Southern and Meridional America. 
t 
donda and the soldiers, Dr. San Miguel re- 
turned from Santa Fé, bringing tidings of an 
insurrection having taken place in that city. 
It commenced on the twenty-third of July, 
1810, the day before the arrival of San 
Miguel with his cargo of papers. When 
he presented himself before the new autho- 
rities at Santa Fé, he was commanded to 
repair to the plasa mayor with his papers, 
and here he was ordered to deliver them 
into the hands of the hangman, who imme- 
diately committed them to the flames. 
Thus a trial was concluded, which, per- 
haps, in point of infamous intrigue, was un- 
paralleled in any age or nation; and had 
the conductors of it suffered a similar fate 
at the same time, numbers of Americans 
would have had just cause to have been 
satisfied. -The return of San Miguel only 
served to throw the government of Quito 
into greater consternation, and the citizens 
who had lost their relatives or their friends 
on the second of August, into deeper 
soIrow- 
“The insurrection of Santa Fé was 
conducted, like that of Quito, without any 
bloodshed; the news of the commission 
conferred on Villaviencio by the central 
junta of Spain, to visit his native place, 
and to make any such alterations in the 
form of the government as might appear 
necessary for the preservation of the coun- 
try, had arrived at Santa Fé. The friends 
of this American wishéd to prepare a house 
for his reception ; one of them begged the 
loan of a chandelier of a European Spaniard, 
who, chagrined at the idea of a royal com- 
mission haying been conferred on a colo- 
nist, insulted the borrower; this conduct 
produced an altercation between the par- 
ties, a mob collected at the door, the 
Spaniard attempted to drive the people 
away with threats and insults, which at 
last produced a cry of Cabildo Abierto! an 
open meeting at the City Hall. Scarcely 
had the shout been reechoed by the mob, 
when it was extended to every part of 
the city, and Cabildo Abierto became the 
watchword. Crowds of people flocked to 
-the plasa mayor, the doors of the town hall 
were thrown open, and several individuals, 
all natives, ranged themselves round the 
table. At this juncture some one advanced 
to the door, and asked the populace why 
they had collected in that manner, at this 
particular time? Some one answered, 
queremos gobierno nuevo, fuera Espanoles ! 
We want a new government—out with 
the Spaniards! Narino was then sent to 
request the presence of the Viceroy Amar, 
as president of the meeting. His excel- 
lency refused ; a second message was sent, 
and met with the same refusal: this con- 
duct exasperated the people, and the cry of 
fuera Espanoles! fuera chapetones / in 
resounded from every quarter. A_ third 
messenger was shortly after sent to inform 
Don Antonio Amar_ that his functions, 
615 
with those of all European Spaniards in 
the government, had ceased. Amar now 
volunteered to go and preside at the meet- 
ing; but he was told, that only his bastonm 
of command was requested ; this, after a 
little altercation, he delivered up. The 
new government took possession of the 
barracks, the park of artillery, and the 
government stores. The ex-viceroy and 
some of the ex-oidores were sent to Car- 
thagena to be embarked for Spain. In one 
day the change in the government was com- 
pleted, and on the following the people re- 
tired to their several homes and occupa- 
tions in the most perfect order, after wit- 
nessing the public burning of the papers 
brought by San Miguel.” 
We add some extracts of general 
principles (passing over the details), 
from a “Manifesto made to the World 
(July 30, 1811) by the Confederation 
of Venezuela, of the Reasons on which 
it founded its Absolute Independence of 
Spain, and of every other Foreign » 
Power.” Vol. iii. p. 50 to 119. 
‘*, Spanish America, condemned for more 
than three centuries to exist only for the © 
purpose of increasing the political prepon- 
derance of Spain, without the least influ- 
ence in, or participation of her greatness, 
would, according to the order of events. in 
which she had no other part than that, of 
sufferance, have been the victim and the. 
sacrifice of the disorder, corruption and: 
conquest, which have disorganized the na-. 
tion her conqueror, if the instinct of self- 
preservation had not dictated to the Ame- 
ticans, that the moment of action had ar-. 
rived, and that it was time to reap the fruits. 
of three centuries of patience and forbear- 
ance. 
“Tf the discovery of the new world. was 
to the human race an occurrence highly 
interesting, the regeneration of this same 
world, degraded from that period by op- 
pression and servitude, will not-be less so. 
America, raising herself from the dust, 
and throwing off her chains without passing 
through. the political gradations of other: 
countries, will in her turn triumph over 
the world, without deluging it in blood, 
without enslaving it, without brutifying it. 
A revolution most useful to mankind will 
be that of America, when she shall consti- 
tute her ownauthorities and govern herself, 
opening her arms to receive those people 
of Europe who may be trampled on by 
policy, wish to fly from the evils of war, or 
escape the persecution and the fury of party. 
The inhabitants of one hemisphere will 
then cross the ocean to the other in search 
of peace and tranquillity ; not with the lust 
nor perfidy of conquest, like the heroes of 
the sixteenth century—as friends, not as 
tyrants—as men willing to obey, not as 
lords to command—not to destroy, but to 
save— 
