The Sun.
London, England, 1847-05-31 00:00:00

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1- I
lift the vei fu ity, no one can say what
will be the result of the_eviuts Which will pass under
our eyes, W.' favour.- ahle ,or fatal they must not in-
fluence our opiniOn' be based on other
considerations. If Divine Providen. ce should have in
store for us more trials—if again our .fields should be-
devastated, our cities bombarded, can' villages de-
stroyed, our brave soldiers should die on the field of
battle, and even fortune should he propitious, the
calamities inseparable From war would be terrible,
particularly when conducted with the barbarity and
vandalism displayed by the Americans, without any
mitigation of civilization, and to the disgrace of
their arms ; but fatal as all these evils might be, far
more pernicious beyond comparison would be a peace
forced upon us at this moment- Peace, yes, peace
s what the nation wants, but a peace that must be
o,m by our valour and constancy, bought by vie-
to r;e.3 obtained by a people that detests oppression A
pea ,ce of this kind will save us, and make us respected
Place
cannot obtain
such to the Mexican nation. If we
by tle powers that observe us, and give us the
such ; s peace it is better to bury ourselves under the
ruins of our cities, and better to die than live without
hononzr.

As to myself, lam determined to breast the dan-
gers the campaign, cont:dent that my conduct will'
gain .
approbation of my fellow-citizens. If I am
the •
croo-ried by victory, and succeed in driving the enemy
from aor soil, I shall retire to private life, satisfied
that I sh. sll have rendered my country some service;
or if the 4'ead or steel should cut the thread of my
life, I shall die contented, as I shall leave to my
country an ,honourable memory, and to my children
a name at whici‘.l they need never blush.
Present, &c.
ANTONIO Lk.
IPEZ DE SANTA ANNA.
To the Hon. Secretary of t..he Constituent
Congress, Mexico, AR -il 2, 1847.
It will be seen that the Ara ericans themselves admit
at Orizaba, and if he
that since the Battle of Cerra Gorda, Santa Anna has
rallied 6,000 men round him .
continues to be animated by the t pint wbich dictated
this address, he may yet give 6eneral Scott some
trouble. The American Sun says, Commissioners,
consisting of Senators Benton and S.lule, have been
dispatched from Washington to meet C-
eneral Scott
at Mexico, with the terms our Government are dis-
posed to make for peace. The Mexicans, who still
urge resistance, are in favour of Guerilla war 4
and if such should be adopted, we have only to retire
from the interior, where that mode can be practise d
among mountain passes, and occupy the cities an, d
ports we have captured.
CAPTURE OF TUSPAN BY COMMODORE PERRY,—..
HEALTH OF THE ARMY AND NAVY.
General Taylor is at Monterey with his division of
the army, General Worth is at Vera Cruz, charged
with the government cf that place, and Gen. Cushing
at Matamoras. General Taylor has resolved on a
requisition upon the states of New Leon,
Coahuila, and Tamaulipas, for indemnification for
public property of the United States destrozed by
Mexican robbers in those departments. Gen. bushing
has been directed to call upon the alcaldes of Mata-
mores. Commodore Perry has, after an obstinate
engagement, captured Tuspan, and is to sail against
Tobasco and other ports on the Mexican coast.
Lieut. Hunter, who captured Alvrado and Tlacotalpin
in such gallant style, though in disobedience to
orders, has been court-martialed and is to be dismissed
from the Home Squadron. The health of the army
is fine, though the heat has been excessive. At Vera
Cruz and Monterey the Mexicans are recovering
business, activity, and confidence, from the conciliat-
ing spirit of their new Governors.
CALIFORNIA.

BATTLES AT SAN PASQUAI AND SACRAMENTO BE-
TWEEN GENERAL KEARNEY AND COLONEL DONI•
PIIAN AND THE MEXICANS ! CHIHUAHUA IN POS-
SESSION OF THE UNITED STATES.
While the army in Mexico Proper has been
covering itself with glory, our forces in California:
have followed their example. General Kearney and
Colonel Doniphan, with a volunteer force of 2,000
men, after an exhausting march of 2,000 miles, from
Missouri, defeated a greatly superior Mexican force
under General Pico at San Pasquel, captured Chi-
huahua, and won a brilliant victory over 4,000 Mex-
icans at Sacramento. The Mexicans fortified the
Pass of Sacramento and had 1,200 cavalry, 1,200
infantry, 300 artillery, and 1,400 Rancheros, all of
whom were routed, leaving 300 killed and as many
wounded on the field. Their entire cannon, baggage
train, and provisions fell into our hands. American
loss, four killed, and less than a dozen wounded.
General Kearney, after the battle took formal pos-
session of Chihuahua in the name of the United
States. We have now full possession of California.
St. Louis had been visited by a destructive fire.
The finances of Pennsylvania were in a promising
condition.

