Important decree of General Mitre.—Penalty of officers deserting., July 11, 1867

Important decree of General Mitre.—Penalty of officers deserting.

1. All commanders and officers belonging to the army in the field, and at present absent from headquarters, whose furloughs may have already expired, or having previous passports, or who may be suitable for bearing arms and have not joined their regiments, shall be treated as deserters and forthwith put in prison, besides being suspended in rank and sent for trial, or otherwise disposed of as may be found convenient.

2. Any who may evade this decree shall be likewise suspended, and a list of them drawn up, to treat them according to their deserts as soon as they be arrested.

3. Whatever commanders or officers (as stated in Article 1) may be absent from their regiments when the next engagement occurs shall be set down as deserters, and submitted to trial as provided in Article 2.

MITRE.

JOSÉ M. MORENO.

July 15.—With reference to the gunpowder plot by which, as appeared, it was intended to blow up the government house in Montevideo, the following manifesto of General Flores has been published:

Manifesto of General Flores.

Fellow-citizens: Providence always defeats those criminal designs which involve deplorable consequences, and has just saved the republic from the immense and incalculable misfortunes that must have attended the diabolical plot recently discovered.

Designing and turbulent men plotting against my life, which is of so little value compared with the public welfare, did not hesitate to hatch in cold blood, and with murderous hearts, a most infernal conspiracy, which would have thrown half the city into mourning and caused numberless unoffending victims. This gunpowder plot will fill a black page in the annals of the river Plata.

Accustomed, as I am, to disregard all personal interest in fulfilling the sacred duties imposed on me by my beloved country, this horrid attempt will nowise influence me to falter in my fixed resolve of sustaining, by every means in my power, the cause of law and order.

In this sense I feel it my duty once again to assure my fellow-citizens and the republic at large that I shall remain firm in the programme of revolution and liberty, nowise deterred by whatever obstacles may rise up in my path, but upholding, with a steady and vigorous hand, the palladium of popular rights, till such time as a constitutional government can be safely inaugurated, which period I hope is not far distant, when I shall lay down the provisional powers now vested in me, and await with a quiet conscience and unalterable faith the sovereign decision of the people’s representatives on my various acts.

VENANCIO FLORES.

Montevideo, July 10, 1867.

The following is taken from the letter of the Standard’s correspondent from Rio de Janeiro: During last month (June) the following re-enforcements were despatched from this port to the seat of war by the imperial governments:

Consequently during the first six months of the present year no less than 8,829 men have been sent forward to re-enforce the Brazilian army in Paraguay.

The Bourgoyne, the first of a new line of mail steamers between Marseilles and Buenos Ayres, arrived here yesterday, bringing 183 passengers and a full cargo.

July 16.—The newspapers from Chili announce that General Saa, with various other Argentine exiles, had embarked at Valparaiso for Cobija, with the intention of entering the Argentine Republic by Bolivia, to continue the civil war which has lately raged in and is still disturbing the upper provinces.

The arrival at Montevideo of the transports Itipiru, Guapari, and Arinos, is announced, bringing 600 more recruits from Rio Janeiro for the army in Paraguay.

July 17.—The Standard publishes to-day the translation of a note addressed by President Mitre to Congress, dated the day before yesterday, in which he announces that in virtue of the authorization granted to him by the law of May 17, 1865, he is about to leave Buenos Ayres to resume his post as commander-in-chief of the allied army against Paraguay, delegating in his absence the executive into the hands of the vice-president of the republic.

The following second decree on absentee officers has also been published to-day:

Second decree on absentee officers.

War Office, Buenos Ayres, July 15, 1867.

Article 1. All furloughs without fixed date, given to commanders and officers on service in the field, shall be considered to have terminated to-day, and all such officers shall be allowed 24 hours from this date to present themselves at the Inspeccion General de Armas to receive their passports.

Article 2. The only exception to the above shall be for sick and wounded actually under treatment, or who may have received special license to look after their health, but all such parties must produce the army surgeon’s certificate in proof of their condition.

MITRE.

JOSÉ M. MORENO.

One of the local papers of this city states that the late losses of ammunition and fodder suffered by the allies in consequence of the floods were caused by Lopez’s having opened some sluice-gates and thus completely inundated their camp. The same paper asserts that the Paraguayans are aware of Osorio’s intention to cross the Panama at Itali, and are raising fortifications at that place.

July 18.—The Proveedor, arrived yesterday from Corrientes, brings news that on the 12th instant Osorio had disembarked at Itapiru with nearly 5,000 men. On the 8th instant the balloon made a second ascent with the Polish engineer Major Chosadiewiez, and a Paraguayan officer, Lieutenant Cespedes, who commands the guides in the service of the Argentine Republic. The balloon remained two hours in the air, and Major Chosadiewiez obtained a very clear view of all the Paraguayan fortifications. The Paraguayans fired at the balloon, but it was beyond the range of their artillery, and they only succeeded in killing four of the men who were at the ropes holding it.

