The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-10-05 00:00:00

tea;
Juetice of Peru; and Don Jose Dominguez, Retient of the Tri-
banal o( Justice of Guanajato, will always be repeated wph re-
spect as the noblest defenders of our liberty and indepencierce.—
Blees'ed be
veer God of Juetice, who in recompense far our labours
and our sla, tam for ever sectirini .to us the means of being
harpy.
1 . Don Manuel Lorenzo de. Vldaurre." President of the Supreme
Court of the Republic of Pim, our Minister Penipotentiary to the
' West Amerieso D.er, thus addressed their Excellencies the 31inla-
! tens Pletalpotenliary of the other Staten:-
1 " The Inhabitants of the America", who have been Spaniards,
will corer themselves SAM eternal Infamy in the eyes of till known
neti.'ns, if they do not promulgate laws so wise, so eguitahle, and
so just, as to secure their present happiness, and that of theft de-
scendants' for •many generations. Restored to the state of nature,
free and independent, in perfect possession of all their rights, en-
joying the gins which the sublime Author of all has bestowed on
in them, they are more perfect t in the times bordering on the
cleanon. Then man could not be dent, because he had no ex-
perience; he could not titian' a evil, because he did not
know it ;he could not enjoy himsel because he had not felt the
contrast of pair and pleasure. Now, in the use of his most perfect
faculties, he disidogittehes what is just from what is unjust; what
is useful and agreeable from what is pernicious and of ; what
is secure from what is dangerous; ; the enjoyment of moderate
pleasures, which are perpetual, from intense gratifications, which
are only momentary. The overthrow of a thousand empires; the
flow and the ebb of wealth in all pans of the known world ; the
destruction of :some cities, and the elevation of others; the great-
ness aad the decay of States—all these are lessons by which we
may profit—all these are rules which present themselves for our
present guidance.
" Among. the many physieal, moral, and political revolutions
which historians relate mid philosophers examine, ours has 1)0 ex-
ample. Dynasties succeeded each other in China front the time of
Fo-hi till the Tartans to& peseession of the throne; "'rho EnlP-
tians reckoned 341 generations to the time of Sethon—the Persians
succeeded to the Medea, as the Medea did to the Asitythins--the
empire of the Romans was substituted for them all—a doud o:'
locusts ',Allied from the north, nod covered the south of Europe—
the Infant Don li enrique and Columbus discovered a new World—
Cortes, Piz ,rro, anti other criminal adventurers, dethroned sove-
reigns, and penseaeed themselves of the fourth part of the dlobe:
but 'humanity made no advances—every day it was more debased
by the shameful passions of a few, and by the crimes of others—
' an irratienel passive thedience, which made it deny its own de-
' gradation, Iva' sliest forget its noble origin. Dynasties were'
changed—the vices of tilovernment remained the same.
" Leen when the Greeks, the Rotnans, and the Carthaginians,
' in ancient times 'mowed to have loved liberty, unstable, uncon-
gent, distrustiul, envious. dissatisfied with their territorien. great,
' warriors, but bad citizens, I see only among them vices in different
' asprets, and a continuity of evils and misfortunes. White they
sing of Marathon and Salamis, the Athenians are overpowered at
I hearing that the walls of the Piraus ate to be destroyed, and to ,re.
main level with the earth. The sons of Thebes lament the tie-
-1 attention of their country; Emilianus sheds tears at seeing Car-
thage in ashes, because he foresees that in like manner barbarians
will sack Rome—that her precious monuments will be given up to
the flames—and that her famishing children will run about the !
streets beseeching bread or death. 'this was not the time in which
t lien were happy. At this time thee had not dizeovereal the su.
I, lime theory of their rights and their duties. They defended coun-
t, ies, hot not individuals.
" The English, I think, were the first who laboured for datatiseleta
ese .- man. Twee encierit charter, extorted trout John Lacki.ind,
and their progress for many ages, till the time of ‘Villiem 111.
Ace:. v that we muse arlchowlertge them as the dlscovererteoisit;
Kean d political system. Let the Anglo-American confess that the
nem; e which he received from his ancestors directed him in his
strum Ste,
and coraluCted him to the port where he reposes under the
tree 01 just and regulated liberty.
s. en or situation, however, is still more advantageous'. We pos-
sess, it I pictures perfectly drawn, the errors and the knowledge,
the vim tea and the vices, of sixty-two ages. The union oldie Swiss,
the eons, tansy of the Dutch, the prudence of the North Americans, !
the wee Wee of the French Revolution, the factions of the•Relgic
paovinces , and even of our own, are so many images which we
ought to I lave perpetually before our eyes, as examples to follow or
to avoid.
