The Sun.
London, England, 1837-03-23 00:00:00

D

EFEAT OF GENERAL EVANS, AND
RETREAT TO SAN SEBASTIAN.

ST. SEBASTIAN, MARCH I6.—General Evans has ex-
perienced a most disastrous reverse. The important and
brilliant advantages which he gained yesterday have been
infinitely more than counterbalanced by what has taken
place irx the course of this day. The urgency of the hour
merely allows me to state that a general feeling prevails here
that 'treachery and overpowering numbers have ruined all
that he had achieved since Friday last. Every man in
St.. Sebastian looked upon the capture of Hernani as mat-
ter beyond all doubt, after the Anglo-Spanish force had
once secured the command of the Venta. In fact, hun-
dreds rode out this morning for The purpose of passing the
(lay 'there. But in the mean time nothing was heard of
Saarsfield or Espartero ; and the Carlists received a rein-
forcement of 6,000 men, in addition to fifteen battalions,
which they had already in front of Gen. Evans. Time still
presses, and I have but just returned from the scene of slaugh-
ter. I can only say that Saarsfield and Espartero have failed
in their promised co-operation, that some Spanish regi-
ments have shamefully fled from the field, and that one-third
of the Legion has been either killed or wounded in conse-
quence. The Venta is once more in the possession of the
Uarlists ; and it is very doubtful, after what has occurred,
whether the Anglo-Spanish troops will be able to hold the
lines from which they advanced to so little purpose, and
with such unexpected discomfiture. I must reserve all par-
ticulars for my next communication, observing, meanwhile,
that henceforth Punka fides and Spanish faith may be re-
garded as convertible terms.

SAN SEBASTIAN, MARCII 17.—A special messenger,
who proceeds to Bayonne in about fifteen minutes hence,
with despatches from Colonel Wylde, takes a few lines
from me in addition to those of last night. General Evans
and the Legion have been sacrificed to infamous jealousy
and perfidious intrigue. The loss he has sustained it is
quite impossible for him to repair by any resources which
he can command at St. Sebastian. No official returns of
the killed and wounded have yet been made out ; but the
general estimate is that not less than 1,500 of the legion
were put yesterday hors de combat, and 500 the day before,
making 2,000 in two successive days out of the whole
auxiliary force. In my letter of Wednesday last I
stated that Colonel de Lancoy was killed on the field.
It was not so ; he was only wounded in so severe
a manner as to leave little or no hopes of recovery.
He received a ball in the head, and now lingers in ex-
cruciating agony, there being no possibility of extracting it.
Captain Fielding of the Rifles now lies in a similar state in a
room close to that in which I am now writing, and from
which a Spanish officer was, on Saturday last, taken to his
grave, having died of the wounds he received on Friday.
Every house in St Sebastian is an hospital at the present
moment. Colonel Colter, of the 9th (the same, who with
his brother officers, Colonels Considine and M'Cabe, so
gallantly took the Ametza hill, on Friday), having had yes-
terday the misfortune to fall into the hands of the Carlists,
was slain by them on the spot, his body being literally cut
to pieces. Very different was the fate that awaited the
Colonel of the Carlist Lancers, who was taken yesterday
morning, after losing ten of his men in an encounter with
the Legion. He was conveyed into town under as escort,
znd is now comfortably lodged in the castle, where he is
secure from all danger. The particulars of the action will
form the subject of a long letter, which I shall despatch by
the very first opportunity that presents itself. In con-
cluding these hasty lines, I can scarcely repress my indig-
nation at the scenes of horror which I witnessed with my
own eyes. The remnant of what once was the Legion, has
been driven within the old lines, and still retains them.