The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-07-21
Distracted spain-Furthor Reports OF
tho Bloody Battle OF Igualada.

O1stroCtcQ Spoln-FOrtnoE kSepOrto OF
tho Bloody Battle OF Igualada.
A special HERALD despatch of last night
from London says that reports from Spain con-
corning the late sangainary battle of Igualada
differ as to the results according to the sources
from which the reports come Carlist or repub-
ican. All agree however, that the conflict
was very severe and bloody. The Carlists
or royalists were the attacking party,
and they were under the command Of
Prince Alfonso. Accounts of the battle re-
ceived from Perpignan 20 city of France near
the Mediterranean, and among the Pyrenees
that overlook the Spanish province of BARGE
lona in which Igualada is situated) state that
the battle was prolonged to eighteen hours
duration; that the government or republican
forces lost thousand prisoners, four pieces of
artillery and two thousand stand of small
arms. Another report says that the
royalists had resumed active operations on
Friday, that they were entrenched against the
city, and that its capitulation could only be
prevented by the timely arrival of reinforce
ments to the government troops. A still later
despatch says that the city has been captured.
This is important if true for the Carlists
are evidently operating for the conquest
of military line which, if they succeed
in securing. will give them possession of
all the northern frontier provinces of Spain.
This line is the railway line which, beginning
at Barcelona on the Mediterranean, passes
eastward to Igualada, some forty or fifty
miles, then east to Saragossa, one hundred and
fifty miles, where the road branches in one
direction to Madrid and in another
(northward) to Pampeluna, at the base
of the Pyrenees. The line from Pam
peluna around to Barcelona is the
base of operations for which the Carlists are
fighting. Convenient to Pampeluna and to
France, in the famous old heroic kingdom Of
Navarro, Don Carlos has his headquarters and
his post of observation; while near the other, or
east end Of this railway line Don Alfonso ap-
pears to be heading the principal column of
the royalist forces at Ignalada, q city, by the
way, OF some fourteen thousand population.
Now, in the event of the capture of Igua-
lada by the royalists they may, from this
success, be sufficiently emboldened and
strengthened to march upon Barcelona, city
which, with its population of 1874, 900, is the
second city of Spain. The fall of Barcelona
would probably bring Don Carlos from the
Pyrenees down ON the road to Madrid and,
from the present demoralized, chaotic
and uncertain condition of things in
Spain, we know not what o day
may bring forth. From its numerous
mountain ranges, which cut up the peninsula
into many distinct distri cts, and from it's
old and still cherished political divisions,
marked by these mountain ranges, no other
country in the world is so well adapted for
revolutions as Spain. The government has
the advantage of the possession Of the
State and Of q standing army of dis
ciplined soldiers, in the main loyal, though
partly demoralized And yet while the whole
royalist force now in the field is represented
as not exceeding ten thousand men, the pros
pect for the Republic in Spain is that of
long and bloody struggle before it will be able
to proclaim to the world the suppression of
all opposing forces and the establishment of
law and order on the basis of a government
by and for the people. Meantime the seces-
sion movements afoot in certain provinces are
calculated only to increase the difficulties Of
the government and the prevailing elements
of discord and chaos throughout the penin-
sula.