The New York Herald Newspaper, July 26, 1873, Page 3

THE CARLIST WAR. Yraphic Letters from the Herald Corre- "-gpondent with Don Alfonso. SBtrength, Discipline, Military and ; Religious Enthusiasm of the Troops. BEYOND THE PYRENEES THE MARCH TO ORISTA. ‘Mountain Warfare with the Republicans. WHE PRINCE IN DANGER. #% Splendid Cavalry Charge ona Mountain Top. NUCALA THE HERO OF THE FIGHT. ‘Serious Quarrel Among the De- feated Troops. The Chief of Staff, “with the Blood Stream- ing from His Wounds, Dashed on Fu- rously, Waving His Gigantic Sabre, Which, Wherever It Flashedand Descended, Left a Victim.” W NEW ENEMY COMES IN SIGHT. ‘Whereupon the Carlists Aban- don the Field. “That Wild, Thundering Charge of the Cavalry.” Whe Ears of Carlist Dead and Wounded Worn as Trophies. DIOS, PATRIA, REY. OASTELLA DEL NUCH, June 15, 1873, ‘When the Carlist force under Don Alfonso Jeached the town of Estany, on Wednesday, the ith of June, an attack was fully expected and whe Gay wae passed in great anxiety. We num- ered not more than twelve hundred men, belong- sing to the battalions of Miret, Camps, Muxi and Sucala, the latter of whom had joined the Prince whe day before. The presence of the enemy in Jorce at San Felin andthe pronable proximity of Another column under Campos impregeed all with the belief that a fight wasimminent. Accordingly Bll the positions around the town offering any ad- ‘wantages were occupied and every precaution taken. About noon it commenced to rain, but the men remained steadily at their posts, exposed to the storm during five weary hours, when they were recalled to the shelter of the town. The rain con- tinued to pour down with violence till an ad- ‘vanced hour of the night, and possibly served to prevent the enemy from molesting us, while it cer- tainly prevented the Prince trom carrying out his Intention of passing the forenoon of the following day at Prats de Liusanés, in order to be present at high mass in honor of the great festival of Corpus Christi. Thursday morning was fine, although many a pile of fleecy clouds hung above and around the mountain tops, warning us that the rain was will- ing to give only @ short truce. At a very early hour mags was celebrated in presence of the entire force. and the Prince and Princess had the happi- ‘ness of RECEIVING HOLY COMMUNION, Gisplaying the utmost fervor and devotion. This edifying spectacle moved the hearts of ali present, and each felt that if Providence designed we should meet the enemy that day a signal victory would crown the arms that defended and the banners that bore His holy name, Immediately after mass thé little army got under arms and marched out of Estany, winding its way among the mountains, now 80 familiar to most, in the direction of Prats de Liusanés, which the Prince and Princess hoped Btll to beable to reach in time te take part ina Procession in honor of the day. MAKCH TO ORISTA. It may have been eleven o'clock when the town i Oristé was reached, and there ashort halt was ordered, to the great relief of all, for some rest ‘was needed after a rather rapid and decidedly Tough marcb of about five hours. As yet no news was brought of the approach of the enemy, the mountainous nature of the country preventing the possibility of seeing beyond an inconsiderable dis- tance. At noon the march was resumed. De- scending the slope of the mountain where Orista lies, close to the river, Liusanés, a parallel range, ‘was scaled in half an hour. Both these mountains and a third, lying directly south, all three running due east, are spurs of the Sierra de Pinos, a vast chain descending in a straight line from the Pyre. nees. Atsome distance from the third spar, with its back against a fourth, stands the town of San Felin de Sassera. Farther along to the north rises another great spur, at the eastern termination of which is situated the large town of Prats de Liusanéa, at whose feet flows one of the tributaries of the Liusanés River, It will be seen, therefore, that the country between San Felin and Prats is a dificult one to traverse. ‘The latter town is visible from the neigit which, it thas been said, the Carlists had just gained, Not many minutes aiter the crest had been reached THE FNEMY ‘was signalled aproaching from San Felin, directiy in our path, We afterwards learned that he did not expect to meet us there, and tie surprise thus Caused explained the hesitation maniest in his ranks, The Carlist commanders dashed nervously here and there, rapidiy taking possession of ad- ‘vantageous positions. The cavalry, about seventy horses, was posted out of sigit of the enemy, be- hind @ knob on the crest of the mountain and fac- fing west. The Prince and Princess took up their P08 tion at some distance from and to the left of the cavalry, two companies of Zouaves remaining ‘with them a8 @ personal escort. In one of these companies our gallant friend trom Wicklow ap- peared, shouldering @ Chassepot. More than haif @n hour passed before the enemy ventured to stir, Atlength, however, he was observed cautiously ascending the southern. dechivity of the mountain fnd forming as well as the nature of the ground would permit, Those that formed advanced at once, firing and shouting. But the Carlists, having arrived first on the ground, had had time to rest, nd were cooler in delivering their fire, which was effective, and checked the enemy's advance. Com- pany after company rose fromthe ground and aa. ‘vanced in their gn uporm the enemy, who showed no great heart for the fighte His men droppedy mw considerable disproportion to hose who fell on the Carist alde. For Wore wan an hour both sides skirmished without amy material advantage having been gained by either; but the enemy had in the meantime been getting his artillery up the mountain, and presently Opened with four pieces. A shell burst close to the cavalry and another right over the head of the Prince. Then it was that Cacala announced to his men that he was going to take the enemy’s artil- lery. He ordered them to advance without firing and charge when they got close to the guna, The cavalry was sent forward at the same time to sup- port the attack and charge when possible. It will be remembered that many