Newbern progress., 1863-01-31
HAVANA. Jan. 13. 1S


Il Flac Words on the Franco 4Kerican Ques
tion-Reported Suicide Of Gen. Do6lado -
Distribution Of KedaLs By President Jua
rz-Nunebers and Positions Of tie FTenc,
Army-St1ength Of the Mexican Forces a
Pueblo and NeracO City-ISmaH POE q
Vera Cruz, dc.
Nothing is more unreliable than Mexican
news. If from French source, all is couLeu
dc rose; if from the Juaristas, or parisans o
President Juarez, no army Of crusaders, "belt
ed knights an a that" ever did such marvel
lous feats OF performed such heroic deeds a:
''the army of the republic and the consttu-
ton" are doing or going to do when the inya
ders overtake them, and if odr news comes
from the friends of Almonte everything goes
swimmingly for them, and their leader is to be
the savior of the nation. Most of our news
comes, | think, from French sources ; for we
hear of almost nothing but ''upheavings" ol
the people in favor of new order of things
and the overthrow of President Juarez, whose
cause, We "a told is daily and hourly dwind-
ling to the l1.Sst insignificant proportions. Yet
there is one fact well worthy of note, striking
iy incongrous with such report, and strongly
contradictory of much that We hear; so much
30 that my confidence in French veracity has
been much shaken. That fact is, that Presi-
dent JuareZ has assembled the Congress OF
the country's representatives, in which every
State has a voice; and that same Congress has
given its unanimous support to Juarez, as may
be seen from the address to the Mexican peo-
pie, issued shortly after assenblinS-a tran
slated copy of which l sent you former
letter. If this fact be not testimony to the
popularity and ability of JuareE, then am at
a loss to know what to think Of it. This Con-
gress voted TO prosecute the war against the
French with vigor, and furnish all the means
they can command. This, then, is necessarily
the vote OF all Mexico through her offic al or
ran dpiS S1at is spith ba
sion of the real sentiments of her people,
Congress ceases to be a representative body.
If the French invasion be based on the prete1ce
or supposition That the Mexicans desire
change of governmental system, Napoleon
ought to retire in presence of tact which con
tradicts such an assertion in the most solemn
manner possible. That this is the excuse, and
I; sole excuse, is evident from the history of
the twelve months, or, more properly, since
the breach of the Solodad agreement, so well
told by Gen. Prim m his long and, in some re-
spects very able speech in the Spanish Cortes
Tf General shows plainly that the French
Emperor has been duped by Alnonte, whom
he thoroughly exposes and convicts of ialss-
hood. Is duped the proper expresSicn? /
use it with charitable intention, for | am in
clined to believe rumor which just now pre-
&ails in Pars-that the French intend retiring
from Mexico. Be that as it may, let US See
what the late news from that unfol tunate eoun-
try amounts to.
The Vera Crasano of December IS says
that General Boblado marched from Guanaju
ato to unite his forces with those of Losada
and others occupying Gudalajara !; that he was
attacked and routed on the way, and commit
ted suicide to avoid falling prisoner. This
news comes by way of jalapa.
From the same source we learn that there s
serious misunderstanding between Generals
Ortega and Comonfort and that desertions
HI &C
numerous on account OF the great scarcity OF
money and provisions in that place. Also. |
that a conspiracy had been discovered IN the
brigade of General O'Horan, and that five Off
GERS had been shot
A French officer, NJ Thorouse has bought |
five hundred more mules in Santiago de Cuba,
which are now on the way to Vera Cruz, on
board the steamer Allier.
The English steamer Ossian brought us dates
the other day to the Sd INST. This vessel had
been freghted by the French Government to
take artillery to Vera Cruz, in order to arm
couple Of war vessels which had been convert |
ed into transports. The news she brings is
contained in a letter to the Diaria de IL Ma
rind, from which I extract the following -
The French forces are distributed as follows:
In San Angostin del Palnar, San AndroS Chal-
chicomula and OriZaba, from eleven to eig"t
men in Perote and los Egas, like
number. Marquee has his camp at this latter
point, with something less than one thousand
men. In Tampico not quite four thousand.
The forces which were in Tlacotalpan and Al
Tarado have evacuated those places. The re-
maindsr of the twenty eight thousand that
compose the Freaeh eSpeditionary army is
made up by the garrison of Vera Cruz and
various small detachme1 is in the neighborhoOd.
are expected by the end OF this
month, which can be forwarded Immediately
to the interior by the new railroad to Orizaba,
which, it is said, will be ready for use by that
tirne. Those rernforcementS are to consist OF
t+To divisions of the Imperial Guard, of at least
10, 900 effective men.
Ii the above figures and localities be correct
ly given we may have some idea of the actual
position If the French Army. As an offset,
we have similar data in regard to the Mexican
army, now concentrating at Puebla.
In Puebla, %, 600 regular troops and 10000
volunteers. Between there and the capital are
two division, intended to serve as reinforce
ments or protect a retreat. This force is esti-
mated at from 10000 to IL, 600: In the capital
there are IL 600 more, among whom, however,
must be included the Home Guard. In Quere
taro there is division of eight thousand men,
and the contingent from the State of Guerrero,
under Alvarez, amounts to twelve fourteen
thousand These figures gives as a total of
about eighty thousand nen-a sufficiently
powerful force one might suppose, to drive Re
French out of the country but it must be re-
membered that the Mexican troops are badly
fed md worse armed.
Nearly the entire of the French 2rtllery is
between Jaiapa and Los Vigts.
Smallpox et malignant type has made its
appearance at tera Crus, much to the conStcr-
nation of the authorities, who contemplate
building lazretto tc protect the city as much
as possible from the ContaEjon spreading.
letter from Orlzaba, dated December ,
says there is a repo that Juarcz is TO retire
from the Presidency, to be succeeded by either
Ortega or Comonfort; but there is reliance
70 be placed Oh such rumor, coming from
such PLACE. The same letter announces the
arrival at Orizaba of a messenger FROM Mciia,
and says he took 100000 and twenty thou
sand nuskets from General Doblado The
writer says the of money may be exag~
gerated but that II will certainlv reach S3nO-.