The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1819-12-25 00:00:00

oars are more properly the acts or tl.e Government than of
the nation; and Britain being a constitutional monarchy—
Brain a despotiont—the Government of the former bad, in its
colonial struggle, ■n intelligible, that of the latter an irrs.
tional object in view. The constitutional Government stain-
! rally enough sought, by retaining its Colonies, to increase
the naval and military strength of the nation. The despo-
tic Government, on the 'contrary, while it enfeebled and
abased its Colonies, derived, from the very nature of despot-
ism, interests at titter variance with those of the nation.
'Demotions substitutes individual and selfish for national and
pilgrims interests ; and hence it is that the Government of
Spain, not the nation, without economizing either the
treasures or the blood which is vainly wasted is the Ameri-
can war, looking in that struggle only to the interests of its
creatures and dependants, who, with money or with mean-
ness, have purchased the lucrative or she honourable °Aces
of that country from Ministers and Courtiers, from that
cruwd of idle and corrupt sycophants who maintain their
luxury by the industry or the toil of every virtuous and
1 hononrable citizen. Such, Spaniards, it clearly appears, are
the base motives of the despotism—as auti•natiooal as anti.

Like useful children then, of an illustrious race, the pee.
plc of the Provinces of Venezuela are anxious 1,, advance the
real prosperity of the Mother Country. They pursue a sys.
tern not more hotiourahle to themselves than it must be
finally beneficial to Spain. Boasting one origin, and speak-
ing one language, it is impossible they should not, if unim-
peded by despots, eternally seek one common benefit. Happy
the Mother Country which, abandoning an infanticide po-
licy, as absurdly foolish as frightfully disgusting, seeks only
to outrun its Colony in an illustrious career of rival good and
rival glory !
Thus assuredly may Spain prolong a more honourable
existence. The fate of States, however, is in general like
that of the individuals of tibias they are composed. Men,
alas ! can scarcely be said to pass more regularly from the
vigour of manhood to nimbly, decrepitude, and death, than
nations from democracy to oligarchy, despotism, and politi-
cal extinction. Few, too, are the aaliosa which have ever
a second time enjoyed political life. To llaly alone belongs
the glory of having twice cultivated learning and the arts,
and of now aspiring to independence which, strange as it
May seem, she would long ere now have enjoyed, had it not
been fur one of the manifold crimes of your Government.
An infamous compact made Spain for ages a mere depen-
dence of France, and to compensate this, and the division
and weakness of Germany, the nations of the North have
buuud Italy hand and fool, and made her a dependence of
Austria. To the same cause is owing the maintenance of
two distinct kingdoms in your peninsula. Thus does the
political ignorance, the political weakness, or the political
crime of one nation ruin the whole structure of society.
Italy, however, aspires to independence; and Germany to
freedom. Even Greece has visions of ancient glory. May
Spain precede them in all!
To prolong, th►n, a more honourable existence, or to re-
novate the vigour of the Mother Country, is the zealous wish
of the Colonists. In this sacred task, Nobles and People of
Spain, they reckon on your aid. Though those tremendous
energies which enabled you to drive a foreign invader from
I your fields, as the rack is driven before the tempests of
heaven, now slumber io peace, yet is yours only that awful
calm which precedes the storm. The day of reckoning is at
hand fur that domestic tyrant, who in one breath favours
and destroys the noble, while it is his glory to scorn and
crush the people—whose crimes render it safer to be a Mi-
■ister of Turkey thee of Spain—bolter to be a *awe of the
Sultan this of the Bourbon Nero. But the hoar of retribu-
tion approaches,. Then will those indulgences be snatched
away with which artful bigotry pampers brutal sensuality
—then will that trembling coward, who in vestments wet with
human gore insults the God of Mercy with his prayers, read
the long scroll of his crimes—then will the band.writing
on
the wall be, " Remember the blood of the Patriots." Wbeu
that boar approaches, as armpit shall, your younger brethren
count on your patriotism.
Patriot Guerrillas of Spain—Nubles of nature, who have
scorued to crouch at the feet of a despot—the free Colonists
of the Provinces of Venezuela have sworn to aid you in your
holy cause. Unite then with those who now address you
in council and in conduct. Impart daily through your con-
fidential agents, every mesas of realizing independence and
freedom. Your interests are the same ; for the interests of
all humanity are the same ; and perhaps good sod bad men
du out differ (ruin each other more essentially than in the
knowledge or ignorance of this great truth. The had seek
to promote their in t tat the expense of others—the good
by the benefit of all ; and those assuredly cannot COMMA.
skate benefits who do not first po theta.
Hence do the people of the Provinces of Venezuela seek
to promote the real good of Spain, as well as their own ;
and they require of you only a reciprocal feeling. The in-
stant therefore that the measures agreed on are realised,
yours are their armaments and munitions of war. Their
fleets already exceed those of Spain in effective energy, if
not in number; they hover on those points of your coast
where they are destined to aid you; they will in no way de-
ceive your expectations or baulk your dependance on them.
May the friends of liberty then rise in a hundred cities!
may Madrid no longer be polluted by the presence of
despot! may the base agents of inquisitorial tyranny be
offered as a holocaust to the maws of the heroes of liberty!
j Soldiers and Seamen of the Expedition! ye who have
dreamt the dream and seen the vision of military glory ! say
was it ever yet realised in the train of a despot ? In the
human iinaginatiou, can there be sentiments half so abhor-
rent of each other as those of honour and slavery? Or can
Spanish pride, like that of the liveried menial, find, in the
unmanly insult it may bestow on the suppliant, a noble
compensation fur the creeping baseness with which it must
approach, or the coward fear with which it trembles before •
vulgar tyrant? The brave mess 10 whose name I now ad-
dress you, cannot and will not believe this. The pride, the
smith of honour, the love of glory which you cherish forbid
them.
Nu, you have hitherto waisted only the power of declaring
ourselves. To accelerate thus, we repeat the assurance,
that all the hopes held out to you in our Proclamation
of the 241 of March shall be realised—all the promises of
reward and provision ou our soil, as well as of rank and
emolument, fulfilled. Your comrades who lately joined us
in IMO., instead of recruiting the ranks of a despot, maxi-
cooly await your arrival. The vessels which bear you to
shores happier far than those of Spain, are already ours, as
their brave UAW/ are our allies. Soon will both complete
the emancipation of the New World. That of Spain will be
achieved, perhaps, ere yea have here joined your sew com-
rades in arms.

Givia and sigord at ibe Palace of Goverootesli, is An-
gostura, lb.a 'fd day of April, 10114
(ttigised) SIMON BOLIVAR.