The New York herald., 1869-04-22

thing to DO with the diplons.c arrangements
that may possibly be made amons the bel.
ligerent Powers" He leaves Rio on the aoth.
The oficial explanation In regard to the changes
In the command is:-That the Marquis de Caxlas
having obtained the relief he asked from the COM
mand-in-chief of all the forces In Paraguay, and
1t being feared that Marshal Guilherme Xavier de
Souza's state Of health would not permit him to
continue in the provisional command, and also
other distinguished generals being likewise impeded
the government resolved to appoint Army Marshal
the Comte G'Eu to the said command.
People are well pleased at the new appointment
Infused into the stagnaIt military operations which
have already given Lopez three invaluable months
TO recruit and prepare new fortilcations and muni
tions The last accounts from Paraguay show that
Lopez has posted himself on the railroad to Villa
Rica, and has his advanced fertilization about
1t and the strong position OF Cerro Leon, which is
generally considered the bulwark against an army
marching by the railroad on Villa Rica The particular
place which he has thus fortified Is the defe OF Fs-
curra and his main camp Is in CerrO Leon, while his
advanced posts occupy Paraguari. The Official Bra
lillian accounts give his forces at 5000 to 5000 nfan-
Try and cavalry and sixteen to twenty pieces OF can
non stationed at Escurra, Cerro Leon and at CON-
mandlng points along the road to the mountains.
cannons, and Paraguayans now here say that he has
stu some thirty-two and sixtyeight Founders for
The distance from Asuncion to Ascura is about
sixty miles. From Asuncion to Pirabebul, Lopez's
seat OF government Is something further but the
railroad is the best road to follow and Marshal Gull
herme de Souza writes that the ras were perfect as
far as LuGue fifteen sixteen miles from Asun-
clonl that he had some locomotives and cars, and
that he had men at work repairing the track, re-
laying the rails and rebuilding two bridges
destroyed. His idea was to organize two
strong columns and while one would occupy
and Gerend the railroad. the other would
course, at least half the railroad to Villa Rica Is in
the hands OF the Paraguayans and they possess
nearly an the rolling stock, having been removed
before the allies occupied Asuncion.
1t Is improbable that Marshal Guilherme will do
anything but he will leave his successor to form his
own plans and carry them out; so we need not
count on anything being done before May. II
even SO soon: The Paraguay had, however. risen
so high that 1t was said the new admiral was
about to send the small monitor up. the
Manduvira again, to make an attempt at
destroying the six Paraguayan steamboats, chased
up it in January last From what deserters say, it
would appear that the steamers dlsarmed. but it
IS scarcely TO be doubted that advant tage has been
taken to make them t0erably inaccessible to the
Brazilian vessels. In January some perseverance
on the part OF the chasers might have erected their
destruction, but the want of zeal at Headquarters
infected all the forces then, and when the Paraguay
ans sank vessel across the river the squadron
turned back at the first check.