The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-07-12

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of government for the country" They in-
sisted upon preliminary declaration of civil
| and religions liberty. The Mramon Govern
ment demurred to this, saying 1t would be
! surrender of sovereign power. Juarez objected
to the surrender of civil and religious liberty
On the Sth of May, 1860, M. de Gabriac,
being recalled, left Mexico for France Mira
mon sent Zuloaga (the real President of the
insurgent forces) into the interior, and claimed
70 be the substitute President The British
Minister refused to recognize him in that ca
pacity, and as the Mexican authorities de-
clined to hold intercourse with him on any
other footing, Mr.. Mathews, by order Of
his Government, broke off relations with the
Mexican authorities, and on the 18th Septem-
Der, 1860, withdrew to Jalapa. Relieved of
his presence, the authorities renewed their ex-
aotlons-demanding first of Mr.. Jecker G2000,
ana on his refusal to pay it, breaking
into his house and finding nothing; next levy
ing tlOO,OOO upon twenty-sx capitalists; and
finally seizing by armed force the sum of
tl5Z, OOO belonging to English bondholders,
and deposited for safe keeping, until it could
be shipped to England, with the English Lega-
tion, under protection of its seals. The seals
were violated, the locks broken open and the
money taken by band of men acting under
orders of General Marquee, the Quartermaster-
General OF the forces of MTamOn. Against
this proceeding M. Pacheco, the Spanish Min
protested,
and Mr.. Mathews, the British Minister de-
manded restitution and an apology; but the
authorities did not even condescend to reply.
During all this time the war had been going
on at various points. The spirit of the people
was aroused in support of the Constitutional
Government at Guanajuato, which had never
suspended its functions, and in December,
1861, the army commanded by General 0rtega
had advanced upon Mexico, scattered the
forces MlramOn. m ha NJ Tor,
1861, precisely three years after he left it,
Juarez, returned to the capital and resumed
his position there as constitutional President
of the Republic. The first act of the Govern
ment thus reinstated was to dismiss NJ
Pacheco, the Minister of Spain, together with
the Papal Nuncio and the Ministers of Guate-
mala and Ecuador, on account of their COM
picity with enemies of the Republic. On the
18th of March, 1861, M. de Saligny, the newly
arrived French Minister, recognized the Gov
ernment of Juarez, and the Ministers of all the
other powers continued their diplomatic rela-
tions with it. Fragments of Miramon's army
continued to hover around the capital and to
harass the country as predatory bands; but as
an army it had ceased to exist The Mexican
Congress elected, June 27, General 0rtega to
be Chief Justice-intending by that act, ac-
cording to Mr.. COrwin despatch June 30,
1861, to make him President if Juarez could
be induced to resign.
The Government was greatly embarrassed
by the exhaustion of the war, the pressure of
foreign Governments for their claims, the
entire lack of money, and the necessity for
rigorous measures of administrative reform.
A new Cabinet was formed in June, 1861 and
the Government addressed itself to its new
task. One of its first acts was to reorganize
its financial system. By conventions of two
or three years standing 35 per cent. of the
revenues from French imports were appro-
priated to the payment of English claims. The
expenses of collection, amounting to 80 per
cent, were paid by Mexico-so that only 35
per cent. Of the duties on French goods and
19 on English goods remained for the use of
the Government. Congress, therefore, on the
18th of July, 1861, passed an act ''suspending
all payments for two years. including the
assignments for the loan made in London and
for foreign conventions" The obligations of
these debts were expressly acknowledged, and
Commission was authorized to make arrange
ments for their future payment. The mea-
sure was temporary and one of absolute neces-
| sity, if the Government of Mexico was to con-
| tinue its active existence.
But with this act properly commences the
| history of foreign Intervention in the affairs of
Mexico. Instantly upon its passage the
Minister of France, M. de Saligny, and the
Minister of England, G.. Lennox Wyke, de-
manded to know if it was authentic. The
Mexican Government entered into the most
elaborate and sincere explanations of the Cir
! cumstances which made such a resort inevi-
| table, and gave the most solemn assurances of
the inviolability of the debts, and of ample
provision for their payment. But all was to
no purpose. On the 25th of July, 1861 both
these Ministers, having previously demanded
the annulment of the decree within twenty
four hours, and that demand having been re-
fused, broke off all official relations between
their respective Governments and the Gov
eminent of Mexico. The Mexican Govern
ment addressed itself most anxiously to the
Governments represented by these Ministers,
but without effect. M. Thouvenel, then
French Minister for Foreign Affairs, refused
peremptorily on the Sd of September to listen
to any explanations from Mr.. De la Fuente,
the Mexican Minister, and declared to him that
they fully approved the conduct of NJ. de
! Saligny: they had issued their orders in con-
cert with England, and that a squadron COM
| posed of vessels of both nations would exact
from the Government of Mexico due satisfac-
tiOn; and, he added ''Your Government shall
learn from our Minister and Admiral what are
the claims of France.' Previous, however, to
despatching this squadron, the London Con.
vention of October 81, 1861, was concluded
but, before giving its terms let us examine its
history.
During the fall of 1850 and the winter Of
1861, while the reactionary party in Mexico
was approaching its downfall, several of its
more prominent chiefs had repaired to Eu.
rope, and were known to be in active commu-
nicaton with the leading powers. Rumors
filed the public prints of schemes ON foot fol
foreign intervention in Mexico, for establish
ing new form of government there, and foI