The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1862-01-18
The spanish Occupation of vera Cruz.


,, expedition against Mexico is Gen. Prin
who gained reputation in the recent wa
between Spain and Morocco He arrivee
at Havana on the 23d Of December, but a
last dates had not sailed for Vera Cruz
The chief of the army now occupyin. V err
: Cruz is Don Manuel Gasset. His militar,
! force, and the sailors and maries Of TIA,
fleet, amount to III go men, Of whom bu
} 5000 are intended for land operations ex
} clusiyely. Although the entire Englisf
North American fleet has orders to co
operate with the French and Spanisq bu
vessels are specially designated for ser
vice. The French force consists Of i
ships, carrying 3l4 guns, 4 900 and marines
and 5000 soldiers Neither the English
nor French forces had appeared at Vers
Cruz at last dates, but portion of the
French heet arrived at Havana, eTa route
on the 9th ult.
As we have already stated, Gen. Gasset
occupied Vera Cruz On the 18th ult, not 9
gun being fired by the Mexicans, although
vigorous preparations had been made ioi
defending the city and castle Gen Uraga
the Mexican commander, retreated to the
interior. The proclamation Of Gasset, on
| taking possession Of the city, is as fol
lows
! PEOPLE OF VEeA CRUz-The Spanish
! troops that occupy your city have 10 mis-
sion Of conquest, no merely interested
views. They arg led hIther solely by the
! duty Of demanding satisfaction for the
/ failure to comply with treaties and the
} acts of violence committed against our
/ countryalen, as also 10y the necessity OF
obtaining guarantees that similar outrages
/ shall not De repeated.
Until these objects shall have been
Z OF fpff nd ct.ffl flsff= tn
/ aiities may lead it, the Spanish army viii,
with its rigorous discipline. know how to
maintain public tranquility at every hazard,
! 10 give protection 10 peaceful inhabitants,
and to punish with severity, all disturoeTs
of order, subjecting such to a military
( commission, TO be appointed for the pur-
/ pose or proceeding against every class OF
/ deliuquents.
VERA CRUsAYs-You have nothing TO
| fear; you know the Spanish soldieVy, and
your present attitude completes my recog-
milton of that fact. Devote yourselves,
!. then, to your various pursuits. and be as
sured that it will be the greatest OF all
! sources OF satisfaction To this army, when
/ il fhail have accomplished the mission in
I trusted to it by the Queen, to return to
its own country sure of having merited
/ Your affection "MASrEI GA.sEr.
Commands o. the Spanish forces.
Vera Cruz, Dec. Il, lSJI'
. in this country which seems to keep the
/ track Of Mexican affairs, has doubts
whether Great Britain and France Will
+ heartily co operate w..h Spain. Il says:
I The trUtn =, the contest has material
f IS changed its character since the Span
iards embarked In it. In signing the
/ treaty OF Paris. Great Britain and France
acted upon the assumption that their rc-
spect.ye ultimate would be rejected Is the
Z Juarez Cabinet; that the isT OF July.
, pOstpon!ng payments upon the fereica
! debt, would be persisted in; and THAI
/ European commissions would be excluded
/ from the custom houses. Those powers
/ consequently persuaded Spain 70 let them
/ be sh2rers IN the expedition and Spain.
compelled TO yield, diminished the scale
/ of the expedition IN ratio to the help
| thus thrust upon her The Joint expedi-
/ ton would suffice to execute all the Court
+ OF Madrid planned The Spanish fraction
would alone DO unequal to the'enterprise
/ But since France and Englaud became
partners. Hexicc has disappointed the ex-
/ jectatious entertained in regard to her
obst!nacy The Lass OF July has been re-
/ pesled. The indemnify demanded by the
! French and British governments has been
/ guaranteed; the tariff has been reduced
aud there l. every reason to believe that
+ the only other demand of the two govern
/ meats, the sequestrat!on Of a certain por-
/ ton of the revenues for the payment O.
/ foreign debts, has beer granted In this
! case Spain IS left to carry on the Campaign
/ by herself, rs II Is impossible 10 suppose
I her allies will insist upon hcstilities when
4 Mexico has conceded every term they
/ exacted as a condition Of peace. Their
| fleets and armies may remain 10 watch the
| war, and protect the commerce which the
presence OF war would otherwise frighten
/ away, leaving the ports without shipping
/ and the custom houses without revenues
| but it is no longer probable that they .yill
+ lend material and positive all to the in
vasion. Spain must, therefore, play out
! the game alone
/ The danger of suljugation by foreign
/ power has had the effect OF inducing the
Mex;cans TO forego for time their petty
/ chickering's. and unite III support Of the
! Juarez administration, Many OF the
! heretofore opponents OF Juarez. alarmed
/ for the national independence, have prof
/ feied him their services, and are preparing
to take the field in opposition to the
/ Spaniards. Among this class are Ortega,
| Comonfort, Mejia, and others. We quote
from the Tunes again:
There are a thousand things about
which the Mexican people are of rs many
minds, and in regard to which they are
ready to quarrel among themselves ire
concilaby. There is one only upon which
they are practically a unit. That happens
to be a veteran, implacable hatred OF the
Spaniard; dread Of Spanish intrigue; a
reckless defiance OF all attempts 10 restore
Spanish authority Against
sentiment of the uniyersality and inten-
sity of which there can be no doubt, this
mindful Of Spanish soldery are'caIled 10
contend, and it would be violation OF
every doctrine of probabilities if they
should contend successfully. The people
armed and pitiless, will swarm around
them wherever they go. The mountain
paths towards the capital will be alive
with foes, who will cut off their scouting
parties and sentries, waylay their trains
and dispute, in overwhelming numbers, a
passage Already the only two practica
be roads to the interior are possessed by
national forces under competent lestIers
who are probably employing every re
source OF engineering TO make them i'm
passable. And even il they could be ira
versed. and il the capital could be reach &c
and stormed, it would take five.fold tht
force they possess to maintain conlmuuica
ton with the sea, and without such com
munication they would be no better tha,
prisoners in the hands of the Mexicans
they can nowhere hold in suhjection
square league beyond the space Of thei
, encampment may occupy"
The three principal Mexicnn ports ar,
Vera Cruz, Tampico, and Matamoros, aus
they will, in any event, be occupied by th
allies. Out of the occupation Of the latte
port it is possible complication may aris
5 with the United States. Matamoros is o,
, the Rio Grande (the western boundary O
3 Texas, forty miles from the Gulf Of Mex