The Sun.
London, England, 1866-06-13 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, JUNE 13, 1866.

those dead bodies. I identify the skull of Maria
Delany. Bridget Delany's body lam able to recog-
nise by the ring which is still on her finger. I can-
not recognise any other." He proceeded to say
that he saw his brother last about 8 o'clock on
Thursday evening, and that he recognised his keys
foundin the ruins on Sunday morning. Dr. Strahan,
a relative of the deceased, deposed that he had in-
spected the six dead bodies with Dr. M'Donneli,
and he could not identify any of them. They were
nearly consumed by fire. He could not say whe-
ther death was caused by burning or suffocation.
Dr. M'Donnell gave similar testimony. Even the
sex could not be distinguished. Mr. Smith applied
for a postponement of the inquiry till after the fu-
neral on account of the public excitement. The
people, he said, were ready to put a rope about the
neck of the captain of the fire brigade. These re-
marks were received with hisses, and the coroner
said, having regard to the character of the jury
and himself, he could not see why the representative
of the Corporation should say that he did not expect
justice there. Mr. Smyth wished to add the quali-
fication, " in the present temper of the public mind."
The coroner, however, declined to postpone the in-
quiry, as some of the witnesses were sailors, who
might have to leave before they were called. It was
adjourned to this day.
Mr. Butt, Q.C., applied yesterday to the Court
of Queen's Bench for a writ of prohibition to pre-
vent Colonel Brett and the other members of the
court-martial from proceeding with the trial of
Colour-Sergea4nt M'Carthy, on the ground that the
crime charged as a violation of the Mutiny Act had
been merged in high treason, and thereby placed
beyond the jurisdiction of a court-martial in time
of peace. Mr. McMahon followed on the same side.
The Chief Justice said that the importance of the
case was such that they could not think of disposing
of it on the instant, and would give judgment this
day.
The following gentlemen were last night elected
members of the Royal Irish Academy :--Messrs. J.
A. Baker, F.R.C.5.1., E. 11. Bennett, M.D., F. R.
Cruise, M.D., T. Gallwey, T. M. Hutton, Rev. J.
O'Rourke, and Mr. Alex. Thom.
Professor Ferguson has announced to the Lord
Mayor that all cattle examined for exportation are
to be inspected free of charge, and that the money
hitherto received for inspection will be returned.
The accounts of the crops from all parts of the
country are most encouraging. 4

Further Details of the Bombardment of

Callao.

The Panama Star and Herald of the 23d pub-
lishes the following further details of the bombard-
ment of Callao :

