JUAREZ 
 
 CESAR CANTÜ. 
 
 A nEFtTATION 
 
 OF THE CDAE(ÍES PEEFEBEED BY TOE ITALIAN HISTOKIAX, IN ills LA^T WORK 
 
 AGAINST THL AMEKICAN PATKIOT. 
 
 Conscience demands that the 
 accuser shall prove the veracity 
 of the charges he makes.— Cesar 
 Cantú. — hi his Bio^aphy of 
 Maximilian. 
 
 OFFICIAL EDITION. 
 
 MEXICO. 
 
 PRINTING OFFICE OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, 
 Sabás A. Munguia, Director. 
 
 1885
 
 
 ÍHf^^ great intellectual gifts wliicli distinguish 
 
 and recommend the historian Cesar Cantú ha- 
 
 ^ ve properly earned for him the merited re- 
 
 y putation he enjoys in the civilized world; and 
 we, who have always been his sincere admirers, are 
 to-day the first to acknowledge that universal opinion. 
 It is precisely because of his fame as a historian that 
 we lament the fact that Cesar Cantú, when referring 
 to matters relating to the Mexican Republic, whether 
 he narrates the history of the past or treats of contem- 
 poraneous events, has not adhered to that histori- 
 cal accuracy which it is his bounden duty to observe, 
 and which impartial criticism should not alter in any 
 •way. 
 
 "7w Mexico n — says Cesar Cantú, in his work en- 
 titled THE HISTOEY OF THE LAST THIRTY YEAUS—Hvhile 
 
 u Spain tvas ivarring against Napoleon /, the noUes and 
 iii/ie clergy unfurled the banner oftlie ancient Astee mon- 
 uarchs, the tvhite and hi ue standard of the Virgin of Gua- 
 ^'dalupe^ and separated from the mother country, etc. -i 
 
 
 S/S3? Cí3f
 
 This iTü pardonable error as to tlie liistoric origin 
 of tlie independence o£ Mexico, is repeated by Cesar 
 Cantil in liis biography of Maximilian. It wonld be 
 difficult to explain tliis error of judgement on tlie part 
 of the eminent historian otherwise than by attributing 
 it to the lack of authentic data respecting a matter so 
 well known, and so different from the account pres- 
 ented in the Ilistori/ of the last thirty years. But be it 
 as it may, and even admitting every attenuating cir- 
 cumstance in his excuse, the fact remains that Cesar 
 Cantú has persisted in errors which are foreign indeed 
 to his general impartiality, when, in the biography of 
 Maximilian, he formulates his charges against the 
 great reformer, the great defender of the independence 
 and autonomy of Mexico, Benito Juarez. The charges 
 against that spotless patriot, are as follows: 
 
 " Juarez promised the territory of Sonora to the United 
 " States, and hy these means he secured his recognition (as 
 "President), n 
 
 '^ The hody of Maximilian, which the hutchers of the 
 *' Prince had solemnly promised to deliver, had to he ran- 
 ^^somedfrom that dishonorable' and heartless oligarchy at 
 " the cost of entreaties and of money, n 
 
 We may casually remark, that in the biography of 
 Maximilian there are some other historical errors 
 which we do not contradict, because they really pos- 
 sess no great importance, and have no bearing upon 
 the principal subject of this refutation. Still, some 
 of them deserve to be pointed out, because they indi- 
 cate, at least, the incomprehensible carelessness of 
 that historian when discussing the men and affairs of 
 this country.
 
 He says, for instance, tliat Maximilian *^ granted 
 
 ^^ liberty to the negroes at the same time in tchich 
 
 ^^ Lincoln decreed that of the negroes in the United States.'''' 
 What knowledge o£ Mexico, of its liistoiy, of its social 
 condition, can a man have who, without hesitation, 
 thus declares that there were slaves in this country 
 when Maximilian arrived? If Cesar Cantii, in the full 
 compliance with his duties as a historian, had consul- 
 ted the hooks that had already heen published about 
 Mexico, he would have learned, as we all know here, 
 that in December 1810, the illustrious curate of Do- 
 lores solemnly issued a decree granting liberty to the 
 negroes; that Morelos repeated this decree on the 5th 
 of October 1813, and that Guerrero, on the 15 th of 
 September 1829, confirmed those prescriptions by an- 
 other decree which contained these two articles: 
 
 "1st Slavery is aboKshed in the Republic." 
 
 "2nd All persons who hitherto have been consi- 
 dered as slaves, are free. " 
 
 But there is yet something more to he noted. Max- 
 imilian, far from having abolished slavery, which did 
 not exist in Mexico, entertained the idea of re-establish- 
 ing that hateful institution, acting, for this purpose, 
 in accord with the Southern Confederacy, as may be 
 seen by innumerable documents which are to be found 
 in the fifth volume of tlie Correspondence of the Mex- 
 ican Legation in Washington, and which were publish- 
 ed here in 1871. 
 
 He says also that Juarez "/rom the adjacent territory 
 (alluding to the United States) continued to call himself 
 the legitimate Chief of Mexico, " when all the world 
 knows that Juarez never for a moment abandoned the
 
 national territory. To such a degree of confusion do 
 tlie statements and the appreciations of the Itahan 
 historian reach, that amongst the few Mexicans whom 
 he eulogizes, he mentions Zaragoza, without consider- 
 ing the fact that the well deserved fame of this noble 
 champion of independence and reform, was won prin- 
 cipally by his splendid victorj'' over the French army 
 sent by Napoleon III to realize the most glorious page 
 in the history of his reign, which consisted in placing 
 the Achduke Maximilian on the throne of Mexico. 
 
 Let us proceed now to discuss the principal charges 
 preferred by Cesar Cantu against Benito Juarez.
 
 (U^Jm^^OAa^^^^ 
 
 The Sonora Matter. 
 
 6 
 
 E do not liesitate to do full justice to tlie 
 Italian historian by declaring that, with liis 
 ^^ great learning and correct judgment, he could 
 *^ e^ not have acted in bad faith when he wrote 
 against Juarez, thus permitting himself to become a 
 voluntary accomplice or instrument of ignoble pas- 
 sions. But it is important to state that C esar Cant u. 
 was a personal friend and professor of Maximilian; 
 that the latter had conferred upon him honorary ap- 
 pointments and commissions in public instruction, and 
 that therefore he was not in a position of complete 
 independence to judge of Mexico and of Juauez with 
 entire impartiality. In addition ; it is not a secret that 
 this historian belongs to the Conservative party of 
 Europe, and that he has maintained his sympathy for 
 the Pope and the Clergy, having even acted as Secre- 
 tary to an (Ecumenical Council. These were not, as 
 we have said before, the most fitting conditions to 
 judge impartially of Juarez, who in Mexico was the
 
 8 
 
 cliampion o£ reform ; and wlio, far from su"bmitting 
 to Maximilian, as certain deluded parties anticipated, 
 fought against liim witliout truce or rest, and thus 
 worthily responded to tlie confidence universally re- 
 posed in liim by liis countrymen. 
 
 Witlie regardto tlie judgment of tlie liistorian, we 
 tliink tlie foregoing is sufficient to show the rock upon 
 Avhich his impartiality stumbled. With respect to the 
 fact as it really is, we have to present it with all its 
 antecedents. These are as follows: 
 
 In the session of the Spanish Senate, held on the 
 24 th of December 1862, when discussing the reply to \^ 
 the speech from the Throne, General JD 'Do nnell, then j) 
 President of the Cabinet, said: ^^Jtiarcz^ as a Mexican^ 
 "has, in my opinión, a stain ivhicli can never he effaced. 
 '"^Juarez has signed a treaty hy which he sells to the United- 
 " States ttoo provinces under tlie title of a pledge for two 
 
 ^^ years, as a guarantee for a loan This is a stain 
 
 ^^ivhich I cannot imagine hoto tlie Mexicans ivill view. 
 " Were la Mexican, I never ivould forgive him^^ ^ 
 
 The Duke of Tetuan was, then, one of the first 
 who launched this unfounded accusation against the 
 patriot Benito Juarez; but it was also to him that the 
 illustrious Mexican first gave a solemn contradiction 
 by publishing the letter which appeared in the Diario 
 
 1 A clear proof of the candor of General O ' Donell, as well as of tlie 
 value of the som'ces from which he obtained his information, is the fact 
 that during the same session of the Senate and in the same speech, 
 he read a communication from the Conservative leader Don Felix 
 Zuloaga, dated in Habana, August 14th 18G2, in which this gentleman 
 attributes to Juarez the intention to "exterminate the whole ivhitcrace in 
 Mexico." How then can it siu-prise us that the Duke of Tetuan should 
 have given credit to the false report relative to the sale of the two provin- 
 ces, if he believed that Juarez was the promoter of a war of races?
 
 Oficial of February 23rcl 1863. Juarez descended vo- 
 luntarily from liis lofty position as President, so tliat, 
 as a simple citizen, lie miglit say to tlie chief of tlie 
 SpanisL. cabinet: ^''You are authorized toiniblish the proofs 
 you may have upon this matter. " The most absolute si- 
 lence was the attitude assumed by O'Donnell, thereby 
 demonstrating, once and for ever, the absurdity of the 
 calumny with which it was attempted to blacken the 
 brilliant reputation of the indefatigable defender of 
 the independence of Mexico and the integrity of its 
 territory. 
 
 It will not be out of place here to produce this let- 
 ter of Benito Juarez, and the article which was writ- 
 ten upon the subject by Don Manuel M. Zamacona, 
 who was at that time editor of the Diario Oficial. 
 
 The following are the documents: 
 
 «The DiarijiM the Government of the Mexican Repub- 
 lic. — Volume I, mimber 16, February 23 rd, 1863. 
 
 "A calumny against the President of tlie Eepnblic. 
 
 «We have just received this letter: — National Palace, 
 City of Mexico, February 22 nd, 1863. — To the Editor of 
 the Diario Oficial — My dear Sir: — I have just read in the 
 Monitor Bepiiblicano of this date the speech which Señor 
 O'DoneU, President of the Spanish Cabinet, deHvered in 
 the discussion of the reply to the speech from the Throne, 
 and I have seen with surprise, amongst other inaccurate 
 statements, that Señor O ' Donnell uses, in judging of the 
 men and affairs of Mexico, the following remarkable 
 
 words « Juarez, as a Mexican, has, in my opinion, a 
 
 stain which can never be effaced: that of having desired
 
 10 
 
 to sell two provinces o£ his country to the United Sta- 
 tes». . . . This accusation, madelDy a high functionary of 
 a nation, and on a serious and solemn occasion, in which a 
 statesman ought to be careful that his words shall carry 
 the seal of truth, of justice and of good faith, is an ac- 
 cusation ser iousl y grave, because it might be suspected 
 that, by reason of his high position, he holds documents 
 to prove his statements. Yet this is not true. Señor O'Don- 
 nell is hereby authorized to j^ubhsh the proofs which he 
 may hold with regard to this matter. In the meanwhile 
 my honor obliges me to state that Señor O'Donnell has 
 erred in the judgment he has formed of my ofíicial pro- 
 ceedings ; and I authorize you, Mr. Editor, to deny the 
 imputation which is thus so unjustly made against the 
 Chief Magistrate of the State. — I am, Mr. Editor, your 
 obedient servant. — Benilo Juarez. y> 
 
 {( Most wilhngly we comply with the request made in 
 the foregoing letter. Our testimony can add nothing to 
 the weight of the noble and sincere asseveration of the 
 Chief Magistrate of the Repubhc. Nevertheless, we avail 
 ourselves of this oi^poi'tunity to declare that we have been 
 induced by the firmest con\nction to designate as a cal- 
 umny, in the heading which we have given to these lines, 
 that which the Chief of the Spanish Cabinet has uttered 
 in his recent speech before the Cortes, when alluding to 
 the present President of our Republic. An affirmation so 
 false, when heard from the lips of a person in so high a 
 position, makes us comprehend to what extent the sys- 
 tematic defamation made by the press and by intriguers 
 
 has misled the judgment of pei'sons who have the oppor- 
 tunity, and whose duty it is, to be well informed as to the 
 
 affairs of Mexico. 
 
