The Sun.
London, England, 1862-07-17 00:00:00

MEXICO,

A letter from Mexico, dated Jv'ne 10, says :
The French still remain stationPsy at Orizaba, and from
all I can learn there appears to be little chance of an im-
mediate advance upon th.o capital. They have been joined
by some 5,000 reactionary troops formerly under the com-
mand of Cobos, Marques, and others. These are being
drilled and plat ;Q under the command of French officers.
Zuloaga, Cobos, and Padre Miranda were shipped off by
the last packet; the country is well rid of such scum.
Marques has joined the French, and has since been em-
ployed in escorting 250 waggons from Vera Cruz to
Orizaba, laden with provisions and stores for the army.
This would seem to indicate a lengthened stay at Orizaba,
and the general opinion seems to be that Lorencez will not
attempt any offensive operations until he has received re-
inforcements from France. Ortega, with the San Luis and
Zacatecas contingents, amounting to about 4,000 men,
passed through the capital a few days back, with the in •
tention of joining Zaragoza, who is supposed to be stationed,
with the main body of his forces, at San Augustin de
Palma, midway between the cities of Puebla and Orizaba.
The latter, when all the reinforcements have joined, will be
able to muster between 15,000 and 18,000 men, This force
once disposed of, the country at all events between Orizaba
and Mexico will lie at the mercy of the French ; and, as
the interior has beer drained to get together this force, I
doubt much whether any further opposition will be
attempted, except such as may result from an ill-organized
guerilla warfare, which would be easily put down. The
present party have little to hope from the enthusiasm of the
nation. Proclamations calling upon the people to arm in
defence of their liberty and homes have been tried, but
failed of effect; and nothing can better prove the complete
apathy of the nation than the fact that not a single volunteer
corps has been raised, and that Juarez is left dependent
upon the forces originally levied to combat the reactionary
party, and which are now recruited solely by forced
conscription. The idea, therefore, entertained by portions
of the English press that the French had only to show
themselves as invaders for the Mexican people to rise en
tauten is purely absurd. The fact is that the great majority
of the nation dread European policy far less than they do
American ; they are capable, moreover, of discriminating
between war declared against the party now ruling in the
capital and war declared against the nation generally ; and,
although they deprecate in strong terms the course pursued
in putting forward Almonte, still they are rather disposed
to view the French as friends than as invaders who seek to
destroy their nationality, The conduct of Sir C. Wyke and
General Prim is much criticised by the French and Spanish
residents here. They argue " that the English and Spa-
nish Commissioners might reasonably disapprove the con-
duct of M. de Saligni, and refuse to allow the Spanish
forces to take part in any aggressive movement, but that it
did not therefore follow that they were warranted in order-
ing the re-embarkation of those forces, thus leaving the
French entirely to their own resources ; that before taking
such extreme measures they night, at all events, have
awaited further instructions from home." Certainly it
does appear strange ships should have been placed at the
disposal of General Prim, that his troops might be con-
veyed to Havannah with the least possible delay, and that
the very first act of Sir C. Wyke upon his arrival at Puebla
should be to sign a treaty with the party against whom our
allies had only a few days previously declared war. All
these extraordinary circumstances may be easy of explana-
tion, but to the uninitiated here they are utterly incompre-
hensible. It is asserted in well-informed cir Iles that Gene-
ral Prim was, in the first instance, instructed by O'Donnel
to back the French policy, but that when it became known
to the Queen of Spain that the Archduke Frederick Maxi •
milian was likely to be put forward as a candidate for the
Mexican Throne she took umbrage, conceiving that a Spa-
nish prince ought to have been preferred ; that other in-
structions were afterwards sent him, and hence the present
compication.

Juarez and his party are now building all their hopes
upon the Corwin Treaty, and they have already, by antici-
pation, disposed of the greater part of 11,000,000 dols thereby
secured. Many doubt whether the United States, notwith-
standing their recent successes, will be willing to involve
themselves in Mexican affairs. A few days will solve the
mystery. No one believes that the Wyke-Doblado Treaty
will be ratified by our Government, therefore few trouble
their heads about it.

Reports are current to- day that Zaragoza is only waiting
the arrival at Ortega to attack the French in Orizaba. The
reception his troops met with in the " Barranca Secca" on
the 18th of last month will, in my opinion, be sufficient to
deter him from such an act of folly. Ido not believe that
the Mexicans will ever again meet the French in the field ;
they may, perhaps, make a stand behind walls, but even
that I consider doubtful. It is asserted, with how much
truth I know not, that a French foraging party was at-
tacked by General Negrete at the head of a large force, but
that the latter was completely routed.
The ridiculous proclamations put forward by the Govern-
ment and its Generals to the effect that the French soldiers
have come to deposit their decorations at the feet of the
Mexican braves, coupled with the report, now generally
believed, that several French wounded were bayoneted on
the field after the affair of the sth, have excited feelings in
the French only to be washed out by blood. This is much
to be regretted.
Buitson, a reactionary chief, still holds his ground in the
mountain de las Cruces, a few leagues from the city. He
levies contributions, robs diligences, seizes conductas, &c.
Only a few days back he attacked and destroyed a small
Government force stationed about two leagues from Mexico.
In the face of all this we are gravely assured that the pre-
sent Government are capable of restoring peace and tran-
quillity throughout the
republic, and, what is still more
astounding, there are some people who are fools enough to
believe in these assurances. Don Manuel Escandon, the
great Mexican capitalist, died on the morning of the 7th.
By a decree of the 27th of May, " Goods coming from Vera
Cruz are to pay importation, internation, and all other
extra duties which would have been recovered in that port
if in possession of the Supreme Governments. Merchants,
therefore, wishing to bring up merchandise must pay double
duties. Such an enactment is, of course, tantamount to a
prohibition.

INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION.—The number of
visitors yesterday was—By season tickets, 6,297 ;by season
tickets for ls, days, 1,042; by payment, 50,578. Total,
67,917.