of the cavalry were old soldiers and knew their business; nevertheless the idea of a cavalry charge on the top of a mountain, over rocks, gullies, fallen trees and other serious impediments, had something in it between the sublime and ridiculous diMcult to reconcile with our notions of scientific war. One thing, however, ‘was very certain—the guns must be captured or the battle lost. This Cucala saw, and therefore determined to lead his hardy mountaineers of the Maestrazzo where lay the point of danger. THR CHARGE, For a short distance the ground was tolerably practicable for the cavalry, who rushed forward fearlessly, passing Cucala’s men. This was too much for that justly renowned chief, Leaving his men, he joined the cavairy, riding fall in front and dashing, one may almost say,alone upon the enemy's ranks. The men followed him in the most heroic manner, hewing down all before them, and passing the guns, which they did not stop to take, but pressed on, pursuing the enemy, who broke and fed on every side in the utmost consternation and confusion. There never was a madder or more magnificent and decisive charge of cavalry, and its success was against all calculation and in the teeth of all probability. Before Cucala’s men ar- rived the enemy had time to save one gun, a sec- ond was rolled down the mountain into the ravine, and the remaining two were captured—one with equipment complete, the other without any. CUCALA, Picture a man about five feet seven, and at least four feet between the shoulders. He may be filty- five or sixty-five years ola; it is impossible to de- termine from his appearance. They say he has but one eye; but this also can not be determined by looking 1n his face, which is almost as brown as the rough jacket of homespun upon his back. Upon his head isa white bima and by his side trails a sabre, which is more properly a falchion; possibly @ weapon carried by an ancestor who went to Jerusalem with Ceurde Lion or Godfrey de Bouillon, But one other such is to be seen in the Carlist army, and that, as it should be, is carried by his chief of staff, an unpretending countryman, wearing the same coarse homespun, with the addi- tional luxury of a blue blouse. There are no braver men living than these two. Our re- markable chief rides a huge black horse, altogether unfit, one would suppose, for traversing the mountains; but then his opera. tions are carried on mostly in the comparatively flat territory of Lerida. In the charge at Orista he received a ball through the left arm, and another which cut his shoulder. He did not stop an instant, but, with the blood streaming from his wounds, dashed on furiously, waving his gigantic sabre, which, wherever it flashed and descended, left a victim, A PRESH ENEMY. Five minutes after the capture of the enemy’s guns the head of another column appeared on the crest of the mountain, immediately south of the battle field. This was the column of Brigadier General Camps, who arrived just in time to wit- ness the rout of his friend, Colonel Alvarez. At the same time scouts reported the advance of another column of the enemy, east of Oristé. This last was @ portion of Alvarez’s corps, which that officer de- tached from San Felina in order to reconnoitre the the country around Orista. It now become necessary for the victorious Car- lists to cease the pursuit of their fying epemy and abandon the field of battle. Camps made no at- tempt to renew the fight, and, when he followed, was inno hurry vo overtake his triumphant ad- versaries, AFTER THE BATTLE, the Cariists, seeing that the enemy was afraid to renew the fight, although vastly superior in point of numbers, coliected all the wounded they could find and marched past the town of Prats de Liusanés in anortherly direction, a portion passing through the towm. Among those they picked up were a ser- geant of the enemy’s artillery and three or four men of his battery, all wounded. These were left in a neighboring village, with express orders from the Prince that they should be cared for at his ex- pense until their own political friends should be able to attend to them. RELATIVE STRENGTH AND LOSSES. In my humble judgment the Carlist force that went into action will not reach 1,200 men. The enemy, on the other hand, including the torce under Camps—which, however, took no part in the fight—must have been very close upon 3,000. The column which did the fighting was composed in greater part of regular troops, chiefly belonging tothe regiment of Savoy, of which Alvarez was Colonel, two companies on!y of volunteers, or cipagos, being on the field. This column was pos- sibly interior in numbers to the Carlists, Alvarez having sent a strong force, as has been explained, to pass round Oristé. Nevertheless, it was at least 1,000 strong, and had four pieces of artiNery—an advantage which moye ethan compensates for the namieriéal disproportion. When the losses come to be considered it will be attributed to prejudice on my part If I state, in re- gard to the losses of the troops, what both sides de- clared to be the truth—namely, that Alvarez left over two hundred kilied and wounded on the field, the majority being killed. It has been set down at three hundred, but I state at the sater figure. ‘The Carlist 108s, 80 far as could be ascertainea was eigit killed and twenty-six wounded, accord- ing to the official report made to the Prince, The difference is enormous, but the enemy was routed, and every one knows that a route is most disastrous to an army. That wild, thundering charge of cavalry did all the mischief, and if Camps had not appeared just in the nick of time the losses of the enemy would have footed up five hundred, if not more, ALVAREZ ARRESTED. That Colonel Alvarez entered Prats de Liusanés & prisoner in the hands of Camps is positively cer- tain, but itis more than probable he was placed under arrest in order to save his life, the soldiers | having cried out that he was a Carlist and intén- tionally led them where they might be slaughtered. Then the troops of the various columns commenced QUARRELING AMONG THEMSELVES in the town of Prats de Llusanés, where a few more broken heads were added to the already long list of t republican