The Sun.
London, England, 1836-11-10 00:00:00

SIEGE OF BILBOA.

The French journals publish the following bulletin ex-
traordinary, addressed, on the 2d inst., to the Minister of
War—a copy of which was received by General Evans :
" Excellency,—After a siege which lasted six days, and
which, during the last three, was more destructive than any
ever vet recorded in the annals of history, the enemy aban-
doned their senseless attempt with as much opprobrium and
disgrace to themselves as glory to this heroic town and its
brave defenders. Two of our principal batteries had been
dismantled after six hours' continual firing, and all the artil-
lery-men who had served the guns had been put hors de com-
bat, and were more or less severely wounded. Nevertheless
the breach opened by the enemy's fire was defended through-
out the day by a small number of infantry, who, in spito of
the losses sustained by their ranks from the Carlist batteries,
never once thought ofseeking shelter, and manfully disputed
every inch of ground. The enemy thinking it easy to storm
the place, by means of the access presented by the walls in
ruin, made a reconnoisance under the walls at eleven o'clock
in the evening, arriving as far as the parapet, but the gar-
rison charged the assailants with unexampled intrepidity,
and forced them to give way, and the enemy, falling back,
left under the ramparts a number of men killed and
wounded. Their losses in this attack amounted to two
hundred men. This attempt, followed by several partial
attacks, which were continued throughout the night, pre-
vented the batteries from being re-established with the re-
quisite solidity, and on the following day it was not only in'
possible to discharge these batteries, but others we-:
dby the the enemy's shot ; two more were disman"
-led, antiso thus
was opened an entire line of attack with-
. Jut and de-
fended only by the infantry, which pr
.essed uponguns, the ruined
walls. During the night the enetr
new attack, and on our side we
pre'f made preparations for apared to defenthe place,
but the attack was not mad -4
The efforts of the leaders them-
selves were unable to t-..sum. p'h over the panic of the soldiers.
Profiting during th'l, night by this momentary tranquillity, and
by the cessatior, of hostilities, which was no doubt occasioned
by the rat, that fell in torrents, we worked with redoubled
activ;4 at the reparation of the works into which a breach
',,ad been made, and at the erection of new ones. On the fol-
lowing day all the batteries, established with the same soli-
dity as before the siege, opened upon those of the enemy so
well-directed a fire, that at four o'clock in the evening the
whole of the Carlist artillery was silenced. The severe ex-
perience gained by the enemy during these three days con-
vinced them of the impossibility of taking the place without
annihilating the whole of its brave defenders. They ac-
cordingly decided upon withdrawing the whole of their ar-
tillery. Of this fact we were assured last night. The
whole line of the batteries has been abandoned, and merely
a few battalions of infantry occupy the same position as be-
fore. All the divisions of the army and the National
Guards have done their duty admirably, and have vied with
each other in zeal and courage, the brilliant and multiplied
proofs of which I shall lay before your Excellency as soon
as I am sufficiently at liberty to address a minute re-
port of them to you. 1 now merely inform your Ex-
cellency that I am proud of commanding such valiant
troops, to whose heroic intrepidity in the midst of peril
no language can do justice. Their conduct has been in
every respect worthy of a signal testimony of the royal
munificence. I should be wanting in my duty if, in
spite of the short time at my disposal, I neglected
to state to your Excellency the misfortunes of this
town, which is so worthy of peculiar attention, both
from its patriotism and its sufferings. For the se-
cond time, its inhabitants have given to the world an ad-
mirable proof of their patriotic enthusiasm, regardless of
their lives, and solicitous only of preserving their honour.
The damage occasioned by the former siege was consider-
able, but the losses sustained from the present have been
far greater. The project of the Carlists was to gratify the
thirst of private vengeance on Bilboa—a plan worthy of
the men by whom it was entertained—worthy of the Bishop
of Leon, Eguia, and the Marquis de Valdespina. The
framers of the plan witnessed the sufferings to which the
town was exposed, and yet collected around it all the ele-
ments of destruction. From the commencement to the
termination of the siege the enemy directed 2,000 incen-
diary projectiles against the town, which, for three days,
was exposed to this shower of fire, and thus completely
ruined and disfigured. Not a single house has escaped
without injury of some sort. Furniture, goods, the wealth
accumulated by industry and trade, all have been destroyed
or buried in a heap of ruins. The loss is estimated at se-
veral millions, and yet in the midst of the scene
of devastation and mourning not a murmur or com-
plaint was heard. Men and women—in a word, the
whole population—were occupied only with repulsing the
enemy, and whilst their ruin was being completed, their only
care was to furnish the defenders of the place with supplies
and assistance. An observer might have availed himself of
this opportunity of witnessing a repetition of the sublime traits
which immortalized the heroic ages of Rome and Sparta. As
I have already announced to your Excellency, I will shortly
lay before you more ample details of the operations of the
siege, as it would be unjust to deprive a number of honour-
able citizens of the praises and the recompenses which are
their due. From this moment I may assure your Excel-
lency, that with Spaniards like those in the town of Bilboa,
the cause of the Usurper will never triumph, nor will the
the throne of her Majesty Isabella 11. and the liberties of
the country be ever endangered.—God preserve you.
(A true copy.) .‘ ARD 0 Z.
" Bilboa, October 29."