 «The speech of Marshal O'Donnell, which is the motive 
 
 for this explanation, renders other important rectifications 
 
 also necessaiy. Wo shall devote a subsequent article to
 
 11 
 
 this end, and we may perhaps make use of that opportunity 
 to examine how far it may be legitimate to censure our 
 governments for the manner in which they exercise the 
 sovereign power of the Repubhc with regard to the free 
 disposal ofits territory. We do not mean to say that the 
 preservation of the integrity of the Nation does not form 
 a part of our principles; but the susceptibility of our in- 
 dependence is hurt when we see the effort to make it a 
 crime, on the part of Mexico, to do that which European 
 nations do every day. We see that we are banned for an 
 alleged attempt to cede two of om^ States, when no blame 
 is uttered against the cession, for instance, of the two pro- 
 vinces, the acquisition of which has recently made the 
 Emperor of the French so vainglorious in his speech at 
 the opening of the legislative sessions. We are more jeal- 
 ous of the integrity of Mexican territory than are our 
 censors across the seas; but we protest that no excep- 
 tional law should be exclusively invented for our own 
 country. 
 
 « Let the question of law be what it may, we entertain 
 the most profound conviction that not only has the Gov- 
 ernment of Mexico never thought of ahenating one singlo 
 inch of the Repubhc, but that the very idea of such an 
 act has always been rejected with repugnance and indig- 
 nation by the present Executive. It is difdcult for Spain 
 to comprehend the absurd aspect which, for us who know 
 the President of the Republic and who have been asso- 
 ciated with him in his official acts, is presented by the 
 imputation that he has attempted the alienation of na- 
 tional territory. We who have witnessed how he has re- 
 sisted unhesitatingly the tempting offers which impHed 
 the salvation of the country in its present crisis, solely 
 because these offers involved a depreciation of the na- 
 tional sovereignty or of the rights emanating therefrom; 
 we who know, (and every Mexican knows) that on this 
 matter the Chief Magistrate of the Republic is guided by 
 something hke a prejudice which is characteristic of him, 
 we all can look with contempt, because of its improb-
 
 12 
 
 ability jUpon the imputation to wliich we refer as simply 
 absurd, were it not that the position of its author and the oc- 
 casion which upon it was made, gave it another character. 
 This makes it clear that, although the Mexican question 
 has lately been widely discussed, great errors yet remain 
 to be dissipated, and great truths to be brought to hght. 
 
 « The characteristic susceptibility of the President of 
 the Republic, on the subject under consideration, explains 
 the promptitude with which, inmediately after the arrival 
 of the last news from Europe, he felt inclined to make 
 by himself, and in a letter written by his own hand, the ex- 
 planation we have just inserted. In that letter he invites 
 Marshal O'Donnell to publish the dataupon which he has 
 attempted to attribute to the President of Mexico the 
 intention to alienate a part of our territory, and we feel 
 sure that such data will never be produced, because it is 
 simply impossible to produce the proofs of that which has 
 never occurred. This is known to all the inhabitants of 
 the Republic ; and were it not unworthy of the Chief of 
 the Nation to appeal to witnesses, ho could invoke the 
 testimony of eight millions of Mexicans. 
 
 «Marshal O'Donnell repeats, without knowing it, one of 
 those charges which the personal enemies of the President 
 have propagated all over Europe, conscious as they are 
 that the silly and absurd nature of these calumnies makes 
 it impossible to circulate them in Mexico. It has been once 
 attempted to use these arms even here against the Chief 
 of the Nation ; but a victorious vindication was the imme- 
 diate result, and public opinion has rendered its accustom- 
 ed tribute to justice, and has confounded the calumniator. 
 
 «As a proof of this, we deem it opportune to reproduce 
 an article published in the Sigh XIX, during the early 
 days of June 1861. ' — M. M. Zamacona.y> 
 
 1 The article to which Mr. Zamacoua refers will be iusei'ted here- 
 after.
 
 13 
 
 Upon landing in Veracruz, Greneral Forey said : 
 
 " Jii is not against tc Mexican ^jeople that I come to malee 
 ^^tvar, hilt it is against a liandful of men ivithout scruple 
 ^^ancl ivitJioitt conscience, tclio have trampled upon justice^ 
 ^^ governing hy means of sanguinary terror, and tvho, to 
 ^''support tJiemselves, are not ashamed to sell the territo^-y of 
 ^Hheir country to foreigners hy piecemeaV^ 
 
 It was natural tliat tliis calumny, uttered by the 
 chief o£ the expedition, or rather by Napoleon III 
 himself, since it was he who indited Forey 's proclam- 
 ation, should find an echo later on in the French Le- 
 gislative Body, and it was there in fact where M. 
 Corta repeated, on the 15th of April 1865, the ac- 
 cusation against Juarez, affirming most positively 
 that he had sold the State of Sonora to the United- 
 States for seventy five millions of francs. Just as it 
 might be expected, the calumnious statement was 
 immediately denied, and it was Mr. Romero who den- 
 ied it, in a letter dated the 2nd of May of the same year, 
 which he addressed to the President of the Associated 
 Press of New-York. The letter was published in the 
 newspapers of said city. 
 
 In the resolutions reported by the Committee ap- 
 pointed by the Council of Notables to decide upon the 
 form of government which should be given to Mexi- 
 co, a committee Avhich was composed of Don Ignacio 
 Aguilar, Don Joaquin Velasquez de Leon, Don Teófi- 
 lo Marin, and Don Cayetano Orozco, it was said : " The 
 "tvorld already hnoivs the attempts made hy the Govern^' 
 "ment of Juarez in Veracruz, and after ivards in Mexico^ 
 ^Ho obtain a direct protectorate hy the United -States, ivhicli 
 ^^ would have heen the death of our independence.''^
 
 14 
 
 It is thus seen that at all times even to the present, 
 the political enemies of Mexico, that is to say, the 
 partisans o£ the Church and of the Empire, have 
 sought to stain the historic reputation of our great 
 citizen, by attributing to him the intention, and even 
 more, the attempt to sell the national territory to the 
 United- States. 
 
 The Diario Oficial of the Empire^ of June 26th, 1865, 
 constituting itself, in had faith ^ the echo of the state- 
 ments published by a foreign newspaper, said, when 
 speaking of Maximilian: "/¿¿s oivn predecessor (Juarez) 
 offered the "very same territory (Sonora) to President 
 Lincoln for 'Uhree millions of pounds sterling." 
 
 But it is not strange that foreign speculators and 
 wandering adventurers should accept the calumny 
 when there were Mexicans who, perhaps without con- 
 viction, undertook to propagate it. 
 
 One of them was the laAvycr Don José Maria 
 Aguirre, who in 1861 was enrolled with the fifty one 
 members of Congres Avho endeavoured to declare the 
 election of President Juarez null and void. Mr. Aguir- 
 re formulated the same charge against Juarez; a char- 
 ge Avhich was rejected as unfounded by the same 
 members of the opposition belonging to the fraction 
 of the fifty one. That distinguished journalist, Fran- 
 cisco Zarco, chief editor of the Sigh XIX, published, 
 in connection Avith this matter, the remarkable article 
 which we now reproduce, and to which Mr. Zamaco- 
 na refers in his article of the Diario Oficial already 
 cited. That article confirms these two important truths: 
 the refusal of Juarez to solicit foreign aid, even aga- 
 inst the opinion of his own friends and political cor*
 
 15 
 
 religionists, and tlie absolute absence o£ facts on wbicb 
 to base tlie accusation preferred by Agnirre. 
 The following is Zarco 's article: 
 
 An accnsatiou against the President of tlie Kepublic. 
 
 «The wliole country remembers, undoubtedly, the afflic- 
 ting circumstances which sui'rounded the Constitutional 
 Government in the early days o£ its permanence at Vera- 
 cruz, when dismay reigned all over the districts subjected 
 to the Church party, and where, it is a fact, the hberals 
 did not abound as they do to day. The condition of the in- 
 terior of the Republic was painful indeed, and its situation 
 abroad could not be worse, after the empty farce of power 
 created by the reactionary faction in Tacubaya had been 
 recognized as the legitimate Government of the country, 
 thanks to the intrigues and to the interests of a European 
 diplomatist whose memory can never he forgotten. At 
 that time it was looked upon as a hope, as an advantage, 
 that the Constitutional Government should succeed in 
 obtaining recognition by the United -States of America, 
 the liberal party believing that the moral influence of the 
 neighboring republic, its mercantile interest, and even its 
 physical support, would be auxiharies to the national ca- 
 use, and would hasten the triumph of right principles. 
 
 «In this aspiration, which became general among the 
 most distinguished members of the liberal party, there 
 was one who did not participate, who .openly refused to 
 call foreign troops to his aid, whether they were to be of the 
 regular army of the United States, or whether they were 
 to be volunteers who, on arriving in Mexican territory, 
 would renounce their nationality and, after the campaign 
 should have ended, would receive public lands on which 
 to settle, in recompense of the services which they might 
 lend to their adopted country. The man who thought 
 that this plan was not consistent Avith the national deco- 
 rum, the man who in this extreme resort foresaw a dan-
 
 16 
 
 ger to our independence; he who never despaired of the 
 Mexican people, believing that alone and without foreign 
 help they would reconquer their hberty and institu- 
 tions, was the President of the Republic; and thanks to 
 his tenacious and obstinate resistance at that tme, we 
 owe the failure of any international treaty between govern- 
 ment and government, and of any contract with pr-ivate 
 parties for the pm'pose of bringing foreign forces to the 
 Republic to follow the Constitutional banners. In the 
 same manner he was opposed to the idea of loans if, in 
 the contract to obtain them, there was to be any stipul- 
 ation which would bring with them gTcat international 
 obligations. 
 
 «What we have just stated is proved by well known 
 facts, and it is authentic and incontrovertible. Juarez was 
 then blamed as obstinate and pertinacious by many of his 
 friends, a charge that was repeated later on when, with 
 the same tenacity, he refused to accept a reconciliation 
 with the Church party and the mediation of foreign powers 
 in the settlement of om* internal questions. Two capital 
 ideas were in the mind of the President: a scrupulous 
 zeal for independence, for the nationality of his country 
 and for the integrity of its territory, together with an un- 
 hmited confidence in the triumph of public oi^inion, and 
 in the people, believing that of themselves they would 
 recover their rights without the disgrace of foreign aid. 
 
 «We asserted that the President almost alone rejected 
 the opinions which were then entertained by many mem- 
 bers of the Hberal party, and in saying so we give to each 
 one his due. Many military chiefs declared that it was 
 necessary to enrol foreign volunteers. Some others wished 
 not only soldiers but also officers. Miguel Lerdo de Te- 
 jada and Uoveruor Zamora pai'ticipated in these ideas, 
 which, we frankly confess, since we do not fear the res- 
 ponsability for our opinions, were our own under those 
 sad circumstances. In vain the President was entreated ; 
 in vain were proposed the most studied precautions to 
 avoid any circumstances which might injure or impair the
 
 17 
 
 independeuce or the dignity of the RepubHc ; in vain the 
 idea was combined with some other projects, joining it 
 with the necessity of colonization, of making religious li- 
 berty effective, of maintaining, after the victory, an ele- 
 ment of material force that would complete the pacifica- 
 tion of the country. Juarez rejected all these ideas; he 
 had disagreements even with many of his friends. In his 
 correspondence he always opposed the project, and perse- 
 vering in the struggle, events have shown that he was 
 right. Thanks to him, the Republic overcame its opressors 
 without any other aid than that of her own resources and 
 the intrepid efforts of her own sons. There exist a good 
 many letters written by Juarez to prove our assertions. 
 
