The National Register. — London, England, 1815-01-15 00:00:00

JAN. Great military talents are hardly to be expected and rarely to be found, blended with " the soft phrase of peace " Great in the council as in the field, sometimes indeed occurs. in the selection, however, of a proper person for the high situa tion of Commander inChief to America, no man can be deemed fit who does not eminently possess this happy union of talents and of character. In our long list of Lieut.-Generals, ai exalted military characters, very many are to be found ; but how few of them, if divested of their military character and talents, should we consider as fit for civil governors ? The circumstances and situation of the two countries, imne rionsly demand the help and assistance of such a two-fold character. But to return to the point from which we set out—the civil government of the Cade of Good Hope, from which proceeded the almost unavoidable digression as to the cha racter of its late most highly respected and most worthy governor It was intimately connected with the subject, and we cannot but agree with Mr. Fisher, as well from what he has informed us, as of our own knowledge, in the conclusion he draws in the posteript of the se cond edi ion of his pamphlet, that " a total change of the criminal as well as civil code at the Cape is abso lutely necessary." And an observation of his. " that the introduction of the English Laws and Trinl by Jury would not only be highly advantageous to the colony, but even agreeable to the greater part of the original settlers," cannot fail of being highly satisfactory, and ought at once to determine government to send out a succinct code of laws. framed in the true spirit of Engl6h liberty and justice, with discreet and proper persons to put them in force. 1 PROCLAMATION OF NEW GRANADA. We have on several occasions called the attention of our readers to the subject of Spanish America, and given oc casional extracts from a late publication on that Interesting question. We were induced to cast our eyes to this distant part of the world, from the magnitude of the events oc curring there, and from the prospects opening toSritish en terprise. When the contemplative mind considers the inert state of that immense continent, compared with its abundant resources, any secure access must he greeted as a welcome harbinger to the realization of fuyire hopes; since under the present pressure of our manufactures, me there see an open ing of incalculable exten ‘ t fr y Every . thing occurring in the various s e cti ons o f Scrafush America must, therefore, be of great in:trest to the British public at this moment, and under that conviction, we present them with the following par ticulars and oroclamation telating to the confederated pro vinces of New .7;renada By the late arrivals from Jamaica, we have received ad v:ce3 horn the neighbouring Continent, and among other &cuments, a curious and interesting Proclamation, issued by the Congress of New Grenada to the Confederated Pro vinces, respecting the arrival of King 'Ferdinand in Spain. 'Whilst Europe seems heedless of what is passing in the va rious sections of Spanish America, these, by the firm resolve. they have taken, and by the greater appearance of unani: may, seem proceeding with rapid strides towards the ,con soltdation of absolute independence, and the present peace is Europe as well as in the United States, will enable them to procure the only requisite they stood in need of, viz, arms. If any thing can cause anxiety to the Briton, and make him fear for the future hopes of British enterprise in that exten sive and rich Continent, it is that its inhabitants cone eive tf*at the i r deitinies ars no longer linked with these of Spain. INAL .RECIST now deny, exists against us in Spain, has taken deep root in Spanish Amevica, so that W. shall soon experience tine cune alienation there that befalls us in Spain. By the various documents we have received, it appeals that the revolution of Santa Fe, Tutsja, Socorro, Pamrlona, Los Llanos, Mariquita, Neis•a, Antioquia, Choco, Popa_•sr., and Carthagena, assembled in the city of Leiva, Dec. 4, 1912. Each Province had previously declared its inAo pendence of Spain, and all united sanctioned a Constitution and Supreme Federal Government, daterally; to this Govern ment the Provinces of Venezuela or Caracas have been united as integral parts, so that the whole of Santa Fe and Venezuela now form one Government. The latter had also declared its absolute independence of Spain, since July, 181 t. This confederated. Governme►►t consequently em braces an irnniense extent of country, comprising a popula tion of more than three millions and a half. The document already mentioned, is a Proclamation ad dressed by the General Congress to the Provinces of the Grenadine Confederation, respecting the return of Ferdinand to Spain, in which all the material occurrences of the revolu tion, up to that period, are detailed. These erents we do not think it necessary to translate, but we insert the political address. relating to the recent occurrences in the Penin sula. By the concluding paragraphs we also find, that the General Congress of New Granada has made propositions to the British Government, and it would be curious to know how much more our Ministers know of the political transae actions of Sooth, than they do of the military concerns of Notch America. PROCLAMATION. After the sketch of the military events and present state of New Granada. the Proclamation says, " A tenacious war in the whole tsc tent of Vent-aside has raged; every step of liberty has beets a battle, and on the vestiges of liberating armies, horde* of assassins are it- produced; the frontiers towards Cucuta. perpetually threatened lei Mareicaybo; and towards Comore, by the banditti occupying the province of Varinas; that of Santa Marta obstinately reinsina ti. yield to the solicitude of the other Sections to destroy the yoke by which it is oppressed, of which the province of Carthagena from its vicinity stiffen all the evils, which justly entitle it to the aid of ter other fin:seinen of the Union equally bound and interested with hei self. Popaynn, in the men» time, is again threatened with the r t . !amities of a new invasion, and calls aloud for the exertions of all ff.i her own safely and that of the other provinces, in order to esenne the same horrors already so fatally experienced.; *a hilt tititt,t • Popaynn esor'the other provtnces of the Confederation can befiti I with iudiffirence the fate of (.lnito. i- • These, therefore, are the points which now imperionslo call the attention of the provinces of new Clramola. Of no avail weal.' be their declaration of independence, if they are not firm in tlier resolettions to sustain it. Within themselves they twee more Own ample means, nor is there a power that (:ould conquer them Ns lora . as their love of liberty and their abhorrence of tyranny impel to make great, continued, and extraordinary sacrifices; a re...whirite the more necessary and the more worthy of a people who are in do. - ger of rosin:: the di:olity to which they lia‘e raised thermal , es, because they now begin to depend on themserves. and bemuse may now see flint they have liti:e or nothing, to expect, but probsia;;; tnucli.to fear from the nations of Fttrope. " Whether it Iris been through interest, generosity or the old ad hesion of the powers to the halavice of Eitrope, that freest has made an many, such constant, and astonishing excrtiens 'Join-t • the power of Ruonaparte and in favour of Spain. certain is ia, eta t Napoleon. in proportion as his colossal strength gliminisited in Cen t sequence of the campaign of 1814, lost the hold' by whirl, lie pr-, pected to secure one of his conquests, by withdraw lug Ins brettq r Joseph from the throne of Spain, in order that Ferdinand of Bourbon might retort% to it notwithstanding the renunciations and CeSeiQuitt Bayonne. Spain, therefore, partly attached to tile empire of poleon, partly pledged to the cause of the Bourbon., rims partly M . - fciently enlkditened to abhor the tyrannicul controul of kings, t,„ : at all thilt4 Nom', unjult, used ever united. t>a order.ia ittl gse . a tl „•, 4.; . .1 ; .0 - ',_ . •• •