The Sun.
London, England, 1817-12-25 00:00:00

WARDLE V. LAUGHTON.

This-was an action against the defendant for
assaulting the plaintiff.
It appeared that the defendant had had a dispute
with a titan Of colour about wages,.which had be-
come due in the West Indies, and the parties met
at a proctor`s office, in' Doctors' Commons, for
the purpose 'of adjusting the claim, when the
plaintiff,- who was stated to be a crimp, appeared
on the part-I:lithe man of colour,,and advocated his
case. High words arose bet wetn hini.and the
defendant, which ended in the latter patting him
with his :liana on the check. . .
- For this assault the present action was brought,
anti
The Jury, under the circumstances of .the case,
found a verdict for the plaintiff—thimnes, 40s:
The Common Juries being all disposed "of,
Lord ELLENBOVOUGH adjourned his further sit-
tings until Monday, the l2th of January, for the
purPose of trying t4e reinaining SpCcialJury causes.

LONDON Docxs. —Faint Negligence.= An In-
quisition was belt' .before-J. W..l).T.mtt.T, Esq. in
the Vestry-room,' Warping, yesterday, on 'Aie
body of a person unknown. The deceased was
found in the . Hermitage-dock on Monday, about
nine o'clock: in..the morning, :close to the lock-
gate. It was not doubted that he fell into the
dock. It is still water, and he could not have
been washed up by the tide. He had on the dress
of an English sailor, and appeared about 25 years
of age. The (ioroner.observed, that the present
case afforded the .third' instance, within the last
six months, of persons 'who had come to an un-
timely death, having been drowned 'through 'the
want of paper 'defences-around this part of the
London-thiekS. The Directors had, no doubt, le-
gal authority to form this ex'cavatiou ; but they
were not to exercise their right to the destruction
of others. The present situation of the dock and
basin is that of a dabgetous.precipice. Until the
works are completed,' the place bright to be com-
pletely fenced all round, and well lighted. Among
such a body Of proprietors and agents, it may be
difficult to ascertain 'upon whoM the immediate.
responsibility attaches ; but if another such'case.
Should: .oechr; in WhiCh it shall clearly appear,'
that the party haS come to his death•through the
unprotected state Of the docks or basin, he should
charge the Jury, that after priblie notice, the in-
dividuali with direbled the woika, and those who
Isuperintendod them, were guilty of a criminal
offetice. The parishes were 'also deeply involved
in thecensure, possessig'ample powers, both tin-
der the ComniiOn`and Statilie Law, to redress this
Intolerable grievance. ;Verdict=—Founddrouirted.

A letter has been received from Joseph, alias
Manchester Turqer,, dated BbeernesS; on board the
Retribution hulk,.6th DeCember, 1817, of which
the following is an extract :—"l_promiseA to in-
forin,yon of some particulars 'respecting Our situa-
tion. We arrived here 011'8(111day, and are con-
fined in the same cell as 'the priinners ftoM,the
Isle of Ely_ were, confined in (a privilege. other
prisoners were not allowed) ; we are. ironed, and
go _out to work ; We , were told our sentence on
Tuesday. night 'hy the Chaplain of our ship. We
have .barley and oatmeal` night and morning, and
becf:for dinner fonr.days in the week, and. the
aAbeE days bread and cheese. There' is a. school
and disk!' in the hulk; ,which is regularly at~
tended, and it is far from being a .reprobate place,
as we were led to. believe at Derby ; for it aper-
son is inclined, every encouragement is.:alkiwed
him to improve his morals. Byonr good beha-
viour we
.hope to gain a mitig'itiOn of onr•Sen-_
• tenee, and enjoy our libe'rtyonce more. 'A ship
is expected Jicre.tp proceed to Botany Bay in .15
•days, and having made no provision for onr'jinir-
'ney, you will be so kind to tell the...other prisoners'
to bring shoes, stockings', knives, razors, needles,,
and sewing cottinn, looking 'gh3Ssei and c,tibs,
which arc very expensive here."

SPAIN AND HER COLONIES.

