VENEZUELA. 



of gradually abolidiing many of their privileges, and the 

 " encomiendas" fell at length, in moft of the provinces, to 

 the crown ; and certain inferior privileges were then 

 granted to the fettlers, in lieu of thofe originally pofTefTed, 

 with the titles of marquis, count, &c. Spanifti America 

 was from that time confidered as a kingdom, independent in 

 itfelf, yet united to Spain, as being both under the govern- 

 ment of one king. The incorporation of this country to 

 the crown of Caftile was decreed by Charles V. in Barcelona, 

 September 14, 1519, and confirmed by Donna Juana, Phi- 

 lip II. and Charle"! II. Accordingly, in the opening of the 

 royal decree pubhfhed in the year 1524, for the nomination 

 of a fupreme council for the Indies, the term kingdom is 

 exprefsly ufed, and its ufe admits, that the inhabitants had a 

 natural right to hold the appointments of profit and honour 

 in the coimtry. The energetic remonftrances of Montefino, 

 Cordova, Las Cafas, and others, to the court of Spain, 

 againft the arbitrary meafuresof the conquerors and fettlers, 



fave rife to the eftabhfhment of the Council of the Indies. 

 See Council of the India.) Whilft the legiflative power 

 of the kingdom of the Indies refted in this council aid the 

 king, the executive power belonged to the viceroys and cap- 

 tain-general. The viceroys were alfo invelted with royal 

 power, that is, they were authorized by a fpecial commiffion 

 to aft with plenitude of power in extraordinary and delicate 

 emergencies. 



From the moft exaft calculations, it is concluded that the 

 continental part of Spanifh America contains thirteen millions 

 of inhabitants ; part of which population is employed in 

 agriculture, particularly in Venezuela, Guatimala, Gua- 

 yaquil, Chili, Carthagena, &c. ; and many in the care of 

 cattle, efpecially in the provinces of Rio de la Plata and part 

 of Venezuela ; while the inhabitants of feveral provinces of 

 Mexico, Peru, and New Grenada, are almoft wholly em- 

 ployed in working the mines. The Indians and Negroes 

 have retained, in a great meafure, their primitive cuftoms ; 

 the Creoles have received theirs from the Spaniards. The 

 Catholic religion being that of Spanifh America, the church 

 government and ecclefiaftical dignities are the fame as in the 

 mother-country. The inquifition was alfo eftablifhed in the 

 new continent : all accefs to the Spanifh fettlements was not 

 merely clofed againft foreigners, but even the inhabitants of 

 the different provinces were prohibited from intercourfe with 

 one another. Commerce was exclufively carried on with 

 Spain, and was almoft entirely in the hands of Spaniards ; 

 about the end of the laft century, however, fome fpecial 

 licences were obtained from the viceroys and captains-general 

 to trade with the Antilles, when communication with the 

 mother-country was very difficult ; and in 1797 the court of 

 Madrid was obliged to allow fome of the ports of Terra Firma 

 to be opened for the advantage of commerce. Urged by 

 fimilar motives, Cifneros, the viceroy of the provinces of Rio 

 de la Plata in 1809, opened the ports of Buenos Ay res, that 

 a free trade might be carried on with the nations in alliance 

 with Spain. 



The court of Madrid long maintained its power in the 

 new continent, by a fmall number of Spanifh troops, as the 

 Creoles were cordially attached to the mother-country, and 

 the Indians unable to free themfelves ; but about the middle 

 of the laft century, a plan of confpiracy was formed in Ca- 

 raccas, with a view of deftroying the company of Guipuf- 

 coa, to which the privilege had been granted of exclufively 

 trading with Venezuela. The defign was difcovered, and. 

