of men who, at nightfall, carried lighted torches. There were Vivas in favour of Morelos, Independence, and the new Electors, all Americans, all men whose fidelity was suspected, and many of them positive rebels! Death was denounced against all Europeans, and their Governments. The doors of the cathedral were forced, and the mob had even the insolence to present itself before the palace, and to demand the artillery. The liberty of the press was suppressed in consequence of this event; and I refused to re-establish it, notwithstanding a second order from the Regency, directing me to carry the Constitutional law into effect, in spite of what had taken place.
The appointment of Jueces de Letras was likewise carried into effect against the express stipulations of a law, which reserved this faculty to the Regency. Had I not done this, the administration of justice, in a town of 150,000 inhabitants, would have been entrusted to two Constitutional Alcaldes, Civilians, and notoriously addicted to the Independent party.—By a necessary consequence, crimes would have remained unpunished, and the good exposed to the risk of falling victims to a conspiracy; and although the measure was disapproved of by the Ayuntamiento, which made representations against it both here, and at the Court, I have supported it with firmness, and explained to the Regency the absolute necessity of its adoption.
In order to maintain tranquillity in this populous capital, and to prevent, more particularly, the secret communications which were kept up with the Insurgents, by watching over the conventicles and private meetings of concealed traitors, a tribunal of police was established, which, under the superintendence of one of the members of the Audiencia, took cognizance of all cases of this description. On the receipt of the new law for the regulation of tribunals, this establishment was done away with, and the disaffected were on the point of seeing themselves at liberty to pursue their schemes without let or hindrance, the whole police of the town being confided to the two Constitutional Alcaldes. In this dilemma, the impossibility of leaving such a field open to the machinations of the disaffected, induced me to conciliate obedience to the law, with a proper regard for the public security, by allowing all the old employés in the police to retain their situations, under the orders of a
