No. 41.
Mr. Reynolds to Mr. Fish.

No. 27.]

Sir: Without any previous notice whatever, this city was surprised by the firing of musketry and the yells of the soldiery stationed in the city, first at their barracks and afterward all through the city. The cry seemed to be “Vive Quevedo!” “Vive Quevedo!” It was soon known that “rank and file*” of the second battalion had mutinied against their officers, and had proclaimed in favor of General Quevedo as President of the republic.

Within two hours the firing had ceased, and after a long bugle-call there was a large crowd of citizens in the Plaza, surrounding about 250 soldiers who had led the revolution. Mr. Yaac Famayo, a citizen of La Paz, mounted a box and made a speech about 10 minutes in length, congratulating the soldiers upon their glorious success; congratulating the people of Bolivia, and especially the citizens of La Paz, upon the accession of General Quevedo to the presidency, &c.

All that is known at this writing is that the soldiers have the city under control, and that the officers of the battalion are in arrest, while the revolutionists are quietly taking possession of the city government, and will soon announce new officers for the department of La Paz.

I have been confined in the legation-room for over two hours awaiting the cessation of musketry firing. As I write the firing has begun again in the lower part of the city. I have been out in the Plaza, and returned after a 40 minutes’ survey of the “battle-field,” yet found no killed or wounded. I learn, however, that two non-combatants, citizens, have been killed by stray shots while looking out of windows at the fighting, or rather the firing.

What the end will be no one at this writing can conjecture, but I will keep the Department well advised from day to day.

The advices from the government at Sucre are that the President and ministers are now en route to this city, and that there is no attempted revolution at Cochabamba, as at first reported.

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General Quevedo lives at Cochabamba, and is one of the deputies to the national congress. His friends in this city have assured all persons friendly to the government that Quevedo would not for a moment think of making a revolution against President Frias.

Yours, &c.,

R. M. REYNOLDS.