In the Argos, a Buenos Ay...
The Times, 1824-11-20T00:00:00

In thie Argos, a Buenos Ayres paper, of tlhe 21st of Au- gust, we find a curious proclaination or manifesto of Gene- ral OLANETA, addressed to the inhabitants of 1eru, dated from Potosi. June 20. In this document the Royalist Ge- neral delivers his political erced respecting governmcnts and colonization ; aml, like a true bigot, denounces the penalties of war and proscriptioni against all those who differ with him even ia its minlor articles. Nay, the greatest heretics in his opinion i evpm to be-not those who dleny the l'unda- mental principle of the colonial faith, the right of the mo. tlher to the ob',dicnce of Peru,but-L.k Semn.\, C'.vwEoAv, V ALTDEZ, an(d the party who supported tile rights of the mother country onl th- constitutional system. It certainly would appear to require a good dieal of boldness in a man whlo had himself hell a command untler the Consti- tutional Governmen:, and *ho saw around him other states and( other parties, not only claiming the civil freedlom which that GovereLmnent professed to confer,but dic- rnain(lin- and asserting the albsolute independence of Spain, to declare himaself not only against the Independents, but against the army and the Generals vho still held out for the Kinig whom he pretended( to serve. 'l'he principles and defenice of such a man should be heard from his own moutlh. I have never," says he, " been constitutional; "an(d whetlher it was by immvinciblc inclination, -or by a "c onviction thattlhis false liberty is nothing hut a clhi- mnera fatal to the happiniess of mankind, I have always respected. and constanitly obeyed, the paternial Govern- " ment under whose protection we have livel. I lhave a!ways lovel our King,, and venerated the anointtd of the LonD, who have shed on us a multi- " tudle of blesshigs. Thence have procee(ledl the hatredl "anll opposition of the Constitutionalists of Peru towards "ne--thence I have been treated by tdiem as a pure "Rwyalist, a servile, anml a fanatic." But this " irresist- ible inclimmatioii," tii;s loyal "' instinct," which led him to respect the rights of the " true Prince," dlid not prevent him fromt. acting und :r the Jaco,bins whomn he desotmnces. I7c always, however, as he assesres us, lamented the evils o1' liberal politics, amtd looked forwvard to the happier futu- rity of absolute po'er. 'I'he picture which he presents to the minds of th9. Peruvians, of the civil disorders and sacrilegious horrors of the constitutional system, scems nearly a copy of that which was lrawn in the precla- mations of the UJrgel Regency, er tbe manifestoes of the 'Trappist: it would therefore be superfluous to trans- cribeany of its exaggerations. Thisrebellious spirit mani- fested itself in the deposition of the Viceroy PEZUELA. COM- mencing with this act, tlhe General draws up a long bill of iiilictient against the Constitutional party, anrl the fac- tion whiclh, tlhough opposed to hiim, still supports the cause of Spain. That faction dismissed from employmnent all those whem they suspected of loyal sentiments, and ap- pointed to all offices, civil and military, their own trusty adherents. " WVhat, i such a case," he asks, " ought to "be the conduct of a Royalist General ? To oppose himself, witth all his forces, to such ignominious degradation-te die " rather than consent to such ignominy. These were my resolutions. Firm in my purpose of supporting at all "hazards the rights of religion and of the KING, anld with " that caution which the danger demanded, I arranged the means of repressing the pride of those base minds whom "neither love nor coinscicnce could sway." At the moment wvhen OLANETA was forming these schemes, (which be- fore this he kept to himself), the news of the KING's release, and of the overthrow of the Spanish Constittion, arrived in Peru. The party opposed to him had expressed no nlleutlivocal opinioni respecting the Spanish war: they bad severely inveigeed against the enterprise of the Duke of ANGOULEME, and the conduet of the French Government. The sentiments with which the intelligence from Cadiz was received by them cannot there- fore be a subject of doubt. OLANETA accuses tllem of wish- ing to preserve Peru as a refuge for the exiles of the Cortes; but. he that as it may, he shows the strength of their party and the weakness of his owvn, by the admission that the division of troops which he commanded was the only part of the army opposed to their designs. After mentioniuig this fact, the General groes on to state the mancetvres ema- ployed to disband his force,to deprive bin of its confidenee, or to remove hlta from its command. These mancellvres,and the mode in whichl they were eltded, are to.us of as liitle political importance as the events of a fox-chase. In eon- sequence of discovering their object, he resolved to proulaimI the absolute King, and " to proscribe the mischievous code of ' the Constitution in the provinces of Potosi and Charcas, " inviting the people to unite in favour of order and re- "ligion,' which had been impiously attacked." At the beginning of February, be proposed to the Viceroy that he should be allowed to command, unmolested, within cer- tain limits; and the Viceroy, we are told, answ.erel the proposal by detaching the army of thie south a,gainst him. At the sa-ne time VALDEZ offered to bribe hinm into sub- mission by a purse of 20,000 dollars ansd two employmonts during his life. This of course he refused. At length a treaty was made between VALDEZ antl OLANETA, otl the 9th of March, whicn, as the latter in the proclamation be- fore us declares, was only a maneuvre to gain time on the part of the former. All the stipulations of this convention, OLANETA, accordinig to his own statement, strictly observed. On the contrary, he accuses the Liberals of encroaching oni his territory, andt limiting his power. Scarcely was the treaty sanctionedl by the Viceroy, when VALDEZ circulated an order resuming the niilitary command intrusted to him by direct stipiu- lation. Under various pretexts, his troops were invited to desert his stanldard, andl join the forces of his opponents. An one time an army had arrived on tlhe coast; at another, CANTERAC required an additionial force to op- pose BO1LiVA R. The General, in this manifesto, reprobates all these artifices, and denounces them as the firuit of knavery and perfidy. Firm in loyaltv to his Kitig, and confif(lent in the support of his troops. he resolves to main- tain his ground against the faction of the Constitutionalists. Convinced," he adds, " that they pretenid to establish a traitorous Government,incompatible with the tranquillity of America, I must overcome my reptignance to civil " war, and avail myself'of aris to repel it. My desire is, to " favour the public wishes by being useful to the King, tho object of my love and my fatigues. It was my duty "to show to feru thegrounds which I have for maintaining ; the war which has been declared against me, being ready to sacrifice mnyself for religion, the King, and the wise law's, which unfortunately have been contemn- ed." In the present xtate of our information re- specting Peru, it would be unwise to speculate on the relative strength of the parties, or the motives by which they are actuated, or the objects whieh they may ultimately have in view. It appears evident from this proclamation, that OLANSTA is for FERDINAvD aTnd Spain -that the faction of LA SERNA, VALDEZ. and CATERAC, are opposed to OLANETA-and that the Indepenidents under BOLIVAR are opposed to both. But for whoin or for what does this midldle faetioni conitentd ? Not for FERamNAND, who refuses their services and proscribes their persons-not for Spainl, whichi is ruled by FERDINAND,-an(d not for the Independents, who deny their claims,and fight against their pretensions. ___