The Sun.
London, England, 1837-08-15 00:00:00

SPAIN.

(Abridged from the private correspondence of a Morning
Contemporary.)
INOJOSA (LOWER ARAGON), AUGUST 2.
HEAD QUARTERS OF THE CONDE DE LUCHANA,
Immediately after my last letter, dated 28th July, from
Santa Eulalia was dispatched, the Conde de Ltchana
marched from that village with the brigade of Guards, and
about 400 cavalry. In the evening we arrived at Bisiedo,
and halted for the night. The division commanded by
General Buerens also reached Bisiedo the same evening.
At six the next morning the whole corps d'armee, thus
brought together, were drawn up outside the village, in
order to be reviewed by the General-in-Chief. It was a
beautiful morning, and the different corps had vied with
each other in order to present as brilliant an appearance as
possibi;. The cavalry wore their gala uniforms. The di-
vision of General Buerens was that formerly commanded by
General Espar,tero ; it had been separated from him for a
year, and its men:hers had long been anxious to be again
united with the force under his orders.
The General-in-Chief, accompanied by a numerous staff,
rode to the front of each regiment, telling them how gra-
tified he felt at being in the midst of them, and assuring
them of his confidence that they would vanquish the enemy,
who was nigh at hand.
At the conclusion of each speech the soldiers' caps were
seen flourishing about on the tops of the men's baycnets.
This fine body of between fourteen and fifteen thousand
men, including six pieces of mountain artillery, and 6:
rockets brought from San Sebastian, marched forthwith
and got to Camarillas, a moderately-s&d village, at four in
the afternoon.
Here we learned that the Pretender was at La Iglesuela,
about twelve hours' march off, and that in that very place
(Camarillas) there were 5,000 factious about a week be-
fore. Sixteen of them left it only an hour before we en-
tered. They had been robbing the poor people of all they
could find, and were pursued by a staff officer and three
dragoons, who preceded the column for the purpose of ar-
ranging about billets ; but they had got too far off.
At six in the morning of the 30th July the whole corps
crarts,,ee marched from Camarillas in the direction of Can-
tavieja. The ground is steep and rocky ;no roads ; nothing
but zigzag oaths, dominated by formidable natural positions,
from which--;:lowly proceeding, as we did, one by one—the
enemy, with a ccmparatively small force, without being to
any considerable ei.tent exposed, might have harassed us
extremely, and killed or wounded a great number of men.
In these advantageous positions, however, not one factious
soldier presented himself.
The light battalions, detached if; advance, entered For-
tanete without resistance, and at 5 p.m. head-quarters, and
the remainder of the troops arrived. It turned out that
this village had been afflicted for nine days with the pre-
s nee of about :3,000 of the faction, including between five
an-I six hundred cavalry, the whole commanded by Don
Basilio.

