which he refers to enclosed gazettes. In those, also, (the Viceroy says) will be seen the rapid progress made by his Majesty's arms in the Mexican provinces, in which the insurgents have been beaten at all points, except at the lagoon of Chapala in New Gallicia, where from the strength of their position, they obtained advantages over the division opposed to them. On this account, it had been necessary to order the commandant of that province to collect all his troops, and make a fresh attack on the fortified isle where the rebels were entrenched. Nothing new had occurred in the other provinces of the viceroyalty, in which the chiefs were labouring to dissipate the remains of the great assemblages that wander about on every side, intercepting the roads, and preventing every kind of commerce. This authorized account of the state of affairs was not thought extremely favourable by persons who were aware of the varnish usually bestowed on government narratives. On the other hand, a report which came from New Orleans with the date of September 23rd, and the title of "Independence of New Mexico," has probably as little claim to implicit credit. It stated, that a vessel from Vera Cruz was then in the river, which brought the information, that as soon as Ferdinand's refusal to accept the constitution framed by the Cortes was known in the kingdom of Mexico, all parties united, the new viceroy was deposed, and independence was proclaimed at Mexico, Vera Cruz, and the other cities of that government. If the principle of loyalty in New Spain, resembles

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what it has shown itself in the Old, it will not be staggered by the resumption of the ancient prerogatives of the monarchy. Meantime we may be assured that Ferdinand's government will not act upon the system of recovering the colonies by indulgences, which would compromise the authority of the crown, and of the mother country. Already has the Council of the Indies been re-established, and an expedition has long been preparing for the river Plate, for the purpose of compelling submission by force of arms.

In the West India islands, the principal object of interest during this year has been the island of St. Domingo, or the modern Hayti. It is well known, that the French colony of St. Domingo, previously to the revolution, was the most valuable commercial possession of France, and that its loss was the cause of very great public and private distress. Its recovery was entirely hopeless, while the seas were closed by the predominance of the British naval power; but as soon as the return of peace had removed this obstacle, it appears that the French nation and government began to serious thoughts of attempting to regain so valuable a possession. This, however, was become an undertaking of great difficulty.

The two black chiefs of the island, Christophe and Petion, though they had been engaged in almost constant hostilities with each other, seem to have been animated with an equal zeal for maintaining the independence of the negro state; and although M. Desforneaux, in reporting the sentiments of a committee appointed

by the body of French representatives, to consider the dictates of policy on this subject, confidently expressed an opinion, that these chiefs would with eagerness recognize the sovereignty of Louis XVIII. and submit to his will, events have hitherto entirely contradicted this expectation. An extract of a dispatch from the minister secretary of state for foreign affairs to Christophe, now entitling himself Henry king of Hayti, addressed to M. Peltier, London, and dated June 10th, the 11th year of independence, was published in September, giving an account of the feelings of his sovereign on being informed of the fall of Buonaparte, and of the preparations he had been making for the defence of his kingdom. In this paper a declaration is made of the king of Hayti's readiness to receive French merchant ships in his ports, upon the same footing as those of other nations; but it is clearly specified, that he means to treat with France only as one independent power with another. A private letter from Port au Prince, the seat of Petion's power, dated August 1st, mentions the determination of that leader also to submit to every extremity rather than yield to an invader.

It might have been previously mentioned, that the King of Hayti commenced the year with a Fete of independence, in which all the pomp and circumstance that could attend a festival celebrated by the greatest monarch in the world was closely imitated, and a royal speech was pronounced, in a style exhibiting a curious mixture of oriental inflation, and French gasconade. The

titles of his nobility and officers of state, and the etiquette of his court, were all copied from European examples; and the whole afforded a kind of burlesque of royalty, which might induce a suspicion, that the business would terminate rather in farce than tragedy, were not desperate resolution compatible with ostentatious levity in half-savage characters.

