The Sun.
London, England, 1868-09-18 00:00:00

THE WAR IN PARAGUAY.

The AnglQ-Brazilian Times of the 22d of August
publishes the following• narrative of the events
which occurred in connection with the evacuation
of llumaita, and the subsequent surrender, after a
struggle of more than a week's duration, of the
remnants of the Paraguayan garrison :
" To evacuate Ilumaita the Paraguayans had 80
or 100 boats, and the evacuation was going on for
a week before it was completed. First the families
were removed, then the sick, the prisoners, a large
quantity of munitions, the remainder of their food,
and finally the garrison, the outposts being main-

tained to the last moment to deceive the Allies
Almost all the non-combatants, and probably al

least a third of the garrison, passed through the
lake in the middle of the narrow peninsula without
exciting suspicion ; and it was only on the with-
drawal of the outposts at Humaita that the Allies
became aware of the fact that the garrison was
withdrawing to Timbo. The Allied forces in the
Chaco were then raised to 10,000 men, and the gun-
boats were brought up and grape was poured into
the narrow peninsula, which, however, being covered
with bush, thickets, and tall reeds, favoured the
concealment of the Paraguayan movements. Hidden
in the thickets the Paraguayans had some heavy
cannon, which played on the vessels ; while, op-
posed to the allied position, they had a strong bat-
tery which guarded them (from attack on that side.
They transported boats overland to the lake, and
armed some with small cannon, and during the
night of the 25th of July no doubt many escaped,
being assisted by the Paraguayans in Timbo. Dur-
ing the 26th the escape continued, but the allies
made great exertions to open space for their fire
and to carry small cannon over to commanding
points. In doing this they were frequently at-
tacked by the armed boats. At night on the 26th
a great effort was made by the Paraguayans to
escape in the darkness, with 30 to 40. boats and 600
to 800 men. Being discovered, a heavy fire was
kept up upon them, and some of the boats were
forced to return ; but others, with the support of
the armed boats of the Timbo Paraguayans, suc-
ceeded in passing, but with heavy loss. Gelly by
Obes says they lost 500 out of 1,000. Two more
flats with cannon were brought from Timbo and
placed in the lake, and on the 27th the Brazilians
dragged over some from the river to contend with
them on the lake. After a reconnaissance upon the
27th, in which loss was experienced, on the 28th an
assault was attempted by the Brazilians, to the
number of 3,000 to 4,000 men, upon the battery
which the Paraguayans had, but they were received
with S 3 severe a fire from the battery and from
infantry posted in the woods that they were
forced to retire after losing 400 men in the
vain attempt. Fights continued daily and nightly
between the allies and the garrison, aided in their
attempts to escape by the Paraguayans of Timbo,
and on the night of the 29th the last sent over some
20 boats to transport part of the garrison across
and carry cooked meat to the rest. Only a few
succeeded in getting over because of the fire poured
in from 11 cannon and a large number of troops.
On the night of the 31st some 12 boats made an
attempt to escape, but were beaten back by the
armed boats stationed on the lake. They, however,
returned suddenly, and, overpowering one of the
boats, succeeded in passing and escaping. At mid-
night of the Ist of August another affair occurred,
eight or ten Paraguayan boats making the attempt
to pass the line of armed boats, but their move-
some dead
the boats to land
move-
ments being seen the one in which Colonel Hermosa
went was run down and destroyed with all its crew.
Eight boats were captured, and their crews mostly
and killed
eexamining
drowned.ng th
e bodies
O n
dead women were
found dressed in soldiers' clothes. Of the 30 or 25

erewomen, one with au
traversed by a ball. Some
were likewise among the
oiwntohf
auennr
td, wounded
hutonwsgeo
childrenaorrm t
wh raese were
saved. Up to the 4th the night fighting continued,
but on that day Father Ignacio Esmarats, a chap-
lain in the Brazilian hospitals, obtained permission
to try if he could effect communication with the
Paraguayans, as two officers previously sent to
summon them to surrender had been driven off
with bullets. In that he was successsful, and on
the sth the Paraguayans on the peninsula sur-
rendered to the number of 98 officers and 1,230
men, the commander, Colonel Martines, being
among the number. They were three days without
food, and some 200 were prostrated by exhaustion ;
300 were sick or wounded. The official bulletin of
the army says that the lakes, woods, redoubt, and
their surroundings are choked with bodies—that

