General Grant having declined this appointment, Lieutenant-General Sherman, who accepted it in his place, was ordered to leave for his destination without delay. As may be seen, both by their language and by their military demonstrations, the United States, rejecting at once any other candidate for the presidency, asserted more decidedly than ever the authority of Juarez; but they did not require that the Emperor Napoleon should modify his well known decision of evacuating Mexico at three separate periods. On this occasion, therefore, the court of the Tuileries had resolved entirely of its own will to accelerate the downfall of the Mexican monarchy, by hastening on the fixed date for the withdrawal of our troops, and by altering its plans of a gradual withdrawal, which would have given Maximilian time to see his real position, and to have retired honourably, which he would doubtless have done with the last detachment of our rear-guard.
On November 11, the American envoys left New York, on board the war-frigate 'Susquehannah,' and put to sea, first steering to the port of Matamoros, and afterwards to that of Tampico, both now in the power
