New-York daily tribune., 1859-12-21
MEXICO.'
PROGRESS or rae CIVIL WAR.

hpe to The party fighting for h establishment OF
liberal principles in this beughted country. la
svsry direction this party has met with great re-
vsnes. The Liberals have lOst in foIr hay sc-
tsus--at Estancia, near QnerItsro, al TePe, &c
TeOtitlln d,l Canine, and at OaIaca. The nun
Der of peoHs billed in these actions has been con
paratiyey insignificant, but the Liberal party, that
in she preceding three mon he had been steaiiJ
gaining sround and bid ia to completely triumph
before The end Ofthe year, bai been thrown back
and the fOrct- fighting seains; the absurd Prekn-
siOns Of the church. and in favor OF human hoery'
are nSw retreatng to the distant departments
where the church has lOsE all its power and Wiiere
the teope, although enjoying but few OF tne s oless
MA Oi civilized HE, st dare 70 aspire W 'oo oonuI
ton Of firenen. Although these reverses are
u,t reasous Tor US to be east down Tor the m0ment
". have still the consolation of Knowing that IN the
pre.eut ssnguinaTy and barbarOus clVh war Oh
Mexico, the same state Ofthngs has frequently e1-
Ntcd as thatin which we now hnd the country
Tie clergy have several times before carried their
ans fmtLer than the points where We DOW bnd
tLem. They have had on several occasions ports
hath on The Atlantic aud Pacific, and occupied the
interior to Durango, and beyond the San LUIS
Fotosi With all their preset triumphs, 80 tar as
We vet kpOw they have no ports and their interior
po,,es.iops include neither Durango nor San LUIS
II
plaee hut the former, no.
lie great Of the recent reyerses of the
Liberal party is that the day OF our dellVerance
from the dark tyranny of the clergy is indefinitely
pOsiIOIed, aud it is almost clearly demonstrated
that ,be Liberal party will never triumph OF tselt
until ihe whole country is completely ruined 1he
elerRy have clearly set their minds upon bringing
the country down in ruins over their funeral pile,
ard uuless foreign aid OF o practical character ls
gwen TO the struggling cause OF liberty or forelgn
nsiians DO not STOP those bgOted wretches IN their
dark Gesigns they are certain, fear, to succeed
The Liberals though beaten, are certain not TO give
I'D the struggle, and, why should they They have
stll ne.teniLG Of the national territory that ac
know hedges their sway and practically obey the
Constitution of 1857. But those nine-tenths are
poor and i'll able to take Of their own and wage
foreign war upon the rich central districts where
the clergy have concentrated all their strength. 1t
is mCre ILan probable they will for time keep up
the system they have 30 thoroughly established
in the posse ssi0ns OF the clergy-which s that OF
rowing guerrilla bands. These guerillas viii continue
10 LAIrass the towns of the clergy, taking such as
are at any time without strong garrlsons, and levy
ing contributions upon the deienseless agricultural
districts. I his system will compel the clergy to
keep up their present large force, and in four, iye
or flI months from now the Liberals may again be
able 10 take the field against the clergy-take the
cities Of the BOiO, and approach this capital to be
again beaten ard driven back. Such have been the
repeated maBeuyep Of the Liberals in the past two
years and such are likely to be their steps in the
future. The war will not, cannot end unless with
the triumph Of the Liberal cause IN some way or an
otler-but fear that can never be without foreign
aid We have now had two years of the present war,
and Mexico has still n deal of vitality left. What
other country under the sun would have escaped
utter ruin under the same circumhancesf The
country ia still capable of immediate revival with
peace and good government, and 1t is "a most mean-
Nnr0 not Tia
upon some pou of intervention by which il may be
saved frem its impending fate.
OF the four defeats of the Liberals, to which
have already referred that at the hacienda OF Is
taDcia, near QueTetaro, has been the most disas-
trous. The Liberals had been gathering their for
ces from the frontier, from AOreia aud from Zacat
ecns until they had about 5000 men together.
1Ley had taken the City of Guan0juatO and their
forces were in march for this capital. An accident
forced Airamon leader Of the clergy faction, into
tie field. He started for the Interior but found his
road blocked up by the Liberals, who were then at
Celnya. AiramOn stopped at Queretaro, wrote back
here Tor artillery, sent out aud gathered up his
struggling forces. All this the Liberals allowed him
to DO. On the 18th ult., Aramon having received
his artillery, attacked aud defeated the Liberals;
but, il s suspected and believed, more by the
trelchery Of some of the Liberal chiefs than by
military force or tactics The resultw the same,
and tie Liberals, abandoning most Of their artil-
Iery, fed in the widest confusion from the battle
field, and have gone to San Luis POtOSi. 1he
other battles were more feats Of treachery and
cowardice than thing else. At Iepic, the affair
appears TO have been treschcry and nothing else.
But in all of these so-called military movements a
gleat many lives have been most inhuman-
ly sacrificed, partly TO swell the import.
nnce OF the battles, but most particularly "a
antiate that thirst for blood which appears tO ami
mate the forces of the clergy. At Estaueia ~
American officer was taken anu brutally butehered
Fortunately, this fact was stated in Niramons first
telegram from the battlefield aud the representa-.
tive OF Great Britain lost time in calling the al
tention of the Government in this capital to the
fact that the United States had recognised the Con
s;itutona Government, and therefore Americans
taken fighting for that Government were entitled u
the rights OF prisoners of war. This information,
having been communicated in the form of demand
for Tie lives OF Americans, wastransmltted prompt
y 10 Alramon, who respected Il, and has saved the
hives, 40 far of all the foreign officers taken. Ii
may seem strange to persons not knowing Mexico,
Row foreign oficers are constantly made prisoners
when fighting with the Mexcsns. The fact is this
The foreign officers are generally piucky They re-
ceiye their orders, aud stand Gu their posts like
soldiers Their oowardly Mexican subordnates
and soldiers run away from them, and they Gail vie
tins OF their own courage aud Mexican cOwardice.
SO lt was with Nina, forty years ago and so il has
been ever since with almost every gallant foregner
who has unsbeathed his sword To fight for the cause
ot Liberty in Mexico. AZ Estancia, eallant
young lrishman was made prisoner. He was taken
with i've wounded fellows still managing their guls.
All ibeir companions had aed. The exceeding pluck
Of this young Irishman, Notwithstanding he had
done the clergy people great damage, saved his life
At the moment OF arrest, and the demand of Mr..
Mathew, her Mpiesty's representative, has stopped
his execution since as well as that Of French o.
acer, also made prisoner.
A. .as.l- ~ L 4 i =