 the head of the confpiracy condemned to death. ( See Ca- 

 RACCAS and Gujpuscoa.) The oppreflions of the repar- 

 timientos, and other grievances, gave rife alfo to the infur- 

 reftion which took place in Peru in 1780. By the fyftem of 



the repartimientos, the Indians were obliged to receive their 

 neceffary fupplies of goods, hardware, and mules from the 

 corregidores (officers named by the king), at the prices they 

 fixed, and on the credit they thought proper to give. In 

 1 78 1, fome reforms and additional taxes were introduced in 

 New Grenada, in the province of Socorro, one of the moft 

 populous of the viceroyalty ; but the province openly 

 declared againft thefe changes, and having affembled near 

 17,000 men, marched againft Santa Fe de Bogota, ex- 

 claiming, " Long live the king, but death to our bad 

 governors." 



Some few Creoles and Spaniards, well acquainted with the 

 principles laid down by the French politicians in the early 

 period of the French revolution, and with thofe of the 

 writers who preceded that period, formed a plan for revolu- 

 tion in Caraccas in 1797. They treated the Spanifh govern- 

 ment with contempt, and trufted to the proteftion of the ^ 

 Enghfh, in confequence of Mr. Pitt's well-known plan of 

 giving independence to Terra Firma. The confpiracy was , 

 difcovered, and the oftenfible leaders made their elcape ; but (. 

 one of them was afterwards apprehended and hanged. Sir 

 Thomas Pifton, governor of Trinidad, iffued at this time a 

 proclamation, in which he fays, towaids encouraging the 

 inhabitants (of the continent near to Trinidad) to refill 

 the oppreflive authority of their government ; " I have 

 little more to fay, than that they may be certain, that when- 

 ever they are in that difpofition, they may receive all the 

 fuccours to be expefted from His Britannic Majefty, be it 

 with forces, or with arms and ammunition to any extent ; 

 with the affurance, that the views of His Britannic Majefly 

 go no further than to fecure to them their independence, 

 without pretending to any fovereignty over their country, 

 nor even to interfere in the privileges of the people, nor in 

 their political, civil, or religious rights." To affift the revo- 

 lutionary party in Spanifh America, the Englifh cabinet is 

 faid to have paid the expedition of Miranda to Venezuela in , 

 1 806, and to have fent that of Whitelocke to Bnenos Ayres 

 in 1807, both of which failed. It is certain that the inha- 

 bitants of Spanifh America have been long difcontented, and 

 that they have complained of various grievances to the court of 

 Madi-id. This court, however, knew how to anfwer petitions 

 without redreffing grievances. But Napoleon Bonaparte, 1 

 when he became in faft mafter of the Peninfula, and poffeiTor ) 

 of the wealth of America by the influence he had in this 

 court, having invaded the knigdom and feized the royal 

 family of Spain, loofened thofe bonds which united the new 

 to the old world, and gave rife to a revolution which, from 

 the wide extent of the country in which it is feated, its cha- 

 rafter, and its confequences, is unparalleled in the annals 

 of hiftory. When Bonaparte had not only invaded the king- 

 dom, but feized king Ferdinand, and affemblies under the 

 denomination of " juntas" were eftablifhed in various pro- 

 vinces of Spain, each afTuming in its refpeftive diftriA the 

 fupreme authority, the Spanifh Americans were .perplexed 

 and dubious as to the conduft which they ought to purfue. 

 The moment for freedom feemed at length to prefent itfelf, 

 after they had been wearied and exhaufted by a feries of 

 fufferings for three centuries. However, Spanifh America 

 was ftill attached to the mother-country : and when it was 

 announced at Caraccas, in July 1 808, that Jofeph Bonaparte 

 had taken poffeffion of the Spanifh throne, the city was im- 

 mediately in arms : 10,000 of its inhabitants furrounded the 

 refidence of the captain-general, and demanded the pro- 1 

 clamation of Ferdinand VII. as their king : which he pro- 

 mifed to do next day. But fuch was their ardour, that they 

 proclaimed him that evening by heralds in form, throughout 

 the city, and placed liis portrait, illuminated, in the gallery 



of 



