STATE PAPERS. 



S99 



entering your territory ; and 

 worthy men may now thank Di- 

 vine Providence, which, employ- 

 ing the powerful and always pro- 

 pitious arm of the King my Lord 

 and Master, banishes the evils 

 that assail you, punishes the chiefs 

 if they do not correct themselves, 

 and, not stopping at such great 

 benefits, will confer others which 

 you cannot appreciate until you 

 enjoy them. 



Do not abandon your houses, 

 except to seek a slielter from tiie 

 banditti, and join the army : for 

 every thing that may be wanted 

 you shall be purctually paid. Jn 

 his most faithful Majesty's name 

 I promise you security for your 

 persons and property. Let, then, 

 your lamentations and complaints 

 cease — let them cease for ever ; 

 and mingling your voices frater- 

 nally with ours, repeat a thousand 

 times with that gaiety which has 

 so long forsaken you — Live tlie 

 King ! Live tlie King ! Live the 

 King ! 



Charles Frederick Lecor, Lieut. - 

 General of the Armies of his 

 Most Faithful Majesty , Gene lal- 

 in-Chief of the troops destined 

 foi' the pacification of the Left 

 Bank of the Rio de la Plata, 

 &c. &c. 



Peo])le of tlie Left Bank of 

 the Rio de la Plata ! 

 The reiterated insults wliich 

 the tyrant Artigas has given to 

 the pacific inhabitants of Monte- 

 Video, your own covuitrymen, 

 and those of the Rio Grande ; the 

 absolute prohibition of conuiumi- 

 cating on the frontier witli your 

 friends the Portuguese; and, 

 finally, the hostile disposition in 

 which he places his troops, direct- 



ing them to the neighbourhood 

 of the Rio Pardo, are facts wliich 

 are notorious, and more than 

 sufficient to prove the intentions 

 of that tyrant. They also suffice 

 to prove incontestably that there 

 can be no stable government 

 among yourselves, nor security in 

 the Portuguese dominions, while 

 you remain subject to his oppres- 

 sion. To a tyrant, who, obtain- 

 ing the control of your armed 

 force, dictates to you by it his 

 own opinions — a tyrant wliose 

 conduct has been hostile and in- 

 constant, except in what relates 

 to his interests, and who cannot 

 render your country happy, nor 

 afford your neighliours any con- 

 fidence in his political relations. 



Inhabitants of the Province of 

 the North, terminate the state of 

 inceititude wliich ruins your coun- 

 try, and disturbs the frontier of 

 tlie kingdom of Brazil. To re- 

 move these evils I an) sent by my 

 Sovereign, with the troops which 

 you see with me, and others who 

 t'ollow us, but who do not come 

 to conqueror to destroy your pro- 

 perty. On the cuntrai'v, their 

 only object is to subdue the enc- 

 rriy, to deliver you fiom oppres- 

 sion, to re-establish your tran- 

 quillity, to put an enil to the ex- 

 ti'aoidiiiary contributions imposed 

 on you, and to treat you all with 

 kindness, tho;-eonly excepted who 

 shall hencefoilh attempt to disturb 

 the public peace. 



Inhabitants ! You who love tlie 

 welfare of your countty, remain 

 tranquil in your houses, and place 

 confidence in the promises which 

 I make you in the name of my 

 Sovcieign. He has constituted 

 me head of a Provisional Go\ern- 

 ment in tliis province ; and 1 



jiiomise 



