The Sun.
London, England, 1828-12-25 00:00:00

PADILLA, THE CONSPIRATOR,

A curious letter is in town, written at Cer-
thagena by an intelligent Colombian, and re-
ceived by the last packet ship from New York,
which affords some novel particulars relating to
the late conspiracy against President Bolivar. It
would seem that, when the plot was at first dis-
covered, for the sake of the Colombian charac-
ter, there was a wish to throw the blame on the
Spaniards, by attributing the foul design to their
intrigues. When, however, it became appa-
rent that many native leaders were deeply impli-
cated in it, and that the assassination of the Li-
berator was intended to pave the way to the ac-
'cession of- another personage, whose power and
influence would cease the moment the Spaniards
gained an ascendancy, the idea was abandoned
on account of its improbability. It has since
been ascertained that the original project was formed
at Ocana, where the sums of money necessary to
carry it into effect and bribe the troops were allot-
ted out of the ill-gotten pelf of certain per-
sonages who, for a considerable time, had the
loaves and fishes at their disposal during Boli-
var's absence, and whilst the English loan trans-
actions were going on. Although the number of
persons implicated was not fUlly ascertained
when the last accounts came away, the guilt of
several who had cut a great figure in the republic
was fully established, and among them that of
Santander. The letter alluded to, however, ob-
serves, that, although this is the case, it is very
dubious whether any more executions will .take
place, in consequence of the powerful attitude
m which the friends of the conspirators stand, as
well on account of their rank as their influence ;
and Bolivar's object is, besides, to heal wounds,
and not irritate them. The execution of Pa-
dilla could have no ill effect on the country
from the moment his guilt was proved. He could
not be said even to belong to the party by whom •
he was employed. He was, in fact, too illite-
rate to have any ideas of either a government or
a revolution of his own, and his being put out of
the way was a relief to all parties.
Padilla was a black, and had formerly been
boatswain of a Spanish gun-boat. Daring and,
to a certain extent, experienced, he rose gra-
dually, front the . early stages of the revolution,
to the rank of admiral and commander of the
naval department of Carthagena. The paucity
of seafaring men in those days left him almost
without a competitor, and some acts of wanton
cruelty committed on a fallen enemy most likely
added to his recommendations. His ignorance
and brutality were, nevertheless, apparent, and,
being in favour with the coloured claeses, his
power and influence were consequently feared by
the whites. It was, indeed, said that he enter-
tained the project of raising Carthagena, where
the blacks are principally concentrated, into a
sable republic, under the auspices of the Hay-
tien President, Boyer; but the delicacy of the
latter in not interfering in the concerns of any
other country is too well known to imagine, for
a moment, that he had any participation in the
scheme, if, in reality, it had been formed by Pa-
dilla. The latter, however, always stood in op-
position to the whites, and of their feelings to-
wards him a very correct opinion will be formed
from the following anecdote :
About two years ago a grand entertainment
was given by the municipality of Carthagena, in
honour of some public event. All the principal
inhabitants were invited, and among them Ad-
miral Padilla, being one of the principal autho-
rities of the place. Dancing was going on in
brilliant style, when his black excellency, dress-
ed in his full uniform of admiral, attended by
several of his officers, and with the mulatto fe-
male with whom he cohabited leaning on his
arm, entered the saloon. The South American

adios, who have a strong aristocratic feeling
among them, turned up their noses at the sight
of the naval party; but when the admiral and
his lady joined the dance, they collected their
partners, and immediately quitted the room,
leaving the coloured pair in exclusive possession
of the floor. Padilla was indignant at this insult
offered to himself and his tawny helpmate,. and
the next morning, in order to avenge himself,
in his character of commander of marine, he is-
sued an order of the day, in which he expressed
his resentment, and actually, in plain terms, in-
serted the chroniquc scandaleuse of most of the
Carthagena married ladies, to the great an-
noyance of their husbands, and even enumerated
some who ought long before to have been .the
inmates of a hospital. Of course this circum-
stance made him a greater number of enemies,
and it may thence be safely inferred that his ex-
ecution has not been universally regretted, at
least among the Carthagena ladies. From the par-
ticulars here mentioned it is also easy to conclude
that Padilla was a very proper person to take the
lead in a conspiracy intended to rid the country
of Bolivar, more particularly as ample funds ex-
isted to defray the expences, and reward those
who distinguished themselves on the occasion.
As part of the original design Padilla was to
have held Carthagena, the key of the river com-
municating with the capital, and where he him-
self commanded, for the use of the conspirators ;
and, if they had been driven to an emergency,
doubtless he was to have raised his black myr-
midons, which might eventually have led to one
of the most dangerous competitions for power.
The next mail, now daily expected, will, how-
ever, furnish more ample details of the late con-
spiracy, and enable us to judge of its conse-
quences and extent.

A CLOSE SHAVE.---011 Saturday evening,
the 4th inst., a teamster fell from a waggon at Black Rock
Dam, and the wheel cut his ear dean from his head,
without braising his head, or otherwise injuring him.—
The man went away with his ear in his pecket.—Anteri-
an Paper.

Sixteen persons out of 45 that reside in the
Hospital de Marie Therese, founded by the Viscountess de
Chateauhriand, having died within a few months, the
Council of Health of Paris are occupied in endeavouring to
ascertain the cause of such alarming mortality, and the
food, water, Bcc. are undergoing a-strict examination. The
malady seems to be epidemic. One remarkable circum-
stance is, that the persons who lodge oat of the house, but
take Weir meals there, have been affected# whilst others
who come backwards and forwards, hot do not take their
meals, have escaped.— GUlignonra Messenger.

On Tuesday evening last a shocking outrage
by a Peaman of the name of
iwkaos,le_onn.tinittTheid,, aftelNloezlinfii.o-gubi,
some enmity he bad har-
boured against his brother-in-law, Jamieson by name,
seized the opportunity, as the latter stood near the door of
his own house, of making a violent attack upon him ; and
coming behind him, struck him so SWIM Sly on the shoulder
with the sharp spade need in digging for bait, as nearly t.)
dislocate the joint of the arm ; and as the poor man,
agonized with pain, turned round, with a piteous exclama-
tion, to ascertain the came of 80 nnlooked for and cruel an
injury, lie ~„tieed, in the fil-ehead, such another dreadful
blow its laid it partly open, dividing the nose nearly
amlet.. The ,unfeeling ruffian having thus felled the
victim of his barbarity to the ground, immediately took to
his heels and escaped. In the meantime the poor sufferer
was carried into the house by his family, alarmed by the
noise—and, although able to tell the name of the assailant,
has since remained sPeechletl, with great doubts of his re-
covery,—Aberdeen Chronicle.