Page:Vol 6 History of Mexico by H H Bancroft.djvu/379

Rh States, through whose friendly offices diplomatic relations had been restored between Mexico and the kingdoms of Italy, Prussia, and Spain, was negotiating in the same spirit in 1873 to bring about a similar result with the republic of France, and everything presented a favorable aspect. The details and correspondence may be seen in ''Méx., Mem. Relaciones'', 1873, 63-5, annex no. 4, 39-10. The author of E. Masseras, Un Essai d'Empire au Mexique, Paris, 1879, 12mo, i.-ii. and 441 pp., had been at different times chief editor of newspapers in the French language, namely, La France, Le Courrier les États Unis of New York, and L'Ere of Mexico. He had advocated, in a pamphlet entitled Le Programme de l'Empire, the necessity of foreign intervention in Mexican affairs, and the establishment of a monarchy in that country under the auspices of European governments, commending the policy of Napoleon III. and denouncing that of the U. S. In his present works he expatiates on the results of the foreign intervention, briefly on Maximilian's administration, but fully and in detail on the events which followed the evacuation of Mexico by the French army; namely, siege and capture of Querétaro by the republican forces, and subsequent trial and execution of Maximilian and his generals Miramon and Mejía; and the final crushing blows struck at the imperial régime in Puebla and Mexico, culininating in the triumphant return of Juarez and his government to the capital. The narrative, which is in clear and elegant language, encis with the republican government's first acts in Mexico, including the surrender of Maximilian's remains to his family. The whole may be called an impartial account of the events. Diario de los Debates, Tercer Congreso Constitucional de la Union. Méx., 1873. Fol., 2 vol., 1st, 200 pp., ii. 104 pp. The first volume comprises the minutes of the first ordinary session of the Mexican congress in 1852; and the second contains those of the second ordinary session in 1863. The national legislature decreed the publication of the minutes of its sessions beginning with the labors of the 1st congress existing under the constitution of 1837; but as there was in the years of the 31 congress, 1862-3, and the preceding ones, no stenographic bureau in the secretary's office, nor any one to keep the minutes, recourse was had to compiling the acts and official documents existing in the office of the secretary, and of the records kept by some journals published at those periods, among which were those of the Siglo XLX., taking therefrom the extracts of deputies' speeches. The utmost exactness having been observed, all facts related are founded on existing acts and documents. Some of the documents the compiler was unable to find, owing, doubtless, to the fact that a large portion of the archives was lost at the time the French ariny occupied Mexico in 1863. Tovar, Pantaleon, Historia Parlamentariu del Cuarto Congreso Constitucional, Méx., 1872-4, fol., 4 vol., is a history of the labors of the 4th congress of Mexico from the 5th of Nov., 1867, to the end of its legal term, namely, May 31, 1869. The compiler, who was a deputy to that body from Puebla, actually began his work on the 4th of Dec., 1867, preceding it with the official text of the congressional acts, and not with the minutes, which he found to be full of errors. All facts stated in the work the compiler assures us he has carefully collated and compared with the acts and official documents of the congress. Vol. i., containing xxvi. and 664 pp., gives the labors of that body during the 1st session, that ended March 29, 1868; vol. ii., with xvi., 627, and 172 pp., gives the doings of the 21 session, from March 31 to May 31, 1868, and the appropriations bill for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1869, vol. iii., with xii. and 1118 pp., has the minutes of the third session, from Sept. 5, 1868, to Jan. 21, 1869; and vol. iv., with xxiv. and 1110 pp., sets forth the congressional work in the 4th session, from Apr. 1 to May, 1831. The pages in Roman contain