The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1856-12-15
General Walkers Desperate situation Ina
Nicarxsua-The Folly or our Steamshi p


Nicarxs ua-The Folly or our Steamship
Companies.
Putting together the news from Nicaragua
brought into New Orleans on Friday by the
steamer Texas and published in the HERALD Of
Saturday. and the intelligence which we pub
llshed yesterday, brought to Key West by the
steamer Tennessee, from San Juan, and striking
balance between these conflicting reports, we
can come to no other conclusions than these-that
Walker has practically suffered succession of
reverses that he has been driven back to the
original base of his operations and that his po-
sition there is extremely critical and desperate
According to the New Orleans news by the
Texas, Gen. Walker had been successful in Sc
les of battles; one of his officers, Gen. Hornsby
with two hundred men, had defeated eleven hun
bred of the Costa Ricans with loss to the latter
of two hundred men, while Hornsby had only
two killed and eleven wounded that four days
| fighting at Massaya had ended in the entire de-
feat of the enemy; that Gen. Walker had re-
| turned to Granada, and, after giving three days
notice Of his intention, had utterly destroyed the
city, leaving not vestige Of it intact, and that
the inhabitants of Granada had removed to Rivas
with their effects which is henceforth to be the
capital Of the republic, &c.
| Now this statement Of Walkers successes, upon
its face, looked to US as wearing very suspicious
| appearance; SO that we were not much surprised
| by the subsequent news from the Tennessee, at
| Key West, to the following effect to wit:-tnat
| Gen. Walker had been driven from every place
where he had obtained footing, except the Tran
| sit route; that four hundred OF his forces,
after fighting nine days at Granada, were
surrounded by the Costa Rican, San Saliva
| COR and Guatemala forces; that Gen. Walker was
on board a steamer in the lake, without commu-
ncation with his army; that his men were suffer-
ing Tor the want OF provisions and clothing, and
were dying of by disease; and that he had burnt
Granada and Massaya.
In the absence of any later advices, we are lefs
TO the choice Of such portions OF these conflicting
reports as we may think best entitled to credit.
In this view, we dare say that the TRUTH when il
shall come 10 be known, will be substantially as
follows, viz:-That at the time of the former
battle Of Massaya, detachment OF the enc
my slipped around into the rear of Walker, and
entered and plundered his capital OF Granada,
and left it., upon bis return rs Walkers head
quarters, in an uItenable condition-that subse-
queDily returning 10 what may be called the
siege Of Masaya, he defeated the allies, took the
city. but that not being able to hold it, he dcs-
toyed it and fen back upo1 Granada; that being
there surrounded by the enemy, he kept them AZ
bag until from the exhaustion of his supplies he
was compelled TO destroy Granada and fall back
| upon the original base OF his operations n Riyds,
which lies within few miles Of the transil port
Of San Juan del Sur, on the Pacific side.
Jakiug it for granted that in every battle
Walker has si2nally defeated his enemies, his re
treat back upon Rivas leaves him in the exact
position where he found himself some two years
ago, with bis original dftysix California followers
al Rivas. To secure what be has lost, the work
which be has done from The beginning will
have TO Dc done over again: and il must b. bet
Ter done than at first, to make good permanent
foo;hold in the country. His corquests are nov
reduced to the actual occupation of the small
district lying between Rivas and the Pacific.
The interior and more important localities of
Granada, Masssaya, Leon, &c, are ia the hands
u the enemy. The opposition government OF
Gen. Rivas is at the city Of Leon, which is some
seyenty.hye or eighty miles to the northwest OF
Granada and should Gen. Walker recover tae
ground which he has lost, he viii yet have TO
muster a detachment sufficient for the dislodgc.
ment of the opposition government at Leon be-
fore he can expect peaceable occupation OF hs
couquests With the destruction OF the cities
ard the supplies 10 his rear, he will. however, re-
quire strong reinforcement Of his army, and
large movable supplies Of provisions 10 recover
his lost ground. Ia fact, he can only mainttiu
his position ~ Rvas through the aid OF timely
achievements and supplies from California aud
the Atlantic States by the Transit route ard il ia
imminent danger OF being driven to sea In de-
fault OF the required men and means to prosecute
the war.
In tie meantime, with the Morgan, Wander
bilt and George Law rival steamship companies
their policy towards Gen. Walker bccoms a very
bt.Fesing question To secure the ultimate *
pulsion Of Walker and the North Americans from
the whole country, it is only necessary tha, this
triangular squsbbe between Morgan Vanderbilt
and Law for the monopoly of he Transit route
should continue. On the other hand, it is only
necessary that they should combine to make an
easy Ango-Saxon conquest of the whole OF C,a-
,ial America, aud ito political reconstruction
upon the basis Of a New York Directory, after
the fashion Of the British East India Company u
Lcndon. Let these steamship companies, how
ever. IN their silly rivalry for the spoas, permit
Walkef to g. NY the board, and the result win
probably be the transfer or the Transit monopoly
to some British company, or to some native cor
poration under English protection These are
the stakes involved in this holy alliance against
Walker
THE SOUTHERN COMMERCIAL CONVENTIONS
This extraordinary body Of tx hundred Southern
politicians, lately assembled at Savannah has adj
.o,rnnd md di.r.rsnd and thn snn risnr Lntur