couraged by this repulse, Colonel Hardin | ry in which the balls flew faster than the determined to charge the Mexican battery | hail-stones were falling around them. near the base of the mountain, which, at The progress of the Mexicans was various intervals during the day, had given serious annoyance to the troops on the plateau. He advanced at the head of his battalion, with spirit and enthusiam, but before attaining his object, was arrested by a force, whose existence seemed a miracle. The craft of General Santa Anna had restored his courage, and the time gained by his strategic negotiation had enabled him to recover a large body of his troops, and to make his dispositions, for what he calls his "final effort." A battery of twenty-four pounder guns, was mounted and posted so as to command a new advance. The column which had attacked the American right, early in the day, led by General Mora y Villamil of the Engineers, was transferred to the other flank, and these joined the reserves under General Perez, and the first, second and third divisions, under Generals Ortega, Guzman and Pacheco, which were stationed at the head of, and covered by a broad and deep ravine. The whole were commanded by General Perez, General Lombardini having been wounded early in the action. It was the last desperate struggle of a desperate man, and made with corresponding energy. And as if to give a still more imposing effect to the crowning effort of a mighty conflict, the lightnings flashed and quivered from clouds that appeared suddenly in the heavens; and the quick, deep, heavytoned thunders, reverberated with startling distinctness, over valley, plain and mountain, simultaneously with the first volley of heavy artillery, under cover of which the four divisions advanced to the charge. The small band under Hardin was met by a rampart of bayonets, and hurled back as the spray is dashed from the billow. The regiments of Bissell and McKee rushed to the rescue, but could as easily have arrested the lightning flashes about them, as overcome the mighty phalanx which bore down all before it. Manfully they breasted the moving myriads of steel and iron, which were rained upon them from ten thousand sources, but in vain, they only gave themselves up to immolation, victims to the overwhelming legions of the enemy. The carnage on both sides was terrible, wrought by a fire of musket like an avalanche, and the Americans were driven down the ravines, along which there was a destructive fire of infantry, while the lancers were galloping towards the lower end, to close the only avenue of escape. Their position was that of a scorpion girt with fire; yet as they reached the end of the ravine, the charge of the cavalry was arrested by Washington's artillery, a few rapid and well directed volleys from which, saved from entire destruction the remnants of those brave regiments, which had so long borne the hottest of the fight. But in the mean time the columns were advancing on the plateau, with the majestic march of triumph. The American infantry had gone down before them; nearly every horse with O'Brien's pieces, was killed; he had maintained his position with unrivalled heroism, and abandoned his guns only when the Mexicans had gained the muzzles. Victory, which but a few moments before had seemed within the grasp of the Americans, was torn as if by magic from their standard. The enemy had gained almost the extreme point of the plateau, the last citadel of hope, for there the American General yet held his position, not less a "tower of strength to his friends, than of terror to his enemies." His eagle eye saw the extremity of the crisis, and his mighty will determined to avert it. "High and inscrutable the old man stood, Calm in his voice, and calm within his eye,,' though at that moment the result of the battle, the fate of the campaign, the life of every American from Buena Vista to the Rio Grande, depended on Zachary Taylor. How his lofty spirit amid the awful peril of the occasion bore it all nobly up, has already passed into history. The artillery under Thomas was already in position; that of Bragg arrived on the instant, yet both were without support, and the fate of O'Brien's guns seemed inevitably to be theirs. We have said both were without support, but we were in error. It is true there was then neither cavalry nor infantry on which to rely, but there was that which was superior to both; it was the moral power of the presence of the Commanding General, and thus panoplied, those heroes | day, wherever he moved, doubt and dismay gave way before him. By a sort of magnetic influence, he seemed to impart to every one to whom he was visible the same indomitable spirit and determined energy which animated his own breast. His name was the watchword, his voice the signal note, and his presence the certainty of triumph. When for a moment he left the plateau to appeal to those who were flying or had fled from the field, to return to their colors and to duty, we are credibly informed that he was followed by General Wool to hasten his return, that he might be seen by those who were then contending against the unequal odds opposed to them. And in the darkest hour of Monterey rose with the occasion, and eclipsed even the fame they had previously rendered immortal. They opened at once a fire of canister upon the advancing hosts, while the remainder of Sherman's battery, just arrived, came immediately into action. The ponderous and triumphant columns reeled and quivered like a reed shaken with the