The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-06-02 00:00:00

gragli signals that war
and the United States

'orninent item of nev
,:cement of hostilil

actual comine
States and AI

o. The j

feeling in Mexico since sh,
Republic" of her fairest p

between the United
ated star

Ills all

f public

ng led us

that war would be the firm

result, and that result

is now brought about.
We learn by this arrival that hosta

s between the two

the first

corded only a small number of troops were

the Americans suffered a defeat. It seems that a recon-
noitring party of United States soldiers approached the
Mexican camp, and were suddenly surprised by the Mexi-

were killed, six wounded, and about 50 taken prisoners.
This has produced a War Message from the President,
and a War Proclamation.

Congress has backed the President, and passed bills for
an increase of 7000 men to the regular army and volun-
teers to be enrolled, to a number not exceeding 50,000
additional. A sum of ten millions of dollars has also been
appropriated. The vote for these bills was almost unani-
mous in the Senate, there being only two dissentients ;
and the majority in the Representatives was also great.
In order to convey a more correct knowledge of events
we endeavour to give a narrative of events in order of
occurrence from the date of our previous adv ices. By the
last arrival we mentioned the fact that Colonel Cross, an
American officer, was missing from his camp. Since that
time his body has been found, and had apparer.tly been
pierced by a lance. It was supposed that he had been
robbed and murdered. This, of course, the Mexicans
disavowed; but as no steps appeared to have been take❑
to discover and punish the murderer, the affair tended to
increase the hostile feelings between the parties.
The geographical position of General Taylor's camp, on
the left bank of the Rio Grande, is 90 miles distant from
the coast by the channel of the Rio Grande, but only
40 miles by the land route to Point Isabel. rh, mouth of
the Rio Grande (10 miles south of Point Isabel) has only
seven feet of water at the h ghest tide. In a heavy sea
the navigation is very dangerous, vessels often taking four
or five days to beat over the bar, and the Mexican shore
commands the channel effectually. The current of this
river runs at ten miles an hour in some places, and the
water is fresh nearly to the bar. His supplies by this
avenue would, therefore, be exposed to great delay, and
to the interferende of the Mexicans, unless protected by
armed vessels. The entrance to Point Isabel, however, is
accessible for ships of large draught, at all seasons. The
coast in that vicinity is lined with small islands of sand,
thrown up by the sea, between which and the main land
are navigable sounds or bays called Lagunas. Point Isa-
bel is a high sand bluff projecting into the Laguna del
Madre, the gulf entrance of the latter being at the south
point of the Isla del Padre. The city of Matamoras was
commanded by American batteries on the side of the riser
opposite.

We find, by reference to the official return of the Adju-
tant-General of the United States army, on the 26th of
November last, that the troops then in Texas under the
command of Brigadier-General Taylor consisted of the
2d Regiment of Dragoons, 10 companies,-1G companies
of Artillery, consisting of four companies from each of the
four Regiments,—and the 3d, 4th, sth, 7th, and Bth entire
Regiments of Infantry. This force consisted of commis-
sioned officers 346, non-commissioned officers, musicians,
artificers, and privates, 3733; total 4079. To make up
the whole complement of the several corps, 3,_:6 recruits
were required, showing the nominal force of this part of
the army to be 4445, which number, deducted from the
whole nominal force of the American army, leaves for the
strength of the corps now in Texas 4171 men. It thus
appears that more than half the army of the United
States is now in Texas. The force there had not been
augmented since the occupation of the country previous
to the collision with the Mexican troops. The Mexican
encampment at last accounts was in the vicinity of Meta-
moras, but the number of the army has been variously
stated. Before the commencement of hostilities, it was
estimated at about 4000 men, but since all accounts agree
that it was underrated. The latest New Orleans papers
furnish no accurate intelligence of its position or numbers :
the dread evinced by the officers of the American army
lest they should be cut off, would lead us to suppose the
Mexican force greatly superior.
For nearly a fortnight preceding the 24th April, the two
armies lay entrenched in their camps, watching each
other's movements. No open act of hostility was com-
mitted during that time. General Taylor is represented
to have been lulled into a false security by representations
that parties of lawless marauders, outlawed by Mexico,
infested the woods in the vicinity of his camp ; and the
disavowal of the murders committed upon several Ameri-
can officers, led him to neglect that watchfulness over the
enemy's movements which reconnoitring parties alone can
accomplish. Upon that day information reached him that
a large body of Mexican troops, variously estimated at
from one to four thousand, had crossed the Rio Grande at
Camago, a place about 2a miles up the river, and report
instantly assigned their purpose to be that of intercepting
General Taylor's communication with his supplies at
Pviot Isabel. He therefore liepatehed a detachment of
dragoons for information. This detachment was fired
upon, about sixteen were killed, and the remainder made
prisoners, at a distance of about twenty-two miles from
General Taylor's camp. With this statement our record
of facts ends.

