The Sun.
London, England, 1847-04-19 00:00:00

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AMERICAN AFFAIRS.
New YORK, MARCH 31.—Although it is nearly, ittwo
years before the Presidential election takes plaxe,y,st 4,he
campaign has fairly opened. The Charleston (h:eeth---
Carolina) Courier has commenced a defence of Mr. Cal-
houn, and assails in no measured terms the grashfaillon
Union and its editor. The South Carolina ps:per
charges Mr. Ritchie with abandoning the true interests
of the south, and with succumbing te.,, northern men
with northern notions and feelings on the question o
slavery.
Mr. Calhoun is calling (in a speech recently made)
upon, southern statesmen to organise and unite .on the
existing topic of slavery, which he conceives vita/ to the
slave-holding population. On this ground he thinks the
Presidential question should be fought. In the speech
referred to he denounce 3 a "caucus, 'or convention, held
for the purpose of nominating a candidate for the deco
of President. Whatever may be said of Mr. Calhoun's
views on other subjects, his remarks in relation to party
conventions merit calm and serious deliberation.. They
never fail to exhibit a scene of low intrigue, and some-
times the most profligate and audacious corruption. I
regret to add, these charges are not exclusively confined
to ,ne political party.
The Union, Mr. Polk's mouthpiece, replies to this
assault with great bittcrnesl. lie insists upon a con-
vention to designate the candidate of the party, and is
prepared to expel as an unbeliever an-1 a heretic'the
vecj. iegteeinmerianledly
understood and believedloan who does not sustain and suppixt the usages of the
that party, and this usage in partticuilra.r
. Itis
Calhoun
is
r
to be a candidate for the Presidency at the next ekctioe.
If he consents to go into the convention, he will bee
bound by its proceeding*, and no matter what pledges
he and his friends will
or assurances are given to him,
by voted down. This fact Mr. Calhoun understands.
He knows he will be cheated.
Mr. Benton entertains strong hopes and expectations
the Palate.
that he may be selected as the candidate of
All such hopes are worse than visionary. It was with
id of the
the view of promoting that darling object that he
struggled so stoutly to obtain the command
army. There are, however, so many obstacles I
inthe
way of Mr. Benton's ascending the throne, that;
con-
sider the attempt as visionury, and unworthy notice.
The aspirants in his own party are numerous, while the
feud between Beaton and Calhoun is violent and uncom-
promising.

The Whig party have made no movement as yet indi-
eatidg whose they would prefer as their candidate for the
office of President; but there is no doubt a very large
majority of the Whigs would prefer Henry Clay, if he
could be induced to permit his friends to use his
name for that office, which is very doubtful. Mr.
Clay seeks retirement, and while he enjoys the society
of his family and his friends, he delights-in rural pur-
suits, and the cultivation of a superb farm of which he
is the proprietor and the occupant, having settled off it
some thirty years or more, when the surrounding
country was a wilderness.
In a few days (the 12th of April) Mr. Clay will
be seventy years old. Ile possesses a robust consti-
tution, and is in most excellent health. His friends
in this city are making the necessary arrangements..for
a large and splendid festival in honour of his birthday.
There is no doubt it will be well attended, and probably
by some of our most distinguished statesmen from adja-
cent states. As he advances in the number of his years,
the respect and esteem of his countrymen appear to
grow stronger, while the asperity of party is daily be-
coming more subdued, losing its bitterness, so far as it
applies to him.
We have recently experienced a tremendous gale of
wind along our seaboard. As far as we have heard,
the disasters have been numerous, and we have reason to
apprehend that the loss of both life and property wilt
prove great.

The exciting topics in this city are the Irish suffer-
ings and the Mexican war, but especially the latter.
On Friday last the Government ship the Jamestown.
Captain Forbes, cleared at the Boston Custom-house for
Cork, and sailed on Saturday. She is loaded with sup-,
plies for the relief of the Irish sufferers by famine.
About the 20th of the present month we had rumours
of a great battle having been fought between Santa
Anna and General Taylor, but no details. Rumours,
however, were rife that the Mexicans had been repulsed
with the loss of 4,000 or 5,000 men, and that General
Taylor had sustained a loss of from 1,100 to 1,700 men.
On the 23d the National Intelligencer published a call
from Colonel Curtis, of Ohio, on the Governor of Loui-
siana for 10,000 volunteers, to be dispatched to the seat
of war with as little delay as possible. This requisition
bears date, " Camargo, March 2, 1847." and statea
" that all communication has for several days been cut
off between Camargo and the army above" (General
Taylor's army).

From the 25d of March to the present day we have
had nothing but the most contradictory reports and ru-
mours, without one lino that can be considered official,
or that can be relied on.

On the 2Gth of March the Intelligencer received, via
New Orleans, advicus from Mexico to the 27th of Fe-
bruary; they announce a revolution in the city of
Mexico. Gomez Farias has been denounced, and Saks
chosen in his stead. Santa Anna, according to the ac-
u.unts, retains his power end influence. The
gencer publishes a letter frow New Orleans, from which
the follo%ing is extracted:—

" We hav-e two days later from Brazw, but nothing
liter from the army—nothing further, from the enemy
being near to Matamora,=, which is considered safe."
We have to report, via Tampico, of a
battle, alai that Santa Anna was repulsed. The report,
ih wi;hout any jus: f Ev‘.ry one is on-tiptoe
for further re;viecs. loci s(ii:! they may be favourable."
It you ilould rec:il': a hr. tt letters, you will pro-
r%eiv.• a do-a n )is urn urs and opinions.
I wi!! give you mine in a hi wqrds ce-; possible. I he'
lieve 111;:re has In up. 11,.rd lighting, with great slaughttr
on both The Mexicans, however, are muelt tho
greatest sufferer?. In my opinion, their force wsis at
least perhaps three times the number of Gene-
T.ty;Or, who has probably retreatcd to Monterey,
which he is perfectly able to hull until he receives rein-
foremen t 6.

