The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-07-01 00:00:00

INSURRECTION IN COLOMBIA.

NSW Yogic, MAT 28.

Captain Hitchcock, who arrived yesterday io the ship Charles-
Sew, from Curacao, having departed thence on the 11. h ult. gives
as the following statement, confirmatory of the repot! respecting
the revolution in Colombia :

" A few days previous to leaving Curacao, the gorernment
'utmost? of that island arrived from ',geniis, with letters Win the
Dutch Consul there, informing that a revolution. under General
Pan, had commenced at Valencia ; that several of the principal
inhabitants of that city hid been killed ; that Pacz had collected
.an army of between 2,000 and 3,000 men, and was on his way to
Comae, to reduce that city to his meaaurea—his object heMg to
unarms that part of the Republic, constituting the independency
of Venezuela, from the other two, and n•ake it a District Govern-
ment. Great consternation prevailed at Laguira and Porto Ca.
hello. Versals having provisions on board were prohibited depart-
Pig, and the ports were to be open for six months. The Dutch
Com* requested the Government of Curacao to send vessels of war
to each place, to protect him, and likewise the merchants and such
property as might be submitted to their charge. Accordingly, two
dais after the receipt of the letters, two sloops of war were des-
patched, one to loguira, the other to Porto Cabello.
MAY 29
In the schooner Mary 'robin, arrived yeatmday, in IS days
from St. Thornaa's, came passenger Capt. li. Brookes, of the Bri-
tish, army, on his way to England wadi despatches from Sir R.
Porter, British Consul at Caracas, and Mr. Cockburn. English AI i-
niater to Colombia, who was on board the frigate Galatea, Captain
Sir C. Sullivan, at haguira.
We learn that a revolution had broken out at Valencia, on the
29th tilt., theeaset nature and object of which was ra.t known ; but
it was reported that the troops and cabildos of that city and Puerto
Cabello had proclaimed General Paez their Chief and President of
Venezuela. This officer, to whom the troops and people are sail
to be much attached, had for some time previously been recalled to
Santa Fe de Bogota, and General Eacalona appointed his sue.
cessor ; but he still retained his command of the troops, and was,
with his staff, in Valencia when the revolt took place. Some lives
were said to have been lest in that city. General Marino was
marching to Caracas at the head of a body of troops, aid was ex-
pected to enter on the sth, the day Captain Brookea left that city.
It was not the intention of the authorities to offer any resistance,
but they were preparing to receive them. The merchants had ad-
vanced 5,000 dollars on Valez on the custom-house at Laguira, to
supply the uoops. which it was feared would only be the forerunner
to larger deo ands. An embargo was laid on all vessels at La-
gulf's on the 4th inst., but in the evening of that day his Bri-
tannic Majesty's frigate Galatea touched Caere, on her way to Car-
thagena, with the Minister to Colombia on board ; and at night the
embargo was taken off'. Some alarm existed among the merchants.
It was supposed the frigate would remain until cot:lid/rice was re-
stored, and the object of the revolt definitively made known, which
was generally supposed to be the formation of the department of
Venezuela into a federal stale.

Captain Brooke* will depiirt hence for Englard in the packet of
the lit proximo.

JUNZ I.

The intelligence which we published nn Monday. of ;levoiiiiion
in Venezuela, has been fully confirmed by an ar, ival from Curacao,
as will be seen in another part of this day's paper. As an attempt
has been mule by the National Gazette to discredit the *tumuli
!drums's, published, we hare taken some pains to ascertain the facts
of the case from Captain Brookes of the British Army, as far as
they had transpired when he left litguira, which was on the sth of
Mar.

--71.1;is gentleman was informed that there was a meeting of the
Authorities at Caracas, on the 4th ult. which was generally believed
had reference to the anticipated entry of the Revolutionary corps
into that place, under General Marino. which it was supposed
would take place on the following day. The payment of the money
for the pay of the troops by the merchants, was subsequent to the
meeting, and was considered a measure of prudence. to prevent
discontent among the military, and danger to their property.
It was the general opinion furlong the well informed, both at
Caracas and Laguira, that the Revolutionists had no fixed object
in view, but were chiefly actuand by a restless and insubordinate
spirit.
The British Consul at Caracas had sent intelligence of the revo-
lution to the Commanding Offiter of the British naval forces on
the Leeward Islands, with a request that he would send down a
sufficient torte to protect the Ltiglisa merchants and their pro-
perty. It was hoped that no serious results would ensue, but
the Consul consith rid it his duty to take this Ntep, as serious con-
sequences were always to be dreaded more or less from a military
movement, for the purpose of changing the nature of a government.
The force of Valencia was not, we are assured, so great as stated
ty Captain Hitchcock.
• In further confirmation of this unpleasant news, we learn from
Captain Brookes. that be conversed. at eft. Thomas. with the Cap-
tain of a sloop which had just arrived there from Puerto Cabello,
which he lett on the Ist of 21 of May. Ile intimrest him of the
movement of the troops and cabildcar of that place in favour of
General Paez. Ile also stated that General Marino entered that
city on the Ist from Valencia, and was to act out on the following
sky for Caracas. We wait with anxiety furzher intelligence from
this quarter.
The account of a rebellion in Colombia, which we published yes-
terday morning, is so brief and so general, that it is impossible to
form any precise idea of its nature or extent. Indeed Captain
Brookes states, that the intentions of the iusurgent* wete not well
understood at Caracas, when lie sailed. The only conjecture we
can make on the subject is, that it has been excited by Gen. Paex,
who has exercised great power in that part of the country, and
often in such a manner as to give great dissatisfaction to the
Wants. Two or three years since, his arbitrate 'mantles were
truth complained of, particularly by the merchants, as he was con-
sidered a man of an overbearing disposition, and lord of military
power. In one case he rescued a man from civil custllly by force,
and he appears to have been watched will anxiety by the Govern-
ment.

If his ambition is actually so restless and unpvincipled as some
have imagined, it certainly is safer fur the country ttat lie now casts
off his disguise, than that he should choose an opts rtunity when
inertial dissensions might endanger her indepi niter cc. We have.
liuwever, no apprehension that the effects cf ouch a s:ep as has been
taken can prove very important. The people carmen th:il ground of
iscontent with the Government, and the influence of the merchants
must be strongly in favour of peace. The fri..nilly tiisposition of
the French has also added great security to the Gvernment, The
army have been threatened with a retluciion, which, it is very
likely, n:ay have furnished vatted for their di.smisfaction ; and II
we mistake rot, the General's orders to presrot Liiiivelf at Bogota,
'wore for an inquiry into his late conduct.