 « So far are we from wishing now to formulate any char- 
 ge against the persons who thought of recruiting a foreign 
 force, that we have just said that we ourselves were among 
 them. We believed that this was the last resort for the 
 prompt re-establishment of peace; but we did not over- 
 look its inconveniences, and to day we rejoice when we 
 see that the progressive revolution, in its triumph, finds 
 itself free from such inconveniences. 
 
 « It was necessary to refer to what has passed in order 
 to express our astonishment on seeing that in one of the 
 late sessions of Congress, a member, Mr. Aguirre, accused 
 the President of treason, bringing up as a reproach, the 
 celebration of tb p^Onajupoj^Mac Lane treaty, in which, 
 if it be true that great concessions were made to the Uni- 
 ted-States, it is also certain that not all the advantages 
 they sohcited M^ere granted, as is proved by the fact that 
 the said convention was rejected by the American Sen- 
 ate. The text of the treaty, be its tenor what it may, fur- 
 nishes no foundation on which a charge against the Pre- 
 sident could rest, since it is well known that the right to 
 introduce amendments and modifications exists suntil the 
 very moment of the ratification of treaties. As for the 
 rest, the commercial immunities, the right of transit for 
 American troops on certain occasions, do not involve an 
 attack on the national independence, nor can they justify
 
 18 
 
 the charge of treason launched forth so hastily by the De- 
 puty from Nuevo Leon and Coahnila. 
 
 « We have not the right to investigate what may be 
 the intentions of Mr. Aguirre. Conscience is a sanctum 
 into whicli we cannot penetrate, and we are onl}^ allowed 
 to judge of facts from what is patent and apparent in them. 
 
 «In critical and solemn moments for the country, we 
 do not think it prudent to sxcite alarms or distrust, or to 
 attempt to depreciate the worthy citizen whose repubh- 
 can virtues, whose love for independence, whose sin- 
 cere adhesion to our institutions are undoubted by the 
 whole country, and whose constancy and integrity have 
 contributed more than anything else to the re-establish- 
 ment of the constitutional regimen. 
 
 « If in the pretended presidential question, and we say 
 pretended, because really there is no such question, when 
 the laws are clear and definite, as we shall soon demons- 
 trate, it is the intention to extol one candidate, there is 
 no necesity to depreciate the other, nor to ignore the 
 thousand rights whereby he has acquired the acknow- 
 ledgements of his fellow- citizens, 
 
 « But be this as it may, the accusation made by Mr. 
 Aguirre is somewhat late, and it contradicts the eulogies 
 which he, as President of Congress, offered to Juarez in his 
 speech delivered on the day in which the sessions "^'ere 
 opened. It cannot be said that the usual courtesies or 
 the official ui'banity demanded those eulogies. The Presi- 
 dent of Congress was only obhged to reply in general 
 terms, and he was under no necessity to applaud the acts 
 of the f untionary whom he now calls a traitor. 
 
 «Mr. Agiiirre, when the sessions commenced, was 
 among those who offered their support to the Executive for 
 the purpose of consolidating the institutions, of securing 
 the constitutional regime and of pacifying the country, 
 flow could he believe that such noble intentions as these 
 could be held by the Magistrate whom he now calls a 
 traitor. 
 
 « The election of Mr. Aguirre as President of Congress
 
 19 
 
 was considered by those who are familiar with poHtics, and 
 by the public in general, as a favorable symptom for the 
 Executive, so much so that his Honor's name was men- 
 tioned in the various combinations which were formed to 
 compose a pai'liamentary Cabinet, and we do not believe 
 that Mr. Aguirre would have refused a portfolio at that 
 time. Would he have consented to associate himself with 
 the President against whom he laimches forth the epithet 
 of traitor? 
 
 « We will applaud the examination of the Mac-Lane 
 treaty and all the documents relating to it, by the Natio- 
 nal Representation, because such an examination must 
 result in the triumph of truth and the honor of the func- 
 tionary who, during three years of conflict and danger, has 
 been the firm representative of the ¡principle of legality. 
 
 « But this examination can only be useful to rectify 
 public opinion, if it has been in any way influenced by Mr. 
 Aguirre 's words. The responsibility of Juarez is purely a 
 matter of opinion, since the Constitution makes public 
 functionaries responsible for consummated acts, and not 
 for simple opinions, or on account of acts which were only 
 in the way of being executed. 
 
 « How can Mr. Aguirre know, how can the jury know, 
 what were the intentions of Juarez respecting the Mac- 
 Lane treaty, what the modifications he would have pro- 
 posed, if the negotiations had been renewed, or to what 
 articles he would have refused his ratification? This sim- 
 ple question destroys all the charges, and the hope earn- 
 estly expressed by some organs of the press that this in- 
 cident would be sufficient to render it impossible for the 
 present depository of the Executive Power to attain the 
 Constitutional Presidency of the RepubHc. 
 
 « We see with satisfaction that Mr. Ruiz, who wa^sjMi::, 
 Ulster of Jiistice wEen the Mac -Lane treaty was nego- 
 tiated, has promptly taken np Mr. Aguirre 's words and 
 intends to refute tlieni. In this not only the reputation of ^ 
 Juarez, Ruiz and the other members of the Government / 
 of that time are interested, but also the decorum of the '
 
 20 
 
 liberal party and tlie dignity of the Republic, which would 
 not be without a stain if it was a fact that a band of trai- 
 tors had been acknowledged as the centre of the national 
 unity. "We feel sure th at Mr. Melcho r Ocampo will not 
 allow this matter pass unnoticed, and that with his charac- 
 teristic frankness he will bring to light all that ought to 
 be known. 
 
 « Thus far the effect of the accusation has been con- 
 trary to the expectations of its aiithor, whom we unex- 
 pectedly find among the zealous defenders of individual 
 rights, for we remember that they did not merit too much 
 respect from him when he was a member of the Cabinet 
 of General Ai'ista. 
 
 « Congress, instead of being alarmed, instead of sud- 
 denly distrusting the Executive, silenced the accusation 
 by passing a vote of confidence and approving in general 
 the suspension of guarantees, whereby the power and au- 
 thority of the President of the Republic is strengthened. 
 
 « It would be painful on this occasion to di'aw a para- 
 llel, between the public hf e of the accused and that of the 
 accuser. II we did, we could then see on whose side are to 
 be found the greater firmness of principles, the greater 
 political consistency, and the greaier adhesion to democra- 
 tic institutions. But so ungrateful a task is altogether 
 useless, since the charge of treasoiijjref erred against Mr. 
 Juarez can find no echo in public opinion, which beholds 
 in this citizen one of the most illustrious and noble na- 
 tionalists who have presided over the destinies of the 
 country. 
 
 « Public opinion cannot hesitate between Mr. Juarez 
 and the author of the celebrated decree of the 21 st of Sep- 
 tember 1852, which suppressed the liberty of the press. 
 — Francisco Zarco.)) 
 
 Even in our own days, although it seems incredi- 
 ble, the attempt has been made to prove that Juarez 
 sold to the Americans a part of the national territory, 
 under the pretext of a contra<5t for colonization.
 
 21 
 
 Wliat is strange, wliat is incomprehensible, is tkat 
 the man who unceasingly struggled against three Eu- 
 ropean powers, always defending the integrity and the 
 autonomy o£ his country, is precisely the man who 
 is accused of ha^dng entered into unworthy treaties, 
 whether with a foreign government, or whether Avith 
 private colonization companies, to sell to them the 
 honor and the territory of Mexico. There are accusa- 
 tions so absurd, that, frankly, they do not deserve the 
 honors of refutation. 
 
 In order to judge, as justice demands, of the public 
 life of Juarez, it must be borne in mind that, sangui- 
 nary and fierce as was the struggle sustained by Me- 
 xico against the French army, and against the Church 
 partisans who joined the foreign invaders, thanks to 
 the energy of Juarez, worthily supported by the libe- 
 ral party, that war terminated without the loss of one 
 single inch of our territory, without recognizing on 
 our part, any indemnity or debt to the enemy in the 
 event of signing with him a treaty of peace. 
 
 As a contrast, we can cite what occurred after the 
 colossal war between France and Germany. France 
 lost Alsace and Lorraine, and was obhged to pay to Ger- 
 many an indemnity of five thousand millions of francs. 
 Italy, in her war with Austria, had to cede Nice and 
 Savoy to France. 
 
 And this has happened not alone in Europe. We 
 have seen in America what Peru has lost in her war 
 with Chili. 
 
 Mexico alone, without signing a treaty, without 
 granting away any right, without even listening to 
 the terms of the invader, saw the war ended without
 
 22 
 
 making any sacrifice, either o£ lier liouor, lier dig- 
 nity, or lier independence, or of tlie integrity of lier 
 territory. 
 
 And altKongli this has happened before ovir own 
 eyes, there are still persons who believe, or pretend to 
 believe, and say that Juarez intended to cede to the 
 Americans a portion of onr national territory ! 
 
 In the presence of an accusation which, having 
 been so often repeated, has become puerile, and wit- 
 nessing this fruitless desire to stain the spotless repu- 
 tation of the patriot Benito Juarez, we must exclaim 
 with Cesar Cantú himself: " Conscience demands that 
 the accuser shall prove the veracity of his charges, and 
 here the accused demands in vain the proof, the docu- 
 ment, THE COURT OF HONOR, u 
 
 But the truth manifests itself in such a manner and 
 with such force, even to those most blinded by error 
 or dominated by passion, as to make Cesar Cantii him- 
 self confess, in his biograply of Maximilian, that 
 Juarez^ ex-President of the RepuhUc, ivas .... the re- 
 presentative OF THE NATIONAL PARTY. .. It seems pro- 
 per to mention this confession made by a personal 
 friend of Maximilian, who was decorated by the lat- 
 ter with the Order of Guadalupe, since the partisans 
 of the Empire have often declared that Juarez was 
 the chief of the Mexican bandits, and that, support- 
 ed by an oppresive minority, he imposed his will upon 
 the Nation without having had its support at any time. 
 
 Cesar Cantú acknowledges also that that ivar (the 
 Mexican) icas intensely unpopular in France, hut very 
 favorable for the hanldng house of Jccher." This declara- 
 tion places Maximilian in a very bad predicament.
 
 23 
 
 making liim appear as an instrument or accomplice 
 o£ that scandalous speculation in wKicli Nopoleon III 
 himself, the Duke of Morny and Jecker, were the pro- 
 minent actors. 
 
 On the other hand, the Italian historian adds : "i^o- 
 rey and Baza'mc achieved easy triumphs and captured Pue- 
 bla and Mexico," and not a word does he say about the 
 battle of the 5 th of May 1862, nor does he even men- 
 tion the name of Laurencez. It is not in this way that 
 history ought to be written; and it is difficult to belie- 
 ve that Cesar Cantú paid such a tribute to human frail- 
 ties, in the presence of his own contemporaries, when 
 speaking of events which made so much noise in the 
 world, beause of their great importance and their im- 
 mense signification. 
 