only some wounded, women, and General Allen
were able to pass the Timbo; that the Marquis de
Caxias went to the Chaco after the capitulation ;
that the evacuation or taking of Timbo will occur
shortly ; that columns are preparing for an attack
on Tebicuary; that Burguez has been shot by
Lopez ; that a prisoner says the people are all
against Lopez ; that Lopez, when attacked and
routed on the Tebicuary and with his rear cut off,
must either surrender at discretion or flee alone,
abandoned by all, or soon, tortured by remorse, if
he be susceptible of it, appear before God to give
an account of the extermination of the Paraguayan
nation. The surrender of the garrison occurred
on the annivereary of the surrender of the Para-
guayans in Uruguayaua three years ago. The
conditions of capitulation stipulated that the gar-
rison should not be forced to serve against Lopez,
and that the officers might keep their swords
and choose the allied nation in which to reside.
The commander says that the effective force of the
garrison, when it evacuated Humaita, was 2,500
men. The prisoners were not badly off in regard
to clothing. The loss of the garrison is supposed to
have been 400. The loss of the Allies in the ten
days' desperate struggle on the peninsula, were seri-
ous, not being lesr than 500 men ; the marine lost
six killed and 21 wounded in various boat fights
from the 29th July to the 4th August. The official
returns of the Allied losses on the 16th July give
them at 1,029, of whom 228 were killed ; on the
18th 290, including 66 killed."
On the 30th of July a number of ironclads com-
menced the bombardment of the works at the mouth
of the Tebicuary, and on the same date the demo-
lishing of the fortress of liumaita was begun. The
number of cannon captured inside and on the Chaco
amounted to some 200, all of which, together with
the chains forming the boom, were divided between
the three Powers. It was announced that Timbo
would be at once attacked by land and water, and
that a column of 10,000 to 15,000 men was organis-

ins for immediate operations upon the defences of

Tebicuary.
The Anglo-Brazilian limes says :—" It is reported
that a Cabinet meeting held immediately after
authoritative news of the evacuation of Humaita
was received it was determined to prosecute the war
until the objects originally aimed at were obtained.
For this reason no relaxation in the forced recruit-
ment carrying on in all parts of the empire is mak-
ing, and the remitting of troops for the seat of war
continues, a body of about 300 having been sent
forward. The general changes noticed phviously
as being made in all the numerous branches of the
public service dependent directly or indirectly upon
the Executive are still going on vigorously in all'
quarters, and must result, especially as forced re-
cruitment will be carried on, in materially
strengthening the position of the present party hold-
ing the reins of office, and in securing to it a large
majority in the next Legislature. His Excellency
the Visconde de Itaborahy has not yet announced
his financial measures; but, notwithstanding the
absence of any official statements, it is understood
that the deficiencies of the Treasury are inA
with continued issue of national paper currency.
The situation of affairs in the Argentine Confede-
ration is serious, in consequence of the cotnplica-
tions between the national Government and Urquiza
and the attitude of the latter since his Entre Rios
troops collided with and routed the troops of the
new Governor of Corrientes upon the frontier of
Entre Rios Corrientes. Both parties are assum-
ing a warlike attitude towards each other, and it
is feared that a civil war is on the point of breaking
out."

The British gunboat Linnet had gone to Timbo,
and received Dr. Stewart.
The abandoned fortress of Humaita is described
as inferior in its position and construction to Curu-
paity. The form is an irregular, almost circular,
polygon, with a perimeter of some 7i miles iu
length, mounted with 200 cannon. The works fol-
low the course which the nature of the soil pointed
out and rendered so defensible. The ditch is 16ft.
wide and 13ft. deep, in general. The parapet is 6i
ft. wide, and, on the side of the allied positions, is
sustained inside by trunks of palms, and shows signs
of age. The glacis is natural, and the abattis on it
was of little strength, being merely boughs of trees
without connection or fastenings, without combina-
tion with the palissade, or protected by a terrepleine
from projectiles. The line that was opposed to the
allied armies is covered with salient angles to give
cross fire upon assailants. On the south side the
works are naturally defended by lakes, which
ewer them to the river. On this side only
small cannon were placed, and the abattis was only
a sham of branches. On the river side the best
works and the heaviest cannon are found. The
former consist of six large and well-constructed
batteries, of which the London battery is the only
one casemated. This one is 160 paces long, with a
parapet 8 feet thick, all of masonry. No large cen-
tral redoubt existed inside the fortress. It has in-
side a very large exercise ground, round which
buildings were ranged, with barrack room for 6,000.
men. Furniture was got in all, and in the officers
housesquantities of preserves, oil, wines, and pickles
were left behind. As the buildings were in com-
paratively good condition, all the hospitals and de-
posits were being moved from Corrientes to it, and
it will be the basis of future operations.

In the Argentine Legislature the Presidential
question was postponed until the arrival of Sar-
miento. At Montevideo banking operations con_
tinned under the new regulations, and the Legisla-
ture was engaged on several railway bills, including
one from below the Falls of the Uruguay to the
frontier of the Brazilian province of Rio Grande do
Sul.