General Scott, before the date of this letter, has pro•
bab!y.attacked and captured the city of Vera Cruz and
the Castie of St. Juan d'Ulloa. This opinion is univer-
artily entertained by the best-informed men in this place.
Between the friends of General Scott and General Tay-
lor there is some unkind feeling, in consequence of Scott
withdrawing from Taylor his most efficient troop's. All
parties unite in condemning the President and his Ca-
binet for leaving TaAyloGr
EinNaEdveLesncEelesa
TRAVELLER.state.
Times.

EXECUTION OF CATHERINE
FOSTER FOR POISONING HER HUSBAND
THREE WEEKS AFTER MARRIAGE.—HER
CONFESSION.
BURT ST. EDMUNDS, SATURDAY.—The wretched con-
vict, Catherine Foster, condemned to death by the Chief
Baron Pollock at the late Suffolk Assizes, for the murder
of her husband three weeks after marriage, by poisoning
a dumpling with arsenic, expiated her dreadful offence
this morning on the scaffold adjacent to the county gaol
in this town.
ThoSe persons who have perused the evidence adduced
at the trial have doubtless been at a loss to conceive the
motive that could have induced her to destroy her hus-
band, whom she had apparently loved from a child, and
now that her life has been justly forfeited to the law, and
her confession is published to the world, it will be found
that it contains nothing that can be construed into a
motive, and the reasons, therefore, which tempted her to
commit the murder must remain enveloped in mystery.
Earnest were the solicitations ot those whose duty it was
to attend her after her condemnation that she should
divulge the whole of the facts connected with the crime
for which she was about to suffer; but although she made
a frank avowial of her guilt, she studiously avoided allud-
ing to any circumstance which might lead to the motive
fur which she perpetrated the horrid deed.
The following is a copy of her comfession:—
" Bury Gaol, April 12, 1847.
"To the Governor,—First of all I must confess th :t I
am guilty, and very guilty ot this awful crime, and well
deserve the death that I am condemned to die; and as
I am soon to stand before my Heavenly , Judge,
I wish to speak the truth. I am sorry to say I
ebhoeumghistt,
stluiedbuproyi,sotnhrenet d styhse beforeab()P lomf i xMe dr. it I:1111E1y;
dumpling which I gave to my husband. It was served
to me by a young man in the shop. Mr. Ely was not
present ; had he been present he would have known me,
as I had been frequently at his shop on errands for my
mistress when I was at service. The act was.'entirely
my own. No person persuaded me to it, and my mother
had no knowledge or suspicion of it. I had no cause for
complaint against my husband. Ile was always good
and kind to me, but I never had any affection for him,
and wished to go back to service. Ido not wish to live,
for I never could be happy in this world, and,l hope,
through the merits and blood of my Saviour, and a sin-
cere repentance of this and all my sins, to obtain for-
giveness of God, and to be received into Heaven. • I die
at peace with all, having no 'complaint to make of any
witness that appeared against me on my trial, and full of
remorse for the crime which brings me to this premature
death. I wish to express my grateful thanks to the Rev.
SWmy.p\larveastii, the
ministerchaplain oandf thee giatoelv.; the
tr. REeyv. rel rf
0.
r 0 ttthl
eir
great attention to my eternal interest, and for the spiri-
tual hope and consolation I have received from their in-
structions and admonitions, I should wish Mr. Eyre to
attend me in my last moments, and earnestly request
that he will do so.
(Signed)CATHERINE FOSTER.
` IV t n eusrssda y
by—J.
mother ; and on Friday the
Et) IQ
m , g
`On h
Thoas \Vestovernor.
."
her she took
final leave of her aged
the condemned sermon was
preached by the Rev. re, from the 32d chapter of
Numbers, and 23d verse N.
This morning the crowd assembled to witness the exe-
cution was very great ; at nine o'clock the number of
persons could not have been less than 10,000. A few
ininutes before nine o'clock, the nigh Sheriff and Under
Sheriff having arrived, proceeded with the other autho-
rities to the cell in which she was confined, when she
walked with a firm step and unsupported to the drop,
where she stood unmoved. The preliminary arrange-
ments having bean completed, the signal was given, and
the drop fell. The body, after hanging the usual period,
was cut down arid interred within the walls of the prison.
The last execution of a female in this town was 47 years
ago, for setting fire to her master's house.

CHILD DROPPING.—On Saturday information was
circulated that on Thursday evening a fine female infant,
apparently about a month old, was picked up near the cellar
door of No. 6, Raymond's-buildings, Gray's Inn. There
had, however, evidently been no intention to destroy it, for
it was well wrapped up in a calico gown, folded in several
shawls, flannel, &c., and there was some sugar in its month.
It had on a nightcap marked" H." The poor little thing
has been ever since in the care of the gardener's wife, and the
authorities of Gray's Inn have offered U. reward for ther
Q4AVY of tiro persons :who deposited it w4e.e#.Bl fmR3 .