To this proclamation was attached a despatch from the plenipotentiaries of each of the Allied Powers, stating specifically the nature of their respective demands.

Amongst those who accompanied the French expeditionary force was a Mexican emigré named General Almonte, whose object was to overthrow the Government and establish a monarchy, the throne of which was to be offered to the Archduke Maximilian. He was so far favoured by the French Government that he was allowed to march with the expedition, and the French Commissioner, M. Dubois de Saligny, ostensibly took him under the protection of the arms of France. The Mexican Government, on the other hand, demanded that he should be sent back to France. A conference, with Commissioners nominated by the Juarez Government, had been appointed to take place at Orizaba on the 15th of April, but M. de Saligny refused to meet them, alleging that "the real and principal object of the convention was to obtain satis

faction for the outrages heaped on foreigners by the Mexican Government, and to enforce its observance of treaties; that the temporizing and conciliatory sys. tem hitherto pursued was condemned by what was daily occurring, inasmuch as the reign of extortion, tyranny, and violence, had been made doubly oppressive, and had rendered the situation of foreigners quite intolerable; that proofs of this were continually afforded by the complaints daily sent in to him; that the attitude of the allied forces appeared to have stimulated the Government to redoubled audacity; that, for his part, he formally declared that he would not treat with that Government, and that his well-matured opinion was that it was necessary to march upon Mexico."

The English Commissioner, Sir C. Wyke, and the Spanish Commander, General Prim, thought that the conference ought to take place; and the difference became so irreconcilable, that, in the result, the English and Spanish Governments refused to co-operate further in the objects of the expedition, and their respective troops were withdrawn from Mexico. In a despatch addressed to Sir C. Wyke, on the 22nd of May, Earl Russell said:

"Her Majesty's Government approve your conduct on both those points. They consider that the presence of General Almonte in Mexico, under the protection of the French army, might fairly be considered as a provocation to civil war, and Her Majesty's Government could not have approved a measure having that tendency; for at that time the

Government of Mexico was a Government with which the Allies were conducting negotiations with a view to a peaceful settlement of their differences.

Her Majesty's Government are also of opinion that you acted rightly when, in answer to M. de Saligny's declaration of his unchangeable resolution not to treat with the Government of President Juarez, you refused to affix your signature to the answer addressed by the French Commissioners to General Doblado, and thereby broke up the conference, and put an end to the joint action of the three Powers. Her Majesty's Government greatly regret that the co-operation with France should cease: and they regret, above all, that the hope of the fulfilment of the objects of the convention of October 31, which might have been attained before the end of April, had the Conference met on the 15th, should thus have been abandoned

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"Her Majesty's Government have every reason to be satisfied with the determination you took. They concur in the opinions given by General Prim, and are happy to find that the conduct of the representative of Her Catholic Majesty has been approved by the Government of Spain."

The consequence was that the French army, under General Lorencez, was left to prosecute the enterprise alone; and on the 16th of April, the French Commissioners issued a proclamation to the Mexican people, in which they said:"Mexicans,-We are not here to take part in your dis sensions, but to settle them. We ask every respectable man to join us in the consolidation of order

and the regeneration of your country. To show the sincere spirit of conciliation with which we are animated, we first addressed ourselves to the Government, against which we had serious causes of complaint. We begged of it to accept our aid in establishing a state of things which would prevent these distant expeditions, which interrupt commerce and disturb the course of relations, which might be so advantageous to Europe and your own country. The Mexican Government replied to our moderation by measures which we could never approve, and which the civilized world would have reproached us for sanctioning with our presence. Between this Government and ourselves war has been declared. But we do not confound the Mexican people with an oppressive and violent minority. The Mexican people have a right to our sympathies; they have only to show themselves worthy of them. We appeal to all those who have confidence in our intervention, to whatever party they may belong.

"No enlightened man will believe that a Government elected by the suffrages of one of the most liberal nations in Europe would ever think of restoring ancient abuses and institutions not of this century.

"We desire equal justice for all, and that this justice should not be imposed by our arms. The Mexican people ought to be the chief instrument in its own regeneration. Our only object is to inspire the honest and peaceable portion of the inhabitants — that is to say, nine-tenths of the population, with courage to make known its wishes. If the Mexican

nation remains inert, if it does not understand the opportunity we offer it, if it does not by its own efforts give a practical meaning to our support, it is then evident that all we have to do is to attend to those interests which are contemplated by the Convention of London.

