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A VOYAGE TO 



this measure to have been rash and ill-advised; not 

 but that he considered Artigas a deserter, but that he 

 thought it imprudent and unwise, inasmuch as the 

 proscription of Artigas became that of the whole coun- 

 try, which his gauchos enabled him to sway. Expe- 

 rience, he says, has shown that moderation would 

 have been w iser than this violence. It is no easy 

 matter to say what would have been the best manner 

 of managing a man of this description; no dependence 

 could longer be placed upon him, nor could there be 

 any expectations of any further aid or assistance from 

 him in the common cause. The only question was, 

 how to render him as little mischievous as possible. 

 From the writings and publications of the day, the 

 public mind at Buenos Ayres appears to have been 

 much exasperated against him, and it is probable, that 

 Posadas, in issuing his proclamation, merely obeyed 

 the impulse of public feeling; it is not likely that he 

 would have ventured to have taken such a step, merely 

 for his own gratification. It was natural enough that 

 his enemies should afterwards charge him with obey- 

 ing the dictates of private resentment or passion, when 

 the measure turned out unfortunate, or that it should be 

 used for party purposes even by persons who detested 

 Artigas, and such is the unfortunate nature of party 

 spirit, would be willing to resort to any topic, calcu- 

 lated to produce popular ill will. It might, also, at 

 the same time, have been thought worth the expe- 

 riment, whether this proscription of Artigas, might 

 not induce his followers to abandon him; particularly 

 as it was known that the sober and respectable popu- 

 lation was unfriendly to him. But they did not reflect 

 that Artigas had in his hands, the effective force of 

 the country, and had declared himself its chief. 