On Aug. 15th, there was published in the Royal Gazette of Hayti, an address to the people, stating the circumstances in which the country was placed by the deposition of Buonaparte. It professed a willingness to negociate a treaty of commerce with the king of France, but in the most euergetic terms called upon the Haytians to make every exertion in defence of their liberty and independence, were

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ployed against them. One of its paragraphs was as follows: "Should certain colonists, our implacable enemies, still persist in their chimerical projects, and succeed in prevailing upon the actual government of France to carry on war against us, let them place themselves at the head of the invaders: they shall be the first victims of our vengeance! shall give no quarter-we shall take no prisoners: we desire to be treated in the same way ourselves, and the war must become a war of extermination." On October 2nd, was published a manifesto of King Henry, giving a detailed narrative of the events which had produced and accompanied the independence of Hayti, and expressing a firm resolution to maintain it. This piece was evidently the composition of a practised pen,

and in strength and clearness might vie with any manifesto of an European sovereign. It concluded with the solemn declaration, that he would never consent to any treaty, or any condition, that should compromise the honour, the liberty, and the independence of the Haytian people.

It was not, however, by arms, that the first attempt was made to restore Hayti to the dominion of France. A French general, named D'Auxion Lavaysse, and bearing the character of an envoy from Louis XVIII. addressed from Kingston in Jamaica, on October 1st, a letter "to Gen. Henry Christophe, supreme Head of the government of the North of Hayti," in which, at considerable length, he placed before him every argument to induce him to proclaim the king of France. He endeavoured to shew him, that it was his personal interest rather to become an illustrious servant of the great sovereign of the French, than a chief of revolted slaves." Like the generality of his countrymen in their diplomatic func tions, he did not scruple to employ falsehood to gain his point; and the following passage of his letter is worthy of notice: "Do not deceive yourself, General the Sovereigns of Europe, although they have made peace, have not returned the sword into the scabbard. Doubtless, you are not ignorant of what every body in Europe knows, although a thing not yet diplomatically published-that the principal articles of the compact which all the European sovereigns have just signed, on their royal honour, is to unite their armies, if need be, and to lend each other all ne

cessary aid, in order to destroy all the governments which have been the offspring of the French revolution, whether in Europe, or in the New World. Know also, that it is Great Britain, who is the centre of and principal party to this convention, to which, a few months sooner or later, every government will find it necessary to submit: every government and every potentate that shall refuse so to sumbit, must expect to be treated as traitors and brigands." That this assertion, as it respects England, is a gross falsehood, we presume, is undeniable; and it may be hoped, that it is not less so with respect to the other powers.

It was with true magnanimity, that King Henry, convoking an extraordinary council of the nation, laid before them this document, together with the pamphlet of one H. Henry, printed at Jamaica, desiring them calmly to deliberate on their contents, and form such resolutions as they should deem necessary for the welfare of the country. This confidence was repaid by an address to the King, in the warmest language of patriotic devotion. It adds, "No, never shall this execrable enterprize (against Hayti) take place. There is honour, there is a sense of glory, among the sovereigns and people of Europe; and Great Britain, that Liberator of the World, will prevent such an abomination."

Lavaysse made an application of a similar purpose, though in ambiguous language, to Petion, and on Oct. 21st, he was suffered to land at Port au Prince, that he might explain in person the proposals of which he was the bearer. On his arrival he fell dangerously

ill, in which state he continued, when the last dispatches were received from the island. Nothing further has been declared respect ing the intentions of France, with regard to St. Domingo, but there is no present appearance of a design to employ force for its recovery.

The island of Dominica has been the theatre of a sanguinary war between the colonists, and the Maroons, or runaway Negroes. A proclamation issued on Feb. 25th, by Governor Ainslie, after notifying the destruction of several camps of the Maroons, and the stationing of the Dominica Rangers in the woods for the purpose of harassing those who still keep out, offers pardon to those who surrender themselves, and rewards to those who bring in a chief or a murderer. It concludes with declaring, "that the Rangers have orders to take no prisoners, but to put to death men, women and children, without exception." Such .are the horrors attending upon domestic slavery!

