Page:Vol 5 History of Mexico by H H Bancroft.djvu/771

Rh But as the troops on whom he relied forsook him, he had to resign the presidency, which he did at eleven o'clock on the night of the 23d, after which he went with his family to seek asylum at the British legation, though he had been assured by the revolutionists of personal safety and liberty. All military commissions that had been issued by him were recognized as valid.

The authors of the last political revolution believed that neither of the two chief contending parties could triumph over its opponent, and secure peace, and that by getting Zuloaga out of the way an understanding might be arrived at with Juarez and his supporters. Robles Pezuela occupied the palace in the morning of the 24th, and but for the greater activity in the movements of officials, the change effected was hardly noticeable.

Manuel Robles Pezuela was a native of Guanajuato. In 1852 he was minister of war, and the next year, being dissatisfied with the political situation, he resigned his office and military rank, and went abroad, travelling through the United States, England, and the continent of Europe as far as Turkey, and visiting the principal fortresses and scientific and military establishments. In September 1858 he returned to Mexico and aided Echeagaray to capture Perote, having had restored to him his rank as a general.

Juarez had no faith in the men who were at the head of the recent movement in Mexico. His opinion was expressed in clear and distinct terms, in his