 In a book entitled: '^Lomtardy in the XVI Centu- 
 ry" Cesar Cantú wrote the following words, which we 
 take up and accept as thet best defence of Mexico and 
 of the immortalJuarez: "When HAS IT BEEN SEEN 
 THAT SOPHISTRY AND BAYONETS COULD PREVAIL OVER 
 THE FORCE OF TRUTH, AVHICH IS THE MOST IRRESIS- 
 TIBLE OF FORCES I " 
 
 How can it be explained that a person who thinks 
 so justly, and Avho formulates such a magnificent 
 axiom, should fall into the errors that his history con- 
 tains, with regard to events the effects of which are 
 still felt, and which have been judged of in Europe 
 with all exactnees by truly impartial minds? 
 
 The reply to this question will appear natural to 
 our readers, if they take in consideration the circum- 
 stances which we now proceed to mention. 
 
 Cesar Cantú was seventy two vears old when he
 
 24 
 
 published the first edition of his work in 1879, in the 
 preface of Avhich he said, with honest frankness: ''/ 
 describe a past tvhich dates from yesterday. Conciseness 
 
 OBLIGES ME TO AGLOMEEATE ASSERTIONS WITHOUT 
 PEOOFS OE PEESONAL JUDGEMENT. " 
 
 It is not strange that in writing thus WITHOUT 
 PROOFS (and he himself confesses the fact), Cesar 
 Cantu should have incurred so many errors when 
 speaking of Mexico and of Juarez, 
 
 Having thus demonstrated that the champion of 
 Reform, who was also one of the most prominent de- 
 fenders of the independence and of the integrity of 
 Mexico, was very far from selling or mortgaging one 
 single inch of the national territory, let us now see 
 where were, and Avho truly were those that really 
 sought to take posession of Sonora, with the pompous 
 pretext of returning to the Latin race its vitality and its 
 prestige on the other side of the Ocean. 
 
 In order to make these details known to Cesar Can- 
 tu himself, who appears to be ignorant of them, we 
 will take as a preferable text the work written by Don 
 Francisco de Arrangoiz, an author who certainly can- 
 not be suspected by the Church party, and who moreo- 
 ver served Maximilian, and was an ally of the invader. 
 
 In his work entitled: Mexico from 1808 to 1867, 
 Madrid^ 1872, volume III, we find the following pages : 
 
 « Page 143. — We sought neither conquest nor the es- 
 tabhshment of colonies, says the Minister for Foreign 
 Affairs, while one of the objects of the intervention, the 
 first in the mind of Napoleon, was the posession of the 
 State of Sonora, a colonial estabhshment ' which would 
 have been a great and useful acquisition for France."
 
 25 
 
 «Page 153. — "When the success of the expedition was 
 perceived the pi'ojects of speculation were started in Paris, 
 and many persons, among them some of high position who 
 had been most opposed to the expedition and had most 
 severely criticised Napoleon, were the first to endeavour 
 to profit by his triumphs. The Sonora mines were the spe- 
 culation which had most partisans. They did not know, 
 as the Mexicans then did not know, that Napoleon had 
 already taken his measures to convert that rich State 
 into a French colony; a project which he afterwards part- 
 ly abandoned, because His Majesty undoutedly under- 
 stood all the inconveniences it presented, and he limited 
 his desire to have a treaty made in Mexico between Al- 
 monte and Salas and M. de Montholon, successor of Salig- 
 ny, by which treaty mining privileges, in open opposition 
 with the laws of Mexico, were granted to France; privile- 
 ges which were really a cession of Sonora to France ; but 
 this also was not carried out, 
 
 «A few weeks before the treaty was made in Me- 
 xico, Doctor Gwin, an emigrant from the South of the 
 United -States, residing in Paris, presented another pro- 
 ject to colonize Sonora with several thousand families 
 from the Confederate States. Acoording to this project, 
 they were to govern themselves as they pleased, indepen- 
 dently, in fact, of the Government of Mexico. The appro- 
 bation of the Arch duke was solicited for it, as this was 
 deemed absolutely necessary. To this end the Doctor 
 Wrote to him, the project being recommended by Señor 
 Gutierrez Estrada who had agreed to do so, fascinated 
 as he undoubtedly was by the idea of carrying enemies of 
 the United-States to Mexico, and an energetic race. » 
 
 «Pages 178 to 180. — A few days after the conflict 
 between the Archbishop, Almonte and Salas, became 
 known in Paris, it was rumored that the new Empire was 
 to be given up to its own fate, France keeping Sonora in 
 payment of her debt. The time has come to prove that the 
 rumor was well founded, since M. L. Debrauz de Salde-
 
 26 
 
 penna, director of Le Memorial Diplomatique, and, as I have 
 said before, an old confident of Maximilian, in a long 
 letter, dated July 14th 1865, which I have read, and in 
 which he reminded Maximilian of the services he had ren- 
 dered to His Majesty, said: «That M. Drouyn de Lhuys 
 knew, since he himself proposed to the Emperor of the 
 French to confide to him (to M. Debrauz) the painful 
 mission of breaking the news, in December 1863, when 
 the great majority of the Cabinet, in view of the conflict 
 which had arisen between Marshal Bazaine and the Ar- 
 chbishop of Mexico, insisted on giving up Mexico to her oivn 
 fate, after having occupied Sonora render the title of guarantee, 
 that altough he was ill, he had stai'ted for Miramar; that 
 neither Gutierrez Estrada nor Hidalgo had dared to pre- 
 sent to Maximilian any thing like an nltimatum to the 
 effect that he should undertake his voyage within the 
 term of two or three months, or abandon his candidature. 
 
 «It is not true that it was proposed to Hidalgo to go 
 to Miramar vipon such a disagreable mission. Like the rest 
 of the Mexicans, he only heard the rumor and did not be- 
 lieve it. I myself, giving full credit to M. Debrauz 's let- 
 ter, as I think it deserves, call the attention of the reader 
 to that part which is put in Italics, to remind him of 
 what I have said about Sonora, so that he may keep in 
 view what I shall yet have to say with regardto projects 
 whereby Mexico was to lose that rich State. And it may 
 be noted that not all of the French personages who were 
 in favor of the intervention, thought of making the Latin 
 race to recover on the other side of the Ocean its vitality and 
 prestige. They wanted speculations and mines on the other 
 side of the Ocean. 
 
 « Very respectable persons have told me that General 
 Miramon did not entertain the least doubt with regard to 
 the pretensions of France to posess itself of Sonora, «Be- 
 cause, Miramom said to them, when he em'gi'ated after 
 leaving the Presidency on account of the victory of the 
 Juaristas in Calpulalpam, on the 23rd of December 1860, 
 that no sooner did he arrive in Paris than M. de Mornv
 
 27 
 
 went to see him, and in very affectionate terms proposed 
 tlie sale of Sonora and Lower California to France.» to 
 which proposal Miramon replied that «although he had 
 been President with extraordinary powers, he was at that 
 moment nothing at all» M. de Morny replied: that oihe 
 ivoidd endeavour to bring about some form to obviate this difi- 
 culty, provided Miramon would agree to the views of France, i» 
 Miramon then put an end to the conversation by stating 
 to M. de Morny that « if his own acts could yet have any 
 force, he would not perform them to the injury of his 
 country.» Perhaps this conversation was the cause of the 
 harshness with which the French Government treated 
 Miramon, notwithstanding that he had been President, 
 that he had solicited the intervention, and that he was the 
 chief of the Church party, and was also the cause of the 
 desire of General Bazaine to get him out of Mexico, fear- 
 ing tbat on account of his prestige, Miramon could be an 
 obstacle to the realization of the views of France res- 
 pecting Sonora, or to aid Doctor Gwin. » 
 
 He afterwards speaks of the secret additional arti- 
 cles of the Convention concluded between Napoleon III 
 and Maximilian, and says: 
 
 «Page 204. — The fifth article is ambiguous. Being 
 drawn up by the French Government, care was taken not 
 to express the fact that when there was an equality of 
 rank, the French officer, out of deference and policy, would 
 command, and that when there was a chief or an officer 
 of superior grade, he should command, whether he might 
 be Mexican or French. Relying on this article, the French 
 always tried to command the Mexican officers who were 
 their superiors. Thus, Mexican colonels would be subor- 
 dinated to French captains &c. 
 
 «The first of the secret additional articles shows very 
 plainly that without regard to the Conservative princip- 
 les, by deceiving the persons who formed that party and 
 hoaxing the monarchists, Napoleon and Maximilian, at-
 
 28 
 
 tending only to tlieix* own private projects, had taken 
 resolutions contrary to the opinion of the country, in 
 the gi-avest and most transcendent questions. MaximiHan 
 agreed to the indications of Napoleon, because it suited 
 his ambitious projects respecting Austria; and he deceiv- 
 ed Napoleon by making him believe that he accepted in 
 good faith the throne of Mexico, when he really wished 
 it to serve merely as a theatre in which he could make 
 himself known to the Austrian ultra -liberals. The arti- 
 cle to which I refer comprised all that had been done by 
 Generals Almonte and Salas, in the affair of the promisso- 
 ry notes, the treaty respecting Sonora, and thehatik concession.-» 
 
 € Page 279. — Mr. Gwin had not abandoned his project 
 for the colonization of Sonora. In order to be able to ca- 
 rry it out, he again saw Napoleon and asked his co opera- 
 tion; and although, according to the dispatch of Hidalgo, 
 dated April 30 th of the preceding year, M. Drouyn de 
 Lhuys had said that lie did not give him Mr. Gain's project 
 with the intention of recommending it to him, hut solely with 
 tJiat of making it known to the Mexican Government, yet Na- 
 poleon recommended General Bazaine, through M. Corta, 
 Secretary to His Majesty, to protect the plan of Mr. Gwin. 
 The recommendation of a project so fatal for the Empire 
 having become publicly known, the press attacked it very 
 severely, especially the satirical newspapers La Orquesta, 
 La Sombra, La Cuchara, El Buscapié and Los Espejuelos del 
 Diablo, the editors of which were imprisoned on the 22 nd 
 of March, by order of Marshal Bazaine, the French chief 
 disingenuously alleging, as the basis of this arbitrary 
 measure, that the decree of November 1863, declaring a 
 state of siege, was still in force » 
 
 «Page 281. — In no particular have there been more 
 absurdities committed, during the Empire, than in the 
 colonization projects. It was desired that the Latin race 
 should recover its vitality and prestige on tJie otJier side of tJie 
 ocean, so as to form a dyke which would stem the inva-
 
 29 
 
 ding torrent from the United States, and we see that Na. 
 poleon himself was favorable to the projects of Doctor 
 Gwin in taking a colony of the invading race to Mexico, 
 to the provinces most distant from the capital, where the 
 Government could least make its sthrength be felt; that 
 therefore he aided the project, with the means to continue 
 its work, to subjugate the Latin race, and to exterminate 
 the Indian. 
 
 « It Was not even proposed to send any Mexican, Spa- 
 nish or French famiHes; the colony of Gwin was to con- 
 sist exclusively of people from the United States, Protestant in 
 religion like himself » ' 
 
 There were really functionaries ivho did not feel 
 ashamed, as Forey said, to propose the sale of Sono- 
 ra as a compensation for the generous protection im- 
 parted by Napoleon III to the Empire. All the world 
 then knew the attempts that were being made to se- 
 cure aftewards a direct protectorate by France; and 
 
 1 All the parnigi-apls here copied are taken literally from the last Y 
 work o£ Francisco ile Arrangoiz, entitled "Mexico from 1808 to 1867 '' 
 — Madrid.— 1872. 
 
 ^ Respecting the cession of the State of Sonora to France, the work 
 entitled: official documents Collected in the office of the 
 PRIVATE SECRETARY OF MAXIMILIAN. A history of the French Interven- 
 tion in Mexico by E. Lefevre.— Brussels and London, 1869.— Volume II, 
 chapter VI, may also be consulted. 
 
