The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1861-01-10
Affairs in Mexico,


The surprise by which Miramon made
more than a thousand of the liberal army pri-
soners on the 10th Of December has shown us
how far bribery will influence the minds of
even soldiers. A more disgraceful act than
that by which the captain of the section of the
troops captured virtually sold his men to the
enemy for five thousand dollars has never been
recorded.
Such petty bribery has, however, availed
Miramon but little, for we now learn that he
was completely routed by the liberals on the
22d, and that after returning alone TO the
capital be fed on the oath, so that on Christ
mas day the liberals were in actual possession
of the capital Whether this is the end of the
war is too uncertain for us to venture an
opinion upon. 1t is more than probable that
the Miramon party will again concentrate their
forces to drive the consiitutiOnalists out Of the
metropolis, and that bloodshed and desolation
will once more be the inglorious sequel of this
factional warfare. We now turn our attention
TO matter in which England is intimately
interested, and which will be a source of
fresh trouble in that distracted country to
which already British feet has been des-
patched for the enforcement of national
rights. II appears that the British people
have lent the Mexicans fifty-one millions
of dollars on bonds The security being
small, the rate Of interest was to be proportion
ately high, But about ten years agoan arrange
ment was effected by which the bondholders
agreed to take three per cent in consideration
that the payment of the half yearly dividends
should be guaranteed by mortgage on the
customs
For three years this small interest was
punctually paid. But in the year 1854 the
payments stopped, Mexican stock became
worthless as a source of income, and there are
now fourteen half-yearly dividends in arrear.
With view to the protection of British inte-
rests an English sloop.of-war visited, in 1857,
the ports of Vera Cruz and Tampico. At this
time the State was in such an extraordinary
condition that the concessions of the Mexican
authorities to the acquisitions of the British
were Of no practical utility
In Mexico there are two factions. The one
we may call constitutional the other coolest
astical. The former espouses the doctrines of
liberalism, and nominally adheres to repub-
lican charter which was declared during one
of those intervals Of quiet by which the anarchy
of the country has SO seldom been relieved
1t is under this charter that Juarez claims to be
President of the State. The ecclesiastical party
lays claim, also, to republican constitution
as that of the Mexican State, but one founded
on an earlier charter, which favors the maxims Of
ahsolntism in practical administration, to which
the faction VIGOROUSLY inclines. But while Tie
constitutionalists are for secularizing church
property and turning the revenues of the old
Spanish establishment to national uses, the &C.
clesiastical party, as supporters Of the hierar-
chy, study to protect church property from
any such encroachments and appropriation.
This distinctive principle has preserved the vi
tality Of the party by securing them the aid
and influence of the priesthood and military,
and the sympathies Of Spain. Moreover, it in
duced cohesion among themselves, which, in a
country where all political society had been
broken up, gave them decided superiority.
When the British sloop-of-war alluded to
made her appearance in the waters Of Vera
Cruz, the chief Mexican seaports were in the
hands Of the cor titutionalists, headed by Ju-
arez, while the capital and the ncighboring
provinces were under the control of the
opposite faction, under General Mira
mon, who, by his priority of appointment
to Office and the 'sctof his holding
the capital, was considered the actual ruler of
Max;co nv fbo Euroooau ctato, ,r,,o = oo.n1:4.,
their diplomats to hirn, and not to Juarez. But
as the sloop could not reach Miramon she d.
rected her guns towards Juarez, who, having
charge Of the customs revenues, could adopt
measures for reducing the deb to the British
Juarez, however, when appealed to, very can
didly told his interros gators that in all Vera Cruz
there was not hard cash enough to pay the
amount in arrcar to the bondholders. There
was an ample supply of specie in Mexico, and
oil that he could do was to give bills upon the
capital. This was agreed to, and the bills so
given were converted into cash
Another difficulty now arose. How could
this money be brought from Mexico 10 Vera
Cruz? This was necessary for its shipment
to England; yet transit between the two
places was so unsafe that the proba-
bility was greatly in favor of its being stolen,
and the rate Of insurance was 50 enormously
high as to render the alternative ruinous. Un-
der such circumstances there was only one
course 10 be adoptcd-tbat Of allowing the mo-
ney 10 remain under the care Of the British
Minister at Mexico, and he accordingly placed
1t in Lis strong room, sealed with his seal of
office. The money remained in the same care
full custody up to recent date, when affairs
had become so bad even for Mexico, that the
British Minister deemed il prudent to retire to
Jalapa. Before doing so, however, he consign-
ed the dollars in his strong room to the charge
Of the British Consul. But no sooner had he
gone than the officers Of the government, armed
with saws and crowbars, proceeded TO the
place where tho coin was stored, and m