THE CARLIST ACCOUNT.
(By an eye-witness in the Carlist camp.)
HEIGHTS OF BILBOA, OCT. 24.—0 n the 19th inst. it
was decided by Don Carlos and his Generals in Council to
attack the town of Bilboa. Wishing to be a witness of the
siege, I thought I should have some days to look about me
by arriving here to-day ; but, to my astonishment, on my
arrival I found that in the short space of five days the Car-
lists had assembled 22 battalions and 19 pieces of cannon,
with all their stores and materials for a twelve-days siege.
Since the last siege, which was undertaken by Zumalacar-
regui, all the heights (except one) around the town have
been fortified ; this exception is.a height in the rear of the
church of Begona. The church is in the possession of the
Christinos,, who occupy it with 150 or 200 men, and who
keep up a smart fire of musketry upon the Carlists, who are
erecting a battery on this height. The fortifications of
Bilbo• appear to me to lie nothing more than a line of' field-
works thrown up on the terraces around the town, with four
small raveling thrown out, connected by Li weak wall and
narrow ditch. Villareal, who commands the operations,
made a reconnoissance this morning on both sides of the
river, and afterwards placed his divisions en bivouac, so as
completely to invest the town preparatory to laying siege
to it. A division, under Castor, occupies the heights
near Portugalette, to prevent any reinforcements arriving
from that quarter. It was decided this morning not to lay
regular siege to the town, but at once to make a breach and
give the assault--for this purpose three batteries were com-
menced this morning. No. 1, placed on the height of Be-
gona, for one large mortar and two howitzers, to fire upon
the different parts of the town, to intimidate the inhabitants.
To the right of this battery is No. 2, to be armed with two
24-pounders and one field howitzer, to tire generally against
the defences of the town. To the right of No. 2, near the
river and convent of St. Augustin, by the side of an aban
doned house, at 150 or 200 yards from the town, is to b
placed the breaching battery. During the day the Chrise
tinos kept up a partial cannonade.

