The Sun.
London, England, 1837-05-15 00:00:00

SPAIN.

SAN SEBASTIAN, MAY 6, 11 O'CLOCK P.M.—.This mor-
ning at daybreak an attack was made on the Casa de
Aguirre, the fortified house at our advance, by between
three and four thousand men, part of whom crept up to
within a short distance of it, and rushed upon the men who
were on guard around it : this guard fell back, but the party
belonging to the same Spanish regiment—the Spanish 2d
light infantry—stationed within the house, bravely defended
it. A party of the enemy obtained possession of two small
houses in the rear of our advance, but they were soon driven
out of them.

Colonel Jochmus, quartermaster-general ; Captain John-
son, of the same department, and Captain Hermettger, of
the Lancers, who happened to be on the spot, gallantly put
themselves at the head of the Chapelgorris, and charged
the enemy, who fled precipitately. Colonel Jochmus re-
ceived a contusion in the thigh from a spent ball.
The field battery and rockets of the Legion were speedily
brought up ; the rockets, commanded by Captain Hamilton,
and a six-pounder, under the direction of Captain How,
being placed to the left, in advance of the Cassa de Aguirre.
They had not been long there before vollies were fired on
them from a strong body of Carlists stationed in a wood
close in front ; when they rushed on the gun and rockets.
A party of the 2d Spanish Light Infantry Regiment, who
were sent to support the guns, did not keep their ground ;
and, in consequence, it was with great difficulty that
Captains How and Hamilton with Lieutenant Shaw could
retire in time to save the gun and rockets, and their own
lives. A sergeant and a man belonging to Captain Hamil-
ton's company were wounded ; the right arm of the former
is fractured. Captain Hamilton had a most narrow escape.
Anxious to save a rocket pole which was lying on the
ground, as the men were retiring he stepped forward and
got it. At that timment a party of Carlists came up, and
the officer was in the act of catching hold of him, when a
Mr. Dickson, who is an officer on the half-pay of the British
army, and is in the habit of going out when there is any
fighting, going forward, caught up a loaded musket which
had belonged to a Carlist who was lying dead beside him,
and shot the officer dead. This gallant act, by which the
life of a most brave and active officer of the British Legion
has been saved, is highly deserving cf being recorded.
It was perceived that the enemy had thrown up a work
during the night in advance of and below their redoubt
nearest to our outposts ; there were three guns mounted on
this work, and they opened soon after daylight upon our
line. The field battery of the Legion was advantageously
posted on a plateau within range of these guns, and con-
tinued firing, with very little intermission, during the day.
I ought to have mentioned that a picket-house, to the right
of the Casa de Aguirre, was most gallantly defended during
the whole day by a party of the Spanish 2d Light Infantry,
a commandant of which and two officers were unfortunately
killed. Several cannon shot were thrown into this roofless
house from the Carlist battery, and killed one and wounded
nine men, but the brave fellows stood out most manfully.
The spherical case-shot from our artillery did great exe-
cution, and at length the Carlists, whO had about half a
battalion in the work thrown up in the night, retired from it,
leaving only a few men there. On their way up to the
redoubt the spherical case-shot were poured in upon them,
and must have killed great numbers.

In the affairs in the morning there was some sharp fight-
ing between the 2d Light Infantry, the Chapelgorris, and
the Carlists. Both these Spanish regiments had a good
many men wounded ; they each, too, took some prisoners
in houses ; I am sorry to say they put them all to death ;
the numbers vary so extremely, according to different ac-
cmints, that ;t is difficult to vouch for their correctness. In
one house I was told just now that an officer and six men
only were killed by the Chapelgorris ; I had before heard
there were thirty ; and I knew from the Colonel com-
manding the 2d Light Infantry that his men shot several
Carlists who fell into their hands : this officer expressed
his deep regret at the circumstance. These things are, in-
deed, very deplorable ; but the Carlists have provoked them
over and over again, and the massacres of our country-
men have exawerated their brothers in erms, the Spa-
niars, especially the Chapelgorris, who arc much attached
to the Legion.

Whilst this skirmishing and firing was going on to the
left of our line, the Royal Artillery and Royal Marine
Artillery were firing at the enemy's redoubts from the
tongue of land below Puyu, under the direction of Col.
Colquhoun. The eight-inch howitzers were extremely well
directed.

At about four in the afternoon the firing ceased, ex-
cepting a shell or two now and then from the guns of the
Legion.
The loss on the part of the Queen's troops, os far as
can be ascertained, is the three officers of the 2d. Light
Infantry above named killed, and about eighty men killed
and wounded, principally the latter. The Cellists must
have lied between three and four hundred killed and
wounded. Ninety dead have been counted on the field.
Two Carlist prisoners have been taken, and five de-
serters came over. The latter say that a whole battalion
of Castilians is ready to do so the first favourable oppor-
tunity.