We have no authentic accounts from the army of a
later date than the above. By this it will be observed
that the exact position of the Mexican troops bad not
been ascertained, or if ascertained, not stated, up to that
date. It is not known in what force the Mexicans crossed
the Rio Grande, their destination, or object in crossing,
or whether it was merely a scouting party, an advanced
guard, or the main body of the Mexican troops, with
which the Americans had come in collision. All state-
ments of the position of the Mexicans going beyond the
above are matters of conjecture merely.
It appears that Brigadier Gen. Werth resigned his com-
mission in the army on account of some difference of opi-
nion on the score of rank. He has since been induced to
withdraw his resignation, and return to the seat of war.
The Mexican Government is said to have sold its two
war steamers, the Montezuma and the Guadalupe, to
Manning and Nl'lntosh, an English house. the price is
said to have been 610,000 dollars. Various speculations
were indulged in as to the object of this sale. The steam-
ers were to proceed immediately to Havannah----some re.
ports say to bring over the Spanish prince destined to fill
the throne of Mexico ; others as confidently predict that
Santa Anna would return in one of them, and in a few
weeks, too. Another report is to the effect that the sale
is a mere sham, to protect them from the United States
cruisers, and that they would soon reappear as privateers :
at last accounts they still remained at Vera Cruz.

The important intelligence of the commencement of
hostilities was received in New Orleans on the morning
of May the 2d, and produced great excitement. The
Governor of Louisiana soon issued his proclamation re-
quiring 2.500 volunteers, and many were soon in the
streets making active preparations for their departure.
But the ardour soon subsided, and at last accounts the
requisite number bad not enlisted, and it was supposed a
draft would be made en the militia to supply the defi-
ciency. The cause of the hesitation appears to be the
dread of the sickly season on the banks of the Rio Grande,
and the tardiness of the government in paying the troops
which enlisted some time since for the same service.
With more than one-half of the available military force of
the country under his command, he is still in a position
which excites serious alarm all over the United States.
The American squadron in the Gulf of Mexico consists
of the flag-ship, Raritan (first class frigate), the frigates
Potomac and Cumberland ; the sloops of war John Adams
and St. Mary's ; the brig Lawrence and schooner Flirt ;
and the steam-frigate Mississippi. The steam propellor
Princeton and other vessels were on their way to join the
fleet. On the west, or Pacific side of Mexico, are the
Constitution and Savannah, first-class frigates ; sloops of
war Levant, Portsmouth, and Warren ; the schooner
Shark, and store-ship Erie. The frigate Congress was
expected there about May 1.
A vigorous blockade was instituted off the port of Ma-
tamoras, on the 12th of April, by the United States brig
Lawrence and schooner Flirt. A number of vessels of all
nations have since been turned back, but we have the
names of the Americans only. Formal protests have been
made by British houses in New Orleans, before the Eng •
lish consul, as some of them had shipped goods on board
the schooners Equity and Florida, which Here among the
number excluded. It is confidently stated that the block-
ade was against all national law, and that claims for
damage will hold. A Mexican prize was sent into Port
Isabel, about the 26th of April.