The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1819-11-23 00:00:00

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LON DON.
TUESDAY. NOVEMBER 23, 1819.

VENEZUELA AND NEW GRANADA-THE CAPITAL
OF THE LAT FER TAKEN RY THE PATRIOTS.

The St. Thomas's Times of September 28, which
was received in town yesterday. brings a. con-
firmation of the capture of Santa Fe and its Spa.
nosh tre•sury, containing half a million of money,
by the Venezuelan army, tinder the command of
the President 13ut.tvAit. Previous to this im-
portant event, three desperate battles were fought :
—rile first on the Ist of July, at Guntza, in the
province of Tunja ; the second, on the 25th of
Ju:y, at Patano de Barg, near the capital of the
same province; and the third on the 7th of August,
at Venia Guamede, about twenty-five leagues from
Santa Fe, in which the President totally annihi-
fired the Spanish army under General ILittasitio.
The Viceroy fled from Santa Finn the 9th, least.
ing all the magazines and the treasury behind him;
and Bouent entered soon after, and dispatched a
division to Pampeluna.
A Jamaica Paper of the 15th September, con.
tail's news of some importance. His Majesty's ship
Beaver, of 10 guns, arrived at Port Royal on the
140 i, from Carthagena, bringing the latest intelli-
gence from the Spanish Main, and long details re-
specting the late n•ilitary operations. The intelligence
by the Beaver (the Jamaica Paper states) leavcs no
doubt as to the capture of Santa Fe by the forces
under Bot.iv.ta; indeed it is mentioned that the
official accounts were received at Carthagena, pre-
vious to the sailing of the Beater, and had been
shown to Captain HART, of his Majesty's ship
Sapphire, lying at that port. There were two
battles between the contending parties, before the
one which decided the fate of Santa Fe.

Parliament will meet this afternoon, and the
country awaits with trembling anxiety the expres-
sion of its opinion. There is a respect—a rever-
ence attached in the mind of an Englishman to the
ides of Pediment, so intimately and so constitu-
tionally, that not even the avowal of the Ministers
that they have convened the Legislative Bodies for
the purpose of framing laws to diminish the sum
of general liberty—not even the conviction that the
majority in either House have proved themselves
devoted to the will of the Ministers, can prevent
the people from feeling a considerable share of sa.
tisfaction at the meeting of the great Councils of
the realm. It is, indeed, some security to the
country against the enactment of measures severely
restrictive of the general rights, that those who
ascent to them must at the same moment expose
themselvel, their families, and their friends, to
their operation, and thus the individuals who might
voter according to the caprice of Ministers upon
speculative points, or in support of a. financial
project, because against the possibly injurious
efficts of these the Ministers could easily indemnify
their pockets, would be unwilling to fritter away
the liberties of the nation, because in so doing,
they must forge chains for their own persons—and
what could compensate far the loss of freedom ?
But whatever may be the result. it is certain that
the Ministers have gratified the wishes of the far
greater portion of the nation in calling Parliament
together, and have saved themselves front at lei.st
one topic of reproach ; they have also prevented
many county meetings from being held to delibe-
rate upon the unhappy events at Manchester; for
as those who desire inquiry could pray for nothing
beyond the call of Parliament to take those events
into its consideration, the public notification of the
intentions of the Crown rendered in the opinion
of many persons all further proceedings on the
part of the people unnecessary.
The circumstances of the country at the present
moment are nut very dissimilar in appearance from
what they seemed to be when Parliament met in
January 1817. There are. however, some material
points of differeoce. The distresses then endured
had been seriously aggravated by an utipropitious
harvest in the preceding year. and Ministers took
advantsge of the circumstance to arraign Provi-
deuce for much of the calamities of the people;
but now they can urge no such pretence. They
are also deprived of another plausible topic of de-
ception, and can neither attribute the distressed
condition of the country to the " sudden transition
from a state of war to a state of peace." nor assert
their belief that such distresses are merely local and
temporary ; for since the termination of hostilities
time has rolled on, and we have mot experienced his
" healing influence ;" capital and industry have
had full [rhyme to find out channels of employment
better suited to the pacific habits of Europe ; but
industry has either started it home. or emigrated
to other countries, mid speculation has becoute
bankrupt. It would have been well for the coun-
try had the suggestions thrown out durisig the de.
hate o.i the Address in 1817, by Earl Case and
Marquis WELLgokur iu the House of Lords, and
by Messrs. Porisunne itid•TIERNST in the House
of Commons. respecting the expediency of a so..
tem inquiry into the state of the nation, been
adopted and pursued. The Minister., however,