ory.--A few more
Pronunciamientos of Santa Anna.--The Adventures of Santa Anna to the
present Date.

We must resume again the narrative of historical events, in order
better to set forth the condition of the country through which we are
traveling.

Texas is a turning-point in the history of Mexico. Captain Don Alonzo
de Leon, in the year 1689,[15] by command of the Vice-King of New Spain,
took formal possession of Texas, in the name of His Most Catholic
Majesty of Spain. Afterward a few military and missionary settlements
were commenced, with indifferent success, as the Indians were of a less
docile character than those of the southern provinces. They were ever
restive under the yoke of spiritual taskmasters, so that the feeble
missions and presidios had only a sickly existence down to the time of
the breaking out of the civil wars of Mexico.

We have already noticed the statement that, in the year 1819, a Mexican
general routed at the River Madina a party of 3000 men, who were on
their way to join the Mexican insurgents. The above number is somewhat
improbable; say there were 500, which would be about as many as could
well be mustered at that early period for a filibustering expedition at
New Orleans.

In 1820 Moses Austin applied to the Spanish authorities, and obtained
from them the right to settle a certain number of families in Texas. He
died soon after, and his son Stephen obtained a confirmation of the
grant, or, rather, a new grant, from the authorities established at
Mexico under the Federal Constitution of 1824. Under that constitution
Texas was annexed to Coahuila, and, together with it, was formed into
the united state of Coahuila and Texas. From the authorities of this
state divers other Americans obtained grants of land under the
provisions of the colonization law of the Mexican Congress of the year
1824. From this time all things went smoothly on, and the grantees were
busily engaged in introducing the number of families which were
stipulated for in the said law, and in the grants made under it, when
the Spanish armada landed at Tampico.

DOWNFALL OF BUSTAMENTE.

In consequence of the great dangers threatening the country, Congress
had conferred dictatorial powers upon the President of the Republic,
Vincente Guerrero. By virtue of his dictatorship, he had invested the
Vice-president of the Republic, Bustamente, with the command of an army
of reserve, which he established at Jalapa. As soon as