Thirteen of the long needed mortars, leaving twenty-seven, besides heavy guns, behind, have arrived, and two of them landed. A heavy norther then set in (at meridian) that stopped that operation, and also the landing of shells. Hence the fire of our mortar batteries has been slackened since two o'clock to-day, and cannot be reinvigorated until we shall again have a smooth sea. In the mean time I shall leave this report open for journalizing events that may occur up to the departure of the steam ship-of-war, the Princeton, with Commodore Conner, who, I learn, expects to leave the anchorage off Sacrificios, for the United States, the 25th instant.
March 24th. The storm having subsided in the night, we commenced this forenoon, as soon as the sea became a little smooth, to land shot, shells, and mortars.
The naval battery, No. 5, was opened with great activity, under Captain Aulick, the second in rank of the squadron, at about 10 a.m. His fire was continued to 2 o'clock p.m., a little before he was relieved by Captain Mayo, who landed with a fresh supply of ammunition, Captain Aulick having exhausted the supply he had brought with him. He lost four sailors, killed, and had one officer, Lieutenant Baldwin, slightly hurt.
The mortar batteries Nos. 1, 2, and 3, have fired but languidly during the day for want of shells, which are now going out from the beach.
The two reports of Colonel Bankhead, chief of artillery, both of this date, copies of which I enclose, give the incidents of those three batteries.
Battery No. 4, which will mount four 24-pounders and two 8-inch Paixhan guns, has been much delayed in the hands of the indefatigable engineers by the norther that filled up the work with sand nearly as fast as it could be opened by the half-blinded laborers. It will, however, doubtless be in full activity early to-morrow morning.
March 25th. The Princeton being about to start for Philadelphia, I have but a moment to continue this report.
All the batteries, Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, are in awful activity this morning. The effect is, no doubt, very great, and I think the city cannot hold out beyond to-day. To-morrow morning many of the new mortars will be in a position to add their fire, when, or after the delay of some twelve hours, if no proposition to surrender should be received, I shall organize parties for carrying the city by assault. So far the defence has been spirited and obstinate.
I enclose a copy of a memorial received last night, signed by the consuls of Great Britain, France, Spain, and Prussia, within Vera Cruz, asking me to grant a truce to enable the neutrals, together with Mexican women and children, to withdraw from the scene of havoc about them. I shall reply, the moment an opportunity may be taken, to say: 1. That a truce can only be granted on application of Governor Morales, with a view to surrender. 2. That in sending safeguards to the different consuls, beginning so far back as the 13th inst., I distinctly admonished them, particularly the French and Spanish consuls, and of course through the two, the other consuls, of the dangers that have followed. 3. That although at that date I had already refused to allow any person whatever to pass the line of investment either way, yet the blockade had been left open to the consuls and other neutrals to pass out to their respective ships of war up to the 22d instant; and 4. I shall enclose to the memorialists a copy of my summons to the Governor, to show that I had fully considered the impending hardships and distresses of the place, including those of women and children, before one gun had been fired in that direction. The intercourse between the neutral ships of war and the city was stopped at the last mentioned date by Commodore Perry, with my concurrence, which I placed on the ground that that intercourse could not fail to give to the enemy moral aid and comfort.
It will be seen from the memorial that our batteries have already had a terrible effect on the city (also known through other sources), and hence the inference that a surrender must soon be proposed. In haste,