BUENOS AYRES. 



7T 



version 

 of the em- 

 pire of tlio 

 ;s iu 



.ica. 





Bueno* For several yean they resisted the united colonial 

 troops of Portugal and Spain ; and, rather than sub- 

 " ""V" ' mit, determined to abandon their country. They 

 ;fil oil" all tliat they were able ; set fire to the re- 

 mainder, and left nothing but a desert to their ene- 

 mies. The Jesuits were suspected of having promo* 

 ted and aided the opposition of the Guarinis; and, 

 though they openly disavowed the charge, they were 

 unable to free themselves from the imputation. They 

 did not, however, long survive this dismemberment 

 of their dominions. The expulsion of their order 

 from tSpain in 1767* was immediately followed by 

 the subversion of their empire in America. Their 

 missions were converted into regular Spanish settle- 

 ments, called Presidencies ; and they were succeeded 

 in their spiritual labours by the monks of St Francis, 

 St Dominic, and the order of Mercy. We may 

 form some estimate of the prosperity of these reduc- 

 tions, from the number of cattle which they possess- 

 ed at the time of their annexation to the government 

 of Paraguay, viz. 769,353 horned cattle, 9*,983 

 horses, and 221,537 sheep. 



The difficulties attending the direction of such an 

 extensive viceroyalty as that of Peru, determined the 

 Spanish court to disjoin the provinces of Buenos 

 Ayres, Paraguay, Tucuman, Los Charcas, and Cuyo, 

 from that government, and to erect them into a se- 

 parate viceroyalty, with Buenos Ayres for its capital. 

 This arrangement was soon found to be most condu- 

 cive to the prosperity of the country, as well as to 

 the advantage of the parent state ; for, except some 

 partial insurrections among the Indians of Los Char- 

 cas, and the Guarinis presidencies, nothing of im- 

 portance occurred to disturb the tranquillity of the 

 colonists until 1806, when a British squadron ap- 

 peared in the mouth of the Rio de la Plata. 



This expedition, under the command of Major- 

 General Beresford and Sir Home Popham, anchored 

 off Point de Quilmes, about twelve miles from Bue- 

 nos Ayres, on the 25th of June 1806. The debark- 

 ation of the troops was effected in the course of the 

 afternoon and night, without the leaat opposition 

 from the enemy, who, though stationed at the vil- 

 lage of Reduction, only about two miles from the 

 beach, remained quiet spectators of our operations. 

 After a feeble resistance on the following day, they 

 fled with precipitation, leaving behind them four 

 field pieces, and one tumbril ; and, taking up a new 

 position on the Rio Chuelo, nearly tiiree miles from 

 the city, attempted to oppose the passage of the 

 British troops. A few discharges of artillery, how- 

 ever, and the determined appearance of our army, 

 soon compelled them to disperse, when General Be- 

 He enters re8 f r d entered the capital without opposition. The 

 the city. conquest of this important settlement was thus ef- 

 fected with a very trifling loss,* and the captors 



Expedition 

 of General 

 Beresford 



against 

 .Buenos 

 Ayres in 

 1806. 



were rewarded with a rich booty in ipecic and colo- 

 nial produce, f Short lived, however, was our tri- 

 umph ; for no soon.-r did the Spaniard* discover the 

 inconsiderable force which had possession of their ca- 

 pital, than they immediately determined upon its re- 

 covery, and, before reinforcements should arrive from 

 England, to expel from their country these daring 

 intruders. A thousand regular troops from Monte 

 Video, under the command of Colonel Liniers, sup- 

 ported by an armed mob, amounting to nearly 20,000 

 men, marched against the city. But the British 

 troops, consisting of only 1300 men, received them 

 with such cool and determined resistance, that they 

 were at first repulsed and thrown into confusion. By 

 repeated attacks, however, they prevailed. The Bri- 

 tish were at last overpowered, and obliged to surren- 

 der, on the 12th of August, with the loss of 114 

 men killed and wounded. Scarcely was the recap- 

 ture accomplished, when succours arrived from the 

 Cape of Good Hope ; with which Sir Home Pop- 

 ham, after having made an abortive attempt upon 

 Monte Video, took possession of Maldonado, a strong 

 position at the mouth of the La Plata. 



The people of England were so delighted with the 

 intelligence of their new conquest, and so buoyed up 

 with the prospect of a free and ready market for 

 their manufactures, that the ministry, in compliance 

 with the public feeling, but contrary to their own 

 better judgment, resolved to retain a possession which 

 had been acquired without either their consent or 

 approbation. Sir Samuel Achmuty was consequent- 

 ly dispatched with a strong reinforcement ; but, be- 

 fore his arrival, Buenos Ayres had been lost. He, 

 however, took Monte Video by storm, and then sent 

 a small detachment under Colonel Pack to occupy 

 Colonia del Sacramento, which lies on the north side 

 of the river, opposite to Buenos Ayres. 



The English general waited now only for farther 

 succours to proceed against the Spanish capital. The 

 Spaniards, in the mean time, however, had made every 

 preparation for defence. Their ancient animosity 

 against the English, which had been excited by the 

 ravages of Drake, of Cavendish, and of the Bucca- 

 neers, was now revived ; and they determined upon a 

 stout and resolute opposition. Every avenue to the 

 city was barricaded with bullocks' hides, placed 

 from fifteen to twenty feet thick, against which it 

 would be in vain to fire. Many of the houses which 

 had parapet walls were planted with small artillery ; 

 and every citizen that could carry arms had his ap- 

 pointed station. Conspiracies were also forming in 

 the very heart of the British troops. The Spanish 

 inhabitants of Monte Video had secreted arm* and 

 ammunition in their houses, with the intention of ri- 

 sing upon their conquerors ; and a Spanish gentle- 

 man and his servant were executed, for endeavouring 



The city 

 retakeu by 

 the Spa- 

 niards, and 

 the British 

 compelled 

 to surreii- 

 dc-r. 



Mont* Vi. 

 deo taken 

 by storm. 



Prepara- 

 tions of the 

 Spaniards 

 for the de- 

 fence of 

 the capital. 



One seaman killed ; one officer, one scrjeant, and seven rank and file wounded ; and one officer missing. 



f According to the terms granted to the inhabitants of Buenos Ayres by the British commanders, all bonajule private pro- 

 perty was to remain free and unmolested ; but all public property, of every description, was to be delivered up to the captors. 

 Among the former were 158 coasting vessels, with their cargoes, valued at one million and a half of dollars, which were 

 given up to their owners. The specie amounted to 1,291,323 dollars ; of which 1,086,208 dollars was shipped on board the 

 Narcissus for England ; and the remainder was allowed to remain in the treasury, for the exigencies of the army and navy 

 and for the purpose of keeping down the exchange on bills drawn on the respective services. 



The merchandize found in the king's stores, consisting principally of Jesuits' bark and quicksilver, and in the stores of tbe 

 Philippine Company, was valued at between three and four millions of dollars. 



