The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-03-21


| the neck Of bottle, emptying into the Ega. near
Estella The only other road leading inte It is
mountain path TO Asasua, connecting IL with
the Valley OF tae Araquil which the Cariists have
likewise made practicable for artillery. For dis
tance OF aiteen or twenty miles on either side OF
this gateway, on the south, the wall OF rock ana
mountain does not seem to be crossed by even
single mulspath and for great part OF the dis
lance not even goat could get over. Tho
Amescoas Is, therefore another fortress like that
OF the Valley Of Araqull, but even stronger and
easier or defence.
Let US now take glance at the map. and We
Will begin TO understand something OF the pecu-
lar strength OF the Carist POSITIONS. 1t should be
remembered that Bilbao, V1ttoria and Pampeluna
are IN the possession OF the Alfonssts II will be
seen that, with the Araar Mountains the spurs
they send south, enclosing tho Valley OF the Ara
gull on the east and the Sierra de Andia,
there Is a CONTINUOUS range OF noun aims
from the French frontier, near Roncevalles to the
gorge OF the Amescoas, just spoken OF, near Es.
tella, distance OF fifty miles; that with the
western wall OF the Amescoas, the Sierra de
Urbasa, the Araar and the spur they send north
past Bilbao there Is another almost con tinuoes
range OF mountains from Estella TO the sea.
These mountains. therefore, enclose an immense
triangle, whose apex is Estella and whose base
is on the sea-a base that may be measured from
Bilbao to the French frontier. The whole OF 1t,
with the exception, which shall refer TO pres
entity is In possession OF the Carlists The eastern
side, or that between Estena and the French
frontier Is crossed by only three roads Two OF
these--the one from Estella to Alsasua and that
from Pampeluna to Trursun-l have already de-
scribed. The third is the one between Pampeuna
and Bayonne which crosses the main range OF
the Pyrenees Aralar, and sends a branch to
Vera before reaching France.
ON THE OTHER SIDE
nom Estella to Bilbao, there five, one of
which, that from vittoria into the Valley Of the
Araquil, / have also described. or the other four
1t is only necessary to say that they all enter the
triangle by difficult mountain passes which are
very easy to defend. Or course, a large army Of
disciplined troops eight or ten times superior In
numbers to the defenders would probably force .
passage by either OF them at o great sacrifice OF
Lie; but neither Serrano, nor any OF the men who
have been in power since Don Carlos has taken
the field, have been able TO induce the Spanish
army to make such sacrifice 1t may now be
seen why 1t Is tDat Don Carlos with handful OF
undiscipined men, without oricers and with
out artillery, has hitherto been able
70 set the armies Of the Madrid government
at defiance. This triangle IS, in short, O huge
fortress that cannot be surrounded nor beSlegeJ,
that produces WITHIN It's own walls provisions for
an army or 81, 900 men; fortress whose parapess
are among the clouds, whose granite walls are
proof against al the plgmy artillery man can
bring against them. 1t Is a kind OF wedge driven
into the side OF spain between Pampeluna and
vttoria, like nail; wedge whose big end Is the
Province OF GQpusCoa and part OF Blscay; whose
point ia that triangular cluster OF mountains
north or Estella, called the Urbasa and the Aadia
ana which, penetrating almost 60 the Ebro
threatens OLD CASTLE and points eminously toward
Madrid Although the country actually held by
the Carlists Is much larger than this, and extends
TO the south and east Including nearly The whole
Of Navarro as well as 30 the west including Bis
cay, this Wedge Is the heart ana the stronghold of
Carlism.
1t was within this boundary that
CHARLES v. MAINTAINED THE UNEQUAL STRUGGLE
for seven long years, ana the country is still as
Thoroughly Carlist it forty years ago. and is
ready TO wage another seven yeais' war.
THE WEAK POINT.
This fortress has one weak point however
owing to the fact that the Carlsts have not got
possession OF quite all OF It. Near the sea coast
and the French frontier viii be observed three
towns--St. Sebastian, Hernsni and Trun-iorming
small triangle, whose largest side is about
twelve miles. These places are all IN the hands of
the Alonskss. and are more or less strongly forth
fed. ST. Ssbasten and Passa2es-a little fishing vii
lage near it-are good seaports where troops may
be rapidly landed in gre2tnumbers, Is was shown
during the siege OF Trun. These places, In the
hands OF Alfonso, and which the Carists. had they
but had good officers, woud have obtained pos
session OF long ago, enable him to attack the Car
list stronghold in the rear. They form, in fact,
q small Wedge inserted into the big end of the
large one, aud when threatens to open 1: from
behind. But here the friendly mountains have
again interposed, az tf expressly to favor the Carl
lists. There ID a range OF mountains that project
north fromthe Aralar and reach the at run,
near the French frontier. The peak called the
Three Crowns,r which everybod who has visited
Hendaye st. Jean de Luz aud Biarritz must have
remarked as tee highest OF wnat appears to be
the Pyfen6es, Is In reality the ex RENE northern
point OF this spur OF the Aralar ana it gradually
slopes down to the heights OF San Marcial famous
as the position Of one OF the Carlist batteries
during the stege OF Irun. a short distance from
It's junction with the AraIar another low range
projects from it and reaches the sea west Of st.
Sebastian. aud thus forms kind OF FORK, between
whose pronrs are situated the three fortresses.
They are thus incossd In q mountain triangle,
which separates them from the rest OF the coun-
Try. and TINS is why ST. Sebastian has been so little
used az base OF operations against the Cariists
In the north. BY simply holding three roads,
which are easily defended, the Carilsts can keep
large army cooped up in this little triangle and
render 1t almost useless.
THE THREE ROADS
are-the one from 1run TO Vera, that follows up
the valley OF the Bldassoa, a narrow, crooked,
rocky deGle, which battalion can hold against
an army; the one from st. Sebastian to Andoain,
almost equally difficult, and that from Irun to
Solosa. which energies from the triangle at Urni-
eta 1t was in attempting a sortie by this iattsr
road that Iona, with forces triple those OF the
AodI
Sth OF December. After a desperate struggle.
which iasted two days, he was obliged to give up
the attempt. The road energies from the triangle
here through Q little valley, which - dominated
BY hills and bluns. the Carlists have long since
seized AND fortified. But The Csrlists have never
contenied themselves with simply holding these
roads. Although the little corner OF country tnus