 Also A HISTORICAL REVIEW OF THE FRENCH INTERVENTION IN 
 MEXICO by José María Iglesias.— Mexico, 1869, and what has been 
 afterwards published respecting these machinations in the CORRES- 
 PONDENCE OF THE MEXICAN LEGATION IN WASHINGTON. — Mexico, 
 1S71, volume V. 
 
 Lastly, while we are speaking of the cession of territory, it is not 
 out of place to reccommend to our readers that valuable document 
 published by the Gaceta del Lunes, in its issue of July 27 th, 1885. As 
 it appears in thi.s document. General Santa .Vuna proposed to the Uni- 
 ted States the sale of any portion or portions of the territory oí Mexico, 
 commissioning for this affair a certain Gabor Naphegy, who, of 
 course, would have a good brokerage therefor, and who was Santa 
 Anna's authorized agent, minister or something else, for it cannot 
 otherwise be easily understood what signification that obscui-o per- 
 sonality really had.
 
 80 
 
 there were not lacking those who clesired to carry th^ 
 stain, to use the ^vorcls o£ General 0' Donnell, o£ ceding 
 a Mexican province, as a gratuitous guarantee in fi- 
 nancial combinations of a certain class. But amongst 
 those men wJio thus lost all shame, and wlio thus stained 
 their reputations, Benito Juarez is not to be included, 
 if history is to form the impartial narration of events, 
 and is to be the reflection of the truth. The names and 
 the nationality of those men are revealed very clearly 
 by Don Francisco de Arraiigoiz. 
 
 The patriotism of Juarez and the energy and cou- 
 rage of the national party which su]>ported him, sa- 
 ved not only Sonora, but the whole territory of the Re- 
 public, seriously menaced as it was by the servile com- 
 placency of those who brought and aided the invaders. 
 
 These are the historic facts which make the perso- 
 nality of Juarez shine out in all his patriotism and love 
 for the independence and the integrity of his country. 
 We now proceed to discuss the absurd accusations ma- 
 de against him by Cesar Cantú, when he refers to the 
 delivery of the body of Maximilian. ^ 
 
 1 As a still further coufirraation of wliat is stated in these last 
 pages, we can add that Mr. Romero, the Mexican Minister in Was- 
 hington, in an official note addressed to the Mexican Government 
 then in Chihuahua, on the 19th of January. 18G5, mentioned the pro- 
 ject at that time attributed to Maximilian, of ceding to France a 
 large part of the national territory. The .same Mr. Romero alsoaddres- 
 eed to Secretary William H. Seward a protest, under date of Februa- 
 ry 6 th, I860, "against the cession which the Archduke of Austria, 
 Ferdinand Maximiliam, has made, or is about to make, of several 
 States of the Mexican RepiiVdic to the Fiench Government." 
 
 With regard to the projects of Napoleon, Maximilian and their 
 partisans and agents, relative to the cession of territory, the parties 
 mentioned afterwards disguised these plans under the projected co- 
 lonization of Mr. Gwin. Tthe fifth volume of the correspondence of 
 the Mexican Legation in Washingtgji laay be consulted concerning 
 these combinations. It contains data and details of the greatest im- 
 tance respecting those events.
 
 II 
 
 Concerning the body of Maximilian. 
 
 im^^^ calumnious imputation that Juarez had de- 
 livered the corpse of Maximilian for money, 
 first appeared in " Xc Memorial DiphmatiqitP, " 
 a paper which, as every one knows, received 
 its inspirations from Napoleon III. This calumny 
 found ready admission in a work which was published 
 sometime afterwards by the Prince Salm-Salm, im- 
 der the title of '^Memoirs of Queretaro and Maximilian/^ 
 and since then it has served as the favorite theme for 
 all the impassioned or mercenary writers who have 
 subsequently fruitlessly endeavored to blacken the glo- 
 ry of Juarez. We will only add that M. Debrauz de 
 Saldapenna, chief Editor of the publication we have 
 just mentioned, was the person who was charged by 
 Napoleon III to agitate the acquisition of Sonora, as 
 our readers will have seen in the paragraphs before 
 quoted from the work of Sr. Arrangoiz-, and that 
 Prince Salm-Salm, who was made a prisoner in Que- 
 retaro, owed his life to the magnanimity of Juarez. 
 A historian so eminent as Cesar Can tú acting, as 
 he ought to have done, with entire impartiality, had 
 no right to make this grave charge against the historic
 
 3? 
 
 reputation and personal Konor of Juarez, based only 
 on the statements of these two writers, when it would 
 have been so easy for him to ascertain the truth by 
 consulting the official documents, which were publi- 
 shed eighteen years ago both in Europe and America. 
 
 On this point the political adversaries of Juarez 
 appear more impartial, more sincere, and more hono- 
 rable, than the calm julgment of history, which ought 
 to have been reflected by the impartiality of Cesar 
 Cantú. The " Von dc Mexico,^^ one of the best known 
 partisans of Maximilian's Empire, while referring to 
 the inaccuracies of the Italian historian, concerning 
 the body of the unfortunate Archduke, in its issue of 
 June 27th 1885, published the following: 
 
 "T/<c hodi/ of the Emperor MaximiUan and the Go- 
 ^^vernnicnt of Don Benito Juarez. — It is difficult for a 
 *' historian not to incur some historical error, however 
 "much he may respect the truth, however great his 
 "learning may be, however clear his judgment, how- 
 "ever sincere his anxiety to present the facts as they 
 "happened. Obliged to avail himself of the statements 
 "made by persons who are considered to be well in- 
 " formed in Cabinet matters, relating to the events he 
 "records, sometime or another he will fall into error, 
 " ho .V ever good the source may be from whence he 
 "takes his matter. This has happened to the respect- 
 "ed historian Cesar Cantú (who is justly appreciated 
 "in the liter¿\ry world) on one of the points connected 
 "with the history of Mexico, and which refers to the 
 "body of the Emperor Maximilian. Following what 
 "was said by all of the European press, taken from 
 "that officially inspired publication "Lc Memorial Dir
 
 33 
 
 ^''plomatiquej^ -wlñcli was considered the semiofficial 
 *' organ o£ the Government of Napoleon III, tlie labo- 
 "rious historian Cesar Cantú lias asserted, in his last 
 "work, that the Government o£ Don Benito Juarez 
 " demanded from the Emperor of Austria, brother of 
 "the Emperor Maximilian, a sum of money for the 
 " delivery of the body of the latter to the distinguished 
 "person who had been sent for the remains of the de- 
 " ceased monarch. Not only in the newspapers, howe- 
 "ver, but also in certain works written by various 
 "foreigners who had formed part of the French ar- 
 "my of intervention did this historian see the same 
 "statement. Among these works is the ^^ Memoirs oj 
 ^' Qiteretaro and Maximilian,^' written by the Prince 
 "Felix de Salm-Salm, who was taken prisoner at 
 "Queretaro. He states that "¿/¿e body of the Emperor 
 "fi/'as hdd by the Rfpublican Government for a base spe- 
 ^^cidationy Cesar Cantú had no motives for doubting 
 "the report written by persons who had been in the 
 "service of Maximilian, nor that which had been cir- 
 "culated by the whole European press, and he asserted 
 ^^an error ivhich justice and impartiality demand shoidd 
 "be rectified out of deference to historical truth. ^ Desirous, 
 "as AVe are, to give to every one that which belongs to 
 "him, we copy what Niceto de Zamacois says in his 
 "General History of Mexico, when denying the/a7se 
 
 1 We do not agree with the Voz de Mexico in what it says for the 
 purpose of excusing Cesar Cantú. However extensive may have been 
 the circubtion in Europe of Saldapenna's journal, aud of Salm- 
 Sahn ' s book ; however much the European press may have repeated 
 the calumny against Juarez, it was the duty, and a sacred one, of 
 the Italian historian, in all preference, to first consult before, writing, 
 the official documents published here, and which would have opened 
 to him a way to reach the ti-uth whithout difiSculty. The Diario Ofi-
 
 34 
 
 "and offensive cliarge made by the Prince Sahn-Salm, 
 ''and while stating that the Government of Benito 
 "Juarez NEVER demanded MONEI for the body of Ma- 
 "ximilian. The following extract shows how Sr. Za- 
 "macois expresses himself in his Avork, volume XYIII, 
 "chapters XX and XXI, a u'ork that is uritien with 
 '^ the greatest impartiality, and in ivhicli he vindicates Me- 
 ^'xicofrom tJie false cJiarges made by various foreign ivriters 
 "'uho are more passionate than just, and more unjust than 
 ^^ considerate^ 
 
 After reproducing what Sr. Zamacols says with 
 remarkable accuracy, with these words the " Vos de 
 Mexico''^ concludes : "As is to be seen in the statements 
 " of our friend Don Niceto de Zamacois in his last 
 " w^ork, "The Greneral History of Mexico," the Govern- 
 " ment of Benito Juarez observed toivards the body of the 
 ^'Emperor Maximilian the MOST exalted CONSIDE- 
 " RATIONS, and showed itself attentive, disinterested and 
 ^'affable to the person sent by the Emperor of Austria to 
 "receive the remains of his unfortunate brother. — 
 "these are THE FACTS. — TRUTH BEFORE EVERY- 
 " THING." 
 
 This act of justice, this tribute to truth, is highly 
 honorable to the Vos de Mexico. 
 
 It was necessary completely to ignore the perso- 
 nality of JUAREZ, his notable antecedents, his disinte- 
 
 •:ial of the Mexican Government, when publishing (September 9th, 
 1867), the documents referring to the tlelivery of the bodj' of Max- 
 imilian, said, and truly said, that they (the documents), r/ive the lie to 
 tJie absurd and stupid comhientaries of the foreh/n press, etc. Why did not 
 Cesar Cantu consult these documents? Why did he prefer, without 
 any correction -whatever, to reproduce one-sided statements, false 
 data, and unjust charges, which, precisely beccause of their origin, 
 ought at least to have appeared to him suspicious?
 
 35 
 
 restedness, and Ins unimpeacliable honesty, in order 
 to attribute to him even the thought o£ setting a price 
 upon the delivery of the body o£ Maximilian. 
 
 As Grovernor o£ the State of Oaxaca, as member 
 of the Congress of the Union, as President of the 
 Supreme Court, Secretary of State, and President of 
 the Republic, JUABEZ was always the representative 
 of Reform, the support of the Constitution, and the 
 leader of the great national party. Throughout the 
 long period of his exciting public life, he was at all 
 times distinguished for his integrity, as for the sim- 
 plicity of his habits, which won for him the praise of 
 General Prim, who called him the modest President with 
 the yiaclv coat, a phrase w^hich the European press so 
 often repeated afterwards. The man through whose 
 hands the millions resulting from the Reform had 
 passed, all of which wealth he viewed with indiffe- 
 rence, was incapable of speculating by means of a 
 body, even if this body were that of an Austrian Arch- 
 duke. 
 
 " The body of Maximilian, ^"'says Sr Zamacois," 
 " was clothed in black, and laid upon cushions of vel- 
 " vet, in a rosewood coffin, so beautifully made that it 
 " displayed the fine taste and ingenuity of the cons- 
 " tructor." 
 
 This was the manner in which the mortal remains 
 of the Archduke were treated by the dishonourable, 
 heartless oligarchy of which Cesar Cantú speaks. 
 
 The coffin in which the body was deposited is the 
 same in which the Archduke sleeps to-day the sleep 
 of death in the Capuchin Convent in Vienna, which 
 is the burying place of his family, and this fact is
 
 36 
 
 sufiicient to show that his royal relatives did not 
 deem it necessary to substitute a better coffin. 
 
