gent suffrage on the part of the masses—is established in the country; and the day for the consummation of such a result is very far distant.
The present President of Mexico, Porfirio Diaz, is undoubtedly one of the ablest men who have ever filled the office of its chief executive; although his elevation to power was effected in the first instance through military support, and the arbitrary and violent overthrow of the regular constituted authorities. Thus, having distinguished himself in the army, and as general-in-chief of the forces that wrested the capital from Maximilian in 1866, he offered himself as a candidate for the presidency in 187 1. In the following election, only 12,361 votes were cast; of which Juarez received 5,837, Diaz 3,555, and Lerdo de Tejada, who was then Chief-Justice of the Supreme Court, 2,874, with ninety-five votes recorded as scattering. Diaz refused to accept the result, on the ground that the re-election of a President was not constitutional, issued a manifesto, and repudiated the existing authorities. A bloody war, lasting about a year, ensued, in which Diaz and his forces were utterly routed. Diaz was, however, amnestied, kindly received at the capital, and lived peacefully until 1876, when he rebelled against the government of Lerdo, a scholarly and accomplished man, but deficient in military talent, who had suc-
