New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-02-08


mouth Of the Tetuan River, and bombardej, on the
29tb December, the forts at its mouth. They were
siepced, and the earthworks destroyed in shout
three hours; it is not TO be forgotten that they
we're the same forts which the French had bombarded
about month before with far inferior force.
The weather having become fair On the 18th, the
Spanish army at last began to move On the lss Of
JanuaIy. The First Corps of two divisions,
under Echague, which bad been the fret tc
land in Africa, remained in the lines in front Of
Ceuto Although il had suffered much by disease in
the first weeks it was nO1 pretty Well accllnatzed,
and, with reeDiOrcenents received since, numbered
TO- coo men, considerably more than eithert Second
or the Third Corps. These two corps, command
ed, the Second by Zabsla and the Third by Ros
De Oano, together with Piims reserve division, in
all 81 600 to % 900 men, marched ont on the first
day of the new-year. Every man carried SIX days
ratODs, bile amion of ratons, or one months pro-
visions for the army were shipped on board trsus-
ports TO accompany the army. With Prm for an
advance guard, supported by zabala, and Ros de
Oano bringing up the resr, the high ground south
of Ceuta was passed. The new road LED down
toward the Mediterranean within two miles from
tbe camp. There semi-crcular plain extended
for some Distance the chord being formed oy the sea-
and the perpberyby broken ground rising gradually
into ruooed mountains. No sooner had Prim's d.
vision fairly debouched from the camp than the
skirmishng began. The Spanish Light Infantry
easily drove back the Moors into the plain, and
thence into the hills and brushwoOd, which hanked
their line of march. Here it was that by some mis-
understanding two weak squadrons OF Prlncesa
Hussars were ledto charge, and did sOwith such
spirit that they passed right vhrough the Moorish
line into their camp; but getting everywhere into
broken ground, and iuding nowhere either cavalry
or Infantry in practicable ground at which they
could charge they had to turn back with loss OF
seven or nearly all of their officers beside prlvatea
SO far, the fight had been carried on principally BY
the infantry in diminishing order, and battery or
two of mountain artillery, supported here aud
there by the effect--ln0re moral than phyfical-Of
the fire of few gunboats and steamers. IL ap-
pears that O'Dorne intended to halt in the plain,
without occupying permanently, as yet, the ridge
forming the boundary Of this plain to the south In
order however to secure hs position for the night,
he ordered Prim to dislOdge the Moorish skirmish-
ers from the northern slope of the ridge and then to
fall back about dusk Prim however, who is the
greatest fighting man in the Spanish army, engaged
in serious encounter which ended in his taking
possession of the whole top of tie ridge, though not
without severe loss. His advanced guard encamp-
ed On the ridge and threw up feld-wOrks on its
front The Spanish oss amounted that day, to 70
killed and ASH wounded.
The position gained that day was the one known
by the name Of Castilleos from two white build
pgs the ore on the inner slope near the plain, and
the other on the ridge conquered in the afternoon
by Prim. The official designation Of this camp,
however, appears to be CampGmentO de Ia COndesa.
On the same day, the MooTs had attempted
slight diversion against the camp before Ceuta, By
attacking bot the extreme right redoubt and the
interval between the two extreme left redoubts.
They were, however, easily repulsed by Echague's
infantry and artillery fire.
The active army remained three days in the Camp
de la Condesa. The field artillery and rocket bat
tery as we'll as the remainder of the cavalry (the
whole cavalry brigade consists of eight squadrOns Of
hussars four of cuirasers without curasEes and four
of lancers, in all 200 men), arrived In the camp.
The siege train alone (amOng which was battery
of rifed l2.pOundeIs) was still behind On the Sd,
ODonneIl accommodated toward Monte Negro, the
next range OF mountains to the South TIE weather
continued fine, hot at noon with very heavy
dews at night. Cholera was still rife among one
or two divisions, ard some corps had suffered
severely from sickness. The two battalions of en-
ginners, for instance, who had been very severely
worked. were reduced from I35 men to 90 men per
company.
SO far, we have detailed accounts; for what fol-
lows, we are reduced to meager and not quite
consistent kilograms. On the 9Th, the army ad.
vanced On the 9th, it was encamped "tO the
80 north Of the Negro valley, having traversed the
"pssses without opposition" Whether this means
that the Monte Negro Ridge had been passed, and
the army was encampng on its southern slope, is
very uncertain. On the 9th, the army was, we are
told, one league from Tetuen and an attack of the
MoOrs had been repulsed. On the 18th, the whole
of the positions of Cabo Negro we're carried, COM
plete victory was obtained, and the army was be-
fore Tetuan; so soon as the artillery could be
brought up the town would be attacked. On the
l4th the division of Gen. Rios, ten battalions
strong, which had been concentrated at Malaga,
landed at the mouth of the Tetuan River and occu-
pied the forts destroyed by the feet fortnight be-
fore. On the 10th, we ale informed that the army
was on Tire point of passing the river and attacking
Tetuan.
To explain this, we may state that there are four
dictnct rdoa, az hills fa ba uas,ad hatuaar nonta