casualties. According to the accounts received next day at the Carlist heaaquarters, the Tow was sertous enough, and we know now that General Camps was not only threatened several times with instant death, like his unfortunate col. league, Colonel Martinez, but insulted in the gross- est manner, and that he has since announced his intention to retire from Catalonia, At the risk Once More of being suspected of ex- aggeration, | must mention a circumstance which is as true as the battle itself, and shows the HORRIBLE BARBARITY to which men will sometimes suffer themselves to descend. The factin question is that certain in. dividuals of either Alvarez’s or Campo’s column appeared in Prats with THE EARS OF CARLIST DEAD OR WOUNDED worn as trophies! Comment is quite unnecessary. Iam very sure, however, that no Cariist volunteer would dare exhibit such trophies to ms chiefs, however well disposed he might be to indulge in the luxury, But in what was once the army of Spain there is now neither discipline, decency, courage nor virtue of any kind. Ali that it once had of good has been drained out of it by what is faisely, slanderousiy or ignorantly called “re- publicanism.” AT ALPENS the headquarters of Don Alfonso, Iremained till next day, and then marched to Ripoll, stiy acconpanied byeCucalt the hero of Orista, who, by the way, po netan his perforated arm on tue field of battle by siiaply fying a handkerchief around it and jetuing the other wound take care of itself, The men he brought with him are nearly all like him in Character—nothing bus oak knots physically, and, morally) speaking, alraid or no uving thing on earth, Don Alfonso’s Command—His Zouaves, Guides, Staff, d&ic.—Saballs and His Men—Castells and His Troubles—How We Marehed, Lodged and Boarded— Language, Manners and Hospitality, of the Natives. In THE Woops, NEAR Paeaiat June 5, 1873, A little diMculty with the enemy at O16 com- Pelled & change of base before I was enabled to finish my correspondence dated from that town. It will be forever a matter of surprise and conjecture for me, unlearned in scientific warfare, why we should have remained in that town till the enemy arrived there without having made ever so slight an effort to prevent his arrival. We were fully 1,200 men and occupied a splendid position, which was the town of Santa Maria de O16, being situated upon two peaks—one quite conical, the other less 80, but equally defensible. It was known at ten o'clock A. M. that the enemy, with @ force inferior te ours, was marching upon us, and yet we remained in a state of complete inac- uvity till two o'clock P. M., when the order was given to march, We left the town by a path be- tween the two peaks and wound along the base of the higher, presently gaining the crest of @ steep hill a quarter of a mile distant, But before the last man was out of the town, an honor which fell, I firmly believe, to your correspondent, the advance of the enemy was entering by the side opposite to that by which we were making our exit, the remainder of his force being stretched along a mountain parallel and quite close to the town, So soon, therefore, as the head of our force showed itself upon the Bill we had gained, the enemy opened a brisk fire from the opposite height, as briskly replied to, both parties firing across the very deep ravine which separated them. For my part, I must confess to having retreated in some disorder, having taken the matter colly till the enemy’s cavalry were actually in the town and might easily have seen me. The better to con- ceal my humble person, I boldly took to the river which fows north of the town, & small tributary of the Estany, wide, but not deep. There the pre- cipitous side of the sugar-loaf peak soon concealed me, and I waded and floundered as best I could for a distance of a mile, ocvasionally taking a look at the enemy, till I thought I might safely try terra firma. I was shortly after jomed by an acquaintance whom the firing had compelled to dismount, and who lost his charger in some unac- countable manner. The firing continued about two hours, resulting on our side in the loss of a horse killed and three men slightly wounded, On the part of the enemy the casualties were equally insignificant, possibly less 80, for we heard afterwards that they boasted in the town of not having had a man touched. About five o’clock we could hear his trumpets sounding the departure, which he took in the direction of Avinyé. Now, there is no doubt whatever in my mind that a hundred determined men, properly posted, could have annihilated that column of seven or eight hundred, men, or, at the very least, could have inflicted very serious loss. We were 1,200, under the enterprising Sabalis, and, with everything in our favor, did nothing. Some explain our inaction by asserting that Don Alfonso and the Princess are UNWILLING TO SHED BLOOD unless there be an absolute necessity. A very hu- mane reason; but then war is war, and should be made with ungloved hands. Others say there were several other columns moving upon us, and there- fore Saballs thought it more prudent to move from this point of rendezvous, In fact, at about six o’clock the same evening another column did meet usin the mountains, near the mighty Peak of Rodos, which towers to a height of 4,000 feet; but our force and position inspired respect, and, after an insignificant skirmish, the enemy retired. THE ZOUAVES AND GUIDES. When the ill-mannered enemy interrupted me 1 Was engaged in an attempt to describe what I have seen, and now, in this quiet retreat, which I must leave to-morrow or next day, I will try to resame the thread of my narrative. It has already been stated that Don Alfonso’s personal command is composed chiefly of the Zouaves and Guides. The former are a splendid body of young men, most of whom were in the Papal service prior to September, 1870. They wear the uniform worn by them in Rome, with scarlet bémas, and every one carries upon his breast the handsome badge of the Sacred Heart of Our Redeemer or the Papal arms. Many of them served under De Charrette during the war between France and Prussia, and carry French decorations. One of these heroes has as many as six medals