HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



225 



for carrying on the government of 

 the province in the present unset- 

 tled state of affairs, without dis- 

 solving the connection, but on 

 the principle of fraternization, 

 friendship, and unity with the 

 mother country. Similar revolu- 

 tions tookplaceimmediately there- 

 after, and almost simultaneously, 

 in other provinces, and in the same 

 spirit. Caraccas, Cumana, Bari- 

 nas, Margarita, Barcelona, iVIeri- 

 da, and Truxillo, were united as 

 federative governments, in what is 

 calledthe American Confederation 

 of Venezuela, April 19, 1810.* 



The principal promoters and 

 leaders in this revolution looked 

 forward with ardent expectation 

 to ultimate independence, though 

 they concealed themselves at first 

 under the wings of the general 

 partizans of Ferdinand VII. They 

 made warm professions of attach- 

 ment to the mother country, and 

 in common with the rest of their 

 countrymen, swore allegiance to 

 Ferdinand, as their legitimate so- 

 vereign : though the new Juntas 

 did not acknowledge, or pay any 

 deference or regard to the Re- 

 gency at Cadiz. This moderation 

 of conduct, though prudent in it- 

 self, would not perhaps have been 

 observed in preference to the soli- 

 citations of present interests and 

 passions, if ii had not been pre- 

 scribed by an indispensable regard 

 to the general sentiments and in- 

 clinations of the provinces. But 

 this stream was soon unfortunately 

 turned into a different, and some- 

 what an opposite direction. 



The Council of Regency awak- 



ened to a sense of their public 

 duty by the well-founded and 

 firm remonstrances of the island of 

 Cuba, passed a decree. May 17, 

 permitting the colonies to trade 

 with foreign nations in all the ar- 

 ticles of their own product, for 

 which there was not a vent in Old 

 Spain. This decree, morally just 

 and politically wise and necessary, 

 did not suit the interests, and was 

 offensive in the highest degree to 

 the merchants of Cadiz, on whom 

 the Regency vrere in a great mea- 

 sure dependant for the means of 

 continuing their new, feeble, and 

 slippery government. This de- 

 cree was therefore revoked on the 

 17th of June. And the Regency 

 had even the ridiculous folly to 

 pretend, that it was not authentic, 

 but an imposition on the public : 

 as if they would have suffered a 

 forgery to be in circulation, and 

 have the force of a law for the 

 space of six weeks, in the very 

 place whei-e the Regency resided, 

 without contradicting, and pro- 

 testing against it ! It was impos- 

 sible that the Spanish Americans 

 should respect a provisory govern- 

 ment so pitifully mean, cunning, 

 and fraudulent. 



While the impression made on 

 the minds of the Americans, by 

 the revocation or disavowal of the 

 decree in favour of colonial trade 

 was yet fresh and lively, intelli- 

 gence was received at Caraccas 

 that all who had been concerned 

 in the late revolutionary move- 

 ments, were proclaimed to be trai- 

 tors, and the ports of the province 

 declared to be in a state of block- 



• Manifesto Que hare al Mundo la Confederacion de Venezuela en la America 

 Meridional, &c.— Decreto del Supremo poder Executivo, de la Confederacion de 

 Venezuela. Palacio Federal de Caraccas, 8th July, 1811. _ 



Vol. LII. Q 