The streets were crammed with ordure, and the offal of
the sheep which had been plundered for miles around, and
consumed by the banditti of Don Carlos. The poor inha-
bitants displayed all the symptoms of misery and starve-
tion ; everything they possessed had been carried off.
The report of Don Carlos being at La Iglesuela was
here confirmed. That village is five hours' march from
Fortanete. The Pretender had been once at Cantavieja,
where he remained two hours only. In the course of the
night the General-in-Chief received information that he
left La Iglesuela at six in the evening with an escort, it
was supposed for Villafranca del Cid, just across the
frontier of Valencia. Subsequent reports, however, and
reflection led the Conde de Luchana to suspect that
this latter rumour was incorrect, and that it was more
more probable the alarmed Pretender would make the
best of his way in the direction of Tronchon, in order
to gain the Ebro, in hopes of recrossing it before the
Queen's army could come up with him. The rebels, no
doubt, calculated that a part of our force would remain to
reduce Cantavieja, and the remainder go on the wrong
scent, it was hoped, to put us upon towards Valencia. So
persuaded was the General of this, that he said what it
would be right for him to do was to start at two in the
morning from Fortanete, and proceed by Mirambel towards
Tronchon ; but he was cramped by instructions from Go-
vernment, issued in consequence of the adoption of a plan
of campaign proposed to Ministers by General Oraa, with-
out having first laid it before the General-in-Chief. The
latter only received the plan from Oraa the day after its
adoption by Government was officially announced to him.
The course thus determined on was, that General Oraa
with the force under his orders should march upon Mos-
querela, a central point near Cantavieja ; and that the
General-in-Chief should also move upon the same point.
The Conde de Luchana marched at six on the morning
of the 31st from Fortanete in the direction of Mosquerela.
Our path was, as usual, over steep and rocky heights. The
few peasants we met confirmed the departure of the Pre-
tender at six the previous evening from La Iglesuela, not,
however, in the direction of Villafranca del Cid, or to-
wards Valencia, but, on the contrary, to Mirambel, where
he was to sleep. So that if the General-in-Chief had not
been bound by instructions from Government, by following
his own idea of marching to Mirambel during the night, he
would in all probability have caught Don Carlos and his
escort at that place. Thus we have an unhappy proof of
the pernicious effects of a general, especially in a war of this
nature, not having carte blanche.
In consequence, however, of the information thus ob-
tained on the march, the General-in-Chief resolved on
making La Iglesuela his first point ; we arrived at five in
the evening, and found it to be true that the Pretender left
it, as before stated, with Cabrera and the immediate fol-
lowers of this mock King, the two thousand men by
whom be is generaliy accompanied having remained till
two o'clock in the morning plundering the houses, and
leaving, a; usual, nothing but filth and desolation behind
them. Tile fields of unripe corn, as far as the eye could
reach, had been reaped by the Carlists to feed their ca-
valry and hosts of baggage-mules upon. The young pota-
toes bad all been dug up, as well as every other root and
♦egetable.

At six, A.m. (the Ist of August) we left La Iglesuela,
and returned by the same road we traversed yesterday to
Fortanete, which we reached at about noon, and halted for
the night. No Carlists bad entered the place daring our
Absence.

From the information obtained there appeared to be but
little doubt that the Pretender, finding himself closely pur-
sued and nearly surrounded by the two corps darmee un-
der the Conde de Luchana and General Oraa, was making
the best of his way to the Ebro, which it was supposed he
would endeavour to cross at Sastago, where we heard the
Carlist chief Quilez had taken possession of some boats for
that purpose.
The Conde de Luchana at once resolved_ on making a
decided march. and as rapidly as possible, in order to cut
off the rebels. upon whose heels General Oraa is of course
closely following. This movement will also prevent the
entrance of the Carlists into the mountainous district of
Soria—an object they may probably have in 'view in case
they should be checked in their route towards the Ebro.
Soon after daylight this morning we started ; and after
having crossed a very mountainous and most desolate
country, got, at one p.m. to Aliaga, where head-quarters
halted about an hour and-a-half. At six in the evening we
arrived here (Inojosa) ; the army being cantoned at Aliaga
and other villages in the viciniry—some of them in advance
of us.

From all that precedes, it must, I think, appear clear to
you that it is a very difficult matter to bring an enemy such
as we have had to deal with into a false position in a
country most scantily populated, and in which the rebels
have organized a system of terror highly useful to them.
They have gathered together from leagues around every
herd of cattle, every blade of corn, every article of sub-
sistence in short. Cantavieja, whose inhabitants are despe-
rate people, and who thrive by the plunder brought thither,
is the real plague of the country. It will be said,‘ perhaps,
why not take Cantaviejs, and raze it to the ground ? The
fact is, that in three or four days this could have been
done by General Espartero ; but in that case all idea of
attacking the Pretender must have been given up ; and
he might by this time have crossed the Ebro, or get into the
province of Soria, either of which occurrences would have
been very deplorable for the Queen's cause. As to the
Queen's army, it could not be supported in these regions
more than four or five days ; there is no forage for the
cavalry, no bread for the men, no wine, and very often un-
wholesome water. It is impossible to bring large strings of
mules with biscuit and salt provisions, for in the desolate
ground we crossed no food for the animals could be found ;
consequently, they could not carry their burdens ; besides
which, with a pursuing army of 15,000 men, a due propor-
tion of baggage animals with provisions would quite frus-
trate the operations. Unless, therefore, the object in view
could be accomplished in four or five days, the army must
necessarily retire to a more productive neighbourhood.
General Espartero, judging that it would become neces-
sary to return by the route we are now taking, because the
Pretender would when hemmed in most probably endeavour
to cross the Ebro or to enter Soria, had, previously to en-
tering the mountains, ordered depots of provisions, &c., to
lie established at Molina de Aragon, Daroca; and Cala-
tay ud. These will now be most useful, and enable the
troops to continue their long marches with vigour and spirit.

