the Río Grande and the Salado.[77]  Some fled to Mier with the terrifying news of defeat, and the loyal press and officialdom sought to arouse the people to the dangers of an invasion by "colonials," assisted and abetted by disgruntled groups at home. They attributed the success of the Federalists to their Texan allies, and the usual invectives against Texas and Texans in the press and among the public were multiplied.[78]  The editor of El Diario del Gobierno (Mexico City) declared that "the Mexicans were less fortunate than the [people] of the most unlucky country of the world. There are among us, I am forced to say, men so vile, so destitute of modesty, lastly, so traitorous, that they have no hesitancy in making common cause with the enemies of [our] territorial integrity and . . . independence."[79]  The union of Canales with Ross, declared El Ancla,[80]  "constitutes treason; it is the lack of loyalty to the sovereign Mexican nation."

It was the opinion of the loyal citizens and frontier officials that the incursion of Ross was authorized by the Texan government and that his unit was the vanguard of a much larger force to be dispatched to the assistance of the Federalists. Consequently, dispatches were sent in great haste by the Centralist frontier commanders to the City of Mexico calling for assistance."[81]

In the meantime, at Matamoros, Canalizo declared as traitors Anaya, Canales, Zapata, and the other Federal leaders, for seeking the aid of the "rebellious" Texans -- for the horrible crime of making common cause with the Texans at the risk of "menacing Mexican independence and liberty."[82]  This was followed on December 9 by President Bustamante's sending to Congress a proposal to make it treason against the state for anyone "to write, act, or speak in favour of the views and intentions of the Texans; or in favour of the views of any foreign