The Sun.
London, England, 1862-06-30 00:00:00

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THE FRENCH IN AIEXICO.

A letter from Mexico, dated May 28, says ;—The
Government have published a decree, " by which
persons promulgating false reports are to be ad-
judged conspirators and punished accordingly." By
false r eports are meant roports -unfavourable to the
so-called Constitutional came. Several.respectabie
people have already been _thrown into; prison Li..
stating that Zaragoza has met with ascvere eheek .
dayfermrete.
ftw
and this has so alarmed the rest of the Population
that
rtlaiessyeg
have become
arrived
Cruz, but they wisely consider that ‘1 self Treserva-
tion is nature'sfirst law,l! and do not seem at all
disposed to favour us w ith. the details of:what has
taken place in the neighbourhood oE Orizaba.
as
t b dumb
m other b
a s
s
statues. m
so. .§vot
. The correspondence by the. French steamer has
been stopped, and as no letters have been received
from Vera Cruz for upwards of three weeks we re-
main here very much in the dark. Notwithstanding
all these precautions the truth will bezel:tut, and
although I cannot furnish you with heart-stirring
accounts of battles won and lost, I think the follow-
ing. will prove, although a .short, still a tolerably
accurate statement of what has taken place since
the date of my last.
After the attack on the Cerro de Guadalupe, the
French generalAncling Zaragoza in greater strength
than he eipected, it' inwreadi3nti-with s, the
small foree.be had at his command (not ,more than,
5,000 men), to tontinuo his march upon. the capital,
and he therefore commenced aretreat upon Orizaba;
this retreat; or more properly countermarch,ap-
pears to have been conducted in a most leisurely
manner, for on the lBth he Was still at the Cumbres
de AOultzinge,-having taken 12 days to perform a
distance of some 20 leagues. Zaragoza, with about
11,000 men, followed -in the same direction, or as
the .Government ,say, in pursuit, and there Is a
report. that CaraVajal, in command of the Mexican
cavalry, got very severely handled on the morning
of the 14th, and lest 'sane 300 men in an attack he
made on the rearguard of the Freneh;li. On the 18th
Marquez, with' about:2,ooo men, was endeavouring
to form a junction, with. Lorencez when he was
attacked by
,a large body of Zaragoza's troops.under
General Tapia, The French, who had already in
,P,art descended .the Cumbres, hearing the 'firing,
countermarched,' and taking pessession of a small
eniinence which commanded the entrance ef the
• tarranea Seca, a small valley in which' the fight
was taking plane, fell with tremendous :effect upon'
• the forces lof Tapia, which' are said -to- have, been
almost annihilated. -
The Mexicans are reported to have lost 1,000 in
killed and wounded, besides 2,000 prisoners. In
fact, this44ittleaffairl' as it is termed 'by the Go-
vernthentergans, likely to 'act as' a'veiy consi-
derable damper to that exuberanoe of valour which,
after the repulse of the Zouaves' in their reconnoi-
tring expedition of the Cerro de , Guadalupe,

~.

