614 
killed by some Indian butchers, whom they 
had repeatedly insulted. Such was the fury 
‘displayed by the pacifying troops, that a 
‘party of them having met a captain in his 
tuniform, who belonged to the Guayaquil 
‘cavalry, a soldier seized the sword of his 
captain, and_ran him through the body with 
it, laying him weltering in his gore not fifty 
yards from the door of the barracks. 
“‘ No powers of language can describe 
the anxiety which this dreadful affair ex- 
‘cited in the minds of the inhabitants, who, 
ignorant of the origin, considered it as an 
unprovoked slaughter of their countrymen, 
and consequently dreaded that it might be 
again repeated in the same manner. Only 
five of the soldiers who left the presidio 
entered the barracks—had twenty entered, 
they would doubtlessly have succeeded in 
liberating the prisoners; but these were 
murdered while those were engaged with 
the guard at the door. 
. “ The streets of the city were. entirely 
deserted ; groups of people were scattered 
about on the neighbouring hills, looking 
wistfully at their apparently desolated 
town; dead bodies were strewed about the 
streets and squares, and all was horror and 
dismay. During the night the bodies of the 
prisoners were conveyed tothe church of San , 
Augustin, and those that were murdered in 
the streets to the nearest churches. The 
two succeeding days, the. third and fourth 
of August, the inhabitants kept within 
their houses, and, except the soldiers, not 
an individual ventured into the streets. 
The government now began to fear that 
the whole of the provinces would rise en 
masse ; and as the news of the revolution 
at. Caracas, which took place on the nine- 
teenth of April, 1810, had reached their 
ears, this, with their ignorance of what was 
passing in the mother country, except that 
Bonaparte had taken possession of Madrid, 
suggested to them an effort at reconcilia- 
tion, but without in the least reflecting on 
their own baseness and treachery, in having 
violated the conditions which had replaced 
the president in bis authority, and thus 
branded themselves with the name which 
they most justly deserved, that of znfames 
éraidores, infamous traitors. 
“ On the fifth an order was published 
for the heads of all the corporate bodies, 
officers, and principal inhabitants to meet 
at the palace, and resolve on such means as 
were most likely to restore peace, tranquil- 
lity, and confidence to the country. Ac- 
cordingly the persons who were summoned 
met; the president took the chair, having 
the Bishop on his right, and Colonel Arre- 
donda on his left; the Regent, oidores, fis- 
cals, attorney-general, and other officers 
and persons of distinction took their seats. 
The president rose, and in very few words 
expressed his sorrow for what had hap- 
pened, and his sincere wish to restore 
peace and unanimity among the people. 
Southern and Meridional America. 
The Bishop in a short speech answered, 
that he was afraid such wishes would never 
be fuifilled, until those persons who had 
advised his Excellency to forget his pro- 
mises made to the people were removed 
from that part of the country. Arrechaga 
rose-and_observed, that his lordship recri- 
minated on his conduct; to which the pre- 
late replied, that years and dignity pre- 
cluded any recrimination on Don Arre- 
chaga from him. This debate induced the 
president to request that Arrechaga would 
leave the hall, whigh request. was reluc- 
tantly complied with; although such a re- 
buff from the Bishop would, only four days 
before that of the meeting, have shewn him 
the way to a dungeon. | , 
“ Dr. Rodrigues, a secular priest, greatly 
revered for his wisdom and his virtue by: 
all who knew him, rose from his seat, and, 
advancing to the centre of the hall, de-. 
livered a most eloquent and animated 
speech, which lasted for more than an hour. 
He pourtrayed the character of the Quite- 
nos in general, explained the causes of the 
late revolution with evangelical charity, and 
dwelt on the fatal results with the truest 
symptoms of grief, in such a manner, that, 
not through sympathy, but sensibility, con- 
viction, shame and remorse, the big tear 
flowed down the cheeks of his hearers. He 
concluded by repeating what his prelate had 
said, and added further, that the people of 
Quito could no longer consider their lives 
and property secure, unless those indivi- 
duals who had so lately forfeited their title 
of pacificators were removed from the 
country. ‘I allude,’ said he, ‘ to the ofli- 
cers and troops; they have already made 
upwards of three hundred unoffending fel- 
lew-creatures, as faithful Christians and as. 
loyal subjects as themselves, the peaceful 
tenants of the grave, and, if not stopped in 
their career of slaughter, they will soon con- 
vert one of the most fruitful regions of the 
Spanish monarchy into a desert ; and future 
travellers, while execrating their memory, 
will exclaim, ‘here once stood Quito!’ 
“ Don Manuel Arredonda, trembling for 
his personal safety, now rose. He observed, 
that he was fully convinced the government: 
of Quito ought to rely on the loyalty of the. 
Quitenos, and allow him to retire with the 
troops under his command. ‘This was im- 
mediately agreed to, and the act of the 
meeting having been drawn up, was signed 
by the President, the Bishop, the com- 
mander of the troops, and several other 
members. Preparations for the evacuation 
of the city immediately commenced, and 
the troops under the command of Arre- 
donda began their march on the following 
morning, leaving the two hundred soldiers 
from Santa Fé and the government to the 
mercy of a populace driven almost to de- 
spair by their cruel and murderous con- 
duct. : 
“ A few days after the departure of Arre- 
donda 
