HILST old Spain was maintaining a sanguinary conflict for her independence against a powerful and unprincipled invader, her colonies beyond the Atlantic were involved in the horrors of civil war; one party taking advantage of the situation of the mother country to assert an independence to which they thought they had an equal claim with herself; the other, resisting the infraction of that allegiance which had been always hitherto paid, and which it seemed peculiarly ungenerous in such an emergency to refuse. The Creoles, or American natives of Spanish blood, who had long smarted under the indignities to which they were subjected by the political system adopted with respect to the colonies, were generally of the former party; the natives of Spain, and those who were dependent on the constituted authorities, and who profited by the subsisting commercial monopolies, supported the latter cause. As in the dispute between Great Britain and her colonies, so in these contests, the adherents to the established government assumed the title of loyalists, and stigmatised their antagonist with the appellation of rebels.

Having in the history of the last year given a general account of the rise and progress of these troubles, we shall now confine

ourselves to a brief narrative of those events in the different provinces of Spanish America, which have been reported in the course of the present year.

The bloody executions which took place at Quito in August 1810, and by which the projects of the revolutionists were entirely defeated, were found to have been concerted with the viceroy of Santa Fe, who was in consequence apprehended by order of the junta of that province, tried, convicted, and executed. From Mexico, an account of the defeat and dispersion of the insurgents of that kingdom was communicated in a Mexican Gazette Extraordinary, containing a dispatch from Don Felix Calleja to his Excellency Don Francisco Venegas, viceroy of New Spain. That commander states that he attacked the insurgent army near Aculco on Nov. 7th, and entirely routed them, with the loss of all their artillery and ammunition, and a number of killed and prisoners, adding the incredible circumstance, that his own loss was only one killed and two wounded. After the battle, he issued a proclamation offering an amnesty to all who should quit the insurgents and retire to their houses, which was confirmed by the viceroy. Another Mexican gazette of Dec. 5th, gives a relation of a battle in which the insurgents were again defeated, but

it seems to have been an affair of small importance. It is further mentioned, that the government had ordered every tenth man concerned in the insurrection in the town of Guanaxuato, where the disturbances first broke out, to be put to death.

An action of much greater consequence took place on Jan. 17th, at the bridge of Calderon, near Zapotelnejo. Its result was General Calleja's obtaining possession of a camp of the insurgents, almost impregnable by situation, and garrisoned with 100,000 men, and more than 80 pieces of artillery, all of which fell into the hands of the victor. From circumstances subsequently related, it appears that the contest was severe; and if the number of insurgents be not exaggerated, they must still have remained in great force. After the battle, Calleja's army entered Guadalaxara, where they found the General-Commandant and a number of other Europeans concealed in a convent of nuns, where they had preserved their lives when all the other Europeans were massacred by the insurgents. Further accounts from Mexico, down to the middle of February, represent the insurrection as nearly extinguished in that province. A body of insurgents, commanded by a priest, had been dislodged, after repeated attacks, from a strong post, with a considerable loss of men, and that of the greatest part of their artillery; and the remainder of that party in arms had surrendered on promise of pardon, which was granted them.

In the province of Venezuela, or the Caraccas, the civil war, which raged with peculiar violence,

had an opposite termination. In the month of December, the independent party, directed by the junta of Caraccas, made an attack by sea and land upon Coro, which held for the regency of Cadiz, but were repulsed with consider able loss. General Miranda, who had left England to return to South America, of which he is a native, now began to take a leading part on the independent side, and was intrusted with the chief military command. So well confirmed did that party find their authority to be, that on July 5th, the representatives of the following provinces, Caraccas, Cumana, Barinas, Margalta, Barcelona, Merida, and Truxillo, constituting the confederation of Venezuela, assembled in congress, issued a declaration of independence, drawn up in language scarcely less comprehensive and energetic than the celebrated declaration of the North American Congress on its first separation from Great Britain. They say, "It is contrary to the order of nature, impracticable in relation to the government of Spain, and has been most afflicting to America, that territories so much more extensive, and a population incomparably more nu merous, should be subjected to and dependant on a peninsular corner of the European continent." And they conclude with solemnly declaring to the world, "that these united provinces are and ought to be from this day forth, in fact and of right, free, sovereign and independent states; that they are absolved from all allegiance and dependence on the crown of Spain, and on those who call or may hereafter call themselves its representatives or agents; and that they

