Important from Havana.
arrival of the steamer Noc-Daqui, from Matanzas.
departure of Gen. Prim for very Cruz.
proclamation of President Juarez
&c. &c. &c.
The steamer
Noc-Daqui, from
Matanzas on the 8th inst, has arrived at New York.
She brings full files from
Havana, and her news is quite interesting.
From the New York
Herald's Havana correspondence we extract the following:
Mexican matters grow very interesting, and we get news from
Vera Cruz every few days, some of which is published and some not I intend to give you both one and the other.
The
Mexicans are undoubtedly preparing for resistance, and are collected at
Perote to the number of 30,000 men and one hundred and fifty pieces of cannon, according to some, while others make the figures larger.
This evening's paper puts them at 18,000.
The city government of
Vera Cruz, who had ‘"implored"’ the Spaniards to come in and help themselves, after the manner of the little roast pigs that ran about requesting to be eaten, have suddenly disappeared, leaving us therefore in grave doubt of the statement that they had ‘"implored."’ Under these circumstances,
General Gasset has issued a proclamation to the effect that the
Custom House, Postal Department, &c., &c., being thus deserted, shall be administered by officers selected from the army under his orders, and that the
Mexican tariff shall remain unchanged.
The details of Custom House business, I believe, will be conducted after the manner in use here.
The Post-Office is to transact no business with the interior of
Mexico, and the
Mexican regulations there also remain unchanged.
In the meantime events thicken.
On the 2d inst.
General Prim left for
Vera Cruz, on board the steamer
Francisco de Asis, in the midst of the French fleet, which sailed for the
Mexican coast the same hour, but not for
Vera Cruz, as you may depend.
The
French Admiral is in high dudgeon with his Spanish friends for having been in such a hurry to get into
Vera Cruz before their allies were ready, and will therefore take his vessels to
Tampico.
Additional offence has been given by the Spaniards' neglecting to hoist the
French and
English flags on the ramparts of
Ulloa and over
Vera Cruz, contenting themselves with their own exclusively.
The following vessels composed the French fleet:
Ship-of-the-line
Massena,
Captain Rose, having on board
Admiral dela
Graviere.
all propellers.
The land force on board the fleet numbers 2,828 men or all arms.
The French war steamer
Montezuma, which arrived on the 31st ult., sailed from here yesterday, and we have still in port the steamer L'aube, which arrived on the 1st inst., with six hundred troops on board.
the steamers which accompanied
General Prim were the Ulloa and
San Quentin.
on the same day (the 2d) the British steam frigate
Ariadne and the
Spiteful arrived here — the former from
Vera Cruz and the latter from Cape San Antonio, where she met the English fleet for
Vera Cruz, composed of the following vessels:
guns.
Ship-of-the-line St. George | 86 |
Ship-of-the-line Sans Parrel | 70 |
Frigate Mersey | 40 |
Frigate Challenger | 21 |
Gun boat Barracenta | 6 |
Gun-boat Plover | 5 |
Total | 228 |
A transport, laden with coal, accompanied them.
At
Vera Cruz things are a little unpleasant.
Supplies from the interior are so completely cut off that the most lavish expenditure of love and money fails to procure a decent breakfast or dinner.
Sir Charles Wyke, the
English Minister, arrived on the night of the 24th, having stopped some days at
Orizaba, where there was intense feeling against the Spaniards.
Daza,
Governor of
Mexico, had been deposed, and Azcarate appointed in his stead.
The
Mexican Cortez closed on the 15th after fully authorizing the
President to adopt all measures he might deem prudent in regard to the ‘"Spanish invasion."’
General Parrodi had been named Minister of War.
General Gasset, of the
Spanish forces, had established a custom-house in
Vera Cruz, and Uraga had established another five leagues from the city.
Juarez in his proclamation calls on all parties to give up their present quarrels and unite against the common enemy.
All had done so save
Zuloaga, who had but a small band, and
Miramon's party, to which, since his departure, but little more than the name is left.
On the 5th arrived from
Vera Cruz, in five days, the steamer
La Cubana, with little news of interest.
No sortie had been made by the Spaniards.
Tampico, occupied and well defended by the Mexicans, would hold out a long while.
Gen. Uraga has all the passes from
Vera Cruz well defended, and has under his immediate command 20,000 troops well armed.
He had received 22 deserters from the
Spanish forces, and on the arrival of my informant in the city he found 18 more had deserted, and more were expected to desert as opportunity offered.
Being forced conscripts they are never contented.
The attempt to get up an exhibition of agriculture, industry and fine arts has failed.
The first portion of the Sancti Espiritu Railroad was opened on the 29th ult.
On the 28th ult. the English steamer
Labuan sailed under very suspicious circumstances for
Matamoras.
December 31 the new Ayuntamiento or City Council, was sworn in, and went immediately to felicitate the
Captain-General on the taking of
Vera Cruz.
On January 6, the steamer
Cuba, formerly the
Calhoun, three days from Berwick's Bay with cotton, reports 1,508 tone
Capt. McConnell, formerly of the steamer
Habana, and
Mr. Plumb, attache to the
American legation at
Mexico, are here
en route for
Washington.