 The right which Benito Juarez has acquired to the 
 high esteem o£ the Mexicans, and the respect in Avhich 
 they should hold his memory, so unjustly calumniated 
 in these remarks o£ the historian Cesar Cantú, deter- 
 mined the President o£ the Republic to authorize this 
 publication, in which it is demonstrated : ^ 
 
 1st. Ihat Juarez did not enter into any treaty with 
 the United-Slates to sell, cede, or mortgage either Sonora 
 or any other State or territory of the Bcpiújlic. 
 
 2nd. That the absurd assertion accepted hy Cesar 
 Cantil, to the effect that Juarez and his Government had 
 sold tlw body of Maximilian, is false in every particular. 
 
 Under the influence o£ political hatred, whatever 
 any one wishes to say may still be said; but every 
 body knows now the historical truth relative to these 
 acts o£ the inmortal Benito Juaeez. * 
 
 Let us now look at the official documents relating 
 to the delivery o£ the body o£ Maximilian, which, as 
 we have said in another place, could have been con- 
 sulted by the Italian historian, i£ ho had desired to 
 know the truth, and Avhich Avere published here in 
 1867. 
 
 Will European writers rectify the error into which 
 they £ell when speaking o£ Mexico and o£ Juarez, thus 
 showing that they acted without malice, and only 
 
 1 The Spanish traiislatoi- of Cesar Cantu ' s work, when he saw the 
 insults heai)C(l upon the Mexican people, their i)iiblic men, their ar- 
 my, etc. could not abstain from adding the f olloAving words in a note, 
 which we copy : ' ' This manner ofmnliyniuf/ a ivhole peoide is incxcusablt ; 
 the affection of the historian for the deceived Archduke cannot be accepted 
 a» tin nttenuaUng cir cut) stance. "
 
 37 
 
 through ignorance, when they endorsed and propag- 
 ated such absurd accusations? 
 
 We shall send this pamphlet to Europe printed 
 in three languages, and then those writers will cer- 
 tainly have no excuse if, in the future editions of their 
 works, they fail to relate these events impartially, in 
 compliance with their duty as truthful writers. 
 
 That in Europe there has always been the greatest 
 ignorance respecting the men and the affairs of this 
 country, has been said by Don Jose Maria Luis 
 Mora, in 183G, and repeated by Don Lorenzo Zava- 
 la in 1845. But this ignorance cannot hereafter be 
 alleged in explanation of error, since the incontestable 
 vouchers which we now insert have had so much pub- 
 licity during many years past. 
 
 Let the Italian historian read what these vouch- 
 ers say: 
 
 <i Diario Oficiólo/ tJie Supreme Government of the Bepiib- 
 lic. Volume I, number 21, Monday, September 9 th 1867. 
 — The mission of vice- Admiral Tegetthoff. — We publish 
 below these lines all the official documents relative to the 
 mission of vice -Admiral Tegetthoff, and to the various 
 efforts which have been made Avith the Supreme Govern- 
 ment to obtain its permission in order to remove the body 
 of the Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian to Europe. These 
 documents will show what from the beginning has been 
 the idea of the Government, which has given to this mat- 
 ter only the importance it really merits. They also give 
 the lie to the absurd and stupid commentaries of the fo- 
 reign press, and at the same time to some hasty remarks 
 on the part of the national press. » 
 
 «Telegi'am. — From Veracruz to Mexico. — Received 
 in Mexico on the 26th of August 1867 at 7.29 P. M,—
 
 38 
 
 To the Secretary ofWar. — The Austrian Admiral Teget- 
 thoff arrived this morning off Sacrificios, in the Austñan 
 war steamer Elisabeth. He has sent a message to these 
 Military Headquarters saying that he desires to go to the 
 capital to obtain from the Supreme Government permis- 
 sion to carry away the body of Maximilian. I wish to 
 know whether I ought to prevent his going to Mexico. — 
 Zérega.)'> 
 
 «Telegram. — Departament of War and the Navy.-^ 
 Mexico, August 26th 18G7.— To the Mihtary Commander, 
 — Veracruz. — The President of the Republic has learned 
 that Admiral Tegetthoff has arrived at that port and that 
 he desires to come to this capital. You can allow him to 
 pass without any obstacle. — Mejia. » 
 
 « Department of Foreign Affairs and of the Interior. — 
 Mexico, September 6th 1867. — Memorandum. — Don Ma- 
 riano Riva Palacio and Don Rafael Martinez de la Torre, 
 who Were of counsel for the Archduke MaximiHan of 
 Austria, called at this Department yesterday, stating that 
 vice -Admiral Tegetthoff, of the Austrian Na^'^', had come 
 to Mexico and desired to have a conference with the Se- 
 cretary of Foreign Affairs. 
 
 '^At the hour which had been appointed, to-day the 
 vice-Admiral presented himself, accompanied by Messrs 
 Riva Palacio and Martinez de la Torre. 
 
 « The Vice-Admiral stated that he had come to Mexi- 
 co for the purpose of asking the Goverment of the Repub- 
 lic to pennit him to take to Austria the mortal remains 
 of the Archduke Maximilian. 
 
 «The Secretary of Foreign Affairs said that he would 
 submit the petition to the President of the Republic and, 
 in order that it might be taken into consideration, he des- 
 ired that the vice-Admiral would be pleased to state the 
 character in which he made it. 
 
 i( The vice-Admiral said that when his coming to Me- 
 xico was determined upon, it was considered that it would
 
 39 
 
 appear better to the Government of the Republic that he 
 should not come with an official mission from the Aus- 
 trian Government, but only in a private capacity to ful- 
 fill the desires of the family, who through natural affec- 
 tion and pious feelings, wished to possess the mortal 
 remains of the Archduke. That as a consequence of this 
 consideration, he had come to México solely with a pri- 
 vate commission from the mother of the Archduke, and 
 fi'om his brother, His Majesty the Emperor of Austria. 
 
 « To an indication from the Secretary of Foreign Af- 
 fairs, the vice -Admiral further stated that he had not 
 brougtht any written document, having only received ver- 
 bal instructions from the family of the Archduke. The 
 vice-Admiral added that, if it was necessary, he would 
 be ready to state in writing that he had come in this ca- 
 pacity. 
 
 « The Secretary of Foreign Affairs repeated that he 
 Would submit the petition to the President of the Repub- 
 lic, and that on the following day he would be able to com- 
 municate his resolution. — Lerdo de Tejada.y> 
 
 « Mexico, September 7th 1867. — To-day vice-Admiral 
 Tegetthoff, accompanied by Messrs Riva Palacio and Mar- 
 tinez de la Torre, called again at this Deparment. 
 
 « The Secretary of Foreign Affairs stated the follow- 
 ing to Admiral Tegetthoff: 
 
 That the i3ermission to remove the mortal remains of 
 the Archduke had been already solicited by the Baron 
 de Lago who had been acting near him as Austrian Charge 
 d' Affaires, by Baron de Magnus, who had been accredited 
 near him as Prusian Minister and by Doctor Basch, the 
 Archduke's private physician. 
 
 « That the Government replied to these three gentle- 
 men saying that it had motives to refuse their petition. 
 This reply had been made because the Government thought 
 it was its duty that before deciding as to the permission 
 to remove the body of the Arduchke to Austria, it would 
 be necessary to take into consideration either an official
 
 40 
 
 act of the Austrian Governmeut or an express act of the 
 family of the Archduke, asking the Government of the 
 Republic for the body. 
 
 a That although vice- Admiral Tegetthoff, by his social 
 position in Austria and by his personal merits, is worthy 
 of the consideration of the Government of ]\Iexico, still 
 it could not be decided to permit him to remove the body 
 of the Archduke, because he has brought no document to 
 satisfy any of the two essencial requisites in the case. 
 
 « And that the President has authorized the Secretary 
 of Foreign Affairs to say to vice -Admiral Tegetthoff 
 that whenever either of these two requisites shall have 
 been satisfied, whether by an official act of the Austrian 
 Government or by an express act of the family asking for 
 the body of the Archduke, the Government of the Repub- 
 lic will be ready to permit its removal to Austria, taking 
 in consideration the natural pious feeling by which the 
 petitiou would be made; that the Government had oppor- 
 tunely ordered that the body should be embalmed, and 
 that it should be deposited and preserved, with the care 
 and decorum due to mortal remains, by reason of the sa- 
 me natural and pious feelings. — Lerdo de Tejada. •& 
 
 «Telegram. — San Luis Potosi., June 18th 1867. — At 
 9 A. M. — To General Mariano Escobedo. — It has been 
 solicited from the Governiuent to permit that, when the 
 execution of Maximilian shall have taken place, his mor- 
 tal remains may be disposed of in order to remove them 
 to Europe. 
 
 «This permission has not been granted; but in view 
 of said petition, the President of the Republic has detei*- 
 minod that you shall proceed according to the following 
 insti'uctions: 
 
 « First. When the coudenned shall have been execu- 
 ted, if the families of D. Miguel Miramon and of D. Tomas 
 Mejia ask to dispose of their bodies, you will permit them 
 the immediate and free disposal thereof. 
 
 «Second, You alone will direct what may be con-
 
 41 
 
 venient respecting the body o£ Maximilian, refusing to 
 allow any other person to intervene. 
 
 «Third. You will opportunely order zinc and wood 
 coffins to be made, in order to guard, in a convenient man- 
 ner, the body of Maximilian, doing the same with Mi- 
 ramon and Mejia, if their famihes do not ask for their 
 bodies. 
 
 «Fourth. If any one should ask permission to embalm 
 or inject the body of Maximilian, or to do any thing else 
 which may not be inconvenient, you mil refuse to allow 
 any person to perform these operations ; but in such a 
 case, you will order it, taking care that, without refusing 
 to foreigners permission to be present, all shall be done 
 by Mexicans of your confidence, in a proper manner, the 
 expenses being paid by the Government. 
 
 « Fifth. When the execution shall have been effected, 
 you will order that immediately the body of MaximiUan 
 shall he guarded, as well as those of the others, if their 
 families do not ask for them, with the decorum that is 
 due after justice has been satisfied. 
 
 « Sixth. You will order the body of Maximilian to be 
 deposited in a proper place, under the vigilance of the au- 
 thorities. 
 
 « Seventh. In depositing the body of Maximilian and 
 those of the others, if their families do not ask for them, 
 you will order that the customary religious services shall 
 be performed. — Lerdo de Tejada. y> 
 
 «Telegram. — From Tacubaya to San Luis Potosi. — 
 Deposited in Tacubaya the 19th of June 1867. — Received 
 in San Luis Potosí on the 20th of June at 9.25 P. M. — 
 C. President. — I request you to allow me to dispose of 
 the body of Maximilian, in order to take it to Europe. — 
 Baron de Lago. » 
 
 «Telegram. — San Luis Potosí, June 20th 1867 at 10.15 
 P. M. — To Baron de Lago. — Tacubaya. — The President 
 of the Republic has ordered me to say to you, in reply- 
 
 6
 
 42 
 
 ing to your telegram dated yesterday and received tliis 
 evening, that on account of grave reasons, the disposal 
 of the body o£ Maximihan cannot be allowed to you. — S. 
 Lerdo de Tejada. » 
 
 «San Luis Potosí, June 29th 18G7, — Sir: The Prince, 
 while a prissoner in Querétaro, in a letter signed by his 
 own hand and addressed to General Escobedo, on the 
 eve of his death, expressed the desire that his mortal re- 
 mains should be dehvered to me and Doctor Samuel Basch, 
 his physician, in order that Doctor Basch might accom- 
 pany them to Europe, and that I might undei*take to have 
 the body embalmed, and attend to every thing concerning 
 its removal to Europe. 
 
