DISLIKE OF THE FRENCH. 291 



resources of Spanish America ; and to 

 achieve this object, every means were em- 

 ployed that the cunning of himself or his 

 ministers could devise. But to the ac- 

 complishment of this purpose there were 

 insuperable obstacles : the French not only 

 had no party in Spanish America, but they 

 were, throughout the country, or very 

 nearly so, disliked and despised. Many 

 of the Spanish vicercfys and governors, in 

 order to maintain their own power, would 

 willingly have transferred their allegiance 

 to Joseph Bonaparte, as the nominal King 

 of Spain ; but however they might, in 

 some instances, for a time succeed, it was 

 invariably found ultimately, that the people 

 were resolutely determined not to recog- 

 nise any French authority. 



Those feelings so hostile to the French, 

 which actuated the Spanish Americans, as 

 well as their attachment to England, are 



u 2 