OCT. 25.—The Carlists worked very hard at their bat-
teries last night, and early this morning No. 1, on the Be-
gona height, opened upon the town with one 13-inch mortar
and two 8-inch howitzers. The Christinos kept up a heavy
cannonade, as also a sharp fire of musketry, from the church
on this battery. About the middle of the day the garrison
discovered the Carlists' workmen employed in forming the
breaching battery, upon which they opened a heavy fire of
musketry from the town and convent of St. Augustin, the
latter not more than 35 or 40 yards off.
OCT. 26.—N0. 2 was armed last night with two 24-
pounders and a field howitzer, as was also the breaching-
battery with one 36 and two 24-pounders ; both these bat-
teries opened their fire at daylight. The cannonade from
the town was very strong during the early part of the day.
The Christinos used their shells for the first time. At
10 a. m. Brigadier Coelho, a Portuguese officer of great
merit, and who commanded the mortar battery, was killed.
This officer was one of Don Miguel's best officers. About
half an hour afterwards Juan Montcnegro.was wounded in
the breaching-battery ; thus within one hour the Carlists
lost two of their best artillery officers. At Ip. m. No. 2
had silenced four of the enemy's guns which were doing a
good deal of injury to the breaching-battery. About this
time the two howitzers in the mortar battery were obliged
to cease firing for six hours for want of shells. On the
whole, the enemy kept up a very heavy fire during the
day, but in general their guns were badly directed, except
towards the breaching-battery, where to show yourself for
a moment above the parapet was certain death. Even from
the ruins of the breach the Christinos kept up an incessant
fire of musketry, much to their credit. At 3p.m. I visited
all the batteries, and was happy to find that Nos. 1 .and 2
had had but few casualties, considering the heavy fire
brought against them. At the breaching-battery I found
that the officers had reported the breach practicable, and
all the troops were calling out to be led to the assault. At
p.m. five companies of the Algcrines, and 500 Spaniards
of the 3d Regiment of Castile, were ordered for the as-
sault, in all not 700 men ; but having no engineer to show
them the way, they mistook the point of attack, and gained
a small ravelin partly destroyed to the left of the breach, when
12 or 14 men actually got into the town for a few minutes, but
being unsupported, and the enemy being assembled in force
on the terre-plein of the small rock, in a few minutes they
advanced from thence and drove the assailants back. Thus
the storming party returned into the lines without attempt-
ing to assault the breach. This attack having failed, no-
thing was done during the night by either party. Fifty rea-