strung along his breast. It is neediess to say they are well armed ; some with Chas- sepots, others with Remingtons, the latter weapon being preterred by most. The entire force of these brave volunteers is rarely, if ever, present, the fatiguing marches of the Prince obliging all in turn to drop out of the ranks and rest in some re- tired country house, The number usually present, therefore, will not exceed one hundred and twenty. Anxious as they naturally are to see their num- bers increase, they are, nevertheless, remarkably exclusive. All nationalities are admitted, but the candidate must possess certain moral as well as physical qualities. A young man presenting bim- self without high recommendations in regard to morality stands no chance of admission. I know of more than one instance where admission was refused. And if a member should show the white feather on the field he would have bis discharge in halfan hour. THIS CORPS D'ELITE is commanded by a young Hollander, Ignatins Mary Will, of Rotterdam. One may be sure that he deserves his post, if devoted courage and fervent piety can make a man deserve anything on earth. Apparentiy not more than twenty-five years old he is already a veteran. He fought at Rome, served through the late war in France, has been many months in Catalonia and bears the scars of no leas than thirteen bullet wounds. His uniform is a curiosity, being riddied and cut by balls which have passed througn it in all directions without even scratching him. In short, Commandant Wul has a pretty good record. Ina fight he is as much as possible on horseback, and exposes himself in the most reckless manner, not at all through a spirit of senseless bravado, but through a profound and pious faith in the Divine protection. He says he has asked God not to spare him wounds and sul- fering, but to spare his life, that he may see Rome once more. The Guides are about as numerous as the Zouaves, and, with only two or three exceptions, are all Spaniards. Their uniform is showy—scarlet jacket, light biue pants, white boma and red leggings. By the way, all the Carlists in Catalonia wear red cloth leggings—polainas, in the language of the conntry. Like the other Cartist corps, the Guides are not uniformly armed; for it must be remembered that the Remingtons, Berdans and other good weapons now so numerons in the Carlist ranks have, with few exceptions, been all taken from the enemy. The Guides have behaved well on several occasions, and are regarded as quite a crack corps. Their commandant was severely wounded at Puycerda, and Is still at the hospital in Prats, slowly recovering. Among the officers and men of both Zouaves and Guides the opinion pre- vals that it would be better to incorporate the latter in the former; but the Prince has thus far refused to listen to the proposition. Sconer or later, however, the two corps will be united. THR PRINCE'S STAFF. Up to a short time before [ reached headquarters Don Alfonso had a numerous staf for so small anarmy. There were then fifteen or twenty dash- ing gentlemen, well mounted and handsomely uniformed, with lots of braiding, gold algueletces. buttons, tassels and other lady-killing, awe- inspiring implements and martial accessories, Unfortunately for this correspondence, ail those gayly decked personages had disappeared precisely when they should have been on the spot to be chronicled; but # appears they could not wait for me, anco they went away. I do not say that they have deserted the Prince or the cause; they only found the perpetual movement of headqiarters too much for them, and one by one retired to repose and recruit in secluded country houses, 1 therefore found very few. persons about the Prince. One among the number an ol army officer, holding the rank of cglon¢! § NEW YORK .HERALD, SATURDAY. JULY 26, 1873—WITH SUPPLEMENT, commanger oF we. rrince’s menuted escort. Ac- companying this fine old colonel, and acting proba | ‘ing bly a8 an sid, was Don Alberto de Bourbon, younger brother of Don Francisco, already spoken of. Ifound him an ill-bred, unmannerly, common- looking youth, dressed in a kind of light blue hussar uniform. Then there was the inevitable ex-ofcer of the French army, found upon every staff in the world, In this case it was a pleasant, comtortable-looking little man, neither young nor old, fat, smiling and of a marveilous patience, This gentleman, whom! found amiable and sensible, had the rauk of cap- tain, and the duties assigned him were those of “army organizer.” He performed those arduous duties so well and so deitiy that ro one ever found him with anything but a contraband cigar; conse- quently he had plenty of time for talking, though, as arule, I found nim wonderfully discreet upon matters concerning the army organization. Then there was a doctor, with his little cam- paigning apothecary’s shop packed upon a mule. Not often did the good-natured, roly-poly, jolly little doctor find himself at headquarters; doctors are aluxuryin the mountains of Catalonia, yet people will tall sick in the healthiest localities and at most unreasonable moments, Therefore he ran away from his numerous patients only when he could conscientiously do so, for the purpose of re- porting to the Prince the progress, one way or the other, of wounded volunteers, The secretary of the Prince is an important per- sonage. When! firat appeared at headquarters the office was vacant, but bas since been filled by a young gentlemen with whom and with whose family Ihave the pleasure of being acquainted. He is @ young lawyer of considerable information, talent and good sense—gualities which should in- sure him a certain share of influence in the coun- ells of his chief. Finally, there was the chaplain. Y never ascer- tained whether only one or more priests wero attached to the Prince’s staff; at times there had been several, Each chief has with him one or more of those good men, who have been driven away from their parochial duties by the violence and intolerance of the “republicans.” They wear secular clothing of no particular fashion or cut, their dotna alone being different irom any others. It ia of deep purple cloth, with a long black silk or worsted tassel, attached, as