Page:Vol 6 History of Mexico by H H Bancroft.djvu/269

Rh the victors, among them Tanori and Almada, who were overtaken and shot.

Corona, commander-in-chief of the western republican army, had been practically in possession of Sinaloa since the preceding autumn, and began soon after a series of assaults on Mazatlan. The French found it necessary to clear the immediate vicinity; and Lozada having consented to assist, they gained some advantages during the spring, but were unable to maintain them. The Tepic chieftain became dissatisfied at not receiving the payments expected, and finding the struggle unpromising, he retired shortly after, proclaiming neutrality. In September the republicans gained one of the outposts of Mazatlan, after a hard battle, and harassed the French constantly till their embarkation on November 13th for San Blas.

In the eastern provinces the imperialists occupied in the beginning of the year a line extending from Matamoros, through Cadereita, Monterey, and Saltillo, to Parras, under the control of the generals Mejía, Jeanningros, and Douay, the last named as chief, with headquarters at Matehuala. Fears of an