New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-03-20
THE MOROCCO WAR.
NOW SPAIN WAS AND Is-solDIERs' RAW AND
,oooKEp-cUBSN ourLooKs'
-. Al ThA n. U. TI1oune.

Ten days AGO the Spanish steamer Matsella, Ia
.,,;.b 7 esme from Malaga 10 Marseillee, toached
A Barcelona. 1t was the third day of the i6te ia
Aa.or Of the capture Of Tetuan. The broad
streets and alan edss, of which tho city may well be
,roud, were hung with the Spanish colOrs. The
same red aud yellow flowed from many mast
heads. in banners aud arches aud festoOps-peOple
thrcnged the plazss; and in every cafe and choc-
osateria smoking, spaniardE taking their wine,
coffee or chocolate, and talking it over. Before
conc of the public buildings and theaters were wax
figures Of the Queen, such as had been carried
about in triumpbsl professions on the previous day.
Here giant walked on platform before moty
creNd of soders dons, senorss, aud senorltss, toe
poorest marketman iOstling the richest and no0est
eabalero; here the latest and fullest bulletins We're
cried by the blind men, who are the only newspaper
vendors in Spain at least they are IN Seville, Oran-
ada Cadlz and Barcelona; at Madrid the Journals |
are not sold in the streets Everywhere was good |
humor and ioyulness. Only the unit candles in |
every window. awaiting sunset, looked as If the
rood time were Vet 10 come. Barcelona evidently
believes as does Madrid, am told, that at the end
of the Moorish War the halcyOn days OF SPAN VIII
return. How, one sees not, since SPAN, under the
Noors, was greater in almost all respects than she
has been since they were driven out of her borders
"CarryipQ the war INTO Africa " is not always
sure road 10 the blessings of peaceful civilization
| did not go over to Ceuta, although IT would
have been easy to do so from Gibraltar; nut II
would have cost more time, money, ana strength
than could afford, as the camp was seven or eight
leagues inland. Moreover no one who had been
across had seen anything worth while. One re-
ported q squadron of Moorish cavalry in the dis
lance and battlef ON which lay some wounded
artillery wagons. Another managed to get to the
from; lines where he saw two MOOrs Killed. The
day for the capture of Tetuan had been fixed so
sftep. that one could not be guided by rumOrs re-
speeding IT, But have seen the war In SPAN III It's
reflections and results present and proxmate; and
perhaps these are interesting to your readers as
any description of mere fighting IRON my pen would
be.
have seen the raw material of which Spanish
soldiers are made, and the manufactured article
There is a great difference between the two. The
geo OF 800 recruits who Uttered the deck OF tho
Narsella on her passage from Malaga to Alicante,
fresh from their mothers with white cotton KNAPP
sacks on their backs-the most primitive Of KNAPP
sacks-many Of them without stockings all of them
in clothing too thin to be any protection against the
cold IN age averaging not more than sixteen, not a
few being less than fifteen, and scarcely
eighteen the merest and Tawest boys in the world,
made one think of Falstaf, and constantly mutter,
not without pity Food for powder; poor fellows,
.food for p0Uder" The quality of another hundred
who took ship with me from Sew lie TO Cadiz was
little better and their years little more advanced,
and their scanty clothing eked out win blankets.
A 6ISbuster would match himself against % of
such creatures were they garrisOnng Cuoa. But
the flIbuster had better think twice before he sets
Eail from New-York The Spanish soldiers, as The
London Times has told you more than once, are
among the best armed, best disciplined and best
Offered troops in the world. l saw large detach
ment at Malaga, drilling upon the beach, where the
surface was extremely uneven, and L never saw
troops 90 through series OF evOlu'iOns so well
anywhere; in effect, they did everything that they
were likely to be expected TO do on the field |
singly, in small companies and together. !
Every thing, from the bayOnet charge, the advance
Of one line before another to fire. the retreat, the
formation of squares, or of columns to the march,
ard the halt, was done in perfect order and with
unaninity OF action which marvellous. II could
not have been bettered As for his arms the Spanish
soldier carries, in addition TO knife and TevOl
ver believe, better musket, am told, than the
English OF the French and such would be my
Judgment 1t is heavy but the bearer is accustomed
70 heavy weights: and in the matter of en- /
durance of fatigue, and prlvatOn. is match, |
am sure, for any soldier Ia the world. He is ac |
eustomed TO live on bread and water aud little |
weak wine, with garlic or olives for relish. lie |
IL wonderfully temperate. Out of 1900 soldiers
who were quartered for several weeks III Malaga, |
not one was seen in the slightest degree intoxicated;
while In Gibraltar one could not walk a block with |
out meeting drunken soldier or sailor. He is ac- |
custOmed 10 long journeys aud although smaller in |
stature than the French as the French shorter
than the English Americans, his face has look
of determination; and one feels that he fight |
pretty well OF pinch, this war seems to have |
proved At the same time, ! am not prepared to |
affirm, as did a countryman long domesticated in
Madrid that the capacity 10 1--we on less and to |
mike longer marches, implies the capacity to fight
better than French, English, or Americans But |
TIE Bowery boys would do well to remember that |
twO.thirds of the 10000 men who garrison Cuba |
are not ragged caballerOs but troops, thoroughly |
armed thoroughly disciplined, and excellenty |
Offered The officers afe, may add almost half /
he ad taller than the men on the average, and are
evidently intelligent masters Of their trade. The |
dress Of the Spanish soldier is neat and warm-a |
handsome brown coat and Overeoat with a red col
lar, .beepskn cap faced with black leather,
pair of blue trOwsers, stout leathern CATERS and
shoes, forming the usual uniform. In age, the |
troops engaged in actual service compare very well |
with the French, / should judge.
How account for this discrepancy between the
raw material and the manufactured article An
other fact may help us to reason. From the
Province of Granada containing population of
between 400, 600 and 500 co., upward Of 900 con-
scripts had been drawn between the commence
ment of hostilties and the 1st of February and
Iattery the BOYS and fathers of families had been
called into service. Spain has been putting forth
all her strength, and she feels the tension IN every
part of the body petite. Before the first blow was
struck in Africa, she had large surplus in her
treasury; she was beginning to develop her internal
resources; and foreign capital flowing in to
help on her progress in point OF civilization. Rail
roads were building in all parts of the Kingdom,
and her rich coal and iron miues were, it was
thought, about TO be opened. Now, work on the