The Statesman.
London, England, 1823-07-23 00:00:00

SPAIN.

A vessel has arrived et Staogate Creek from Gibraltar,'
which place site sailed from on the 4th Instant. A letter
received by her, of the above date, advises that informa-
tics had that moment arrived there of the French army
having retired from St. Mary's to Xeres, in consequent*
otseveral reverses which General Boor moot bad experf-
enced,in the neighbourhood of Seville. This account
agrees in so many particulars with private intelligence
received last week from Paris, that strong hopes are en-
tertained of its authenticity ; fee letters from the French.'
,etipital, dated on Thursday last, and received here on Sr
tardy, stated, that on the 2d, 3d, and 4th July, several
, affairs occurred betwixt the Constitutional troops under
the orders of Villa Campo and Lopes Banos, and those
.of the French conducted by Bourroont, and that the re-
suls.bad been the abandoemeat of Seville by the latter.
.Letters received here, direct from Xeres, of the 27th
nit., also stated that the Spaniards had collected a large
force at Chicalana, and that decisive operations were
daily expected. It may therefore be reasonably concluded
that some important events have occurred in this quarter,
and the arrival of the steam-ship is consequently looked
for with increased anxiety. The Gibraltar letters far
tber state that Cadiz was well supplied with provisions,
although prices bad risen inconsequence of the expected
siege. The French force in the neighbourhood Wit
stated at from five to eight thousand men, withint
artillery, and incapable of investing the smallest MAIM
in Spain.
It is said that the sortie made by the garrison of Bala
eelona, mentioned in the bulletin contained in the Mod.
tear of this day, was extremely destructive to the French.
The Spaniards amounted to between 10 and 12,000 OM*
and report says, were successful in the attack.
Extract of a letter from Malaga, dated June 18 :—" Fee
these eight days past, in consequence of reports maliciously
invented, and circulated with rapidity, it was announced
that the immediate arrival of the French and the factious
might be expected. Their advanced poste were said to be
at Cordova, and also that a divisioa was in full march upon
Granada and Malaga. This gave encouragement to a ser-
geant of the Regiment of Catalonia, who had been tried
and punished for some subversive expressions, to seduce js,
party of about 33 men, stationed at Casa Bernie* to den
against their Captain, who had been fiscal in the sergeant's
case. His manoeuvres were suspected by the sagacious pee,
sentry. He wait attacked and routed by them, with the loss
of two or three killed and wounded, 4>i prisoners, a horse,
various muskets, knapsacks, drum, Be. The honest, brave
inhabitants of Alawja have begged, as a recompense for
their patriotic exertions, the simple and modest honour of
keeping the drum, to excite them when occasion offers to
fresh feats of civic valour. The criminal sergeant escaped,
and fortunately the Captain got off during the skirmish, and
is sate in Main*. Three of these deluded creatures have
been shot here this morning; the rest are under trial.—
On the 13th inst. we witnessed a scene here of considerable
commotion, occasioned by the Custom-house Guards ; their.
treasurer having decamped the evening before, on bearing
of the French entering Andalesia, and carrying with him
6,000 dollars of their money, they. manifested a spirit to
sack. They were warned to disperse, but' their numbers
giving them confidence,they continued manifesting an alarm-
i-g alternative. By the spirited exertions, however, of the
rationales and regular cavalry, they were disarAed and
dispersed, and those who were found with arms, on the sip-
prosch of the national troops, were conveyed to prison,
a -41 perfect quiet was immediately restored. I saw two of
the ringleaders shot the next morning, pursuant to the smi-
te:de of a court-martial."
(FROM A GUERNSEY PAPER.)
If we hate hitherto been compelled to publish the con-
flicting accounts of the recent events in the Peninsula, from
V-ench and English journals, from which it has often been
diTeult, and sometimes utterly impossible, to elicit the
truth, we now here the pleasure to lay before our readers
a document of a very different description. The following
letter, received by the last packet, was written by en in-
teiligent youth of the most respectable connexions in this
town, who was an eye• witness of the scenes which be de-
scribes :

" Csdlz, hive ?O.

" Friday the 13th, at sit a. m. the Cortes and Regency
HA Seville for Cadiz in a steam-boat. I bad agreed to go
to Cadiz in a boat, and consequently was preparing to peek
up, when, at noon, I found the whole town was in com-
plete rebellion. The mob attacked all those families who
were on the b inks of the river, embarking their farniture,
Lc , and as they were Liberals escaping to Cadiz, they of
course received no mercy. Every boat in the river was
loading with these people's trunks, &c., on board which
wentgango of the greatest villains, who robbed them of
every ad ig they had.; they threw the women and children
i the river. end in fact committed the greatest cruelties.—
, Those unfortunate people who had not gone on board shared
e same fate—their trunks were taken from them, and they
were in grra: g-r of their lives ; but, what was moat
ex' raordioary, SW soldiers were in Seville, and yet nothing
was done till they had robbed for an hour and a half, wheo
s company of ir:fantrs tired upon the mob, and killed two.
However, they dispersed, and then went to the Constitution-
square, took down the stone, and broke it into a thousaud
pieces. as well as all the articles of the constitution which
were stuck up on the churches, and nothing was to be heard
' but " Long live the absolute King"—" the Inquisition,"
; on every person's hat was a white ribband, and these
words as mottoes.
I went nut to stalk with the American Ambassador
and his brother, with whom lam well acquainted. We
found the b inks of the river covered with papers ; I picked
up a great many, but found them only private fetters,
and nothing in them either amusing or of any conse-
quence. Nothirrg was said to us, hut of course we were
obliged to cry out what the mob did. They ransacked
three coffee-houses, the theatre, the hall of the Cortes,
and also two private houses, because they belonged to
Liberates. People were going about dressed in the clothes
they had taken from the theatre ; an immense number
also went to the Inquisition, which had been converted
into a barrack, crying out ' that they were going to pre-
pare it for the Liberates ;' little thinking that Divine
vengeance was so soon to fall upon them. 'There hap-
riled to have been laid in a passage a few barrelaof gun-
powder, which they expected was some great treasure,
and every one crowded to open them ; while this was do-
ink a spark happened to fall from a segar, and *leases*
the whole place was in a moment blown up. No less than
200 men lost their lives by this explosion. 1 saw the
place the day after, and you may suppose it did not pre-
sent a very pleasant sight ; an arm was lying in one di-
rection, a leg in another—a bead here, ball a body there;
in fact, it was more than disgusting : at night there was
a general illumination, the town-house was lighted up
with glass chandeliers • and on the gallery which over-
looks the square was placed Ferdinand's likeness at fell
limgth, and ea each side of the picture stood one of his
body-guard.
Saturday and Sunday were a little more tranquil,
but stilt the mob was committing a number of excesses.
Monday morning, at seven, the alarm-bells began rigg-
ing for the people to arm themselves, and to defend the
city from the Constitutionalists, 3,000 men, who were
cowing down upon them under the command of Lopez
Banos. The Feccioecoa of Seville, consisting of friars
and the greatest set of blackguards you can imagine,
had two pieces of -cannon, which they placed at the
entrance of the bridge, and they kept up the fire pretty
sharply. Lopez Banos only brought forward two pieces
of cannon, and a few infantry and cavalry! the latter
passed the bridge at noon : they found the: gates of the
city shut, upon which they brought their artillery to
play, and with their an.. soon found their way Into
Seville. I walked over the Held of battle immediaWy