on the 2d. of December 1823 [1822] Brigr. Genl Don Antonio Lopes de Santana proclaimed in favour of a Republic in the city of Vera Cruz at the head of his Regiment No 8 of infantry— amounting to about 800 men well provided with amunition small arms and cannon and mortars, provided for the attack on the castle—the civil authority of Vera Cruz seconded him, and a plan was published on the 6 stating the basis of future operations—Genl. Guadalupe Victoria soon after joined Santana with a considerable body of troops and took command of the Strong and important fortified position of Puente de Rey (Kings Bridge) on the Main road from Vera Cruz to Xalapa Puebla and Mexico—about the 9 Santana left Vera Cruz and marched in the direction of Cordova with the intention as was said of endeavouring to induce Genl. Lobato and the division under his command to join him—Lobato however attacked his advance guard repulsed them and took two small field pieces and a few prisoners—Santana then collecting about 1000 men took the main road to the city of Mexico and having surprised and cut off, by a rapid movement, a detachment of the Imperial troops at the Plan del Rio, in advance of the Puente del Rey near Xalapa, made an attack on the latter city on the 23 Decr. at daylight and was repulsed with considerable loss in killed wounded and Prisioners,—This obliged him to retreat rapidly to Vera Cruz in which city he shut himself up with the remnant of his army. Victoria remaining in possession of the Puente del Rey—during this period the town of Alvarado, which had followed the example of vera Cruz a few days after the proclamation of the 2d Decr. redeclared for the Emperor—and was taken possession by Genl. Lobato—The Captain General of the Province of Vera Cruz field Martial Echavari uniting the divisions of Genl. Lobato and Cortázar and adding to them a few troops from Xalapa encamped before Vera Cruz and commenced the siege of that city with about____on the____day of ____ leaving a detachment to besiege Victoria at the Puente del Rey under the command of Genl. Calderón The sieges of these two places was continued without any important occurrance save occasional skirmishes, and the scarcity of provisions in Vera Cruz, untill the day of—when the besieging army under Echavarri entered into a convention with Ayuntamiento of Vera Cruz, called the convention of Casa Mata from its bearing date at that place this convention is as follows—&c, &c.

In the mean time the Emperor who left Xalapa the 1 Decr entered Mexico on the 12th Decr and was received with great demonstrations fryars and priests bearing crosses, a splendid Image of the virgin at the head of calle de los Plateros fronting the great square— another at the entrance of his Palace the windows and doors of which were hung with curtains and festoons, as was also the street leading from the tryumphal arch to the Palace, the whole of which was fancifully illuminated with small lamps suspended in festoons across the street throughout its whole extent presenting when viewed from either extremity the appearance of Millions of stars suspended over the Street below the eves of the houses—a Splendid Gilt tryumphal car was also made at the cost of the City in which it was intended to have drawn the Emperor into the City from the Gate; but he, probably thinking that his journey had afforded no cause of tryumph, prudently defeated this design by making his entrance in the night previous to the day he was expected—

The admirers of H. M. however were determined their labour should not be lost, and accordingly a procession was formed which moved from the Monastary of St. Francisco composed of about 100 fryars and priests bearing crosses, a splendid Image of the Virgin Mary as large as life clothed in silver and standing on a fanciful pedestal of Glass—Christ on the Cross and a quantity of Saints— Preceeded by the Emperor [75] body Guard of Horse next followed the Car drawn by fryars in which was the Portrait of H. M. supported by two Priests—a full Band of Music a detachment of Infantry and an immence crowd of the Rabie populace closed the line—This farce was succeeded [by] others of a similar character, the Car was hauled and rehauled through the Streets and illuminations and incessant and deafning peals of Bells seemed to occupy the whole attention of the People—It was however manifest to all and was even observed with regret by the tools and creatures of the Emperor, that the great mass of the respectable and intelligent part of the inhabitants viewed these displays with the disapprobation and contempt they merited—in the train of the Car was seen none but fryars, a few servile officers who had been promoted for their personal exertions in proclaiming the Emperor or insulting the congress and the lowest dregs of the Rabble who are a nearly perfect conterpart of the Lazeroni of Naples except being a mixture of Indians half and quarter Indians etc. and in the last grade of ignorance fanatisicm poverty, nakedness and misery—The Ayuntamiento about this time also set to work preparing for the "Jura" or cerimony of taking the oath of allegiance of the E.—a temple was erected in the great square nearly fronting the Cathedral presenting porticoes on the four sides supported by collumns about 20 feet in height, the entablatures and fronts of which adorned with large historical paintings representing the "Heroe of Iguala" in the various stages of his progress from a Spanish Colonel to Imperial diadem-— such as proclaiming the plan of Iguala on the 24 February 1820 [sic], the ratification of the treaty of Cordova, the takeing of Mexico by the trigarante army on the 27 Sept. following, his proclamation as Emperor on the night of 18 May 1822, his coronation on the 21 July &c, &c. An amphitheater for the Bull fight was also erected in a part of the same square fronting the Palace of the Vice Roys now Imperial Palace, and on the site of the circular enclosure which surrounded the Collossal Brown Statue of Charles the 4, Mounted on horseback, this enclosure was about 100 yards in diamiter entirely of hewn and carved stone, within the surface was elevated about 4 feet above the level of the great square and paved with hewn stone up to the foot of the statue, which rose in the center on a pedestal