wind, and before the showers of iron hail which now assailed them, squadrons and battalions fell like leaves in the storms of autumn. The cannonade on both sides was terrific, while the fire of the infantry seemed to be one continuous discharge. But the Mexicans in vain rushed on to fill the places of their fallen comrades. Their ranks became broken, order could not be restored, and they slowly and sullenly retired, pur-of that sanguinary day, when the star of sued by the fire of the artillery and of the Mississippi and Indiana regiments, which arrived in time to participate in the glory of the last desperate repulse. hope had almost set in a sea of blood, General Taylor was alone the rallying point of a handful, and in his trumpet tones to Bragg almost giving to the result "The stamp of fate, the sanction of a god." The battle had now raged, with the exception of a few brief intervals, for nearly ten hours, and by a sort of mutual con- Thus at two distinct periods, the Amersent, both parties appeared willing to pause ican General alone turned the fate of the upon the result. Night fell, and the day, and saved our forces from total deAmerican General having brought up his struction. But when the last gun had fresh troops from Saltillo, slept with his been fired, and the shadows of night had men upon the battle ground, prepared, if fallen alike upon the living and the dead, necessary, to renew the conflict on the the battle had not yet been won. There morrow. But ere the sun, which on this is little doubt, and with some there is none continent has shone on few so ghastly, at all, that if General Taylor had fallen rose again upon the field, the Mexican by that last gun, the sun would have risen army had disappaared, leaving behind them upon the two armies flying from each other hundreds of dead anddying whose bones as fast as their disabled condition would are to whiten their native hills, and thou-have permitted them. Where then would sands of the wounded, whose moans of anguish were to excite in the bosoms of their enemies that sympathy and compassion which seem to have no place in the heart of the Mexican commander. We have thus briefly, and we believe faithfully, sketched the leading incidents of the battle of Buena Vista, and the prominent position of the Commanding General has been at all times obvious. We have seen that the battle was in effect lost under General Wool-though that gallant officer rivalled in his efforts the youthful valor that shone at Queenston and Plattsburg-when General Taylor arrived upon the field. His presence at once restored the confidence which had been lost, and by his rapid dispositions he was enabled to recover the advantages which the enemy had gained. Throughout the have been the victory? How soon would the Mexican General have been advised of the fact, retraced his steps, recruited his starving legions with our abundant supplies at Saltillo, and falling upon the retreating Americans with the fury and malignity of a vindictive foe, strong in numbers and smarting under repeated defeats, given up the whole to indiscriminate slaughter! From this frightful catastrophe, General Taylor, under Providence, was the instrument of saving thousands of our countrymen; and by his conduct on the 22d and 23d of February, he has not only associated his name forever with him, who was "first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of the people," but has acquired for himself the second place on the records of immortality, of that country which Washington saved. WARS BETWEEN THE DANES AND GERMANS, FOR THE POSSESSION OF SCHLESWIG. PART FIRST. On feint d'ignorer que le Slesvig est une ancienne partie intégrante de la Monarchie Danoise dont l'union indissoluble avec la couronne de Danemarc est consacrée par les garanties solennelles des grandes Puissances de l'Europe, et où la langue et la nationalité Danoises existent depuis les temps les plus reculés. On voudrait se cacher à soi-même et au monde entier, qu'une grande partie de la population du Slesvig reste attachée, avec une fidélité inébranlable, aux liens fondamentaux unissant le pays avec le Danemarc, et que cette population a constamment protesté de la manière la plus énergique contre une incorporation dans la confédération Germanique, incorporation qu'on prétend médier moyennant une armée de cinquante mille hommes !-Semi-official article. ic nation blind to the evidences of history, faith, and justice. The Dano-Germanic contest is still going on : Denmark cannot yield; she has already lost so much that she cannot submit to any more losses for the future. The issue of this contest is of vital importance to her; she is already fighting for her existence. Nor will her Northern brethren let her sink, nor Russia, who has pledged her guaranty for the integrity of the Danish monarchy, On THE political question with regard to the | relations of the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein to the kingdom of Denmark, which at the present time has excited so great a movement in the North, and called the Scandinavian nations to arms in self-defence against Germanic aggression, is not one of a recent date. This dispute has for centuries been the cause of destructive feuds, and during later years the subject of public discussions and violent debates, not only among the parties more immediately in-permit its further dismemberment. terested, but in the public and private asthe final settlement of this war may persemblies in Germany, and in a flood of haps depend the peace of