usual, to the centre of the crown by 4 large, flat, black button, instead of the handsome metal one word by the troops. Two chaplains who followed Tristany wore pants of the same deep purple color, with & broad black stripe along the seam, which gave them quite a military air, further increased by the presence of a large navy revolver—never used, be it understood, ex- cept where life is actually in danger, in which case even @ chaplain has a nght to defend himself. ‘The staff, therefore, at the time I speak of, was insignificant in point of numbers, but probably quite sufficient for the duties, of which the hardest is. marching without much intermission. Asarule, the Prince and Princess take their modest meals aione, but occasionally one er other of the stat are invited to their table. So far as the convenience of those who dwell in conntry houses is concerned, the fewer the staff the better. This will be better un- derstood if endeavor to describe HOW THEY LIVE ON THE MARCH, It often becomes necessary to avoid the towns, even the most friendly, and the next best thing to do is to pass the night in one of the large country houses, fortunately very numerous in Catatonia, But fancy eight, ten, twelve hundred men arriving tired and famished at even the largest and most com- Modious of those houses. \ Fancy the confusion of the servants, the despair of the cook, the anxicty of the master and mistress, the running hither and thither in breathless haste, amid the darkness and deafening noise of so mafiy tongues wagging at once, Here comes @ servant girl with two or three huge loaves of black bread on her head, and of course she falls with @ scream over @ dozen rifles carelessly placed in her way, to the great delight of the men, who pick her up and applaud with their hands as she darts away in confusion, Near by ap officer is scolding a group of men with astonishing energy of langaage and gesture, and endeavoring to make himself heard above the laughter, the talk, the snatches of song coming to drown his voice from every side. Scores have thrown themselves on the floor, tables and benches, to rest while awaiting supper, which is being got ready by some of their comrades, the family cook being engaged in providing something for the Prince and Prin- cess. Luckily the cooking utensils are on a vast scale in those houses, and supper for 1,000 men can be prepared in an hour. How long that hour has appeared! Speaking for myself, it has always appeared three instead of one. Let us visit the kitchens, In each of the two or three there are twenty or thirty men hard at work, beating up eggs for an omelet, trying thick Slices of fat bacon, stirring up huge pots of beans, slicing bread for the inevitable soup, without which no Catalan can sleep; washing cabbages, peeling potatoes or preparing a salad. Each cook- ing place is nearly as wide as the whole side of the house, and there is room for all who wish to warm or dry themselves, In due course of time t¥e soup is announced. It consists of boiling water, slices of bread, a@ littie oll and a seasoning ef young, green garlic. It is in- variably consumed to the last drop and in the midst of the most profound silence. Itis the Cata- lan dish, par excellence, and brings with it thoughts of home. Then come the omelettes, the beans (mungetas), the bacon, and 80 on, and conversa- tion is resamed, The officers and those who can spend a little money on extras club together and have one of the men attend to their wants. He buys what he thinks proper, cooks and serves, and is so far a luxury in himself, I have never found poor wine in Catalonia, except near the frontier. Elsewhere itis of excellent quality, very cheap and the most useiul article of food we had, more especially to such of us as were unac- customed to long marches. A porro of wine, hold- ing more than a quart, can be had anywhere for six cents. This porro has a long spout terminating in quite & small point, and your trie Catalan drinks by inverting the vessel a foot or so above h's head and dexterously catching the wine as it flows in a thin, strong stream from the narrow extremity of the spout into his halt-opened mouth. The perfec- tion of this original and very ancient method con- sists in elevating the porro as high as the arm will permit, and in opening the mouth as little as pos- sible. During meals the porro passes from hand to hand, or, if you choose, irom mouth to mouth, although itis never allowed to touch the lips, and a drinking vessel is never seen on the tabie unless there be @ stranger present unacquainted with the art of using the porro, HoweveF it may be in other countries less dim- cult to traverse than the rough mountains of Cata- lonia, it 18 a fact which I have proved by experi- ence that drinking water on the march knocks one up in no time, while with a little wine now and then the fatigue {s infinitely less. It should be taken unmixed, water being scrupulously avoided til the march is over for the day. THE SOLDifn's ‘Rest, when supper is disposed of, is easily provided for. The floors of the stable, the barn and the large saloonsin the house are strewn with straw; the warrior wraps his tapa-doca, or shawi, around him, if he have one, and then, doubt not, 0 reader, that the sleep that comes is both sound and sweet. If he have no shawl and there be no straw, as some- times happens, he sleeps just as soundly and sweetly on the bare pavement of the stable or the floor of the parlor, RECITING THE ROSARY before or after supper is a custom in every Chris- tian family in Catalonia, the entire family assem- bling for the purpose, from the master of the house down to the humbiest field laborer. In the Carlist army the custom is not neglected, and whenever the men are not too tired or too numerous to be assembled in one room the} rosary is devoutly re- cited by the entire party. Ihave seen tired men awakened out of asound sleep by Te monotonous rise and fall of the voices in the responses, and, notwithstanding their fatigue, join heartily in the prayers. Among such a people it is dimcuit to be- eve that the impiety 80 absurdly called republi- canism can ever obtain more than asiender foot- ing. More than once I have been in the public room of @ little country inn when the “Angelus” was rung ont from the church tower at noon or at sundown, a8 the case might be, and instantiy every ong rose, with uncovered head, to recite the ‘Balutation.”