Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1866-12-01

: Then they passed a bill allowing him t,
appoint, by will, one who should serv,
after him until Congress should be callc,
to elect legally. In his will, he appoint
. ed his son Francisco Salano. He tool
the reins of government, appointed hi
own brother commander-in-chief of tn,
army and navy, and one of his uncles nj
the head of the priesthood would keep al
things in order. The embryo dictator
then convened Congress in which he pre-
sided, any was unanimously elected Pres
lidcnt for term of ten years.
The young man is much better cduca
ted than was his father. He speaks
three languages, has Travelled extensive
ly III Europe as Envoy Extraordinary
IRON his fathers government. For these
four years of his Office he has kept the
mines, arscnals, foundries and shipyards
filled with European mechanics. Euro
pean officers are instructors in the army
and navy, and hundreds of young men
have been trained in hospitals for practi-
cal surgery in ease of emergency, and
from fifty to one hundred young men have
always been kept at the best schools in
France in order to become physicians. en-
I
ed for thcarmy and the navy. 5 80,
In Paraguay every citizen is soldier,
and every soldier is laborer on the pub
lic works, and he receives no paw and no
nourishment. Hence no private indiyid-
'l;il can enter into competition, with the
government manufactures BY such help
the State farms are made and houses built
for his Excelleney. They also make and
repair roads, build churches, fortresses
and arsenels; they also carry mails, cul-
tivate the State lands, and in fine, do, un-
paid, all the work that the supreme will
Directs There is abundance of timber
and copper, iron, lead and silver, and ma
tive cotton for all domestic purposes.
When in 1864 Brazil aided General
Flores in his rebellion in Uruguay Lopez
sent messenger to say that he would not
permit it, But Brazil proceeded and car
rled Flories rebellion to successful revo-
luton, and Lopez sent an army to take
Matto Crosse, rich Brazilian province,
This he still keeps. When the Argentine
Republic refused to give him permission
to cross her territory to invade Brazil. he
began acts ofhostlity against her at once.
without notice or declaration of war.
With varied fortunes he has carried on
this war, first invading this Republic, and
then Brazil, and afterwards he retired
among his own jungles and swamps, and
as soon as the invading army crossed the
river he set down before them, not two
thousand yards distant, and there he has
remained these four months.
Fort llumatia was for years his faith
er's pride. 1t is six leagues above the
confluence of the Paraguay and Parana
rivers. 1t is bend of the river, where
the channel is very narrow and near the
fort. Along the bank for 500 yards the
fort extends, and the pieces of cannon can
play at once OH anything attempting
to pass. Below there is Il heavy sunken
stone fleet, opposite there are two heavy
chains across the river.
About two leagues below this is Fort
Currupaita, with few guns, but with three
lines of defenses landwards, and a sunk
en- fleet in the river.
The allies entered Paraguay at Fort TIA
plru, which they took and now hold, md
in the same position taken up four months
ago several severe engagements have oc-
CURED; every movement has occurred ex-
There is reason to believe that the Par
aguayans are unanimous in this war;
There is no turning against their iron rule.
So steadfast are they, that we have rea-
son to believe any deserters coming over
to be spies. Military rigor is nothing
new to them. No fields oftheirs lie waste
in their absence, no invasion can much
damage their possessions hence they
congregate in armies without objection.
and defending their la1d and stupidity
obedient, they dare any danger, and the
soldiers of their own accord seldom ifcv-
er surrender. .....r
There is reason to believe that Lopez |
has in camp now 10000 men, with gar |
rison at 1lumatai, and at Currupaita.
All along from Estero Ballaco, where the |
army now, is, to the capital, there is a sys
TEN OF defenses among the passes of the
swamps. .....
For months the fort Currupaita has
been in the way of further progress of
the fleet. On September lst. an effort
was made toreduce it. A forest ofmasts
moved up the Paraguay river, and about
a adeagne below the fort masked battery |
opened on the ships with thirteen well |
guns. All drew off but fix iron |
clads, which stood in together All day
a terrible and obstinate fire. was kept up
from river and shore Once an iron
clad leaving port hole open, received
two.shells through it, killing ten men,
Next morning the firing was resumed
At two p. NJ. the ships landed force to
attack by land, and at the same time
torpedo was sent floating with the cur
rent toward the feet 1t struck the Rio
de Jancrio the best iron clad in the navy
and blew her up. She cost $4,000 and
had en- board three hundred men. The
fight went on and the battery of Curu-
zu fell intoBraziian hands at sundown.
Tho, allies report killed and wounded !,
2Qp. Loss of Paraguay not known
l NO bomb vessels were injured besides
the iron clad. AT the last moment the
Paragraphs in Fort Curuzu spiked their
guns and blewup their magazine. The t
place was deeply and widely mined, and
the mire was great. ...-l 5.,T a,s
a Brazil has called for 10000 troops, and
this Republic is called on for 5000 more.
Tho forcae nf tho allsaa m ON, m, bo,. a