 « According to the will of the deceased Prince, which 
 he expressed to me verbally, the removal of his remains 
 must be made without any display an din a manner to 
 carefully avoid every thing that might excite demonstra- 
 tions or even public curiosity. 
 
 « Repeating therefore, the request which I had the 
 honor to make to Your Excellency, to be pleased to have 
 the necessary orders issued that the mortal remains might 
 be dehvered to me, I shall willingly yield to the desires 
 which may exist relative to the removal of the body to 
 the coast and on board of one of the ships of the Aus- 
 trian Navy, stationed in Veracruz. 
 
 « I avail myself of this opportunity to repeat to Your 
 Excellency the assurances of my high consideration. — A. 
 V. Magnus. — To His Excellency Sr. D. Sebastian Lerdo 
 de Tejada.» 
 
 «San Luis Potosí, June 30th 1867. — To Baron A. V. 
 Magnus etc., etc., etc. — Sir: I have received the commu- 
 nication which you addressed to me yesterday, stating 
 that the Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian of Hapsburg, 
 on the eve of his death, expressed the desire that his mor- 
 tal remains should he dehvered to you and Dr. Samuel 
 Basch, in order that they might be removed to Europe.
 
 43 
 
 «As I have before had the honor to say to you, there 
 are several considerations which induce the Government 
 of the RepubHc to think that it ought not to permit that 
 the mortal remains of the Archduke should be taken to 
 Eiu'ope. 
 
 « For this reason, I regret to have to reply to you that 
 the Government cannot issue the orders which you have 
 desired for that purpose. 
 
 «I avail myself of this opportuniy to repeat to you, 
 that I am your respecful and obedient servant. — S. Ler- 
 do (le Tejada. » 
 
 c( C. Lerdo de Tejada, Secretary of Foreign Affairs and 
 of the Interior. — The undersigned, with due respect, has 
 the honor to state to you, Mr. Secretary, that as private 
 physician of the late Archduke Maximilian, I was re- 
 quested by him to take his body to Europe and deliver it 
 to his family. 
 
 « That such was his will is apparent by the letter signed 
 by himself which, under date of the 16th of last June, he 
 addressed to Mr. Carlos Rubio in Quei'étaro, of which 
 letter I have the honor to enclose a copy (marked A), 
 and also by another one, dated the 18th of the same month, 
 the original of which is held by General Escobedo, as it 
 is stated in the letter of Colonel Ricardo Villanueva, which 
 is enclosed herewith (marked B). 
 
 « I consider the fulfilment of this order as a sacred du- 
 ty, and I make bold, in the discharge thereof, to beg of you, 
 Mr. Secretary, to be pleased to order that the said body 
 be dehvered to me. This petition is grounded on the fact 
 that by your orders the bodies of his companions in mis- 
 fortune have been dehvered to their f amihes, and that ne- 
 ver at any time has the Supreme Government refused to 
 dehver a body to the famihes who have asked for it. 
 
 « I beg of you, finally, to be pleased to answer this my 
 respectful petition, be the reply whatever it may, so that, 
 upon retiu'ning to my country, I may be able to prove 
 before the family of the late Archduke, that, on my part,
 
 44 
 
 everything possible was done to obtain tlie carrying home 
 of the mentioned body. 
 
 «In this a favor would be received by your most res- 
 pectful and obedient servant. — Br. Samuel Bascli. — To 
 the Citizen Secretary. — Mexico, July 27th 1867.» 
 
 « Department of Foreign Affairs and of the Interior. 
 — Department of the Interior. — First Section. — In view 
 of your petition, dated yesterday, asking permission to take 
 to Europe the mortal remains of the Archduke Maximi- 
 lian, the President of the Republic has decided, on ac- 
 count of several and serious considerations, that it is not 
 posible to acceede to the petition alluded to. — Indepen- 
 dence and Liberty. Mexico, July 29 th 18G7. — Lerdo de, 
 Tejada.: — To Doctor Samuel Basch. » 
 
 « Diario Oficicd of the Stqjrcme Government of the Bexmh- 
 lic. — 1st Yohmie. — Number 82, issue of Saturday, No- 
 vember 6 th 1867. — Removal of the body of the Arch- 
 duke Maximilian to Austria.— On the 9 th of Septem- 
 ber we published the documents relative to the mission 
 on which vice-Almiral Tegetthoff came to Mexico. The 
 Government then rephed to him that in order to resolve 
 whether the removal of the body of the Archduke Max- 
 imilian to Austria would be permitted, it was necessary 
 that the question should be examined considering the pe- 
 tition asking for the Archduke's body either as an official 
 act of the Austrian Government or as an express act of 
 the family of the Archduke, and that the Government 
 would be willing to grant the permission whenever either 
 of the two characters of the petition might be well defined, 
 taking in consideration the natural and pious feelings by 
 which it should be made. 
 
 cc This petition has been made in the name of both the 
 Austrian Government and the family of the Archduke, by 
 a note from the Pi-ime Minister of that Nation, which note 
 we now publish, together with the reply of the Government 
 of the Republic, stating that the body will be immediately 
 delivered, in order that it may be removed to Austria. »
 
 45 
 
 «Mr. Ministor: — A premature death having wrested 
 the Archduke Ferdinand Maximihan from the affection 
 of his family, His Imperial and Royal Apostolic Majesty 
 feels the natural desire that tlie mortal remains of his 
 unfortunate brother should find their last resting place in 
 the vault which contains the ashes of the Princes of the 
 House of Austria. The father, the mother and the other 
 brothers of the august dead; and, in general, all the mem- 
 bers of the Imperial Family participate in this desire. 
 
 « The Emperor, my august master, entertains the con- 
 fidence that the Mexican Grovernment, yielding to a feel- 
 ing of humanity, will not refuse to mitigate the just grief 
 of His Majesty in facilitating the verification of this desire. 
 
 «Consequently, vice -Admiral Tegetthoff has been 
 sent to Mexico with instructions to solicit from the Pre- 
 sident the delivery of the remains of the beloved brother 
 of His Majesty, in order that they may be brought to Eu- 
 rope. 
 
 « On my part, I have been ordered, in my capacity of 
 Minister of the Imperial House, to ask the benevolent in- 
 terference of Your Excellency to obtain for the vice- 
 Admiral the necessary authority to fulfil his instruc- 
 tions. 
 
 «Having the honor, Mr. Minister, to beg of you, in 
 anticipation, to be the channel to convey the gratitude of 
 the august Imperial family to the Chief of the State for the 
 compliance with their desire, and that yon yourself will 
 accept the expression of their gratitude for the kind of- 
 fices with which you may be pleased to contribute, I avail 
 myself of this opportunity to offer to Your Excellency the 
 assurances of my high consideration. — Vienna, Septem- 
 ber 25 th 1867. — The Chancellor of the Empire.— J5a<5Í.» 
 
 «Department of Foreign Affairs. — México, Novem- 
 ber 4th 1867.— Mr. Minister:— Vice -Admiral Tegetthoff 
 has delivered to me the note of Your Excellency, dated 
 the 25th of September last. 
 
 « Your Excellency has been pleased to communicate
 
 46 
 
 to me in said note that His Majesty tlio Emi-)oror of Aiis- 
 tiia, entertains the natural desire that the mortal remains 
 of his brother, the Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian, 
 shoidd find their last resting place in the vault which 
 contains the ashes of the princes of the house of Aus- 
 tria; that the father, the mother and the other brothers 
 of the Archduke, and, in general, all the members of the Im- 
 perial family participate in this desire; and that His 
 Majesty, the Emperor, entertaining the confidence that the 
 Mexican Government, under a sentiment of humanity, 
 will facilitate the verification of that desire, has sent vi- 
 ce- Admiral Tegetthoif to Mexico with instructions to 
 solicit from the President permission for him to take to 
 Europe the remains of the Archduke. 
 
 « The President of the Repubhc, having been infonned 
 of the just feehngs expressed in the note of Your Excel- 
 lency, has not hesitated to order that the natural desire 
 of His Majesty, the Emperor of Austria, and of the Impe- 
 rial family, be complied with and satisfied, with great con- 
 sideration. 
 
 «According to the orders of the President, I have 
 informed vice -Admiral Tegetthoff that the mortal re- 
 mains of the Archduke Ferdinand Maximihan shall bo 
 immediately dehvered to him, so that he may be able to 
 take them to Austria, in compliance with the object of his 
 mission. 
 
 « I have the honor, Mr, Minister, to express to Your 
 Excellency the assurances of my most distinguished con- 
 sideration. — S. Lerdo de Tejada. — To His Excellency 
 Count de Beust, Chancellor of the Empire and Minister 
 of the Imperial House of Austria. — Vienna.» 
 
 ic Diario Oficial of the Supreme Government of the 
 Repubhc. — Volume I. Number 83. Sunday, November 
 10 th 18G7. — The Body of Maximilian.— In some mo- 
 ments, the body of Maximihan of Hapsbm-g will be ta- 
 ken away from this capital and within a very short time it 
 will bo received on board of the ship '^Novara" which wilj
 
 47 
 
 transfer it' to his country. Respectable persons, who have 
 been appointed to this effect by the Government of the 
 RepubHc and by that of Austria, will carry out this sad 
 operation and the commission will be executed with all due 
 decorum and with the respecful attention which ought 
 to be rendered to the dead and which the culture of our 
 people demands. 
 
 «The body is very well embalmed; and although a 
 thousand calumnies have been uttered abroad respecting 
 the condition in w^hich it is, we are able to assert that it 
 does not show any important decomposition, apart from 
 the natural alterations which ought to result after the 
 cesassion of life, such as the darkening of the skin and 
 the partial falhng of the hair; but in every other respect 
 it is in the best condition of preservation that could be 
 expected. The doctors who have taken care of preser- 
 ving the body, have been especially diligent in doing 
 every thing that was within their power to counteract the 
 destructive work of climatic influences which act against 
 the safest preparations known to science to avoid putrefac- 
 tion, and they have succeeded, for the body has not under- 
 gone any remarkable alterations. 
 
 « The body is dressed in black, and rests on velvet 
 cushions, in a rosewood coffin, elegantly and handsomely 
 worked, showing the good taste and ingenuouness of 
 the builder. On the Hd, a cross is worked in rehef, inter 
 twined in \áne leaves, and this alone constitutes, in the- 
 idea and the execution, a very handsome ornament. As it 
 is to be supposed, the rest of the work, in its details, is not 
 inferior to the principal part, and shows no fault w^orth 
 mentioning. This coffin is deposited in a zinc case, which 
 excludes the air, and both are contained in another case 
 made of cedar, wliich although intended only for a mere 
 provissional covering, has been made with no less careful 
 attention. A especial car has also been prepared in which 
 all this can be carried, and in the interior, as well as in the 
 exterior, all has been done in such a manner as to prevent 
 jolting during the voyage on land and by sea, from sha-
 
 48 
 
 Hug the remains of him who in life was Maximilian Arch- 
 duke of Austria. The Mexican Government has deemed it 
 its duty, on this occasion, to apjjropriate the necessary ex- 
 penses, and to act with the refinement and decorum corres- 
 ponding to the Nation it represents ; and if, under the ac- 
 tual circumstances, anything can be said in Em'ope res- 
 pecting our action, it is that if an imperious political ne- 
 cessity obliged Mexico to apply the last penalty to a for- 
 eign invader, Mexico nevertheless understands how to 
 silence her passions in the presence of a sejoulchre. 
 
