The Serrano Cabinet has commenced its reign with a bit
of good-fortune. Cartagena has surrendered. On December 10, General Dominguez captured or "conciliated" Fort Atalaya, and the other forts surrendered, Saez, the mad postman, in command at Fort Galeras, being seized by his own men. The General then offered an amnesty to all but the Junta, the revolted sol- diers, and the convicts ; and these three classes, placing them- selves on board the ‘Numancia,' steamed out of the harbour, possibly with some design not yet revealed, such, for example, as the seizure of the Azores. They had, however, an insufficient supply of water, and ran for Oran, where the French Command- ant arrested them, pending orders. These orders are to surrender ths Numancia ' and the convicts to Spain, and to " intern " all others not convicted of civil crime. The rebels will therefore be sent into the desert, and probably absorbed by degrees into the French Army. Thus ends the second attempt at Cantonal Government the world has witnessed in three years, and with it, we hope, the popular delusion that Spaniards will not fight for a cause. Peters was not in command of the Numancia,' or she might still have had an extraordinary career. Suppose she had appeared off Osborne ?
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