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 ARGENTINE REPUBLIC 695 time state of the confederacy, might be induced to return to it, and accordingly fixed that city as the capital. The constitution, with some slight modification, was copied from that of the United States of North America, as being a federal government of independent states. It guar- antees the free navigation of the rivers, and provides that there shall be no duties on goods carried from province to province; grants to foreigners all civil rights; provides for their naturalization after ten years' residence, which term may be abridged at the discretion of con- gress ; and makes other provisions for the encouragement of immigration. It went into effect at the end of the year. Urquiza was chosen president for six years from March 5, 1854. The seat of government was established at Bajada del Parana, in the province of Entre- Rios. Meantime, in Buenos Ayres a new con- stitution had also been formed in January of the same year, but not without a hope ex- pressed and provision made for a future return to the confederation, which soon after seemed probable. That province was invaded by a party of filibusters under one Costa, and Ur- quiza was suspected, or at least accused, of hav- ing fostered the movement. This he promptly denied, and sent his forces to help to repel them ; which friendly act failed to bring about an entire reconciliation, but resulted in good will between the parties, and two treaties of peace signed at Buenos Ayres, Dec. 20, 1854, and Parana, Jan. 8, 1855. They provided for independent governments, but contained stipu- lations for much mutual assistance. Urquiza continued president of the Argentine Confeder- ation, and Pastor Obligado was reflected gov- ernor of Buenos Ayres for a term of years. Upon the unanimous request of the congress of the confederation, negotiations were reopened on the subject of reunion, Oct. 10, 1855, and Juan Bautista Pefia was sent to Parana for the purpose. But the discovery that his authority did not extend to merging the two sovereign- ties, produced much irritation in the confedera- tion, at the same time that another event occa- sioned discontent at Buenos Ayres. On Dec. 24, 1855, some Argentine refugees from Monte- video, under Gen. Flores, disembarked at Santa Fe" to invade the province of Buenos Ayres. Gen. Bartolome" Mitre repulsed them, and in his turn invaded the province of Santa F6, in which step he was sustained by his government. Upon this, not only was the mission of Pefia closed, but the Argentine government signified to him (March 18, 1856) that the treaties of Dec. 20, 1854, and Jan. 8, 1855, were annulled. Differential duties levied by Urquiza upon all vessels from Buenos Ayres bound up the Plata and its tributaries gave rise to serious hos- tilities, which were renewed at intervals dur- ing four years, until Nov. 11, 1859, when Bue- nos Ayres was reunited to the republic. In 1860 Urquiza was succeeded in the presi- dency by Dr. Santiago Derqui ; and in the fol- lowing year the exclusion of the deputies of Buenos Ayres from congress, on the ground of unconstitutional election, led to the renewal of hostilities. Gen. Bartolom6 Mitre of Bue- nos Ayres defeated the Argentine troops at Pavon (Sept. 17, 1861), and was provisionally intrusted with the government, Derqui having abdicated. A convention appointed to revise the old constitution adopted a new one, ap- pointing Buenos Ayres provisional capital of the republic, being at the same time the state capital. In October, 1862, Mitre was elected president of the Argentine Republic. Urquiza in the mean time remained on the defensive in Entre-Rios, but was soon induced to accept the government of that province, which had enter- ed into the newly constituted republic. An insurrection headed by Gen. Pefialosa, who for nearly two years held the provinces of Ca- tamarca, San Juan, and Cordoba, terminated in his capture and execution (1863). In 1864 N. Aguirre was elected president of the Banda Oriental del Uruguay, from the ranks of the llancos (whites) or reactionary party ; and Ve- nancio Flores, the chief of the Colorado* (reds) or liberal party and the unsuccessful candidate for the presidency, placed himself at the head of an insurrection and readily obtained the aid of Brazil, in spite of the repeated protest of Lopez, president of Paraguay, to the government of Rio de Janeiro. Lopez now ordered the capture of a Brazilian steamer on its passage up the river to the province of Matto Grosso, and the detention of the crew and passengers as pris- oners of war, Nov. 11, 1864. In the follow- ing month a Paraguayan army invaded Matto Grosso, sacked Cuyaba, the capital, and five other towns, and took possession of the dia- mond mines. Aguirre had applied to Lopez for aid, which was at once promised ; but the Paraguayan troops could only reach Uruguay by passing through the Argentine province of Corrientes, and Mitre refused them permission of transit. In 1864 Flores was elected and in 1865 assumed the functions of president, the city of Montevideo being occupied by Brazilian troops. Fearing now from the atti- tude of the Argentine Republic that it would join the alliance against him, Lopez seized two Argentine war vessels in the bay of Corrientes, April 13, 1865, and the next day that city was occupied by Paraguayan forces, who formed a provisional government composed of three Ar- gentine citizens, and declared the provinces of Corrientes and Entre-Rios to be annexed to Paraguay. War was declared by the Argen- tine Republic against Paraguay April 16, a like declaration having been issued by the na- tional congress of Paraguay against the Ar- gentine Republic on the 18th of March. On May 1 an offensive and defensive alliance was secretly entered into between the Argentine Republic, Uruguay, and Brazil, against Para- guay, the allies "solemnly binding themselves not to lay down arms until the existing gov- ernment of Paraguay should be overthrown." In June the city of Corrientes was recaptured