(Continued from The Quarter!,/ Review.)
The colony of Mexico is on Many accounts the
leading object of anxiety to the mothey-country
in the present contest. The population exceeds
six millions, that of the capital alone is 140,000
Humboldt states it to be the most civilized
the Spanish colonies, and its mines, its harbou ,
and its position render it the most valuable.—
Tranquillity had been preserved as fong as the
archbishop was viceroy, but a conspiracy having
been formed by some Spanish officers and a cu-
rate named Hidalgo, w•ho had acquired singular
influence over the Indians, the revolution began
to weal-a-formidable appearance. They appear-
ed in:alms soon after the arrival. of the 'viceroy
Venegas—Hidalgo, at the head of a motley army
of 80,000 men, seized the royal treasure at Go-
anaxuato, and possessed himself of 'some of the
richest. mines. He .assumed .the banners of the
ancient Emperors of. Mexico, and displayed the
image of the Virgin of Guadalonpe, cite faVourite
object of Catholic worship in Mexico.• ,ifidaigo
maraca, within a few leagues- of the city of
Mexico, and if there had been in its walls any
active party in his fa v, , the
.forces of Venegas
were so inferior 'and so -dispirited, that it Must
have fallen into his bands. .But the archbishop
and the Inquisition having pnblished a solemn
•decree cif excotnmunication against him, the' in-
habitants of the city and of the province remained
passive specfators of the contest. After a long
delay before the city,. which gave his opponents
the opportunity Of collecting their forces, he
withdrew in some confusion. ' His army was pur-
sued and defeated by the Spanish-General .Calle-
ja. It is a remarkable .fact„ that in the -towns
submitting ,to his power, he issued a coinage with
the head of Ferdinand the SeVenth. Having
been twice defeated by the Spaniards, he was
treacherously attacked and taken prisoner by a
general of the ludepetrdents, and himself with all
his officers were put to. death. Seieral chiefs
continued a desultory war, of whom Rayon a
lawyer, and Morelos a priest,, were most conspi-
cuous • .they formed a junta, which still acknow-
ledged' Ferdinand. Calleja took Zitiquaro, the
residence of this jnnta, and Mast barbarintSly, as
well as most unwisely,-razed to 'the ground every
building in it. Morelos, after tnany actions with
the royalists, and after destroying the royal Maga-
zines of tobacco, whi-eh were of the ..grea.,...st va-
lue, took < the town- of Acapulco, amt effectually
stopped the cotm»unication betwee4 Vera Cruz
and Mexico The Junta was succeeded by a Con-
gress, which met at a distance of 40 leagues from
Mexico, and framed and published a democratic
eonstitution. Acapulco has. been retaken by the
Spaniards ; .but the colonists, having fitted out
priiateers in the Gulph of Mexico, have been
able to receive supplies of arms, ammtinition, and
officers—they have been joined bythe French 'ge-
neral Humbert. and by.Mit4a, son of Mina, whose
name was illustrious in the Spanish war.—The
accounts of very recent transactions, are incOm-
plete and Oscure. It would, however, appear;
that the province of Puebla is still occupied by
the Independents, and that nearly all the other
provinces are traversed by bodies of armed men,
who intercept the, course of trade, and prevent
the working of the mines, and even the common
occupation of agriculture—Don Juan Apodaca,
who resided in England as Spanish Minister for
several.years,. is o)e.presen't viceroy, and having
abandoned the policy in which his predecessors
had in vain persevered, has adopted :with suc-
cess the wiser system of mildness and reconci-

When the. Spanish government of Buertoi
Ayres was overthrown, a Junta on tbe Modefof
those existing in Spain_ was immediately appoint
ed. This example was followed by the province
of Chili, which; secure 'in itselG sent military
succours to the Government of Bueno's Ayres.—
A considerable army was dispatched to the pro-
vinces of Upper Peru;. from which the Royalists
were then expelled. But their commander, Goy-
eneche, taking advantage of the violent dissen-
sions ainong the chiefs of the Independents, re-
conquered the country, and unless he. had resorted
to the measures of cruelty which have in all parts
of the American continent exasperated those
who afe not in this manner to be subdued, he
,probably would have been able to retain it. The
town (it Monte Video 4Vits defended against the
Colonilts by General Elio,- assisted 'with troops
and money by the PortugUese. A capitulation
was .concluded between the parties, by which the
.Portuguese were bound to quit the place, •fand to
return. to the Brazils ; they; however, still con-
tinued to commit hostilities, and the colonial
forces were marching against them, when the
Portuguese- minister, Sousa, having died,. his :tic-
cessor proposed terms of..bonourable peace, and
of a inutual.gurantee, whiCh were .accepted. A
constituent assembly having been elected at Bue-
nos Ayres, it chose an executive government of
three individuals; but the armies in Perri having
been frequently defeated by the Royalists, ' and
. the public mind. being alarmed, Doti G. PozadTas
was named supreme 'director, with a council of
'seven members: Another—contest .aeose -with
Monte Video, which was taken in 18l,tby Co-
lonel Alvear: Rut the capitulation, by which the
Spanish garrison w•ere. permitted to embark for
Spain, was violated ; the violation was defended
on the ground of retaliating the conduct of the
Spanish generals in l'eru, by whom every adya--'
tage" had been taken in defiance of armistices a
treaties.

(To be continued.)

INCENDIAICY.—Yesterday:a yonng man named
. .
Lo'nghtirst, only .18 years Of age, the son•
spectable man residing at Nloreden, Sul ~arr-
ived. Irma Croydon at Horsemonger-lat aol,
on a charge of setting fire to a house .at once
ricks at Moreden. He was fully committed for
trial by the 111.agistrates at Croydon.
John Baggoley and John. Roberts,. thOwn per-
sons who were confined in Our county-gaol upon
•sikspicion of
.laiy,h treason, have \been recently
discharged, by au order front the Secretary of
State, upon Neir entering into their Own
nizances of 100/.—(Gloticester Paper.)