He Took Great Pains In
Correcting My Spanish, And Supplying Me With Colloquial Phrases,
And Common Terms And Exclamations In Speaking.
He lent me a file
of late newspapers from the city of Mexico, which were full of
triumphal receptions of Santa Ana, who had just returned from
Tampico after a victory, and with the preparations for his expedition
against the Texans.
"Viva Santa Ana!" was the by-word everywhere,
and it had even reached California, though there were still many
here, among whom was Don Juan Bandini, who were opposed to his
government, and intriguing to bring in Bustamente. Santa Ana,
they said, was for breaking down the missions; or, as they termed
it - "Santa Ana no quiere religion." Yet I had no doubt that the
office of administrador of San Diego would reconcile Don Juan to
any dynasty, and any state of the church. In these papers, too,
I found scraps of American and English news; but which were so
unconnected, and I was so ignorant of everything preceding them
for eighteen months past, that they only awakened a curiosity which
they could not satisfy. One article spoke of Taney as Justicia
Mayor de los Estados Unidos, (what had become of Marshall? was he
dead, or banished?) and another made known, by news received from
Vera Cruz, that "El Vizconde Melbourne" had returned to the office
of "primer ministro," in place of Sir Roberto Peel. (Sir Robert
Peel had been minister, then? and where were Earl Grey and the Duke
of Wellington?) Here were the outlines of a grand parliamentary
overturn, the filling up of which I could imagine at my leisure.
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