. These Ittle circumstances, denot- © religious customs and character of the people, are well worthy of notice. SABALLS AND HIS MEN. Before General Tristany (pronounced Tristafi) left the Prince we were joined by Géneral Sabalis, at the head of about four hundred mon. We had halted in a field on the edge of a wood, to await him, word having been previously received that he was coming. After waiting at least an hour 1 observed two horsemen in flaming red uniforms gallop up tothe spot where the Prince and Princesa were standing. There they immediately dismounted and saluted their highnesses with extreme politeness. They were Saballa and his chief of staff, a son of the Marquis de Sabater, for whom, as it happened, I haa @ letter. ‘The General had come on tn ad- Vance of his men, who came up half an bour later. 1 was somewhat disappointed at tue appearance and manner of the celebrated leader. He has not at all the fierce look his photo- graphs give him, but quite a jovial, Pleasant expression, notwithstanding his lean, brown face and long white mustache combed across his sunken cheeks, with, one might ma- Uciously imagine, an evident cesire to look as ter- rible as possible, His eyes are blue or light gray, and thelr pleasant twinkle impressed me at once with the idea that he was not such a bad fellow acter all, The first good chance I got | walked up and saluted him in French, which he speaka like a native, without a particle of foreign accent that I could discover. He shook me warmly by the hand and immediately inquired if I could gye him any news of his family. 1 was happy to be able to do 80, having the honor of knowing Mme. Saballs and his daughters at Perpignan. He remarked that he had had no news from his wile for months, and had been much distressed on hearing that she had been expelled from Perpignan. I explained that 1¢ was an idle ramor, based, however, upon the fact. that, the so-called republican party would gladly have expelled Madame and her children from France if they could and that posmbly some steps were taken to that end. He said he was delighted to hear the re- port was not true, He then asked, ‘What news do you bring? We seldom have any.” lgave him the latest I had from France and Navarre, twe or three weeks old, more or leas. He inquired if I purposed staying with the Prince or returning to Perpignan; to which I replied that I expected sooner or later to return to Perpignan, and would be only too happy to carry a letter or message to Madame. He laughed and said, with an emphatic nod or two, “I believe my wife knows I have no time to write letters; but if you see her, do me the favor to say you found me and my son (pointing to & youth who sat near him on horseback, listening attentively) quite well, thank God.” At this point ofour conversation an officer interrupted us to deliver a message to the General, who saluted me with a bow and a pleasant smile, and rode away, foliowed by his stair, In personal appearance Sabalis is a man of about fifty-five, tall and thim, with a peculiarly wiry, hardy air about him. He dresses entirely, or nearly 80, in scarlet, and wears long riding boots with heavy spurs. On his breast are ten or @ dozen crosacs and medals, and one very large, handsome decoration, about.as big as a saucer. His chief or staf, Don Felipe de Sabater, and his son, wear the same showy style of uniform, bat the decorations have not as yet been hung upon their youthful breasts. His men, like their chief, are fond of red, and the whole party look. more like @ set of red-shirted Garibaldians than soldiers of His Catholic Majesty, Charles VII. Like the other Carlist corps, they are well armed, but without uniformity. I counted eight or ten trapucos, a formidable weapon at close quarters and known.to, us by the curiously awk- ward neme of blunderbuss, About half the force Sabalis brought with him formed a_ special corps called Guides. A portion of these, I think about fifty, are well mounted and present quite a good appearance. The infantry Guides nomber some two hundred, and carry a small black flag ‘with @ yellow border, and the, words ‘‘Adajo la Re- pubdlica!’—down with the Republic !—embroidered ‘upon it, While speaking of the Zonaves, 1 snould have mentioned that they likewise have a fag, a hand- some silk one, of which they take great care. It is the Spanish flag, with the words, “Viva la Re- ligion?” on one side, and “Viva Carlos VII.!" on the other. THE PRINCES BAND. The day Sabalis joined us we were pretty strong in point of numbers, and resolved to make a little display. We, therefore, marched to Avinyd, a town in which there are but few Carlists, and on arriv- ing there preparations were made to enter with all the pride and pomp we could muster. I then found that there was an institution at headquar- ters known as “The Prince’s Band.’ The band ‘was not very numcrous, but half a dozen brass in- struments well played make pretty good music, And so the band came to the front, the flags wave gayly, the companies formed, and Aviny6 was enteredintriumph. So far as my own experience goes to prove it Avinyd well merits its reputation of being “republican” and “liberal,” for I could get nothing to eat but dry bread. It was the only place I found in Cataloma where I fared so badly, and where there was a positive unwillingness to do anything for a Car- list, At the hotel there was “nothing,” at the café there was “nothing,” and whatever others did I went without dinner. In tho evening we lett the “uberal” Aviny6, our places being taken the same night by a column of the enemy, who, I have a right to suppose, Jared sumptuously. Lost, An hour or so after leaving Aviny6é avery un- pleasant adventure befel me. A hait was ordered, and after along conference between the various chiefs our force broke into three columns, each marching in @ different direction. The Prince, with Sabails and Camps, crossed the River Liusanés, to the left of where we halted and | went eastward