Tlie expedition of General EVANS against the fortified Cellist. town
of Hernani, has ended in his complete defeat. In our last paper we mentioned, that on the 10th the combined English and Spanish troops under EVANS bad driven the Carlists from the heights of Ametzagana, with the loss of about 1000 men. It does not appear distinctly from any account we have read, how long EVANS remained in that position ; but on the 15th, he had ad- vanced to the immediate neighbourhood of Hernani, which lieg. about six miles south of San Sebastian, driving the enemy before him. On the evening of Wednesday the 15th, he assaulted and took the Venta of Oriamendi, and other fortified positions within about a mile and half of Hernani. In the course of Wednesday night, be threw up batteries along the Venta ; and on Thursday morning, commenced throwing shells into the town, the Cellists keeping up a pretty sharp fire from their intrenchments. At this time, the force of General EVANS, consisting altogether of about 10,000 men, was in three divisions. The centre ran along the Venta-bill ; the right wing stood between it and the village of Lasarte; the left touched upan the bridge of Astigarraga, which a guard of Cellists was suffitred, unwisely, to retain. On the extremity of the right wing, was a body of 400 Royal British Marines, commanded by Colonel OWEN. About half- past twelve the attack on Hernani was ordered to commence; but scarcely was the forward movement begun, when the Carlist bugles were heard, and Don SEBASTIAN with about 8000 men appeared, " as if by magic." from behind Hernani. One division of this reinforcement passed over the bridge of Astigarraga. attacked the left wing of EVANS's army, and met with little resistance. The that battalion of' the Auxiliary Legion was seized with a panic, which was soon communicated to a Spanish legion ; and the " demoralization,' to use General EVANs'S phrase, became universal. In fact, the left wing fell back upon the centre in complete disorder. The centre behaved with more courage, and kept the Carlisle at bay ; but in the meanwhile, the right wing had been attacked, and made scarcely a better defence than the left. One regiment of Spaniards behaved in a most cowardly manner. The whale division fell back upon.. the heights of Oriamendi; and Dun SEBASTIAN moved in the direction behind the Yenta-hill, in order to take the main body to
the rear. In this fatal maneeuvre he would have certainly suc- ceeded, had not the gallant little band of British Marines pressed forward and repulsed the Carlists, though ten times their numerical force. The Sixth Battalion of the Legion also behaved well, and drove the enemy from some heights which
they.Occupied in their rear. On both flanks and in front
the Cellists continued the attack, but not in a vigorous man- ner. In fact, it would seem that but for the downright cowardice
of a great part of the troops under EVANS, such was the supe-
riority of his position, that the Carlists would have gained no dece sire advantage. But it is stated in the correspondence of the
Chronicle, that many soldiers of the Legion were drunk, and that when one was wounded four or five would escort him from the field.
Whole companies ran off to San Sebastian-the road to which was covered with waggons, women, and soldiers. The officers lost all
power over the men; and EVANS was compelled to order a retreat,
which soon became little better than a flight, to his former posi- tion of Ametzagana ; having spiked the guns and dismantled the fortifications on the Venta. The British Marines marched coolly off the field in the face of the enemy, company by cotnpany, m perfect order and contemptuous defiance of all attack. The lessor this gallant little corps was one killed and twenty-three wounded. The total loss of the Christinos is stated by General Evalls at between 800 and 900 killed and wounded ; but other accounts by
his own followers make it considerably larger-from 1,500 to
2,000 men. He brought back all his cannon. Although sonie of the men disgraced themselves, it is allowed on all hands that the officers behaved with the greatest gallantry. EVANS, 55 usual,
exposed himself in the most daring manner. The ccmlness and skill of Colonel WAKEFIELD are spoken of in high praise ; and to his regiment of Lancers it is in a great measure owing that the loss of the retreating army was not doubled. Every officer in EVANS'S fltaff had his horse shot from under him; but the only Staff Officer wounded was Captain MURRAY, who was hit in the thigh. Colonel Corrae, of the Ninth Regiment, was killed on the geld: and Colonel DR LANCY is either dead of the wounds he received, or not expected to recover. General EVANS, in his silespatch to the Spanish Secretary of War, says nothing of SAARSFIELD or ESPARTERO ; wh an some of lb. writers from the seat of war accuse of treachery—at least of a want of expected cooperation. It does not. appear,. however, that Iv ASS had any right to reckon upon them. It is prsbable, in- deed, that he did hope that SAARSFIELD would have kept Don SEBASTIAN in check ; but SAARSFIELD, after advancing a short distance from Pampeluna, finding the weather severe and the sods bad, retired into Pampeluna, leaving Don SEBASTIAN at liberty to succour Hernani. A letter in the Morning Chronicle, evidently writtten by an officer friendly to EVANS, states that SAARSFIELD had sent word to EVANS of his intention to leave Pampeluna on the 15th. As Pampeluna is about thirty-five miles from Hernani, it was very improbable that he would arrive in time to aid in the attack of the 16th; and though it may be said that be should still have found employment for Don SEBASTIAN, yet surely it was incumbent on General EVANS to have procured cur- fain information as to the movements of the Carlists and Christi- BOO. So far was this from being the case, that his first intelli- gence of the approach of Don SEBASTIAN, was the sound of the rebel bugles about a mile off, when 8000 Carlists appeared "as if by magic" from behind Hernani. Had General EVANS no scouts, no advanced guards? Did he take it for granted, with the knowledge that the Carlists swarmed in the revolted provinces, that there would be no attempt to defend so important a place as Hernani—that no forced march would be made—that every usual precaution might be neglected? General EVANS'S personal gallantry nobody doubts; but his generalship is now more than ever questioned. A series of un- successful offensive operations must ruin the reputation of any somma niter. As to the whine in some of the Tory journals about the "disgrace cast upon the British name," and so forth, that is mere factious nonsense. It is ridiculous to say that the British military character suffers because a certain lieutenant colonel does not make a skilful commander-in-chief. And then, if a proof were wanting of the courage, discipline, and coolness of Englishmen, we have only to point to the conduct of the Marines.
It is feared that the news of this disaster will produce serious disturbances in Madrid ; where the Ministers are quarrelling among themselves, and the Cortes and people with the Minis- ters. MENDIZABAL is especially unpopular; and his opponents
have got up a charge against hint of stealing valuables from mo- nasteries in order to raise the ways and means. He is said to have carried off the jewels belonging to the Virgin of Atoeba,— acting upon the " appropriation ' principle; and the truth of the accusation is not the less vehemently insisted upon that the Minister contemptuously denies it.
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