Our Canadian advices are uninteresting. The Earl
of Cathcart had left the province. The first vessel
for sea, the St. Andrew, for London, had reached
Quebec on the Bth inst.

THE BATTLE OF CERRO GORDO-
(From the New Orleans Delta.)
We are indebted to Captain Hughes, of the Topo-
graphical Corps, for much valuable and interesting
information relating to the late glorious victory of
Cerra Gordo.
On the arrival of the other divisions of the army
at the encampment of General Twiggs, on the 16th
of April, General Scott, after taking a reconnoissance
of the enemy's works, determined to storm them.
The position occupied by the enemy was regarded by
them as impregnable, and, truly, to any other than
American soldiers it must have appeared an insur-
mountable and impracticable undertaking to carry it
by storm, or turn it by strategy.
The road from Vera Cruz, as it passes the Plan del
iRi s
commandedo which is a
,
arockyseries
be
ofd of a once
bigh cliffs, large
rising
isntgre stream,
one
above the other, and extending several miles, all well
fortified. The road then deboaches to the right, and
curving around the ridge passes over a high cliff,
which is completely enfiled by forts and batteries.
This ridge is the commencement of the Terra Tem-
plada, the upper or mountainous country—the right
flank of the position—and a series of most abrupt
and apparently impassable mountains and ridges
covered their left. Between these points, run
ring a distance of two or three miles, a suc-
cession of strongly fortified forts bristled at every
turn, and seemed to defy all bravery and skill. The
Cerro Gordo commanded the road on a gentle decli-
nation like a glacis for nearly a mile. An approach
in that direction would have been the most entire an-
nihilation of our army. But the enemy expected
such an attack, calculating upon the desperate valour
of our men, and believing that it was impossible to
turn their position to the right or left. General
Scott, however, with the eye of a skilful general, per-
ceived the trap set for him, and determined to avoid
it. He therefore had a road cut to the right, so as to
escape the front fire from the Cerro, and to turn his
position to the left flank. This movement was made
known to the enemy by a deserter from our camp,
and consequently a large increase of force under
General Vega was sent to the forts on their left.
General Scott, to cover his flank movements, on the
17th of April ordered forward General Twiggs
against the steep ascent in front and a little to the left
of the Cerro. Colonel Harney commanded this ex-
pedition, and at the head of the rifles and some de-
tachments of infantry and artillery carried this posi-
tion in front and near the enemy's strongest fortifica-
tions; and having, by incredible labour, elevated one
of our large guns to the top of the fort, General
Scott prepared to follow up his advantages. A de-
monstration was made from this position against
another strong fort in the rear and near the Cerro, but
the enemy were considered too strong, and the un-
dertaking was abandoned. A like demonstration was
made by the enemy.
On the next day, the 18th, General Twiggs wasd
ordered forward from the position be had already
ealf-ea y
commandedafilc at
Shield'snh ne
artrnhode.
againsts
separate
att
altachrkeegeoedl
strongumoldniihse,es
en capturedeSimultaneouslyy,
ea
fgta iwnas
was to
an
ttoh
aebtfetoamret
made
oeh
ni cbltyih.ea feonrerri
difficult ascents ls'ohcweon tinas doia'entdcheeidnright of the enemy's
enemy, fully acquainted with General
position.floV otwhilstsrtaho' Worth's
ddGeneralvffi,hiseei
of nlScott'seo tteontdheed
variousm oNTm movement,
positionshad thrownto
b
most serious enterprise was that of Twiggs, who ad-
vanced against the main fort that commanded the
difficult Cerro. Nothing can be conceived more than
this undertaking. The steep and rough character of
the ground, the constant fire of the enemy front,
and the cross fire of the forts and batteries, ries, which en-
Mated our lines,
Tviggs
our oneo
men f surpassing
from
adieth the duty.d ha
assigned to General
rul lt y
butthe
pre-
vented
beingdrticy destroyedte
steepness of the ascent under which they could shel-
ter. But they sought no shelter, and onward rushed
against a hailstorm of balls and musket shot, led
by the gallant Harney, whose noble bearing eli-
cited the applause of the whole army. His
conspicuous and stalwart frame at the head of
the brigade, his long arm waving his men on to
the charge, his sturdy voice ringing above the clash
of arms and din of conflict, attracted the attention and
admiration alike of the enemy and the army. On,
on he led the columns, whose front lines melted before
the enemy's fire like snow flakes in a torrent, and
stayed not their course until, leaping over the rocky
barriers and bayoneting their gunners, they drove the
enemy pell-mell from the front, delivering a deadly
fire into their ranks from their own guns as they
hastily retired. This was truly a gallant deed, worthy
of the Chevalier Bayard of our army, as the intrepid
Harney is well styled. General Seca, between whom
and Colonel Harney there had existed some coolness,
rode up to the Colonel after this achievement and
remarked to him, " Colonel Harney, I cannot now
adequately express my admiration of your gallant
achievement; but at the proper time I shall take great