hold full power to adopt whatever form of government may be deemed suitable to the general will of its inhabitants, to declare war, make peace, form alliances, &c. (See State Papers.) This declaration is signed by the representa tives, 41 in number; and is followed by a decree of the supreme executive, enjoining its publication and carrying into effect.

General Miranda, on assuming the command, made it one of his first objects to reduce the city of New Valencia, which held for the mother country. In one attack, after entering the place, his troops were driven out with loss by a heavy fire from the tops of the houses. At length, on Aug. 18th, having made regular approaches, be obliged the inhabitants to surrender at discretion, after which he is said to have put the garrison to the sword, with a great part of the unarmed population, and to have given up the city to pillage.

It was, however, in the viceroyalty of Buenos Ayres, that a series of transactions took place the most interesting to Great Britain, on account of the part that her naval force in the La Plata, and her public functionaries, were called upon to act on various occasions. The capital, Buenos Ayres, with the greater part of the province,had adopted the cause of independency; while the port of Montevideo, through its immediate connections with Cadiz, was decidedly engaged in supporting the authority of the mother country. On the arrival of Admiral de Courcy in the river, in October 1810, he was solicited by the provisional governor of Montevideo, both in an epistolary correspondence, and in a per

sonal conference, to make a com mon cause with him against the junta of Buenos Ayres, which the admiral declined, as contrary to his peremptory orders not to interfere in any manner in the dispute between Spain and her colonies; and he with difficulty brought the governor to consent to take off the blockade of the La Plata as far as concerned British vessels.

The junta of the province sitting at Buenos Ayres received, on December 19th, a flag of truce from Montevideo, announcing the assembly of the Spanish cortes at Cadiz. The junta in their reply renewed their protestations of fidelity to king Ferdinand; they had, however, in a circular of the 3rd, sufficiently declared their purpose of asserting a local independence, by decreeing, that from the date thereof, no tribunal, corporation, or chief, civil, mili tary, or ecclesiastic, should confer a public employment on persons not born in those provinces. By a subsequent explanation, they made known that this decree was not to operate against those European Spaniards who had not opposed the government, who were to enjoy the same rights and privileges with their American brethren.

Elio, the new viceroy, a man of vigour and decision, on his arrival at Montevideo, issued a proclamation in March, ordering the capture and confiscation of all vessels that should attempt to enter or leave Buenos Ayres subsequently to the 15th of April; a threat he was prepared to execute, as he had at his disposal a squadron of armed ships superior to the flotilla of the junta, which last was in conse

quence laid up in port. The English commander of the Porcupine in vain attempted to obtain of the governor an exemption from this blockade in favour of British vessels.

The situation of the capital at length became so irksome, that an army was sent under General Artigas to lay siege to Montevideo. Anaction took place on May 18th, in which Elio was defeated with the loss of some cannon and ammunition, and shut up in the town. It appears that he then endeavoured to obtain an armistice, and represented Captain Heywood, of his Majesty's frigate Nereus, as a mediator for this purpose; an insinuation that the captain formally contradicted, as being contrary to his orders of taking no part what ever in these disputes. Elio in the mean time had made use of his naval superiority entirely to block up the harbour of Buenos Ayres, and put a stop to all its commerce. In the distress which this occasioned, the junta applied to Lord Strangford, the British minister at the court of Brazil, to communicate their case (in which the interests of the British merchants were also deeply involved) to his government, that means might be adopted for their relief. His lordship sent an answer, in which, after deeply lamenting the subsisting dissensions, he made an ample offer of the interposition of the English government for an amicable accommodation, and in the mean time recommended that the parties should mutually withdraw their blockades, one by land, the other by sea. An offer of mediation was also made to the junta by the Portuguese minister at Rio JaneiVOL. LIII.

