Page:Vol 3 History of Mexico by H H Bancroft.djvu/394

374 succeed as viceroy ad interim. Until his arrival the government devolved on the audiencia. The baton of acting captain-general was delivered to the regente, Francisco Romá y Rosel. Circulars were despatched to the authorities throughout the country to notify them of these events.

On the 23d of April was celebrated a thanksgiving mass, attended by the audiencia and the regente. At the head of the palace reception room were placed three chairs; the middle one was occupied by the regente, and the other two by the decano, or senior oidor, and the subdecano. The regente and his two associates took the palace coach, the guard presenting arms, and with a squad of cavalry in advance, and the escort of halberdiers, repaired to the cathedral, at the principal door of which were four canons to receive them. For the regente was supplied not a prie-dieu, but a mere cushion. The audiencia during its rule of a little over four months made no change in the government policy.

One of the notable events of the second half of the eighteenth century was the assembling of the fourth Mexican provincial council, convened pursuant to two royal cédulas of August 21, 1769, one of which