Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1821-06-12
3 SOUTH AMERICA.
GnrAr AND iMfoRrANw NEWS.

| NEW 1ORk, June by ule arrival oil
the fast sailing brig lIpponenes, Captain
! Bourne, III IL days from Curacoa, the editor
of the National Advocate bias received from
Isis attentive correspondent, regular files OF
| the Curacao Courant To the Goth MAY. con
tanning the highly important and gratifying
| intelligence OF the evacuation of Caracas by
| the royalIsts, in consequence of the success
| fui progress of the Patriots since the recon-
menccment of hostilities. After the termi-
nation of the armistice, Bolivar, with that
| decision which marks his character, directed
a part ofllis army 10 advance upon Caraccas.
| Information having been received of this
! movement by the royalists, they dispatched
body oftrOops to drive them back: but,
after short contest, the Patriots proved
| victorious. A second action took place,
which also terminated in favour of the indie
| pendents, who lost Il Lieutenant Colonel,
Aibuthnot, killed while leading on his men
to attack the enemy. The intelligence of
| these disasters having reached the capital, it
was determined by the junta to abandon the
| place 20 the Patriots, who immediately took
| possession, and celebrated their triumph by
the firing of cannon and ringing of bells.
| While these rejocings were going on in Ca
raccas, the royalists at La Guayra, who had
heard of what had taken place in the capital,
wisely determined to follow its example
having previously, however, shipped off all
their gunpowder in the stores, for Puerto
! Cabello, and n considerable quantity of other
moveablcs. The patriots thus enjoyed a Sc
cond triumph, which they celebrated in the
usual manner. Seemingly altogether occu-
pied with cilecting their escape, the royalists
had not been able TO rally their forces so as
| TO renew their attacks upon the Patriots /,
but dis Information had been received, that
they were beginning again to bestir them
selves, general engagement was expected
to take place Immediately between the main
body OF the contending armies.
Although our accounts from Curacao are
| not official, the minuteness in which the de-
tails are given, leave no room to doubt their
general accuracy. AS to the expectation of
| Il general engagement, we strongly suspect
that if the royalists had considered them
selves sufficiently strong to take the field with
their whole combined forces, they would
have attempted this before evacuating their
capital, and the principal sea portupon which
that capital depends for its necessary sup
plies. Now that they have abandoned the
whole, and retain only the insignificant Pu-
erto Cahollo, it is not likely they will be will
ling TO sacrifice their lives in struggle,
which every man possessing his senses,
must regard rs entirely hopeless. But should
they be so foolish as to prolong the contest,
ii will only be giving the Patriots an oppor-
tunity ofrooting up the last remains Of des-
pohsm which has too long existed and in
the total humiliation ofwhich every friend of
humanity must rejoice.
Since writing the above, we learn, that ac-
counts of the capture of Puerto Cayello had
been received at Curacao, about the time
the Hippomencs left that port. After this,
we may naturally look for the breaking up
of the royal army, il not ofits surrender TO
the Patriots, who if this part of the intelli-
gencc is correct, have now the power of de-
prlvlng their enemies Of every supply except
what they draw from the interior.
Previous TO the disasters of the royalists
before Caracas, it appears that their cause
III other parts of Colombia was rapidly dc
Ginning. Coro, place in the near neighbor-
hood of haracaybo and which, during the
whole of the revolutionary war, was never
in possession of the Patriots, though they
frequently assailed it, has been given up
without firing shot. The Independent flag
was also flying in La Vale.
The Curacao papers contain long eX-
planatOry Manifesto of the royalist general,
issued prior to the termination of the armis-
tice, which subsequent events has rendered
uninteresting. Torres admits in this docu-
ment, that the meeting which took place at
Truxillo between Bolivar and Morillo was
"nOt to treat ofpeace, but merely to suspend
the war, while the commissioners of III. L.
the president, should proceed to the court of
Madrid, there to lay their claims and preten-
sions before the supreme government of the
I nation, who could alone pronounce definite
ly thcrcupon."
In reply, Bolivar stated to Morillo, 4"
cannot send deputies to Spain, until the
Congress be established at Cucuta, which
VIII all take place in the month Of January,
as know not on what conditions Congress
will be willing to treat with the Spanish go
vernment, OH which head it ought indispen-
SADLY to be consulted !; and before all this can
be brought TO effect, we will be losing time
and frmtlessly eXhausting ourselves in keep
| ing troops, whose number on both sides is
excessive. Such a representation is likely
to be prejudical to us, for if at the end of the
| armlstlce our affairs remain unsettled, we will
| have to commence hostilites. This cons-
deration prompts me to enioin you, to adj
dress the Cortcs on the expedicncy either of
their sending out plenipotentiaries, or ofau-
thorlZlnS the generals and chiefs who reside
| here III Venezuela, to treat with us and ter
inmate at once our differences. You will
observe that the Spanish government will
| obtain far greater advantage from its confer
| enccs with our government here, than from
our commissioners there. II is not strange
that government reserves for itself the IA
Guilty of cOnceding that, which it would not
attempt to entrust with any of its ENJOYS a.
broad strange indeed il were to act in a
contrary direction"
In this correspondence the patriot has de-
cidedly the advantage ofthe royalist. Where
could the " claims and pretensions" of the
people be discussed more to their advantage
than on the spot where the cause of their
complaints existed? But Torres had been
bred under AN arstocracy, and il is never the