The Sun.
London, England, 1859-12-24 00:00:00

DECEMBER 24,

1859.

SPAIN AND MOROCCO.

(From the Times' Special Correspondent.)
CAMP OF CEUTA, DEC. 10.
We had another affair yesterday with the Moors,
who attempted a coup de main at daybreak on the
unfinished redoubt to the left of the Spanish lines,
but who were as gallantly repulsed as the attack
was daringly made, for they retired after a hard
fight, leaving a number of their dead on the glacis,
close to the very ditch of the redoubt.
Having failed in this their principal object,
general attack was made on the whole of the lines
by a force, I should say, of from 9,000 to 10,000
men, directed, no doubt, by two of their Sheikhs,
who were easily distinguished by the colour of their
haiques, and an escort of about 150 or 200 " Moros
de Rey," who accompanied them, and ultimately,
concentrating their whole force, attacked the ex-
treme right, but with as little effect as at the re-
doubt, the right being equally well defended by a
division of the 2d Cuerpo de Ejercito, under the
command of General Zabala.
The Spanish-African army is fortunate in having
the President of the Ministry (Gen. O'Donnell) as
its Commander-in-Chief, for he is, without doubt
the best general they have—cool, decisive, and with
a foresight which he was not given credit for. The
attack on the right was divined by him, and conse-
quently provided for long before the Moors gave
symptoms of their intention, and in opposition to
the opinion of the Chief of his Staff and most of the
general officers who surrounded him.
P.S.—I had almost forgotten to mention that va-
rious instances of individual pluck have been here,
on different occasion, shown by the Spanish soldiers
(mostly recruits that have never, until now, heard
the whistle of a ball), that would have done credit
to the best of the Crimean heroes.
Our loss during the day was 40 killed, 280
wounded.

CAMP BEFORE CEUTA, DEC. 12.

At daybreak this morning the 3d Corps of the
Army of Africa, under Gen. Ros de Olano, arrived
in the port of Ceuta in 16 steamers from Malaga,
and nearly the whole are disembarked at the hour
at which I write. We still await artillery and
cavalry to complete the army, but these, it is ex-
pected, willEnot be long in making their appear-
ance. Some of the steamers that brought the 3d
Corps will return for artillery. I am not positively
acquainted with the strength of that corps, but it
must be somewhere about 11,000. We have now
probably between 30,000 and 35,000 effective men
in these lines. The cholera, I was happy to learn
on my return from Gibraltar, is much on the de-
cline. For a few days the number of deaths was
sufficient to justify serious apprehensions.
We had a skirmish to-day, which began at noon
and lasted till dark, but it was of no great import-
ance. It was upon our left, and General Prim
played the principal part in it. He went out with
two or three battalions, and soon got up a very
agreeable little fight. Other troops went out to
support. The number of Moors engaged is esti-
mated by the Spaniards at from 4,000 to 5,000.
Our loss was trifling seven killed and some
wounded. Gen. Prim is superintending and pro-
tecting the making of the road in the direction of
Tetuan, and which, it is expected, will very soon be
completed as far as Cabo Negro. Up to that point
it is not expected the Moors will give us much to
do, but after that there are plains, and it is thought
probable we may have a serious engagement,
in which the hostile cavalry will play a part. It
is reported that a very strong Moorish force is as-
sembled on the road from Tangier to Tetuan, ready
to act in either direction.

The weather has been fine and dry for the last
two days, but more or less windy, and colder than
it was. The great point, however, is, that it should
not rain ; for rain makes all the difference between
positive misery and comparative comfort. Although
the winds are high and even cold, yet the degree of
cold is not great, and is very endurable with a
moderate amount of shelter and covering. There
is no want of wood in the neighbourhood ; the
Moorish forest is at the disposal of the Spanish
soldier, who does not spare the fuel and lights
magnificent fires.
After all the bad weather we have had—more
even than is common in this season, or, at least,
more than occurs in some winters—we may, per-
haps, expect two or three fine weeks, and that
would be an immense thing for the army which
is still in good heart and confident, but night ulti-
mately be dispirited by a continuance of disease
and inaction.

EMBARKATION OF THE THIRD DIVISION OF THE

AFRICAN ARMY AT MALAGA, Sunday, Dec. 11.
The embarkation of this division, under the
command of the General-in-Chief, Ros de Olano,
and Generals Quesada and Turon, took place this
afternoon. It commenced about 2 p.m., and, to
the surprise of every one, at half-past four o'clock
the 12,000 men were all embarked on board 18
steamers, which got under way at five precisely,
and proceeded to Ceuta. Great credit is due to
tho staff for the admirable arrangements made by
them and their excellent management, not one single
accident, however trifling, having occurred. The day
being beautiful and clear, not a cloud to be seen,
and as mild as in the month of June, the Alameda
and Mole were crowded, all the population being
desirous to witness so unusual and really a brilliant
sight. Rich silk draperies were suspended from the
balconies, and notwithstanding the exciting music
of so many military bands the spectacle was affect-
ing. The military here were billeted on private
families, and there was scarcely a house either of
the rich or poor that had not one or more officers
or soldiers, the former taking their meals with the
family ; and as they have been here more than a
month, and their conduct in every instance, without
one exception, has been exemplary, they were consi-
dered like relations or intimate friends rather than
strangers. This accounts for the expression of sad-
ness depicted on the countenances of the masses as
the troops marched past. The embarkation was
watched in silence, broken occasionally by sighs,
and a heartily-expressed a-Dios as an acquaintance
was recognised ; but when the gun was fired as a
signal for sailing, the report broke, as it were, the
magic spell by which all tongues were bound, and
loud and hearty vkas burst .forth from thousands of
throats both ashore and afloat, the bands playing
the Royal March. One cannot resist sympathising
with these warm-hearted expressions. The soldiers
are grateful for and have been well deserving of the
hospitality they have met with in this city, and
their behaviour during the time they have been
quartered here may serve as an example to all the
troops in Europe ; not one single act of disturbance
has occurred, and, what is more, there has not been
an instance of a drunken soldier seen about the
streets. They are healthy, well provided for in every
respect, and have a very military appearance, and
their arms are good. The wreck of the Sardinian
steamer Genova in some measure interfered with
the transit of the troopships, for, to the disgrace
and shame of the captain of the port, she was
allowed to sink at the mouth of the harbour. At
the commencement of the fire a Major of Sappers
who was a passenger boldly proceeded, with his
men and some volunteers from the shore, in boats
to cut through her iron cables with the intention
of towing her out to sea, and while perform-
ing this daring act the captain of the port or.
dered him to desist. Some days previous to the
departure of the troops some thousands of copies of
the following address were printed, with the inten-
tion of distributing them among the troops on land-
ing in Africa. It is short, pithy, and soldierlike :
" GENERAL ROS DE OLANO'S ADDRESS TO. HIS