Novella, on being informed by O’Donojú on the 25th of this arrangement, held a council of war, and it was resolved to continue the policy of adopting no resolution till O’Donojú should come to Mexico, and this was communicated to him in letter of the 31st.[1] Dávila, the governor of Vera Cruz, also refused to obey the captain-general's order, and being determined to defend himself at all hazard, abandoned the city, and retired to San Juan de Ulúa. In the capital, as the independents were coming up in large
- ↑ Liñan deemed it important to know first what were O’Donojú's powers; nothing could be resolved, as he had signed 'esos papeles,' meaning the treaty of Córdoba, within a region occupied by the enemy. Colonel Sociats could not see that O’Donojú had any special authority to sign away what he called the 'legitima dependencia de España.' He was for lighting till death. The whole correspondence, both official and private, may be seen in Bustamante, Cuad. Hist., v. 241-55.
sons, next after him, his other brother Francisco de Paula; next Cárlos Luis, a prince of Spain, former heir of Etruria and now of Lucca; and in case of his renouncing or not accepting, then such person as the imperial córtes may designate. 4. The emperor shall reside in Mexico, as the capital of the empire. 5. Gen. O’Donojú shall appoint two commissioners provisionally to make this arrangement known to the court of Spain, pending the formal tender of the crown by the imperial córtes. 6. A sufficiently numerous junta shall be constituted, composed of members prominent for their virtues, offices, fortunes, representation, and character. 7. The junta shall be entitled 'junta provisional gubernativa.' 8. Gen. O’Donojú shall be one of the members. 9. The junta shall elect a president chosen from among its members. 10. The junta's first act shall apprise the public of its installation, objects, and such other things as it may deem expedient. 11. The junta, after choosing its president, shall elect a regency of three persons to constitute the executive, and govern in the monarch's name till he shall assume the sceptre. 12. The junta shall rule according to existing laws, not clashing with the plan de Iguala, till the córtes form the national constitution. 13. The regencia shall convoke the córtes, in conformity with art. 24th of the plan. 14. The executive shall reside in the regency; the legislative in the córtes, and, till the latter are installed, in the junta provisional gubernativa acting in concert with the regency. 15. Under the new order of things, Europeans in Mexico may continue to be such, or become Mexicans, remain in the country, or go away as they may choose. The same privilege is granted Mexicans residing in Spain. 10. The above privilege shall not be accorded to civil or military employé's, or to officers notoriously hostile to Mexican independence. Such must leave the country within the time the regency may designate, taking away their goods on payment of the regular export dues. 17. O'Donojú promises to induce the expeditionary forces to leave the country with out further bloodshed. Gaz. Imp. Mex., i. 85-9; Mex. Derecho Intern., 1st pt., 384-96; Gac. de Guad., 1821, Sept. 12, 97-100; Mex. Col. Ley. Fund., 9-13; Wilcocks' Despatch in Annals of Cong., 1821-2, 2099-2114; Niles' Reg., xxi. 64, 80, 96; Alaman, Hist. Méj., v. 273-9; Arrangoiz, Méj., ii. 62-6; Bustamante, Cuad. Hist., v. 232-4; Id., Garza Vindicado, 8-9; Liceaga, Adic. y Rectific., 491-2. On the 31st of Aug. O’Donojú from Córdoba wrote the Spanish government, detailing the situation and the reasons that forced him to adopt the course he had taken. Monitor Ultramarino, 28-35; Niles' Reg., xxii. 7-8.
