The invasion decreed by the three European powers became a fact on the 14th of December, 1861, when a Spanish fleet, commanded by the jefe de escuadra, Joaquin Gutierrez de Rubaleaba, and conveying an army of occupation, sailed into and without resistance took possession of the port of Vera Cruz.[1] General Gasset, commanding the land forces, occupied the city on the 17th, proclaiming martial law, and issuing a manifesto of a hostile nature; after which he assumed full control of the place, the ayuntamiento, which was the only authority left in it, having to submit to the force of circumstances.[2] Gasset's manifesto stated that he would hold the city in the name of the Spanish queen till the arrival of the commissioners of the powers to the London tripartite arrangement.
This act of Spain caused the utmost irritation in Mexico. The government, and particularly Doblado, displayed great activity. General Zaragoza started from Mexico with 3,000 men; and, notwithstanding the embroiled condition of affairs in the interior states from local issues as well as reactionary warfare, forces began coming from them to the capital. Juarez issued
- ↑ The fleet consisted of six frigates, six large war steamers, two war transports, and several chartered merchantmen, besides one steam-tender. The land force exceeded 6,000 men. Zamacois, Hist. Méj., xv. 820-4: Lefêvre, Mex. et L'Interv., 305-20; Méx., Rev. Filosóf. Hist. Polit., in Doc. Hist. Méx., 1832-75, no. 10, 70-2; Romero, Hist. Intrig. Europ., 60-6.
Matias Romero — Historia de las Intrigas Europeas que ocasionaron la intervencion francesa en México. Mex., 1868, 8vo, 259 pp. A lucid reply to a speech delivered by the French cabinet minister Bilault, before the French legislature, on the 26th of June, 1862. It gives a history of the intrigues of the French government in the negotiations with England and Spain to bring about a settlement of their claims against Mexico, leading to the convention of London and the final intervention. The writer uses the correspondence between the commissioners of these powers and their respective governments as evidence of the animus that prompted their action. The work gives also other documents relating to the intervention.
In this connection may be mentioned Circulares y otras Publicaciones hechas por la Legacion Mexicana en Washington durante la Guerra de Intervencion. Mex., 1868, 8vo, 507 pp. This collection contains a series of circulars and other publications by the Mexican legation at Washington, based on official documents, relating chiefly to the withdrawal of the French troops from Mexico, other affairs connected with the imperial régime in that country, and the negotiation of Mexican bonds in the United States. It also embodies a brief biography of Benito Juarez.
- ↑ Córtes, Diario Senado, ii., app. no. 85, 49-51; Id., Cong., vi., app. 1, no. 138, 51, 68; Trait d'Union, Jan. 3, 6, 1862.