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.6; t:S
sons may be given for this failure, but I wilt, cliff 1;6,4
with giving one—viz., the force was not suffict4n:q; •s "7"
heard of 700 men attacking a town having a „as, -eat o et
5,000 men ? Besides which, in reality, only 200 of the
Algerines attacked the town, for the support of the Baron
de los Vallos never came up. The loss of the Carlists
the batteries this day are 6 dead and 16 wounded.
OCT. 27.—The fire of the garrison has been unusually
slack during the morning, and that of the Carlists still keg,
When their batteries do fire it is impossible to say what
object. I except the breaching-battery, which he, already
been steady to its purpose, although the greater part of the
fire from the garrison has been directed agair:;t, it. A finer
or braver body of men is not to be met ';:ith in any part of
Europe : if the garrison of Bilboa Vr.,re composed of such
men the Carlist breaching-battery would not be in exist..
ence long. I have not yet seer the returns of the killed
and wounded in the battle I.Ks day ; but I have just seen
the official returns of the killed and wounded in the assault
of last night. Of officers there were, 2 dead and G wounded soldiers, 25 dead and 113 wou'xled. There is little or no
movement on either side. ";:he officers appear to care very
little about the siege.
OCT. 28, Two o'ft
Axel; P.M.—Nothing extraordinar The Christinosy
OCT. 28, more than ever—the Carlists' less.
idle. 11,- -During last night the Christinos were not
their ' .ey employed working parties, who repaired all
• uamages, replaced the cannon which they had been
,oliged to withdraw during the previous day, and even out
of defiance placed the field-pieces on the breach, with which
they occasionally fired. The morning commenced with a
heavy cannonade on their part, and, in fact, during the day,
their fire has been brisker than at any time since the com-
mencement of the attack. The Carlists, finding that the
fire from the town and convent of St. Augustin was so con-
stant and heavy all yesterday upon their breaching battery,
thought it prudent to withdraw two of the pieces, and place
them with another in a battery further back, which new
battery was armed during the night with three twenty-four
pounders, and opened in the morning, but has not fired for
more than four hours during the day ; whilst one solitary
twenty-four pounder was left to continue the fire from the
breaching battery ! In pointing this useless gun, at nine
O'clock p.m., La Rochefoucauld was killed—two musket-
shots struck him at the same moment, one in his head, and
the other in his body. This young officer had bravely
commanded the breaching-battery from the day it opened,
and had pointed almost every gun that was fired. He
joined the Carlists at the commencement of the war, and
in him they have lost an officer it will be difficult to re-
place. A more amiable, kind, generous, gentlemanlike
young man did not exist. Since the commencement of
the siege the enemy have directed an incessant fire on this
battery. Many good artillerymen have been lost by the
musketry froth the convent. The Carlist fire during the
whole of this day has been languid. The weather has been
extremely wet and unfavourable all the morning, beg about
4 p. in. it became finer, when the garrison made a small
sortie, as if with the intention of spiking the guns in the
nearest battery, but they did not get beyond some which
are joined to the convent of St. Augustin, from whence
they kept up a smart fire of musketry, which the Carlists
returned for about five-and-twenty mirages, when the Chris-
tinos retired without having wounded a single person. At 5
p.m. the rain recommenced. The Commander-in-Chief sent
the greater part of the troops to be cantoned in the nearest
villages for the night.
OCT. 29.—The Carlists withdrew all their artillery from
the batteries during last night. The siege is therefore now
converted into a blockade, the troops continuing to hold
the same positions. The enemy's fire has been lively during
the early part of the day. General 'Villareal has received
information of the Movements of a Christine column coming
to the relief of the town. Nothing would be more agree-
able to him ; lie will give a good account of them, if he can
catch them in the mountains. During the last three days
61 deserters have presented themselves from different parts.
The loss of the Carlists, up to to-day, in killed and wounded,
has been 196. The troops are still round Bilboa.
OCT. 31.—We have various reports that a second siege
of Bilboa is intended, and I hope it may be true, for I am
certain the Carlists can take the town in 14 hours. In
looking back at the last week I can hardly believe it possible
that we have been attacking Bilboa, and that it is not in
our possession. At any hour during the 26th or 27th the
breach was open, and the soldiers praying to be led to the as-
sault. Better troops I never saw. They seemed to feel a
confidence in themselves, and every man felt certain of success.
They were patient, civil, and gay under fire, and throughout
the few days of siege gave strong proofs of possessing superior
qualities, if properly directed ; but the Generals and supe-
rior officers were never near the men—they left the siege
to take its chance—no orderr were given, no plans—no
real attempt was made to take the place. It is difficult to
reconcile the belief that they are the same men, and assisted
by the same staff, who have shown so much knowledge and
talent for the last three years. All that could be done by
artillery was done by those serving in the breaching-battery
but owing to the infantry not having been pushed forward,
and established a musketry fire on the breach, the effect of
three days' battering was -rendered nugatory by the enemy.
No blame can be imputed to either officers or men, when
their superiors are at a distance, sleeping and smoking their
cigars .instead of giving their orders. The town might have
been taken over and over again had they attempted it—
they would have taken the town twenty times if com-
manded to- do so ; and had General Eguia been the Com-
mander-in-Chief, we should now have been in Bilboa. He
would have brought the whole of his cannon to bear on one
point, formed a breach, and entered with 5,000 men, the mo-
ment it was practicable.
The accounts brought to-day of Espartero say that he is
near Balmaceda with seventeen battalions, but I have reason
to suppose that he is only manceuvrine•° to amuse us, and
has no serious intention of advancing. General Castanoda
has entered Portugalette with seven Christino battalions.
Castor is in that neighbourhood. Villareal is still before
Bilboa : he may now have a difficult part to play if Espar-
tero makes an advance, which I doubt.
Nov. I.—The King arrived here last night from
Ellorio, and shortly after the Commander-in-chief, Villa-
real, also arrived. The siege of Bilboa is to be continued ;
the cannon are only withdrawn for a short time, until the
movements of Espartero arc known, who is now some dis-
tance from Balmaceda. It is said that the King will go to
the next attack of Bilboa. I hope so. with all my heart,
and that he will take the command of the army for the
siege, and appoint General Eguia the chief of his staff ;
unless this General takes the command the town will not
be taken. The Infants Sebastian visited the wounded every
day during the siege, and gave to each soldier a dollar, and
to each Officer two months' pay.

