Star.
London, England, 1822-12-20 00:00:00

WEST INDIES.

DOMINICA, OCTOBER 3.
IXTRAORDINART CASE OF LIBEL.

One of the most singular, and, in fact, unprece-
dented trials for libel has just been decided here. The
parties were S. Bridgewater, Esq. Collector of the
Customs, plaintiff, and the Proprietor of the Domi-
nica Chronicle, defendant. The libel was contained
in a notice to correspondents, in the following words :
" Castigator is wholly inadmissible. We have nothing to do
with the robbery at G—n—a some years ago. It is a blackfaced
business, and should have been tried in that Colony."
This notice, it was supposed, alluded to some com-
munication handed to the Editor •of the Chronicle,
relative to a transaction which occurred during the
residence of Mr. Bridgewater in the island of Gre-
nada, the place implied in the notice.
It appears, that during Mr. Bridgewater's residing
there, he received some information that the premises
of a resident on the island, named Waugh, had been
broken open during the night, and were in the act of
being robbed. Under that impression, he repaired to
the spot with his servants, to render Waugh such as-
sistance as he might stand in need of ; but Waugh,
under some misapprehension, and ignorant of the
persons' designs who were thus disturbing him (for
the robbery was a fabrication), called to the military
guard, and gave Mr. Bridgewater into their custody,
who accordingly conveyed him to the guard-house.
Waugh, however, in the space of ten minutes, fol-
lowed him there, accompanied by the brother of the
plaintiff, and, apologizing for his hasty conduct, sa-
tisfied Mr. Bride water, and the whole of the parties
proceeded to their respective homes.
The paragraph above alluded to appearing to con-
vey an intimation that Mr. Bridgewater had gone to
Waugh's house for the purpose of committing a bur-
glary, that Gentleman instantly commenced an ac-
tion against the proprietor of the Dominica Chronicle,
for libel, and laid his damages at 5,0001.
The Jury, after some deliberation, found a verdict
for the plaintiff—Damages 5001.
Upon this decision the defendant moved an arrest
of judgment; but failing in that, put iu a writ of
error, and the cause was argued before the four
Judges, viz. the Earl of HUNTINGDON, Mr. President
RaID, Mr. LOCKHART, and Mr. JOHN LUDLOW, and,
after hearing the case minutely, the Court divided,
when it was found the votes were equal, the two for-
mer Judges being in favour of the Proprietor of the
Paper, and the two latter against him. This places
the sentence in Oak quo, there being no other power
of appeal; and the case has caused a considerable
sensation in Dominica and the neighbouring islands,
as it is totally a novel and unprecedented occur-
rence, for which the Legislature has made no provi-
! sion ; and the defendant has thus been deprived of
that benefit the law intended should operate for him
• when the Act which empowered him to appeal to a
Court of Error was framed.

CH A R 'Arrow, Nov. 20.—The following interesting
letter from a gentleman in Curacoa, of the 16th of
October, is published in the National Advocate of
New York : " Yesterday a meeting of the Council of
Policy of this Island was called, when his Excellency
the Governor, communicated the dispatches he had
received from the King, relative to the commercial,
relations of this island, and the Independent pro-
vinces of South America and Colombia, in conse-
quence of which dispatches the island is now free,
and the port open to these provinces under their own
flag. This is equivalent to an acknowledgment of
their independence, and will no doubt prove higbly
beneficial to this place, as we shall have twice the
amount of produce coming in here. All are much
pleased, excepting the Spaniards."