The Sun.
London, England, 1865-02-21 00:00:00

Brazil and the South American Republics.

We have received by the French mail steamer
Guienne advices and files of papers from Buenos
Ayres to the 12th of January. The Standard, in its
fortnightly " Review for Europe," says
"In our last review we informed our home
readers of the siege of Paysandu by the revolu-
tionary leader Flores, and the blockade of that port
by the Brazilian squadron. Since then, however,
the Brazilian army, 8,000 strong, came up and in-
vested the place. Defended by a valiant soldier
and patriot, named Leandro Gomez, Paysandu re-
sisted every open attack, but the rebels and in-
vaders ultimately succeeded in taking the place by
one of those questionable stratagems so unknown in
European, yet frequent in South American, war-
fare. Paysandu was formerly a very thriving town
in the River Uruguay ; it is now, however, little
better than a heap of ruins, and in the possession of
the Brazilians. Flores and his allies are in full
march on Montevideo, where a determined resist-
ance is talked of ; the blockade and siege will take
place about the 15th of January ; how long it will
last it is difficult to say, but from the present appear-
ance of things there is strong reason to believe that
the place will hold out for some months. It is with
the greatest repugnance that we commence our re-
view for the new year with these sad revolutionary
details, but we cannot deceive our readers abroad.
The state of the River Plate is critical in the ex-
treme. The revolution in the Banda Oriental is
drawing to a close, but Paraguay has taken the
field, and before Montevideo surrenders it is more
than probable that other South American States
will follow the warlike example. The Argentine
Republic is, however, in no way connected with
these wars, and it is right to call the attention of
our home readers to this fact, as they generally coil-
found Montevideo with Buenos Ayres and Para-
guay with Brazil, when there is no political con-
nexion whatever existing. The peace of this coun-
try is menaced, no doubt, by the disturbances which
surround us, but we all have the greatest confidence
in the non-intervention policy of President Mitre.
The Brazilian Minister, Senor Parahos, who arrived
here last month on a special mission to the Argen-
tine Government, has failed to induce President
Mitre to form any entangling alliance, and is now,
in company with the Brazilian Admiral, Baron Ta-
mandare, consulting as to the proposed assault on
Montevideo."

More detailed accounts of the fall of Paysandu
given in the same paper, supply the following par-
ticulars :

"It seems the combined forces, about 10,000
strong, attacked the place on Sunday, Jan. 1, and
were repulsed by the garrison, which, however, sus-
tained a serious loss in Col. Piriz, who died sword
in hand. On the morning of the 2d Leandro Gomez
received a note from Baron Tamandare, the Brazi-
lian Admiral, whereupon a truce was ordered
between the combatants, whose positions were only
some 40 yards apart, the heroic little garrison be-
ing hemmed in almost to the Plaza. While the
general was dictating a reply to an officer of his
suite he was suddenly accosted by two officers of the
enemy, who said very coolly, We have taken the
place ; come with us.' It seems the besiegers had
surprised or overpowered one of the barricades, and
hurrying off the gallant chief to a garden tw o
cuadras distant they shot him in the back and prac-
tised the most revolting mutilations on his corpse.
Meantime the aides-de-camp attempted to escape,
and two of them got through a hole in a wall, where
they met with Captain Fernandez. The latter
said, Come with me and we are safe ;' but in a
moment he and one of the aides were shot
down by one of the rebels, while the other,
meeting Captain Carreras, of thb rebel army, was
spared. There are confused accounts about the num-
ber killed and wounded on both sides. Some say
they amount to 1,000, while others estimate the loss
of the besiegers at only 300, and boast they have
taken 500 prisoners of the garrison, which would
only leave 100 killed of the latter. Any estimate,
however, of the number killed after the place was
taken cannot yet be formed ; but it is said not a
man would have escaped had it not been for the
exertions of Admirals Muratori and Tamandare.
All the chief officers of the garrison, Azambuya.
Braga, and Rana, shared the fate of Gomez, or were
killed in the encounter. By one account Piriz was
found dead in his bed ; others say he was wounded,
and his throat cut, but the latter seems incorrect.
It is said that the bodies of all the officers have been
found excepting that of Leandro Gomez, which is
supposed to have been cut up in pieces, after the
mutilations and indignities above mentioned. We
had hoped to be spared these horrible revelations,
which not only affect the character of a faction, but
tends to show the European world that war on the
River Plate is still conducted in the barbarous
manner which made - the names of Quiroga and
others infamous, and handed down Quinteros,
Canada, Gomez, Las Playas, &c., as scenes of
cruelty."

A letter from Montevideo, in the Buenos Ayres
Standard :

" The present state of Montevideo baffles descrip-
tion. Revenge is discernible in every countenance.
The impotency of the Government, the defenceless
state of the city, make the unfortunate natives
writhe under the conviction that the fate
of their cherished, murdered hero may possibly prove
their own. The best streets, the greatest thorough-
fares, are deserted ; the hotels are crowded with
estancieros and their families, who have fled from
the camp ; the foreign gunboats have anchored
nearer to the shore ; the Custom-house is shut up ;
decent, respectable yoUng men, with muskets on
their shoulders, are seen hurrying in the direction of
the cantons. Montevideo is ruined—Montevideo is
destroyed. Better far that the fated city was buried
in the waves which beat around it ; better that the
hand, the genius, the capital of the foreigner, which
has built up this once magnificent city out of blood-
stained bricks, had been never known, than that all
the progress, all the advancement, all the improve-
ments should be annihilated in an evil hour by the
ruffian dagger of revolution, or the ruthless sword
of the invader. No man in Buenos Ayres can form
the remotest idea of the sad picture of desolation
which Montevideo presents at this moment, awaiting
as it were its doom. The Brazilians are hourly ex-
pected by water, and Flores by land. Friday being
a holyday the churches were crowded with ladies, all
dressed in the deepest mourning. There may be
some who laugh at these feminine emblems of sor-
row; but there were prayers, earnest, fervent ap-
peals to Heaven offered up that day from bleeding
hearts. Let us all hope that the Almighty will mer-
cifully avert the horrors of a siege, bombardment,
and assault. The domestic affliction is at pre-
sent unsusceptible of exaggeration ; husbands,
fathers, and sons are hurried from their houses ;
weeping wives, mothers, and sisters are seen at
seen at every door. The awful sufferings of the
Paysandufamilies on the island are to be re-enacted
in Montevideo. Verily, the country is cursed, and
the incarnate fiends who have caused all this human
woe, as sure as there is a God in Heaven, will yet
be punished. From the appearance of things it is
obvious that a very determined resistance is medi-
tated. Still, as far as we can gather from the prac-
tical remarks of English officers, the place cannot
hold out, and if the Brazilians throw shells into the
city, the loss of life and property must be frightful.
Some gingerbread fortifications are in process of
construction, facing the bay ; but a small gunboat
could riddle the whole concern in a quarter of an
hour. It remains to be seen whether the foreign
Powers will interfere and compel the combatants to
select some other less valuable spot than Monte-
video to settle their differences. Thefe is a fright-
ful animosity displayed against Buenos Apes, which
the Montevideans regard as the root and branch of
all their misfortunes. House property within the
last week has fallen 30, 40,50, and even 60 per cent.
Business is at a complete standstill, and as the tri-
bunals are closed the recovery of debts is, of course,
out of the question. The barracas are full of wood
belonging to foreign estancieros; not an arrobe of it
can be sold, and the owners, becoming nervous as
to what uses it may possibly be applied to by the
besieged, are baling and shipping it as fast as they
can."