Papers Relating to Foreign Affairs, Accompanying the Annual Message of the President to the First Session Thirty-ninth Congress, Part III
Mr. Romero to Mr. Seward
My Dear Sir: I have the honor to enclose you two extracts from a paper published in the city of Mexico, under the title of “Diario del Imperio,” the organ of the usurper Maximilian, in its numbers of the 20th and 22d of January last, containing four letters from Don Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, who has several times been President of the Mexican republic, showing the part he has taken in the French intervention of that republic.
I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
Hon. William H. Seward, &c., &c., &c.
[Enclosure No. 1.]
DOCUMENTS FOR THE HISTORY OF MEXICO.
Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, well-merited of the country, General of Division, Grand Master of the national and distinguished order of Guadalupe, Knight of the Grand C oss of the royal and distinguished order of Charles III; and President of the Mexican republic, to all who may see these presents greeting:
Being authorized by the Mexican nation to constitute it under the form of government I may think most convenient to assure its territorial integrity and national independence in the most advantageous and permanent manner, according to the full powers with which I am invested, and considering that no government is more suitable to a nation than that to which it has been accustomed for centuries and which has formed its peculiar customs;
Therefore, and to this end, placing full confidence in the patriotism intelligence, and zeal of Don José Maria Gutierrez de Estrada, I confer upon him, by these presents, the full powers necessary to enter into arrangements, and make the proper offers near the courts of London, Paris, Madrid, and Yienna, to obtain from those governments, or from any one of them, the establishment of a monarchy, derived from any of the royal races of those powers, under qualifications and conditions to be established by special instructions.
[Enclosure No. 2.]
My Very Dear Friend: The news you have been kind enough to communicate to me, in your esteemed favor of the 31st October, received by the last mail, gave me very great pleasure, because it is so interesting that, if it can be realized, our country will be saved from ruin.
God grant that our dreams may come to pass as soon as possible!
The candidate you mention (his Imperial Highness Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian) is unexceptionable, and I therefore hasten to give my approbation. Do me the favor, then, to inform him of it, as well as our friends, but with all reserve, for you well know that in politics there are things that must not be published before the proper time, on account of the harm that might be caused.
I think the allied forces will reach Vera Cruz early in next January, and their arrival will be a cause of great rejoicing to all good Mexicans, because they will not be regarded as a threatening enemy, but as benefactors, to save them from the worst of tyrannies.
Public opinion will, undoubtedly, soon pronounce in favor of whatever suits the people.
Convinced that the time to act has come, I am ready to return immediately to my native land, determined to labor with all my strength till the realization of the undertaking is completed. I will let you know of my departure from this island by the mail of the 17th of December, and I will tell you where to address your letters to me.
Now you see, my friend, I am not dozing when the work is to be commenced, and my acts accord with my words.
If I am permitted to see my country constituted in a way to make it prosperous and happy in the future before I close my eyes in death, I shall be extremely gratified.
Don’t fail to send me all the news you get.
Your most obedient servant,
His Excellency Don Jose Maria Gutierrez de Estrada.
[Enclosure No. 3.]
Santa Anna to Maximilian.
Sire: When I heard that a considerable number of my fellow-countrymen, actuated by the purest patriotism, had fixed upon your Royal Highness to be called to the throne of [Page 688] Mexico, my soul overflowed with pleasure. If it had been in my power to accompany the Mexican commission, your Imperial Highness would have heard from the mouth of one of the noblemen of independence, from one who held for many years the first place among his fellow-citizens, the ratification of what the worthy president of the country expressed with so much eloquence and sincerity.
Yes, sire, in having the honor to greet your Imperial Highness, with the rest of my countrymen, as the emperor of Mexico, and to offer you, respectfully, my humble services, I can assure you, without flattery, that my attachment to your august person is boundless; and since distance deprives me of the pleasure of appearing personally in your presence, my pen will do that duty from my present place of residence, hoping your Imperial Highness will receive the expression of my sentiments with your accustomed benevolence.
I may also assure your Imperial Highness that the voice raised in Mexico to proclaim your respected name is not the voice of a party. An immense majority of the nation desire to restore the empire of the Montezumas, with your Imperial Highness at its head, believing it to be the only remedy for existing ills, and the ultimate anchor of its hopes. Accept, then, in absolute confidence, the enthusiastic Mexican vote, and come courageously to the Mexican shores, certain of receiving the demonstrations of love and profound respect, believing, at the same time, that your agreeable presence will suffice to restore harmony throughout the land. The occasion is propitious. Your Imperial Highness can make the Mexicans happy by placing your name among those of the heroes blessed by posterity.
The vast, beautiful, and fertile soil of Mexico abounds in elements to form a first-class empire on the American continent; consequently it is no insignificant power that is offered to your Imperial Highness. True, the country has suffered from anarchy for half a century; but under the auspices of peace, with a paternal, just, and enlightened government, its resources will be restored in a few years, and it will be the admiration of the world. Would to Heaven I could see this before I end my days!
I hope your Imperial Highness will condescend to acknowledge, in the dean of the Mexican army, a devoted and disinterested friend, a very obedient servant, who wishes you the greatest happiness and fervently kisses the imperial hands of your Imperial Highness.
His Imperial and Royal Highness Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian of Austria.
[Enclosure No. 4.]
Much Esteemed Friend: In reply to your favor of the 15th of September, now before me, I must say to you that I had already received the news of the resolution adopted by the three maritime powers in regard to Mexico.
From what you tell me, there can he no doubt of a change of situation in a short time.
What remains to be done now is to take advantage of this propitious occasion to realize my long-cherished desires, remembering that such an opportunity never occurs twice.
What you have to do is to remind the governments near which you are accredited of your former petitions, insisting, especially, that Mexico cannot have a lasting peace until the disease is radically cured, and the only remedy is the substitution of a constitutional empire for that farce called a republic. Those nations can select one jointly. Remind them, also, that I am now, more than ever, disposed to carry out that idea, and that I will labor without ceasing to effect it.
I do not wish to depreciate the nationality of Mexico. My sole desire is to establish a government of order, to repair the damages of party strife, and to make the Mexicans contented by restoring the Catholic religion, now almost extinct, in a country that used to be famed for its respect and love for religion.
I beg you to communicate my resolve to our mutual friend Mr. ———, who I hope will use all his influence in aid of the triumph of correct principles.
In conclusion, I must say to you that since the profanation of our churches, I have determined to become the avenger of so many sacrilegious outrages, trusting that Providence will give me strength to carry out my resolution* * * * * I have improved much lately, and hope soon to be in Mexico.
Ever your affectionate friend and countryman,
Don Jose Maria Gutierrez De Estrada.