inadequate for a successful defence. Venegas was un able to aid him, having all he could attend to at home. Indeed, Orizaba was in no less peril than Oajaca, its people expecting Morelos any moment. As to Puebla, and the road to Vera Cruz, these places were not much safer, it being in Morelos' power to employ detached parties in waylaying trains and cutting off communications, thus preventing the government from moving tobacco and other merchandise, its only means of raising money at this time. In order to keep the roads open a large force, much needed elsewhere, must be stationed there. Again for a time, while watching closely events throughout the country, Morelos busied himself in forming his men into regiments, battalions, and cavalry squadrons, and drilling them for active work. Matamoros did the same, first in the hacienda of Santa Clara, and then in Izúcar. It was here that the latter heard of Venegas' famous edict of June 25th, depriving priests serving in the insurrectionary forces of their ecclesiastical immunity. This raised yet higher his priestly wrath; and he formed a new body of dragoons, which he called San Pedro, the standard being black with a large red cross in the centre, and on which appeared the in scription "Morir por la inmunidad eclesiastica."[1] Morelos followed the example, and thus many of the regiments came to have saints' names.
With the assistance of Mier y Teran, some excellent artillery was cast. Morelos was opposed to brigandage, and empowered Rosains to persecute all who were wont to prey upon rural property and small defenceless towns.[2] The vigilance of the revolutionists along the Vera Cruz road prevented the royalists from gaining any intelligence from that quarter. Flour had be-
- ↑ They proved to be good fighters. Bustamante, Cuad. Hist., ii. 149; Mendíbil, Resúmen Hist., 129-38; Negrete, Méj. Siglo XIX., v. 309-10.
- ↑ His orders were very severe. Any soldier convicted of stealing to the value of one peso was to be shot. If a party committed depredations, the men were to bo decimated; the rest, and also thieves stealing the value of half a peso, were to be sent to the chain-gang. Negrete, Méj. Siglo XIX., v. 322.