threatened Lorencez And his army. with nothing
short of annihilation. ' That something serious has
occurred 'is clear from the ominous silence -preserved
by the Government. That it may act as is warning
to Mexieani generally, and thus in the end grave the'
effusion of much blood, is the wish of every humane
person. The French Commissioners- showecl a sad
want of discretion in putting forward Almonte and
his party in such a way, as Jo lead the Mexic,aiii na-
tion to believe that it was the inteillion o the
French Emltieror to 'reinstate the -dhurZtilitain,---
eird the presernce of suell'a man as the'lladreiVli-
rand& in the French camp was of itself sufficient 'to
insure them the hostility of = the whole of-the
leiberal party., Almonte I believe to be a most re-
spectable and well-meaning man ; still he is of the
Consetvarive side. What we want is a fusion of
parties, and that a foreign force, professing to sup-
port neither, could easily have brought about; once
in possession -of the capitaii-neither party_would
have dared openly to oppose its progress, because
each in the end would have hoped to benefit by
its presence. it would be easier to establish a ,new
form of Government altogether than to establish
either one of the contending factions. All we want
is a foreign force in the capital, and the rest will
follow as a matter of 'course..
Hitherto we have had but a series of blunders to
deplore. It was a blunder to send an allied force
of 10,000 men, unprovided with, the means of trans-
port. It was a blunder to allow that force to remain
inactive at Vera Cruz when a four days' march upon
Jalapa or Orizaba would have provided them with
that transport. It was a blunder to acknowledge the
present Government by sending up Deputy Com-
missioners. It was a still worse blunder, when these
Commissioners had failed in their mission and when
there was no Mexican force in the field, not to take
active measures. It was a blunder to enter into tre-
liminaries founded on falsehood, and which could
by no possibility lead to good results, and it was an
unpardonable blunder for the Commissioners here
to declare null and void a formal convention made
by the three Powers in Europe, and thus afford a
pretext to the Spanish commander for the with-
drawal of the forces under his command. These
unaccountable proceedings have led Mexicans to
believe that the three Powers are afraid to interfere
in the affairs of the country, lest they should bring
down upon them the hostility of the United States.
They have given time to the present Government
to collect resources both in men and money, and
they have, to all appearance at least, satisfied Juarez
and his Government that England and Spain have
retired from the contest, leaving France to settle
the matter as best he may. Now, it is absurd to
Suppose that any partial disagreement between their
agents here could ever, t
lead to a coolness between i: avo
such Powers as France and England upon such
question as it is to imagine that a treaty
would be
entered into for objects common to
both countries
without those objects being carried it would be
but a mere act of mercy at once to disabuse the
Mexican people and lay the
fair to state that whatevermatter before them in
its true light. It is but
M.
difference of opinion may have existed between
de Saligni and Sir Charles Wyke, the utmost unani-
mity prevails between theFrenchelalnthdaEt ynagnlishtrreeastiy-
dents. The latter know but too w
made with a Mexican Government is not worth the
paper it is written on, and that their very existence
now depends upon the success of the French expe •
dition.
It is not surprising, therefore, that the con-
duct of her
Majesty's representative and that of
Spain should be universally condemned. Some idea
may be formed of the state of trade when I inform
u that one of the leading English firms, you which in
ordinary revolutionary times and •at this season of
the year sells goods to the amount of 50,000 dols.,
has, during this present month of May, sold only
700 dols. worth ; still it has
to pay heavy percent-
ages on capital, forced contributions,
double taxes,
and numerous other impostione. The case of one is
the case of all
• To add to their other misfortunes
the city latterly has been
inundated with hundreds
of thousands of false dollars, so admirably made
and corresponding so accurately in weight that it is
almost impossible to detect them. Where they are
manufactured, or whence they come, nobody
knows; one thing is certain, that the Govern-
ment have taken no steps to discover forgers. Day
after day are decrees promulgated, subjecting
the unfortunate inhabitants to fresh exactions,
and with such rigour are they levied, that a man
rich to-day may be a pauper to-morrow. Re-
spectable persons are thrown into prison upon
the most frivolous pretences, and there kept for
indefinite periods. A man even talking of inter-
vention is liable to be shot. This is scarcely a
Government deserving of much considerations. It is
l
marvellous to find a nation tamely submitting to al
this ; but they are so bound down by tyranny that 1
'
any additional outrage only renders them the more
submissive. They are really worms that will never
turn. Every day may be seen 50 or 100 able-
bodied men, dragged from their homes to recruit
the army, marching through the streets guarded by
three or four soldiers, followed by their wives,

6PAPER

tr.
:Izl4,
A 44,
.1-C1
sisters or Mothers in a
is'so common that it a.. a. thltimen
themselves seem se'• utterly indifferent that you
would suppose them fatalists. How easy with
ordinary management would it be to goverif such a
people. The,PPrktgat the reactionary chiefi had
joined Juarez turns out to-be unfounded. -Marquez
with 2,000 cavalry joined the French after the
Sega of the 18th. Whether much reliance is to be
placed on such auxiliaries would certainly. seem
problematical: There is a report that Tampico is
to be,talfen possession of. Why this was not done
long ego no one can understand. Gonzales Ortega
is said to be 013 his way to this city with the San
Luis and Zacatecas contingents, amounting to 6,000
men.

MORNING OF 29TH.

The c arrespou deuce by-the French ,packet,arrivcd.
last night; it was not stopped by the, Government
lits, at first suppved.. .Tire xri fortxnate courier died
of vo»3ito on the road, and for some titre no one
_could ba found who would hazard his life by being
1 the beiirer'ef corresl3onffence. • •W were surprised
to find that -no further French troops were under
orders for thissto -Autry ; from:the turn thin gr.; 'have
taken no .titue _ ought to be_lost, and. reinforcements
ought to be sent without dele'y. The partial suc-
cess at the cup de Guadahipe-has inspired this
party with confidence, and, it may require One or
twO•threAings to convince them that' dial. troops
are not eqUal to contend with the heroes of Solfe •
rino. It appears that in the action of the 18th the
-French had but two killed and ten wounded, Mexi-
cans upwards of 700 killed and 1,000 taken .pri-
soners. General Douet left Vera Cruz for Orizaba
With 1,000 men on the 18th. It said that he will
be opposed by La Llane at the Chiquihucti. ' The
Custom;house of Vera Cruz has been :handed over
to
bi the and. by them 'delive red- to -Al ~oArte-i-il,
il, te= legit, `is : injndieioui. -It !is ,also
t;F. ren
say ch
th,
rumoured -that, al 'fresh -Cenvention has, been -signed
by the three 'Powers,,ieaving the-management to •
) t France b
IS w-otild seep to be a movp.intbe right ,
direction.

The Moniteur of yesterday morning publishes the
folloling news froM Mexico of the 28th of May,
received tai Sunthimptonl— -
" Marquez, with 2,000 troops, effected a junction
with the French expeditionary corps on the 18th of
May, The Mexican vanguard, consisting of 1,500
men, endeavoured tv prevent this movement, but
was 4.lmost entirely destioyed by our troops."
The llioniteur adds :

44 We hope that the expected official reports will
hasten to confirm this information."
• The following aecotuat contains soma interesting
details :

" CITY OF MEXICO,_ MAY 28.

