The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1812-02-08

SSnCS, our 5uSCCe ana our CiaitnS, hau Tor
ced from the government OF SPAN the con-
fession shas our rights were i'll every res
pcce equal 60 theirs.
The unfortunate issue of the war, preven-
tea the arrival of our representatives The
enemy entered Andalusia, and the Ccntras
Jun.a, vagabohds, dispersed, and pursued
by the maledctions OF a nation with GRIEF
dissolved government, INDUSTRIOUS in its ct
fccts, and known by the name OF Regency
The whole Of the peninsula overpowcreG
BY tn. French, and the debiiitated govern
rnent confined to the island Of Leon, cast at
length their dying look towards America;
;.nd sensible of the approaching period to
their. existence, issued the hatterng decree
: which the fear Of losing these rich countries
cxtorted from their expiring hips. They
held forth to US liberty and fraternity, and
: ut the moment when they declared that our
xdestnics were no longer dependent OH the
will of the governors and vice-roys, they
augmented their authority by making. them
sthe arbiters of the election of our represen-
ttatives.
These were circumstances critical in the
s extreme fer Carthagena. The deplorabe
situation; of Spain, restricted i'll territory to
.Galicia, Cadiz AMI the Isle of Leon. Va
1encia, Alicant and Carthagena the fear
of seeing themselves involved in threatening
difficulties, and of falling into the power o.
Napoleon |; the desire of assisting in its sal
walton on the one hand the knowledge Of
our rights, and the slender hopes We enter
tanned Of their ever being acknowledged
the evils OH the other, with which we were
oppressed by an insolent governor; were
contrasts difficult to describe. we doubt
less wished to display moderation and SUI
fcrance and though we took provident
measures to shelter US from the evils which
we apprchended we never infringeI up
on the integrity OF the monarchy nor sepa-
rated ourselves from the common cause of
the nation. Our security imPcriously de
manded that we should take every precau-
ton not to be implicated i'll the general ca
lamity. We therefore desired that Cabildo,
as a body composed OF patriots, should in
conjunction with the governor, take upon
themselves the government /; and when this
step proved Intellectual, we were ncccSsita-
: ted TO substitute III his stead another appoin-
ted by the laws; the motives of this pro-
seeding were legally confirmed by every
j,nidical form, AID were even approved of
by the deputy sent out by the regency.
Above all, we Submitted ourselves to AN in
spection of our conduct. We offered TO
them union and fraternity we sent them
ample supplies of money TO support the
war against France we protcste sincere
ly that our sentiments were & should be
regarded, our evils redressed, and hopes
were to be entertained of the salvation x
the nation. Nothing could prevail We OBJ
tanned nothing.
ment it had with difficulty dared to hope
for, showed themselves careless of our re-
presentations, and instead of paying that at
tention to our claims which they merited,
issued orders worthy only of the favorite of
Charles ltht To our submissions to our
offers of friendship, they answered, in
words bitter and insulting il fine, to silence
L. Al.
sures lavishe I upon them, they condemned
our operations and menaced us with all
the evils of an iritated sovereignty scarce
ly cven,acknowledged in the small terrific
ry of CadiZ.-During the short epoch
OF the existence of the council of regency,
its conduct was uniformly indicative of the
tyrannical principles which it has displayed
towards us-the effects were every where
nearly siInilar--several provinces Of Amer
,ca declared themselves independent. The
capital of this Kingdom, and many of
The interior provinces followed their exam
pie.
However seductive suck an example, and
however just the motive that urged us on
their footsteps, yet our conduct would never
have altered, even in despite of the agents
of the governor from Spain who made use of
every means to irritate and disunite u.s.
The bloody scenes of La Paz and Qnitc, the
cruel assassination of the inhabitants of the
plains, put our sufferlngs to the last test
in spite OF this, moderation still kept its
seat. We formed unta 10 supply the au-
thorties destroyed in the capital; but we
did not refuse our obedience to the governcrsA
OF Spain. Our jantas, it is true, possessed
powers more ample than those of the vice
ioys, but the regency had pat an end TO all
Pablo prosperity, declaring .hat it was inca
pablo of attending to any thing but war, and
that we were to consult our own safety.
In the interim, the ara at which our
hopes were to be realized, our evils ended,
was'fas approaching. Spain justly int3ig-
nant at the Illegal administration of the re-
Bency, FASTENED the installation of the Gene
"a. Cortcs. This iiiustriOus BODY announced
Itself to the world with the dignity becoming
great nation. and in sentiments and ideas |
so liberal as TO astonish Europe; and con-
vince the world that Spain was not quite bu-
ried in the grOssest Ignorance.
They declared the sovereignty of the ma |
ton, the division of Power, the Equality of
Rights between Europe and America, the |
liberty Of the press, and immunties Of the !
people SO that in fact nothing more remain
cd to be wished for but to see them realized. |
'Seduced by such gladdening prospects, we
hdtteied ourselves with the dawn of hap
by regeneration We acknowledged the |
Cortes; but, rendered cautious by past e.
rents, and convinced by our own experience,
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