New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-11-22
THE TRUTH ABOUT NICARAGUA.

rdgud, DuL nave Drtu COuuucu oil tuc tithc w my
bed by the sorry effects of hsrdshps and privasons
which suffered during my short military career in
the erandc 0rmEc Of the American Gengkis Khan.
now avail 10y self of the fret moment of quletness
to give you short outline Of things in Nicaragua
reserying more full and substantiated history of
facts connected with the present situation of that
country for a more favorable opportunity. have
lefs behind me, in the bloody hands of Walker re.
sponsibiities dear to my heart, whose lives might
be endangered by full disclosures
In the first part of September friend and my
self, while in Havana, were handed a pompOus
prospectus of emigratng speculatiOns in the Repub
. lie of Nicaragua. j need not say with what bril-
liant cO'ors the climate and Of that cOun-
try were Represented on that enticing paper. l
suppose you see specimens of such humbugs every
day, even in this fortunate country What capti-
waited the most our sympathies was the offer of two
hundred and fifty acres Of rich and beautifully stu
ated land, where we might have permanent home in
the pursuit of our respective professions; my friend
being a very able naturalist, and a very humble
practitioner Of medicine and surgery. We had also
q lad with us, little over thirteen years whom we
took as an assistant. We accepted these fiat
tering propositions; the arrangements were quickly
make for our transportation to the new Ell Dorado;
and paper, purportiDg to be land warrant, was
handed to us, in which it was expressly stipu-
lated that out Of two hundred and fifty
acres of land 100 acres should go to the company
as payment -four free passage, while the remaining
$50 acres would be assigned to each OF us on our
arrival on the spot On board the steamer we
found ourselves in company with 50 Frenchmen,
who, like ourselves, had been blindly allured into
the same enterprise. AS soon as the vessel ar
rived at ST. Juan, We were asked, in manner
which did not seem prepared for any evasion, to
surrender the land warrants, and they would
make ererythingeigh on our reaching Granada.
On our arrival in that noble and ancient city, We
were roughly showed TO the quartet (barracks) and
were each furnished with a musket aud complete
military accOutrement. We saw immediately, by
the appearance of the persons and things that were
about us, that any remarks from us would not meet
with a favorable reception; reasoning has never
been part of stra'egical science. Therefore, we
unanimously resolved to fdire bonne s'ine mdura's
jeu and to submit to circumstances. We were
drilled for about a week in the military exercise,
and one night we were awakened by the drums and
ordered to start with all speed for Masaya. At
this latter place, our company, composed OF about
so men, officers included, arrived at noon on the
following day, after very fatigung march, not for
the distance, which is only Is miles, but on account
of the horrible state of the roads. Toward evening
we were RECALLED with a sumptuous repast, which
consisted of kind of soup, the smell and taste
Of which would have deferred, l am certain,
YOUR dogs from soiling their chops with it. Rest
was Just as necessary to us as food, and
we were delighted when we were told that
we might lie down for a few hours. bed or
hammock would be luxury among the Nicaraguan
repenerators, aud their ultra democratic habits
would scon If. We were, then, glad enough to
lie on the bare floor, little straw or hay being al
lowed only to the officers But before midnight the
endowment of sound sleep was broken again by
the beating of the drums, and at the point OF the
swords of the officers (nearly all Irish rowdies) we
were pushed into the ranks and compelled again to
march toward Granada, but by different and
| longer route than the one We had followed few
| bours before. The fatgues and hardshiPs Of that
disastrous retreat in the middle of one of the dark
est nights. by precipces through and narrow ways
covered with water and mud two feet deep are be-
vopd all description. More than half the number
Of nv company died on that horrible night from ex-
bsnstion. starvation and fatigue, or were Lost on
tho way. On our return from Masaya to Granada
I'VE found that the main body of Walkers army had
,st for that town, and shortly aterward the place
WAS invested aud attacked BY a combined force OF
Custemslans and some volunteers from 81 SaNa'
dor and natives Of Nicaragua The few troops
which Walker had left in Granada joined by all tue
American inhabitants in the place and the public
emnlovees, fought most brilliantly, and resisted the
attack until the principal army, personally ooni'
ms,ded by Walker, arrived to our rescue
Then the sssailants, finding themselves between
two 6rss were Obliged 10 retreat, leaving De-
hind them their wounded and dead (aoou' 4VV
in slD and few pieces of artillery OF very
little use. l must say that the Americans nau
on that occasion the advantage OF keeping
up their FIRE from behind strong rampsrts and bar
ricades, aud they also had plenty of good ammunition
and excellent firearms, which had lately arrived
from the neutral United States. The stories that
some journals have published are utterly false, that
the native inhabitants eli Granada did prodigies OF
valor in defending their city. The Spanish pOpu'a-
ton of Granada, which. before Walkers protection,
amounted 20 Is, 900, can scarcely number now aoo
native fsmiligs; sll the rest have emisrated ind
io;ned Rivas- snd Walker possessea COW just %
nrcb TERRITORY q, he feet VI hi. soldiers can &c
amy. an5 yaea e offers 50 lberaly fee farms p