The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-01-24 00:00:00

UPPER PERU.

Address of the President of the Assembly of Deputies of Upper
Peru. in the city of La Plate, after they had taken the oath of
faithfully discharging their trust:—
Gentlemen : When at the end of sixteen years of contest and
bloody struggle for liberty, the honour of installing the first august
representation of Upper Peru falls to me, in the midst of the trans.
ports of my heart, I ask with pride where is the fatal monster,
who, surrounded by injustice, ambition and fanaticism, turned these
provinces into the strong-hold of tyranny, the theatre of war, and
the symbol of servitude ? Where the iniquitous power which de.
vastated our fields, conflagrated our towns, covered our families
with mourning, and dared believe its dire dominion eternal ?—1
ask it that I may hear joyfully, that from the Gulf of Darien to
the Amazon, from the Amason to the Klemm, from the Mune
to the Desaguadero, from the Desaguadero to the Maule, from rte
Alaule to La Plata, the freemen of the south answer with one sr.
dent and respectful echo, " Bolivar and Sucre have destroyed for
ever the lion of Iberia, have wrested Peru from his horrible claws,
and placed the liberty of the continent upon an unmovesble basis."
Bolivar and Sucre—yes, gentlemen, these two geniuses, the tint
endowed with the heart of Alexander, with the talents of ('user,
and the virtues of Washington ; the second, humane and just as
the Antonines, and valiant as the hero Who reposes on the rock of
St. Helena, are they who fixed in Ayacucho and Junin the memo-
rable boundaries, which for ever separate tlin era of our ignorance
from the propitious days of our glory ; they who, having disco.
thrilled Peru from the bloody car of despots, have placed in our
lar.ds the decision alma future destiny,
Representatives, the sure way to feel so sacred an object, and
show worthily our gratitude to the liberators of Peru, and accom.
plish the independence of the South, will be to place ourselves
upon the summit of impartiality and justice; and we shall resolve
to promote, according to the dictates of our consciences, the happi.
ness of our constituents anti of the whole continent, A million of
men have intrusted their destiny to our probity and feeble powers.
Thousands of victims, who have descended to the tomb for the
liberty and prosperity of the country, demand of us from the
shades of death that we should not frustrate the holy objects for
which they died.
The events in the states which surround us must form our great
volume of experience to enable us to avoid those paths where they
stumbled upon the monster of anarchy, and to adopt the principles
which healed their wounds. Let vile prepossessions, the spirit of
locality, and ignoble vengeance, be removed from our niinds : let us
fix our view on the moderation, frankness, and disinterestedness,
which have preceded the policy of our members in regard to our
soil, and having been just towards us, let us be just and politic
towards them.

Friends and Fellow-Citizens, it is our fortune to begin our la-
bours in the illustrious city of La Plata, my adored native place ;
in this province, where the sweet accents of liberty were first heard
in Peru: in this temple were hundreds of agents for the independ-
ence of the South : in this ball whose walls were destined to
serve as the vestibule to the free, the interior of which has been
soiled by obscene legions. Let these recollections united with our
sacred duty influence our souls, preserve ever pure the fire of Li-
berty, confirm us in our hatred to tyrants and tyranny, and lead
us to act with order, justice, and constancy, to secure the happi-
ness of our constituents and that of their posterity.
The address of the President, Don Jose Mariano Senano, being
concluded, the Assembly, which was declared to be duly installed,
received the congratulations of the authorities and comniniced
its session. The session opened with reading the message sent by
his Ex-Senor General Sucre, intrusted with the Government of the
Departments of Upper Peru.