CALAMOCHA (LOWER ARAGON), AUGUST 5.
HEAD-QUARTERS OF THE CONDE DE LUCHANA.
My last was dated from Inojosa on the 2d inst. We left
it at six the next morning, and passing through larque,
Las Cuevas, Mezquita, Pancrudo, and Alpenas, arrived at
Torres de los Negros at six in the evening. The features
ill' the country were much changed for the better. We
p.'ssed by some well-cultivated valleys, embellished with
trek Is and refreshed by streams of excellent water. The
ham •,pt was standing in rich sheaves in ttbe fields, the fruit

ripening on the trees, and, above all, there were no traces
of the destructive passage of the faction.
At Navarete, the General-in-chief received a dispatch
from Genera Oraa, dated Forcall, on the Valencian frontier
and other information, by which he learnt that the Pre-
tender had returned to his old quarters at La Iglesuela, in
conseqoance, no doubt, of having obtained knossledge of
the movements of the Queen's army, and despairing of
either crossing the Ebro, or getting inte the province of
Soria. I can only account for the return of General Oraa
to the edge of the province of Valencia by presuming that
the report of the Pretender having gone in the direction of
Villafracca del Cid had reached that General, as it did the
Conde de Luchana, and that the movement of General
Oraa upon Forcall was made with a view of preventing the
progress of the Pretender once more into Valencia.
However, be the reason for this what it may, it is very
ninth to be regretted that General Una should have lost
sight of the faction which he had so long followed up. The
report purposely spread by the Carlists and their agents
that they were going towards Valencia has so far answered
their purpose as that the corps d'arcice of the Queen, spe-
cially employed in keeping it in view, has lost sight of it.
Still, from all you will have perused in my last letter, you
will sec that there is not much chance of Don Carlos and
his army being able to support themselves for any length of
time in their present position. They have returned to it,
no doubt, in despair ; the object for which they left it has
not been obtained. They can neither re-cross the Ebro, nor
enter Soria or Valencia. They are in an exhausted coun-
try, (exhausted by their own rapine. The people abhor
them. The Navarrese, who had ceased to desert because
they were led to believe they were on their way back to
their own province, will now, it is almost certain, drop off
from the Pretender by hundreds, leaving their curses be-
hind them.

We halt here to-day, which is a great comfort to us
all, I mean as far as bodily feelings go. The fatigues and
privations endured by the Queen's army during the week
we have been in the arid mountains described to you in
my last have been excessive. For five days they had no-
thing to subsist upon but the little meat that remained of
the provision made on the road. The forage for the ca-
valry (nearly 1,000) was completely exhausted, so that the
horses, having nothing to eat but straw, and here and there
a little wheat in the car, were drooping daily. Add to
this, uninterrupted marches in steep and stony mountain-
ous paths, under a scorching sun, and you will be able to
form as just an idea as can be done by those who have not
shared in these fatigues and privations. _ .

- •
I have just been inquiring as to whether any further in-
telligence has been received regarding the faction, and find
that nothing new is known. General' Oraa is said to be at
Forcall, on the borders of Valencia.
The Conde de Luchana has, I am informed, declined
to accept the Ministry of War.
DAROCA, AUG. 6, NINE A.M.—Being anxious to get my
letter of yesterday from Calamocha sent by the post which
will leave this in an hour for Saragossa, I left the former
place at six this morning, and rode rapidly over. Head-
quarters were about to move at the same time ; and the
division of General Buerens, which was quartered yesterday
at Luco, was marching out as I passed. The whole will
be here, or in the vicinity, in about two hours. This move-
ment is made, I believe, in consequence of intelligence
having been received that the Carlist Chief Quilez was
advancing with 5,000 men towards the plain of Carinena,
in hopes of getting into Soria, and there forming a junction
with the Carlist troops (3,000, we hear) who lately suc-
ceeded in crossing the Ebro from Navarre. It is probable
that, after halting a couple of hours here, the army, or part
of it, may go in the evening to Carinena, about five hours'
march from Daroca.