Star.
London, England, 1827-01-24 00:00:00

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[PRICE SEVENPENCE.
find in the manifesto published by my order, and which
I now send you.
Cannot Venezuela breathe fottb her wish for reforms
and improvements in a legal and paCific manner, with-
out breaking the union of the Republic, and without act-
ing in defiance of the laws and the Government, in a si- I
molar manner to Guaquil and Maracaybo? Was it ne-
cessary that the Republic should present to the world a •
scene of rude commotion and violence? Was it indis.
peasable that so many indiscretions should be commit. I
ted against constitutional order as have been committed
in that department? I think not. Everything might
have been done and obtained without occasioning so
great a burden of grief as every patriotic soul mast
have felt at these sad occurrences. No one has suffered
4so cruelly as myself on account of these unhappy trans.
actions—not because I believe myself guilty of the ,
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charges so abundantly brought against me by the press .
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of that department, ,
nor for the iusults I have received, ,
hot because I love Colombia with all my soul, and be- 1 il' 2
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lieve her worthy of a happier fate. lam overwheistesl
with grief when I contemplate the ft: actions of our
country—ber relapse into anarchy—her dishonour. The •
glory of sixteen years is eclipsed—the reputation she I
had so nobly, SP justly acquired, blighted. The future
fate of my countrymen, and a thousand other evils - t
rush upon toy imagination, and distract me with rare.
tion. Yon, and only you, can, by peaceable methods.
shield us•fi om these horrors, returning to }ourself, re
establishing order, and sacrificing to the common good I
your vexations, resentments, animosities, and even year
fortune. To such an act on your part, so truly noble , t
and heroic, no one would be found to oppose himself; - ,
for I am quite sure that the people of Venezuela, and
even the army itself, ate not content with the changes
which have been made to divide and separate Colombia.
Evan the authors of those changes will be the_first to l, •
oppose them; and the partisans of insurrection are now i 1
sharpening their daggers to exterminate it, even after };• i
having paid it divine honours: .
It is not the population of Venezuela which is trai. •
torous to our institutions—the people have not altered
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—and before the act of the Municipality of Valencia. • F
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on the SOth of April, no one had moved, no one bad t; i
raised his voice, to overturn the Constitutional system.
If. after the act of Valencia, they have lent their obe-
diem:, and manifested submission, it was because they • .
saw the army subjected to your orders, and found
themselves far from any immediate support from the
Government. The three dead bodies presented in Va- .
lencia, at the doors of the Municipality, were very elo- •
I quent speakers in favour of obedience to insurrection!
I I have given free scope and vent to national opinion,
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lin order that it may be decisively expressed under these •
circumstances; and although I never thought, in any
way, to compromise my duty in the capacity of the
bead of the Government, yet I have felt desirous to nicer. . •
take the state of the public mind, resolving to fulfil my ob. • 1
ligatioos to the law until experience shall teach me that
all mj efforts are useless. I shall not be the traitor then;
the people will themselves have broken their compact • •
and their promises. and the evils which will result .
;must be imputed to them, and not to me. Of one • I,
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thing. however, you may rest perfectly certain— •
that I shall take great care that the clamours and out-
cries of Venezuela, or of any other department, shall be • i
beard in Congress; and in this I will prove. myself the i
most zealous advocate of the public welfare; and I also
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add, that I will neither take the oath of the future Vice
Presidency, nor will I accept the office, until the Nis. ' I
tional Body hears Venezuela, and pronounces, flogs r
authentic documents, a competent decision either for or 1
against me. How satisfactory would it be to our coun-
try, to you, to me, to see things return to the state they t, -
were in previous to the SO.h of April. Two grand •
objects. ould thus be attained,-.the integrity of the !I
Republic would be preserved, and due submission 1
to the National Government would obtain a due and
patient bearing on its part; The Government would
then be enabled freely and calmly to take into ecnsi.
deration the propriety and utility of a reform. The first I 1
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would restore the dimished honour and credit of the
Republic, and the general confidence of the people ; and 2 i ,
the second would legitimatize arty reform, and bar the ,
door against any succeeding innovations. Think of this , .1;
deliberately, and on your decision rests whether we meet
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in Cucuta or Merida. . .
I have extended this letter beyond what I had pro. i
mised. It is impossible to speak of the disaster of i
Venezuela without prolonging our reflections, and en- ,..
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deavonring to think of all possible means of rectifying I • ~;
them. I applaud the pacific and humane sentiments . .
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expressed by you, with which I perfectly coincide, • ',
as I trust I have shewn. Before exposing, from h
caprice or vindictive feeling, my brother citizens to i '.
misery and ruin, I would contentedly sacrifice myself I,
on the altars of my country, carrying untainted to the :i *,
sacrifice, the honour and good faith which have always
accompanied me in the course of the long period of my ,
public life.
I shall not descend to the grave without having cows.
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mitted errors—the common lot of all ; but I shall de. y:
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scend without having ever violated my duty as defender
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of legitimacy, founded on principle ; nor carry with me /1 •
the reflection of having unnecessarily occasioned the
shedding of human blood. If, in the vast space of the
time to come, my name shall be recorded, my errors ~ . li
will be censured as the natural results of my education
under the Spanish regime, and of the difficult and pe- . i
,
culiar circumstances of my situation; but it never can i
be said that Lpcted as a traitor to the national confi- 4 .
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dente, nor that I ever was the cause of the disasters and
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misfortunes of my country.
To a good man there are many subjects cf conai a-
tion—the consolation of a clear conscience—the convic- 1
tion of having done all in his power to cause truth to
reach the ears of the people. In the midst of the hitter- / i
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nen which has wounded my heift since this affair of ,
Valencia, and its subsequent consequences, to which
the public press, and, what I deplore most, yourself
have added,. the aggravation of personal insult, I still
preserve for you that sincere esteem of which I have
given so many and such repeated proofs; and all I now
desire is, to see you reconciled to your country, to the
more enlightened people of the present age, and to
posterity—so that history may hand your name down ,
unimpaired, as an intrepid chief and an obedient citizen :.. .
—tendering Colombia a double service, by returning to
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