The Statesman.
London, England, 1818-12-29 00:00:00

(Congaed from our Paper of Yesterday.]
" The revenue of the State maybe estimated atabest
three millions of dollar annually; bet their system,
of finance is very imperfect, and, although their debt.
is asnan, their credit is low. They have hitherto,
avoided the issuing of paper money, Ind they have
established no bank ; but they have 801110111114, anti-
cipeted their revenue by giving dee bills receivable isr
payment for deties on goods imported, or.articles ex.
ported : the impost furnishes the principal part of the
retain. A copy of their tariff, as at first establish.
id, was sometime since transmitted, I believe, to tb•
Department of State; in this the doilies were gene-
rally specific and high. I endertand they have been
lately reduced, as their ezorbitancy bed occasioned
mach smuggling.
44- Voltreehry contributions from those friendly to
the Revolution, and forced loans from the old Spa.
Wards, have constitute another portion of their
fonds. To show the public capital adequate to all
exigences, their different civil, military, and meal
establishments have been taken into view, and are
comprised in the estimate furnished, a thing unusual
with ea; bat they have omitted their public lands,
which if a prudeot use be made of theta, mutt, at no
dimwit day, become a very productive source of re-
seise to the State. •
"The misses of Potosi, which, in all probability,
will very soon fall into their hands again, may furnish
them with a considerable supply of the precious me-
tals. It is stated, on respectable authority, that so
late as the year 1790, the amount of gold and silver
coined at Potosi in that year, was calcolated to have
been 299,846 dollars in gold, and 2,933,178 dollars
in silver. The state of their army, and the condition
of their navy, will be seen by a reference to the or'.
ginal cetera presented.,—(Appendtz F. 4)
"Their army is composed of regular troops, Cior•
cos, and militia. la one or other of these classes,
they are educated to the military art--and, as far as
I had an opportunity, and was capable of jodging,
they apposr to be well acquainted with the elements
of their profession. Their forces, according to the
paper furnished, are estimated at nearly thirty thee.
sand men. They are composed of 1298 artillery.
13,693 infantry, and 14.718 cavalry; of whick
12,143 are troops of the Roe, 7041 are Clorcos, aid
10,673 militia.—These form the different armies
the centre of Pero, of the Andes, of Cordon, and
the auxiliary forces in the Entre Rios. TMs amt .
anent, however, only includes the militia of the pro.
Noce of • Beemstrityeett *AK Timis...R.or
and munitions of war is ample, as will be seat by
the statement annexed, on that subject.
44 Their navy is small, and some of their vessels
are laid up in ordinary. A list of them, as well as
of their privateers, wilt be found in Appendix F.—
Their private armed vessels are subjected to very
strict regulations, agreeably to their Prize Cade,
which is among the original papers presented end
herewith delivered. It may be proper, in this plate,
to introduce the subject of the irregular conduct of
the privateers under the Patriot flag, against which
the Commissioners were directed to remonstrate.—
flawing taken au opportunity of explaining to Mr.
Tagle, the Secretary of state, the proceedings
of oor Government relative to Amelia Island
end Gslveztoo, agreeably to their instructions, the
Commissioners embraced a suitable occasion to urge
the just cause of complaint, which the mal.practices of
private armed vessels, wearing the Patriot colours,
bad furnishod our Government ; on both topics they
had long and interesting conversations. With the
(conduct of the Government respecting Amelia Island
and Galvezton, Mr. Tagle expressed himself per.
featly satisfied, and he disclaimed for his Govern-
' went any privity or participation in the lodgments
made at those places, by persons acting iu the name
of the Patriots of South America.

" In reference to the acts of cruisers under the
Patriot flag, be said he was sensible that great irre.
gularities had occurred, thoegh his Government had
done every thing in their power to prevent them, and
were willing, if any instance of aggressions were paint-
ed out, to direct an enquiry into the case, and if the
facts were established, to punish those concerned,
and redress the injured individuals. Ile professed
his readiness to adopt any measures that would more
effectually prevent a recurrence dutch acts, in which
he expressed his belief that the privateers of Beams
Ayres had rarely participated, thoegh the character
of the Government had suffered from the conduct of
others. Ile stated that they had, on one occasion,
sent out some of their public vessels to examine all
cruisers wearing the Buenos Ayreen flag, to see that
they were lawfully commissioned, and to ascertain
whether they had violated their instructions.
" Amongst the causes of dissatisfaction, to which I
have alluded, the preponderance of the capital has
been mentioned. Its great weight in the scale of
national affairs is to be ascribed to its greater exer.
lions in the national cause. These are owing to its
comparative wealth, and to its active, intelligent,
and enterprising population. The armies that have
been raised in this city and the neighbouring coun.
try, with the supplies in money and munitions of
war drawn from these sources, have been truly ex-
traordinary.
It would be a difficult task to make an exact cal-
culation, or to form even a prob thle estimate, but all
seemed to concede the superior merit claimed on ac-
count of their exertions, when compared with their
wealth end population, and it is not unlikely that

• Lic docutueut refigred to is not scut.

