The Sun.
London, England, 1865-01-14 00:00:00

her dangerous but important mission. These con-
stituted the personnel and material of the great Tor-
pedo Expedition. The object being to paralyse the
garrison, and as far as practicable destroy the
enemy's works, it became a matter of. great impor-
tance to explode the vessel as near the shore as pos-
sible. A reconnaissance was accordingly made by
Mr. Bedford, attached to the United States Coast
Survey, and the fact ascertained that a vessel draw-
ing not over seven feet could with safety be placed
immediately on the outer edge of the beach and
directly in front of the embrasures of the fort, the
lower or southernmost bastion of which at this point
reaches down within a short distance of the water's
edge. Shortly after 10 p.m. of the 23d, the powder
boat, in tow of the steamer Wilderness, started for
the shore. When the fleet could be plainly distin-
guished the Wilderness cast off, and the Louisiana
proceeded alone to her position, which, despite the
very great danger she ran of being discovered by
some of the garrison in the fort, she is reported to
have gained without molestation. The boat was
then securely anchored, and the fuses and other
appliances for exploding the magazine adjusted and
lighted. This accomplished, Rind and his daring
associates jumped into a small boat, which was
quickly rowed to the steamer, laying astern of the
powder ship. This vessel immediately put off to sea,
and in a short time the party were safely back to the
fleet. Before leaving, however, a fire was made and
lit in the stern of the Louisiana, sufficiently near
the powder magazine to insure its ignition in case of
any defect in the fuse.
The fuses were lighted and the ship abandoned at',
15 minutes before 11 o'clock. The explosion took
place precisely at 1.40 o'clock, and was witnessed
by a large number in the fleet. The pyrotechnic
display was very impressive. Notwithstanding the
bright moonlight which shone at that hour the
horizon was lit up for miles along the shore as by
an immense bonfire, while the bags, barrels, and
other packages containing the powder with which
the magazine was charged, thrown high in the air
by the violence of the explosion, fell in brilliant
coruscations all around, lighting up the grim forti-
fications, and filling up a picture not unlike that re-
presented by travellers and writers in an eruption
of Vesuvius. The shock which followed, though
sufficiently astounding, was less impressive. Twelve
miles out at sea the effect was such as might have
been expected from the firing of a 64-pounder near
by, though the report was not so sharp or distinct.
It sounded rather like the roll of distant thunder.
Beyond the breaking of a few window panes, and
the somewhat sudden and unceremonious resurrec-
tion from still life of a few blue jackets, no conse-
quence worth mentioning resulted to the fleet.
Some of the troops belonging to a North Carolina
regiment, taken prisoners by our men in the second
day's engagement, who arrived in Wilmington from
before Richmond, just as the explosion took place,
state that it was heard there, while others affirm
that it was heard at Beaufort, a distance of oyer 50
miles. The last assertion, however, seems scarcely
credible. Major J. Lincoln Casey, United States
Engineer Corps, who was specially ordered by the
War Department to accompany the expedition, has
drawn up an elaborate report upon this explosion,
which will be submitted to the Secretary of War at
an early day. If approved by him, it will forth-
with be published, and if so, will prove a valuable
addition to what is already known in this interest-
ing department of modern warfare.

The Abandonment of San Domingo by
Spain.

MADRID, Jan. 7.
The following is the text of the bill presented to
the Cortes by Marshal Narvaez, abolishing the
Decree of the 19th of May, 1861, declaring the
territory of the Dominican Republic re-incorporated
into the Spanish Monarchy :

" To THE CORTES.
" In the old Spanish Island, the first land of the
Western world which the great Christopher Colum-
bus considered worthy of an important establish-
ment, in that great Antilles where many years after
its separation from the metropolis not a drop of
Spanish blood was shed, now flows that generous
blood, and the rigours of a pestiferous climate aiding
the enemy xake terrible ravages in the ranks of our
valiant soldiers.

" This sanguinary struggle, which is also attended
by the disadvantage of uselessly and profitlessly ex-
pending the public treasure and consuming the abun-
dant products of our colonial possessions, was not
provoked by the attempts of anterior Cabinets to

carry out an ambitious war of conquest, so opposed
- - • -

;o the rational, just, pacific, and disinterested policy

so long observed by Spain. Neither did it originate
from the necessity of repelling foreign aggressions,

of opposing force to force at any cost, considering only
the defence of insulted honour ; such was not the
case ; this cruel struggle commenced the day fol-
lowing that on which her Majesty's Government of
that day believed that all the inhabitants of the Do-
minican Republic asked and solicited with impatient
desire to be reincorporated with the Spanish nation,
aspiring to the happiness enjoyed by those of Cuba
and Puerto Rico.

" Such a desire might not be certain, but it was
very probable. The Government, actuated by these
sentiments, had faith in that which appeared to in-
spire the Dominicans, and therefore accepted their
votes, and counselled her Majesty to effect the an-
nexation which this State professed so ardently to
desire.

" On this account the Ministers, in a solemn do
cement, described this event as auspicious, highly
honourable for Spain, and one not often encountered
in the annals of peoples. For this, also, after refer-
ring to the lamentable history of San Domingo since
the proclamation of its independence in 1821 fol-
lowing the example of other provinces of the Ameri-
can continent—after drawing the sad picture of such
prolonged misfortune, of a state of things in which
the sources of public and private wealth were ex-
hausted, independence completely lost for want of
strength to maintain it, liberty no less lost through
the insecurity felt by the citizens and the continual
agitations of the republic—the Ministers invoked
every sentiment of justice, humanity, and honour in
counselling the annexation of this unhappy island.
They believed such a measure was all the more de-
sirable, considering the circumstances and character
of its inhabitants, the fertility of its soil, and the
strong attachment which the people, after past ex-
cesses, whereby they had been terribly disabused,
professed towards their ancient metropolis.
-" The abilexhtiOil was thus founded upon two Most
noble, just, and weighty reasons. The first was the
right inherent in the unanimous will of a people, a
right not disputed, and previously affirmed by the
general assent of the nations of Europe and Ame-
rica in a recent case. The second was the duty of
humanity, of compassion towards the unfortunate
people who sought favour and mercy, overwhelmed
as they were by a sea of disasters and misfortune.
No other right supported nor supports the Spanish
Government in holding the Spanish portion of the
island of San Domingo ; neither the right of revin-
dication nor the right of conquest, both being op-
posed to the policy of the Government, the inte-
rests of the people, and the friendly relations which
Spain has always endeavoured to maintain with the
independent States of America, which once formed
part of the immense territory protected by the tute-
lary mantles of the Kings of Spain.
" But such flattering hopes soon disappeared ;
fatal symptoms very soon manifested themselves
that the annexation had not that spontaneous and
unanimous support upon which it was based. Ne-
vertheless, it was the duty of the Government to
ascertain with certainty whether those violent pro-
tests, several times repeated, did not proceed only
from a discontented few, but were the expression of
the feeling of a people who rejected the legitimate
power they had invoked in a time of trouble and
distress. The agitation increased and gained towns
and frontiers, extending over the whole of the ter-
ritory, and at this day the Spanish portion of the
island of San Domingo presents to the civilised
world the spectacle of an entire people in arms un-
gratefully resisting as tyrants those whom they
called in as preservers.
" So strange a political phenomenon has been
examined by the Ministers undersigned with deli-
cate attention and deep study. They have tho-