With the exception of the artillery, the British Legion
was hardly employed yesterday. The 6th regiment re-
lieved the Chapelgorris at the outpo3ts, and had a very fine
appearance. Three or four men of the rifles were wounded.

The result of yesterday's operations has encouraged the
Queen's soldiers, and must have had quite the contrary
effect on the Carlists, who, we are told, say they will not
fight again where spherical case-shot are used against them.
Whilst what I have stated was going on, 1,500 fine men
of the 3d Regiment of Royal Guards were being disem-
barked from the I?badanzanthus (British) and the Illeteore
(French) man-of-war steamers, which returned afterwards
to Portugalete for more. It is expected that the whole of
the reinforcements will be here on Monday, when the
Conde de Luchana will arrive. Letters have been re-
ceived here from his Excellency to that effect. Colonel
Wylde will accompany him. Shortly after this the grand
movements will, no doubt, commence; and every thing in-
dicates that they will be successful, although, as expressed
in former letters, there are great difficulties to be sur-
mounted, arising out of the nature of the country, the for-
midable positions occupied and at the command of the
enemy, and the great preparations both in regard to artil-
lery and other warlike resources, which the Carlists have
made to resist the determined attack about to be made
upon them.

Count Mirasol, who was Captain-general of Biscay, and
governor of Bilboa during its first memorable siege, ar-
rived here yesterday, and will have the command of a di-
vision. He is an excellent officer, and well known to and
esteemed by General Evans ; in short, everything promises
well. As soon as all the Spanish troops shall have arrived
I will send you a correct statement of the force assembled
here. It will consist as far as can be at present ascer-
tained, of upwards of 30,000 men ; the cavalry, about 400,
are expected to-day.
The mass of the faction is stationed at present, accord-
ing to the best information that can be obtained, between
Oriamendi (the Venta-hill) and Hernani. The Pretender
loft Estella, says my informant, on the Ist inst., and arrived
on the 3d at Villafranca de Guipuzcoa. During the affair of
the 3d inst., when Loyola and all the commanding positions
around, now occupied by our troops , were taken, with the
loss of only one man killed and three wounded, two Carlist
officers were clangorously wounded, one of them by a'rock et ;
four Carlists killed, and six seriously wounded, besides seve-
ral slightly.
Desertions continue from the Carlists in every direction ;
two presented themselves a day or two ago on the French
frontier, with their arms and ammunition. They stated
that thirty-five men were coming within them, but that
they were obliged to remain behind, in consequence of the
great number of Carlist sentries placed along the frontier
to prevent desertion. The affair yesterday will, no doubt,
have the effect of bringing over numbers of deserters from
the force in front of us. Such is their dread of our ar-
tillery.
Accounts received to-night from Balm confirm the ac-
counts already communicated to you of the increased
scarcity of Wheat and Indian Corn in the insurgent pro-
vinces. In Biscay this scarcity exists to the same extent
as in Guipuzcoa.

Two more Carlist battalions have been detached from
Durango and Abadiano ; and two more (Navarrese) from
the vicinity of Bilboa to the army in front of us. There are
seven Biscayan battalions under the command of the Carlist
chief Guergue, in observation of Bilboa and Balmaseda.
The Carlist force now concentrated in this neighbourhood
is at least 25 battalions.

Eight guns have lately been sent from Biscay towards
Ilernani ; three of them are of heavy calibre.
There has been another exchange of prisoners at Bilboa.
Two hundred officers and men were liberated on each side.
Tho chief of the Conde de Lucliana's staff, General Esca-
lesa, superintended the exchange. The Christinos were
returned almost in a state of nudity, and evidently suffer-
ing from privations of every kind ; the Carlists who had
been prisoners in the hands of the Queen's authorities were
delivered up decently clothed, and after having been treated
with the utmost humanity. This will have its effect.

STAGE-COACH BENEVOLENCE.—OIiver waited
at the bottom of a steep hill till a stage-coach came up, and
then begged of the outside passengers ; but there were very
few who took any notice of him, and even those, told him to
wait till they got to the top of the hill, and then let them see
how far he could run for a halfpenny. Poor Oliver tried to
keep up with the coach a little way, but was unable to do it,
by reason of his fatigue and sore feet. When the outsides saw
this, they put their halfpence back into their pockets again,
declaring that he was an idle young dog, and didn't deserve
any thing; amid the coach rattled away, and left only a cloud
of dust behind.—Oliver Twist, by Box, in Bentley's Miscel-
lany tor May.