GENERAL MIRANDA. 277 



assurance, that the views of his Britannic 

 Majesty go no further than to secure to 

 them their independence, without pretend- 

 ing to any sovereignty over their country, 

 or even to interfere in the privileges of the 

 people, or in their political, civil, or reli- 

 gious rights." 



This reference to the views of the British 

 government leads me to the project of Ge- 

 neral Miranda, and to the encouragement 

 which he received in this country, with a 

 view to carrying that project into effect. 

 Whatever ideas may at different times have 

 passed through the minds of Spanish Ame- 

 ricans, Miranda appears to have been the 

 first who matured a general plan of inde- 

 pendence. Upwards of forty years since 

 he was occupied with a project of this de- 

 scription; and nearly that period has now 

 elapsed since he first proposed to Mr. Pitt, 

 the then Prime Minister, his plan for achiev- 



