however, were allowed to avoid a trial by voluntary expatriation, and the sacrifice of a third part of their fortunes to the new rulers. In no quarter even of South America, where every state seemed to have been sown with the dragon's teeth, could they expect to find less tranquillity, or to enjoy in a lower degree the comforts which spring from a stable government, and a well ordered frame of society.. In this small territory, the devastations of war, and the siege of the capital, had reduced many opulent families to beggary, had put to flight all manufacturing industry and commercial intercourse, had annihilated all the restraints of law, and had fostered habitual excesses of crime and oppression. Morazan, even when despotic master of the capital as a conqueror, requested re-inforcements from Salvador to enforce measures of local administration, called for by "the state of demoralization to which Guatemala had been reduced by civil war."Amid such scenes national credit could have no existence. Guatemala had been able to negociate a loan in the English market; it amounted only to 160,000.; the interest even of this small debt had already fallen into arrear, and the interest of the present year, too, was allowed to lie over unpaid. The financial transactions of governments, since borrowing first began, present no instance of a national bankruptcy on so small a scale. CHRONICLE. FALSE case. JANUARY. ALSE IMPRISONMENT. to have more time for getting in -GUILDHALL, Jan. 8.-Bas- the monies than was usually alham v. Sir William Lumley.-Sir lowed by the select vestry. That James Scarlett stated the plaintiff's body held a meeting on the 1st of The plaintiff was a resident June, 1821, at which they came to in the island of St. George, one of a resolution directing that the the Bermudas. The defendant, sir whole of the monies in arrear William Lumley, the brother of should be collected; but, it appearthe late earl of Scarborough, was ing that those of the inhabitants an officer in the army, and, at the who had not paid were persons of time of committing the act of responsibility, it was determined to which the plaintiff complained, was extend the time to sixty days, and governor of the Bermudas. It had the vestry then passed a resolution been usual for the churchwardens in these words: "1st of June, 1821. (who were appointed annually) to -Pursuant to an adjournment of collect the rates made by the select the 30th ult., the vestry met this vestry of the parish, and they were day. Mr. James Till, one of the to account to the vestry for the late churchwardens, presented to monies they received. The time the vestry a statement of their acusually allowed for them to render counts with the parish, and observtheir accounts and pay over the ed, that several persons had not balance to their successors was yet paid their assessments, for which thirty days after the time of their reason he requested to be allowed going out of office had expired. the term of sixty days from this In consequence of an epidemic dis- date for the collection of those order which was prevalent in the sums, and the completion of the year 1819, no assessment was made churchwardens' accounts. The for that year, and consequently the same was agreed to, and they were churchwardens who came into of- directed to give public notice in the fice for the ensuing year had a Bermuda Gazette, that all persons double duty to perform. The who did not pay the assessments plaintiff and a Mr. James Till were within ten days from that date, chosen churchwardens for the year would be proceeded against as the 1820. They had to make collec- law directs for the recovery theretions not only for the current year, of. They were also ordered to pay but for that of the former year, in the following sums, so soon as they which no rate had been made. had as much funds in their hands; They found it necessary, therefore, To Mr. John Nowlen, for mainVOL. LXXI. B tenance of Thomas Flynn, 71.; Mr. A. Holmes, for printing, 201.; the committee for managing memorial to the throne, 30l.; Mr. J. Roxburgh, as voted the 17th of June, 1820, 201." This was the resolution passed at the vestry meeting of the 1st of June. With respect to the item of 30l. which the vestry had ordered the church wardens to pay to the committee for managing a memorial to the throne, the fact was, that sir W. Lumley had, by some conduct of his, induced the inhabitants of St. George's Island to prepare a memorial to his majesty containing a complaint against him, which had reference principally to his having caused the soldiers to attend at the church, instead of having divine service performed at the barracks, as had been the custom before sir William came to the island. The preparation of this memorial had made some noise in the island; and, sir W. Lumley having determined to oppose the proceedings of the select vestry, attended at a meeting held on the 11th of June, and placed himself in the chair, though he was not a select vestryman, and had no right to interfere in their proceedings. The minutes which were made of this meeting were in these words: "Parish of St. George, Monday, 11th June, 1821. The minutes of the vestry on the 1st instant were