New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1868-02-08

MENT OF THE PREss-IMPERIAL GOSSIP con-
CERNING MEssRs. WOOD, SEWARD, AND
oTHERs-THE PRESIDENT AUTHORIZED TO
DECLARE SIEGE IN YUCaTAN-THE ADMIN
1STRATION-THE HIGHwAYMEN.
From Our Own Correspondent
MEXICO, Jan. 8. 1868.
Macmillan is said to have been erect and tall
with the gait and figure of polite Westerner. His
manners were affable and winning, and he easily
made personal friends. On the street he is reported
to have been popular In defeating the statue OF
the patriot Morelos he appeared to advantage, speak
ing in clear Castian and with princely dignity. lie
received gracefully. He was an early riser had tenn
perate habits and tried 20 be methodical worker;
but the cares of Mexican State were not always to
his mind He would rather go to his farm at Cuer-
navaca as he often did to his thigh retreat among
Montezuma's expresses at Chapultepec-nOw place
of places to sit down and tell sad stories of the
death of kings" He anxious to escape some part
of the shame and vexation of being of
wholesale swindle of which Napoleon was the
owner, and in which Bazaine partner. So
when a crisis was brewing at the Capital the En-
peror was catching butterflies at Orizaba for he
was student of natural history. "lPoor Car0ttap
was not often with him in his excursions 1T was he
that fed and she that pursued, OF they had agreed
to work apart in the business of empre-so variousy
say the gossips. The most intimate friends of the
Archduke do not describe him doting husband.
yet the grace talents and ambition of his wife were
no doubt, dear to him; and once it is declared he
had some highly spirited words with Bazane
upon the subject. Even Padre Fischeriis credi-
bly, reported having observed shat the Emperor
was a weak man, and forgot his friends. III tu Brute:
Fisher was his private secretary. lie frequently gave
his enemies the preference, by proneness for
doing things awry, with the shTewdest Intentions
| He pardOned and repardoned individual cases with
| persistent mercy thus say the imperlaliStsl nut
signed sweeping order for drum head court-martias
or worse He could have wished to be even "A better
king than Don Pedro of Brazl-a friend of the arts
and sciences, companion of genteel scholars, ana
father of the people, scattering Mexican ha-pehce
bountifully but he could not have een oyer-scrupn-
ous 10 the means Of gratifying his taste for EN-.
pire-fOr in Macmillan, even with the stimulus OF
ancestral pride. ambition was not volcanic lie was
restless without being active. CarlOttas imperial
ism was a passion. for which she might have pawned
her own Jewels. She stately and good-looklng
woman. with brave and VIVID eye, ana That proud
and somewhat intense or narrow expression seen IN
the faces of the leading ladies OF the South Inc
royal partners spared no pains 10 make themselves
more Mexican than the MexIcans themselves. Car
Ota planted the gardens of the Plaza and the Ala
media; Macmillan embellished Chapultcpec. and
there walked about among the people on evenings Oh
holidays He had the courage To spread upon ms
bread at breakfast maguey butter another name Tor
the luxurious yellow worm that feeds upon the
maguey plant, and Is eaten by the Indians. re
drank puque and wore Mexican sOmbrcro. On
the day of Oar Lady OF GuadalOupe he attended
high with his wife, and washed the feet of beg
CARS. AS is WcllknOwn our Lady IS an Indian Saint;
these beggars were Indians Indians became n large
support of the throne, their chief being Thomas Ne-
Tia a fanatical partisan of the Church Macmillan
was almost persuaded Ia become an Indian In these
facts will be found the meaning Of the pictures ciTcu-
lated by Imperasts after MaNimilians death repre-
sentng himself and Carloiaa a. beaied, and knceling
before the Blessed Virgin of Guadaoupc IN Heaven.
While IL will not do to urge proof that the sOcaed
Emperor of Mexico was downright ana thorough
gong villain neither VIII II serve To SET nm mp as
model of any kind Willing 10 bend his neck Ia any
yoke for the sake Of empire u Is plain that he could
not have cherished a high ideal lie signed the
October decree while his wife went 10 France to beg
for bloOd-noney. A decenter thing would have been
10 have withdrawn in good time out of a mrlodrama
of so much blood and dirt as the Imperial show IN
Mexico. Better To have remained German gentle
man than have become "A king OF Mexican shreds and
patches, an emperor over poverty, bgotTy, and bad
faith-the agent of great swiudc. and the creature
Of renowned swindleT-the representative 10y neces-
sity of party Of religious slouches and retrogres,
sionlsis, having aSsa,shs lOI ihclI champions anu
the TemOTseiess, numbering bayOnets of the French
for allies. IL - impossible not 10 agree with
those who declare that Macmillan was too good
by these meant Almonte. MiIamon, Mar
quez and the rest 81 that bad chivalry IN whose
escort he went to his doom. Months before hls end
he must have been aware, not 80 much that he had
fallen among thieves-had lac not with his eyes open
consented TO undertake charge Of the fraud organ
lied by the French Emperor but that the thieves
had assurance of honor among themselves, and
were not to be utilized nor absorbed Miramon and
MARQUEE as ready upon proyocatlOn, TO pro-
nounce against King against "a PRESIDENT. These
men might have killed the Archduke II the Liberals
had not; and victory with them would have been,
perhaps, fatal as was his failure against JnareZ
lie placed himself in the circle of i've which the
diabolism of Napoleon had marked out for him, and
these were few Of the devils who tormented him.
The possession OF some sincerity made his dilemma
more painful and death the more certain and heroic
He had his eyes OPEN and yet was fooled TO the top
of his bent. lie an intelligent man. yet walked
to the end of his tragedy like dreamer Hapsburg
pride sympathy with his compatrots in Mexico. the
promptngs of ambitious mother, and tie insanity
of CarOtta all said TO have determined his self
sacrifice. Who knOwsf The bestsald of him Is that
he had genius sufficiently evil for the successful
of he vii a. "a
last consented 10 nauTaZe him, rs she does all her
EmpeTors-wth death. 1t was worthy of II better
cause.
These memorabilia of the late Arohduke are in
terestng in view of the letters which have just come
10 lgnt out Of the mass of Imperial archives now IN
possession of the Legitimate Government. The Min
lister OF the Council of State, on the October decree,
shows that Macmillan was positively IN favor OF that
cruel measure. The more recent publication OF his
private Back Book. volume of choice biographies
kept by OF his most intimate secretaries, mani
tests that the Emperor, sOcaed WAS fully aware Of
the character Of the men with whom he carried on
the business of empire In this book the notorious
Gen Juan n. AlmOnte, of the chief promoters Of
the Intervention, Is described as dishonest, avarl-
cious and revengeful" The savagery of Marquee is
also properly booked with the remark Sent 10
Jerusalein.p OF MiramOn. II i told that having
once lost at play the money of company of which
he was the captain aud treasurer. he drew hls sword
and swept all the stakes back again into his pocket
Then follows A recount of the way IN which he up
set his fellow rascal LUoaga took possession OF the
Government. took the held, levied contributions Tor
tho army aud spent the money at the gam
ing-table. No mention is made Of Me
which is rather creditabe 10 his memory; but
o Koran is set down in black. He makes a
show of rather strong and audacious phys0gnomy III
the popular points but the Black Book judges him
rightly. He was according to all accounts, cold
and vulgar villain. whose place OF execution -
scared al all points with the marks OF bullets aiued
at his victims He sometimes decrced death between
cigarpuffs General | am going to shoot you lie
remarked TO an astonished prisoner. after taking u
last swallow of chocolate with hum. The General
Marcia Lascano' and he was snYt an hour slter,