GENERAL HISTORY. 



[209- 



be, he appears to have made no 

 effectual resistance to the progress 

 «f the royalists ; for, on July 28, 

 Caracas capitulated to Monteverde, 

 and three days afterwards, its port 

 of La Guayra surrendered at dis- 

 cretion. Miranda, who had gone 

 thither with the intention of em- 

 barking on board an English vessel 

 with iiis treasure, was delivered 

 up, it is affirmed, by his own party, 

 and was confined in a dungeon ; 

 probably» therefore, he was falsely 

 charged with previously negociat- 

 ing with the opposite party. Thus, 

 to all appearance, has terminated 

 the independence of Venezuela, 

 which, in its beginning, seemed 

 firmly based on the general con- 

 sent of a high-spirited and enlight- 

 ened people. Want of steadiness 

 and moderation, the radical faults 

 of the Creole character, had ren- 

 dered the success of the revolution 

 dubious even before the terrible 

 earthquake, though that event un- 

 doubtedly hastened its defeat. Mi- 

 randa was sent to Spain in the be- 

 ginning of October. Don Fer- 

 nando Melhado came from Porto 

 Rico to take possession of the pro- 

 vince of Caracas, but Monteverde 

 refused to deliver it up in its pre- 

 sent unsettled state. 



In the viceroyalty of new Gra- 

 nada, towards the close xjf 1811, 

 the province of Santa Martha, 

 which adhered to Spain, proclaim- 

 ed war against that of Carthagena, 

 which had declared itself independ- 

 ent, had abolished the Inquisition, 

 and administered oaths of fidelity 

 to the officers, civil and military. 

 Several battles, with alternate suc- 

 cess but httle bloodshed, had been 

 fought between the two contend- 

 ing provinces on the river Magda- 

 lena, upon both banks of which 



Vol. LIV. 



fortifications had been erected. No 

 information has reached us of the 

 sequel of events in thtse parts. 



The rich and extensive kingdom 

 of Mexico has been a theatre of 

 war and confusion during the 

 whole of the year. Accounts re- 

 ceived thence in Nov. 1811, men- 

 tioned that the southern coast was 

 in a state of complete insurrection ; 

 that in the center of the kingdom 

 parties of insurgents were nume- 

 rous, and did not, as formerly, dis- 

 perse on the approach of tiie roy- 

 alists ; and that in New Gallicia 

 alone tranquillity was preserved by 

 the exertions of the viceroy's troops. 

 Communications from province to 

 province were cut off; the work- 

 ing of the mines, and agriculture, 

 were suspended ; and a British fri- 

 gate was about to sail from Vera 

 Cruz without the bullion which 

 she expected to receive. 



In the month of March, intelli- 

 gence was received, that a danger- 

 ous conspiracy was discovered at 

 Vera Cruz on the 16th, the plan of 

 which was, to gain possession of 

 the park of artillery, the bastions, 

 the volunteers* quarter, and the 

 port of La Mole, and by calling 

 the people to arms, to revolutionize 

 the city. Above thirty persons 

 were apprehended as having been 

 concerned in this plot, and it was 

 found that they had set on foot a 

 correspondence with Morel los, the 

 revolutionarj' leader, who had pro- 

 mised to assist them. It was added, 

 that news had arrived from the city 

 of Mexico, stating that the royal 

 general Calleija was continuing the 

 siege of Quatla, where Morellos 

 had posted himself; and that tran- 

 quillity prevailed in the rest of the 

 kingdom. The next account from 

 Vera Cruz, however, affirmed that 



[P] the 



