The Sun.
London, England, 1838-04-13 00:00:00

THE MARINES.

Admiralty, April 9.
My dear Sir Hussey,—l am afraid, as the Easter recess is
so near, that you will hardly have an opportunity of correcting
in the House of Commons the misreport of what fell from you
in a former debate relative to the conduct of the battalion of
Marines in the action near St. Sebastian, of the 16th of March
last year.

Yo- u are aware, from our former correspondence, that some
expressions attributed to you in one or two of the Morning Pa-
pers, but which, as far as my own recollection goes, you did
not use, have given great pain to some of the officers engaged
on that occasion, and I feel assured that you will not hesitate
to take such steps as you may think best for removing any
painful impression from their minds, which lam sure it was not
your intention to give rise to.
Yours truly, C. WOOD.
Lieutenant-General Sir Hussey Vivian, G. C. B.

Ordnance-office, April 10

My dear Wood,—ln reply to your letter of yesterday,
cannot hesitate to take steps to remove the pain you tell me
has been occasioned by what is supposed to have fallen from
me in the House of Commons when, speaking of the battle
of the 16th of March last year, I adverted to the conduct of
the Marines.
The reports in the papers do not agree; I am, therefore,
somewhat uncertain what it is that is complained of. Colonel
Owen, indeed, in a statement you sometime since sent me,
says I ern represented as having stated that " the conduct of
the Marines was in no ways distinguished." I can nowhere
find anything admitting of this construction ; and, most as-
suredly, I never entertained such an opinion. I gave the
Marines full credit for the steadiness with which they deployed
into line, and the gallantry with which the engaged and beat
back the attack of the Carlists upon that part of the position
on which they stood.
You once, I recollect, in conversation, mentioned to me
that I was somewhere reported to have spoken of the " partial
sei vice" rendered by the Marines. If such an expression is
anywhere to be found, it is not mine.

The Times paper makes me say, that " the retreat of the
Marines was cove, el by the Legion." I hardly think I so
expressed myself; what I intended to say was, that after the
battle had in effect ceased, the Carlists having given up the
attack and retired their troops out of action, Lieutenant_
General Evans, in consultation with some other superior offi-
cers, considering it hazardous to remain on the position ex-
posed to a renewed attack of the enemy, some of the regi-
ments (both Spanish and Legion) not having entirely re-
covered from the confusion into which they had been thrown
early in the day, determined on retiring to the lines. This
determination being taken, the Marines, with their guns, and
those of the Royal Artillery, were very properly amongst the
first troops moved to the rear, a mass of Spanish troops, and
of the Legion, remaining on the ground upwards of an hour
after them; but I never represented this retreat as having
been made under cover of the troops so left, as if the Carlists
had attempted to harass and intercept it, having always un-
derstood that they made no attempt of the sort.
I hope the explanation I have now given will be satis-
factory.

In conclusion, I beg of you, and I beg of those officers to
whom you refer in your letter, to feel assured that nothing
was further from my thought or intentions than to under-
value the services of the Marines; but whilst I gave them full
credit for their gallantry and good conduct, I, at the same
time, was desirous of doing justice to other brave men, who,
on that, and on other occasions, had fought and bled by their
a:de, and in respect to whom many most unjust, ungenerous,
offensive, and invidious statements had appeared in the public
papers.
Believe me ever, my dear Wood, very faithfully yours,
HUSSEY VIVIAN.
Charles Wood, Esq., Admiralty.

MONEY and COMMERCIAL MARKET.

(From the Morning Papers of this day.)
MORNING POST.-The French Papers received this morn-
ing contain particulars of the tender made to the Spanish Go-
vernment by M. Aguado, but they do not profess to give them
on the most undoubted authority, and, as the terms are of the
most preposterous character, we scarcely expect to see them
confirmed. The nominal capital proposed to be raised is said
to be ten millionsstcrling, the interest five per cent., and the
price fifty per cent., which would leave an actual capital of five
millions ; but this is to be again reduced to fuur millions, in
virtue of a secret clause, by which M Aguado is to be em-
powered to negotiate the new Bonds at four per cent., free of
Commission. Upon this sum of four millions M. Aguado
offers, it is said, an advance of three millions, composed of the
following items :—Expence of preparing the Bond,, 80,0001.,
reservation of dividends for the first half year on ten millions,
050,000/. ; commission, at 5 per cent., on ten millions,
.500,000/. ; old balances claimed by M. Aguado, 760,0001. ;
reservation for the pay of troops, 600.000/. ; and disburse-
ments in the purchase of various articles of equipment,
810,000/. It is further provided that M. Aguado shall re-
ceive, besides au acquittance generally of
all outstanding
engagements. a confirmation of all the assignments of mines,
marshes, and lands made in his favour in 1805 and 1826, the
title of Grandee of Spain of the first class, and the collar of
the Golden Fleece. It is added that the four half-years'
dividends in arrears on the Active Debt now in circulation are
not to be discharged, and that the payment of those about to
become due is to be suspended till the Ist of January, 1841,
so that the holders will have been from the first kept out of the
dividenda for the space of five years.
All that the Spanish Government would receive in money
from M. Aguado under this arrangement, out of the ten mil-
lions of stock, would be 1,410,000/., to be appropriated to the
service of the army, and they are to be actually bound down
by the contractor to keep the holders of the existing bonds
out of their dividends 'till the year 1841. We do not, how-
ever, regret this act of injustice, if such an injustice is really
about to be perpetrated, as we are very sure it will be fatal to I