“ General Artigas (who bears the character of
Chilies( the Orientals, as has been already stated,
sad has also assumed that of Protector of Entre Rios
and Santa Fe), was originally in the Royal service,
a Captain in a Provincial Corps. In this he con.
Unveil for some time after the Revirletion had tem-
awed at Buenos Apes. Bat, in the year 11311,
ii, as it is maid, at some conduct of the
Ceiweendent of Colonis, be abandoned the
litoyiltaese, and entered into the service of the Ps.
Mom So early as the year 1813, when acting
,mgoirsst Monte Video, he became dissatisfied with
Sarrehmitbe Commander in Chief from Buenos Ayres.
On his removal from the head of the army, he quer.
nlled with General Rondos°, who, it was 'append”
Redid have been acceptablego him, end finally with.
eel, bef6re the siege of Monte Video was finished
Wager Geo. Alfeer. For this conduct, Fonda.,
*ben he succeeded to the Government, treated him
as a deserter from their service. By a Proclamation,
be offered a reward for his apprehension, and set a
price upon his head—an act which Gen. Arligas Deter
forgot or forgive.
" Doting the subsequent Directorship of Alveari
he Induced the Cabildo of Buenos Ayres to issue a
similar Proclamation against General Artigas. When
Alyea was dismissed, the People of Buenos Ayres
endearoared to atone for their conflict, by burning,
with every mark of Ignominy, the degrading Prods.
mation. They also addressed a cencilittory letter to
fhe General, and received from him a corresponding
answer. These were preliminary to a fruitless de
tempt at reconciliation, made by the Director ad
interim, Colonel Alnres, Who succeeded Alvesr..
The correspondence on this occasion is snorted
(Appendix li.).—Other endeavours to reconcile Mil
lave failed, notwithstanding the chanties in the office
'of Director at Buenos Ayres. On one occasion, the
'proposition was made, that the Banda Oriental
*mad remain ludepeodetic of Buenos Ayres, and
loosely send Deputies to the General Congress, to
Wissitert measures against the Mammon enemy. Oe
smother, then the Portuguese army was approach.
lug the frontiers of the Banda Oriental, an attempt
Alloado lilt l'isisyrredoe 4,-,secescils him, and unite
hiss in the common defence. Ample supplies of arms
and munhins of Mar were Offered, and some fur-
nished ; but this attempt also failed.
" In order that a feller view of this subject may
be had, I have subjoined a translated copy of an std.
mated letter from Geo. Artigas to M. Puoyercedon
(Appendix I.) It is bat justice to add, that Gen.
Artigas is thought, by persons entitled to credit, to
be a firm friend to the independence of the country.
To express a decided opinion on this delicate question
would scarcely beespected of me, as my position did
not command a view of the whole ground. I had nct the
satisfaction to be derived from a personal interview
with General Artigas,who is, unquestionably, a man
of rare and singular talents. But if I were to hazard
a conjecture, I think it not improbable that in this,
as in most family disputes, there have been faults ou
both sides. It is to be lamented they are in open
hostility. The war has been prosecuted with great
animosity : and, in two late engagements, the troops
of ISeiruos Ayres have been defeated with great loss.
By some it was said, that the inhabitants of the east-
ern shore were elision that a reconcilasion should
take place, whilst the people in the country preferred
their present state.
" I must not omit to take a glance at the situation
of Paraguay. This province presents a singular
spectacle. It stands aloof from the rest. The Peo.
pie, with the aid of the few remaining royal troops,
rope zed an army, sent to compel them to join the
common st a tularA. Very soon afterwards they es-
pelted the Royalists, and set up for themselves.—
Sinew ibis period, they appear in have adopted a par-
tial woo..intercoerse system. But Buenos Ayres, on
one occasion, succeeded in obtaining an understand-
ing with them. Some
,suspect, that they are secretly
innikel to the existing order of things and wish Mk,
keeittlesesseTves witbie their shell, that in case of a
chaste, they may profit by future events; others Me
•rnelate with some confidence on their ultimate seise
with Buenos Ayres, with which, at present; they In.
dolge a limited and reluctant intercourse. Paraguay
is ender the immediate controul of a person named
Francis, who styles himself Director of Paraguay.
" From the domestic concerns of the provinces,
we naturally turn to their foreign relations. On this
subject the Commissioners were informed that they
had nothing more than a friendly understanding with
any foreign nation. With the Portuguese Govern-
meat they concloded ati arrangement in 1812, under
the mediation, it is said, of the British, with respect
to the Banda Oriental. They have since had a coe.
respondence with them ou the subject of their ea.
trance into that Province, and the forcible occops.
tine by the Portuguese army of the city of Monte
Video, of which a copy is annexed. (Appendix 1.)
This will present the stale of affairs between Buenos
Apes end the Brazils, which has been the theme of
moth discussion. The superior naval force of the
Portuguese, stationed in the River Li Plata, could
have effectually ,Olockaded all the ports of Buenos
Ayres. By this means they would have prevented
Supplies cf trail sulAtens of war, end entirely
•