HULL, LINCOLN, AND NOTTING-

HAM RAILWAY.

On Thursday last a most respectable Meeting was held
at the Guildhall, Lincoln, for the purpose of taking into
consideration the projected Railway from Hull, by Lincoln,
to Nottingham, and receiving from the engineers and Lon-
don solicitors detailed information respecting the same.
The Mayor of Lincoln was called to the chair. Among
those present we observed the Hon. C. A. W. Pelham,
M.P., Henry Handley, Esq., M.P., Stapylton Smith, Esq.,
High Steward of the City, Sir E. Ff. Brombead, Bart.,
Dr. Beaty, J. Merryweather, Esq., B. Thorold, Esq., Al-
derman Rudgard, W. Wriglesworth, Esq.. R.S. Harvey,
Esq., R. Mason, Esq., G. Hebb, Esq., P. Oates, Esq., Mr.
H. Blyth, Mr. J. W. Drury, &c. &c. On the part of the
proposed Railway Company were present, Williams,
Esq., of the firm of Messrs. Williams and Bethel], of Lin-
coln's-inn-fields, London, and H. R. Abraham, Esq., of St.
James'-square.

The MAYOR observed that as far as Lincoln was con-
cerned, the contemplated scheme must confer very impor-
tant advantages, as it would not only greatly increase the
communication between Nottingham and Hull, of which
Lincoln was the centre, but it would ultimately open a
direct communication with Birmingham and other large
towns, and thus give a spirit of enterprise to the native
energies of this part of the country, which had never before
been manifested.—(Cheers.)
The meeting was addressed by Sir EDWARD FFRENCR
BROMMEAD at very considerable length, who thought it
his duty, upon learning that this railroad would pass threugh
a portion of his own property to look further into the scheme,
and he attended the meeting to ask questions respecting it,
Mr. WILLIAMS answered these objections in a very Sa-
tisfactory manner, and remarked that the estimate for the
whole line was not more than 800,0001; to some indi-
viduals, at first sight, this sum might appear a large
demand ; but when it was considered that the line
would pass over seventy-nine miles of country, and when
the average of other lines was considered, the reasonable-
ness of this would be seen. The sum was proposed to be
raised in shares of .50/. each, and that on those shares there
should be a deposit of 21. per share.

Mr. ABRAHAM, the engineer, answered the questions put
to him, and pointed out the natural advantages of this
county, both in a geological and sur?erficial structure,
affording not only valuable metal suite., to the work through
the whole course of the line, but alse presenting an available
natural level, concluded by expressing his confidence, twat
the whole work might be most economically completed, and
fully realize the best anticipations of the projectors.
The meeting was addressed also by Mr. Handley, the
Hon. C. A. Pelham, Benjamin Thorold, Esq., and George
Skipworth. Esq.
Sir EDWARD FF. BROMHEAD then moved the following
Resolutions :--That the replies this day made to all ques-
tions relative to the Hull, Lincoln, and Nottingham Rail-
way have been satisfactory to this meeting, and that the
line offers every prospect of profit and adv.ugage.
A Local Committee was then formed, when the thanks.
of the meeting were voted to Mr. Pelham and Mr. Handley,
for their attendance, and to the Mayor for presiding, who
severally returned thanks, and the meeting broke up.