Europe. And publications, all breathing hostility against yet it has excited but very little attention Denmark, and showing both a want of and sympathy in this country. The duchy knowledge as to the points in dispute, and of Schleswig has generally been supposed & scornful disregard of the just rights of to stand in the same relation to Denmark that injured country. This old quarrel has as that of Holstein, and its inhabitants to now, by the general agitation in Europe, be true-born Germans, who were impasuddenly taken its ancient form of a casus tiently waiting for the moment when they belli, by the open rebellion of Holstein, might break loose from the small peaceful and the invasion of Denmark by the army kingdom in the North, and join the " gloof the Germanic Confederation. The ille- rious destinies of the great united German gality, injustice, and violence of these pro- | Fatherland." It has been said and receedings are obvious to every observer peated that, since the late revolution in who, without prejudice, has followed the France, the voice of the people has becourse of events. And yet have the am- come the voice of God,-that it has torn bitious authors of the sedition and the to shreds the worm-eaten scrolls of feudal attack, attempted to envelope themselves rights and treaties, and freely permitted the in an outward show of right; the secret different tribes, German, Slavonic, and springs which moved the whole machinery Italian, to group, form, and constitute were left in the back-ground, but still made themselves without any regard to kings their appearance now and then amidst the and cabinets. Let this principle be carried presumptuous confessions and boastful out where foreign governments have imposprognostications which, all at once, have ed oppressive laws upon conquered nations, intoxicated the forty millions of Germans whose history, development, and prosperwith hopes of conquest on land and sea, ity they have disregarded, and whose naand thus made that pensive and philosoph- tionalities they have crushed. Such may, VOL. II. NO. V. NEW SERIES. 30 more or less, have been the conduct of Russia in Poland, and of Austria in Italy. But with regard to Denmark, her relations to the duchies have been entirely different. Her paternal rule had ever truly respected the nationalities and rights of her subjects. Her present liberal-minded monarch, on his succession to the throne, had given a free constitution, and such had been his desire to allow equal privileges to every part of his dominions, that he had proposed to give to Schleswig and Holstein, though the smaller population, the same representation and advantages which he conceded to his Danish people. The concessions freely granted by the enlightened sovereign, from his own conviction, in the midst of profound peace, and without a sign of disorder, had been hailed with universal satisfaction; and afterwards, when violent commotions began to shake all Europe, and the general vertigo reached Holstein, the majority of the people in Schleswig, who had ever been sincerely attached to their mother-country, instantly stood forward, and in the most energetic manner protested against the separation, and the dreaded union with Germany. Looking from a distance upon the rapid course of events, and the steadfast opposition of all Scandinavia, united, with one heart and hand, against the attacks and pedantic boastings of the German Parliament, we may, through the dim vista of futurity, with confidence proclaim the victory of the righteous side; and in the mean time historically and impartially prove that the cause of the Danes is as good as their swords that the rebellion in Holstein was brought about, not by the desire of the mass of the people in the duchies, but by the ambition of a few ringleaders, directly supported by Friederich Wilhelm IV., the hare-brained King of Prussia, who by means of kindling the flame of war in the North, and of promising the Germans a flag and a fleet, flattered himself to avert from his own guilty head the revenge of his exasperated subjects for the horrible slaughters in his own capital. We shall now carry our readers to the shores of the Baltic, and going back to the remote ages of feudality and chivalry, trace the origin and progress of the protracted struggle between German and Scandinavian nationality, and then terminate this essay with a picture of the present war, faithfully drawn up from authentic sources, and direct communications both from Denmark and Germany. The peninsula of Jutland, known by the ancient Romans as the Chersonesus Cimbrica, is bounded on the east by the Kattegat, the little Belt, and the Baltic; and on the west by the North Sea. It is divided from Germany by the river Eyder, and extending northward for two hundred and seventy miles, terminates at the low headland of Skagen. Its breadth from east to west is from thirty to ninety miles. The middle part of this low peninsula, nearly in its full length, consists of dreary heaths and moors, intermixed here and there with some patches of arable lands and good pastures for cattle and flocks of sheep and goats. The northwestern coasts are low, sandy, and full of dangerous shoals. The violent west wind, sweeping across that inhospitable region, impedes the growth of forest trees, and renders the climate damp, cold, and disagreeable throughout the year. Farther south, in Schleswig, the western coast consists of meadow lands, (marskland,) which offer rich pastures, and are defended by dikes against the swell of