Page:Mexico in 1827 Vol 1.djvu/192

166 state of affair's. He ordered troops from La Pūēblă, Ŏrĭzāvă, and Tŏlūcă, to march upon the Capital, and, at the same time, by way of conciliating the Creoles, he intrusted the command of one of the finest regiments to the Conde de la Cădēnă Cadena, a Mexican born. The event proved his calculation to have been correct, for the Count, who had been supposed before, to be one of those most desirous of seeing Mexico independent, became, from that moment, a zealous adherent of Spain, and perished soon after in the defence of her cause.

The same policy was recommended to Don Felix Mărīă Căllējá, who commanded a brigade of troops, at San Luis Pŏtŏsī, and was ordered to augment his division as much as possible and to march in pursuit of Hidalgo. Nor did the Viceroy neglect to turn to account the superstition of the people: some doubts having arisen, in the Capital, with respect to the justice of a sentence of excommunication pronounced against Hidalgo by his Diocesan, the Bishop of Valladolid, (as the Cura, though in arms against the King, had not committed any offence against the Catholic Religion,) Vĕnēgăs caused This sentence to be confirmed by the Archbishop Lĭzānă, and by the Inquisition, who pronounced, at the same time, the penalty of excommunication, ipso facto incorrenda, against any one who should presume to question its validity in future.

But the advantages, which the Spanish cause