The Sun.
London, England, 1846-09-11 00:00:00

THE RIVER PLATE.

MONTE VIDEO, JUNE 20,—The arrival of the con-
voy, safe and sound, with the exception of the ne••
glected Caledonia and two small craft, has thrown new
vigour into Monte Video. Above 100 vessels—the pa-
ternal tenderness of Rosas for the welfare of his country
would have sunk all of them by cannon shot from his
batteries—have been brought safe into port, bearing
eargoes of valuable River Plate produce, to the amount
of half a million sterling. The joy and exultation at-
tending such an event, the, positive good which ever
flows from active commerce, the employment into which
all classes are thereby at once thrown, have roused this
city from its lethargy, and given it an appearance de-
lightfully at variance with the prostration of a besieged
capital. lam much astray if Monte Video will again
sink into helplessaes 3, and if she will not speedily shake off
the disease—the puny invasion—which for three years
and a half has been suffered to stop her circulation. It
is to the " wooden walls" of England, with the friendly
and brave co-operation of France, that this country owes
the benefit which has just been consummated. The same
all-powerful protection ought not to be withdrawn until
the good work, so prosperously commenced, has been
completed in all its parts. The new world, whose high
1 road is the Parana, must not again be shut up in dark-
ness. Bolivia, Paraguay, Corrientes, Entre-Rios, have
claims on the guardians of humanity and civilisation,
and will no longer be muzzled and lashed by the Fran•
cias and Rosases, and those who make brutes of wo-
men and butcher men. _ _ .

If time were not so precious to us, we might freely
overlook the waste of three, four, or five years spent in
the accomplishment of that which might be done in one.
The River Plate question might have been settled any
time these five years, many a time these three years, aid
twice within the last year, and Monte Video been spared
her sacrifices. The Cabinets are long in arriving at the
conviction that neither threat nor mere show of
force will shake Rosas ; honest Ministers are his sport ;
active hostilities his only creed in war. Everything else
is weakness.

A crisis is now or, which 11,1 s been long maturing, and
which will aftwd, perhaps, the mot golden opportunity
of all for effecting a sound and permanent settlement of
the whole question—l allude to the disposition of Entre-
Rios to form a feagu6 with Corrientes, ant.: shake off the
yoke of Rosas. A glance at the map of South America
will show how such a confederation, recr.,gniseci by
Europe, would instantly bring about all that is desire&
the nations on the left bank of the Parana being then
unanimously declared for foreign commerce, Let this
fact be known in London and in Lancashire—that the
boundless commerce of the Plate and its tributaries may
at once be secured to all the world by our Government
making only one step in advance towards the creation
of such 0 onfederation as I have named, overtures for

On one point the parties interested have some reason
to complain of this first convoy. The property brought
down is only to a small extent for account of those who
shipped goods up the river, the time allowed being by far
too short to admit of transactions being wound up. Con-
sequently those who embarked their property in the ex-
pedition, and became the pilots of our national commer
cial interests, have not been able to reap the full advan-
tages due to hem; but, on the contrary, will be exposed
to loss and jeopardy, if vessels are not speedily sent under
convoy to them, to bring down the property in which
the proceeds of sales have been invested.
The packet arrived from Buenos Ayres yesterday,
having on board the remnant of English merchants who
were remaining in that city, with the exception of the
one or two who hare identified themselves with the cause
of Rosas. She sailed thence on the 25th inst. Those
who have Rowcome inform me that up to the time of their
leaving public order was strictly preserved, but that
threatening notices had been left at the houses of three
of their body after the action of San Lorenzo, by some
unknown person. I have seen one of these papers, which
is to the following effect:—
" Long live the Argentine Confederation !
" Death to the enemies of the Government.
"'The Argentine forces have just taught the English
and French pirates a fresh lesson ; but we have to la-
ment Argentine blood spilt to defend a free cause. But,
oh! it shall cost them dear.
" Miserable English and French! prepare for that
vengeance which a free people with one voice demand
against you. Prepare for the sharpened knife—it
threatens you !

" Long live Rosas."

ManciHa's magniloquent dispatch after the affair of
San Lorenzo, and the British Packet's account of thirty-
two dead bodies belonging to the " piratical convoy"
having been picked out of the Parana, excited great
contempt in Buenos Ayres, where the truth was already
o
idhneeagtroctjtob,hmeceropuenln,egvtyreseaolitu.ifleaaertGei;osnsldsoirwt, escape,wtdehraneersecop rapidlyna vipaid
y t.O
2s entirely in favour of the expedition, and amongst
ourtkhn en wocdsoenauciintwrpty:n:rabarletieincpv natives hearty
reported
advancing in value ; ounces quoted 415 to 425 paper.
Exchange on London, 2d. 2 1-16 d. the dollar.
The reports which were put into circulation by that
Government of the progress and movements of the
Oriental army under Rivera were diametrically opposed
to. truth. From all appearances here they will soon be
forced to undeceive themselves.

