The Kanzas news., 1858-02-20
Correspondence of the New York Herald.
Important from Mexico---The Smash
ing up Of that Republic.

Important from Mexico---The Smash
ing up Of that Republic.
Civil War in the City of Aezieo-FE Fighting
in the Streets-Ho0 the Aericans Fight-
Perils of Foreigners Challenge of Com
moryort, dc.
MEXICO, January 10, 1853.
Since the departure of the last mail for
New Orleans, events of startling character
have transpired in this city. On the 9th
instant, tie parties opposed to the Comon-
fort government assumed definite position,
by making two pronuneiamientos. both op-
posed to the 'tplan of Tacubaya'' in
favor of the ultra puro party, and the other
In favor of Santa Anna The latter of these
was quite unexpected, as the Santa Anna
party here is very small indeed, and the op-
disposed to circulate reports, that it was a
deep scheme of Comonfort's to head off the
ultra puros. Shortly after the pronuneia
nsientos, on Monday morning, the contend
ing parties were actively engaged in fortify
ing themselves in many of the churches and
other strong positions, and in every way ma
king active preparations for severe fight.
Having secured their various positions,
firing of musketry took place at once, with
out, however, doing much injury.
This was sufficient, though, to show that
the pronunciGdos by no means intended to
give up their point without fighting; and as
they were very numerous, and held strong
positions, it was clear that protracted and
severe struggle must ensue. The residents
of the city were to be seen conversing in
knots at the street corners, devising meth
DDS of protecting their lives and property
during the disturbance. The shops and
places of business were all closed, and real
ly the city presented most wretched ap-
pearance. During the early part of the week,
the two contending parties were more en-
gagged in fortifying their various positions
than in active hostilities, although during
the whole time stray shots were being fired
from various points. many of which took
effect on peaceable citizens, while engaged
in taking precaution for the protection of
their property.
On Thursday, however, the works of for
tifcation having been sufficiently completed,
and after Intellectual attempts had been made
to arrange matters peaceably, tremendous
fire commenced from the top of the convent
of San Augustin-a stronghold of the pro-
government troops, who marched up in a
column and took possession of a building in
the vicinity of the convent. The firing hav
ing once commenced in earnest, it was gen.
orally taken up by the other positions of
both parties, and continued without inter
mission for many hours; Dut, strange to say,
after so much firing, we only heard of about
fifty men being killed on this day. This,
however, is an art peculiarly Mexican
Four or five thousand men can be actively
engaged firing upon one another all day
without killing more than a dozen on both
sides.
The firing was continued at intervals un
til Saturday evening, when an armistice of
forty-eight hours was proclaimed to allow
non-combatants to leave the city, and to
give further opportunity for peaceable
settlement of the affair. But matters had
gone too far-the preparations of both par
ties were too complete to allow them to set
tie matters amicably; and, consequently, as
soon as ever the time of the armistice had
expired, the firing commenced as brisk as
ever, and continued till late hour last night.
We notice. however, that the reports of can
non are much more frequent than they were
before, and must expect that more injury
will be done, and the destruction of lives
and property be much greater than in the
early part of the week, when they confined
themselves almost entirely to musketry.
On the whole, the condition of the city
and the feelings of the contending parties
bid fair for siege which may last for a long
The position of the belligerents to-day is as
fa1l hold fI,ta
palace witt 5000 men, horse and foot; the
convent of San Francisco, and the Minerva,
with 600 men, and several other churches,
with small forces in each. The pronuncia
dos hold the citadel, with $500 men; the
convent of Santo Domingo, with 600 men; /;
and the custom house and several churches,
with small forces. Besides these fortified
points, the streets are all barricaded, and
breastworks of sand bags thrown up at ma
ny places, with 94-pounders placed at most
of the barricades. Although the prepara-
! tons are so extensive, it appeared to US
| (while we took a walk through the various
| positions yesterday, during the truce, that
| if all the guns were brought into service at
once, and both parties went at it with a
will, the whole city would be in ruins in a
few hours. But there is no danger of such
thing occurring. 1t is not the Mexican
style of doing business. 1t is truly aston
ishing and amusing to witness their mode
of fighting. Nobody except the men imme-
diately connected with the guns remain in
the streets, and they would not do so if it
were possible to get the guns up to the top
of house, or into church steeple. All
the others get on the tops of the houses, or
| in the steeples of churches, and fire away at
one another necessarily, but at such distan-
ces that their shots are hardly ever effective.
In this manner they can manage to keep up
a tremendous fire many days without killing
izens who are imprudent enough to go into
the streets during the firing. whether for bu-