instant, Captain Bragg received his orders, galloped into action, and opened upon the exulting pursuers so suddenly that confusion ensued almost before they had time to perceive its source. A similar instance we have in the conduct of the Mississippi regiment after the retreat of the Indiana troops. Then, also, the day would have been lost, but for the oneness of action which pervaded both the officers and men of those gallant troops. An example of the want of it is given by Santa Anna, in the case of the failure of General Minon to co-operate with him in the last chargeand it is to be noted that to this cause alone the dictator ascribes his defeat.

UT the principal cause of victory-that which combined and modified all others-was the character and conduct of the American general. Few men, besides himself, could have conquered at Buena Vista; none other could have inspired the troops with such devotion and enthusiasm. Talents for the choice of position, for the arrangement of the line of battle, and for the conduct of the engagement, coolness and intrepidity while exposing his person whenever it became necessary; together with the determination to conquer, which inspired through him, all his men, marked his conduct on that day, and secured him, to future history, as the Hero of Angostura.

After the retreat of Santa Anna, no event of importance transpired, until the 2d of March, when a force of two hundred Americans, commanded by Major Giddings, and accompanied by a train of a hundred and fifty wagons, was attacked by General Urrea, at the head of fifteen hundred Mexicans. The first onset of the enemy was repelled; but the cavalry then attacked the wagon train, and succeeded in driving the teamsters from their horses, and separating the whole into two bodies. A summons to surrender was now sent to the smaller division, which was refused, and, soon after, the Americans cut their way through the enemy, re-united, and forced them to retire. They lost fifteen teamsters and two soldiers, while the Mexicans left more than forty on the field. Major Giddings entered Seralvo the next morning, and in a few days was joined by a considerable force under Colonel Curtis, who was in pursuit of Urrea. On the 16th, the colonel came up with General Taylor, near Marin. The general was also in pursuit of the Mexicans, having with him May's dragoons and two companies of Bragg's artillery. Notwithstanding, however, the active exertions of the general, Urrea succeeded in eluding him, and retreated beyond the mountains; and, soon after, the Americans retired toward Monterey, and took up a position at Walnut Springs.

The following is the address of General Taylor to the inhabitants of Northern Mexico:

The General-in-chief of the American forces, to the inhabitants of Tamau lipas, Nuevo Leon, and Coahuila.

When the American troops first crossed the frontier, and entered the above states, it was with the intention, and publicly declared to you, of making war, not upon peaceful citizens of the soil, but upon the central government of the republic, with a view to obtain an early and an honourable peace. The undersigned was authorized by his government to levy contributions upon the people, for the support of his army; but, unwilling to throw the heavy burden of the war upon those who, with few exceptions, manifested a neutral disposition, he has continued, from the first, to pay punctually and liberally for all supplies drawn from the country for the support of his troops.

He has used every effort to cause the war to bear lightly upon the people of these states, and he had hoped by this means to retain their confidence and insure their neutrality in the strife between his government and that of Mexico; but he regrets to say that his kindness has not been appreciated, but has been met by acts of hostility and plunder. The citizens of the country, instead of pursuing their avocations quietly at home, have, in armed bands, waylaid the roads, and, under the direction, and with the support of the government troops, have destroyed trains and murdered drivers, under circumstances of atrocity which disgrace humanity.

The lives of those who were thus wantonly put to death cannot be restored, but the undersigned requires from the people of the country an indemnification for the loss sustained by the destruction of the trains and the pillage of their contents. To that end, an estimate will be made, by he proper officers, of the entire loss; and this loss must be made good either in money or in the products of the country, by the community at large, of the states of Tamaulipas and New Leon and Coahuila, each district, or juzgado, paying its just proportion.

It is expected that the rich will bear their full share. And the undersigned calls upon all good citizens to remain absolutely neutral, and to give no countenance to the bands which infest the country for the purpose of murder and pillage. It is his anxious desire to continue the same policy as heretofore, and he trusts that the course of the citizens will enable him to do so!

Z. TAYLOR, Maj. Gen. U. S. A.

Head-quarters at Monterey, March 31, 1847.

S we have formerly stated, General Winfield Scott on had been sent by government to the seat of war,

previous to the battle of Buena Vista; as he was the senior officer in rank, he of course became commander-in-chief of the whole southern army. He cannot, however, be said to have superseded Taylor, as the sphere of operations of the two generals was entirely different. The order defin

ng the duties of the new commander is as follows:

WAR DEPARTMENT, WASHINGTON, November 23, 1846.

