The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1855-04-12
THE NEWS FROM sPAIN-DETAILs OF THE
DURAN CONSPIRACY, &C.

1
| lows:
| "The Government has received confidential
| communications from General Concha, with
respect to the state of the island of Cuba, which
| is evidently such as to inspire the Captain Gen
| eral with considerable uneasiness, although he
confidently trusts to surmount all difficulties,
especially if the Ministers and the Cortes attend
| to his suggestions with respect to the line Of
colonial policy to be observed He considers
the relative position of Spain and Cuba to be
very similar to that of England and Canada in
1887, and wishes the example of England to be
followed, and concessions be made to the colo
ny. Cuba, in his opinion, should send deputies
to the Cortes. Care should be taken not to
alarm the slave-owners by talk of emancipation.
Such a measure would inevitably throw the
island into the arms of the United States. To-
declare the slave trade piracy would also be
most dangerous step; but General Concha is
using his utmost exertions, and will continue to
do so, to prevent the traffic. The island is evi-
IDENTITY not to be governed as it has been hither-
to; and a garrison of 10000 men viii be found
insufficient to preserve it to Spain, if the inhab
itants be not conciliated by liberal legislation.
"Cuba has greatly changed within the last
few years, and there can be little doubt that
General Concha begins to note a wide differ
ence in the state Of the public mind now and
General. The late conspiracy was very extern
sive, and dissatisfaction is widespread"
GEN CoNCHA's VERSION OF THE CONSPIRACY.
The private telegraph communicates to the
Paris journals, under date of March 8, the fol-
lowing details of the conspiracy laid before the
Council of Minister'S at Madrid, by NJ. Bustil-
los:
''For long time past, General Concha had
a presentiment of this conspiracy, from the as
sassination of the man who bod taken Lopez
(Castaneda) and the abortive plot of Baracoa.
The police at length succeeded in unravelling
the thread of it; and it appears, from the decla-
rations made and the papers seized, that the
plan of the conspiracy had existed long before
the arrival of General Concha in the island
that the conspiratorsha had considerable resources;
that general rising was contemplated in Cuba
and that the whole was combined with an expe-
dition which was leave the United States under
the orders of General Quitman, accompanied by
Henderson and Kinney. This expedition had
at its disposal four large steamers-the Pam
pero, which was to sail from Galveston, Texas,
with 700 men; the Daniel Webster, and the
PSometheus, which were to leave Savannah
with equal forces and the remainder, to the
number of $500 men, were to leave New \ ork
in the Massachusetts,. This last vessel has been
detained BY the American authorities, in virtue
of demand to that effect made by the Spanish
Consul. The conspirators deferred the execu-
ton of their plan, in order to wait the issue Of
| Mr.. Soule's mission.
"On the decision of the results Of that mis-
| sion, the expedition was to depart Immediately
| for Cuba In order to support it, armed bodies
| were organized throughout the island with rec
ognised chiefs they were deposed in such a
| manner that in a given time of two or three
DAYS these bands could start from points agreed
| upon. The American flibusters had succeed
ed in deceiving the vigilance of the press and
of our consuls in the United States, by propaga
ting the rumor that they were about to proceed
| to Costa Rica
"The conspiracy having been discovered, the
| Captain General concentrated all the forces of
the island at Havana and at Los Tunos, after
leaving effective garrisons in the towns of San
tiago de Cuba and Puerto Principe. The point
most menaced, Trinidad, was also occupied by
the troops of the Governor. In order to increase
his force, arms were placed in the hands of
| few companies of Galcian emigrants who had
been brought to Cuba by the Feijoo Sotomayor
Company, the military who had served their
time were again called into service, preparations
were made for organizing into militia regiments
| the 'Peninsulars' resident in Havana. and rein
| forcements were demanded from Puerto Rico
In addition to the adoption of these energetic
measures, the Government arrested and impris-
oned number of persons who were reputed to
be members of the junta of general nsurrec-
ton or commanding generals or chiefs of organ
lied bands.
| "At Havana there were arrested Ramon Pin
to, head of the conspiracy, rich Catalan, very
intimate with the Captain General; Cintra, an
eminent advocate; Jose Antonio Echevarria, a
distinguished writer; and the engineer Of the
| 70 Car1o
sea, Juan Cadalzo, the two young Balvines, and
Pinelo
"Other arrests were made at Matanzas, Be-
iucal, Guines, Cienfuegos, Puerto de Golpe,
l(Villa Clara Cardenas, Piner del Rio, Trini-
dad, Taruco, &c. A number of persons have
fed This affair is being actively followed up
bv the Government Pinto the head of the
conspiracy is deeply compromised, and import
ant papers have been found in his house. EN-
igrants who had been permitted to return to
Cuba are amongst the number of the most dan
gerous and most deeply compromised conspira-
tors.
ain consequence of the measures adopted by
General Concha, 5000 men are concentrated at
Havana and 5000 at Los Tunos. The military
organizations which have been effected raise TO
100000 men the number of the defenders of the
Government of the island.
1t is expected that the American steamers
Of which we have spoken, will be detained BY
the authorities of the United States on the de-
mand of our Consul All the Spanish ships Of
war have been sent out to watch the enemy
Large transport steamers have also been got in
readiness to convey troops to all the points that
were likely to call for protection.
"The Council of Ministers listened with much
interest to the report of NJ. Bastillos 1t was
decided in Council that there should leave Ca
diz on the 18th, for Havana, a battalion of infant
~ which is at present on the island of San Fer
nando, and that by the LIST of May there should
be ready to embark for Cuba sufficient troop.
to complete in that island the effective force o
10000 men. The Governor had ordered thu
Judgment by councils of war, conformably t.
anterior laws, of armed bands of more thar
three men who might be found traversing tn,
interior of the island"
/ IMPORTANT PROCEEDINGS IN THE coRTEs.
The Madrid correspondent of the Pari
Presse" gives the following account of the in
terrogatories put to the Spanish Ministry in tn,
Cortes, on the subject of General Concha's de
spatches:
"The Cortes came to a vote today March 8
of high irnportance--an importance the creates
from the fact that it seems to PREJUDICE the solu
, tion of the question left to the Assembly by M
: 0lozaga. 1t has affirmed in principle the exist
ence 1.-TWO Chambers, by majority of 2Ol vote
7 against 1855.
5 but the sitting reserved to us other emo
, tons. | announced to you a few days since tn
s discovery OF very serious conspiracy in tn
= island of Cuba. This morning the Goyernmen
i received circumstantial dispatches brought +
s 1T by NJ. Bastillos, one of the most distinguish
: ed officers OF the Spanish navy, who has JUS
# returned from the island.
q "Now, General Serrano suddenly ;ntsrrunt.