"Let men who have been but too long divided rally round us. In their hands are the destinies of Mexico. The French flag has been planted on Mexican soil; that flag will not retire. Let wise men hail it as a friendly flag; only madmen will dare to fight it."

The Mexican troops were commanded by General Zaragoza, and he retired from Orizaba, which was occupied by the French in the middle of April. General Lorencez then advanced on Puebla, before which he arrived on the 5th of May, and halted his columns about two miles from the city. The enemy was here in force, and a severe engagement took place, in which both sides fought the whole day with determined bravery. The Mexican General Zaragoza might indeed fairly claim a victory, as the French attack failed, and General Lorencez was unable to capture the two forts of Guadaloupe and San Loretto, which defended the town. In his report to the Minister of War, General Lorencez said :

"The impossibility of sustaining this heroic struggle any longer being clear to me, I caused the battalions engaged to descend, taking advantage of the hollows in the ground, and stopped them at the foot of the hillside to resume their knapsacks. There still remained to remove

my wounded, which, during the fight I had caused to be carried to a farm situated at a distance of 2200 metres from the fort. I had them carried out in small numbers, in order to escape the artillery of Guadaloupe, which continued to fire upon the group. When this operation was terminated, night was coming on, and my troops retired from the camp, in echelon, with the greatest order, and without the Mexicans daring to advance against them.

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In the midst of the combat, the two companies of Chasseurs, who had been left on the plain, were surrounded by a body of cavalry, supported by infantry; these two companies made, before my eyes, such a defence that I did not know which to admire most-those who were advancing under the fire of Guadaloupe, or the Chasseurs who, without paying attention to the number of the enemy who surrounded them, rallied with the greatest calm, and killed or dispersed the horsemen who were precipitating themselves upon them. The losses suffered in the glorious combat on the 5th of May, may be thus resumed :-Officers, 15 killed, 20 wounded; soldiers, 162 killed, 285 wounded. Different advices received from the Mexicans, state the loss of the enemy as at 1000 men. The night of the 5th passed without a shot being fired.

be received there with transport, and that my soldiers would enter the town covered with flowers. "I could not think of attacking the barricades of Puebla so long as the forts of Guadaloupe and San Loretto were in the power of the enemy; a direct march upon Mexico, leaving behind me a fortified place, was impossible. I decided on retiring upon Orizaba."

During the retrogade march, General Zaragoza endeavoured to prevent a junction with the French of a Mexican officer named Marquez, at the head of 2500 men, who were opposed to the Juarez Government, but he was defeated, and the army, reinforced by this addition, reached Orizaba on the 18th of May.

The news of this check excited great dissatisfaction in France. It was evident that the French Government had been deceived as to the state of public feeling in Mexico; and no time was lost in sending out strong reinforcements to enable General Lorencez to force his way to the capital. A bill was passed in the French Chambers granting supplementary credits for the purpose; and the committee to which it was, as usual, referred, said in its report: "On every point where our flag is engaged, we will support it energetically."

General Forey was placed at the head of the reinforcements, which reached Vera Cruz in the latter part of the year; and the

French army in Mexico amounted then to not less than 30,000 men. In the meantime, General Lorencez had remained at Orizaba, keeping open his communications with Vera Cruz; but no event of importance happened, and the year ended before any attempt was made to advance upon the capital. The Mexican Government sustained a severe loss in the death of General Zaragoza, in whose place General Ortega, who, a few years before, had been an attorney practising in a provincial town, was appointed Commander-in-Chief. A letter was addressed by the Emperor of the French to General Lorencez, in which he said: :

I approve your conduct, although it does not appear to have been well understood by every one. You did right to protect General Almonte, since he is at war with the present Government of Mexico. All those who seek a shelter under your flag have the same right to your protection. But all that must not in any way influence your conduct for the future. It is contrary to my interest, my origin, and my principles to impose any kind of government whatever on the Mexican people; they may freely choose that which suits them best. All I demand from them is sincerity in their relations with foreign nations; and I only desire one thing-the prosperity and independence of that fine country under a stable and regular Government."