Sir, The President, several days since, communicated in person to you his orders to repair to Mexico, to take the command of the forces there assem

bled, and particularly to organize and set on foot an expedition to operate on the Gulf coast, if, on arriving at the theatre of action, you shall deem it to be practicable. It is not proposed to control your operations by definite and positive instructions, but you are left to prosecute them as your judg ment, under a full view of all the circumstances, shall dictate. The work is before you, and the means provided, or to be provided, for accomplishing it, are committed to you, in the full confidence that you will use them to the best advantage.

The objects which it is desirable to obtain have been indicated, and it is hoped that you will have the requisite force to accomplish them. Of this you must be the judge, when preparations are made, and the time for action arrived.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

Gen. WINFIELD SCOTT.

W. L. MARCY, Secretary of War.

N pursuance of this order, General Scott sailed from New York on the 30th of November, and reached the Rio Grande on the 1st of January.

The great object of the new army was an attack upon the Mexican city and fort of Vera Cruz and San Juan d'Ulloa. The land forces of the general were to be assisted by the naval squadron under Commodore

Conner. The latter embarked at the depôt, and on the 7th of March landed at Anton Lizardo. Still the forces of the general were not sufficient to justify an attack, and he was obliged to detach a large number from the troops under General Taylor. These reached him in February, and augmented his army to about twelve thousand men.

The following excellent description of the city and castle of Vera Cruz, we extract from the New York Herald; it will be seen that the Mexicans were justifiable in regarding it as impregnable :

"Vera Cruz is situated in 19° 11' 52" north latitude, and Fahrenheit's thermometer has an average range there of 77 degrees. One portion of its walls is washed by the Atlantic, and the shore on the opposite side is a dry and sandy plain. Measuring from the wharf of the city to the fortress of San Juan de Ulloa, the latter is 1072 varas distant, and its circumference is 3174.

"The city is situated on the exact spot where Cortes landed on the 21st of April, 1519, to which he then gave the name of Chalchiuheuecan. The city, however, was not founded at that time. The first Spanish colony which occupied the Mexican territory was the Villa Rica de Vera Cruz, according to the account given by the illustrious Clavijero. This was situated three leagues from Tempoala, but was abandoned three years sub

sequent to its occupation; and the town afterwards known as La Antigua was raised in place of it. This latter is situated more to the south. At the end of the sixteenth century, during the period when the Marquis of Monterey was governor of Mexico, the present city of Vera Cruz was founded. It was termed New Vera Cruz, in order to distinguish it from the other one previously alluded to, and in the year 1615, it was incorporated as a city. Seventy-eight years after, that is to say in the year 1683, the buccaneers took it by surprise and sacked it, the tradition of which event is still spoken of in Vera Cruz, as the 'Invasion of Lorencillo,' that being the popular name which was given to the Hollander, Lawrence de Graff, the chief of the pirates who committed this outrage.

"The reason of the several changes made in the site of the city erected by the first settlers, however, may be somewhat attributed to the ravages made among the two first colonies by the yellow fever, or vomito prieto. Unfortunately, though, the new settlement of New Vera Cruz did not at all assist the new settlers in this particular, for in addition to the insalubrious nature of its warm and moist climate, there were other causes that were equally unfavourable, such as the ponds and marshes in the immediate vicinity of the city-the exhalations from which poisoned the atmosphere —and the reflected heat from the sandy plains that were still nearer, raised the temperature to a most extraordinary height. Added to these difficulties was the bad quality of the water, and the immense abundance of that tormenting kind of musquito called the tancudo, whose bite gave rise to great irritation of the system.

"All these causes operating together, gave rise to various affections among those who were acclimated. The most common effects were more or less serious tertian fevers, whilst the stranger felt them in an attack of the terrible vomito, the very name of which is sufficient to terrify the inhabitants of the more salubrious interior. Observation and experience, however, have now served to show all that can be done towards curing this awful disease, and, consequently, its ravages have not been so great for some years past. The two following facts have likewise been ascertained regarding it first, that foreigners who have once become acclimated in Vera Cruz, then enjoy better health than do the natives of that place; and, second, that though the climate is so unhealthy and fatal during those periods of the year when great heat and heavy rains prevail, yet, that as soon as the north winds (which commence in October, and end in April) blow sufficiently strong to remove the miasmatic exhalations and musquitoes, and cool the atmosphere, then it becomes much more healthy than the climate of many places in the interior.

"The city is small, but from the regularity which marks its laying out, it is beautiful. The streets are wide, straight, and well paved. The houses, of which there are one thousand and sixty-three, are mostly two stories