1G48 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1805. 



Ly the state, and are amenable to 

 it for their condu6l. Every step 

 they take is watched, and the ut- 

 most vigilance obserrcd by the civil 

 magistrate. The military comman- 

 dant is no longer a cacique, but a 

 Spaniard ; so is their corrigidore, 

 alcalde, alquazils, &c. All is now 

 in the power of the state ; and though 

 the ancient forms are apparently 

 kept up, yet it is in appearance only. 

 Formerly no Spaniard was per- 

 mitted to come among them ; and if, 

 through business or accident, any 

 one or more did arrive at the pre. 

 sidency, they were obliged by law 

 to limit their stay to three days ; at 

 the expiration of which, if they did 

 not depart peaceably, they were by 

 force compelled. 



" Now young people are sent from 

 all parts of the province to visit the 

 presidencies, and likewise to study at 

 Cordovo, under professors of other 

 orders, who arc, I understand, in- 

 structed to implant in the minds of 

 their pupils an abhorrence of the 

 Jesuitical tenets, in hopes that in a 

 few years ah ideas of their difterent 

 republics will be done away. How 

 this system will succeed I will not 

 pretend to say ; but, if I may judge 

 from the manner of the young 

 Spanish students who aceonipained 

 our superior to Cordovo, very little 

 geod will result from it to either 

 party. These young men seemed to 

 ma to have imbibed a strong tinc- 

 ture of modern French philosophy, 

 and many expressions which escaped 

 them plainly indicated very liberal 

 sentiments on the art of governing. 

 I very much doubt if the rising ge- 

 neration of Spaniards will pay any 

 more respect to a crowned head than 

 their volatile neighbours have done. 

 Let but those principles be dissemi- 

 nated over this new world, and fare- 



well to the monarchy in the old one. 

 The resources now daily drawn by 

 the mother country fjoni this once 

 stopped, or even suspended, and 

 Old Spain must speedily become the 

 prey of any power that chooses to 

 invade her. It is the riches of thcsa 

 injured nations, which alone sup- 

 ports the pride of his Catholic uia- 

 jesty, and without which Siviin 

 would long since have become a pro-, 

 vincc of France, or else have been 

 parcelled out, like that devoted 

 country Poland, among difforent na- 

 tions of Europe. Our admirals, un- 

 der Elizabeth, put the death-stroke 

 to their maritime greatness, and our 

 succeeding victory over their arro- 

 gant designs at Gibraltar completed 

 it. Indeed, it would be stamping 

 the dispensations of heaven with in- 

 justice wi.'TC they ever again to be a 

 powerful nation. *' IJlood will have 

 blood,'* as Shakspeare expresses it. 

 Their horrid auto dc fis, and daily 

 sacrifice of thousands in the mines, 

 call aloud at the throne of heaven 

 for retributive justice. The former 

 evil, it is true, ceased with the reign 

 of the Jesuits; but the latter still 

 exists, and that in a much wider ex- 

 tent than ever. There is not a visit 

 1 make in the town but I am told of 

 the immense quantities of silver 

 drawn from the mines, and prepar- 

 ing for exportation to the mother 

 country as soon as there may be a 

 peace. When I hear this I cannot 

 help devoutly wishing it may fall 

 into the hands of my countrymen, 

 and inspire them with the thoughts 

 of conquest here. But if the navi- 

 gation of La Plata may be urged as 

 an argument against such an expedi- 

 tion, why not direct their arms 

 against the fruitful plains of Chile ? 

 which I am informed is another 

 Tewi/je— mild, salubrious, rich, and 



fertile, 



