New-York tribune., 1870-04-22

thc Was htub Dy lliS ldtuci no d"
and succeeded in eflecting treaty of peace, which
was concluded in San jose dc Flores.
Lopez the elder, ON his death-bed, September, 1862
bequeathed his power to his son. and the following
month Congress ratified the act. The people thought
that Gen. Lopez would establish free Government
but few of the wiser ones shook their heads, la
mentng the death of the old Dictator. Hardly had
year elapsed when the war of Gen. Flores In the
Banda Oriental, induced the ruler to meddle in
the affairs of bis neighbors. We say meddle, be-
cause the parties to the original difficulty were Urn-
quay and Brazil 1t was not matter that concerned
Lopez; and for him to declare war against Brazil
because that country fit to decline his offered
mediation in her affair with Uruguay is something
that all reasonable men must ever regard as high
handed in the extreme. The offer of mediation i'm
plies the right to accept decline it; and could q
nation he expected to accept the mediation of one
who had already pronounced in favor Of its oppo-
nent1 The war thus raslly undertaken by Lopez
was destined to turn his fourishing country into q
desert, though such result was not yet foreseen.
The Paraguayans still pursued their peaceful labors
without any apprehensions of the terrible calamity
which was shortly to overwhelm them. At the close
of 1863 the culture of cotton had become general
among the planters. Public works were being rap
idly pushed forward at Asuncion and railroad was
COlHpICltu Hdll way W AZ thlo tliic lbC
people and nation were prosperous.
The Brazilian invasion of the Banda Oriental in
July 1864, precipiated events. Lopez sent ulti-
matum in August declaring against Brazil If she
did not withdraw her army. On the 18th of Novem-
Der the steamer Marquee de Olinda was captured in
Paraguayan waters, and on the 18th of December an
expedition marched against Matto Crosse. At this
time the Paraguayan army was composed of 10000
men, well provided with artillery and material
aud supported by a fotla of eight or nine steamers.
II Lopez had cOntented himself with making war
against Brazil within his own territory il is probable
that he would have been still ruling in Paraguay.
But he was disgusted with the neutrality of the
Argentine Republic, and a passage for his army
across the Missions having been denied him, he
seized two Argentine steamers of war anchored in
the port of COrIcntes. From this resulted the triple
alliance The allies were obliged to take the defen-
sive for year at least. Then the war went with
varying success until the fall of Humata in Febru-
ary, 1868, when the wheel of fortune turned against
Lopez forever. He resisted for some time in Angos-
tuTa which surrendered during the last month of the
same year, and since then there has been only q
guerrilla contest, the Paraguayans huITedly retiring
from place to place and constantly diminishing in
numbers By death or desertion.
Up to very short time it was believed that Lopez
would escape to Bolivia and this was, without
doubt, his intention when he was overtaken by the
Brazilian forces. He saved the allies from grave
by not srrendeIing himself but pre-
ferIing to die sword in hand Better would it havo
been for his people if he had fallen two years since
in the defense OF HWnaita. 1t is a moulnfu subject
the comparison between what Paraguay
might have been to-day if Lopez had followed in the
footsteps of his father, and the miserable state in
he Ia f4,r
them, and century must pass before Paraguay can
recover from the terrible effects produced by the
pride and selGshness Of him who has just died by
the hands of Brazilian soldier.
Lopez left four sons by bis Morponitic marriage
with Madame Lynch. He was man Of limited in
but is said to have spoken English,
French and Spanish correctly. He was corpulent,
but agile agreeable in conversation with strangers,
lofty and arrogant with his own people. His physi
ognomy was more Spanish than Indian. Sometimes
he dressed in the garb Of Napoleon BoDapartc,
weakness also related of the first Dictator Francia
He wore his beard long, and about five feet and
eight inches in hight. During the long war Just
ended he is declared to have shown military talent
Of only an inferior order If Lopez had placed
himself at the head of his troops in the beginning OF
the contest" says The Standard Of Buea0s AUes,
beyond question he might have gained possession of
Entire Rios Santa Fe, and the Banda Oriental He
sacrificed corps darm6e in his bady-nspired expe-
dition to Rio Grandc He lost an excellent oppor-
tunity to involve Gen. Paunero and capture large
park of artillery ia the Province of Corrientes He
destroyed his war vessels in the unequal contest with
the Brazilian squadron at RiachuclO. He wasted a
portion of his best troops in the mad attack upon
the island of Itapiru. In a word, he committed the
most fatal errors. Still, he had brave officers and
soldiers left and the reverse of the allies the 22d
of September, 1866 at Cuupaity, was an event from
which he might have drawn great advantages"
The oft-repeated declaration that Lopez was
cruel tyrant seems now to be generally admitted
His crueltes during the last two years have doubt
less been exaggerated and proof of this is furnished
in the case of his mother, whom Brazlans spoke Of
as having been whipped by his orders every day.
But, unfortunately for his memory, he cannot be abb
solved from many other crimes of ferocious charac-
ter. which are proved by unquestioned evidence.
Furthermore he is declared to have been no patriot
no true lover of his country, In August, 1861, Mr..
Could the English representative TO the Argentine
Rrpnblic. made overtures to him that were most
honorable The allies were ready to evacuate Para
quay if Lopez would retire to Europe and leave the
Government in the hands of the Vice-President. If
he had accepted these conditions in the beginning
he pretended lie would he might have associated his
name with remembrances of glory and patriotism,
and he might perhaps, ere this, have returned to
Paraguay in the quality of President by the free
choice Of the people. In the Last days of 1863, after
the dec sive contests Of December, when further
struggle had become hopeless, the true patriot,
having at heart the interests and happiness OF his
people would have yielded rather than permit any
more blood to be shed on his account.
Nevertheless, to many it will seem paradoxical to
say that Lopez was no patriot. Did he not struggle
gaIantly against the invader of his country through
a long series of years. ever protesting that hs sole
object was TO defend the national intercstsf and,