Asia has this year afforded scanty materials for narrative. It is affirmed, that the Wahabees, though excluded from Mecca and Medina, remain in great strength in Arabia Felix; and that their troops, posted at the wells on the skirts of the deserts, lay under contribution, or cut off, caravans going to the holy cities. A caravan of traders and pilgrims, numbering 1,200 persous, is said to have been lately put to the sword, in consequence of making a resistance to the robbers, and that about 400 who escaped the massacre, perished in the desert of thirst.

Letters from Busheer, of Feb. 14th, state that the Pashaw of Bagdad had been defeated and taken prisoner by the Meatfic Arabs, the chief tributary tribe to the Turkish sultan between the Euphrates and Tigris, After the victory, their Shekh took possession of Busra (Bassora), which was likely for some time to interrupt the commerce between Bagdad and the Persian Gulph.

The plague has in this year made dreadful ravages in Lesser Asia, Syria, and the adjacent islands. Smyrna is computed to have lost 30,000 persons, and the keys of 800 houses, left vacant by the extirpation of as many families, have been delivered to the governor. The crops of corn in many places have remained ungathered in the fields, and several towns and villages have been totally abandoned.

The British possessions in India continue to enjoy a tranquillity, but slightly disturbed by commotions of the natives. A Calcutta Gazette of December, 1813, contains an account of the operations of a body of troops under Lieut.col. Adam, which took the field to chastise an unprovoked incursion in the Rewah district by Surnaid Sing, a partisan of the Rao Rajah. The Ghurree of Entouree, a strong fortress, in which the enemy had taken shelter, was stormed, the garrison put to the sword, and Surnaid Sing was killed. Peace was in consequence restored, the Rao Rajah agreeing to pay to the East India Company all the expenses of the armament.

The Java gazettes have given an official account of the success of an expedition from Batavia,

against the Rajah of Boni at Macassar. Gen. Nightingale, the commander, states, that having arrived at Boni on the 6th of June, he demanded reparation from the Rajah for the insults committed against the British government, which being refused, he made an attack on the next day, and in an hour's time the whole town and residence of the Rajah were in possession of the British troops, with a very small loss on their part.

From Bengal it is related, that the Sambrees, a town in Borneo inhabited by pirates, was captured in July, after an obstinate resistance, by a detachment of his Majesty's 14th regiment under Capt. Watson.

On February 12th, the river Nerbudda, during the night over flowed its banks, and swept away fifteen villages, with the houses, inhabitants, and cattle. The loss of human lives is supposed to have exceeded 3,000.

The town and suburbs of Rangoon have been nearly destroyed by fire. Upwards of 6,000 houses were consumed, besides vast quantities of teak and other wood.

Accounts have been received from China, that a fierce and dangerous rebellion is raging in that empire. It cannot be expected, that accurate relations of the origin and circumstances of such an event should be communicated from a country the policy of which is so peculiarly close and guarded; but various particulars have been

published in the Bombay courier of July 22nd, which may deserve some credit. Among the various causes to which the rebellion has been ascribed, that of disaffection among the Emperor's brothers is mentioned, and it was doubtless much assisted by a severe famine which prevailed in several provinces during the last year. Its leader, in Shau-tung, named Lia, pretended to be, by metempsychosis, the same with a celebrated person who flourished about a thousand years ago. The rebels were in such strength that they ventured an attack upon the royal palace at Pekin, from which the emperor was fortunately absent on a hunting party in Tartary. Numbers of lives were lost in the attack, but at length the assailants, struck by a superstitious panic, gave way before the imperial army, and were repulsed with great slaughter. In the pursuit, it is said, that the imperial generals put men, women, and children to death in several districts through which they passed; and it cannot be doubted, that the cruelties practised on both sides were extreme. The result, as far as is yet known, has been, that the rebels have taken to the mountains of Teehang, a tract of 400 miles in circumference, where they may hold out a long while; and if joined by any number of disaffected, as they probably will be, the insurrection may still be highly formidable.