Star.
London, England, 1818-05-16 00:00:00

SOUTH AMERICAN AFFAIRS.

We have received various accounts from Chili, Bue-
nos Ayres, and the United States, but so perplexed
and contradictory, that it is difficult to learn from
them the real state •of matters. The lettors from Chili
reach down to the I Ith of December, at which date,
official accounts from General SAN MARTIN had ar-
rived at the capital of Santiago, stating that one of the
Government vessels had just entered Valparaiso with
two Spanish prizes, one a ship with a cargo worth
500,000 dollars, from Cadiz, and the other a brig,
bound from Lima to Cadiz, with produce and a large
sum in specie on board. According to the declaration
of the brig's crew, it was understood that in De-
cember, an expedition was to leave Lima for the pur-
pose of ze-conquering Chili, consisting of 4000 men,
under the command of General OSORIO. In Peru, a
levy of Ames icans, Europeans, and Mulattos, had
beta carried into effect, in order to complete the
above number, and they had been formed on the basis
cf 1500 regulars just arrived from Spain. This was
considered as the last effort of the Peruvian Viceroy
to remove the theatre of war, with which he was
threatened, from Chili. In Santiago, (the capital of
Chili) the preparations for the campaign were in-
creasing, and every one hoped soon to have an oppor-
tunity of freeing Lima by what was expected to take
place in Chili. Nothing could exceed the enthusiasm
felt by all classes towards General SAN MARTIN, and
nothing could surpass the patriotic zeal and activity
with which he forwarded the organization of his army.
By the latest returns, the Army of Buenos Ayres
consisted in all of 4,609 men, and that of Chili of
4,136—t0tal of both armies, 9,044, exclusive of the
Staff. Commanders, Generals SAN MARTIN, BAL-
CAREE and BRAVER (French); also, the individuals
of the Military College, intended to form Serjeants
and Cadets.—This body of men is completely armed
and equipped, and a reserve depot of 20,000 muskets
has besides been established. l'he discipline is such
as to excite the admiration of all foreignei-s.
The letters from Buenos Ayres are to the '24th of
January. One of them gives the following picture
of the present posture of affairs : _ _ _

" The present :Government reigns with an iron rod, and ba-
nishment is the order of the day; but it will require all the vi-
gilance and energy they possess to stop the flame that is now
rising, and which ultimately must burst forth with a rage un-
precedented in this country. The success of the troops in Chili
is very doubtful. Talcahuana, which has never been in the
hands of the Patriots, and on which they have made two un-
successful amid's, has been reinforced from Lima by three thou-
sand men. L.st news says she Patriots have evacuated Con-
ception, aiici radon upon the town of Tatra, on the river Man&
The :.stack made by these people against General Assiows, of
Oriental, has met with the reward it merited. In the

altaak, they tint with a too at NO killed and 41 primal%
and one piece of artillery. T►e force gone against the Banda
Oriental, is only 1000, and fthink it extremely doubtful- if many
return to tell the story. AItIOAS is a brave, Intelligent man, of
little education, but of sotind, solid j4dgment ; adored by his
army and the people of his province, and I believe the only true
Republican in the country. He is now draggling with all his
force against the combined efforts of the Portuguese and this
Government. How must a Republican feel when he Pees and
bears a people crying one for Liberty and down with all Royalty,
and at the same moment assisting a crowned head,in establishing
its tyrannie dominien over a free people I Is it consistent? Is it
credible? But such is the case, and I lute you to form your
°pintos. They may call AMINO; brute, savage, *toaster. Let'
him be so, he is at the head of his nation, by the unanimous de-
sire of the people ; and the Portuguese are invaders of his terri-
tory, assisted by the Government as much as they dare and as
much as they can." .
Another letter from Buenos Ayres state' that there
the ship Esperanza (Hope), of 40 guns and 300 men,
had been fitted out under the command of Captain
W. W. a British Officer, in order to double Cape
Horn, in pursuit of the Spanish frigate Venganza
(Vengeance). She left the River Plate on the 23d of
January. The Royalist Army in Upper Peru had re-
treated to Potosi.

