Star.
London, England, 1815-11-03 00:00:00

SOUTH AMERICA.

No. VII.
General Monteverde was in possession of all the
provinces of Venezuela at the end of August, 1812 :
he pessessed, at the same time, the power of restoring
peace and the first order of things ; for the people re-
quired nothing hut rest, after two years of constant
fakigee, to which they had been little accustomed.
But. instead of availing himself of his power for the
purposes of peace and benevolence, vengeance alone
fide.' his mind ; and the Spaniards wished, by de-
stroyine tl e inhabitants of Venezuela, to punish in
them the insurrectit e of the whole Southern Conti.
rout. Every Royalist hecame a public accuser, and
tl,a 'greatest crime of which a person could have been
Frailty a .s to have heleneed to the Republican piny.
Every prim that toasted was filled with Patriots;
other buildings were conve-ted into prisons; and it
is said. with some jtotiee, that nearly the whole po-
pulation was a:Tested. These severe measures were
tole? ated by the Regency of Spain; and Don Juan
O' -hod to Minister of War, complains, in his Re-
port made to the Cortes, the 2d of October, 1813,
if the indulgence that had been shewn to the Insur-
pets of Caracces. The dissatisfaction that succeeded
revived the courage of Don N. Marino, who, with a
handful of men, took the city of Maturin, in the
province of Cumena : he was there twice attacked
by the Spaniards, but they were repulsed with much
loss, while Marino's forces and strength were greatly
increased, ard the glory of his name was highly raised.
Don Simon Bolivar, one of the most distinguished
natives of Caraccas, had emigrated to New Certha-
gene when tilonteverde took Venezuela, and there he
made a glorious campaign against the Royalists of
Santa Marta. He then meditated the project of
giv;ng freedom to his country ; and, uniting to the
military emigrants .et Certhagene from Careceas, the
troops which he asked and obtained from the Con-
giese of New Grenada, he began to realize his object.
Having arrived at the frontiers of Venezuela, Co-
lonel Nicolas 13:i7.en0 separated himself at Cuenta
front the :only commended by General Bolivar, and
embarked with a few officers to Guastualitup in the
province of Baines. He there formed a little squa-
dron. which advancing towards 13erinas, was attacked
and deleatej by the Royalists. Colonel Briceno and
seven other efficeis were made prisoners, and after-
wards executed, by Tiscar, the Governor of Barinas.
At the sane: time, they executed eight of the most
respectable persons, who were accused or .having
formed the play of spi cad* a spirit of revolution
through the country to tacilitate the enterprize of
Colonel Bricenn. This conduct exasperated General
Boliear, who, after having engaged and defeated the
Royalists at Cinema Grita, proceeded rapidly
to 1311
In the wer between the Royalists anti the Patriots,
the prisoners on the side of the Patriots had been
uniformly treated with humanity, while the Royalists
tousidered thf'irs as criminals, and constantly had
them executed. This lenity of the Patriot Chiefs
wis a great discouragement to their troops. Rage
at seeing men who were fighting for their freedom
greeted like bru:e beasts, joined to that right of reta-
liation, •latie General Botivar,declere, that in future
every prisoner that fell into his power should be given
up to the resentment of the Patriots; and the war,
from this period, was styled the War of Death—la
Guerra a MOTU.
General Bolivar and General Rivas defeated seve-
sal times the Spaniards, and advanced towards Va-
lesicia. The battle of los Taguanes, fifty leagues,
from Caracces, in which Monteverde was conquered,1
defeated every hope of the Royalists. Monteverde,
with the remnant of his forces, withdrew to Puerto.
cabello ; and Fierro, Governar of Caraccas, proposed
a capitulation to General Bolivar, which he accepted.
But Fierro, without waiting for the ratification of the
treaty, embarked at La Guaira, leaving at the mercy
•of the conqueror near a thousand Spaniards, who
had not the possibility of emigrating. The provinces
which formed the republic of Venezuela were now
again in the hands of the Patriots; the eastern part
had obtained its freedom by General Marino, and
General Bolivar had secured the treedom of the other
provinces. Puerto-cabello alone was possessed by
'Monteverde in the month of August, 1813.
The treaty of capitulation proposed by Fierro was
presented to Monteverde ; the cotiditions were, that
toe Spaniards should evacuate Puerto-cabello, with
permission to quit Venezuela, and to withdraw all
their property. Mon:everde not only refused to ac-
cede to the conditions of the treaty, but would not
'consent to the mhange of primers, though he
would have gained near a thousand Spaniards for
two hundred Patriots that were lying in fetters at
.Puerto-cabello.
Monteverde, in the mean time, received from Spain
a reinforcement of twelve hundred men, and he at-
tacked the republican army ; hut being completely
defeated at Ague-caliente, and himself wounded, his
forces returnee to Puerto-cabello, Which *al then be-
sieged by we Patriots, under the command of the young
and vallant d'Elhuger. Perseverance is undoubtedly
one of the stiikiug characteristics of the Spanish nation.
Man, though born and nurtured in these mild climes,
still possesses an unbending haughtiness. He is slow,
but his firmness overcomes his indolence; and though
he nitiy sometimes yield to persuasion, never is he
overcome by force. It suffices not that the Spaniards'
are hated in America—that their navy and finances
are in a state of ruin ; they have sworn again to sub-
due this extended Continent : and though they may
possibly never succeed, never will the Spanish Go.
verument acknowledge its independence. 1 firmly
believe, that even three hundred years hence, though
the Americans may then have effectually shaken off
slavery, the Spanish nation will still be sending expe-
ditions, wish the hope of reconquering them, while
their sole right of possession in America rests in the
bull of Alexander VI.
Puerto-cabello was attacked both by sea and land ;
the garrison wanted even necessaries, the soldiers
were dropsical: but the situation of the fortress of
• Sanfelipe was so advantageous, the ammunition so
abundant, and the Royalists so stubborn in resistance,
that the loss of men to take it by force would have
been • almost incalculable, which General Boileau
would never consent to. Ceballus, Commandant ta
Coro, *allied out of the town, and having serigagee
and defeated several divisions of the republican army,
he advanced to Mame, eighty log= from Carac-