the North Sea. Quite different is the character of the eastern part of the country. The shores of the Baltic and Kattegat are high and often covered with fine forests. They sometimes present romantic and picturesque scenery from the many deep indentations of the sea, called fjorde, or friths, which for miles run into the land, where they expand into extensive sheets of water, and are bordered by beautiful oak and beech woods ascending gradually to the tops of the hills. The largest frith is the Liim-Fjord, running across the whole breadth of Jutland from the Kattegat to the North Sea, and making the northern part of it an island. banks are bleak and dreary; the dark forests which in the tenth and eleventh centuries covered that hilly region, now only remain in Salling Land, a small, beau Its *The North Sea broke through the low, sandy with the Liim-Fjord by a breach, through which coast near Lemvig, a few years ago, and united now small vessels can pass. tiful tract, well cultivated, and inhabited by a rich and laborious yeomanry. The lands on the eastern coast are very fertile for several miles in the interior, and produce an abundance of rye, wheat, barley, oats, beans, pease, rape-seed, and excellent pulse and fruits. In many parts the heaths are broken up and converted into arable lands, agriculture being highly encouraged by the Danish government. Still the raising of cattle and horses supplies the principal revenue of Jutland. The huge oxen are driven to the rich meadowlands of Holstein, where they are fattened and afterwards sold in Hamburg and Berlin. In later years large exportations of oxen are made by sea to France and England. The horses of Jutland and Holstein are strong, large, well-formed, and eminently fitted for war. Jutland is, by the small rivers Skodborg-aa and Konge-aa, divided into North Jutland, containing 9,500 square miles, and South Jutland, or Schleswig, 2,624 square miles. The latter province is more fertile and better cultivated. Here the geest or arable lands from the broken-up heaths amount to 700 square miles, the meadowlands 320, the forests 112, the moors 224, and the barren heaths 450. North Jutland has twelve more or less considerable towns, and 550,000 inhabitants. Schleswig possesses six towns, among which are the beautiful and well-built Schleswig, standing in a pleasant and picturesque situation on the Schley, and the lively commercial town of Flensborg; the province containing 350,000 inhabitants. Schleswig is bounded on the south by the German duchy of Holstein, extending seventy miles from the Baltic to the North Sea, and forty-eight miles from the Eyder on the north, to the Elbe and the duchy of Lauenborg on the south. It contains 2,528 square miles, with 440,000 inhabitants. Holstein is thus of smaller extent than Schleswig, but more productive and better cultivated, and has a larger population. The Jutlander and the Schleswiger are both of Scandinavian origin, and the mass of the people have nearly the same general character, manners, and customs, except the greater liveliness and elasticity, which the Schleswiger has acquired by his intercourse and intermixture with the Germans. The Jutlanders are no longer the bold and daring rovers, who with the other Northmen, on their prancing seahorses, made the shores of Germany, France and England tremble at their approach. They are still a brave, but a peaceful and quiet people; they are laborious and persevering, but extremely slow and somewhat awkward in their manners. They are hospitable and cheerful with their countrymen, but cold and retired towards foreigners, with whom they have but little intercourse in their far-off and dreary country. They are more fond of ease than of show; and consequently the people in Jutland are more comfortable than the careless inhabitants of the sunny south. They are accustomed to substantial food, and make five meals a day; they are more economical than industrious, and do not know or regret the refinements of foreign countries. They are judicious observers and profound thinkers. They speak very slowly, with a harsh and inharmonious pronunciation, and are by their countrymen on the Danish islands considered cunning in calculating their own profit; the proverb is, "as sharp as a Jute." They are endued with imagination, and possess tender and beautiful national songs in their own dialect. Though they are patient and enduring, they can be roused to the highest pitch of enthusiasm. They are strongly attached to their king and country, but care nothing about politics or newspapers, having been for centuries accustomed to the dull calm of an absolute government; and yet they possess an independent feeling of their own, and will not submit to harsh or arbitrary treatment from their superiors. The country people are generally middle-sized, short, fair-haired, of a gentle and agreeable physiognomy; their women are pretty, with blue eyes and rosy cheeks, but as clumsy as their helpmates, clattering along on wooden shoes. This short sketch gives an idea of the people and country in times past; the eventful movements of late years have of course, in some degree, exerted their influence even as far as the distant shores of the Liim-Fjord. In South Jutland, both the Danish and Low German (Plat-tydske) dialects are in use. In 1837, Danish was spoken unmixed in 116 parishes, with 113,256 inhabitants; in these districts Danish is the language used not only in common intercourse, but both in the churches and schools. In 36 parishes, with 45,460 in |