" On the 11th of May, at 9 a.m., the French army
commenced retreating from Amozoc, and succes-
sively passed through Acatzingo, Queeholac, San
ralinar, Istapa, and over' the heights
of Acultzingo, arriving on the evening of the 17th
at Orizaba. •
" During the retrograde movement of the French
great discord arose among the reactionary bands
assembled at Atlixco and Matamora4 Izucar. One
plirtY of them, headed by Marquez, Cobos, Vicario,
Sze., resolved to join the French, and act in concert
with them. The others, commanded by Zuloaga,
Zires, Bm, determined ,not to take part in the con-
flict. The forces of Marquez and Cobos consisted
of from 3,000 to 4,000 men, chiefly cavalry, and,
although undisciplined and ill-armed, they never
ceased to harass the troops of General Zaragoza,
threatening them in flank and in rear.
"After the return of the French to Orizaba,
General Zaragoza's army remained echeloned along
the road from San Augustin del Palmar to Acult-
zingo. General Tapia, with .two pavaltreorps, was
posted near thilattor-point, situated at the base of
'Les-diirribr'es, in -drder to watch - this' moVenfebts of
Marquez, who was endeavouring to join the trench.
On the morning of the 18th, General Tapia received
inforthation that the forces of Marquez were
debouching'by the Barroom- &Ca, and iiiM'ediitely
prepared to.meet theM.

" Marquez, in order to avoid the main body of
General Zaragoza's army, instead of taking the
main road and passing by the Cumbres, entered
the defiles of the mountains between Tehuacan and
the Cumbres with 2,000 men, following paths which
generally are only wide enough for one horseman
to pass at c time. Thus he arrived on the 18th at
Barranca Sees, two leagues from Ingenio, and six
from Orizaba.

" The Barranca Seca is a gorge, half a league in
diameter, surrounded on all sides by inaccessible
mountains, with a narrow opening in. the direction
of Orizaba. This opening, although very narrow,
is divided by a mamelon commanding the.whole
position. At the bottom of the gorge, exactly
facing the opening, the mountains are separated by
a road, affording passage for only a single file of
horsemen. It was through this narrow and difficult
path that Marquez's forces debouched. On learn
ing this movement Gen. Tapia prepared to meet the
enemy with his two corps of cavalry. He found
the army of Marquez drawn up in battle array at
the bottom of the gorge, and entered the defiles in
order to prevent it from escaping. ' The conflict
commenced at about nine in the morning; but at
first was confined to skirmishing. Gen. Tapia sent
for reinforcements to
hie side, despatched
Gen. Negreti, who was at
Acultzingo, and Marquez, 0
couriers to Orizaba in order to inform the French
of his perilous positiomarAtbo forceGofuettnhihsaflfo-rpcaestefnoeturerrrieavaedat
the
of 1,100 infantry, sent by Negreti,
the scene of action.. p
gorge and engages in combat with the cavalry of
the
deadly, and the reactionary forces would
passes. The
have been cut to pieces at the bottom of
marques. Thermometer guarded
when about five o'clock about 2,000 French
troops suddenly made their appearance. Immediately
on receipt of Marquez's message a b
Ctuchhonemadg:bs:earbutgtrwee!dYe Vincennes, and the o9cl9yt ho fRZe yen t'
of the line, had been set in motion to reinforce
him and arrived at the critical moment, occupied
the outlets of the gorge, and took possession of the
mamelon which commanded the whole position.
" Thus all the Mexican forces, not only those of
Tapia, but also those commanded by Marquez,
found themselves shut up within the gorge. A
frightful carnage ensued. Neither party had ar-
thiellteerhey.
y,rand firearms were scarcely used in the
The battle was fought hand to hand for
the space of two full hours until night closed in.
Towards the close of the conflict the French, owing
to the darkness, were unable to distinguish the
Mexicans, and charged both the soldiers of General
Tapia and those of Marquez. At length night ter-
minated the conflict, the French withdrawing to
Orizaba, accompanied by Marquez and his cavalry,
and General Tapia's troops returned to the posi-
tion which they occupied before the battle. The
Mexicans suffered immense losses, which, without
exaggeration, may be estimated at 50 per cent. of
their number. Marquez, it is said, lost 600 men.
..
As for the French their loss must have been equally
severe, although the number is not known.
is reported to have been killed in the Vicayo
" The following morning at about a entil o'clock
id and carried off
the Mexicans visited the battlefini
buried the dead bodies of their c
the spoil. The French only arrveudmraatdnegoonal al nedf
died.
which were found striPeali The wounded left on
the field all night nearly
ot er
dy
of
from IGeneralen.apcilaaimarse
tehsteimg
of one against t wo
hfarnaov:m'ilnitigh:heotoluioofgs:shoehtslal tnolfoftohore proportionreasons which can hardly be
understood
exclusively
i
official reports of thisactiouhatz
precedingbx i
n u sive
and it is necessary to accept
account with all reserve, being derived
y from private sources.
ersptuoboidish n:d,

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