The morning of the 2d of May saw the forts well pro-
tected and the guns manned and ready to receive the enemy.
Foreign vessels were warned still further out of range, and
all that morning were busy dropping to leeward, till the
nearest ship was about three miles off from the town. About
11 o'clock the Spaniards were observed to be on the move,
but laying, as they did, some ten miles off, it was not for
some time after that it was clearly seen that they were
bearing down upon the town. About 12 o'clock the iron-
clad Numancia, with the broad pennant of Admiral Nunez,
steamed rapidly ahead straight in for the town, fol-
lowed in line by the Blanca and Resolucion, and a counter
line to attack the town from the north side was led by the
frigate Villa de Madrid, followed by the Berenguela and
Almanza. The gunboat Vencedora steamed between the
lines to act as a despatch boat.
The six frigates brought up broadside on to the town
about 15 minutes past 12, the nearest about 1,500 yards
from the forts, and there was a brief interval of breathless
anxiety. This interval did not last. At 12.25 the Numan-
cia commenced the action by firing a single shot on the
battery of Santa Rosa. The forts on shore spoke out at
once and for upwards of 41 hours without intermission,
and while broadside followed broadside from the ships,
the response from the forts was magnificent to
the last, till the enemy, with heavy loss in killed
and wounded, and severe damage to his ships, drew off
in disgrace and defeat. The breezeblowing from the shore
immediately carried off the smoke from the combatants, and
every movement, both on shore and among the ships, was
clearly seen. Almost at the beginning of the fight a well-
aimed shot from a Blakely's 300-pounder took the Villa do
Madrid among her machinery, entering the steam-chest,
killing some thirteen men, and disabling a host by the
escape of the steam. She had to be towed out of ac-
tion by the Vencedors, after being engaged not much more
than 15 minutes. Another of Armstrong's or Blakely's
heavy weights went right through the Berenguela, tear-
ing open her side. This also was done within the first
half-hour, and she cleared out, supposed to be in a sink-
ing condition and lurching heavily to one side. The Eng-
lish corvette Shearwater steamed after her to save her
crew had it been necessary, but by heaving over her
guns and shot she was kept afloat. These disasters happen-
ing so early necessitated more caution on Nunez's part, so he
widened his distance and drew off the remaining ships from
the shore. The firing of the Spaniards through the fight
seemed to be mere random shooting ; for every shot lighting
on the batteries a hundred went 20 and 30 yards wide of
them ; while the Peruvians, unpractised as they were, and
novices in the working of the new weapons of Blakely and
Armstrong, recently received from England, fired with
wonderful precision, and while the air was ringing again
with the broadside discharges from the Numancia, Al-
manza, and the other ships, they stood to their guns
bravely and wrought them energetically throughout. The
on inside
place. c
shelli circular
fight had not lasted yet an hour when, fortunately for the
Spaniards, but to the regret and loss of the whole Re-
public,turre turret batteries ter es shore
accident
took one of
the
A Armstrong
percussion
cla
inr
being hosted from below was let fall in the turret and ex-
ploded, igniting some charges just taken from the magazine.
Every soul inside was destroyed, including, sad to relate,
Sr. Galvez, the Minister of War, and Captain Borda, the
superintendent engineer of the forts, and so dislocating the
gearing of the two 300-pounder guns as to unfit them for
service during the day. So far did the Spaniards lay off that
a battery of 32-pounders was rendered inoperative, and
the commander reserved his fire. The ironclad Numancia
stood the shot she received well. Again and again she was
hit, but her four-and-a-half inch iron plates kept them out.
It is not known whether it was early or late in the engage-
ment, but the admiral was severely injured by splinters
and carried away eight wounds, one of these so
serious that on the evening of the 9th instant it was
still feared that one of his arms would have to be ampu-
tated. Capt. Topete, of the Blanca, was severely wounded,
and at first reported killed ; but both the Numancia and
the Blanca kept up to the very last a horrible discharge,
broadsiilo after broadside, backing or rounding out to cool
their guns and give play to the other side of the vessel.
Tho long rifled guns on board three small Peruvian ves-
sels did some good service ; every shot they sent made a
mark, till they became the objects of a good deal of atten-
tion from the enemy; but so wretched was the firing from
the Spaniards that they were not once hit. Only ono
Peruvian gun during the whole fight was disabled by the
Spaniards ; it was knocked off its carriage by a 68-pounder,
and if in the four and a half hours' duration of the fight
there was any cessation of the fire from shore, it was only
when the enemy's ships in their movements stood length-
ways to the batteries, as they repeatedly did.
'Wearied with their long ineffectual assault on the forts,
the Numancia, Blanca, and Almanza sought revenge on the
town, and soon after three o'clock began and continued for
an hour and a half to throw shot and shell into it, directing
their fire as they could on the Custom-house, near which
are also the best houses and the large mercantile establish-
ments. It is estimated that they must have spent in all
3,000 shot and shell in the whole engagement, and from the
briskness of the fire on the town, kept up for an hour, about
half that quantity must have been intended to injure it.
But from the nature of the construction of the buildings,
and the precautions taken by the municipality in the four
days previous, to have all combustible materials sent out of
town, no fire was occasioned; and to walk down the streets
after the defeat of the Spaniards one would see very little
to indicate that damage had been done, much less would it
be believed that so little could have been effected by so
great an attempt.
The Peruvians firedthe last gun at the retreating defeated
Spaniards at about 145 p.m., and as the ships steamed out
of reach, the rojoicint on shore took the turn which an
earnest country would most like to see its brave soldiers give
it in a contest for hone and freedom. At once measures
were taken to repair tuy damage done, and the sun rose
next morning not only on the batteries and guns of yester-
day restored, but on additional guns erected, fresh mon to
man therewith, enthisiasin roused to the highest to again
encounter the enemy.
The numerical loss in killed and wounded on shore is very
trifling. A corps, conisting principally of foreigners, took
all the wounded in cargo ; the ladies of Lima personally
attended the unfortunate men ; while a subscription list on
their behalf, and for the widows of the killed, was no
sooner sot ageing that it produced $5,000 on the day fol-
lowing the engagement,
The Spaniards retuned to their anchorage, ten miles
from the town, maintaining a strict blockade, and having
steam up every day kept up alarm on shore and the con-
tinued suspension of htsiness. At daybreak on the 10th
the storoships accompanying the squadron were seen to be
getting under sail, anc shortly afterwards the whole were
on the move. People could not believe it ; could it be
possible that that note fleet, under the boasted " Golden
Flag of Castillo," was absolutely clearing out, disgraced,
defeated; for ever henceforth to bo branded with the
ignominy which at every step it has obtained since it
came into these water*