directed
his forces towards Vera Cruz. If Miramon had hat
only the enemy to conquer who was before him, hi
would probably have succeeded; but he was in ont
of those confused situations where everything
changes place at each instant. The operation:
were first retarded, then neutraized by series o
circumstances which entirely escaped him, ant
which were to hold him in check by multiplying
the difficulties around him.
While Miramon had been with the army of the
north, he had beaten the Constitutionalists in al
rencontres and trusted to a semblance of pacifca
ton. In his absence they had recovered their bold
ness; they united in the interior to the number o
six or seven thousand under the command o
Degollado, who taking the title of minister of war
took possession of the town of Gunnaiuato by sur
prise and marched upon Mexico. This army pillag
ing snd devastating all before it, arrived on thu
2lst of March at Tacubaya at the very gates of thu
capital Mexico was in a state of seige and liable
at any time to be taken by assault. On the lst o