New-York daily tribune., 1858-02-05
-. n. ,re.ept Constitutional Oonv,n-

and an Intelligent statesman, vii rectiy these
n,ro,, and by reforming the code, which is very
S.sc,iye. ctrIec: many abuses which lead 70 re-
Iell,ou and revolution. Zepada has the feputaIioo
of sreat learning and legal ability
II the commencement Oi the late quarrel between
Costa Rica and Nicaragua, President Maritime in
trusted hi. civil power 20 a deputy, Ayllez Of
Granada. and placed himself at the head Of the
army. He 10 ftnd Of military life and popular with
tie army. Generals Jerez and M1rtnez-but es-
pecally the atter-Wish 10 reOrcanZe the military
sy,tom Of Nicaragua which j. at present extremely
defective and antiqua,ed. The old Spanish system.
of allowing every ,fcer a servant, and those o'
high grades a retinue, ard o. doing everything by
way of command by deputy encumbers the army
with q crowd Of camp-t|llowers. he hgnlInR
force Of 1900 men under this system does not
actually exceed 200, which nearly doubles the eA-
pen,es Of the army, ard dimlnishes its motive power
by al least one-hall.
have not yet spoke Of the financial resources
Of Nicaragua These are derived, first, from tariff
upon imports which may be estimated at ~ per
cent upon two and half millions This IN good
t;mes--in bad times nothing. The second source 10
the excite: perhaps three hundred thousand dollars
from the manufacture OF rum. made from coarse
sugar. This rum is very good, and when Old ana
pure quite equal 10 the best Jamaica. The excise
npon sguardiente fuctuats, Of course, with the
condition Of the country; but as the natives will
ayays use little rum, though they are rarely ha-
btual drunkards this branch Of the revenue s more
steady than any other. The right TO distill aguar
dente is sold in each department Of the Government
for 80 much month and always paid for pTnctually
in hard money.
A third profitable branch OF revenue il the mo-
nopoly Of the butchers business, which : flrmed
out by the Cove rDment ID every town AM village.
The butchers are allowed 10 Kill so many head of
cattle per diem. The custom IL very ancient, aud
originated in the first century Of Spanish rc, when
cattle were scarce aud valuable. At present it Is
sn antouated mischief, and leads only 10 extOrtiOn
and corruption; but we are not at liberty to sup
poee that the financial corrup,iOns and peculations
are at all more remarkable than those Of your own
city, NeW-YOrk.
The anticipation Of new inrOad of Walkcrtes
does not seem to excite much apprehension i'll
Nicaragua. The steady improvement of the native
army in discipline and the use of arms during the
late war and the wre.cbed management which
characterized all the movements Of the banditti,
have Impressed the natives with the idea that
whatever the first successes of these expeditions
NAV be, they must all eventually fall through.
Another campaign will be managed differently; less
favor will be shown to prisoners strong positions will
be more carefully guarded and system of guerrilla
and strategic defense taken up from the beginning.
The greatest injury that can be inflicted upon Mica
ragua will be to retard the civilization OF the cOun
try for few years longer. 4 permanent conquest
by the class of persons who have hitherto en-
gagged in these enterprises is believed from
physical, or rather from physiological causes, TO
be impossible. However desirable it may appear to
some of our Southern friends that Central America
should be made the base of operations for a
Southern slave cOncderacy it is certainly the worst
point that could be selected for that purpose. If it
has been impossible hitherto to organize fill
buster invasion of Northern Mexico, for the
simple reason that there were no specula-
tive millionaire or transit operators ready to invest
the necessary funds in the enterprise, 1t will
be at once perceived hat fllbusterism, depending
upon such trai snd irrational sources for ts support,
is liable to be let fall just at the moment when it
requires most TO be sustained. The credit and
the treasury of nation, the sanction of supreme
Government and the will of people must stand
behind TO control It's movements and keep 1t alive.
But there is another reason. Nicaragua is a route
of Northern and not of Southern travel. 1t IS the
halfway house of the principal highway between
the Free States of the Pacific and Atlantic. Con-
spouenfly Nicaragua oPPcrtoino cncluni~c, =" th"
North. She belongs to California and the Northern
and Western States Of the Atlantic side. The
South might almost as We'll attempt the establish
ment of slave colonies in the South Pass of the
Rocky Mountains as in Nicaragua. Northern influ-
encc will always pred0minate where large majority
of Northern men are continually passing, living aud
spending. Northern capital must be found to build
the grand nteroceanic highway wherever it be o-
Gated and the expenditure of this capital will be in
But there is another point which should occupy
the attention of military men, If il has not already
done So The extreme difficulty of access to Mica
ragua, and the impOssibility of escaping from 1t
when once lncosed, will render all future tiilbuster
operations more difficult than any that have hereto
fore been attempted. To reopen the access by the
San Juan River as have already suggested, is an
affair of time and will require large expenditure
of money. The native Governments are or will be
in possession of the only two steapers that are now
seryiceabe. With but one steamer upon the lake.
the San Carlos the natives are comparatively safe
With two they were III continual danger as the one
could BE- always used TO capture the other. III met
their policy should be to sink and destroy all the
steamers excepting the one upon the lake. and TO
have this ready to be sunk al moments warning.
This would be agreeable 10 the system OF defensive
warfare and would cnbarrass, il not entirely close,
the access on the Atlantic side. On the Paclhc
side they are much more open 10 invasion, but the
danger is less and Walkers operations have fallen
into contempt California may legitlmately inter
est herself in the colonization of Nicaragua, but II
is not necessary for her that il should be made
Slave State or military despotisn.
The Columbus touched at Punta Arenas on the
Goth of December. On the 2st she landed passen.
gers and goods at San Juan del Sur. From that
place 10 Managua, the capital, by the way of Rivss
and Granada the distance is ~ or 43 leagues, Span
ish-tour days of fast travel; eight days for those
who travel only for pleasure.
On the Isl of January, Gen Jerez, in company
with Col. Cauty, left Nanagua for Granada and
thence took passage in bunso for Castillo. Ey-
pcctng another fllibustcr INVASION his design is 10
fortify Castillo MS strongly as possible with the
means al his command. The Nicaraguan Govern
mcnt will 4 allow any movement 10 be made for
the opening Of the Transit until they sre satisfied
in regard to the character and associations OF the
contracting parties. called YOUR attention in
lct,a 4 a stocL N hipb rod in IT,,