in his military reorganization, but Diaz, seeing men
who had given great and loyal service to the state dismissed from their
positions in the government, and disgusted at this course, retired to
the little city of Oaxaca; there he lived, helping in the
reorganization of the army but taking no active part in the government
until 1871.

On Juarez' death Lerdo succeeded as president, in 1872. His term of
office again brought discord, and when it was known that he was
attempting to be re-elected in 1876, the storm broke. Diaz came from
retirement, took up the leadership against Lerdo, and after desperate
struggles and a daring escape finally made a triumphal entry into Mexico
city on the 24th of November 1876, as provisional president, quickly
followed by the full presidentship. His term of office marks a prominent
change in the history of Mexico; from that date he at once forged ahead
with financial and political reform, the scrupulous settlement of all
national debts, the welding together of the peoples and tribes (there
are 150 different Indian tribes) of his country, the establishment of
railroads and telegraphs, and all this in a land which had been upheaved
for a century with revolutions and bloodshed, and which had had
fifty-two dictators, presidents and rulers in fifty-nine years. In 1880
Diaz was succeeded by Gonzalez, the former minister of war, for four
years (owing to the limit of the presidential office), but in 1884 he
was unanimously re-elected. The government having set aside the
above-mentioned limitation, Diaz was continually re-elected to the
presidency. He married twice and had a son and two daughters. His gifted
second wife (Carmelita), very popular in Mexico, was many years younger
than himself. King Edward VII. made him an honorary grand commander of
the Bath in June 1906, in recognition of his wonderful administration as
perpetual president for over a quarter of a century.

See also Mrs Alec Tweedie, _Porfirio Diaz, Seven Times President of
Mexico_ (1906), and _Mexico as I saw it_ (1901); Dr Noll, _From Empire
to Republic_ (1890); Lieut. Seaton Schroeder, _Fall of Maximilian's
Empire_ (New York, 1887); R. de Z. Enriquez, _P. Diaz_ (1908); and an
article by Percy Martin in _Quarterly Review_ for October 1909.
(E. A. T.)

DIAZ DE NOVAES, BARTHOLOMEU (fl. 1481-1500), Portuguese explorer,
discoverer of the Cape of Good Hope, was probably a kinsman of Joao
Diaz, one of the first