Star.
London, England, 1818-02-09 00:00:00

TRINIDAD.

“ PORT SPAIN, DECEMBER is.

" I refer you to the enclosed letters from Guayana
for the state of the war on the Main, only adding
that General Marino was on the 25th at Maturin on
hit way to Angostura. Resistance was out of the
question! General Marino has turned over to Gene-
ral Bermudez the 300 men which he carried from
Guiria, and the latter, having incorporated this de-
tachment, was on the 25th ult. at Cumanacoa, with
I,9oopen, collecting the other scattered remains of
Marino's army, and raising troops in the province of
Cum= General Rotas, at Maturin, commands
another body of men for the protection of that im-
=place, and in immediate communication with
de& Monagas commands in the province of
Barcelona, so that all these corps are in communi-
cation with each other, and with the garrison of
Guayana. Bolivar's army now united with Sarazas
(and in pniect communication with Paez) amounts
to near six thousand men of all arms, which, if ne-
cessary, he eau reinforce with two thousand of Paez's
cavalry. With this force he has marched to attack
Morillo, if the latter has ventured to Calabozo. If
Morillo should remain at Valencia, Bolivar will esta-
blish his head-quarters at Calabozo until he reduces
San Fernando de Apure, for which 24, heavy gun-
boats, under the command of Colonel,Dias, sailed
twenty days ago to blockade it by water. San Fer-
nando has been long closely blockaded by land by
General Paez. This is the same Dias who with five
launches beat sixteen of the enemy on the Orinoco,
and took and destroyed several. He is a Margarita-
nean, or modern Srrtan, by birth, and a man of the
most cool and invincible courage in action. Should
Morillo (which appears doubtful) have occupied Ca-
labozo, and Bolivar should find him there, we may
very soon expect to hear of a bloody battle, which
the Independents make sure of gaining, in that po-
sition, from their very superior cavalry. But the ad-
vance of Bolivar, at the head of so respectable a
force, will increase his army, as well by desertion
from the enemy, as the inhabitants of the country,
who flock to the standard of InclepenclEnce whenever
they have an opportunity. A strong instance of this
was Lozano's deserting to Monagas. This Lozano
was Commandant of a corps of c .valry in the Spa-
nish service, and he came over to General Monagas,
and brought him the first copy of the Indulto Gene-
ral which the Independents had seen. A strange

pr----0;21f of the moral effect it had produced !—I send
a copy of this curious document, with a single ob-
servation. It is dated at Madrid, the 24th of Ja-
nuary, and only publi:hei at Caraccas the 21st of
September following ! Where was it sleeping all
this time? En attendant, General Freites, Colonel
Jugo, and several others, have been shot in cold
blood by Morillo and his satellites, and Margarita

threatened with extermination in July last, without
hearing one word of this Real ludolto. But when
Morino finds himself beaten at Margarita, and Guay-
ana lost, both in August, the Real Indulso appears
in SePtember, as a dernier resort. Such a State trick
could only produce the contrary effect of pro=
the sincerity of the Spanish Government for a liberal
reconciliation. Besides, what is offered by this In-
dult° to the South Americans? To return under the
most oppressive monopoly, and the most degrading
slavery, civil and religious ! Has the Holy Inquisi-
tion, do you suppose, such charms for men who have
sacrificed their lives and fortunes for nearly eight
years to the cause of freedom ? No ; read the spirit
of the people in the answer of Gomez to Morillo, as
the organ of the brave Margaritaneans, and their
brethren on the Main. Morir o vencir, is their motto.

" I also send you some Platicua Doci rinaks, printed
and sent to be read in all the churches in Venezuela,
after divine service, by order qf the Spanish Captain-
General of Caraccas. They will give you a correct
idea of the style of preaching in the, reign of James
the Second, and perhaps in the reign even of his fa-
ther ; but they would not suit the meridian of Lon-
don at present. They elucidate the present principles
of the Spanish Government, both in regard to South
'America, and the light in which it holds the heretical
deliverers of the Peninsula, better than any thing I
have seen of late. I therefore recommend them to
the attentive perusal of those who wish for informa-
tion from the fountain head. _ _ _

