Star.
London, England, 1815-09-07 00:00:00

, • •••• ••• •• i r • • •• of
~.4•• ,
SOUTH 411WERICA, A fl.
• .TO TI EDITOR OF Tl 4 S+Alt:.,
ilii.4lattered by the interest You take in the ainfri
of South Attie:ice, I resume MY pelt; Brat, hastily to
delineate the 'political situation of that Continent.
when the Royal Fariaily of Spain being arrested; end,
conveyed prisoners into Prance, left the kingdom in
that state of anarchy and confusion to well known to
the English; their powerful supporters.
It is generally known that the ;wide extent of
Spanish territory 'comprised between the province of
Texts; which forms the boundary of Maxie," and
the United States, and that part which ..eparritea
Chili from the country of the Aranticans in PAN:
raja, is divided into four Vice regencies tind three
'Captaincies; Mexieo, New Grenada, Pau, gin de
la Plata ; Goatemala;•Venezuela, and Cliiii. From
the most exact halculations it is supposed that these
countries contain fifteen Millions of inhabitants ; In.
dians, Spaniards, Negroes,
.and their descendants:
—The Vice-roys and Captains of these distlicts 04.,,.
sessed the entire executive power, ut.iting hi :hem-
selves and their delegates both the civil and milit
tarn. The supreme administration of jostice was
vested in Magistrates, their judicial Courts were
known by the name of Audiences ; the Magistrates
resided in the capitals; that is in Mexico, Lima,
Buenos - Ayres, Caraccas, Santa Fe de Bogota;
Quito, Goatemala, 'Venezuela, and Chili. Tliv s,ile
Legislative Power rested,in the King of S2ain, who,
nevertheless, consulted with the Council of India, re-
sident-at Madrid. The Royal pleasure was I..xpressed
by Reales Cetiultuqtrinciitiunt tlacita et rescripla ; though
never united into a body of laws, and these laws fre-
quently revoked, still they formed the first Lei;isla.
tire Code. After this ranked the laws of India
those of Castille, the Code of Laws called Parti.ias,
:mil that of Fueros. Where all these proved deft c-
tire, reference was made to the opinion of law prat.
thinners.

It is scarcely necessary to observe, that this multi-
plicity of Codes, frequently contradicting eaclrother.
the want of order and union of the Again Calulem,
and the distance from the Metropolis, en.tbkd the
Vice-Toys, the Captains•Gener4 and the Audience's,
only to administer justice as suited their private in.
terest, and the interest of the mother *country.
The trade with America was carried on exclusively
with Spain, and was entirely in the hands of the Spa-
niards. A great part of . the inhabitants Gf these im-
mense territories devoted themselves to agricul!ure,
others to the care of cattle, while those of the several
provinces, were wholly employed in working tl:e
mines.

The most peifect ignorance, even of the arts most
necessary for lile, reigned throughout the country,
with the exception of Lima, Buenos Ayres, Sant4.l7;:
de Bogota, Caraccas, Quito, Cusco, Santiago de
Chili, &c.; but .the greatest exception is to be made
to Mexico, where even science dawned. Indeeii it
was wonderful, in such a period of general darkness,
to see a college in Mexico, where the principles w:re
taught of all those sciences which seemed conneet:d
with working the mines, such as chemistry, micera.
logy, and some branches of the mathematic., ; w! ale
in every o:lier part of America, ho srudiys sere even
permitted, but those of theology, I.lw, and, in some
degree, medicine. The Creoles applied the: wens
most earnestly to theology and law, for in those pur-
suits alone was honour to be obtained.

All access to Spanish America WAS not m.'rcly
closed to foreigners, but even the natives were not
permitted to trim 1 freely from one province to ann.
Cher. The Inclims were, by a law existing in the
Indian Code, forbid to go on horseback, lest they
should fall and be hurt.

Althrio4ft the Court of Madrid supported long it;
authority in America with very few Spanish troops,
the revolt of Tupac Amaiu in Peru, of the Sneer,.
regnos in New Grenade, and the conspiracy at Gual r
in Caraccas, Ste,. gave the alarm at Madrid ; and in
consequence in all the great cities, and even in the
provinces, regiments were statiored, before the gene.
ral revolution, to prevent rebellion, and make the
people submissive to the governing power.
They were idditionaity kept in subjection by the
establishMent of the Inquisition, which, under the
cloak of religion, punished even the appearance of a
desire to rebel against Government. The ministers
of religion denounced eternal daMnation to those who
bat harboured :the thought of resisting against this
oppression. Some few individuals were more clear
sighted ; their minds enlarged by nature, enabled
them to penetrate the thick veil of prejudice and
superstition, in which their education had enveloped
them ; but the too generally slumbering inhabitants
of South America. strangers to every soil but that
on which they had received their bit th. k'iew no form
of Government but that established in Spain, nor
any authority but that of the King, wlym they con-
sidered as the sole arbiter of their lives and of their
property,
South America might have existed in this burnt,
hating state of degradation many years, perhaps
many generations; but Napoleon Bonaparte, who
was in tact already sovereign of Spain, and posses.
' sor of the wealth of America, by the influence be
had over the feeble Court of Madrid, now invaded
the kingdom, and without being able to assign any
proper reason for such an act, seized the royal fa-
mily, and thus were slackened those bopds which
united America to the mother country.
It, then, the French ;revolution should prove an
indirect means for the emancipation of America, may
we not hope that such an event, so glorioils, so bene.
ficial to an immense Continent, indeed so generally
serviceable to the whole world, will make some atone.
tent for the torrents of blood, which this otherwiso
sad revolution has caused to flow.—l remain, Sir,
Your obedient and humble servant,
VANWO 'CAPLAM.

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