New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-10-30

sve,led their ccrpstc the number OF from 200 to
&. 600 man. ceased 10 be the concern Of whole dis
t,;c,s and fell into the hands Of few leaders,
who made such use Of them as beet suited their
svn purposes. This change in the system Of the
eueriilas gave the French, In their contests with
them, considerable advantage. Rendered incsps-
bic by their great numbers TO conceal themselves,
and to suddenly disappear without being forced
into battle, az they had formerly done, the gueriE
leros were now frequently overtaken, defeated,
dispersed, and disabled for q length of time fire.
offering any further molestation.
By comparing the three periods Of guerilla war
fare with the political history Of Spain it is found
that they represent the respective degrees INTO
which the counter revolutionary spirit OF the
Government had succeeded in cooling the spirito
the people. Beginning with the rise Of whoie
populations the psrtizan war was mex, c,''
ried on by guerilla bands, of which wnoie us
trcts formed the reserve and Terminated III ooip'
francs continually on the point Of dwindiing INTO
bsnditti. or sinking down to the level OF standing
regiments.
Enlargement from the Supreme Go7ern'
mept. relaxed discipline, continual disasters,
constant formation, decomposition, and recon-
po,itioo during six years Of the eadrez must have
necessarily stamped upon the body Of the Spanish
AMY the character of presorianifm, making them
equally ready to become the tools or the scourges
of their chiefs The generals themselves had
necessarily participated in, quarrel!ed with, or
coDspired against the Central Government, and
always thrown the weight of their sword into the
political balance. Thus Cuesta, who afterwards
seemed to win the confidence of the Central Jun
ia at the same rate that he lost the battles of the
country had begun by cons piring with the Con-
sejo Real and by arresting the Leonese deputies
TO the Central Junta. Gen. Morlahimself, men,
Der of the Central Juuta, went over into the Bona
partist camp, after he had surrendered Madrid to
the French. The coxcombical Marquis de las Re-
merias, also member, of the Junta, conspired
with the vain glorious JOse Palifox, the wretched
Montijo, and the turbulent Junta OF Seville
against it. The Generals CastanOs, Blake, Alb
bispal IAN O'DOnnel) figured and intrigued sue
ces,iye)y at the times of the COrtes as regents,
and the Captain General of Valencia, Don Xavier
Eyo surrendered Spain finally to the mercies of
Ferdinand VII. The pratorian element was GER
tainly more developed with the generals than
with their troops.
On the other hand, the army and guerille-
ros-wbich received during the war part of
their chiefs like Porlier, Lacy, Eroes and Villa
csmpa. from the ranks of distinguished officers
of the line, while the line in it's turn afterward
received guerilla chiefs, like Nina Empachin-
ado. etc.-were the most revOutionized portion
of Spanish society, recruited as they were from
all ranks including the whole of the fiery, aspir-
ing and patriotic youth, inaccessible to the So
pori6c influence of the Central Government;
emancipated from the sbackles of the ancient
regime; part of them, like Riego, returning at
ter some years captivity in France. We are
then, not to be surprised at the influence exer-
cised by the Spanish army in subsequent commo-
tons; neither when taking the revolutionary ini-
tiative, nor when spelling the revolution by pre-
tOrianism.
Az to the guerillas, it is evident that having
for some years figured upon the theater of san
culinary contests, taken to rowing habits, freely
INDUCED all their passions of hatred, revenge,
and love of plumber, they must in times of peace,
form most dangerous mob, always ready at
nod in the name of any party or principle, to step
] forward for him who is able TO give them good
nav OF to afford them pretext for plundering
excursions.