The Norfolk (United States) Herald, on the other
hand, loads ARTIGAS' with every opprobrious epi-
thet, and asserts, that nothing can go on well while
he shall hare the chief command.—" The whole of
South America," says the Paper alluded to, " on the
South-side of Rio de la Plata, is now entirely free
from the Spanish yoke. The two conquering armies
of Buenos Ayres, who are under the particular com-
mand of the celebrated Generals Sr. MARTIN and
BELGRADO, having conquered the extensive province
ofChili, are now on its northern borders, and upon the
eve of commencing operations against the Royalists in
the province of Peru ; so that Lima, with its golden
harvests, may soon be expected to form another l►nk
in the chain of republican dominion. The inveterate
hatred they bear to the European Spaniards, and
their " adored FERDINAND," is beyond conception.
In this part of the Republic all is tranquillity, order,
and system. Every day here seems like a day of
general festivity, and one can see nothing in the
people indicative of the great contest for their inde-
pendence ; yet they are, apparently, strangers to
fear, and are vigorously engaged in contending for
the independence of the neighbouring Provinces.
On the north side of the River things will never go
right as long as ARTIGAS is the Chief in command.
lie is an ambitious and a dangerous man, and it evi-
dently appears that he has no other object in view in
driving the Portuguese out of that country, than to
sit himself quietly down as its sole master. There-
fore you may readily perceive he has not many friends
in these Southern Provinces."

The Baltimore Telegraph, of the 27th of March,
resuscitates the Patriot-MINA. We subjoin the pars-
graph, but we must have accounts to corroborate the
statement before we can give it credit :
" GENERAL MINA NOT DEAD!

" On the authority of two letters received in this city, one
from the Aid of General Mn*, dated 14 days since, the other
from General Mom himself, dated only 20 days since, we are
bustified in asserting that the account published of that Officer's
eing taken and shot, is without foundation, and that his af-
fairs are now In a more prosperous situation than ever they have
yet been !"

The Paris Papers of Wednesday arrived this morn-
ing, but are quite barren of interesting matter. The
Chamber of Deputies have not had any meeting for
several days, and are expected to adjourn early in the
ensuing week. The Funds are now rather on the
decline : Tuesday the 5 per Cents. left off at 67 fr. 80 c.

HER MAJESTY last night had a select party.
The Duke and Duchess of CUMBERLAND were at a
Concert, given by the Duke and Duchess of MONT..
ROSE, on Thursday.
The Duchess of GLOYCESTER'S Assembly, on
Thursday evening, produced abundance of work for
the coach-makers--not less than two hundred car-
riages were almost completely crushed to pieces.
The ROYAL SOVEREIGN yacht is arrived in the
Downs, and will sail in a day or two for Calais, in
bider to receive the Duke and Duchess of CAM-
BRIDGE, who are expected there on the 19th inst.
. -

Extract of a letter from Demerara, dated March
19.—" A shocking circumstance occurred, inland, on
the east coast of this colony a few days ago, the par-
ticulars of which, as for as they have transpired, arc
these :—Several of Mr. Van Baires Negroes having
absconded from his estates, the Beehive and the Bush,
Mr. Torre, brother-in-law to Mr. Van Baires, and an
engineer working on the estate, volunteered their ser-
vices to go back, well armed, with 13 of the trustiest
of the estates' Negroes, to endeavour to secure some
of the runaways. They travelled a short way to-
gether into the woods, when they met a party, with
whom they had a brush, and took nine prisoners.—
They dispatched seven of their own Negroes to carry
these nine home to Beehive, and with the remainder
of their party, which only consisted now of six, they
determined (though very imprudently) to penetrate
deeper into the forest : and, a short time afterwards,
they fell in with a few more, among whom were some
of Mr. Van Baires own people. With these the
Whites remonstrated, and advised them to return
'home, and they would be pardoned. In this they ap-
peared to acquiesce, and were beginning to shape
their course homeward, when one of the runaways
suddenly stopped, and said to Mr. Torre—' Massa
come dis a way ; go and me sail show you plenty such
Negro here.' They agreed to go. This man led the
way, and in a short time conducted them to the very
centre of a camp, composed, it is said, of upwards of
SO Negroes. Their unlucky fate was now soon de-
cided. Mr. Torre seeing a black man dressed in a
red coat and epaulets, immediately aimed and fired
at him ; but this rascal suddenly stooped, and the
shot passed him, but killed another who stood by him.
Torre was wounded immediately by a shot from one
of the camp Negroes, when, to complete his destruc-
tion, the man in red ran up, and, with one stroke of ail
cutlass, nearly severed his head from his body. The I,
engineer seeing the fate of his companion, endea-
voured to effect his escape, but did not succeed, for
he was brought back instantly. and murdered piece-
meal. He was quartered and otherwise shamefully
mutilated. Report says, that a large tire was then
made, and the butchery closed with a song and
dance round the murdered remains of these two un-
fortunate young men. An expedition of the East
Coast Militia is preparing to proceed into the Bush,
and sanguine hopes are entertained of success, when
something decisi* will no doubt be done."