THE HE English Baptists, who from their, hatred to Cromwell offered their services to Prince Charles in his exile, observed to him, that a desperate game of chess has been recovered after the loss of the nobility, by playing the pawns well. So it has proved in Spain; the Guerrillas supported the national cause in those parts of the country where the regular armies had been driven from the field.

None of the Guerrilla chiefs were placed in so dangerous a position as Espoz y Mina. Every fortress in Navarre was garrisoned by the French, and they were in possession of all the country which surrounds it. There was no point from which Mina could receive succour, or upon which he could retire. The mountains were his only fastnesses, and he had no resources but what were to be found in his own genius, and in the courage of his comrades, and in the love of his countrymen. Suchet's destructive career had often been impeded by this enterprizing leader, the Scanderbeg of his age; by harassing his communications, and cutting off his convoys after the fall of Tortosa, he long prevented him from proceeding against Tarragona and Valencia. Mina was the terror of the French, and the bloody tyrant, in whom the love of revenge predominates even over ambition, ordered Reille, the

French governor of Navarre, to hunt him down.

Towards the close of the preceding year, the French, with very superior numbers, succeeded in surprising and dispersing his troops. He and the commanders of his second and third battalions, D. Gregorio Cruchaga, and D. Lucas Gorriz, immediately began to collect their scattered forces, and perceiving that their dispersion would not have been so complete but for want of order, they abstained a while from offensive operations for the purpose of disciplining the men. Reille hoped again to surprise them while they were thus employed, and detached Colonel Gaudin from Pamplona with 1500 foot and 200 horse, who was to form a junction with an equal number, drawn from Tudela, Caparroso, and Tafalla, by Colonel Brescat, surround Mina, and occupy all the points by which he might seek to escape. Mina was informed of their movements; before the two detachments could join, he drew Gaudin into an ambuscade, in which forty of his cavalry were killed, and about 100 infantry made prisoners; he then attacked them in their position at Monreal, drove them from it, and was about to renew the attack upon a second position which they had taken, when the intelligence that Reille with a force from Pamplona was has

tening to Gaudin's succour, induced him to retire.

The Guerrilla chief let his men rest one day, and on the second attacked Brescat, who, with 1300 men and 170 horse, occupied Aybar, part of the line within which it was intended to surround this heroic Navarrese. The enemy were driven successively from every position where they attempted to make a stand, till having fallen back two leagues, they reached the river Aragon: the infantry crossed it by the bridge at Caseca, the cavalry swam the stream, and thus interposed a barrier between themselves and their pursuers, which Mina was not able to force, being without artillery. In this action the French left 162 men and 63 horses upon the field their commander and about 220 men were wounded. A. mong the Spaniards, Lazaro Goni, a boy only twelve years of age, distinguished himself; he had served twelve months under Mina, and in every action had made himself conspicuous by his daring intrepidity. This day he thrust himself, sword in hand, among eight of the enemies hussars, his horse was killed under him, and he extricated himself with no worse injury than a wound in the arm.

Reille next sent his brother at the 'head of 5000 foot and 200 horse, against this harassing eneJan. 12. my. For the last month Mina had been manufacturing arms, ammunition, and clothing for his men, at Lumbier, and there two thousand of the French found him. He was aware of their intentions, and having concerted measures with his of ficers, did not think it proper to disturb the soldiers in the rest which they were enjoying, till the moment arrived. Then, telling them what the force was which was ordered against them, they exclaimed, with one voice, that it would not be for their honour to abandon the post without resistance, even though

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all France should attack it. companies under D. Juan de Villanueva, defended the fords of the river, and repulsed the enemy in their first attempt at crossing, forcing them to retire with such precipitation, that some of Mina's men, who passed over at night to see what they had left behind, collected more than an hundred muskets from the field. The French took a position which Mina was not strong enough to force, and for a day and a half both parties kept up a constant fire upon each other; by that time a reinforcement of 1000 men and 80

horse came to the enemy from Pamplona. The river was well defended against them, and before they won the passage they lost above 300 killed, and twice the number wounded: Among those who died of their wounds was Leon Asurmendi, a renegade Spaniard, known by the name of Conveniencias, and infamous for the crimes which he had committed in aid of the intrusive government. Having succeeded in forcing the passage of the river, the French chose rather to perpetrate their usual cruelties upon the inhabitants of Lumbier than follow Mina, who retired without loss, and in the best order. They obtained information from some traitors of the place where the Spaniards had their hospital; but Cruchaga and Gorriz were too vigilant to suffer this important point to be sur prised, and when the enemy approach-ed they were so warmly received that they were driven back the four hours march to Lumbier, leaving on the way sixty killed, many wounded, and twelve prisoners.

Mina was at this time raising a fourth battalion; the French sent a detachment to cut it off before it should be completely formed. Four hundred and fifty men, destined for this service, proceeded against the village of Echarri-Aranaz, where the command. ant of the battalion, D. Ramon de

Ulzurrun y Eraso, had only about one hundred to oppose them. He left the village, and disposed his handful of men so judiciously, for the double purpose of concealing their numbers and annoying the enemy, that the French dared not enter the place, and during the night the officers did the picquet duty themselves, being afraid to trust their soldiers. "Reams of paper," Mina said, "would not suffice for the details of all the skirmishes in which he and his party were engaged, for every day, and sometimes twice or thrice in the day, they were occurring.'

