199] ANNUAL REGISTER, 1S13. 



CHAPTER XVII. 



South America.— Montevideo — Buenos At/res. — Santa Martha. — Vene- 

 zuela.— Mexico. — Peru. — West Indies. — Free Trade proclaimed at 

 Porto Rico.— Hurricanes at Dominica^ Bermuda, Jamaica, SfC. — 



Trinidad, Java Reduction of the Sultan of Djojocarta. — Hindostan, 



—War between Russia, and Persia. — Turkey. — Egypt. 



OUR information of what has 

 been passing in South Ame- 

 rica during the present year, and 

 the latter part of the preceding, 

 is scanty and imperfect. We know 

 in general that a state of civil war 

 has been still subsisting in the dif- 

 ferent provinces of the Spanish do- 

 minion on that continent, but of 

 its particular events we have only 

 ■partial and uncertain accounts. 



By intelligence from Montevideo 

 in October 1812, we learn that af- 

 ter the departure of the Portuguese 

 troops from the Spanish territory, 

 in consequence of tlie mediation of 

 lord Strangford, the revolutionary 

 army crossed the Uruguay, and 

 compelled the small detachments 

 of loyalists to evacuate the port of 

 Colonia, and other places ; and 

 that their party in the province 

 acquiring confidence, assembled in 

 arms at several points, and plun- 

 dered the defenceless towns and 

 villages. The siege of Montevideo 

 being continued by the revolution- 

 ists of Buenos Ayrjs, general Vi- 

 godet, commandant in the former, 

 made a sortie on December 31st, 

 in which he incurred a loss of 250 

 in killed, wounded, and prisoners. 

 That of the besiegers is stated at 

 ISO ; but their loss would be more 



easily supplied than that of the 

 Montevideans, who could receive 

 no succour except from the mother 

 country. 



To the friends of general liberty, 

 a decree dated from Buenos Ayres 

 on February 3rd, in the name of 

 the supreme government of the 

 United Provinces of Rio de la 

 Plata, will give pleasure. It de- 

 clares all persons free, born on or 

 subsequent to January 31st, 1813, 

 the day on which the general as- 

 sembly was installed. 



Santa Martha was brought over 

 to the revolutionist party by a force 

 sent from Carthagena. Whilst it 

 was in their possession, a frigate 

 from old Spain, having 300 troops 

 on board, supposing it to be held 

 by the royalists, put into the har- 

 bour, when the fort by its fire 

 completely dismasted her, and 

 obliged her to surrender, with all 

 the soldiers. On the 5th of March, 

 however, some Indian tribes join- 

 ing the royalists, effected the ex- 

 pulsion of the Carthagena troops, 

 with their French commander La- 

 batut ; and on the following day 

 Ferdinand VII. was proclaimed, 

 and the people of Santa Martha 

 swore allegiance to him. The same 

 advices related that the city of 