To-des ty the Great American Congress, which is to be an ad..
riser in gee at conflicts, a faithful interpreter of treaties. a mediator
in domestic . disputes, an agent an the formation of our new rights
with foreign States, is invested with all those powers which are
necessary to fulfil the noble, grand, and striking object for which it
hats been con yoked. Ail the precious materials have been prepared
beforehand. A whole world is about to look upon our labours, and
to examine at tentively our proceedings. From the first sovereign
to the most in significant inhabitant of southern lands, there is no
person inaisfee ent to our labours. This, perhaps, will be the last
trial which wit. Ibe made to ascertaiu if man can be happy. Fellow
representatives ! the field of glory, smoothed by Bolivar, San
Martin, 011ie gins, Guadeloupe, anti many other heroes !supe-
rior to Ilercult. s and 'Theseus, is open to us. Our names are to
be preserved in immortal honour or eternal diegrace. Let us raise
ourselves, thee, above a thousand millions of inhabitants—let a
noble pride dem :te our spirits; giving us a resemblance to Ond
himeella on tits.' day on which he gave the first laws to the
uni venee.
Fired with a divine enthusiasm, nod fixing my eyes on the
Audit it of all woehis, the greetest difficulties appear to tate trifling.
Few, but solid, et e the foundations on which our sem federation
rests. Peace with .time world—respect to the Governments esta-
blished in European countries, even when they are diametrically
eppo site to that nhis'ii has been adopted in America—a free
coal tierce with all nations, and a great tlimioution of duties in
favour of those who have recognised our independence—religious
tolet ation for those who observe rites different from those which
we I save received for our particular constitutions;—such are the
bares of 0% ir union. Thirty-three million: of victims sacrificed by
fart eticisra, from the time of the Jews to the present age, Should
tel ch as to be humane, pacific, aid indulgent, to those who pursue
a ilifferent path from our:. Le' tiee foreigner come, and, whatever
be his worship, Ise will be received% respected, and protected, if his
ni orality, which is true religion, diets not belie that which was
to ught by our Saviour. Let them be our masters in agriculture and
iii the arts—let the dismal counteniedie of the African, oppressed
b y chains. and power, disappear from nor fields ; let him see by Isis
a ale a mein of that colour which is believed ti sign of superiority ;
I et him login to be a rational being, perceiving that in nothing he
le distin euished front other men. fl ttmottal Pitt, eleguent Fox,
interrupt fora moment your repose. raise your heads from the
I nnib, lnd be filled with etletiration id observing that the countries
which here moat distinguished for all very are now those in which
lime p hillanthropic tnaxims are most
ilenerated.
" With respect to ourselves, we hee. two terrible rocks to avoid :
.he first is the desire of aggrandizement of some States at the ex.
'tense or by the injury of others; the second is the danger that an
amts tious individual may arise to anti& at power by enslaving his
bred seen. I fear both cases a. much as I despise the threats of the
feeble Spaniards. AVe cannot extinguish passions, nor would it
be 'proper to do so. One titan is always sighing for distinction;
an ether is never contented with what he possesses; another is un.
ju se and can we all at once inspire him with a love of justice ?
n'iot till he has experienced the evils arising front the disorder of the
t sessions-
" Sully and Henry IV. projected a tribural which might restrain ,
In Europe the first—namely, the desire of aggrandizement. In'
cur days, Hendon wrote a treatise on the same subject. This Diet
realizes the laudable designs of the King and of the Philosophers.
Let us avoid wars, by bringing all our differences within the range
of mediation. The effect of war is conquest. A State increases by 1
reducing the power of the vanquished. Montesquieu s 'id that that
which was debonnaire was that which ought to be. with t very:eic-
tory, Napoleon acquired new territory for France. An arrow shot,
in our plains or mountains will cause a terrible storm, which will
be felt over the whole Continent, and in the-Isles. And en what,
' should we dispute ? Our fruits grow in all our territories—oee
plains tire immense —our ports benutiful and secure. One repub-
lie has nothing which ought to excite the envy of another. Will
the shepherd of a thousand sheep go to rob the small fold of his
neiglibotrr ? What injustice ! The Diet will not permit it.
" As wars often arise from *Winces. America will only enter
prevented by more simple roles.
upon them in accord with all the contracting parties:.
" The second danger may be
First, let the confederated liovefftments mutually guarantee their
liberty end their independence. Secondly, never let more power be
intrusted to an individual than is necessary for the exercise of the
authority with which he is invested. Thirdly. in proportion ... •
power is great, let the time. be shortened in which he can ext
tf that be compatible with its object. Fourthly, let the person
whom the public force is intrusted be always made dependent v
that part of the nation which is %monied. Fifthly, let no ste
smiles be muintained except in time of war. Sixthly, let
tilde Scourge, be ineumpstible with the order of society,
by every means which are in our power, and which are
honour apd prudence. .
" ISun not forgetful that, in the retirement of the Eacntial