83
PAPERS OF MIRABEAU BuoNAPARTE LAMAR
and the Republic of Honduras, beliving as they did that the execu-:- tion of Coral was but the inauguration of a still bloodier policy towards all of his party I now come to conclude the narration of facts connected with the introduction and establishment of Walker and his follow- ers in this country, which can be of little interest to your Excellency further than to serve as a link in the history of the revolution and to show the legality which thus far had attended the proceedings of the- Americans. But I enter upon a more interesting field, filled with sources of pride and regret alike, to every true American heart - pride for the acts of heroism which were enacted by Americans, and regret for the occurrence of scenes which tarnished these laurels and eventually consigned to ruin the cause which their valor had retrieved from destruction The cause, as your Excellency well knows, had become an American one, and the plan which Walker had formed of introduc- ing the American element into Nicaragua quickly developed itself into the grand idea of the Americanization of the entire region of Cen- tral American and the establishment therefrom of a free Republic. Responding to a decree of President Rivas, offering lands and citizen- ship to all foreigners who would colonize the lands of the Republic or join her armies, many Americans flocked to the standard of Walker from California and the Atlantic States. To facilitate the migration better an arrangement was made with the Accessory Transit Company by which all emigrants from the U. S. would be brought to Nicaragua for $40 each. Thus on the 1st. of January 1858 Walker found him- self at the head of over 500 fighting Americans on the plain of Gra- nada, the native forces having been in the mean time almost entirely disbanded. In the absence of any regular system of taxation, the army had been sustained by forced contributions from the native proprietors. The disbanding of the native soldiers, and the contribution system caused much dissatisfaction. But the precarious means hitherto used were found inadequate to meet th_e large and increasing expenses of the Government and another plan was adopted. The Accessory Transit Company was alledged to be in Arrears to the Government in the sum of $186,000, and this was made the pretext for annulling the charter and siezing the entire property of the company valued at over $1000000, and leaving the Rout to another Company who remained in possession until they were dislodged by the Costa Ricans. At the time of the seizure of the Steamers twenty thousand dollars in gold belonging to the Accessory Company was forcibly taken possession by Walker During the months of November, December, January & February, Nicaragua remained in peace, but to avoid internal difficul- ties the troops of Walker were stationed in the principal towns. A great part of the inhabitants of all classes were pleased with the nP-w order of things and believed that in Walker their faction torn coun- try had found a saviour and that Nicaragua was about to burst forth into a glorious future. It is true that a few military Chiefs had re- fused to recognize the Walker-Rivas Government, and were wander- ing in Guatemala and Honduras, trying to induce those Republics to
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