The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1866-04-18

Highly Important Intelligence from
Spain-Valparaiso to be BOmbar-
ded and the War Against Chill and
Her Allies Abandoned.
The last Southampton steamer which
arrived at this port brought private in
telligence ofstartling import to the Pa
cifie coast States engaged in the war
with Spain, and of great interest to all
civilized nations.
On the 18th Of March sn officer of the
Spanish navy, supposed TO have been
Rear Admiral lsquierdo, left Southanp-
ton with positive orders TO lombard
Valparaiso, and then, Withdrawing to
Montevideo, abandon as fruitless the
war against the allies A Gillian bearer
of dispatches left this city on the 18th
instant for Aspinwall, bearing this i'm
portont intelligence to the Gillian su-
thorities.
The Spaniards, despairing st their
inability to continue the war in the
Pacific, and ehagrined at the repeated
reverses with which their inadequate
navy has met, have resorted to this
treacherous and barbarons way of end
ing the war which they so foolishlv
began. The bombardment of Valpa-
raise as e measure of mere revenge
would be not only barbarous and i'm.
polite, but highly criminal The city
Is defenceless, not gun being mounted
to protect it 10 is the most important
port and city on the South Pacific
coast, has population of 10000 natives
and 10000 foreigners, and is the entire
pot for all Central South America.
The greater part of the city, called the
Puerto, is owned by foreigners princi-
pally-English, Germans and Ameri~
cans-and the palace Of the Intenden-
cha, the Mercantile Exchange, the Post
Office and the Custom House store
houses all lie within short range of
vessels in the harbor, and in case of |
bombsrdment cannot fail to be de |
stroyed, together with three or four
hundred millions of property. The |
sacrifice of life in such an event would /
be incalculable, for not one-half of the |
could leave the city.
These facts render this intelligence
to our own country and 9th
er neutral Powers, and call for action
in the matter. 1t remains to be seen
if the commanders of the American
and English fleets will consent to the
preparation of such eowardly and
wsnton outrage. Commodore Rodgers,
commanding the special squadron, and
Commodore Pearson, commanding the
Pacific squadron, are now in the Vicin-
ity of Valparaiso, and little doubt re-
mains that they will both not only
protest against but prevent the COM
mission OF such crime Its reported
that Commodore Rodgers has written
to a friend in Washington that moth
ing would give him greater pleasure
than to receive orders to sink the NJ
mancia, which, he declares, the Mon
adRock can do with ease in five min
utes At any rate, such an act on the
part of Spain would not long 60 unpun-
ished. 1t would arouse the passions of
the allies and inspire them to carry
the war home to Spanish cities, and
Spanish commerce would be driven
from the Sea by. Gillian privateers,
built in the neutral ports of nations
whose sympsthies such an act would
Justly awaken. Such an act would rob
Spain not only of what little of the re-
spect of other people she yet possesses,
but would at once place her without
the pale of civilized nations.-Na0
Yo,L Her0I