736 



VENEZUELA. 



panied by the pickets, who had now rallied, 

 and engaged the Colorados, holding them in 

 check until the arrival of reinforcements, when 

 President Battle and his men were compelled 

 to make a hasty retreat and to seek safety in 

 flight, leaving behind them three pieces of ar- 

 tillery and about 800 men in killed, wounded, 

 and prisoners. Elated by these successes, the 

 Blancos organized a naval expedition, and on 

 the 8th of December a dash was made into the 

 port of Mevades, where were captured the 

 steamer Anita, with 100 men on board, the pas- 

 senger steamer Eio Uruguay, and the steamer 

 Eio de la Plata. The steaming qualities of the 

 America saved her, and she ran into Monte- 

 video and gave the alarm. Toward morning 

 of the 9th the fleet of the Blancos appeared in 

 the harbor and captured the government steam- 

 er Oriental, which had on board a large quan- 

 tity of powder. This was distributed among 



the vessels, and then they left the Oriental, 

 steaming away under cover of the fire from 

 Cerro fort, which they had previously taken. 



The Uruguayan Government was powerless, 

 as their only war-ship was stationed at Colonia. 

 It was finally agreed that the Blancos should 

 give up the prizes to the Brazilian legation. 

 This arrangement was soon afterward carried 

 into effect. For three or four days the British 

 charge d'affaires at Buenos Ayres was en- 

 deavoring to effect a compromise between the 

 rival factions. He succeeded in obtaining a 

 note from the commander of the Blancos, Ti- 

 moteo Aparicio, proposing the appointment of 

 commissioners to meet commissioners to be 

 appointed by the Government for the adjust- 

 ment of all points at issue. The Government, 

 however, did not accept the proposition in 

 full, but demanded a modification of the bases 

 upon which the negotiations are to take place. 



Y 



VENEZUELA, a republic in South America. 

 Area, 368,235 square miles. Population, 2,200,- 

 000, inclusive of about 600,000 unsettled ab- 

 origines, or Indians. The following table gives 

 the number of the white or population of 

 European descent in each of the thirteen States 

 of the republic, according to official estimates : 



Cumana 75,828 



Caracas 863,858 



Barquieimento. . . . 313,881 



Carabobo 230,509 



Barinas 126,925 



Maracaibo 89,718 



M6rida 84,843 



Barcelona 78,634 



Coro 72,321 



Trujillo 60,937 



Apnre 32,485 



Margarita 20,906 



Guayane 13,588 



Total 1,564,433 



During the year ending June 30, 1868, the 

 revenue, exclusively derived from customs 

 duties, amounted to $4,390,055 ; expenditure, 

 $4,560,760, more than one-half of the dis- 

 bursements being for the maintenance of the 

 army. 



At the end of 1869 the internal and foreign 

 debt comprised $52,971,750. The foreign debt, 

 contracted chiefly in England, comprises : 



3 per cent, stock $14,060,000 



1}" " " or deferred debt 6,911,750 



6 " " loan of 1862 4,500,000 



6 " " stock issued for arrears... 1,000.000 



6 " " Ioanofl864 7,000,000 



Total $33,471,750 



With the exception of the dividends on the 

 6 per cent, loan of 1864, no interest has been 

 paid since the year 1865. 



The army of the republic, in 1869, numbered 

 5,000 men. Besides the regular troops, there 

 is a national militia, in which every citizen, 

 from the eighteenth to the forty-fifth year, in- 

 clusive, must be enrolled. 



In spite of the vast agricultural and mineral 

 resources of the country, the trade of Venezuela 

 is not very considerable. During the five years 

 1865-'69, the total imports averaged $5,000,- 

 000; exports $6,000,000 per annum. 



The country continued to be devastated by 

 intestine wars. President Monagas, with whom 

 much fault had been found for the inactivity 

 of the government against the revolution, took 

 command of the army early in February. The 

 eastern States were neutral, and had taken no 

 part in the movement up to that time, while 

 the western States had pronounced in favor 

 of the revolutionists, and had furnished them 

 7,000 men. They had defeated the government 

 troops at Adjuntas, near Caracas, and then 

 attacked Valencia, but after a desperate battle, 

 causing a loss on both sides of 400 men, were 

 repulsed by the regular army, which held that 

 city in strong force. General Antonio Guz- 

 man Blanco, one of the revolutionary candi- 

 dates for the presidency, under date of the 

 22d of February, issued the following procla- 

 mation : 



Our banner is the Constitution of 1864, which rec- 

 ognizes and grants to the Venezuelans the right of 

 insurrection if the public authority interfere with 

 their prerogatives, their guarantees, and liberties. 

 These prerogatives, these guarantees, these liberties, 

 all disappeared with the violation of the two cardinal 

 principles of the federal republic : the liberty of elec- 

 tion, which is the supreme right of the people, and 

 the autonomy of the States, which is the supreme 

 guarantee of all liberty in the confederation. 



The revolution soon spread over the entire 

 country, and, although at first only skirmishes 

 took place between the opposing forces, the 

 insurgents under Guzman Blanco soon became 

 sufficiently strong to try a decisive blow. They 

 marched on toward the city of Caracas, the 

 capital of the country, which they took by 

 assault, on the 27th of April, after two days' 

 siege and hard fighting. Many disorders oc- 

 curred, and several houses and shops were 

 sacked. Guzman Blanco next day issued a 

 proclamation, taking supreme control and 

 naming a ministry; ignoring all legislation 



