210] ANNUAL REGISTER, IS12. 



the Mexican insurgents amounted 

 in number to 74,000 ; and that the 

 reinforcements which had arrived 

 from Cadiz would be barely suf- 

 ficient to keep them in check, but 

 by no means to siippress them 



A letter from Vera Cruz, dated 

 July 17, says, " The rebels ap- 

 proach even to our walls. It is now 

 two months since we heard whe- 

 ther Xalapa exists; and we know 

 as little of Oaxaca and Guatimaia, 

 because the whole leeward coast 

 is in a state of revolt. We have 

 received with difficulty a single 

 letter from Mexico, which con- 

 firms the account of the defeat of 

 Morellos in Cuantla-amilpas. It 

 appears, however, that he succeed- 

 ed in escaping with sixty of his 

 partizans, and is now at the head 

 of 14,000 men, with whom he is 

 obstructing the roads." Further 

 advices received at New Orleans 

 from Mexico up to August 19, 

 stated that the insurgents had two 

 large armies on foot ; one com- 

 manded by Ryan (Ravon), the 

 other by Morellos : that the for- 

 mer was laying siege to the city of 

 Mexico ; and the latter, after hav- 

 ing reduced Acapulco, had march- 

 ed across the table land, defeated 

 the royal army under Calejas, and 

 pursued its advantages to the very 

 walls of Vera Cruz, which it had 

 invested. But this account is sus- 

 pected of exaggeration. 



Our information of the state of 

 afl'airs in Peru is veiy scanty, and 

 little more is known in general 

 than that considerable commotions 

 still subsist in that kingdom. It 

 ]£ asserted from Buenos Ayres 

 that symptoms of an inde- 

 pendent spirit were manifested 

 at Lima ; and that on IMarch 4, 

 the governofr oft'ered to instal a 



Junta, provided the presidency 

 were secured to himself, and the> 

 government at Cadiz was recog- 

 nized. The province of Cocha- 

 bamba continued its connection 

 with the Junta of Buenos Ayres, and 

 had a military force on foot. The 

 province of Potosi, with the greater 

 part of Peru, remained faithful to 

 the mother country. Goyoneche, 

 tlie royal commander, was at the 

 head of 4,000 men ; and in July 

 was said to be advancing to Co- 

 chabamba, having routed some 

 detachments which opposed his 

 march. 



Such, upon the whole, was the 

 mass of intelligence received dur- 

 ing this year, from the southern 

 parts of America ; from the gene-, 

 ral result of which it may be in- 

 ferred, that the cause of colonial 

 independence rather lost than gain- 

 ed ground ; and if Spain should be 

 able finally to free herself from her 

 invaders, and recover her place 

 among nations, it is probable, by 

 adopting a liberal system of policy 

 towards her transatlantic subjects^ 

 that she might still retain them 

 under her dominion, though cer- 

 tainly not bound by those fetters 

 in which she has so long held 

 them. 



The West India islands have af- 

 forded little matter for the history 

 of the present year. At Jamaica 

 a disposition was shown in the 

 House of Assembly, towards the 

 close of the past year, to withhold 

 the usual supplies for the mainte- 

 nance of the troops, on the pretext- 

 of the taxes with which the island 

 was burdened, and other griev- 

 ances ; but the opposition party- 

 was out-voted. In answer, how- 

 ever, to a message from the lieu- 

 tenant-governor, recommending to. 



the 