across the mountains. Tristany also crossed and took @ path leading due south, while Miret pursued the main road running south | along the right bank of the river. ‘Tired and hun- gry, Isat by the roadside, not noticing the move- ments of the troops, til1 all at once I found myself alone. Miret alone remained, conversing witha couple of cavalrymen, I jumped up and asked him which direction I had best take. This chief, who never appeared to comprehend why I was £0 anxious to follow, at the risk of my life, a handful of men constantly tracked and pursued, advised me to make the best of my way to Suria, and then galloped off to rejoin his command, already far away. 1 was thus left entirely alone, and filled with the bitterest indignation toward Miret, whose behavior under the circumstances I felt to be cruel in the extreme. The little baggage I had, a small satchel, I had entrusted to the care of @ muleteer, who had gone of with I knew not which division, It was already sundown, and the promptest resolution was imperative. I followed and overtook Miret’s force, which, forta- nately for me, had halted on the main road a couple of miles from where I had been left. There Tlearned that the muleteer I was in search of was probably with the Prince, Resolving to stick, like an experienced traveller, to my baggage, insignia- cant though it was, and being anything but desi- rous of marching with Miret, I crossed the river and scaled the opposite bank, determined to fol- low the Prince till I shoald find him. The sun haa by this time set, and darkness soon added itself to the trials of my sitaation. I was going east, be- cause the Prince had gone east; that was all I knew. I prayed ashort time for help and guid- ance, and then pushed on vigorously and full of confidence. I do not know how long I had marched—some two or three hours—en- deavoring to follow the path I had ase- lected because of its width, when suddenly from behind a rade stone fence appeared a man armed with ® musket. fe had evidently been watching me asI came along. My first im- pression was anything but pleasant but under such circumstances & bold face is most advisable, and Lat once asked him, “Quien es ustéd?”) “Who are you?” He made no reply, but went on ahead. 1 noticed that he limped in a peculiar manner, 80 T said, “I saw you at Alpens, with Miret.” He re- plied, “Si, Sefior, and [ saw you there too.” A treaty of peace and amity was immediately con- cluded, He, too, was looking for the Prince; being too lame to keep up he bad faiten behind, but he hoped in an four or two we should be all right, At tho first house we found we learned that the Prince would probably pass the night in the neigh- boring town of Old, and thither we went, arriving not very far from midnight. I picked out a large, respectable looking house and boldly asked for a bed, which was presently spread for me on the floor in asmall attic, and there, full of thankful. ness, I slept till daybreak. Irelate this adventure simply in order to ilins- trate the diMeuities of my mission. It is only one out of many endured for the sake of duty. GENERAL CASTELLS, One day, upon the march with the Prince, Miret, Camps and Tristany, a column of smoke was ob- served rising ata considerable distance to our right. We were ascending a mountain, and when we had got to the top a sound of musketry could be distinctly beard, but coming from a direction: hearly cpposite to where the smoke was rising. Another mountain, and possibly still another, rose between us and the scene of the firing; therefore nothing could be seen, I think in auy other part of the world a bold, adventurous and sensible gen- eral would have pushed on to the aid of a brother in arins, In Catalonia things are managea qu.te differently, The frst question debated that day was—Wuto can it be that is engaging the enomy? The giving or withholaing ‘aid depended, it would appear, upon the so- lation «of §=that) «question; and herein lies the secret of Don Aifonso’s greatest difmicuities, Well, some said it must be Sabalis, others that it was Anguet, and others thought Castells was more likely to be there. I venture to assert, had it been known positively that it wasa@ chief of inconsid- erable promiuence, such as Nastarratt or Barrau cot, who was engaged that Tristany would have marched to his relief, Qur'force had halted on tne top of the mountain, and the fring continued, coming nearer and nearer, One party was evi dently retreating toward our position. This com- pelled us to do something. The Zouaves were sent to occupy a high point, with a patch of wood on either side. The firing had by this time lasted fully two hours. At length we could discover @ dark line moving inadeep distant ravine, Field glasses soon revealed the fact that it was a body of hostile cavalry coming toward us. Camps was immediately despatched, with a couple of hundred men, to intercept and attack the enemy, and in a quarter of an hour we had the satisfaction of seeing his force winding around and up the side of an opposite mountain. We watchea the enemy, Who was moving rapidly along the bottom of the Tavine, and, presently turning off at right angles to and across Camps’ line of march, he was lost. ta sight, It then became evident that Camps would make a fruitiess excursion. In the meantime the fring had ceased and things were growing tedious. All at once my attention was attracted by the ap- pearance among us of a brisk old gentleman, wearing @ white boina, with the gilt band of a general upon it. The fringe of short, white beard around his face and the absence of a mustache led ‘me to conclude that it was General Castells, for I had seen his photograph. Jt was he, in tact, who had been fighting for hours a column or the enemy, several hundred strong, with only eighteen men! On the occasion in ques- tion I saw very little of this remark- able man, for he left us that evening or next morn- ing, but I jell in with him afterwards and marched with him through the mountains during two or three days, being very desirous of ascertaining bis views of the situation and of hearing his version of the reason why he 1s not at the head of acon. siderable force instead of wandcring about