The few days which had elapsed since his interview with don Jaime, were not wasted by General don Miguel Miramón. Decided¹ on playing a last stake, he had not been willing to risk it till he had as far as possible equalized the advantages, even though he might not have all the chances on his side, so as to render the struggle which, whatever its result might be, must be decisive, more favourable² to his projects.

Not only did the President actually employ himself in recruiting and organizing his army and placing it on a respectable footing; but in addition, not heeding³ for himself how injurious the seizure⁴ of the six hundred thousand piastres of the Convention bonds in the House of the Consul⁵ of that nation was to him, he made energetic efforts to repair the injury which this stroke had done him, and paved the way for a negotiation⁶, by which he pledged himself to refund⁷ in London the money he had so unfortunately taken; while alleging⁸ as excuse for this audacious act that it was only intended as reprisals⁹ against Mr. Mathew, the Chargé d'Affaires of the British Government, whose incessant¹⁰ machinations and hostile demonstrations¹¹ against the recognized government of Mexico had placed the President in the critical position in which he now found himself. As a proof of this statement, he declared, as was true, that after the battle of Toluca there had been found among the baggage of General Degollado, who was made prisoner in that affair, a plan for attacking Mexico, written by Mr. Mathew himself—a fact that constituted an act of felony on the part of the representative of a friendly government.

分享到：