BUENOS A V K K S. 



73 



revolu- 



parte as their rightful sovereign. One of these had been 

 ; s, win* was evidently well inclined 

 towards France, and \vli<> waited only for the issue 

 of the contest to acknowledge the strongest ; but 

 as IK- h id, at the same time, received instructions 

 from the council of the Indies to proclaim Ferdi- 

 u-d at nandVII., he was obliged to comply ; and the ce- 

 . ny was performed with solemnities and public 

 rejoicings. But notwithstanding the known princi- 

 ples of the governor, the patriotic cause daily ac- 

 quired strength ; and it soon became as unpopular 

 to speak French, as it ever had been to speak Eng- 

 liali. Arrangements were eren made with the go- 

 vernment of Brazil, for opening Buenos Ayres to 

 British and Portuguese ships. Link-rs, however, 

 oon shewed himself hostile to these measures of re- 

 conciliation. He entrapped and sent to sea some 

 members of the Cabildo, who opposed the recogni- 

 tion of Bonaparte ; and prohibited the admission of 

 all British goods into the La Plata. Affairs conti- 

 nued in this disturbed state until the 22d of May 

 1810, when a complete revolution took place in the 

 tionTn "the government of this settlement. At a meeting of the 

 govern- inhabitants held with the consent of the viceroy, it 

 ment, and W as resolved to appoint a superior junta, who should 

 a junta ap. exerc i se the powers of government until the esta- 

 poin blishment of a general junta for the viceroyalty. 



This body were bound by oath, faithfully to dis- 

 charge their functions, punctually to observe the 

 laws of the kingdom, and to maintain the integrity 

 of that part of the dominions of America, in favour 

 of their beloved sovereign, Ferdinand VII. In a 

 proclamation which they issued upon entering into 

 office, they declared their intention of increasing the 

 force of the country ; and required, in the first 

 place, that all persons between 18 and 40 years of 

 age, who were without any visible means of liveli- 

 hood, or were unemployed in the public service, or in 

 any profession, should immediately enrol themselves. 

 ** The nations of the old world," said the junta, 

 " never witnessed a spectacle so affecting as that 

 which we have exhibited. When your spirit was 

 supposed to be completely exhausted by the afflic- 

 tion you were plunged into by the melancholy situa- 

 tion of the Peninsula, you, by an heroic effort, re- 

 solved to avenge so many misfortunes, and to teach 

 the general oppressor of Europe that the American 

 character opposes to his ambition a still stronger bar- 

 rier than the immense ocean, which has hitherto set 

 bounds to his enterprizes." 



At the same time, however, that the junta de- 

 clared their attachment to Ferdinand VII., a gene- 

 ral disposition seemed to prevail among the provinces 

 to shake off their dependence upon the mother coun- 

 try, until that monarch should be restored to his 

 Je junta tnrone> They accordingly refused to admit Don 

 .eceive the Xavier de Elio, who had been appointed by the re- 

 viceroy ap- gency of Spain to take possession of the viceroy- 

 pointed by alty, leaving the acknowledgment of the regency, 

 the regency an( j consequently the viceroy's appointment, to the 

 iin> decision of the representative assembly, which was 

 about to be held at Buenos Ayres. But the junta, in 

 their answer to Lord Strangford's offer of mediation 

 between them and the Peninsula, plainly intimate a 

 determinate. n to resist all authority winch the go- 



VOL. V. PART I. 



vernment at Cadiz may assume in the direction of 

 their affairs. " The Peninsula," say they, " it no 

 more than a part of the Spanish monarchy, and that 

 so maimed, that it would be no small concession to 

 put it upon an equality with America. It therefore 

 follows, from th;s principle, that the Peninsula can- 

 not hold any authority over America, nor this over 

 that." The government of Monte Video, however, 

 which had at first resolved to adhere to the proceed- 

 ings of the inhabitants of Buenos Ayres, now re- 

 ceived Elio as viceroy, and determined to acknow- 

 ledge the regency of Spain. Hostilities were, con- 

 sequently, commenced between the two cities. Bu- 

 enos Ayres was blockaded by a squadron of English, 

 Spanish, and Portuguese vessels. Frequent skir- 

 mishes took place between the troops of the junta 

 and the Monte Videans, in which the former in ge- 

 neral had the ad\antage ; and, in a battle fought on 

 the 18th of May 181 1, at Las Piedras, Elio's force 

 was completely defeated, when Monte Video was 

 immediately invested by the Buenos Avres army un- 

 der General Artegas. Several action* had also been 

 fought by the revolutionists and the troops of Peru ; 

 the viceroy of that country having successfully check* 

 ed, for a time, all attempts at a reformation in the 

 government, and endeavoured to enforce the autho- 

 rity of the regency upon the other provinces. Af- 

 ter various successes, the revolutionary army under 

 Castelli (who had been appointed generalissimo by 

 the junta) sustained a complete defeat from the Pe- 

 ruvians under Ygoneche ; and it is said that Castelli 

 and General Balcarse continued their flight for 100 

 leagues, without waiting for any of their followers ! 

 This disaster, and the discouragements which the 

 besieging army before Monte Video had experienced 

 from the strength of the place, and the facdity with 

 which supplies were obtained from Brasil, together 

 with the bombardment of Buenos Ayres, whirh 

 had commenced on the 14th of July by the com- 

 mand of Elio, induced the junta to listen to terms 

 of accommodation. Elio had taken advantage of 

 the present unprosperous state of affairs, and had 

 sent two senior officers, who were his prisoners, 

 to propose a negotiation ; intimating, at the same 

 time, that he was not averse to the formation of 

 juntas in the colonies, provided that fit boundaries 

 were assigned to their functions, and proper restric- 

 tions were applied to their powers. The proposal 

 was assented to by the junta ; and the first confer- 

 ence between the viceroy and their accredited agent 

 was to be held on board the Nereus British frigate, 

 then lying in the La Plata, in August 1811. Of 

 the result of this conference, hoxvever, no account 

 has been yet received in this country ; but by the 

 latest intelligence from this quarter, dated Septem- 

 ber, we learn, that sanguine hopes were entertained 

 by the inhabitant!, of both cities, that it would lead 

 to a speedy and amicable accommodation. 



Whattvtr be the fate of this country whether it 

 shall again acknowledge its subjection to the Spa- 

 nish monarchy, or erect itself into a separate and 

 independent state, the enlightened proceedings of 

 the provisional junta will ever be n. -membered with 

 gratitude and admiration by every friend of huma- 

 nity and freedom, but particularly by the posterity 



}'.<-. 

 Ayre. 



Hottilttie* 

 between 

 the junta 

 and the 



Monte Vi- 

 deaii. 



The rtvo- 

 lutiouary 

 army de. 

 featrd by 

 the Pern- 



Conference 

 between 

 Elio and 

 au ae:it of 

 the junta. 