" Several of the Officers, who arrived here lately,
have proceeded to Angostura, and some, I understand,
return to Europe. As this is an individual specula •
tion, of course every man has a right to judge for
himself. But Captain Ryan who went to Angostura,
reported that General Bolivar said.he was ready to
make good all Mr. M---='s engagements, upon the
Officers' arrival' at head-quarters ; and as far as he
was concerned, or the owners of the ship, he expres-
sed great satisfaction from the result of his visit to
'Guayana. Three have already fallen victims to our
tahealthy climate, and I apprehend the longer they
stay in Trinidad, the worse for them.
But we have been so completely blockaded in our
awl ports by Spanish gun-boats, for want of a vessel
of war to protect the Gulph, that several vessels with
mules and cattle from Angostura and Maturin have
been taken, and no vessel has been able to sail with
safety for those ports ; and of course many officers,
who wish to join, are detained for want of convey-
ance. The arrival of a brig of war, within the last
eight days, has, I understand, scared those launches
off the coast, so it is to be hoped our limits will
be more respected in future. Two vessels were ab-
solutely chased on shore by them, and protected by
the Commandant and the Militia, which is luckily
in activity at a moment's warning every where.
Brion protects the mouths of the Orinoco, which
is all foreign vessels can expect of him.
" But it is probable that Bermudez, having dis-
embarrassed himself at Marino, will soon disembarrass
us of the Spaniards in the Gulph, and even at Cu-
mana. He is a strict disciplinarian, and a very active
enterprisieg officer, who has seen a great deal of
hard fighting. He commanded at Carthagena during
the siege, which was a very trying scene, and was
actively employed in the reduction of Guayana. He
is a native of the city of Cumana, and was second in
command to Marino when be took it ; and in a word,
has bees wherever there was danger since the contest'
began. Every General Officer, at present in com-
mand, may be depended upon for his past exploits.
"General Bolivar has prohibited, under pain of
death, putting any enemy to death in cold blood ;
so I hope the war will assume a more civilized form.
But as long as he contends with Morillo, I suspect
the latter will not shew much mercy to those he'
stiles rebels. As soon as this is known, it is not im-
probable there will be great desertion in the Spa-
nish troops, who are heartily sick of the hardships
they endure."

" PORT.OF SPAIN, DEC. 16.
" Since my former by this ship we have learn.
nothing very decisive from the Main, but every
thing is leading to such results. General Bolivar
had disembarked his troops at Santa Cruz, on the
opposite side of the Orinoco, -and marched to join
Saraza. Bolivar's force, as you will have seen, was
two thousand men. Saraza's corps consists of two
thousand cavalry and 1500 infantry—total of the
grand army 5500, without counting what they may
pick up as they advance.
" Sarata writes,that he would have attacked Cala-
bozo where there were only, he states, 1800 Spaniards,
but that in obedience to Bolivar's orders, he waited
his junction. Paez continued to block up a thousand
Spaniards, the garrison of St. Fernando, in that po-
sition ; they attempted a sortie, but were driven back
with great loss. Paez was ill at the date of his dis-
patches, and General Urdaneta would direct the
operations until he was recovered. These accounts
are brought by a vessel loaded with cattle, which
arrived on the 14th.
" I have seen letters from Generals Arismendi and
Gomez, by a launch that arrived from Margarita
the same day. They announce to their Friends of
Cumana the hopes that General Bermudez will soon
put them in possession of their estates in that pro-
vince. His head-quarters were at Cumanacoa, but
his detachments were almost at the gates of Cumana,
and had carried off a foraging party of the enemy.
Another detachment had driven them out of Cariaco.
Monagas was equally near to Barcelona ; so that
while the Patriots have ahundance of provisions, they
straiten the enemy every where, and oblige them to
depend on external supplies. And when they at-
tempt to collect the corps, they are cut off by par-
ties of Guerillas. Such is the precarious possession
of whatever they occupy in Cumana, Barcelona, and
a great part of Caracas ! And in one short month
it is probable they will hardly retain any thing.
" By the bye, rt appears Captain Ryan left an
order with his mate to proceed to St. Domingo with
the ship Two Friends, in case he did not return from
Guayana to Margarita in twenty days,'which the
mate carried into execution; so that after making sa-
tisfactory arrangements with General Bolivar, on
his return he found-the ship gone, and was obliged
to follow her to bring her to Guayana. The voyage
of jhe Two Friends has been a Comedy of Errors—
but the officers luckily remained at Margarita, ccept
such as came here. Bermudez, I expect, will-soon
open a port at hand for them. Had the that
brought them out gone- direct to Guayana§ *My
would be now all in Bolivar's army."