BOMBARDMENT OF CARTAGENA.

Grey River Argus, Volume XIV, Issue 1750, 14 March 1874, Page 4

BOMBARDMENT OF CARTAGENA.

A despatch to The Times relates that during a period of four hours for which it was agreed not to fire into the harbor of Cartagena, so that non-combatants might embark and escape, the Italian ship, the Anthlon, entered the harbor accompanied by two Italian and two French boats. No English boats came. The Italian commander asked for one, but the English admiral considered that to send one would be a violation of neutrality. The English navy was, however, indirectly represented by three officers of the Lord Warden, who had fortunately volunteered. One of them was Dr Dick, the chief surgeon, while Captain Pauli and other Englishmen represented the English nation. We entered the harbour without difficulty. . On the Italian commander explaining the objects of the mission, the forts hoisted red and black flags as well as the Spanish. The firing was very slack on both sides, though we could see shells fall occassionally on Forts Despennaperos and Moro, and also on the town. Ships were firing, and carried black flags. The Junta commissioner came on board to stipulate that no combatants should be taken away. Shortly after another commissioner came from the Numancia with the same message. Some foreign boats landed at Espalmador, below Fort Galeras, where there were many women and children. Some were eager to come, but many refused. They declared that the lntransigentes women were surrended prisoners to the Centralists, and were ill-treated and half- starved, with other wild accusations. Many vowed they would rather die with their husbands and fathers. They said . many women in thetown had taken rifles and revolvers. One young woman, who carried a revolver, boasted that she had been firing big guns. Many men were most insolent and . abusive, denouncing the English as brigands who had stolen the ships and ruined the Intransigente re- : Volution. Commander Amezaga displayed great coolness and tact, but still the confusion and difficulty hi the embarkation were so great that the English consul requested the Italian commander to enter the town. Firing had recommenced, and was very heavy on both sides, shell falling in the harbour and near the landing place. ' ' He had received from the Italian Admiral the strictest order abouts exposing the lives of his men. Captain Pauli offered to row a boat ashore with English volunteers. The commander replied that, us all were on board his ship under the It- . alian flag, he was responsible for all. However, he subsequently consented to take an English boat ashore. He was accompanied by Captain Pauli, and by Mr Allen, acting as Italian Consular agent. A* we rowed in, several shells fell in the water and so near the landing place that the boat had to make a slight detour. A : party of volunteers met us at the landing •■ i ■ place. When the Italian commander . : asked to see the Junto one threatened him , with a pistol, and in violently insulting ' language accused him of coming to take the Junta away. The commander, in a uhort, eloquent speech, explained the object of the mission, and shamed the volun- ! teers into gratitude and civility. They no longer opposed our landing, but shells were falling so thickly on all sides that it was impossible to embark the women and „ children. It was obvious the armistice arrangements had failed. 1 The following is a description of the interior of the town during the bombardjnent (Nov. 26):— "Most of the shell were falling into the town at about the rate on m average of two per minute— at least, tr-ey began at this rate ; later on in the day the firing got hotter. The flnajority did not b»f sjt, but every now ■and then a loud explosion and g, cloud of j dust rushing out from som# /.shattered wall or roof showed what direfuj. hav/oc was been wrought among masonary and timber. No sort of precautions appeared to have been taken in the way of getting Any of the women, children, and sick persons into sheltered places. No arrange- ' "' . ments had been made for putting out the fires caused by the bursting shells. On ihe contrary (says ft (Correspondent), the Junta, lying with more, if possible, than its habtual effrontery, had persistently assured the people that the ,en.emy ,could , <not, owing to the crushing fee of rh.e-f orts, ! get a gun into position, and had roundly asserted in their Government Gazette that , in the ao^ie, made three days ago, expressly for reconnoitring purposes, the whole su*Tou#ding country had been scoured without ififfldjng a single battery. I don't know that I inay/j ever witnessed a more distressing sight than the streets of - Cartagena presented about an hour after the bombardment began, when the : ' • jpebple had had time to find out, from the ' ____J«»tteEed fixe of ifoe shells— gome few of • ftf4s 4ropped in almost every quarter of the small, closely packed town, from the andside ramparts to the sea wall— that they were not safe in their low, weakroofed houses, and must look for some sort of shelter elsewhere. Many had no notion where to look, and women and

children, carrying in their hand a small bundle of clothes, and whatever cherished household treasure— perhaps a net bird or dog, or the picture of some speciallyvenerated saintthey had found thnein their terror-stricken haste to think of, were running wildly about the streets, pale as death, sobbing and screaming, imploring, too often in vain, every hurrying passer-by for protection or even advice. In still more grievous plight . even than the women and children were the very age, the infirm, and the sick ; the former could at least move and imagine they were escaping somewhere ; the latter were at the mercy of friends almost as helpless from terror as themselves. One poor old grey-haired woman, herself just able to totter, was carrying on her back, with thin, feeble arms clinging- convulsively clinging — round her neck and half choking her, a young girl, seemingly her granddaughter, whose blanched, shrunken face and attenupted limbs showed too plainly the confirmed invalid, who probably had not for years left her sick room or bed."