A revolution had broken out in Tucuman on the 30th ultimo. It was made by the liberal party, and having been supported by the national guard en masse,had triumphed without any effusion of blood. It was expected that the deposed governor, Dr. Posse, would resign, and that a change of government would be effected without disturbing public order.

July 19.—Official despatches have been received by this government from that of Chili announcing that General Saa has undertaken a new expedition against the Argentine provinces, having started from Cobija for Salta. General Taboada, with a column of 1,000 foot and 300 horse, was, by latest accounts, moving against the city of Rioja, where Varela has his headquarters.

The national senate, in its yesterday’s sitting, has confirmed the following promotions made by the president: to be brigadier general, General Paunero; to be generals, Colonels Conesa, Dominguez, Arredondo, and Martinez.

July 20.—Pursuant to a decree of the president of the republic issued the day before yesterday, enacting that, as he was about to absent himself on public service, in accordance with the leave granted by Congress on the 17th May, 1865, the vice-president should take his place during his absence, the chief magistracy of the republic passed yesterday into the hands of Vice-President Paz.

The committee of the national house of deputies to which had been referred the bill of Deputy Quintena, for fixing the capital of the republic in Rosario, has agreed, by a majority of three against two, to recommend a new measure, enacting that the capital shall be on the line of railway between Rosario and Cordoba, but not in either of those cities.

It is announced from Montevideo that General Flores will arrive here to-morrow, for the purpose of conferring with President Mitre prior to the departure of the latter for the seat of war in Paraguay.

July 22.—President Mitre embarked to-day at 12 noon to resume the command-in-chief of the allied army in Paraguay. He was accompanied to the mole by the vice-president, his ministers, the members of the provincial government, and a large concourse of people.

It appears that Dictator Flores changed his mind about coming to Buenos Ayres, and has sent in his stead Colonel Bustamente, chief of police, and his private secretary, D. AmadeoErrecart, to confer on his behalf with General Mitre.

The provincial chamber of deputies of Cordoba has sanctioned a bill authorizing the governor to offer that town to the national congress as the future capital of the republic.

July 23.—It appears that matters are rather unsettled in Montevideo, owing to which General Flores was prevented from carrying out his intended visit to President Mitre. His son, Colonel Fortunato Flores, who, by his brutal conduct, has become the terror of Montevideo, has been banished to Europe, and was to have left to-day.

Her British Majesty’s gunboat Dotterel will leave for Paraguay on the 26th instant, carrying Mr. Gould, the secretary of the British legation. Through the kindness of Mr. Buckley Mathew, the British minister, she will take despatches and papers from this legation for the Hon. Chas. A. Washburn, United States minister in Paraguay.

Some of the Brazilian papers received by last mail seemed to be alarmed at the intention of the Argentine government to fortify the island of Martin Garcia, as shown by the vote of congress authorizing the expenditure of 400,000 hard dollars in the purchase of heavy artillery. According to their views the fortification of the island would be in direct violation of the treaties of 10th July, 1853, and 7th March, 1856.

July 24.—The press of Buenos Ayres has lately been discussing the question of fixing the permanent seat of the national government, and all the papers, with the exception of the Nacion Argentina, advocate the change from Buenos Ayres. In congress it appears that the majority is in favor of Rosario, and it is expected that the question will be settled in the course of a few days.

Late accounts from the interior show a very unsatisfactory state of things in the provinces, more particularly in those of Rioja and Catamarca. Rioja is said to have suffered terribly not less from the rebels than from the liberating forces of General Taboada. Within the last seven months Rioja has had no fewer than 15 governors. In Catamarca the vicissitudes of administration have been scarcely less remarkable; the liberal party have put into power 17 governors in less than four years.

July 25.—The mail from the interior brings news that the revolution in Tucuman had terminated peacefully, as was anticipated. The late governor, Dr. Posse, had resigned and a provisional governor named for two months, who had assumed power without public order having been disturbed, and without the loss of a single life. The rebel Varela had been again defeated by the national forces. The following official account of this action is taken from the Standard:

Captain Maldonado reports having defeated Varela, as follows:

“General Antonio Taboada:I beg to inform you that, in fulfilment of your orders to pursue the bandit Felipe Varela, I overtook him and his forces at Chilecito. We had a dreadful fight in a carrol,my troopers having dismounted, and after killing nine of the enemy, and taking 30 prisoners, besides all their horses, we were masters of the place. Varela, Brandan, and two Chilian officers, with the rest of the rebels, cleared out towards the mountains, my men pursuing, although they had neither eaten nor slept for two days. My men fought bravely, and we had not a single man killed or wounded.”

The statement, however, of the reporting officer, that his men after a dreadful fight had become by their bravery masters of the field, and then pursued the enemy, although they had neither eaten nor slept for two days, while after all these deeds of valor not a single man of them was either killed or wounded, sounds too much like exaggeration to deserve much credit.