perused by the rector, who declared that he protested against the said proceedings ordering the late churchwardens to pay certain sums in their hands; he then produced a written document which he desired should be read, and was accordingly read by the clerk." By this it appeared that the rector had taken part with the governor, whose own language, as recorded at the meeting, was in these words:" It is my decided opinion, that, if the vestry of St. George's persevere in their decision of the 1st of June, they will commit a most illegal act. I shall cite them before me as ordinary, or in the Court of Chancery, and if they persist in the order to the late churchwardens, and the latter should obey it, I shall direct a prosecution against all parties in the Ecclesiastical Court; and the parishioners are hereby authorized to refuse the rate. The late churchwardens will be guilty of a fraud if they pay any monies for any purpose, to any persons whatever, except to their successors; and the actual churchwardens will be equally guilty of a fraud, if they dispose of any monies except for church purposes; and I am determined to punish the parties if such frauds are committed. "WM. LUMLEY, "Lt.-Gen. Governor and Commander-in-chief, and Ordinary. "Government House, June 6, 1821. "To the Rev. J. Lough, Rector of St. George's." The minutes of the vestry meeting, in which this letter of the governor's was recorded, proceeded thus: "Immediately after the above was read, his excellency sir William Lumley entered the vestryroom, and addressed himself to the vestry in language to the purport of the above note. Mr. James Till, one of the churchwardens, having declared that the sums of money ordered by the vestry, as above alluded to, had really been paid by him, his excellency observed, that he had acted illegally, and desired him, as one of the late churchwardens, to produce their accounts with the parish to him the go vernor and ordinary; and that they, the late churchwardens, should be allowed fourteen days from hence for that purpose, in failure of which a prosecution in the Ecclesiastical Court should be instituted against them. Mr. John Till then proposed to dissolve the meeting, which being seconded by Mr. Atwood, the several parties quitted the vestry." These proceedings having taken place on the 11th of June, the defendant, who united in his government the character of chancellor, and assumed also the power of acting as ordinary, and exercising other functions connected with the Ecclesiastical Court, proceeded to put in force his supposed authority, to compel the churchwardens to render their accounts, notwithstanding the extended time allowed them by the select vestry had not expired. On the 17th of July, while the plaintiff, who was an auctioneer, was engaged in selling by auction some furniture belonging to a gentleman lately deceased, a constable came to him and told him, that the governor required his immediate attendance at the vestry-room. The plaintiff replied, that he could not leave the auction then, but he would come when his business was over, which he thought would be in about two hours. The constable then went away, and, in a short time, returned with three soldiers, who assisted him in conveying the plaintiff to the vestry-room. The governor was there sitting as chairman. He addressed the plaintiff, and asked him whether he was prepared with his accounts. The plaintiff replied that he was not, upon which the governor told him that they must be produced. While the conversation was going on, Mr. Till, the other churchwarden, came into the vestry-room, and the governor then required the accounts to be produced. Mr. Till said they were not in readiness, and that the sixty days allowed by the select vestry did not expire till the 1st of August. The governor, in answer, said, "That won't do; we must have them immediately." Mr. Till then told the governor that he and his brother churchwarden could not submit to the directions of his excellency, as they were bound to account to the select vestry alone. The governor denied that the select vestry had power to grant the time which they had allowed to the churchwardens, but expressed his willingness to give them a few days to produce their accounts. Mr. Till, however, insisted on having the whole of the time allowed by the vestry, and the governor then said, he would send them both to gaol, whence no power on earth could release them, and where they should remain till they rotted, unless they rendered the accounts. Having then come to the determination of committing them, he immediately produced from his pocket a warrant, which he had prepared, and having signed it, the parties were given in custody of the constable, who conveyed them to gaol. The gaoler, knowing them to be persons of respectability, was, in the first instance, induced to commit a little irregularity in their favour. For several days he allowed the plaintiff to go home after dark, as one of his children was ill, and his wife pregnant. The governor, however, having heard of this indulgence, issued an order prohibiting all persons from going out of the gaol after sunset, or before sunrise, and a sentinel was then posted at the |