ro, where the progress of American independence was doubtless viewed with much jealousy, but it was declined. At this time the state of the South American Spanish provinces is stated to have been as follows: that Paraguay had completely submitted, and had placed itself under the junta of Buenos Ayres, and that all the eastern side of the La Plata to the borders of the Brazils had also declared for the same party; that the cabildo of Lima had requested from Castelli, the general from Buenos Ayres, an armistice of 40 days to deliberate and settle the principles of their government; and that Chili remained quiet, governed by its own junta, which had sent aid to Buenos Ayres, and had opened its ports on the Pacific Ocean for a free trade. Some time afterwards the president of Valdivia, a native Spaniard, gained over some troops to make an attempt to subvert the authority of the Chilese junta, but was de feated, taken, and executed.

On the 15th of July, the Montevidean squadron arrived before Buenos Ayres, and commenced a bombardment of that city, which, however, seems to have occasioned more alarm than mischief. As a measure of self-defence, the junta issued an order for taking possession of several of the English merchant ships lying there, the crews of which were readily induced to volunteer their services on board, under the command of their mates. Upon Captain Heywood's remonstrances against this act of force, however, the ships were restored. Neitherpartynow appearing strong enough to reduce the other to submission, a negociation was entered [M]

upon

for a cessation of hostilities, The junta of Buenos Ayres were at this time dispirited by the bad success of their general, Castelli, who commanded a body of troops sent to the assistance of the junta of Potosi. Their united army was attacked by that of Lima on June 20th, and routed with considerable loss. It was afterwards, however, placed under a different command, and rallying again, as it is said, gained some advantages.

For the purpose of rendering the Indians favourable to their cause, the Provisional Junta of the United Provinces of the river Plata issued a decree in the name of Ferdinand VII. from Buenos Ayres, dated September 1st, importing that henceforward the tribute which the Indians paid to the crown of Spain shall be abolished in all the districts of the provinces belonging to their government. On the arrival of Admiral De Courcy in the La Plata, in September, he insisted on the free entrance of that river by British vessels, with out molestation of any kind; so that with respect to them, the blockade was at an end. Deputies from Buenos Ayres were at that time at Montevideo continuing the commenced negociation. The Portuguese government, however, having come to a resolution to take a decided part in favour of the government of Old Spain, a body of 8,000 men, under Don Diego de Souza, marched to the assistance of Elio, and arrived near Montevideo on September 10th, having in their way acted against the insurgents as far as the river Panama. It was probably this circumstance that really broke off the negociation between the two par

ties, though the immediate occasion is said to have been an alarm taken by the deputies of Buenos Ayres at Montevideo, that treachery was intended against their persons by the governor; which suspicion he resented so highly as to issue a hostile proclamation on the subject; and in this state affairs remained when the last dispatches were received from that quarter, in the beginning of October.

We shall only add with respect to the differences between Spain and her colonies, that the cortes, after a long discussion, passed a decree on June 19th, accepting the proffered mediation of the British government, but upon the conditions, that an acknowledgment of the sovereignty of the cortes should form the basis of the treaty; and that, on failure of the negociation, the British government should suspend all intercourse with the refractory provinces, and assist in reducing them to subjection. Commissioners have since been ap pointed for the purpose by our court, and have sailed on their mission; but it is scarcely probable that the latter part of those conditions has been acceded to in its full extent.

The West India islands, of which the sole possessors are now the English and Spaniards, with the exception of the negro state of Hayti, or St. Domingo, have afforded very little matter for the history of the year. The most important occurrence has been an insurrection in the island of Martinique, of which the following narrative has been published. On September 17th, information was sent to the procureur de roi (king's attorney) that an insurrection of