New-York daily tribune., 1856-06-02

and the lake, distance VI ovous
anu anu ". ;s tbick wood through which It Is almost
, mie, ";his for the winds coming of the lake to |
Tbe air ia therefore, as far az l have been
.mo ,o observe, always still in Granada. The |
es,s are all only one story ia hight. They have
no cellars and no way of vcntilsting except by |
keeping the doors and windows open. There are
no paBes of glass used, 80 that when the doors
and windows are closed Che interior of the
house is in total darkness. The walls OF
all the houses are built of kind of unburnt
brick called adObt--smply mixture of mud and
straw the straw holding it together az hair does
plasterng. These bricks are about l5 inches
long by nine in thickness, and of these the walls
of the houses are built IN the almost incredible
Thickness OF three feet while in height they do bot
exceed twelve feet. They are just such walls as
the EsquimsuX nit ht be supposed to build to pro-
tect them from the frosts. Why the Spanards
here, in their stupidity, should build such walls,
except to keep out the heat, it is difficult TO I'M
sgine. There are no boarded floors, tiles are ln-
variably ueed for that purpose and the roofs %
the houses are covered with tiles. nave not
seen, nor do think there is frame house in
Granada. At Virgin Bay all the houses in which
AmericaIs reside are frame houses constructed
especaSy for the climate-light, airy, cool, and
comfortable. Even the native houses are all
built Of cane, and airy and healthy. There no
Sickness how in any part OF Nicaragua, except
Granada; but here the mortality dimnlshes only
ge-s that were fortunate enough to get away from
Granada to Virgin Bay, have enjoyed good health,
while those that remained, even while they escaped
Chat dreadful acclmating dsease-the yellow
rfever-shOw in their faces the want OF pure air.
Through the kindness of Gen. Fry and Capt. Car
| pelter-the agent of the port at Granada-l was
permitted to sail ON one of the government steam
ers for a week upon the lake; when | returned to
! Granada nearly every person with whom had
| formed an acquaintance, while coming here, was
| dead The few who escaped (Of my acquant-
ances) were recovering from the fever, and looked
| as / cannot describe. If the woods between the
city and the lake were felled thus allowing a full
sweep for the lake breezes, better air would cir
cuate through the city, and increased heathful-
ness would be the result
The war with Costa Rics has, since the battle of
Ryas, ceased. On the sday the battle was
fought Walkers army retreated to Granada. The
battle lasted seventeen hours, and although the
Americans claim to have won ii, they obliged
TO leave the town in the possession of the enemy,
as they we're entirely out OF ammunition. When
! General Walker reached Rivas he did not expect
that the battle would last more than couple OF
| hours; but bis men had been marching between
: two and three days-bavng eaten but little during
the time-so that when the engagement began, it
wss found that scarcely fourth part of them
were available. Some of them sat down, Obsti-
n6tey refusing to fight, aud, such was their state
! of exhaustion that they declared it would be salts
/ faction to them to be killed by the enemy. But
the officers who returned FROM the battle, and up
Oh whom the brunt of the fighting fell say that
their men refused to fight through cowardice
| When Walker entered Rivas he supposed he had
about 600 fighting men, but, from all l have been
able to learn, not more than 200 OF the entire
number could be induced to take part in the bat
tle Some of the men. soon as they entered
the town, br, Ike into houses and began to punder;
others, obtaining liquor by force, got drunk and
dropping down in the corners, remained there all
day; but the greater part refused to fight through
abtOlute fear.
On one OCCASION during the day, General Walker
seeing a good opportunity to make decided
charge, ordered an officer to take a certain mum
Der of men TO perform it. The officer stepped
forward, and commanded all who had bay Onets to
teke a number of PAGES to the front but when
tie word was given 1t was discovered that those
| who had baycnets were throwing them away.
| After considerable delay a sufficient number of
| bayonets were mustered, but when the officer
| placed himself ut the head of the column, and
| gave the words Forward March, the men refused
to stir Fearing the might have some per-
sona piGue against the officer at their head an
| other-COl. Kewen-a brave Ofiicer-sprang
III 'front.' and crying out "bOys will you fol-
| low ne" gave the word to march, but in
stead Of obeyiDg, the men began leisurely to untx
! their bayODets. In this crsis Gen. Walker himself
came forward, and commended the men to follow
MN to tne cDdISt, out pa! DR Ho atcIloh W "hd'
| be said they turBed about and ran behind the
| houses for protection Notwithstanding the cow
| al dice of SO many, there some SOLDIERS who
| fought with the terceness of tends. The officers,
| to man. proved Themselves brave. The fact OF
| their killing over 600 Costa Ricans and main
! tainiDg their position against two thousand men,
| under continual fire, from Z o'clock III the morn
| ing unta o'clock the next morning, proves the
! desperate bravery of the few men who did fight.
| Those who would not fight had never been in
! battle before, and the Costa Rcans would keeper
shooting so carelessy that they seemed Indifferent
} whom they might hit
In the battle Gen. Walker lost comparatively
few men; but the fatigue of the marching, and
suferiDgs from the effects of the battle began to
make sad work among them after they returned to
| Granada. From what ! have been able to gather
| feel assured that the number he lost III the bat
! lie of Kivas added TO the list of those that have
since died of wounds and other causes, would
make not less than four hundred men. 1t would
exceed rather than fall short of this number.
Tie Costa Rcans occupied Rivas about three
weeks. With unparalleled stupidity they threw
nearly all the dead bodies into the wells the waters
of which were necessary for their own use. The
stencil Of so many dead bodies produced the ehOl
era or some nearly similar disease, which carried
! them of at fearful rate. 1t is supposed that
| Gen. Mcra intended to make Riyas his headquar
tiers during the rainy season. which is now setting
in but the mortality in his camp 80 great that
| he was compelled to return TO his own territory.
1t is Iumored here that before he returned he was
heard to say he would never again leave Costa
Rica to fight. He did not take back with him one
| half the men with which he started from home
! While the Costa Rcans were 10 Nicaragua they
destroyed much valuable property. wharf
running into the lake at Virgin Bay, which must
have cost at least S1O (NO Xyas burned hv the,n