 «With the return which we make to Europe of the 
 body of Maximilian, deep and serious reflections arise, and 
 history offers a lesson which ought to be profited by, since 
 the fate of Iturbide failed to teach anything useful to the 
 enemies of the liberty of Mexico. » 
 
 We deem it convenient to now publish other of- 
 ficial documents relative to the expenses paid by the 
 Government of Mexico for the purpose o£ embalming 
 and of preser\áng the body of tlie unfortunate Arch- 
 duke : 
 
 « In due fulfilment of the instructions contained in the 
 note which, under date of the 12 th of September last, yon 
 were pleased to addi'ess to us, ordering us to examine the 
 body of the Archduke Maximihan, which was embalmed in 
 Queretaro, and to do, if necessary, whatever should be 
 proper in order to keep it in a good state of preservation, 
 on the 13 th of same month we went to the church of the 
 Hospital of San Andres, where^the body was deposited, 
 and there being present the General Inspector of Po- 
 lice and three officers, after the body was taken out from 
 the wooden and zinc cases in which it had been placed in 
 Queretaro, we proceeded to undress it and to take ofP the 
 bandages, placing it afterwards on the Gaudl table. 
 
 «From that day until the 8th instant, keeping always 
 the body on the said table, we continuoA practising all
 
 49 
 
 those paí'tial or general operations which appeared to be 
 the most adequate for its proper preservation. 
 
 « The viscera having been taken out from the two lead- 
 en cases in which they were found, we placed them in 
 a preserving bath while we completed our operations on 
 the body. 
 
 «When these operations were finished, we agreed to 
 place the viscera in their natural cavities, for which pur- 
 pose we filled them with Hnt mixed with the powder re- 
 commended by Soubeiran; and we placed in the cavity of 
 the skull, through the aperture already made there, all the 
 large and small pieces into which the cerebrum had been 
 cut, as also the cerebellum, the protuberance and a part 
 of the oblong medulle. In the same manner, we placed 
 in the abdomen and in the thorax, the heart, the lungs, 
 the oesofagus, the thoracic aorta, the liver, the stomach, 
 the bowels, the spleen and the kidneys. 
 
 « After having been properly bandaged with fine and 
 varnished white linen and with guttapercha, we dressed 
 the body with the clothes deHvered by Mr. Davidson, ex- 
 cepting two pieces of underwear which were bought, as 
 they were not found in the baggage which was in the 
 posessiou of this gentleíí^an. 
 
 « The body was then placed in a double case of var- 
 nished cedar and passion-wood, in the form of an urn, 
 two meters 20 centimeters long, 60 centimeters high, and 
 75 centimeters wide, with a solid lock, the body lying in 
 such a manner that it cannot be displaced in any way, not 
 even by completely turning the case over. This case was 
 placed in another of zinc, which having been hermetic- 
 ally closed by soldering, was covered by yet another or- 
 dinary wooden coffin, painted in black, to prevent the zinc 
 case from being perforated by any accident whatever. 
 
 « All the objects which we used in our operations Were 
 burned this morning in the grave-yard of Santa Paida, as 
 were also the coffins, clothes, bandages etc., which cama 
 from Queretaro. 
 
 « All these operations were performed in the presence
 
 50 
 
 of tlie Inspector of Police and of the officers alluded to; 
 and lia\ang been finished at ten o'clock to-night, we have 
 delivered the body to the said Inspector of Pohce. 
 
 «Mexico, November 11th 1867. — Hafael Montano Ba- 
 miro. — Ignacio Aluamdo. — Agustín Andrade. — To the Sec- 
 retary of Foreign Affairs and of the Interior. » 
 
 «Taking in consideration that General Mariano Esco- 
 bedo, commander in chief of the Army of operations 
 against Queretaro, inti'usted Doctor Ignacio Rivadeneyra, 
 who was employed in the Medical Military Corps, with 
 the operation of embalming the body of Maximilian in 
 Queretaro, the President of the Republic has oi'dered that 
 one thousand dollars ( $ 1000 ) be paid to Doctor Rivade- 
 neyi'a as a recompense for the said operation, with the 
 understanding that in case it should be hereafter decided 
 that, apart from their salaries, an amount ought to be paid 
 to all or some of the persons who assisted in the opera- 
 tion alluded to, then this sum shall be charged in account. 
 
 «The said one thousand dollars ($ 1,000) shall be de- 
 livered to colonel Juan C. Doria, in payment of a docu- 
 ment for the same amount from Doctor Rivadeneyra. 
 
 « I comunícate this to you so that you may issue the 
 necessary order. 
 
 « Independence and Liberty. México, November 13th 
 1867. — Lerdo de Tejada. — To the Secretary of the Treas- 
 ury.» 
 
 «To day I have addressed to the Secretary of the Treas- 
 ury the following official communication : Taking in con- 
 sideration, etc., etc., etc And I transcribe it to you 
 
 for your information. — Independence and Liberty. Me- 
 xico, November 13 th 1^%!.— Lerdo de Tejada. — To Doc- 
 tor Ignacio Rivadeneyi-a. — Puebla.» 
 
 «We, the undersigned, beg of the Secretary of Foreign 
 Affairs and of the Intenor to be pleased to inform us
 
 51 
 
 where wo ought to apply for the payment of six thousand 
 dollars due to us for the -work we performed in the pre- 
 servation of the body of the Archduke MaximiHan, which 
 was intrusted to us. 
 
 « At the same time we beg of you to be the worthy 
 channel through which we may present to the Supreme 
 Government the most sincere expression of our gi-atitude 
 for the confidence it reposed on us in committing the said 
 commission to our charge. 
 
 «We offer to you the assurances of our respectful 
 consideration. 
 
 «Independence and Liberty. Mexico, November 21st 
 1867. — I. Alvarado. — Rafael Montano Bamiro. — A. An- 
 drade. — To the Secretary of Foreign Affairs and of the 
 Interior. " 
 
 « The President of the Republic has ordered, in con- 
 formity with the petition of Doctors Ignacio Alvara- 
 do, Rafael Montano Ramiro, and Agustin Andrade that 
 the sum of two thousand dollars ( $ 2,000 ) be paid to each 
 one of them as fees for their work in the preservation of 
 the body of the Archduke Maximilian of Austria, which 
 was intrusted to them by the Supreme Government. 
 
 « I communicate this to you so that you may issue the 
 necessary orders. 
 
 " Independence and Liberty. México, November 23rd 
 1867. — Lerdo de Tejada. — To the Secretary of the Treas- 
 ury. " 
 
 « The President of the Republic has ordered that two 
 hundred and fifteen dollars, seventynine cents ( $ 215 79 ) 
 be paid to Doctor Ignacio Alvarado, as balance of the ex- 
 penses incurred in this city for the preservation and deliv- 
 ery of the body of the Archduke Maximihan of Austria. 
 
 « I communicate this to you so that you may be pleas- 
 ed to issue the necessary oi*der, charging said sum to the 
 account of general expenses of the Department of Foreign 
 Affairs.
 
 52 
 
 « Independence and Liberty. México, November 23rd 
 1867. — Lerdo de Tejada. — To the Secretary of the Treas- 
 ury." 
 
 a I have the honor to enclose the note of the distribu- 
 tion of, and the vouchers for, the seven hundred and fif- 
 teen dollars, seventy eight cents. ( $ 715 78 ) which I re- 
 ceived from the General Treasmy for the operations per- 
 formed according to your orders, in embalming and preser- 
 ving the body of the Archduke Maximilian, so that if you 
 think it proper, you will be pleased to order that the corre- 
 sponding document may be issued and delivered to me. 
 
 «México, December 26th 1867. — Ignacio Alvarado. — 
 To the Secretrary of Foreign Affairs. " 
 
 «Department of Foreign Affairs. — Section of Euro- 
 pe. — Enclosed in your note, dated the 26th instant, this 
 Department received the account with vouchers of the 
 distribution made by you of the seven hundred and fifteen 
 dollai*s seventy eight cents ( $ 715 78 ) which were deliv- 
 ered to you by the General Treasiuy to pay the neces- 
 sary expenses to embalm and preserve the body of the 
 Archduke Maximihau; and the President of the RepubHc 
 on being informed thereof, has approved the same, duly 
 appreciating the services which you have rendered in the 
 fulfillment of the commission with which you were in- 
 trusted. You can present at once the receipt for the bal- 
 ance which results in your favor, so that this Department 
 may pay you said balance. 
 
 « Independence and Liberty. Mexico, December 28th 
 1867. — Lerdo de lejadu. — To the citizen Ignacio Alva- 
 rado. »
 
 I UK duty is done. 
 
 We do not even remotely imagine that tlie 
 documents avHcIi we liave published, in other 
 words, the true statements of the facts, will be 
 enough to silence for ever the intemperate vocifera- 
 tions that, from time to time, are launched against 
 Juarez by his political enemies. 
 
 They will continue to say, however absurd it may 
 appear, that Juarez sold a part of the national terri- 
 tory to the Americans. 
 
 They will repeat that Juarez, for a money consider- 
 ation, delivered to the Emperor of Austria the bloody 
 corpse of his unfortunate brother. 
 
 They will repeat even to satiety that which so oft- 
 en has been said, that Juarez, as the leader of a dema- 
 gogic minority, tyrannically imposed his will without 
 having had, at any time, the support of the Nation, 
 since the Nation, in its great majority, was Imperial- 
 ist and gladly had accepted a foreign monarch sent 
 by Luis Napoleon as a token of his benevolence.
 
 54 
 
 And as a matter of course, there always will re- 
 main, without a satisfactory explanation, tlie imcom- 
 preliensible fact that this immense majority, formed 
 by partisans of the Empire, as it was affirmed in Eu- 
 rope, having, as it had, the support of the French ar- 
 my and the sound XMrt of the country, would have 
 permitted that a handful of bandits, demagogues or 
 men of that stamp, could cause the death of the so- 
 called monarch in the Cerro de las Campanas, re-esta- 
 blishing immediately the republican institutions which 
 the said majority had vainly attempted to destroy. 
 
 The unjust accusations against Juarez will be re- 
 peated; the calumnies intended to stain his historic 
 reputation and even his personal honor, will become 
 multiplied; but all this will be perfectly useless, and 
 moreover, all will produce the contrary effect, since 
 the glory of the illustious departed will be so much 
 the greater, as the attacks of his enemies are unmer- 
 ited and passionate. 
 
 Let them insult as they will the extraordinary 
 man who sleeps the eternal sleep of death in the pan- 
 theon of San Fernando, and who there awaits the judg- 
 ement of History and the sentence of posterity; they 
 will not succeed, by this means, in overthrowing the 
 venerated institutions which form the political creed 
 of the great liberal party. 
 
 Abhor, hate, curse Juarez, as much as you Avill; 
 you have the right to do so, and you do well, you who 
 abhor the Republic, who hate the Constitution and 
 who curse the Reform. 
 
 Copy that which Cesar Cantú has w riten, if it will 
 please you; cite the authority of a Saldapenna in his-
 
 55 
 
 torical controversies I allege, as a further proof, tKe 
 testimony of a Salm-Salm; repeat wKat was said by 
 ' Donnell in liis speech, and wliat was affirmed by 
 Forey in bis'proclamation ; torture tbe genuine mean- 
 ning of words, converting into crimes even tbe coloni- 
 zation contracts and you will neverbe able, in 
 
 your impotent passion, to darken, even for one moment, 
 the imperishable glory of Juarez, nor diminish in the 
 very least the prestige he had, which his name main- 
 tains at present, and which he forever will have, what- 
 ever may be the noisy declamations of those who, in 
 their humble condition of the conquered, sought in 
 calumny a consolation for their defeat.
 
 
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