The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1866-05-04
THE SPANISH-CHILIAN WAR.
BOMBARDMENT OF VALPARAISO
saO,OOO,OOO of Property Destroyed.

WAS UOu ny U0O EpdUldTUS. uo
town and $20,000,000 worth of pro-
perty was destroyed. Great blame is
attached to the British and American
Consuls for not interfering with their
ships to prevent such wholesale de-
struction, instead ofleaving the harbor.
The Panama Stars correspondent,
after commenting upon the barbarity
of the bombardment of Valparaiso,
which was defenceless, without gun
to reply or vessel to stand by it, states
that from fifteen to twenty millions
of property was destroyed, nearly all
belonging to British, American and
other foreign merchants, including all
the commercial parts of the town,
custom houses, Government build
ings, &c.
The correspondent gives the follow
ing particulars of the bombardment:
1t is said Mendez Nunez has re-
ceived5 orders from Madrid to destroy,
burn and desolate, to the utmost of
his power, all Peruvian and CHILEAN
towns and property on the coast, and
that. in pursuance of these orders it
was that on the 9th of March he
sent In to the commandant of Valpa-
raise and notified the foreign repre-
sentatives that in four days he would
lombard the city. The four days he
allowed for the removal of the sick
and others Against this every for
eign representative protested, in the
most energetic manner The British
residents were promised the protec-
ton and interference of Admiral Dem
ham and the English squadron. The
American Commodore, Rodgers,
promptly placed his squadron for CO.
operation against Spain, should the
threatened bombardment, be attempt
ed, and the representative of France
was equally ready to take the respon-
sibility, on his part, of joining with
the Americans and English to prevent
the atrocity that was feared But at
the last the English Admiral drew
back. He said he could not interfere,
except automatically, and that the
British interests must lock out for
themselves on shore. Commodore
Rodgers shrunk from undertaking act-
i've resistance to the Spanish feet,
when the British commander had re-
ceded from the position he had first
taken up Earnestly and most urgent
ly did the American Charge de Affairs.
General Fitzpatrick, and Commodore
Rodgers, labor to- save the town, but
all in vain While this was going on.
time was lost to the neutrals, and the
day of bombardment came on, and the.
neutrals had still their property in the,
Custom House and their stores. al
On the 31st, the morning of the day
of the threatened bombardment, Her
Majesty frigates Sutley and Leander,
with the storeship Nerius, left the bay
to take safe anchorage out side. The
American ships also had to go out of
the way, and at "A. NJ, the enemy's
vessels began to take up position
over against the town. The Resolu-
ton was placed opposite the Central
Railroad station, the Villa de Madrid
and Blanca ], 200 yards from the Gus
tom house, the Vance Dora close to
shore, to destroy the dwelling houses,
and the hAdmiral's ship, aNumancia,
remained outside signaling orders. 81 s
= AT nine A. NJ, the Blanca opened
fire on the custom house to the cry of
VigG Ia Reissa;; the others followed,
each selecting some point on which to
pour its share of the destruction. For,
nearly three hours the fire was kept
up without intermission. At ten PM
the Numancia signalled to desist, and
the vessels. of the squadron drew off.
The people Of the town who had
crowded the surrounding hills, at
once rushed into the town to extin-7
guish the fire.. -.
asPERU.---TheuneW brought from
Chill has excited the Peruviansito the
highest pitch. Not whisper even is
breathed of yielding to Spain, and
tfsoe5e y ia0sv iiitvlS sros tlsa slargest.-
at stake would not, for moment, list
en- to any peace proposals inthe three
days past. ALI movable property is
being conveyed to places gof safety.
The foreign commercial houses have
taken measures to. secure their pro-
perry from the custom house at
Callaho,u wa1 eare n<eT arr
The British residents of Valparaiso
held meeting on the 18th of March,
and appointed a committee, who draft
ed series of Resolutions, adopted at |
another meeting, rejecting severely
upon. the vacillating conduct of Ad-
miraI Denman,. and condemning his
plea of a want of sufficient force to |
oppose the Spaniards, as humiliating
to his countrynren, and inexcusa-
BILE, considering that the cooper
alton of a powerful United States
squadron was pressed upon him by its
They also condemn the
passive submission of the British
Charge d. Affairs, and appointed
deputation to express to Gen. Kilpat-
rick and Commodore Rogers, their
high appreciation of their efforts to
by corporations with the