The Evening Telegraph

MEXICO.

Latest Official News from President Juarez—He is Pursued by the Imperialists Towards El Paso—They Decline to Attack Him and Retire to Chihuahua—Juarez Appeals to Americans for Aid—Escobedo's Original Plan of Campaign on the Rio Grande—Railroad and Colonization Schemes, Etc.

WASHINGTON, January 28.—Official news up to the 29th of December has been received here from El Paso, the present seat of the Mexican Government.

After the occupation of Chihuahua by the French, they sent an expedition to El Paso against President Juarez, who collected at that place General Ferraga's division, and made other preparations to resist the invaders, with every chance of success. When the French heard of this they marched back to Chihuahua, thus abandoning the idea of attacking El Paso.

The news from the interior is represented as quite encouraging.

The impression prevailed in the whole country that the French would soon abandon Mexico.

MESILLA, December 30.—Juarez is in El Paso, fifty miles from this place. He has with him about thirty officers and not many more men.

The French drove him out of Chihuahua, and followed him to within forty miles of where he is now, and then turned back. Juarez expected a fight in El Paso, and made some preparation, but none came off. He has also several guns—six, twelve, and twenty-four-pounders—but no men to manage them. He wanted the Americans from our side to go over and take charge of the guns, and I think several would have accepted the invitation had the French continued to advance.

General Mexican News.

Letters from Escobedo, recently intercepted, show the plan of campaign devised by him, and is sketched forth in the following terms in a communication addressed by him to a Juarist Governor of Tamaulipas:——

We will remain in the States of Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas, and San Luis, so as to occupy the attention of the Imperialists, in accordance with the wish of his Excellency, the President and Commander-in-Chief.

General Cortinas saw fit to separate from us this side of Reynosa, as that brave patriot did not concur in our views. General Cortinas does not suppose that there is any practicable base of operations beyond Matamoras. But I regret to inform you that the popularity of the cause has declined at Matamoras. That city has experienced a great reaction in favor of the traitors, caused evidently by the influence of foreign gold. Our failure at Matamoras was not caused as much by the defeat of our forces as by the acts of paid traitors.

Your plans had met with the approval of General N. Cortinas. The city, which was supposed to be most difficult, if not impossible to capture, would have been delivered to us by those valiant citizens who still preserve in their hearts the name and traditions of their invaded country.

But, unfortunately, Mejia was apprised of our plans by his informal secret police, the existence of which no one suspected at the time, and so our valiant friends were hanged or shot without form or trial.

I shall shortly arrive at Aquelaros by the Alamo road, and in order to carry out the plan conceived by his Excellency President Juarez, I shall request the aid of Generals Mendez and Aguirre. Generals Patoni, Corona and Villagra, who are operating in Durango, could have joined me in Coahuila. We could have dashed into Nuevo Leon by way of the mountains, sweeping from there like a hurricane upon Reynosa, on the Rio Bravo. Thence, to Camargo, we might have followed the Rio Grande, leaving Monterey on our right. On the river, I am indebted in considerable amounts to Americans who have furnished materials, such as tar, saltpetre, and sulphur, received directly from Sicily, and landed on the coast by the American brig Hope.

General Cortinas is better acquainted than we are with those Americans disposed to aid us.

You, doubtless, know that the few shells I was able to secure while the trains were passing from Laredo came from Brownsville, where he got them by means of some faithful Mexicans residing there.

The Emperor Maximilian has issued a decree granting to Don Ramon Zargosa the exclusive privilege to construct and run, for the period of seventy-five years, a railroad between Vera Cruz and Puebla, passing through Jalapa and Perote.

A company has been formed in Florence, with a capital of one million francs, for the purpose of colonizing lands in the department of Vera Cruz.

The amount hitherto subscribed has already been forwarded to that city to be devoted to the purchase of land. Among the subscribers are some of the leading men of Italy.—N. Y. Herald.