Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1854-09-05

could find suitable field for his activity of
mind. He had an iron boat and a portable
tent constructed for him, and in lS49 set sail
for San Francisco determined to re-conquer
the fortuasshe had lost or die in the effort.
A French company resident m Mazatlan,
who owned some silver mines in Sonora, Sc
lected him as leader of their mining operations,
duty dangerous from the adverse claims of
an English company:
ODE Roussat was therefore at once written
to-, with proposals that he should collect body
of two or three hundred Frenchmen at San
Francisco, whom he should lead to Sonora to
settle and to work the Arizona mines, on
shares to him and them, and with privilege and
power to defend their possessions. DE Raous
set at once entered into proposals, went among
| his countrymen, and was soon on the sea, like
Cortez, the earlier conqueror, bound for the
| port OF Guyamas.
SIN the meantime the English company,
who had got wind of these proceedings, had
| forestalled De Raousset with a force of miners
| and their associate and instrument, Governor
| Blanco, was making busy preparations to in
| tercept his rival DE Rousset landed safely at
| Guyamas, however, debarked his force, and
leaving portion to keep communication open
with the sea, advanced with about three hum
dred men upon Hermosilio. Blanco, who had
fifteen hundred men at his command, set out
to meet him with portion of his force, boast
| ing, in open terms, that in three hours alter he
encountered the Frenchman, he, the latter,
would not have q man beneath his banner.
The rival parties met upon the road half way to
Hermosilio, when Blanco, Notwithstanding he
had crowed so loudly at the start, somewhat
/ l.. 1-11 So aud IN Inflr anf 10
French expedition, on. the ground that he
wished them to abide, at Guyamas, instructions
from the seat of government as to title, &c.
De Raousset replied that his men were anx-
ious to be at their journeys end, and it would
| be more convenient for him to await those adj
vices at the mines. Blanco protested at this
resolution, but finding Boulbon inhexible, he
| informed him he was not upon the proper road,
and sought to misdirect him in circuitous
| route, where he could attack him at advantage,
and concentrate upon him the entire of his
force. But the practised military eye OF the
count could not be deceived as to the proper
! line of travel, so Blanco was forced to relin.
quish his opposition and retreat.
at is known what happened afterward. The
| journals of the day, during the last year, have
related his meeting with the braggart Blanco,
and the utter dispersion of the latter's entire
force by handful under the command of the
| count. What is more lamentable TO those who
have an interest in the success of genius, they
| have likewise detailed and combined misior-
tunes which eventually compelled the little
band to retire from the country with their COM
mander FRUSTRATED by fever and borne upon
litter, and themselves decimated and broken.
"De Raousset retired, however, with honora
4 h. tha nv
he had met with, and badly as he was of at
the debarkaton, he was surrounded with all
the brilhancy of conquest. The dazzling char
acter of his exploits rang through the entire
continent, and when he returned TO San Fran
| cisco he found, by the estimation he had won
for himself, that he had not fought in vain.
''Soon after his arrival at San Francisco, he
received news that Arista, who had commenced
by being his ally, had deserted TO the interests
of the British company, and was the secret
cause of his disasters. Letters from Sonora,
too, where he had made friends and adherents
during his late sojourn, acquainted him that
the rule ofBlanco had become intolerable since
the departure Of the French, and entreated him
to return, promising, if he came, to stand by
him with security for the establishment of u
new and independent republican State. 1t was
at this moment, no doubt that a prospect OF
the ultimate conquest Of all Mexico, like the
! Turkish vision OF Napoleon by the way Of
: Egypt broke upon De Raoussets mind. He
had Arista's treachery TO avenge and Blanco's
| arrogance TO punish; besides, be was obliged
TO vildicate his own capacity by concentrating
an enterprise from which nothing but disease
and other intangible calamities could have
driven him away. He set about raising new
expedition the basis of which was fifteen hun.
| L. Il, I'D hun hnn nj
dollars in money.
At the time when we had the pleasure Of
making the acquaintance Of the count, he had
one hundred and fifty thousand of this amount
pledged, and his lists were inscribed with over
eleven hundred names. At the same time there
was another expedition being formed at Benz.
cia, Ia rival one,) among the American resi-
dents of the State, which enrolled under its
banners some four or FIVE hundred recruits.
Things were in this state when we left San
Francisco, but since then the power Of Arista
has crum6ed into dus,-the firm hand of Santa
Anna holds the reins Of government, and
Count Boulbon has relinquished his intentions
against Sonora, and will be called into the
service of Mexico by her new director.
Since the period when the abovewas written
June, 1853, the hero Of our sketch passed
through almost as numerous vicissitudes Of
fortune as distinguished his early career. Al
ternately cajoed and deceived by the Mexican
dictator, he sustained injuries at his hands that
would have aroused more traciable and for.
giving spirit, and in his last effort there is
reason to believe that he was animated more
by desire to avenge his own wrongs than to
further the secret objects Of the French govern.
msnt, which lent its assistance tothe expedi.
ton.
. CONT de Boubon was about thirty-seyen
years of age, Of middle height, well set head,
capacious forehead, aquiline nose, and profile
Of what the French would call slightly i'm
; peratiye cast His eyes were calu, deep and
steady. The general character Of his pbysiog-
nomy presented mixture Of both the Arab
and German types. He was a little short
sighted and slightly deaf, two infrmities that
gave him somewhat of q taciturn and media.
tive air. His manner, although it possessed
the retenuc to be expected in person Of his
high rank and breeding, was yet exceedingly
at!able and courteous to all, but more especially
towards those whose position in society was in.
ferior To his own Whatever NAV have been