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lend them aid with which to retum and wage war for the extermina- tion of the Americans, but the people at large favored the cause Notwithstanding this cheerful .state of affairs in Nica- ragua the other Central American States, with the honorable exception of San Salvador, - which has been the only state of America Cen- tral which has been the home of liberal principals - became alarmed at the rapid immigration of Americans in Nicaragua, knowing that it would result eventialy in the establishment of a free Republic con- tiguous to their own. Accordingly they commenced consultations as to how the impending danger should be averted and dispatched secret emisaries to tamper with the Nicaraguan patriots, and doubtless they influenced greatly in producing the dissensions which afterwards took place. Discovering this and knowing the importance of peace with the adjacent nations, until the Republic should emerge from its chrys- alis condition. Gen Walker serit concilliatory letters to Guatemala, Honduras, and Salvador and to Costa Rica three commissioners. These last, however were met in the border of the Country to which they were destined, with an order not to enter. A declaration of war, or rather the proclamation of a crusade against all Americans in Nica- ragua was immediatly issued by President Mora On the reception of this news Gen Walker dispatched a small body of men to invade Costa Rica. They were met however at Santa Rosa by an overpowering force under. the command of Presi- dent Mora and completely routed From Santa Rosa President Mora marched to Rivas in Nicaragua with 3000 men. Here he was attacked on the 11th of April by 700 men under the command of Walker, and a battle was fought which was an honor to the anals of American bravery. The conflict continued for nineteen hours and resulted in the defeat of Walker who left behind him a portion of his wounded to be massa- cred by the enemy. The loss of the day at Rivas cannot be attrib- uted to any lack of valor and fortitude on the part of Walkers men but rather to the bad management of the General himself who took his soldiers sixty miles over a .bad road, with scarcely any provisions, when they might as easily have been conveyed thither by steamers. When the battle of Rivas commenced the soldiers of Nicaragua had been twenty seven hours without food and had just completed a march of sixty miles, under a tropical sun in less than forty eight hours. The native troops amounting to about 300 fought with the most de- termined bravery; a good proof of the injustice of the intervention of Costa Rica against the americans, at this hour. But the victory in Rivas did not profit the Costa Ricans a great deal, for ten days afterwards the cholera broke out with such terrible fury that Gen Mora was compelled to retreat hastily back to his country when he arrived with but 600 men out of the host which he took to Nicaragua. The soldiers carried the pestilence with them to Costa Rcca and that sum- mer over eleven thousand persons died. During the campaign in Rivas the Army of Gen Mora entered the town of La Virgen and massacred in cold blood a number of neutral nna,med Amedeans. J!9/'"' one of the most outmgeou, oeeuneneee of the whole wa,. /e osta Reesn, did not suspeet the mu,dernd
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