The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1808-08-23
mo. S..

lizing.--Spain, tho an enemy. has deserved
too well of u.s. to be assisted with ou,. n,,ncv
even IT she had the inclination to ciit bc,.o,.n
throat. =
1t would indeed be a splendid atchiev.
inent to obtain the surrender Conditional sur-
render II you wild of the fleet & nava Il stores
IN the Spanish ports-lt is said that our Meet
mas already made, or is TO make, It's appear.
ance before Cadiz and Ferrol for this pur
pose. 1t would be an ACQUISITION to MS al
most rs valuable, as the kingdom itself to Ma
poleon.
III the Spanish monarchy however, he ire
trlevably lost. and Old Spain, as an indepen-
dent Kingdom, be ohlitcrated from the man Of
europe, 1t should be our endeavor. now that
we cannot save the head, to preserve the
members at least from the grasp of tho com
ihon enemy. nor is II to be inferred, that life
ana FIgor must necessarily be extinct in the
eXtremiticS. when ca.>~-~ecu T1uIn rne head.
For otherwise has been the condition of the
Colonies Of Spain. The children have suck
led and supported the mother and not the mo-
.her the children. Spain and her colonies,
instead OF being mutual helps, have been mu-
tual membranes they have mutually ex-
hauSted and enteebied each other; the lea
lousy OF the parent has stunted the growth OF
inc enid. The former has been uniformly
TlCh Put never prosperous, and the latter has
been cursed with extreme misery and power
y III the very MIDST OF her mines
we DO not hesitate 10 advise the immcdi
ate rescue OF the Spanish colonies in South A.
iherlca; we do not mean wa-lke seizure
or a conquest, but proclamation of their,
independence upon Old Spain.
1t IS wen known that the late dissatsfacti-
on Oh the inhabitants towards the British.
proceeded from those selfish views of which
they reasonably enough suspect u.s. We re-
'asea to condition with them, that, upon the
N Z tl,Nf
der them UP to the mother Country and
they reasonably enough hesitatcd to revolt.
when we hesitated to give them indemnity
Tor their treason. They did not want tobe
MADE so much dead stock to be carried into
the market of negotiation, upon the first Of
iSi 0f peace, vith Iaiters about their necks.
ihey were right. Why should they run All
RISK /; and instead If rcaping the profits, be
up to the punishment of their i'm
prudent revolt
This was the sole cause of the failure Of
Miranda. He was not suffered to inscrbe In
dependence upon Ills banners. His conquest
was intended as mere make-weight i'm our
scale upon treaty and the people oe South
America, in choice between evils prefer
red allegiance TO their mother countrv. Our
ircebootIng conquest of Buenos Ayres was
an act OF the same complexion. We could nor
assure lhe Spaniards that we would net de-
iiver them over, upon peace to the revenge
OF Ola Spain. We had nothing therefore TO
offer, nothing to ask but their consent TO tIsxs
plliaged, which consent they refused at the
point OF the bayonet, and drove us out, as
much 1rfitatea 10y rnr ne a..r.eer as sture.l--
our selfish denial.
1t has been universally confessed, that had
we pledged our faith to the people never to
surrender them to Old Spain, the whole coun-
try would have revoltcd to the British that
is, had we proclaimed their independence.
they would have become, for every useful
purpose, our colonies and allies
Let US not now, therefore, omit the oppor-
tunity. If we do not take some steps in Soutj,
America, France will. Let us proclaim the
full and entire independence of Spanish A.
Inerica, and guarantee, with the faith of the
whole Empire, its integrity, and disunion
from the mother country. This would be an
achievement worth its enterprises the COM
merce of South America, united with that
of North America (Which upon friendly con-
ditions may easily be continued to US would
repay US for our excelsior from the continent,
The Portuguese are in the vicinity, and we
might open a trade with The South Ameri
can continent, superior to our most sanerline
expectations. We might push our commerce
upon both sides of the river Amazon. and
find consumers IN Mexico and Peru, as hume
rous az in Paris and Madrid.