Year: 1868




proposed measures TO meet the deficit Of $s 900 he
shows, which he has been enabled 10 noat thus far
from 5K to IN per cent, according 10 the length OF
their term. He declares foreign loan impractical.
taxation SO that his only resources would appear TO
be increasing the sale Of bonds OF the internal debt
by lowering the price OF issue supplemented by fur
ther issues paper money to supply the deficiency
In the Chambers no business OF Importance mas
yet been taken up Parties are resting on their
come before the Assembly for debate. Tne custom
has hitherto been for the opposition 10 try their
steel when the answers to the Emperor's speech is
which all weapons are used and all the acts Of the
government are reviewed, attacked and defended SO
has to be hurried through its forms just at the last
hours OF the Assembly. Last year the present minis
purely formal reply to the Emperor's message, re-
serving the discussion OF Ministerial acts TO direct
vote OF confidence, or to the debates upon the est
mates and various measures proposed But the old
practice s too convenient one for the opposition
to readily give up. 1t affords wide latitude for
and 1t saves the lazy legislator from the toll and
responsibility OF initiating and defending propositions


One Of the measures to which the Emperor alludes
IN his speech-the law Of recruitment, as drafting is
here caled-has already been reported on by the
committee. According to the present law, all under
thiry-five not belonging to the National Guard and
not students Of colleges or members Of certain pro-
y,
cepted by certain conditions Of family relations The
bin reported proposes to form standing army by
drafts by ballot HON those between eighteen and
twenty-0ne who are not graduating at college or
faculty are not boarders In public seminaries or
colleges. Substitutes to be allowed, not money
emptiOns. Freedmen are to be exempt from draft
and are not to be received as substitutes,
the motive for this being the nOn-onending
draft may include all from seventy eight to thirty
five. No mention is made OF altering the National
Guard, and 1t will therefore remain on its former
fnnfn a otin nj zoffn 40
doubtedly an Improvement Of the present system Of
'recruiting' the standing army, but it win not
provides for exempting all but the ''base mechanic
as from the burden OF the tribute Of blood" by aid
o. the S excepting fe % draft students a ana M
young men who are able to exist without working
for their own living at the age IN question. The bill
voice In the matter; but 1t cannot be doubted that
the effect of the law will be to throw commerce,
trades and manufactures still more into the hands Of
foreigners and to aggravate still further the already
existing evil OF the enormously dspropOrtiOnate
number Of half starving drones and "industrias"
who, as doctors of law or medicine-knOw nOthings
in all the senses Of the word0af around the cities
are hangers on to their Weather or more indus.


A series Of letters has been appearing in the
Dad'1 40 F0ro the liberal organ which are under
stood to have been written by an officer Of high rank
unmtigated criticism Of the Brazilian generals
simo's tactics and dispatches. He is described as
of besiegng, and who does nothing but little ineec
tual operations designed to cheat the people
os no the By sse s. aa at Of he doing
The writer states. plainly that the fall OF
Humaita will really be nothing but the commence
ment OF the real war; and that, instead of
keeping forty thousand men idle encamped around
q fortress defended by two thousand men, CaXias
his troops a Sherman march could without difficulty
have been made, which would have swept the coun-
try and left the fortress to fall through exhaustion OF
supplies AS it is now Lopez has been enabled to
organize new lines Of defence, new armies, new
stores, and to arm his works with cannon drawn
at his leisure from the besieged fortress, even
while the Brazilian General had six iroD-cads
above Humaita, which should have been capable
let alone sxty-eight and 100 Founders and huge
droves OF CATTLE Yet there are still Brazians
who believe in the Marquis Of Caxias. The
munication which connects Humata with the re-
mander Of Paraguay above the allied positions and
ouposts, crosses the Paraguay about the centre Of
where the three chains pass to the long,
sandy spit opposite. A Wide and good road
ou us Of anae .es of ids s Braen a S@
reaches the work called limbo, situated twenty miles
up In swampy situation, upon piece of bluff
which work are mounted about fifteen cannon.
From this fort the road passes through the swampy
country on to the vermeio, somewhere up which
other side Of the Paraguay is effected by the Para
guayans. As for some reason the six iroDcads have
not been employed TO cut Off the ferrymg OF
supplies ut the latter place, Caxias after a long
delay set about ntercepting the communication by





part that with the aid Of the gunboats each side
OF the position no further opening would be left To


or n lane sSn S' p APP
just out OF range Of the owermost river battery OF
Humaita, and they set to work to cut through the
Brazilians were to land next day on the opposite
side of the spit, nearer its point and on more
reception; but being covered by the grape
OF two ronclads they were able to secure their land
ing and throw up temporary defensive works close
N IN IN N
long unmolested, for next evening troops from
Tlmbo attacked them in most gallant and deter
onet but unable, under the heavy fire Of musketry
and grape, to dslOdge the Brazilian troops While
the Argentnes, who had reached the road and
were reconnoitrng. The Paraguayans at once
charged and the Argentine legion broke at
the Brazilians advanced to the road and
united with the Argentines, followed the road to-
where two lakes stretched Il almost to the
river ut both Sides leaving position between them
covered in front and rear by these natural defences
There they threw up works covered by abattis with
the entertainments running from the ends Of the
lakes to the river at each side and monitors
More troops were brought. an attack was
anticipated, and, in fact, the next day lthe 4th
about $500 men, attacked the position on the Bra
lillian side, where the fronting lake receded further
from the river. The Paraguayans assaulted again
and again with the extreme OF bravery but useessly
the advantages OF the defence too great to be
overcome by them, and after leaving IL Is stated
sixth of their number dead behind them they aban
doned the fruitless attempt.


BY steamers come IN since the regular packet we
learn that the Paraguayans had made no further
attack upon the allied post across their road to HUI
malta, which, being held by five thousand men and
protected by cannon, may be considered impreg-
nable but they had sought to cut 1t or from cOInmu
ncation with the other allied forces by throwing
up works between them, and that In consequence
there had been two or three small affairs to prevent
their operations bOmbardment OF Humaita by
the allies was still kept up from the lines and two
or three bomb vessels, but 1t does not appear to
amount to much and the Paraguayans in garrison
to trouble themselves very little In regard to It,
Lopez is arming women, and letters state that he
has already four thousand In arms upon the Tebi
cuari, under the command OF his chere aDlie BriQa-
der Generaless Eliza Lynch. the spunky Irshwoma
who is said to be the real ruling spirit of the war
the management OF which Ia virtually in the hands
OF her two brothers who manage AL as Lopez is re.