292 SPANISH AMERICA. 



strikingly exemplified in the following let 

 ter from Captain Beaver to Sir Alexander 

 Cochrane, at that time Commander-in-Chief 

 of the Leeward Island station in the West 

 Indies, dated La Guayra, the 19th of July, 

 1808: 



Sir,~Events of singular importance oc- 

 curring at present in the province of Vene- 

 zuela, I have thought it necessary to despatch 

 to you, without loss of time, the late French 

 corvette Le Serpent, in order that you might, 

 as early as possible, be made acquainted 

 with those events which have already occur- 

 red, as well as be able to form some opinion 

 of those which will probably follow. 



" The port of La Guayra I made in the 

 morning of the 1 5th, and while standing in 

 for the shore, with the cartel flag flying, I 

 observed a brig under French colours just 

 coming to an anchor. She had arrived the 



