Cadiz; had the sacrifice of principle, then been made by the Spaniards, in order to spare further devastation, and the spilling of more blood, (and both in Spain and in England, such a dread certainly existed) if the Ameri cans had then, only, wavered or been disloyal, it would not, now, have been a dubious case, what flag would be flying in Spanish America. Their inconstancy or irresolution, at that time,would have caused, the brightest prospects that ever dawned on the hopes of England, to have been for ever blasted. Liniers told them, they ought to wait, in the same manner, as they had done, in the war of Succession, till the fate of the mother country was decided, and till it was ascertained, what dynasty was to ascend the throne of Spain; as they would, then, have in their power to follow her example. In order that the views of the French on Spanish America, may be more manifest; as, well as, that the candid and generous conduct of the Americans, in resisting their overtures, may be better appreciated; I have inserted in Appendix B. copy of the instructions, given by Joseph to his thirtytwo emissaries, destined to revolutionize Spanish America, in his own favour. This, is an important document, to those who desire to form a correct idea of the transactions to which I allude; and it is rendered the more curious, from not having been hitherto laid before the public. I have only omitted the list of the agents names.

The means concerted by the French, for the purpose of transferring the allegiance of the inhabitants of Spanish America, to their new dynasty, by various official documents, are proved to have been, a general confirmation of the powers and commands, of all the heads of government and colonial chiefs. And who, at that time,

were the partisans of these chiefs? Who, were those, who were ready to support them, in all their machinations? The old Spaniards, all those, who were connected with the Peninsula, by the ties of blood, or by the rela tions of trade. The same who imprisoned Iturrigaray, because in the orphan state of Spain, he conceived it necessary to assemble the proper representatives of New Spain, in conformity to the laws and the exigence of the moment. The same who held all the monopolies; and who, are, still, endeavouring, by plots and conspiracies, to pull down the very Juntas, which, at that time, saved the country from the dominion of the French. The same, in short, who would, now, deliver it over to them, if Spain were under the subjection of its invaders. The last two campaigns, have proved, that the independence of Spain, is only maintained by the exertions of England; and were this aid, by any peculiar circumstances, to be withdrawn; were France, by any unforeseen contingencies, to effect her intended conquest, or establish her influence, the consequence would be, that no sacrifices on our part, would then suffice, to prevent those sections of Spanish America, which have not had sufficient energy to insist on the administration of their own concerns, from following the fate of the mother country. The partisans to this measure, and to an adhesion, in favour of the French, would be the very persons, who then opposed the Juntas, and we have only to calculate their strength, in order to draw the inference.

On the appearance of the first alarm, excited by the dangerous situation of Spain, as I have already shewn, the governmental agents would have exerted all their influence, and called forth all the resources of the countries

they had in charge, in behalf of their new sovereign, from whom they expected dignities and emoluments. For him, also, they would, yet, employ the very means they are, at present, wielding against the just rights of the people, in as strong, and decided a manner, as the mercantile interests of Cadiz, on the fall of their country, would struggle to preserve their monopolies, and to prolong their former connections. The very same persons, who now vociferate the injuries of the nation, and the rights of the throne, would, then, be favourable to France. They would use the same exertions, and make the same sacrifices, to obtain an object, in which, they are so much interested; nor would they fail to support adhesion to the Peninsula, after its flag had been changed. Now, they talk of resisting the despot of the continent, then they would say, as they have done before, let us combat the tyrant of the seas. The governors in Spanish America, there, possess nothing, beyond their dignities and honours; they are strangers in the land; and, as I have already proved, they were lately ready to sacrifice every thing to their preservation; what guarantee, then, have the Americans, or we, ourselves, that the same would not be the case, at present, if similar opportunities offered?

It has, not, been, in the mass of the people of Spain, or of the ultramarine provinces, that the French have found partisans or support; the higher classes, and persons of the first influence and distinction, have been those who have furthered their views, and seconded their intrigues. Such, have, uniformly, been the abettors of the French usurper; and such, those, who have served as the instruments of his guilty ambition. In Europe, we have seen them ready to sell the honour and independence of

their country; and, could it be expected that the same species of men, embued in the same politics, stimulated by the same ambitious views, and tutored in the same school, although removed to a distance of two thousand leagues, would have been more scrupulous, with regard to Spanish America? The British government is, also, possessed of a list of the agents, Buonaparte had prepared to change the allegiance of that country to his own dynasty; let it be examined, and it will be found, that none of them are men of the lower orders, that they principally consist of persons, formerly in office, and out of thirty two named, only three are not European Spaniards. None of the persons who have mixed in the American insurrections, or formed part of the new governments there, are enumerated on this list; yet, some of them, are yet employed by the Spaniards; and, till lately, one was acting as a general in Peru, who, had, also, sworn allegiance to, and received dignities from Joseph, in Madrid. This, is one of the worthy instruments, employed by the Cadiz governments, to butcher the unredressed and insulted inhabitants of Spanish America; and destined to fill the peaceful towns of the interiour, with carnage and horror, as will be more fully seen, when I sketch the ravages and cruelties, committed in that unfortunate country.

Yet, sincere and well disposed, as were the lower orders in Spain, little has been done for them; their condition has not been bettered; and, though composing the real strength of the nation, they appear to have been counted on, for little else, than to fight and to contribute; and, in Spanish America, they have been left to the fury and revenge, of those, who, a few months before, were plotting to deliver them over to the French. I am induc

ed to dwell the longer, on this part of my subject, because, I wish it, clearly, to be understood, that in the transmarine provinces, at the period, when the first ruptures took place, there did not exist, amongst the inhabitants, the smallest party for the French, or any disposition to listen to their overtures. We, on the contrary, at that time, possessed all their good wishes, and, it was, then, in our power, to have retained them. Time, and a variety of circumstances, have, however, unfortunately, produced a considerable change in the sentiments of the Spanish Americans. The intrigues of the French, particularly, in some sections; together with the indifference of England, and the insults they have received from British officers, are fast contributing to the distrust and coldness excited against us, as will, in a particular manner, be noticed, in a more convenient place.

§ That no general, or deep rooted sentiment of independence, prevailed in the minds of the Spanish Americans, at the period of their first resistance to the government of the parent state, or even at present, is a fact which will be readily admitted, by every close observer of the transmarine transactions; acquainted with the situation of those provinces, their tone of feeling, and the construction of their society. This is a position, that will, at first sight, surprize many; particularly, those, who reflect on the enormous expence, the British government had incurred, under a different impression. When our own North American settlements, raised the standard of rebellion, the tax on tea, was made the ostensible cause; but, there existed at the bottom of the design, plans of ulterior separation. This, however, has not been the case in the American provinces of