URUGUAY. 



735 



1869, th>- principal articles of export were: 

 : salted hides, 458,S)H7 dri.-d liid.-, .V,'i.jii 

 A ""1, 12,250 tu-rccs talli.w, 7,875 sheep- 

 and 1,899 baled hone-hair. The number 

 Mela entered at M-mt. -\id.-o I'roin l'uivi;rn 

 p'.iu was 1,507, of 086,880 tons; entries from 

 p(.n> in tin- Argentine Confederation, 717 ves- 

 sels, of 198,021 tons; coastwise, 1,156 vessels, of 

 88,475 tons total, 8,440 vessels, of 923,476 tons. 



In January, the Government appointed a 

 commission to take charge of the public debt 

 and to ud vise the Government relative to the 

 public credit and the commercial crisis. The 

 improvement of tho port of Montevideo was 

 also decided upon. 



A formidable insurrection broke out in the in- 

 terior of the country during tho latter part of 

 March. The people of Uruguay are about equal- 

 ly divided into two great parties, the "Blan- 

 cos" (whites) and "Golorados" (colored). 

 The Colorados have for several years been in 

 power, and the insurrection was favored and 

 instigated by the Blancos, who, 2,000 strong, 

 menaced the capital. They planned to seize 

 the Government by a sudden uprising, and ar- 

 ranged to introduce troops into the city by 

 means of steamboats from the river above. 

 Their plans were, however, baffled, if not frus- 

 trated, by the promptness and energy of Gen- 

 eral Bustamente, tho Minister of War. By his 

 orders the leaders of the contemplated move- 

 ment, about thirty in number, were arrested by 

 night and lodged in tho Cabildo. A few es- 

 caped in season and found temporary refuge in 

 tho different consulates until opportunity of- 

 fered to fly the country. Tho guards in the 

 city were strengthened and the steps of every 

 suspected person constantly watched. Mean- 

 while the Minister of War hurried out troops, 

 and, placing himself at their head, held the 

 enemy in check. But the insurgents, although 

 baffled in their designs on Montevideo for the 

 time at least, appeared not at all discouraged, 

 as the movement in the interior assumed greater 

 proportions from day to day. The Govern- 

 ment sent troops for its suppression without 

 success, tho insurgents, under command of 

 Colonel Aparicio, remaining victorious in sev- 

 eral engagements. During the latter part of 

 September, General Caraballo, of the Govern- 

 ment forces, suffered a serious defeat, in con- 

 sequence of which tho insurgents took posses- 

 sion of the city of Ccrro-Largo. Caraballo 

 effected a junction with tho Government army 

 under General Suarez, on the north side of the 

 Rio Negro. Meanwhile tho Blancos, under 

 Medina and Aparicio, scoured tho southern 

 department unmolested, even coining up close 

 to Montevideo. They made a daring attempt 

 to seize a government steamer, for which pur- 

 pose they introduced arms and men on board 

 a small vessel, ostensibly loading flour for 

 Paraguay, and which lay close by the steamer. 

 But, suspicion being excited, an armed force 

 made a descent on the flour-vessel, and cap- 

 tured the men and arms. 



Aparicio again gavo battle to Suarez and 

 Caraballo, and defeated them in two succes- 

 sive, engagements, at Casavallo and Corralito, 

 and at tho latin- place compelled Caraballo to 

 treat for a capitulation, after having agreed to 

 an armistice. Caraballo, however, stole away 

 under cover of the darkness, I'm-ic-iting his 

 word of honor, to Paysandn, a city bordering 

 on the Uruguay River, losing all bis train, ar- 

 tillery, and, by demoralization, one-half of the 

 remaining force. Suarez, with all his available 

 force, 2,500 men of all arms, hastened to the 

 support of Caraballo. The Blancos, numbering 

 7,000 men of all arms, instead of pursuing the 

 Colorados, marched directly upon the capital. 

 The Government was not altogether unpre- 

 pared for this movement: Colonel Orfila, from 

 Peru, had been intrusted with the task of 

 fortifying the approaches to the city, which 

 work had been satisfactorily done. The city 

 was defended by 8,500 men, armed with needle 

 guns, Spencer and Remington rifles. A con- 

 stant picket-firing was kept up on both sides, 

 and quite a number were killed and wounded 

 daily. Desertions occurred to an alarming ex- 

 tent in the army defending the city, and the 

 besieging army, although deficient in artillery 

 and infantry, were confidently expecting an 

 early surrender. The Secretary of War, Or- 

 donez, had left the city on November 3d to 

 hasten the reorganization of the demoralized 

 forces of Caraballo, but he arrived too late. 

 The army having been disbanded. General 

 Caraballo arrived at Montevideo with 20 of- 

 ficers on the 14th of November. General 

 Suarez and a force of about 2,000 men were all 

 that remained on the field, and, with 1,800 

 men inside the city, constituted the entire 

 available force of the Government. On the 

 morning of the 28th of November, the people 

 of Montevideo were startled by a salute of 

 twenty-one guns fired from the Cerro fort, 

 whore the light-house is situated, and their 

 surprise was not decreased when they learned 

 that at 2 o'clock A. M. on that day the Blancos 

 had carried the position, capturing the gar- 

 rison, consisting of 60 men and 6 officers, 10 

 pieces of artillery and a large store of ammuni- 

 tion, and doing all this with a loss of only two 

 or three men. The attacking force, mostly 

 Spaniards, serving as volunteers, surprised the 

 garrison, and only a short and feeble resist- 

 ance was made. 



At noon of the same day President Battle, 

 with the advice of his Cabinet and the com- 

 manding officers of his army, made an attempt 

 to capture Union, a town three miles from 

 Montevideo, and where the Blancos were mak- 

 ing merry over their success of the night be- 

 fore. President Battle commanded in person, 

 and the attacking force consisted of 1,600 men, 

 with six pieces of artillery. The pickets of the 

 the Blancos were surprised on the right and 

 centre, and where not killed were driven in 

 upon their reserves. The garrison of the town 

 was immediately inarched to tho front, accom- 



