arranged that the custom-house at Vera Cruz should be restored to the Mexicans for a monthly payment of $50,000,[1] a proposed pittance on behalf of the scattered Gallic treasures, whereof more than three hundred million francs had disappeared in expenses paid by the government of France, and other hundreds of millions had been paid by deluded subscribers to Mexican bonds, not to mention the millions of unrecognized claims and of losses to trade.[2]
On reaching the capital in January 1867, Maximilian held another council to determine whether the empire should be sustained. Nearly two-score persons attended, including ministers, councillors, ecclesiastics, and army men. Bazaine, strange to say, had thought it best to respond in person, representing the futility of continuing with insufficient men and means the struggle against the republicans, whose armies occupied the greater part of the country, and whose cause was sustained by most of the people. But his objections were overruled. The minister of war spoke alluringly of 26,000 men at his command, and after a glib enumeration of provinces still declared to be under imperial control, he of the finance department gave the assurance that a revenue of eleven millions could be counted upon, a sum which might be doubled twice or three times by the recovery of a few other provinces. This glowing picture failed to produce any great
- ↑ The 1st payment was made on April 2d, and deposited on board Le Phlégeton, which remained at this station. Le Saint, Guerre Mex., 201.
- ↑ The figures of expenses are as follows: In 1861, 3,200,000 fcs; 1862, 63,400,000; 1863, 97,619,000; 1864, 69,074,000; 1865, 41,405,000; 1866, 65,147,000; 1867, 23,310,000. Total, 363,155,000 fcs, of which 231,990,000 pertained to the war department, 116,873,000 to the navy, 14,302,000 to the treasury, besides 13,000,000 extras, 2,250,000 loss of war stores, and 20,000,000 for return charges. Against these sums and the loans France received only 61,975,000. Add to this the thousands of lives sacrificed in battles and hospitals, the latter being placed at over 5,600. Payno mentions among the sums paid by Mexico $1,013,358 for quartering French troops and other expenditures. Cuentas, 379-408, 599-674, 733-40. Figures vary somewhat as given in Niox, 703-4; An. Econ. Polit., 1898; Diar. Ofic., Aug. 17, 1866; Constitucional, Jan. 28-9, Feb. 8, Mar. 2, 1868, with allusion to a pressure on France for Jecker's claim.