On the arrival of the Apollo troop-ship, on the 24th
inst., speculation and surmise took possession of every
mind. It will be remembered that she originally em-
barked the 73d Regiment for the Cape ; that, touching
for water at Rio Janeiro on her way out, she was sent
thence by Mr. liarniltbn to the Plate ; and that after
landing the troops here by Mr. Ouseley's authority, she
was dispatched home by the Admiral. A perfect fever
of anxiety now exists on the subject of her re-appear-
ance ; the most prevalent rumour is, that the 45th will
go to the Cape, the 73d remain, and the place of the
former be taken by marines and sailors to be landed ;
while, to complete the difficulty, naval people say the
ships cannot possibly spare any more than are already
ashore.

To those who have not the honour to serve her Ma-
jesty in either department, it seems probable that neither
regiment must necessarily proceed to the Cape while a
force is requisite here to carry out the policy of the in-
tervention ; and that if any more men are landed from
the vessels of war, it may be with a view to shelling
Oribe off the Cerribo. Such a determination would, I
fancy, almost restore good humour and harmony—
things which do not at present exist.
The mortality amongst the troops, which at first was
rather alarming, has subsided considerably, being now
nearly on a par with England.
Two privates of the 45th have been acquitted by
court-martial, after trial for the murder of au English
sailor. The principal evidence against them was not
forthcoming.
THE ACTION OFF SAN LORENZO.

I am indebted to one of our gallant officers for the
graphic description contained in the following account of
the action off San Lorenzo:—

"By the evening of the 2d of Juno all the Parana
convoy, consisting of 110 vessels, were collected at the
anchorage, about four miles above the cliffs of San
Lorenzo, in the province of Santa F 6, and there waited
a favourable wind for forcing the passage.
" The Gorgon and Gassendi steamers had been lying
there three weeks; and had made themselves well ac-
quainted with the positions of the enemy, as well as
with the capabilities of the islands and creeks.

" The enemy had shown great
tiudgment in selecting
this spot to oppose our passage down, as no stronger
position is to be found in the whole length of the Parana.
The cliffs occupied by them rise 70 feet perpendicularly
from the water, and extend north from the little creek or
port of San Lorenzo for four miles; thence they tend to
the north-west, forming ,an elbow at the point of ap-
proach of vessels coming down the river.
"On this point a battery of two guns was erected,
with two or three field pieces at short intervals to the
north-west. A quarter of a mile south of this one,
another battery of five guns was erected, of great
strength, and well built of earth; and from this to the
creek peeped forth a field piece at intervals of 400 yards.
" The river at this point is scarcely half a mile broad,
the opposite shore being formed by the low islands of
Entre-Rios. The current runs down at the rate of three
miles per hour. _ _ _

" The great strength of the position consisted in the
land behind the hedge of the cliffs declining so that
nothing could be seen but the muzzles and tops of
wheels of the guns: The whole of the guns, battery end
field, were mounted on field carriages, and horses were
kept ready for transporting them.
Two nights previous to the passage, on an island op-
posite the principal battery, and which appeared ex-
pressly provided by nature. for the occasion, Captain
llothara bad placed a masked battery of six congreve
rocket tubes, -with orders not to show themselves, or
open fire, until the action commenced by the steamers.
"This island, so important for the purposes of the
enemy, would certainly have been occupied by him but
for the sure destruction which he knew awaited him in
its defence. It is wooded. I have been told that while
an officer of the Gorgon cautiously reconnoitered it some
days before, the sentinel on the opposite cliff was oh
served to stop suddenly, and gaze long and fixedly on
the very spot on which the officer stood; the latter re-
mained motionless, full in the sentry's sight; and at
length, after straining his eyes for some minutes, the
sentry, fancying he had mistaken a tree for a man, con-
tinued his beat, and the officer completed his survey."
Notice had been given to the convoy, that if through
neglect on their part, or to avoid the enemy's shot, any
of them should run aground, they would be burnt.

It had been arranged by the senior officers of the com-
bined squadron that the five largest steamers were first
to anchor, to attack the batteries; while the others, with
the sailing men-of-war, were to pass on outside of them,
at the head of their respective divisions of the convoy.
After all the vessels had passed, the steamers were then
to weigh and pass down also.
The following are the vessels of which the combined
squadron consisted:—