with less than twenty muskets at his orders. Don Juan Castells is a strongly built, muscular man, of middle height, about sixty-eight years of age, but very young and robust for his years. He 18 the oldest military leader among the Carlists tn Catalonic, and commanded with ability a column of 4,000 men during the seven years’ war. Noone doubts his courage and remarkable coolness in presence of danger, nor his enterprising spirit, dash and determination, He is the only Carlist leader in Catalonia, so 1 am assured, who has the rank of Lieutenant General, a rank which he haa won by a@ thousand sacrifices, sufferings and tri- umphs in the field. He was the first man in the field for the Carlist cause In the war now pro- gressing. THE FIRST BLOW FOR DON CARLOS was struck by him on the 7th of April, 1872, at Bar- celona. He assembled eighty of his friends in arms on that night and marched with them to the moun- tains. He and his eighty men have been pursued, hemmed in, cut off over and over again; but his ability, courage and strong common sense always saved him. He has had as many as 10,000 men of the regular army thrown upon him at once, yet he has known how to baffle them. He has made marches of forty and fifty hours and utterly bewil- dered his enemies and excited their admiration by the rapidity and ekill of his movements. One nat- urally Leh, | is such aman set aside? Lest it may be thought I ex: rate his extraordinary marches | will cite one which will never be forgot- ten in Catalonia. He marched down the Liobregat River, from its suurce in the mountains at Castella del Nuch, following it to the sea, crossed it there and marched back along the otner bank back to Castell4, without resting more than an hour atatime. Considering the distance and the mountains he had to traverse, the march waa erformed in an incredibly short space of time. | Neecless to say, he had thousands of the enemy at his heels all the time. Later on, with only 150 men, he attempted the capture of Berga, strongly gar- risoned, but of conrse was repulsed. Finally, he is popular among the mountain people, and it 18 said can get more men to follow bim than any other M™man in Catalonia. Therelore, once more, why is he set aside ? HISTORY OF THE TROUBLE. Some time ago there were a couple of gentlemen on the staff of Don Alfonso, for whom that Prince Pied the highest esteem, and who enjoyed his llest confidence. One had been till ved lately an ofticer in the regular army, and had been all hig life a strong enemy of the Carlist cause and prin- ciples. The other person is said to be @ half- brother of the ex-officer and, like him, a recent convert to Carlism. The ex-oMcer is accused by many persons of having been the cause of the arrest and execution at Montealegre of eight p2rsons who had taken the field tor the Carlist cause in the Spring of 1870, when the projected rising failed, Among these eight victims was @ son of General Castells, a boy of only fifteen years. When Don Alfonso gave the General the ap- pointment of commander in chief of a couple of provinces in Catalonia he offered him the post of general chief of ataff, which would have made him General in Chief of all the Carilet forces in Cata- lonia, and was precisely the post to which he was entitled and where he would have been most us¢- A In re} My to the Prince's offer Castel sald, © w our High eas hae a pefsoh upon your staff whom I cannot endure. Before accep ng. any post must insist on that person being dismissed.” blunt speech displeased the Prince; Fisk 80 strong was popular opinion concerning the person it question and all his surroundings that the Pr ince was finally obliged to dismiss both, which he did in the moat gracious manner, sending ti Navarre with letters of recommend: King, his brother. Don Alfonso migh renewed his offer to Castelis; but he did not, and Castells, finding himself treated with coldness, re- signed his title of Captain General and retired. He has repeatedly said to me, when speaking ot this most unfortunate dimculty:—“If 1 cannot prove my charges against that man, before a court martial or other tribunal, I shall be perfectly will- ing to have myself branded asatraitor and shot like a dog.’ Add to that strongconviction another equally strong, that the eae in question caused the death of a son, and ft wit not be dimcult to excuse @ much More violent speech than that which displeased Don Alfonso. WHAT HIS ENEMIRBS SAY. They say that Castells kept a drinking place in Barcelona, where a good deal of gambling went on, and that, therefore, he is an immoral man, un- worthy of the Prince’s confidence, Some go 80 far as to say he has acquired habits of intemper- ance, and, therefore, cannot be entrusted with an army; wi ie others add he is too old, Among his enemies a1 Saye some who in their conscience acquit him; but, in an army without a head, jeal- ousies are invariably much more rife and ambition more brazen, His worst enemy, however, canuot deny that he has always been a devoted Carlist, stanch, true and unflinching, no matter how ign erty may have pinched and tempted, and that something in his favor. While others fell away, upon one plea or another, Castells could always ne relied upon. For my part, I believe the Caete) 01 intemperance utterly untrue, while she objection on the score of age is simply absurd. A MORE SERIOUS CHARGE than any of the foregoing is made against Castells, while it is pretende the true history of the trans- learned from General Cabrera, wan k's altos beexpelied Castells from Catalonia {n 1948, I couid learn nothing more in regard to it than that the diMculty grew out of a question in which money was mixed up. Of course if @ general cannot be entrusted with @ sum of money in order 3, neither he nor his army can bo eed upon; but it will immediately occur to any one to inquire, why was Castells taken any notice of whatever and inted Cr Generat and all the rest in 1873 if gaiity in 1848? Precisely ; therefore [doubt the gravity of the charge, and venture to think that Don Alfonso should engage the services of every man who can influence even one more to serve faithfully, without stopplug to inquire how often he has “turned up a Jack.””