Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1846-11-17


the Constitution, and for which the Tariff OF l1o9
furnishes no constitutional authority.
GILES OF AMELIA.
From The Nero Orleans P'eayune, Nor 7.
LATE FROM THE SQUADRON.
second Abortive Attack on Alrarado
EXPEDITION AGAINST TOBASCO.
By the arrival Of The pilot boat al the Balize
we are in the possession of late advices from the
squadron. We have only time 10 give The an
nexed letters and save The mail Ii the Comma
dore has failed in his attack upon Alvarado il is
owing 10 no want oil gallan,Iy or Skill on his part
or that Of his officers The difficulties he has had
to surmounl have been insuperable so far; but he
will vel prevail. lie will in few weeks renew
his attempt al all hazards:
Correspondence of the Picayune
Orr ANTON LIzARDo.
October 18Th, ls46.
Genilemen-We are on the e:e Of another al.
tack on Alvarado. Al 5 o'clock this afternoon
| Com. Conner issued orders for the sailing OF the
| squadron (irgaies Cumberland and Ra.itan ex-
cepted) for The mouth OF The Avarado river. The
| Commodore takes command OF The expedition N
person. making use Of Inc steamer Vixen as his
| llao ship for the occasion. One o'clock tomorrow
morning is the hour fixed for getting under weigh
and already the steamers Mississippi, Vixen ami
McLaue are firing up. Besides these vessels The
force consists olthe revenue cutler Forward, scl:s
Refer, Pclrel and Bonilo and prize schooner
| Nonaa This latter vessel was recently captured
| from the Mexcans, and was formerly The Anne
rican schr. Belle out OF your poIl. She now
mounts Il. pound carronades. For the past
month We have been drilling our men as infantry
upon a small island here; and Jack is SO anXiou,
for ight that he marks time with good grace,
and every ote appears pleased that at last we are
| 10 have chance al the enemy.
Al The mouth Of The river The MexicanS have
len gun battery, and We know OF brig OF "; r
and two ennboais being anchored inside. A
number o! their small merchantmen have taken
refuge in the harbor, and there mus, be smart
sprnkling Of przs.mon in store ;or Us
| (jctoI,r Our sailing orders for the morn
ing Of the lilh, were concentrated, IN c0nsc-
oucnce Of lis blowing too fresh for operations
nrcasioning delay OF The expedition Tor twen-
ty-tour hours. We sailed however, a, o'clock
A. NJ, Yesterday; but regret 10 say, that We are
| all al anchor again today, and Alva!ado Is yet
| in possession Of the Mcxicans.
| You were pleased TO call the former attack IN
| Avaraio an abortion, and suppose you will
mol be- >parin. Of hard names Tor he presen, tai
| IRE; but trust that when you examine The facts
OF the case, you will understand that il IS owing
d The HSn 81 hs a %sfn a ms d'eSsa q
d; the place itself, that VIC have mol been success
iu. rather Than 10 any want oil skill or courage
| on his par, OF lack OF spirit and support b. The
officers and men under his command
| We were within ten miles OF the mouth oil The
river al daylight, and stood Slowly into shore, i
being dead calm-lhe Vixen and McLane towing
The schooners The Mississippi anth red al long
sho, distance, and commenced her fire. Up ic
his time every thing appeared highly favorable
/ III Mt fhp lriOu
heavy swell on The bar the pilots declined taxing
the vessels over. The Commodore leading in
| The Vixen, with the rest OF The force following,
passed by The fort, each vesse firing her broad
side as she ranged ahead, with but little effect,
however owing 10 The distance A long eigh-
teen in the Forward sent shot directly into
the fofI;-this movement was repeated with bel.
Ter success, the distance being lessened, and
again The Forward made most beautiful shot.
| In the meanwhile the Mississippi had closed
np, and was exploding her PaiShans about the
heads OF the McxicaDs in way that must
lave made some Of them see more Stars than
The Lord ever made One shot fired from her
dismoun;ed heavy gun of theirs from a
siockade. This they soon remeded but, linus
| far, all their shot had fallen short During tine
morning several OF our boats sounded within
halt mile OF The fort, receiving The fire Of the
enemy with as much impunity as Indifference.
| The swell on the bar having somewhat subsidized
al p. Nj, The line was ormed as follows: steam
er Vixen, flag ship, towing sun-boals Reeler and
| Bonita; steamer McLane, towing Inc Nonaa cut
Ter Forward and gunboat Pelrel; then two launch
es, three cutters and barge, containing force
destined for boarding he vessels Of war, brought
up the rear. The Vixen, with her tow, passed
The bar and took position within point blank rans~,
| but The r1cLane stuck fast, and the Commodore,
finding himself deprived Of the support of two
thirds OF his force, and being unable TO sustain
The FIRE of a twelvc-gun battery with but four light
| pieces of his own, was obliged 10 retreat. The
| force in the boats was now exposed 10 heavy
fire, the shot flying thick and fast around Us, and
had the Mexcans fired grape, il would have
knocked some OF US into fits. We escaped, how.
ever with good ducking from The spray Of the
balls.
II being now 100 late in the day for any further
operations, signal was made for return 10 anchor
age and thus ended this bloodless combat-blood-
less not because each and every man OF us would
not have shed our hearts best TO have gained the
day-not because our plan Of attack was not good
| or that we were not properly led, but because
Providence has provided the enemy with such
natural deiences as cannot be overcome by ma
val attack with such means as Com. Conner has
a, his disposal. The McLane is an abomlna-
Bile abortion, Ito make use Of your own word J
drawing too much wafer 10 be serviceable, and
with not sufficient power to drive her over three
and a halt knots an hour-but il is due to Capt,
Howard 10 say, that as soon as he got his vessel
a1oat again, he proffered 10 make another at
tempt 10 pass the bar, bulthe Commodore declined
as il was now TOO late in the afternoon
There remains one way 10 take this Alyarado
and, mark my words, i! will be done before many
weeks; meanwhile We must expect 10 be severe
IL. h,n I,,f bo nd hY
people who expect US TO accomplish impossible
lies and gain glory on nell where none is to be
won-allhough no man, with two ideas in his
head, who witnessed our recent defeat, can at
tribute blame 10 any one.
October 25.-On The night Of The 10th instant
the three steamers, cutter Forward, schuoners
Bonito, Refer and Nonala, under command Of
Commodore Perry left Anton Lizardo Tor an at.
tack on Tabasco On the morning OF The l7lh
The Mississippi made prize OF the American
barque Coosa, Captain Hickling, of Avarado
river and sent her into this place upon suspicion
OF her being about TO land her cargo on the Mexi-
can coast. This vessel was cleared from New
Orleans on the Sd instant for Havana, by Messrs
Wyle & Egana, with 1000 bales Of cotton, put
up in 200 pound bales, and there appears good
reason 10 suppose that it was intended for Mexi-
co. She will sal for your port on the 9Th, in
charge of Passed Midshipman Barrett son Of
one Of your former collectors.
To-day another prize, the Yucalan schooner
;'El Telegrafo," arrived from the Tabasco expe-
dlion on lbe 23d, and reports the feet standing of
the land waiting for wea her to 60 into the river
The following vessels are here discharsing
] coal for The steamers; barques Everon and Nor
gan Dix; briggs Abrasia and Juan Canagena
schooneis Regina Hill and Sarah. The latter
vessel having lost her rudder on her passage from
New Orleans to Brazos Santiago. was blown
| down here, and her coal has been made use oil by
Commodore Conner. Also, schoohers Portia