Page:The rise and fall of the Emperor Maximilian.djvu/227

 complete repose. The intrigues of the reactionary party, who felt sure enough that the ruin of the clergy and its decisive spoliation would immediately follow the fall of the monarchy, kept back from the sovereign both the importance and the rapidity of the liberal successes. The visits of the agents of the clerical party, whose only aim was to detain Maximilian on Mexican soil to fight for their party alone, needed both concealment and mystery; and in this hacienda they could follow each other without interruption.

Nevertheless, a portion of the imperial luggage had been already embarked on board the Austrian frigate 'Dandolo' anchored in the port of Vera Cruz; and the German attendants of the prince, though they saw with bitter regret the fall of the throne to which they had attached their fortunes, could not but acknowledge that the game was lost. In fact, the news of a serious disaster which had befallen the Austrian troops on October 18, had just reached Orizaba. A column, about fifteen hundred strong, which was on its way to help the Mexican general Oronoz and the cazadores blockaded by Porfirio Diaz in the city of Oajaca, had been attacked by the Juarist bands on the heights of Carbonera, and were completely routed with great losses both in men and munitions of war. Domestic matters also seemed to set worse as the time arrived for bringing in force the convention of July 30, and of handing over to the French commissioners the moiety of the daily receipts in the Port of Vera Cruz. All resources seemed to be vanishing at once. Nevertheless the marshal was obliged to put his finger on this sore place.

Mexico, October 25, 1866. Sire,—The time draws near for putting the convention in force which has been entered into between your majesty's