The more the enemy suffered from this determined band of patriots, the more efforts they made for its destruction, and towards the close of January, Mina was again surrounded by 7000 troops. But this lion was not to be taken in the toils. His first measure was to determine upon a point of reunion, and with that spirit which made him so truly formidable to the usurpers of his country, he fixed upon the mountains immediately above Pamplona. Here, having overcome every difficulty that a vigilant and powerful enemy could interpose, Mina collected his gallant companions: still the pursuers were on all sides; there was not a point which he could Occupy without being attacked, neither could he remain in that position, and 2000 men, with a proportionate cavalry, sallied from Pamplona to dislodge him. Mina had not waited for this; knowing that there was no escape but by becoming the assailant, he sent Gorriz to El Carrascal, upon the left of the city, to call the attention of the enemy in that direction, and fall upon any convoy or escort which might be upon the road. This movement succeeded perfectly; the troops which were advancing had proceeded little more than a mile when they were hastily recalled by the alarm

which Gorriz had raised in another quarter, and the governor, thinking that Mina was on that side, and that the other roads were secure, ordered a convoy of sixty carts with ammunition and stores to set out for Vitoria, 200 men escorted it, and 1000 men follow. ed at about an hour's interval;—in Navarre distance is commonly expressed by time-the best measure in so mountainous a country.

When Mina received intelligence that this convoy was setting out, his men were fasting, and they were three hours march from the position which it was proper to occupy for intercepting it. Leaving Cruchaga with the main body of his then, he set off with the horse and two companies of foot; but notwithstanding their speed, the convoy had passed the place where he meant to attack it before he could come up. The horsemen however fell upon its escort, and they, abandoning the carts, took possession of an adjoin ing height, where they defended them. selves, relying upon the greater force in their rear, and likewise upon assist. ance from the fortress of Irurzun, which was only at half an hour's dis tance. Mina had no time to complete their destruction; it was of more im portance to him to secure the ammu. nition, more precious to him than the richest booty, and for this there was little leisure; on two sides the enemy were approaching in force, and the es cort was ready to assail him on the third. Night came on, and on all sides there was firing; his men became mingled with the enemy, and sometimes engaged one another. Under these circumstances to save the whole of their spoil was impossible; but when Mina had succeeded in collecting his men, and would have contented him. self with drawing them off in safety, and destroying the stores, a general cry arose that they would rather rish than leave behind them what they

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should make so useful. The men, therefore, loaded themselves with cartridges, of which, after each man had stored himself, they carried off more than 60,000. Other effects, however tempting, they regarded not but, spoiling what they could, and setting fire to the powder carts, they drew off in safety with their precious plunder. The joy of Mina and his comrades for this success was clouded by one of those fatal accidents for which even a soldier is not prepared. Gorriz, one of the most distinguished of his companions, that day, in leading on his troops, was thrown from his horse, and lived only long enough to go through the last ceremonies of the Romish superstition: however worthless these were to the sufferer, the thought that his salvation was thus secured was the consolation of his comrades, and probably of no little importance in keeping up their hopes and their belief in the protection of HeaMina spoke of his loss with the deepest sorrow, a sorrow which was felt by all his fellows in arms, whom he had more than once led on to victory, and sometimes saved from destruction.

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Mina was now in that perilous stage of his progress, when every new exploit adding to his celebrity without adding to his strength, served to increase his danger, by exasperating afresh the enemy, and exciting them to make greater efforts to destroy him. In Aragon, as well as in Navarre, the French troops were put in motion to hunt him down, by night and day, like a wild beast. Harispe, with a division of 3000 foot and 200 horse occupied the bridges of Sanguessa, Galipienzo, and other passes into Aragon; Panatier with another division watched La Ribera de los Arcos, Estella and its vicinity, and three moveble columns kept up the chase. The

first impulse of the Navarrese hero, when he found himself thus beset, was to attack the enemy; but for this he found himself too weak. Turning back, he marched above Pamplona by El Carrascal, and there he discovered that two of their columns were close at hand; upon this he immediately countermarched towards Lumbier. Harispe was informed of his movements, and at Irurozque Mina found the French in his front; his men had made long and rapid marches Feb. 11. for the three preceding days, neverthelesss they prepared for battle with their wonted resolution. Before the firing began Harispe sent a cavalry officer with a flag, which Cruchaga, who went out to meet him as an enemy, discovered just in time as he levelled a pistol at him. The Frenchman said, he had matters of great importance to treat of, and Mina therefore came to hear them. His errand related to the treatment of prisoners; it was believed in the French army that Mina's soldiers gave no quarter, and he came to request that this practice might no longer be continued. Mina on his part disclaimed the system which was imputed to him, and required a like declaration on the part of the enemy; to which the French officer replied, that his general was distinguished for his humanity, and that all the officers of that division had received orders to treat such of Mina's men as might fall into their hands as prisoners of war, since they now knew that they did not deserve to be styled brigands, but defenders of their country. Mina observed in his dispatches, that this officer behaved with perfect courtesy, and with more honour than was usual for a Frenchman; and he clearly perceived that this acknowledgment of the rights of war proceeded not from the humanity of the general, but from the discontent of the miserable men