Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1854-07-28


Lima say that the revolution in Peru CONT
nucs and that a decisive battle is expected
soon to be- fought.
The y. Y 1ribunc contains the following
account of the bombardnent of Grcytown by
the {. 5. Ship Cyane.
The Bombardmrnt Of GrCytOWn.
From residents at Greytown at the time Of
the Commandment, and from passengers by
the Promethcus, We gain further facts rcla-
tive to the town and its destruction.
Grcytown consisted Of about eighty houses,
nearly all Of them built of wood. and by far
the grrat"r proportion Of them constructed in
the uitcd States and taken there on ship
ho"rt. One of th"se-lyon' hotcl--cost
: .I,JUO. Not more than unc-iourth of the
houses in the new part Of the town, which
Ina, been built since lNj0, were occupied.
TIE population of Grcytown consisted OF
u',out 800 person, altogether of which num-
Der ten or twelve wee from the United
States about twenty-five were Englishmcn,
and twelve Frenchmcn and Germans. The
remainder of the population were Jamaica
negroes and natives.
The houses led by the natives and NO.
grocs We're principally frame buildings, with
roofs of matched la!mleai.
When the Cyanc al1'eared before Grcytown
and demanded satisfaction to the amount of
S2l 600, threatening Commandment if not
complied with ut "A given hour, 1t was not be-
lcved by the inhabitants that the town was
to be demolished, pillagcd and burned. They
expected that II few shots would be- fired into
the town, that a few houses would he per-
foratod and then ho~tiIitics would cease.
Most Of the English, however, went for pro-
~
Bcrmuda,, Capt. DOLLY. lying in the harbor.
Mr.. Fabcns, |. ;. Agent, together with six
or seven Of the Americans. sought protection
under the flag of the uitrd States on board
of the Cyiuc. and the remainder of the inta-
bitants .! Grcytown, including all of the
French and natives, together with few En-
glish and Americans, left the place during
the night and morning preceding its destruc-
ton. They all cncampca together on the
shore in the woods about mile distant Not
anticipating the entire demolition Of the
town by bombshells and torches, they took
| but little OF their effects with them. All the
property left was destroyed. Consequently
the houseless inhabitants were in great sui
fcring for the want of food, and OF clothing
ami protection from the weather when our
informants left. They had stretched up
sheets for tents, and many were obliged to
sleep in the open air. without the least shell
ter, and were half iamished for the want of
food. \ brig laden with provisions, which
had just arrived as the Commandment COM
menced, has probably supplied them
The terms of Capt. IIolins not being COM
piled with he opened his fire promptly at the
appointed time nearly every shot doing ex-
ecution. lie fired about two hundred shots
but not burning up the town as he desired,
he sent ashore launch with a lieutenant and
| ,l.g 4
on fire all that remained of Greytown. While
doing SO they are said to have inspected the
interior of the buildings rather closely, and
| plllaged much as they pleased Before
finishing this work they were thoroughly in
toxicated with wines and liquors, and were
constantly cheering. The amount of proper
ty destroyed by this Commandment is stated
to be half a million of dollars.
The day before the bombardmcnt Can't.
llulinS took possession of the guns which
were ior the protection of the town, and took
them to Punta Arenas and placed them in the
keeping OF the agent Ui tue Transit Company.
/ During the bon!ardmcnt two shots were
aimed at the flag staff from which loatnd tho
Mosquito flag The first ball severed the
( hLlyards, and down came the llag to half mast
ANA the second ball cut tho staff half of, from
which it was suspended.
While the Cyanc was cannonading, IA note
was received 10y Capt. lIoIlns from the Cap
tain Of the British schooner bermuda stating
that he regretted that tie had not a British
vessel of war there of the size of the tyane that
he might compel him to desist Capt llol-
Inns, IN reply to the note, regretted that Capt.
Jolly had not hCO Just such, as he believed
that the United States could get possession of
/ them on the same terms as they got the
| Cyanc. There was good deal of anxious
] Il. d.,
then hourly expected, and remark, were
made that when she arrived hostilitics would
/ Immediately be suspended. just as the town
was to be fired the expected mail steamer ar
rived, but much to the surprise of all of the
Euglishmcn, the work OF lilhging and set
ting fire to the town went forward. When
1t was all over, the British mail steamer left
for some other port having the Bermuda in
tow.
Two persons were said To be- missing, and
there were approximations that they had been
burned in the cdnilagraton.
We will not here attempt to weigh and
balance the lruvocLtiuns to this remarkable
performance. We hrlir,c the man whom
Cant Smith s'otat Grcytown was a bad tel
low and that the shooting was not wholly
without reason. But having thus taken the
law into his own hands, it does seem that the
. CAPTAIN should have been willing t. submit
his conduct to the Judgment ot some tribunal
or other in the locality where the ARRAY uc-
/ CURED, and whore alone could the Witnesses
/ be found 10 explain 1t. But uu-the Captain
from his vessel shoots down his man, and re-
fuses to he taken before any tribunals and Mr.
Emhassadur Borlaud-who had no more right
ful authority in the premises than any corro-
raj of marnrs-assumcs the task Of shielding
the homicide from all responsibility, The
next We hear is the destruction Of Greytowll
by the [ y ship Cyane, because her people
tie authorities having long since rcsigued-
refuse to opodogiSe lor the treatment oI Nr.
Blrland All II Grey town had be,na Brit
ish, French, or even Russian port, does
any one believe it would haze been treated
thus saVagclv