The Sun.
London, England, 1845-10-25 00:00:00

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LONDON, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25, 1845.

The last intelligence from Buenos Ayres supplies
some traits, not altogether unlooked for, of the extreme
obstinacy and cunning of Roses. On the other hand,
the contest between the rival Republics of Buenos
Ayes and Monte Video (to employ the designations
by which they are most generally known in this coun-
try) presents a complication of interest and difficul-
ties which is every way remarkable. In infant states
the rights of nations, except perhaps in their broadest
and simplest principles, are as little understood—or
respected, at least, whie:h is the point to our present pur-
pose—as the rights of individuals. On this account, it
was to be expected that the nature of such an armed in-
tervention by England and France as is now in progress,
in the hostile relations of the two great States of the Rio
Plata, would be but slowly comprehended by either,
whenever its action happened to interfere with the pre-
tensions or expectations of the one or the other. And just
this sort of result has, af.:cordingly, ensued. The war, on
the part of the two republican armies, had been conducted
for some time with a degree of reckless violence and
studied brutality from which t.iie humanity of civilisa-
tion ever revolts. The siege of Monte Video, in par-
ticular, will stand for ever infamously distinguished in
the annals of remorseless, cruelty. These barbarous
committed on the property,
ea
excesses, and the outrar„
the liberty, and even tb lives of various British and French
subjects in Buenos fi--syresitself, or the republican territory,
at length attr 'Acted the attention of the two greatest
powers of Parepe. They remonstrated, were cajoled by
ROSAS, remonstrated again, and were insulted in the
persons of their representatives, by their obscure but
swecessful adventurer, under circumstances of the most
intolerable aggravation. In: dealing with these it must
be admitted that the Ministers of the two Great Powers,
proceeded, in their laudable desire to prevent the further
effusion of blood between the belligerents, and
the more extensive disorganisation of the commer-
cial relations between South America and Europe, to the
extremest verge of moderation. Their motives were
understood. The President, Dictator of Buenos Ayres,
assumed a still more insufferable tone of arrogance in
his communications with them, and fresh assassinations
and outrages committed on the persons of British-born
subjects (as in the case of a whole Scotch family of eight
or nine persons assassinated in mid-day, and neither
detected, nor very earnestly looked after by the Buenos
Ayrean authorities), completed the measure of these
" Argentine" transgressions. The declaration of Buenos
Ayres by the commanders of the French and English
squadrons being in a state of blockade was held out to
ROSAS as the inevitable alternative of his persisting in
the siege of Monte Video. This siege he was required
instantly to raise, and to withdraw his troops under
General °RIDE from the territories of Monte Video ad-
jacent to the Rio Grande. Both of these demands
being refused, the alternatives were immediately pro-
ceeied upon by the French and English authorities.
The blockade has been rigorously established. The
whole fleet of Buenos Ayres has been seized. But
from the land side Monte Video may be still considered
as invested by the forces of ORIBE, who kept the field at
the date of the last advices, and was likely still to do 50;
because—as one of the letters pithily remark—" the two
admirals, though ;supreme by water, are very weak by
land." From the nature of the country to be traversed,
in order to get at ORIBE'S forces, a considerable land
expedition, on the ordinary calculations of European
warfare between European troops, would, undoubtedly,
be required. But we have a strong confidence that
the " 200 marines" who had already landed al
Monte Video (we presume they are British), will
with the accustomed gallantry and spirit of that admira-
ble corps, give a good account of any band, however
numerically superior, which they are likely to encounter.
In the meanwhile we must do that justice to the fore-
sight and sagacity of our own Government and com-
manders, of which the smallness of our aggregate flotilla,
and of the several war eraft comprising it, now in the
waters of the Plata, on the first statement of them,
induced us to form a too
.disparaging es-
timate. Our armed brigs and schooners will
be able to run much further up the main
stream and some of its tributaries, when necessary/
than larger-classed Frerch ships ; and the
habits and experience acquired by their crews during
various periods of cruising service are precisely those
which it was essential that the men to be employed in
the expedition against Buenos Ayres itself, or the forces
commanded by the partizans of ROSAS, should possess.
From the extreme difficulty of conducting such opera •
tions in a region everywhere intersected by
the lagunes, rivers, and sterile " pampas" that in-
tervene between that country nearest to the landing point
of any boating expedition on the Rio Plata, and the land
defences of Buenos Ayres, it is highly probable that
these operations may be long protracted. But the
Monte-Videan flotilla of boats, being now free from all
molestation by the cruisers of Buenos Ayres (which
are in the raf4ckeeping of the combined squadron), will
be able to keep up supplies, and organise convoys with-
out much hazard, in a country which, wild as it is, is
very scantily peopled.
Roses, we perceive, by a refinement of
.his character-
istic craftiness, is endeavouring to win " golden
opinions" by the studied attention he is now, so tardily
PaYing to British merchants and traders, the eemPatriots