Mr. Buck to Mr. Bayard.
Lima, September 12, 1885. (Received October 5.)
Sir: In my No. 261 referred to a report that Romero was proceeding southward to join Cáceres at Tarma. A letter from Truxillo, dated August 29, states that he has 1,300 men at or near Santiago de Chuco, a small place in the mountains 60-odd miles from Truxillo, and that he has been ordered to continue in that section in order to distract the Government forces. The letter states that some anxiety is felt at Truxillo, and it is intimated that the Government force there is quite small and inadequate for defense.
In my No. 27 referred to the probable occupancy of lea by montoneros and abandonment of Pisco by Government officials. Later advices by passengers on steamer which touched at Pisco on the 9th instant state that Dr. Leon failed to take lea; that Rueda and Tipacti, with 25 gendarmes and 120 volunteers, refused to give up the town to Leon, and, realizing he could not take it, he passed on to Pisco.
Last evening (the 11th instant) the Government transport Peru started southward with some 200 troops on board, as is thought to retake Pisco.
It is reported that a battalion of Cácerestas are at Chosica, about 9 miles from the Government troops at Santa Clara and 18 or 20 miles from Lima; that another battalion of montoneros are at San Bartolomé and Santa Anna, and 200 men more, under Colonel Cerua, are at Matucana, all points on the Oroyo road higher up. It is said Cáceres is expected at Chicla, the terminus of the railroad, about the 15th and 20th instant. Cáceres seems to have established his seat of Government and [Page 617] reorganized his cabinet at Tarma. The troops, if indeed the report of their presence is true at the points on the railroad above Santa Clara, most likely are detachments from the force which captured Canta, referred to in my No. 24.
Official reports from Col. Morales Bermudes (Cáceresta commander), in the fight at Canta, have been published in the Lima papers, and it seems he only claims the Government forces suffered a loss of about 100 men, while his own killed and wounded were about 60. It seems from his report, instead of heroically cutting his way out of Canta, as Colonel Pachas was reported to have done, he fled at the beginning of the fight. He simply refers to Colonel Bustamente as among the killed, says nothing about his having killed himself or having been shot by Pachas.
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It is reported that another proposed uprising in favor of Iglesias at Arequipa was, some days ago, “nipped in the bud” by the arrest of the principal instigator. It is also reported from Arequipa that reaction in the department of Cuzco in favor of the Government continues, and that some activity is indicated in the vicinity of Livitaca, a village in the southern part of the department.
I have. &c.,